Biblical Financial Planning Luke 16:113

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Biblical Financial PlanningLuke 161-13

• Sunday School
• June 4, 2006
• St. Johns UMC, Oak Park, IL

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Introduction

• One of Satans most effective delusions is the
  idea that happiness consists of the things that
  we possess
• The seduction of materialism permeates through
  both conspicuous and subliminal messages
• Be on guard, Satan will distract us
• Our spiritual orientation and relationship with
  God is revealed through our attitude with

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and the Bible

• 16 out of 38 parables deal with money
• 1 out of 10 verses in NT deal with this subject
• 500 verses on prayer, 500 verses on faith, but
  over 2,000 verses on the subject of money
• Money is an extremely important issue because a
  persons attitude toward it determines his
  relationship with God, on fulfilling his purpose
  in this life, and on his character

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Luke 161-13

• 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.' 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 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he
  replied.
• The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit
  down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
• 7 Then he asked the second, 'And how much do
  you owe?'
• 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied.

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Luke 161-13

• 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 servant can serve two masters.
  Either he will hate the one and love the other,
  or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
  other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

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Luke 161-13

• The first section uses one single parable with
  two applications
• (1) The dishonest steward is first given as an
  example of shrewdness, using money to secure
  one's future (161-9)
• (2) Second, Jesus picks up the idea of a
  steward to discuss honesty and dishonesty
  in our own money dealings, that we are stewards
  of God's money, and must be scrupulously honest
  with it (1610-13).

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Luke 161

• WASTING THE MASTERS POSSESSIONS
• "Jesus told his disciples 'There was a rich man
  whose manager was accused of wasting his
  possessions.
• The main character in the story is a "manager of
  a household or estate, (house) steward, manager."
  He has been accused of "wasting" the master's
  possessions. The original word in Greek
  diaskorpizo, "scatter, disperse," is the same
  word used in the previous parable to describe how
  the Prodigal Son "squandered his wealth in wild
  living" (1513).
• His job was to work for his master's best
  interests, but instead he was sloppy and his
  master's fortune was being scattered, squandered
  on frivolous pursuits. But being sloppy and
  scattering his masters fortune is not
  necessarily dishonest. Just lack of planning and
  foresight.
• Are we squandering Gods possessions or investing
  it wisely for His glory? Stop thinking we own
  these possessions we are STEWARDS.
• Are we planning in dependence on Gods direction
  and in faith?
• Financial planning protects us from wasting Gods
  resources.

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Luke 162

• TURN IN YOUR ACCOUNTING BOOKS
• 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."
• It's just an accusation, but the master has
  reason to believe it. He relieves the steward of
  his responsibilities and asks for a final report
  of where things stand, and then turn over the
  accounting books.
• The steward is being fired, found guilty without
  a trial. But until he turns in the accounting
  books he is still officially the steward, and can
  still act in an official and legal capacity on
  behalf of his master. No wonder the modern
  practice is to have a sacked employee clear out
  his desk immediately, turn in his keys, and leave
  the building under the watchful eye of security.
• How do you react to injustices in your life? Do
  you let it get to you and become bitter or do you
  rise above it and look to God to lead the way?
• Jer 2911 For I know the plans I have for you,
  declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not
  to harm you, plans to give you a future with
  hope.

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Luke 163-4

• INGRATIATING HIMSELF TO THE DEBTORS
• "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 -- I
  know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job
  here, people will welcome me into their houses.
• Instead of getting angry, the steward got busy
  Hes FINALLY planning.
• Times of trials are when we should REALLY trust
  God to provide for us.
• When life deals you a harsh blow, look to God to
  lead the way. While youre following Gods
  directions, use your time and resources to make
  friends rather than money.

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Luke 165-8

• INGRATIATING HIMSELF TO THE DEBTORS
• So he called in each one of his master's debtors.
  He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my
  master?' 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he
  replied. The manager told him, 'Take your bill,
  sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' 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.' "
• The steward can still legally act on behalf of
  his master. He instructs the debtors to revise
  their own invoices so that he technically did
  not do it. He doesnt profit directly from the
  changes but the debtors do.
• Some scholars say that the steward originally
  overcharged them and reduced the debts to the
  amounts that they should have been. Others say
  that the steward probably took off his
  middlemans fee.
• The overall effect is now he has created a debt
  of friendship which will allow him to be
  welcomed into their houses.

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Luke 168

• COMMENDED FOR ACTING SHREWDLY
• 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.
• The steward wasnt underhanded since everything
  was recorded. Even though his accounts
  receivables were 30 less, the master was
  impressed.
• WHY? Because instead of getting bitter, angry,
  dejected or discouraged, the steward made a good
  situation out of being fired. He now has
  friends on which he can depend on should a need
  arise.
• Jesus doesnt commend dishonesty but he does
  acknowledge that the people of the light arent
  as smart as worldly people in financial planning.
• If the steward was a Christian or person of the
  light, can you imagine the creativity he would
  use to secure his heavenly treasures?

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Luke 169

• SOUND FINANCIAL PLANNING
• I tell you, use worldly wealth (KJV "unrighteous
  mammon") to gain friends for yourselves, so that
  when it is gone, you will be welcomed into
  eternal dwellings.
• How could Jesus seemingly approve of the
  dishonest means of the steward? Because the
  steward was creative in ensuring his earthly
  future.
• We are to gain friends, here on earth, with our
  worldly wealth.
• We are stewards NOT owners. We shouldnt save
  or hoard due to our own insecurity of the future
  (Matt 625-34 Luke 1213-34).
• We will be rich toward God if we sell our
  possessions and give alms this is what Jesus
  meant by using worldly wealth to gain friends.
• Giving is the product of Gods grace working in
  our lives, an overflow of our commitment to God.

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Luke 1610

• HONEST WITH LITTLE, HONEST WITH MUCH
• 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.
• Can we be trusted with the trivial? Are we honest
  about chump change? Will we do the little jobs
  with as much integrity and care as the great
  opportunities?
• At work, who gets promotions and salary
  increases? The one whos lazy and sloppy or the
  one who does everything with enthusiasm and care?
• Are you honest with the small responsibilities
  God gives you? With the small income or the small
  tithe you owe? If you are, God knows he can trust
  you with really large responsibilities and
  considerable wealth and you will be blessed with
  more.
• Your blessings, material or otherwise, should be
  used for His purposes.

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Luke 1611-12

• THE TRUE RICHES
• So if you have not been trustworthy in handling
  worldly wealth, who will trust you with true
  riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with
  someone else's property, who will give you
  property of your own?
• If you can't be trusted to handle materialistic
  wealth, how much less will God trust you with
  true wealth?
• It's a matter of character. Why would God give
  you more responsibilities and wealth if you cant
  handle what little you have now? He knows you
  will squander it away. Better to give it to
  someone who will use it wisely, for HIS glory and
  HIS works!
• How are you saving? For unbiblical motives or
  for the predictable and unpredictable needs of
  the family?
• How are you spending? Is it a real need or a
  matter of greed/want?

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Luke 1613

• THE PARABLE OF THE TWO MASTERS
• No servant can serve two masters. Either he will
  hate the one and love the other, or he will be
  devoted to the one and despise the other. You
  cannot serve both God and Money.
• Have you held two jobs at the same time, and
  tried to give an equal amount of energy and focus
  to each employer? It didnt work, did it?
• I don't serve Money, says the churchgoer who
  spends more on recreation and "toys" than he
  would ever consider giving to God's work.
• Truth is that many would-be disciples ARE trying
  to serve God and Money. Look at how a
  person/church/company spends money, says one
  consultant, and I'll tell you what their values
  are. How we spend or allocate our money tells
  the story. If we are head-over-heels in debt, the
  chances are VERY good that Money was the default
  god -- maybe not by deliberate allegiance, but by
  default.
• Money decisions are either spiritual decisions or
  self-serving decisions.
• The use of money is a test of our faithfulness.
  Who will we be serving - God or Money?

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Lets Wrap This Up

• This is one of the few places in the Bible where
  we are taught that we are stewards of God's
  property, managers of God's resources -- our
  finances, our time, our talents and abilities, or
  position in society, all of it.
• How we relate Jesus Lordship to our use of Gods
  resources is one of the core issues Jesus seeks
  to teach us. We can try to never face the issue.
  But that, too, is a deliberate decision. To NOT
  make Jesus Lord of your money is to allow money
  itself to take power over your decisions.
• Are we squandering Gods investment in our lives
  or investing it wisely?

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This Parable Is About

• Financial wisdom - the ability to use money to
  accomplish godly acts and spiritual goals
• Stewardship - being responsible for money and
  property that is not really our own
• Trustworthiness and honesty concerning the money
  with which God has entrusted us
• To live free from Money's control of our lives
• To be fully owned by God, and nothing else
• Jesus IS right We just cannot serve both God and
  money.