Luke chapter 16. Now Jesus was saying to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, what is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management for you can no longer be manager. The manager said to himself, what shall I do? Since my master is taking the management away from me, I am not strong enough to dig. I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that when I am removed from the management, people will welcome me into their homes. And he summoned each one of his master's debtors and he began saying to the first, how much do you owe my master? And he said, a hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, take your bill, sit down quickly and write 50. Then he said to another, and how much do you owe? And he said, a hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, take your bill and write 80. And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at him. And he said to them, you are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John, since That time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fail. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery. Now there was a rich man, And he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table. Besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, Have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue for I am in agony in this flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you, there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us. And he said, then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, in order that he may warn them so that they will not also come to this place of torment. But Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. But he said, no. Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent. But he said to them, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. This morning, as we look at Luke chapter 16 together, we pick up right where we left off last week. Jesus had been speaking to tax collectors and sinners and Pharisees in the famous and familiar parable of the prodigal son, which also included the parable of the lost sheep and parable of the lost coin. And Luke tells us in chapter 16 verse 1 that Jesus now turns and speaks directly to his disciples. And he tells them a story about an unrighteous manager, an unrighteous steward. Like the prodigal son that we're very familiar with from the previous story who squandered the inheritance from his father, the unrighteous steward or manager in this story has squandered his employer's money. In chapter 15, the parable is dealing very much with a wrong attitude towards other people. We see that expressed in the elder brother that we looked at particularly last week. In chapter 16, Jesus isn't dealing with wrong attitudes towards other people per se, but rather wrong attitudes towards possessions is what Jesus is pointing out. And he does so in two stories, which we noticed in the reading. And if we could summarize both of them or the entire chapter in a brief statement, I think I would do it like this. If we do not master our stuff, That is, use it for God's glory, then it will master us. That is, bankrupt us for eternity. If we do not use our stuff for God's glory, our material possessions, whether money or things, we will end up spiritually bankrupt forever. Now you may have noticed in the reading, or you're likely familiar with this first story, and you realize that it's quite a difficult one. It's definitely not an easy one to deal with. J.C. Ryle says that there are knots in this first story about the unrighteous steward, which may never be untied before Christ returns. As a result, there are several things that we could do. We could just say, well, let's just skip over it. There's one benefit of not doing consecutive expository preaching. You never have to deal with text like this. Ryle also said that if we learn nothing from this story, we should, at minimum, learn humility. Because the problem with the text, with this story, does not lie with the story itself. but with our feeble understanding of it. Let's look now at the story together, the first 13 verses of Luke chapter 16. There was a rich man who had a manager and his manager came to him and reported to him, this manager was reported to him, pardon us, squandering his possessions. So he called in his employee and said to him, what is this I hear? Give an accounting of your management. Oh yeah, and by the way, you're fired. His dishonesty was discovered. And your sin will find you out as well. The manager immediately says to himself, what am I gonna do? My job's being taken away from me. I don't have enough strength to get a real job, and it would cause too much shame for me to beg. He had lost his job. He didn't want his dignity to follow. So without strength and marked by shame, he devises a dishonest and deceitful design to deal with his predicament. He cleverly made future friends with the finances of his boss. I know what I'll do so that when I'm removed from this job, people will welcome me in. I'll have friends. I'll be able to survive. And if you noticed in the story, he goes to some of the people who owe his boss money, and he rearranges the amount that they owe him. He's making friends with them using his boss's wealth. Doesn't really matter to him. He's wasted a lot of it already. He's already on bad terms with his boss. He's getting on good terms with his boss's clients. It's interesting to note that the manager, the steward here in this story, didn't attempt to prove the accusations of his boss wrong. He didn't go get the books and come and say, no, no, no, there must be some misunderstanding. Like, see, this is what's happened here. This is reality. But rather, he immediately proved that his boss's accusations were accurate by successfully squandering even more of his money. And where the story becomes incredibly difficult is verse eight. And his master praised the unrighteous manager. If it stopped there, it would really be difficult, close to impossible, but it doesn't stop there, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. This is where it's important for us to see what the commendation was for and what it was not for. The master commends the manager for his action. He wasn't commending him as a person. He was commending his ingenuity, not his dishonesty. Right, we can understand that. We can imagine admiring the great skill of remarkably gifted and wise and careful thieves, how they operate, how they're able to get away with certain things without applauding them for their efforts. Right, we don't have to praise them for what they're doing, but we can admire the craftiness of their mind, the wisdom, the way that they're using the mind that God actually has given them. Though they're using it not for gain, but for crime. The sons of this age, the master in the story says, are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. The diligence of worldly men in their pursuit of temporal things too often shames Christians and their cool passivity and pursuit for eternal things. That's the point Jesus is making here. He says you disciples are in danger of allowing the worldly men around you to outpace you. and they're pursuing things which will soon be no more. And you have the privilege of pursuing the eternal things, the glorious riches of Jesus Christ that will never ever be lost or diminished. Be careful not to be outpaced by them. In fact, the application from Jesus is in verses nine through 13. And he points out that this story is not in any way a pattern for morality. He's not sanctioning dishonesty by telling this story. He's not promoting cheating and saying that that's a good way to get by. He would be contradicting himself and the rest of scriptures if he were doing that. The apostle writes to the church at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 6, 9 and following. Do you not know that the unrighteous, this is an unrighteous manager, an unrighteous steward, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. The Apostle Paul continues, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the captives, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you, the Apostle Paul says, writing to the church at Corinth. And can't we hear those words as well? Such were some of you, you who will never inherit the kingdom of God. But, this glorious conjunction, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. The unrighteous will never inherit the kingdom of God. Jesus is not promoting unrighteousness. He is promoting three things. First, he's promoting the making of eternal friends. Use your stuff, your money, and your possessions to make everlasting friends. That's the point, one of the points of this story. Prepare for your eternity with the same kind of diligence that the unrighteous manager was preparing for his retirement. Because the right use of money and possessions in this life will befriend your soul in the next. Jesus is suggesting that we use our worldly wealth, our things for spiritual gain. It's just remarkable. Everything that we have is from him and he's given it to us for our own benefit if we'll use it rightly. It's unbelievable. It's blessing upon blessing. That's the encouragement and the point of the story. Now some suggest here that the friends that Jesus is referring to that we will gain are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And no, that's quite possible, but other commentators suggest that it's likely other people who we help financially or in other ways when they are in a time of need. Some that we may not meet until heaven. These opportunities abound around us, the opportunities for investing in the kingdom of God. One specifically right now that went up on the table this past week, an opportunity to help financially with that marginalized minority in Yemen that are in need of food and water and shelter. There's an opportunity for us to help by giving through other Christians who are on the ground there ministering to them, both in deed and the gospel. What an opportunity to minister in a place like that. I don't know what the present day statistics are, but it wasn't too long ago that the average lifespan of a known Christian in Yemen was about seven hours. That's how hard of a place it is. What an opportunity we have to invest in the kingdom by offering that which God has entrusted to us. And the glorious reality is that, he's making the point here, we are making friends for eternity's sake. We are doing our souls well. gaining spiritually by giving of what God has granted to us. The only investment that we can make that will give us the joy of everlasting friendship is an investment in the kingdom of God. Not only does Jesus suggest that we make everlasting friends, but he also emphasizes the need for us to be faithful. especially in what he calls the very little things. The very little thing is the best test of character. Unfaithfulness in the very little thing exposes a bad heart. We understand this. Generally speaking, people who are trustworthy with small responsibilities can be trusted with big responsibilities. If someone continues to blow it with small responsibilities that they are given, it would be unwise for you then to give them a larger responsibility, unless you're just expecting them to blow it. Spiritually speaking, the same principle is true. It's true for us in this way that whatever God has called you to do, even if it seems insignificant to you, which by the way is impossible because God is not insignificant and if he's called you to it, then there's no insignificance about it. It doesn't really matter what it seems like or how you feel about it. Whatever he's called you to do, do it well. as unto God for Christ's sake, which in everyday life looks like keeping your promises and finishing what you start and fulfilling your commitments and letting your yes be yes and your no, no. Specifically here when Jesus is talking about finances and possessions, J.C. Ryle says unfaithfulness This is a sharp statement from Bishop Ryle. Unfaithfulness in money transactions is a sure evidence of a rotten state of soul. Make everlasting friends, be faithful, even or especially in the very little things. And then verse 13, Make friends, be faithful, serve God first and foremost. No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. And the two masters that he's talking about, he clarifies that you cannot serve God and wealth. The word there in the original language is all your stuff, which is why I keep using this really boring word, stuff, everything that you have. We can use what we have to serve Christ, we can use what we have to honor God, or we can use it to worship almost any idol imaginable. Our hearts, based on the way that God has made them, have the capacity for one single dominating love. No division is possible. We can love many things, but only one can have the dominating, controlling influence in our lives. And the final end of so-called half-hearted, divided Christians will be destruction. Jesus says it plainly, you cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve God and anything else. You cannot serve God and everything else. You cannot serve God and something else. Have you ever worked, had a job where you had two people, two levels of management above you? who offered contradicting counsel regarding how to get the job done. If you haven't, you can imagine how miserable it would be. You go to work on Tuesday and you're trying to figure out which one is the immediate superior that day so you'll know how to perform the job. It's evident from practical real life that it is an impossibility, yet somehow we still tend to think that it's feasible. which puts us in a dangerous camp, as we'll see momentarily. For now, it's important for us to see that this unrighteous manager, this unrighteous steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty at all, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. and to encourage us to take just as much care, and to be just as committed to making everlasting friends, and to being faithful, and to serving God. First, the sons of light, from verse eight, would fare much better if they would learn wisdom from men of the world and earnestly pursue the better object, Christ Jesus. And then verse 14, now the Pharisees, now you may remember I mentioned that in chapter 15 Jesus was talking to the Pharisees. He says that in the beginning of chapter 15 with the story of lost sheep, lost silver, and lost sons. But in verse 16, Jesus was talking to his disciples. But though he's saying these things to the disciples, the Pharisees and their intrigue and interest in this man can't get away from him for very long, therefore he can't escape their religious rabble, and they're there again scoffing at him. Why are they scoffing? or ridiculing him. They were lovers of money, Luke tells us. They were listening to these things, you cannot serve God in wealth, and they're scoffing. Why are they scoffing? They're scoffing at the notion that money and God could not both be worshiped or served because they were quite confident that they were very successful in accomplishing that very thing. They were lovers of money. The love of money is a root, Paul writes to Timothy, of all sorts of evil. Now it's important that we notice what that verse says so that we can better understand what it does not say. It does not say or suggest or imply that money is the root of all evil. The love of money. The fact that some of the Pharisees were wealthy did not affect them negatively in any way. The fact that they love their money was their problem. The issue is misplaced love. Money is given to us, things are given to us, stuff is given to us to be used, not to be worshiped. So the Pharisees, hearing that you cannot serve God and wealth, ridicule Jesus. And when they ridicule him, he responds by rebuking them. Verse 15, Jesus said to them, you are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts, for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. They loved their stuff. And in doing so, they were violating the first and greatest commandment to love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind. They not only loved their stuff, but they were guilty of going a step further, loving their stuff, and then justifying themselves before God. attempting to anyway. They use their wealth, they use their finances, they use their status, they use their authority to justify their sinful lifestyles to those who are around them and pretended that it worked in the sight of God as well. And Jesus reminds him here that God was neither impressed with their wealth nor with their attempt at deceiving him. For that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. The people around, Jesus is saying, the people around you, they're really impressed with your finances. They're really impressed with your life, with how clean it looks from the outside, with the choices that you've made. But the very thing that you're being highly esteemed for by those around you in humanity, to God, It is detestable in His sight. The very thing that is praised by sinners is detestable and damnable to God. Now it's crucial for us to note here that this detestable, divine damnation is happening among the religious crowd, in the church. The Pharisees ridiculed Jesus for his statement that no servant can serve two masters. Jesus rebukes them and then emphasizes the necessity of being right with God. The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is forcing his way into it. The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God did not do away with the law of God. This is so helpful from the lips of Jesus, a helpful statement regarding the abiding aspect of God's law. Now, many are willing to say that, but then they go a step further and wrongly assume that though the law of God is abiding on the one hand, that the fact that we live in a New Testament age of so-called mercy, that the gospel has somehow lowered the requirements of that law. So that our lack of obedience, or a more pointed way to say it might be, so that our disobedience, can satisfy the law of God, which is absurd, ridiculously absurd. The only way that we could ever keep the law of God is by lowering its standards. But the problem with that is, is that it's God's law. God who is unchanging, therefore his law is just as steadfast and unchanging. It's easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fail. Luke 16, 17, from the mouth of our Lord. The law is good, the New Testament apostle Paul writes, if one uses it lawfully. With the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah, King Jesus, and the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom from John the Baptist and Jesus and then others, there is, in fact, a new urgency introduced. But there is not a new message introduced. The gates of the kingdom have been flung wide open now in New Testament times, and people are pressing into it. Everyone is forcing his way into it. The last phrase in verse 16. While the Pharisees, the religious elites, are simply standing outside, reluctant and resisting. According to Jesus, since the time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, everyone is forcing his way into it. When people actually understand the good news of the gospel, they do whatever it takes to come to Jesus. We've seen illustrations of this already in Luke. with the paralyzed man and his friends doing whatever it takes to get him to Jesus in Luke chapter five, or in chapter eight, the woman with the issue of blood forcing her way through the crowd, pressing through just to touch the hem of his garment because of the desperation. When people understand that the gospel is good news, that it is their only hope, they do whatever it takes to come To Jesus, everyone is forcing his way into it, Jesus says to these Pharisees. Everyone but them is the implication. And the example that he offers of the binding law of God is one of divorce and adultery. He uses this one because the religious leaders were granting divorces in that day left and right. They were being people-pleasing. Jesus reminds them of the abiding aspect of the law by pointing out their violation of it. That's why they were ignoring the law, because it was more convenient to please people and ignore the law than seek to obey God. Those people wouldn't be so happy with them then. They wouldn't be able to successfully justify themselves. You can understand how easily it would be for them to justify themselves for someone whom they were just wiping away the religious obligations that God had put on them. And Jesus continues in verse 19, which typically we hear is a completely different story, and in one sense it is, but I think we'll see that they're also closely tied together. Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And there was a poor man named Lazarus, and he was laid at the rich man's gate, covered in sores and hungry. In this story, verses 19 through 31, it is the only place in the scriptures where we see some of what the unconverted feel after death. The story illustrates the point that Jesus was pressing home with the Pharisees regarding using their possessions well. It's a story of two dying men headed to two destinations, and one of them makes two demands. The two men, as we saw there in verses 19 and 20, the rich man, who wallowed day after day in lavish extravagance. And the poor man who wallowed day after day, hungry and sick, outside the rich man's gate. Longing to be fed with the crumbs that were falling from the rich man's table. Even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. What a shame. The neighborhood dogs, the village dogs are ministering to this man in a way that the rich man refused to. He was habitually dressed in purple, the finest of linen, joyously living in splendor every day. He wouldn't notice if he offered a bit of ointment to this poor man for his sores. and the dogs do what he was unwilling to do. And then, death. The poor man died, and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died, and he was buried. Death is the ultimate leveling factor, the great equalizer, where king and beggar are equalized. All difference is removed. These two dying men headed to two destinations. The rich man was buried, most likely with a lavish funeral ceremony. but not the poor man. All that's recorded is that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. Very likely, his body was unceremoniously dumped somewhere outside the camp. That was normal and common in those days. Two very different destinations. And when the rich man, who, by the way, is unnamed, isn't it remarkable? He thought much of himself, no doubt. We only know the poor man's name because it was the name that was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Verse 23, in Hades, he lifted up his eyes. He was in torment. He saw Abraham and he saw Lazarus. How many times, leaving his property, going out of the gate, had he turned his eyes away, ignoring the needy man who was always begging with constant noise? in order not to see the poor beggar turning his face away, pretending he wasn't there. He obviously knew that he was there. He was well acquainted with him. He even knew his name because he recognizes him from far, far away. From hell to heaven. Hell is far away. Look at verse 23. Abraham saw far away. It's also marked by torment. In Hades, the rich man was in torment. It's also marked by agony. Verse 24, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame. Or look at 25. Abraham said, child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus bad things, but now he's being comforted here and you are in your agony. Or verse 28, I have five brothers in order that he may warn them so that they will not come to this place of torment. Hell is far, far away from anything good and it is full of torment and agony. And not only that, verse 26, there is a great chasm, a great separation. between hell and heaven. And once you're there, the second half of 26, there is no escape. All who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and none may cross over from there to us. Hell is far away, full of torment, full of agony. There's a great chasm, and if you end up there, there is no escape. That was the reality for the rich man. but not for the poor man Lazarus. Nothing now remains of his former sorrows except their sanctifying influence on his soul. If you remember back in Luke chapter 13, the folks came knocking on the door and they're not let in. The story goes on, verse 28, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And you'll see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are being thrown out. They see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob inside, and the rich man in the same way sees Abraham. He sees Lazarus. For years, it was Lazarus who was sitting outside the gate, peering in, longing for the crumbs to fall that he might get a little bit of satisfaction in his stomach. to curb the hunger, and now the situation is completely reversed, irrevocably reversed, eternally reversed. And the rich man gazes from afar in torment and agony, longing just for a drop of cool water. Now, there are those that use this passage, unfortunately, justify praying to saints because the rich man is speaking directly to Abraham. Let me just say, if you use this passage to justify praying to saints, you are using a damned sinner as your example to follow. You are also following an example whose prayers were completely in vain. Because the rich man made two demands. I want to call them requests, but they're more like demands. Look at verse 24. Send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger. Verse 27, I beg you, send him to my father's house. Send him with water to relieve me. Send him to my brothers to warn them. This rich man, now in hell, still treating Lazarus, the poor man, like a servant. But, verse 25, all wrongs. will be made right. During your lifetime, you received your good things, Abraham says to the rich man, and Lazarus, not so good things. But he's being comforted here, and you're in agony, and we see the great change We see that in the end as the Apostle John writes for us in Revelation 21. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning. You hear everything changing, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away, and he who sits on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. All things were made new for Lazarus. I wonder how many spiritual Lazaruses there are among us, spiritually hungry, spiritually sick, spiritually dying, that need this great newness from Christ applied to their souls. One final thing in closing, that is wonderfully applicable for us in our day. That second demand. I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, to my five brothers, warn them that they will not follow me here. And Abraham simply says, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. No, you don't understand. If someone rises from the dead and goes to them, then they'll repent. Then they will believe. This sounds like every scheme in our culture. If only we had this or did this. It is an absolute atrocity. It is against the sufficiency of Scripture in every way imaginable. The Scriptures are completely sufficient. They were in the days of Jesus. That's the story that he's teaching us here. And nothing has changed. Nothing can add to their credibility. Not someone coming from hell or from heaven. Contrary to pop culture. There's no need of any new methods. Not even a ghost coming back from the dead. Not anyone rising from the dead. Not anyone spending 90 seconds in heaven and coming back and telling us what it was like. It's garbage. The Scriptures are completely sufficient. Remember what I said earlier. There is a new urgency. We live in a time when we ought to be urgently preaching and proclaiming the Gospel. But not in a time when there's a new message or even new methods. The Scriptures alone are sufficient. If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded, even if someone rises from the dead. And you may be thinking, but what about when other methods are used and people respond? Jesus says they will not be persuaded. We're looking for eternal persuasion, for people to be transformed, translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, not making some flippant decision and deciding to nod in mental assent at a few questions. The only way people can be changed is through the proclaimed word of God and the spirit of the living God joining that, giving them new life. and they respond in faith and repentance and begin to walk with him all their days. Truly, truly, I say to you, John 5, 24, in closing, he who hears my word, says Jesus, and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. And those words are still true. He who hears the word of God and believes God the Father who sent Jesus Christ has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life and will one day, just like Lazarus of old, pass out of this life and be carried by angels to the bosom of Abraham to the throne room of God to worship him in his presence, separate from sin for all of eternity. Let's pray. God, we thank you for your word. for the truth that is contained therein, for Christ, for his sacrifice on our behalf, for his shed blood, for his ongoing mediation as our advocate, for his intercession with regard to our needs. God, we pray that you would grant us the grace needed to appropriate the faith that you've already given to believe you and your word, and to put all our hope in Christ alone.