Word of Salvation – Vol. 30 No. 31 – Aug 1985
Preparing For The Future
Sermon by Rev. G. van Schie on Luke 16:1-13
Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
Suggested Hymns: P.H. 89:118:1,3,4; 462:1-4; 482; 233:7,8.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ,
In our lives we set goals and if we are shrewd we will prepare ourselves so that we can achieve those goals and meet our aims. This is true of young and old.
Our younger members who may be seeking good grades in school know that what they must do the whole year is to work hard; to do homework regularly and to get those assignments in on time. If they make these careful preparations then they can be usually assured of a good pass at the end of the year.
Those seeking a career in a certain area know that preparations need to be made already in high school. This is done especially in the selection of what subjects will be studied, especially in the senior years. If one wants a career in the field of science then maths and science will be subjects that will have to be studied long before one goes to university.
Likewise this shrewdness or wisdom in preparation for the future is to be found in those older in the congregation. When one has the health and the ability to earn a good wage, that is the time to prepare for retirement. There are the various superannuation schemes or the many means of investment into which one can enter. All are worldly preparations for the future, a future that is still to be lived upon the earth.
PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE is the thrust of the teaching of the Scripture that is before us today. The Lord Jesus Christ here challenged the disciples to have their eyes on the future – not just their earthly future, but especially their eternal future.
With their focus on such a future they were to realise that certain preparations would have to be made while they lived upon the earth.
At first glance this text seems to teach that it is alright to steal or cheat so long as you can get away with it. That the more cunning a thief is the more acceptable his wrongdoing. Yet such a view is quickly dismissed when we come to grips with what the text is really saying. PREPARE NOW FOR YOUR ETERNAL FUTURE !
THE CONTRAST
To understand the true teaching of the Lord in this place we must see the contrast that the Lord places before us. I wonder if the children know what we mean when we speak of a contrast?
Let us say young people, that on Christmas Day you received a present from mum and dad. Now if you contrasted your present with that of one of your friends you would be comparing them and maybe seeing who got the better present. You may compare the colour of the two gifts, or their size. You would be looking from the one to the other and taking note of the differences or those things which are the same.
Now this is what the Lord is doing with the way the believer and unbeliever prepare for the future. Both have a future to which they are looking forward – the unbeliever looks only to an earthly future; the believer to an eternal future. The Lord compares how these two prepare themselves with what they see ahead of them. He makes this contrast.
As we take up this contrast we note first of all the comparison as to the goals that are sought by the unbeliever and believer. In the parable the unrighteous steward was seeking to assure himself of security after he was fired. This man as a steward was a manager. That means he did not own the business but he looked after it for somebody else. Maybe the children know someone in the church who is a manager of a store or a business. This steward in the parable then looked after what did not belong to him.
However there was a problem with this manager. He did not really look after the owner’s business as he should have. On account of this mismanagement of the business we read that the owner dismissed the man; he gave him the sack. He was not to be this man’s manager anymore.
Having heard of his sacking this manager began to think about his future – his immediate future without a job. At this point Jesus makes the contrast – look at the way this man prepared himself for what lay ahead of him. He didn’t just sit back and say; “Oh well we shall see what tomorrow brings.” He was not indifferent and idle. He began to make a plan.
Well, he thought, I’m not strong enough to dig – to be a plumber’s labourer as it were. Surely the children have seen men on the side of the road digging with jackhammers and shovels – it is hard work that only strong people can do, and that even more so, so long ago when the modern machines were not there to help make the job easier.
No, said this man, I’m not strong enough to dig dirt, to be a labourer working in the open. That is not the life I see for myself when I am without this job. He also thought about seeking charity to have others give to him in his need. Well, he thought; I’m too ashamed to go out onto the street and beg. No he wasn’t going to take that cup or bowl and go and seek money from passers-by on the street, that was too humiliating
What am I going to do, he thought. Note how much he gave his attention to the future. He pondered about it. He considered the different alternatives and put them aside one by one. In all of this he was thinking of what preparations he might make for his unemployment so that he would be alright when he had no further income from his boss.
It was in the midst of this searching for an answer as to his future that he came upon an idea that seemed as though it might work. An idea that would assure him of some security so that he would be well fed and housed when he found himself out of work. “I know what I’ll do”, he said. So he called in everyone who owed his master some money. While still in his job having been given notice of dismissal but not yet out of the job, he got them to take up their accounts which he had changed so that the records would show they owed less than what they in fact did. As they signed these changed accounts the master had no way of getting what belonged to him and the debtors were better off. Therefore in one case what was owed was 800 gallons and the figure was changed to 400 gallons! Quite a reduction – to say the least.
Now the whole purpose of this was the unrighteous steward was trying to gain the friendship of those whose accounts he had changed. His plan was that when he was sacked and without an income these people would give him food and lodgings. He had looked after their interests and his plan was they would then look after him,
This plan was so clever and the unrighteous man so careful about the future that we read in the parable that the master complimented the man on his plan when he found out about it. This is not to say the master was happy about it or thought it was good – but it does mean that in the circumstances the steward had showed real concern and interest in his future in a shrewd way.
Yet the contrast in goals is highlighted when Jesus turns his attention in our text to the sons of light – that is, the believers. The goals they seek are far more valuable than those of the man in the parable. The future the believer looks toward is not an earthly one, but as we find in verse 9 – it is eternal. The believer seeks to be welcomed, not into the homes of men on earth, but into his Father’s house, into that room in the mansion prepared for him of which Jesus spoke before his crucifixion and resurrection.
The unrighteous steward sought earthly security, the believer seeks eternal security. As the Lord’s stewards – or managers upon the earth – with all that we have given to us as a trust, the Lord says: use it to prepare for your future in Heaven. Be as shrewd as the unbeliever in his preparation for his earthly future. To be sure, not in an unjust way – not as a thief or cheat but in a way that pleases Me. The parable is a call of the Lord to be so interested in our eternal future that we have our minds set on it. We plan for it and in the way Scripture teaches, work towards it – not as a merit-gaining exercise which is impossible before God, but as the proper exercise of the gifts we have received in Jesus Christ.
What a future it is that we in Christ have held before us! It is one so secure that moth and rust cannot destroy or a thief steal it. This future we have in Christ is so precious that all else is but rubbish in comparison. Not all the riches of the earth compare to what we possess in Christ!
The two sets of goals are miles apart! If we return to the example of children comparing gifts, there is the one that is far better than the other. So much better in fact the other gift seems like nothing in contrast to it for the children it might be like the contrast of receiving a cheap plastic pen compared to a friend who received a ten-speed bike! What a future we have in Christ before us. Eternally dwelling with God as His children being looked upon as though we have never sinned! How could anyone be indifferent or unhappy with such a future? How could any child be so disinterested in that ten-speed bike so as to leave it unridden and standing out in the rain to rust and have a thief steal it!?
Yet, such indifference is what the Lord declares exists when the sons of the light are compared to the unbelievers as to their interest in what lies before them! In verse 8 we read: “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light.”
THE CALL TO PREPARE
That being the case, that the children of God are indifferent as to their future as compared to the unbeliever, just what does the Lord teach us is the way we ought to go? How are we to be shrewd with regard to our future? How are we to live in our Christian life in a way that is pleasing to God and also shows a great interest in that security the Lord has promised? As we look at our text the question does arise: “Does Jesus really mean what He says?” That is to make friends with the earthly treasures we have received from His hand in order that when we die these friends won by our sharing of God’s gifts will speak up for us? If this is what we are to understand it appears then that eternal life is something we can earn! And if that be the case then we do not need Christ who died on the cross. It would appear we are taught here to bribe our way into heaven by treating people nicely now – with what you possess now – treat others well so that when you die they will remember you and speak highly of you! Is this what the text is teaching? We come to that point brothers and sisters where we must compare Scripture with Scripture.
In our first reading we find a very important passage. It is a scene of judgement day, the day of Christ’s return. As we recall that reading let us ask the question, ‘what was the basis of the judgement by which some were saved and others lost?’ As we look on the surface of that passage, what was it the Lord said condemned those who were cast aside or was the basis for receiving others into eternal life? We stress the fact that this is what the text deals with on the surface in Matthew 25.
The answer is ‘what had been done by these people while they had yet lived upon the earth.’ Jesus said to the righteous ‘Come and inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you.’ Why? “For when I was naked you clothed me, when I was in prison you visited me.” In this place the text emphasises what had been done upon the earth toward others.
On the opposite side there were those who were the unrighteous and who were cast aside into hell. On what basis? Because of what they had not done for others upon the earth and so had not done for the Lord. They did not visit the sick, give drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry and clothing to the naked. In other words they did not make friends with worldly treasure when they lived upon the earth. They had no-one to speak up for them.
Yet we still face the question, are we taught that after all works do have a place in our salvation? Is Jesus teaching us here to earn our salvation by doing good works for others?
Again the answer is NO! The reason why it is not you find in James 2:18. Let us just turn to that passage for a moment. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
What James shows us here, and the rest of Scripture agrees, is that you cannot separate the faith by which you are saved and works. These two go together. Therefore the question James puts in this 18th verse of James 2. ‘You declare you have faith? Well then, show me your faith without deeds. Show me that you really believe in Jesus Christ as your only Saviour. Show me you have His Spirit at work within you through whom your life is radically changed and your priorities turned upside down. Show me this without deeds! If we look to the verses just before the 18th verse here we can ask that question this way: show me that you belong to Christ by turning away empty handed the brother or sister who comes to you in need of food and clothing with a mere empty wish: ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed.’ What type of faith is it, says James, which does nothing for the physical needs of those who come to you? It is an empty faith! It has no content! It is a faith which is not grounded in Christ who said, “To the extent you do it to the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me!”
Thus faith without works is dead! It is like a body without a spirit, it is nothing but a rotting corpse – lifeless, incapable of doing anything! It is dead! In fact such faith is not faith at all!
Faith is seen to exist where it is matched with the lifestyle of the Holy Spirit. A lifestyle which only the Holy Spirit can enable a sinner to live! It is this that Jesus is getting at in our text.
You claim to have faith? You claim to be a Christian? One who is a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then use what you have been given from God wisely! Be a good steward of the treasures God has given you in this life. The emphasis in our text is not on the actual works themselves then, but on the faith by which these works are done in the Name of the Lord. Works which are the fruits of faith.
We are called upon then to prepare for our future in Heaven by a life that is Spirit filled and led. A life of faith that is alive! Faith that has its fruits in the concern we have for others besides ourselves! Yes, prepare for your eternal future – live by faith!
THE CALL TO BE FAITHFUL
As we turn then to our text in verses 10 following we find that tremendous application of Scripture to our lives. In Luke 16:10 we read: “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. And if you have not been trustworthy with 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? No one 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.”
In our text Jesus comes down to responsibilities that a Christian has on account of faith given by the grace of God. Anyone who claims to be in Christ also claims to possess the Spirit within through whom their life is being transformed. With this gift of the Holy Spirit there comes an obligation. As a child of the Lord you have responsibilities. We are stewards of what we do not own! As David says in 1Chronicles 29: all we possess belongs to the Lord!
As stewards of His gifts, the Lord wants us then to be faithful in the little things. We are called upon to be faithful in the little things of this earth compared to the true riches we have stored up for us in heaven. All that has been entrusted on earth to us are the little things for which we are now responsible in the way we now handle them, and are by them tested as to our trustworthiness.
It is like a child being given the awesome task of getting the milk in every morning and the newspaper as well. When that responsibility is handled properly a bigger responsibility is given, mowing the lawn. Eventually an even greater responsibility may be given – that of having the family car for a night! If the child is faithful in the smaller things, he/she is entrusted with more. You see how through the testing of responsibilities and the way in faith these are undertaken and accomplished the trust is increased.
Well, says the Lord through this parable, you have small responsibilities at the moment. You are stewards over my household. Think of your business; your home; your car whatever you possess, even the clothes you wear today are not your own. They are the Lord’s, entrusted to you, given into your care. These are earthly possessions the Lord has given to us as a trust, and in this parable we are called upon to use them faithfully as His stewards.
Those then who are faithful with the use of these earthly things will be given responsibility for a far greater treasure! Not over something that is not ours, but something which in verse 12 is called our very own! Eternal life.
But whether we will get this treasure as our own is determined by our loyalties now. In this call to be faithful in the little things now, using our worldly possessions to help those in need, the Lord is calling on us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. He demands our undivided loyalty – you cannot serve God and money!
Yes, our sinful nature is such that we find it far easier to be more interested in our earthly future rather than our eternal home. We tend to be more interested in our earthly security and so make our roots here than to see ourselves as pilgrims passing through to that city whose architect and builder is God.
This makes us self-centred people, always on the lockout for ourselves, always seeking to get into a better position in this life and this at the expense of our calling in Christ to live for Him. It is on account of our preoccupation with our earthly future rather than our eternal home that the church seems to be continually struggling to find those who ‘have the time’ to teach covenant youth the things of the Lord in the various youth programmes. It is on account of this seeking earthly security that it is increasingly difficult to find men who will stand for office in the church. The worship of our material wellbeing is what we spend most of our time and energy on and so we fall before the god Mammon.
The excuses keep on being repeated: ‘I am too busy with my business which I am either setting up or have to work hard at to make a living’; ‘I am too busy establishing my new home which has so much work to do on it’; ‘I am too busy studying for my degree so that I will be well placed for the career’; ‘I am too busy with my young family which takes all my time’. It reminds us of that parable of those invited to the wedding banquet and who could not come when the feast was ready: ‘I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow, I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum, pray hold me excused, I cannot come.’
Yet it is in these very things, the Lord tests us, as to how we handle these responsibilities. Do we faithfully serve His cause in these things, or do we seek to further our own? Prepare for the future, the eternal future by giving your entire life in all its parts as service to the Lord!
Faith and works this is what Jesus speaks of in the parable. Responsible management of the Lord’s trust to us as we prepare for our eternal home. As we faithfully use His resources for the Lord, we are assured in Christ, having been faithful in little He will upon His return entrust to us what is true treasure, treasure which in Him we are able to call our own!
What is the point of this parable then? We can summarise it under three ‘remembers’:
Firstly, we must remember whose we are.
We are Christ’s, bought at a great price. WE are to live not for ourselves, but for Him alone. As Paul declared, ‘It is no longer I who live but Christ that lives in me.’
Secondly, remembering whose we are, let’s also remember where we are headed.
Our future is not here in a world ravaged by sin but we long for a new heaven and a new earth where the curse is rolled away and all things are new. With eyes fixed on the real future we pray: ‘Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.’ Hence the Scripture teaches us in Colossians to set our mind on the things above and not upon the things that are of the earth.
Then finally, knowing whose we are and where we are headed we are also reminded to remember our calling in Him.
That calling in faith to produce fruit, fruit that will last. A fruit which is seen in that it is food for the needy, it is a witness by which others are drawn to Christ.
It is of this the hymn speaks, the hymn we are about to sing:
May we Thy bounties thus, as stewards true receive
And gladly as Thou blessest us, to Thee our first-fruits give.
To comfort and to bless, to find a balm for woe
To tend the lone and fatherless, is angel’s work below.
The captive to release, to God the lost to bring
To teach the way of life and peace, it is a Christ-like thing.
Amen.