Opening Prayer Pg.1
Heavenly Father, we pray your blessing on our bible study this night. Our world is broken and on a path to self destruction, And just as Jesus was rejected, so to are morality, righteousness and Christian principle being challenged each day by the worlds self seeking, unprincipled ways. We know that there is much good that still prevails in this world and we pray that it will triumph over evil, as you have promised. We pray that You will be with those of our study who cannot be with us tonight and ask that you share our blessing with them. In Jesus name we pray, Amen
The Parable of The Unjust Steward
Luke 16:1-13 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg--
4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
6 "'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.'
7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
13 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Earthly riches are disposable and at best will buy us more of the worlds goods. Bigger, better, newer, possessions, stuff and things. In the view of eternity that Jesus offers us, all of the earthly riches we have, might make an atoms worth of importance as far as our souls are concerned. God places no significance on our stuff. But he measures what we do with it on the scale of eternity. Be resourceful and careful with what you have and how it is put to use. True riches are the gifts that come from God. They are those things to which the Christian must aspire. True riches are eternal, The world has none of them, and money does not buy them. Only through Jesus Christ can one know what they really are.
Pg2
_______ The Dishonest Steward _______________caught in the act__________
Luke 16:1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
Here Jesus is teaching about personal wealth as it relates to morality. That is because it is such a driving force in life. Everyone you know has or will strive to get a well paying job or develop a business or a plan for making more money. Our lives are driven by the need for wealth. Even in old age we are encouraged to plan for our retirement, by having good investments and for taking care of our health.
Then there is the concept of morality in our social duties and actions which a man owes to his fellow men, or to society in general, But there is also baseness, vileness, or depravity contrary to the accepted and customary rule of right and duty between men when interacting in the business world. And unfortunately such moral turpitude is the order of the day in the minds and morals of some in our world. And Jesus is using such conduct as a teaching tool in this parable.
The Resourcefulness of dishonest people, They seem to be an example to encourage resourcefulness in the Christians pursuit of his goal as well.
Q.1 Why is it a concern that one earn more money and improve one’s position?
Q.2 How does one’s personal wealth become a concern of one’s personal morality?
Q.3 How would you describe truth, responsibility and moral conduct in today's world?
__________Making plans for getting ahead despite setbacks________________
Luke 16:3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
In life, as one takes on more responsibility, a family, a new home, a responsible position in society, there is also a fall back plan or a resource that can be utilized to sustain us should one have a reversal of fortune. This man has no such plan but he now realizes that he needs one so he begins to plan for his upcoming job loss.
Q.1 When does one first realize that a plan is needed for unforeseen setbacks in life?
Q.2 What instincts are put into action when such things occur?
Q.3 Can anyone here describe the experience of a sudden loss of earning power?
Q.4 How would you describe this unjust steward to your lawyer?
Q.5 What is there about this man that is comparable to some in our society today?
Pg.3
_________________Putting the plan into action_______________________
Luke 16:5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 "'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' 7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
Here we have the dishonest scheme that the manager has concocted so that he might have some manner of acquiring favors from his masters debtors, which will afford him a way to get by during this setback. Still he is not thinking long term and this scheme too will ultimately fail. But the one thing he has done, he has used the worlds ways to do it. His scheme will help him in the pursuit of his continued dishonest ways.
Q.1 Whatever it takes to get through it, isn’t that what we do when such setbacks occur?
Q.2 Isn’t it such in life that our instinct for survival is much keener when threatened?
Q.3 Why has Jesus not brought into question any matters of faith and belief?
It is important to know to whom Jesus is addressing this parable. The parable is for the benefit of the disciples, but there is also a not-so-subtle critique of the Pharisees. And that which was the Pharisees’ motivation? They were those who were “lovers of money” and who “justify themselves before men” and who exalted that which was an “abomination before God.” The love of money, at the expense of their souls. And the souls of others as well. Jesus teaches two things in this parable. (1) the need for ingenuity in the process of our goal, and (2) the morality that must not fail us
________________Making the best of what we have___________________
Luke 16:8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Jesus is not condoning this behavior since it is a dishonest act, but He is placing emphasis on a larger principle. Jesus is teaching that his followers, and the Chosen of God should just as intensely make application of it in their faith life, using whatever it takes of the wealth of our worldly possessions to assure our salvation. In more explicit words, Put our money where our faith is. God does not condone worldly shrewdness, nor unjust conduct, but this parable teaches us to use honest ingenuity thought and effort in a maximum effort to assure our place of service in God’s vineyard.
Q.1 What events in one’s daily lives might incline one make such desperate decisions.
Q.2 How do you feel about using your worldly goods and wealth to do as Jesus teaches?
Q.3 Of what benefit to the debtors, is this man’s actions?
Q.4 On that basis, should one’s taking care of self, also help others?
Pg.4
___________________Who do we trust__________________________
Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
If one is unfaithful and unjust in lesser things of this world, it is likely that one should do so with the greater gifts of God's providence, thus God will not honor that person. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much. He that serves God, and does justly, with his material goods, will serve God, and do justly, with the spiritual gifts of talent, wisdom, grace, and spirituality, and will be allowed even more. But God will withhold his grace from the sefl serving, covetous, deceitful people of this world who do not look to him for their eternal reward, and his door will be closed to them at the final hour.
Q.1 When transacting business in our world today what is your most imminent fear?
Q.2 What precautions for your protection do you take in your business and daily life?
Q.3 Are the times we live in becoming more uncertain in matters pertaining to our wealth and well-being?
____________________Who loves you______________________________
Luk 16:13 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
If a one loves the world, and depends on it for sustenance and life, one will make all pretensions of religion bend to their secular interests and designs, and the things of God shall be made to help them in serving and seeking the worlds way, and it’s rewards. That way of living might well be prosperous and pleasing, but will soon turn one’s head and cause them to become enemies with God and His goodness.
But, on the other hand, if one will love God, and adhere to His teaching and leading , one will begin to understand the world’s way as the way of condemnation, and will despise it. Then one will make all business and success in the world come into alignment with God’s will and way, to the glory of God. Then the things of the world shall be made to help him in serving God and working out his salvation. And The door to God’s Heaven will be opened to that one.
Q.1 What are some of the worlds ways to which one may become easily addicted?
Q.2 What subtler ways does the world use to make its claim on someone ?
Q.3 How are the times we live in becoming more uncertain in matters pertaining to our life choices?
Pg.5
Meditation:
Jesus teaching with this example of a very clever steward who used his worldly shrewdness and ingenuity to his own benefit is a good illustration for a spiritual lesson about the kingdom of God! What's the point of Jesus's parable? The dishonest steward is commended not for mishandling his master's wealth, but for his shrewd provision in averting personal disaster and in securing his future livelihood. The original meaning of "shrewdness" is "foresight". A shrewd person grasps a critical situation with resolution, foresight, and the determination to avoid serious loss or disaster. Jesus is concerned here with something more critical than a financial crisis. His concern is that we avert spiritual crisis and personal disaster through the exercise of faith and foresight.
If Christians would only expend as much foresight and energy to spiritual matters which have eternal consequences as much as they do to earthly matters which have temporal consequences, then they would be truly better off, both in this life and in the age to come.
True wealth consists not in what we keep but in what we give away. And what we give away in just moral and right cause, God will multiply in return to us, and will use that which we give, to grow our character and spirituality so that we might serve Him more faithfully and realize His presence in our lives more intensely.
Possessions are a great responsibility. The Lord expects us to use them honestly and responsibly and to put them at his service and the service of others. We are God's servants and all that we have belongs to him. He expects us to make a good return on what he gives us. God loves generosity and he gives liberally to those who share his gifts with others. The Pharisees, however, had no room for God or others in their hearts. The gospel says they were lovers of money (Luke 16:14). Love of money and wealth crowd out love of God and love of neighbor. Jesus makes clear that our hearts must either be possessed by God's love or our hearts will be possessed by the love of something else. What does your heart most treasure?
Closing prayer
Lord, all that we have is a gift from you. May we learn to love you freely and generously with all our resources. Help us to be wise and faithful stewards of our resources, including the use of our time, money, and possessions. Make us continually aware of the need we have to be resourceful with our Christian faith and gifts." We pray now for those of our concern who need your comfort and healing____________ Be with those mentioned here and those who rest in our hearts desire for their strength, comfort and healing. In Jesus name we pray, Amen
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