Over at Founder’s Blog a brief discussion has started on the use of manuscripts in preaching. I almost always use a manuscript during the morning service, an outline during the evening service, and I just pray I have some sort of notes come Wednesday night.

There are pros and cons to each of these methods but most important is what comes before. I thought I’d throw online a copy of some recent notes, showing the basic order of sermon preparation.

I have a file called Sermon Builder I use for most of my sermons. I don’t always follow every step in the file but it provides a great starting point in sermon prep and helps ensure I don’t forget to do anything. The first PDF below contains my translation notes. This was not a complicated passage so the notes are fairly straightforward. The second PDF contains my sermon builder for this passage, Ephesians 5:3-6.

Eph 5.3-6 Translation Notes

Eph 5.3-6 Sermon Notes

My normal process is:

1. Translate
2. Compare translations
3. Notes on author, audience, context, etc. In a series through a book I usually skip most of these notes from week to week, though context notes usually gets something.
4. Outline the passage. I have no set system for doing this, I’ve experimented with a few different approaches to outlining.
5. Find related passages
6. Ask questions of the text
7. Write my own notes
8. Read and gather data from commentaries
9. Sermon outline. Often quite comprehensive. In the notes above, the outline is much shorter than my usual.
10. Sermon manuscript

On October 9, 1747, a 29-year-old man named David Brainerd lay dying in the home of Jonathan Edwards, the great American preacher. Brainerd had been engaged to Edwards’ daughter but he died of tuberculosis before they could marry. Though only 29 when he died Brainerd had already done more for the kingdom of God than many people do with a full life. He had committed himself to the evangelism of indians in the American frontier. The diary of his work was later published and has served to motivate generations of people to pursue missionary service.

During one period of trial Brainerd wrote the following words into his diary:

Such fatigues and hardship as these serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will make heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; but now these have less place in my heart (through the grace of God) and my eye is more to God for comfort. In this world I expect tribulation; and it does not now… appear strange to me; I don’t in such seasons of difficulty flatter myself that it will be better hereafter; but rather think how much worse it might be; how much greater trials others of God’s children have endured; and how much greater are yet perhaps reserved for me. Blessed be God that he [is] the comfort to me, under my sharpest trials; and scarce ever lets these thoughts be attended with terror or melancholy; but they are attended frequently with great joy.1

What could move a man to respond to suffering with such faith? Is it possible that we might display a faith like his?

Let’s read our text together this morning, 1 Peter 4:12-19.

Before we move into the sermon let me explain why I want to address the topic of suffering this morning. I have two main reasons. Behind these reasons there is the assumption that all people will suffer in this life, and that in this life believers can expect to suffer more than unbelievers.

My first reason, then, is to prepare you to glorify God in the midst of your suffering. In verse 16 of our text Peter tells us that in our suffering we ought to glorify God. Suffering is not something we are given to endure, to survive. Like all things God gives us, suffering is something through which we can glorify God.

Second, I want to help you face suffering without being surprised by it. Suffering should be an expected part of life. Only in America and Europe today do we find people that think they should be able to live life free from suffering. This kind of thinking is alien to the world. And it should be alien to believers. All people suffer the daily trials of a fallen world. All people suffer under the opposition of Satan. And believers suffer under the persecution of a world that is at war against God. When you face suffering I want you to be ready for it, and I want you to handle it well.

So why does suffering happen? Why do people endure so many trials in this life? Examples of suffering are legion. You know all the various ways people struggle and suffer and experience pain in this life. Why does God allow this to take place? Is he passive, helpless, unable to do anything about it? Or does he use suffering for good? Can we perhaps even speak of suffering as coming from the hand of God?

On that last point, we are not usually used to thinking of suffering or God in this way, but the Bible is overwhelmingly packed with evidence showing that God not only uses suffering, he ordains or initiates our suffering. I could bring up countless passages to demonstrate this. The whole point of the book of Job speaks to this. But let me mention just two places in Scripture that show suffering is from the hand of God.

First is in our text, 1 Peter 4:17. Peter attributes the suffering of people to the judgment of God. One reason we experience suffering is because we, the world, are under judgment. Judgment only comes from God. No one else can bring judgment. Suffering that comes from judgment, then, is suffering that comes from God.

We will look more later at the nature of this judgment. Briefly, God uses it to purify the church and as a prelude to the final judgment of the unbeliever.

A second passage that shows suffering is by God’s will is Ecclesiastes 7:13-14. There we read Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. Both joy and adversity come from the hand of God. In part this is due to his sovereignty – nothing in this universe can happen unless God allows it. Satan has to ask God for permission before he is allowed to torment Job. But suffering is not simply a matter of God allowing a trial. Suffering is also the will of God. From him comes the day of joy, and from him comes the day of adversity.

Some would see in this a terrible view of God. What kind of God do you serve if he desires the suffering of people? But in this I see a great reason for comfort and reassurance. God is good. God is loving. God is love. I know God is faithful and trustworthy. Since even suffering is in his control, when it comes I know it comes from a loving Father. And I have the assurance of Romans 8:28 that even this trial, this test, this suffering will be used by God for my good. Could we really say that if suffering were not from the hand of God?

John Bunyan, the early Baptist pastor who suffered for his preaching and is best known for his book Pilgrim’s Progress once said: “We shall or shall not suffer, even as it pleaseth him.… God has appointed who shall suffer. Suffering comes not by chance or by the will of man, but by the will and appointment of God.”

The question then becomes why does God use suffering? Why do the righteous suffer and why do the unrighteous suffer?

On why the righteous suffer I have five reasons: (1) So that we will grow in the faith; (2) In order to purify his church; (3) So that by our witness of faithful suffering people will be drawn to Christ; (4) In order to accomplish the will of God; (5) So that God will be glorified.

The first reason God uses suffering is explained by Paul. Paul wrote quite a bit about suffering. One reason he could talk about it so much is because he experienced it so often. He knew the pain of persecution and the trials of daily life. He never despaired under suffering but always saw in suffering the opportunity to draw closer to God. In 2 Corinthians 1:9 he wrote, Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. Through suffering we learn that we do not have the final say over our lives. Through suffering God increases our trust and reliance on him. When we suffer well we give up a little more of our grasping for power and we turn in trust and faith to God.

The second reason for suffering is to purify the church. We already glanced at 1 Peter 4:17, let’s read again verses 17-18: For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” When persecution sets in we begin to see who it is that truly has faith. Many people claim the name of Christ when it is easy. How many will remain faithful when such faith might cost them their lives? How many people will be faithful to God when they are faced with intense trials in their personal lives? God uses suffering to demonstrate the true faith of his people.

Third, I believe one reason God uses suffering to demonstrate true faith is so that the lost will be drawn to him. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus instructed his followers to let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. In a similar way people see you when you suffer well and they will marvel. They will want to know what is the reason for this hope that is in you3. They will see how God sustains you in suffering, and they will want to know more about the God who sustains.

Fourth, God also uses suffering to accomplish his will. Sometimes the things God wants to bring about require suffering. Consider the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. His brothers beat him, throw him into a well planning to leave him to die, decide to sell him into slavery instead, in slavery he is lied about and eventually thrown into prison where he stays for some time. In all of this Joseph is faithful to God. He suffers unjustly at the hand of his brothers but even when he has the chance to get revenge he doesn’t do it. What does he say instead? Two passages I want to point out from Genesis. The first is in Genesis 45. Here Joseph first reveals himself to his brothers. He reassures them not to be distressed. They have every reason to be distressed – they know the wrong they did, and here he has the power to execute them! What Joseph says is amazing. In verse 5 he says, “God sent me before you to preserve life.” Joseph believes that everything that took place happened according to God’s will. His brothers were guilty of sin. But their sin was part of God’s plan to preserve his people in the midst of famine. After their father Jacob died the brothers were nervous again so Joseph has to reassure them once more. He says in Genesis 50:20, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” The evil they intended was intended by God for good. God planned Joseph’s suffering as the way to preserve his people in a time of great famine.

The fifth reason why the righteous suffer is for the glory of God. Our passage this morning is not the only place where Peter talks about suffering. Hear what he says in 1 Peter 1:6-7: In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Your suffering will result in the glory of God.

So why do the unrighteous suffer? Let me briefly mention three reasons. First, so that people will realize their need for God. Through suffering believers grow in the Lord. In a similar way through suffering God can bring unbelievers to himself. Second, God will also use the suffering of the unrighteous in order to accomplish his will. Back in Genesis, just as God used Joseph’s suffering to preserve his people during famine, God used the famine itself to lead his people into Egypt. A great many people suffered during the famine but by the famine the will of God was accomplished. Third, God will use the suffering of the unrighteous for his glory. One comfort believers have from this is that there is no such thing as senseless suffering. We do not want to see others suffer. We pray for God to end the suffering of humanity. You should mourn when you hear of people slaughtered in Zimbabwe. We should do what we can to end that pain. But suffering is a reality in the world. Our comfort is that suffering is never meaningless, whether it falls on the Christian or the unbeliever.

Now we are ready to look at Christians and suffering. There are four things I want to look at related to Christian suffering. First, should we expect to suffer? Second, what might cause our suffering? Third, what enables us to endure suffering? And fourth, how should we respond to suffering?

Should we expect to suffer as Christians? The Bible says we should. 1 Peter 4:12 says not to be surprised when the trial comes; Jesus in John 15:20 tells us that if he is persecuted, we will be persecuted; and Paul in 2 Timothy 3:12 writes that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. Suffering and persecution should be an expected part of the Christian life. As we mentioned earlier, America and Europe in the modern world are an exception, not the norm. Our comfortable lives are very unusual and I do not think they will last. Brothers and sisters, do not be surprised when the fiery trial comes.

But be careful not to confuse the consequences of your sin with the suffering Peter wants us to rejoice in. There should be no rejoicing when you suffer because of your sin. 1 Peter 4:15 says, But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. If you suffer for your wrongdoing, what good is that to you?

What are some of the things that cause us to suffer? We suffer because we live in a fallen world. Sickness, natural disaster, death – these are all the effects of sin on the world. A great deal of our suffering comes because of what happened in the Garden of Even.

We also suffer because we are surrounded by sinners. People lie to us. They steal from us. Some people murder others. One spouse cheats on another. Employees steal from their employers. Employers use and abuse their employees. We suffer because of the sins of others.

As Christians we suffer for our faith. This is really what Peter has in view, suffering for being a Christian. This could be persecution, people oppressing, hurting, or killing other people because they are Christians. So much blood has been shed because of Christ. Many, many people have given their lives for their savior. Are you willing to be one of them?

Are you also willing to suffer in your daily life for his sake? Will you do what he calls you to do even if you suffer for it? Will you do the right thing even when it is painful? Will you take a stand for the truth even when it hurts? Will you oppose homosexuality even in a culture that praises this sin? Will you call for racial reconciliation even if others oppose you for it? Will you be honest in your taxes even if it means paying more this year? The list goes on. Sometimes we suffer because people oppose us for doing the right thing.

So what enables us to endure suffering? How can we stand up in trial? Three things: knowledge of the victory of Christ, knowledge of how God uses our suffering, and knowledge of the faithfulness of God.

We know Christ has the final victory in the war against sin and Satan. Jesus gives us our greatest hope in the face of suffering in John 16:33 when he says, “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We also know God is using our suffering for good. We already looked at Joseph in Genesis. You would be right to be amazed at how well Joseph endured his suffering. What a difference it must have made to know that God was using Joseph to redeem the people. When you are in the midst of suffering you can find assurance in the knowledge that God is using your suffering in his plan for the world. As we mentioned before, there is no meaningless suffering.

We can endure suffering because we know that God is faithful. Hear what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

One final question. How should we respond to suffering? 1 Peter 4:13 says we should rejoice. When you suffer as a Christian you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ. You are participating in his suffering. Rejoice to have been found worthy of this! In Acts 5:41 we find the disciples just having been arrested, beaten, threatened, and released. The disciples do not mourn for their sufferings. They do not cower from fear. They rejoice! Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. Could this be your response to suffering? Rejoicing that you were found worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ?

Your response should also be continued faithfulness. In verse 19 we read Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Suffering is not an excuse to put obedience on hold. We are not given time to lick our wounds. Suffering should motivate you even more to faithful service for Christ. You suffer with a bright hope for the future. What will you do to help all of those whose suffering in this life will only be replaced by even greater suffering in the life to come? Are you willing to endure even more suffering to get the gospel to them? Are you willing to suffer for the sake of Christ?

The glory of God is a topic that takes up a lot of room in the Bible. The word glory or glorify occurs over 350 times and most of these somehow refer to God. Scripture teaches that God’s actions are intended to proclaim his glory. Humans as well are created to demonstrate his glory. All of us will fulfill that purpose whether we want to or not – God will gain glory from every human being. But in today’s world people do not seem to recognize that we were created for the glory of God. In this sermon I wanted to help people understand what glory is, that God works for his glory, that we are to work for his glory, and that we glorify God through worship. True worship should take place always, every day that we live. It is not just a Sunday morning thing.

At any rate, on to my sermon outline.

Soli Deo Gloria
Glory to God Alone
Ephesians 1:3-14

1. To God alone be the glory.
1. How does your life bring glory to God? Are you intentionally glorifying God?
2. Bringing the series to an end: all that we have discussed is for God’s glory.
3. Where we are going today
1. Glory defined
2. The work of God: Glorifying God
3. The work of man: Glorifying God
4. The way to glorify God
4. Today’s text: Ephesians 1:3-14
1. This is not a sermon on predestination
2. Verses 6, 12, 14: the purpose of his work is our praise of his glory.
2. What is glory?
1. Hebrew Kavod – weight, importance.
2. Greek Doxa – splendor, greatness.
3. Importance, significance, worthy of focus and attention.
4. Glorify: to point to God’s glory.
5. Ross: To speak about God’s glory is to declare his importance or the display of that importance in history and in creation.
3. The work of God: Glorifying God.
1. All the work is performed by God.
1. He blessed us; he chose to save us; he redeemed us; he adopted us; he lavished grace on us; he revealed his saving will to us; he will unite us to him; he has given us an inheritance; he sealed us with the Holy Spirit.
2. All the work is for the glory of God.
1. V6, that we would praise his glorious grace
2. V12, saved so that we would praise his glory
3. V14, given the Holy Spirit so that we would praise his glory
4. God does not work to exalt man; he works to exalt himself.
5. God does not exist to lift us up, we exist to lift him up.
6. God loves his creation but his love does not override his protection of his glory.
3. God is jealous for his glory: Isa. 48:9-11
1. Here God gives his mercy for his own sake, not for our sake.
4. God’s glory fills the earth: Numbers 14:21
4. The work of man: Glorifying God.
1. The work of God brings about praise from man.
2. Salvation does not draw attention to you.
3. The blessings of Christ do not point to you.
4. Liberation theology and health and wealth: puts the focus in the wrong place.
5. All that we do should bring glory to God, not to us: Psalm 115:1
6. We do not create more glory for God, we point to his glory: John 5:41
7. The chief end of man.
8. In the end all will glorify God – even the enemies of God will unwittingly bring him glory: Exodus 14:4; Romans 9:22-23
9. We will glorify God throughout eternity: Rev. 5:11-13
10. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
1. Enjoy the blessings of the Lord for his glory
2. Enjoy the love of the Lord for his glory
3. Share the salvation of God for his glory
5. The way to glorify: Worship.
1. More than just songs on Sunday morning.
2. Like faith, worship is belief lived out.
3. Praise, words, works: Psalm 96:7-10
4. When the world sees our worship, they see what we worship.
5. What the world sees should lead them to glorify God: Matt. 5:16
6. The world needs to know of God’s glory.

Benediction: Romans 16:25-27

Romans 16:25-27

25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (ESV)

• Sola Scriptura (By Scripture Alone)
• Solus Christus (By Christ Alone)
• Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone)
• Sola Fide (By Faith Alone)
• Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)

This week’s message was on By Christ Alone and the text was
Acts 4:12. So far I haven’t written any manuscripts for these sermons so I will just bring up a few things from my sermon outline.

The first thing needed to understand Acts 4:12 is knowing what salvation is and why it is necessary. This goes back to very basic truths of humanity. We are all sinful, living in rebellion against God. We have broken his just commands and because he is just there must be punishment for our sins. But God loves his creation and from the beginning has planned a way to save us from our sins. That way is through Jesus Christ who bore the punishment we deserve. This is why he is described in Romans 3:26 as being “just and the justifier” – he remains just, there must be punishment for sins; he is the justifier, he is the one who bore our punishment so that we can be justified. This is salvation, the payment of Jesus for our sins on the cross so that we don’t have to pay for our sins.

People often rely on other things for salvation. People think their works will save them. The Pharisees were big on this, believing that their righteousness was most excellent and praiseworthy and would win for them the favor of God. People today continue to rely on works. Ask any given person why they will go to Heaven and a very common response will be, “Well, I’m basically a good person. I mean, I’ve never killed anyone or anything like that, so I think I will go to Heaven.” They try to rely on their goodness, the righteousness of their own actions, rather than on Christ. Paul speaks against works righteousness in Galatians 2:16 and again in Ephesians 2:8-9:

People also try to rely on wisdom and intellect for salvation. Faith is not important to them. All that is needed is the right kind of knowledge, the right way of thinking. The old Gnostic heresy is perhaps the most blatant example, but the Gnostics did not have a monopoly on this. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 about people who because of their assumed wisdom consider Christianity to be foolishness. They cannot wrap their brains around the claims of Christ so they reject him. They cannot understand his work for them so they reject it. But God does not esteem people for their intellect, for their ability to reason. God accepts only those who are righteous, and the only way to be made righteous is to be covered with the righteousness of Christ.

People also turn to other religions for salvation. It is quite en vogue for people to say that all religions are basically the same, that you can pick the one you like because we all worship the same God anyway. Some will tame this down some and limit the claim to Jews, Christians and Muslims. But when it comes to salvation, we have already read Acts 4:12: Christ is the only way to be saved, and only Christianity offers Christ and only the Christian Bible will tell people about him and what he has done.

Finally, we need to consider how salvation comes to people. The basic, simple answer is that it comes through Jesus Christ. The testimony of Scripture is quite loud on this point. Consider Romans 5:1-2 and Romans 5:6-11:

Jesus came to earth for the purpose of saving people from sin. This was made clear even before his birth when the angel was speaking to Joseph in Matthew 1:21: “…you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The angel does not say that he will join the others who save people from their sins, but that he is the one who will save people.

Jesus’ own claim was that he was the only way. In John 14:6 he speaks the words that should settle the issue as to whether or not one can be saved outside of Christ.

Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. Paul says this to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” For the Reformers this meant that Pope and priest did not stand between the people and God. For us it also means one cannot rely on anyone or anything except Christ. He is the only one who can reconcile man and God.

Jesus splits the world into two camps. In Matthew 10:34 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.“. One place where Jesus does this is in John 3:19-21:

There are those who have received salvation, who love the light of Christ, who have cast off the works of darkness, and who live in righteousness. There are also those who have rejected Christ, who love their wickedness, who hide in the darkness lest their deeds be exposed, and who live in unrepentant, consistent sin. What we do with Christ is how we can identify where we fall in these groups. If you follow Christ then you are a lover of the light. If you reject Christ then you walk in darkness.

For the follower of Christ there is hope and a future. For the one who turns away from Christ and pursues some other way of salvation there is only judgment and damnation. Revelation 20:15 tells us:

Turn to Christ. Cling to the salvation he offers. Seek no other way but him. And once you are his, follow the life he has lived, follow the example he left in his time on earth.

What can you learn from an unrighteous person? I think we all realize that we can learn things from unbelievers. But what about righteousness can you learn from the unrighteous acts of an unbeliever? Two thousand years ago Jesus gave his disciples a very important lesson on how to deal with their stuff, their possessions, their money, and he did it through the unrighteous example of an unrighteous person.

In this sermon we will be looking at Jesus’ parable of the unrighteous steward, found in Luke 16:1-13. This parable contains some surprises for us. Before we read it I want to tell you what we will learn from this parable and how it applies to our lives, then as we read the text you might see where these elements fit.

Jesus told his disciples this parable in order to teach them to be generous with those things that were not theirs in order to demonstrate their own faithfulness to God and in the process lead people into the kingdom of God. He did this by drawing three points of application from the parable. First, we need to recognize the value of people over things. Second, we need to serve God with the things that we don’t really own to begin with, and which are passing away, in order to receive the things that are eternal. And third, we need to keep God as the focus of our existence.

With that in mind, let us read the the text together, Luke 16:1-13.

Before we draw out the meaning of this text I want to go back and move through the details. Let’s recap the story and see what exactly is happening, looking at the first eight verses of our passage.

In the story we learn about a steward who is about to lose his position due to poor stewardship. We are not told if he stole his master’s money or if he was simply incompetent. Whatever the case, his master is going to dismiss him.

With the loss of his position immanent, the steward considers his options. He could become a hard laborer, perhaps a ditch digger, but he does not like that idea. He could become a beggar but he is too proud for that. So he comes up with an option which if it works will make other people receptive to him. With a little time remaining as steward, he summons people who owe his master money and he reduces their debts. He took their bills and cancelled a portion so that the people would look favorably on him and would receive him when his time of need came. In the process he relieved their own burdens. Their debts were great – the two individuals mentioned in the story each owed goods that equalled several years worth of income. Their gratitude was certain.

One might well imagine that the steward’s master would not be happy with the arrangement since this would put him out of even more goods. Here is where we have our first big surprise of the story. In the first half of verse 8 we read that the master “commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.” What in the world? The master was just cheated of money and yet he praised the steward? Jesus gives us the answer in the second half of the verse, and here he begins to unfold what this parable means to believers: “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” The word there for shrewd can mean several things. It can mean the person is wise, or perhaps crafty, or cunning. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament this same word is used to describe Satan in Genesis 3:1 who was more crafty than the other animals. It is also used in Matthew 7:24 to describe the wise man who builds his house on the rock. Be careful to note that in our passage the master does not praise the specific actions of the steward. Instead, he praises the steward’s shrewdness. He praised the cunning of the steward. The steward recognized his situation and was clever enough to work out a solution.

The master was able to recognize in the steward some quality or characteristic that is commendable to the sons of the world. The steward, knowing his dire situation, was willing to make use of his master’s resources in order to make his own future more comfortable. That kind of thinking is very popular among the sons of this world.

Consider all of the corporate scandals we have faced in the last few years. This is what they were all about! The primary scenario was companies lying to investors in order to get them to invest more money so that the corporate leaders could fill their bank accounts before people learned that the company was going bust. Publicly, one company might frown on another company that does this practice, but privately this was being carried out time and again. And one does not have to be a cynic to recognize that it continues to be carried out in many corporate settings.

But corporate businesses are not the only ones guilty of this. All people have the instinct of self-protection, even if it means hurting others. The common phrase looking out for number one demonstrates how this works in popular thinking.

Worldly people are able to commend this kind of thinking in other worldly people. But Jesus sees in this something that we can learn from. We will explore the meaning more in a few moments, but briefly what Jesus wants us to see is that even worldly people are able to use things that are not theirs in order to bring good to other people and in the process make their own futures brighter. The steward did this with selfish motivation. We are to do something similar, but unselfishly.

With this picture in mind, readers of the passage will be excused if they come away confused as to what Jesus is talking about. Does he want us to be dishonest? Does he want us to cheat others in order to make our own lives more comfortable? The actual desire of Jesus is quite the opposite, though what he does expect from us has several parallels in our parable. Let us read again verses 9-13 and see the application he gives.

Verse 9 contains the first point Jesus wants his disciples to see. That is, people are more valuable than things. Note how he describes money: unrighteous wealth. The word wealth is the word mammon and while it primarily refers to money it can include all of our possessions. In the ancient world your stuff could count as your money. Chickens had value. Cows had value. They were all mammon, possessions, wealth. Jesus refers to all of this as unrighteous. He does not mean money that has been obtained in unrighteous ways, for he is telling his followers to make use of this money, and he would not instruct us to obtain money in an unrighteous way. Instead, Jesus is revealing something of his view of our stuff. His view is echoed in Paul who in 1 Timothy 6:10 said, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.” That is, money itself is not unrighteous but it can be the source of all kinds of unrighteousness. We know this from our own experience. How many of us have ever found ourselves doing the most unwise or despicable things in order to either gain more money or get our hands on something we wanted to possess? Money is not itself unrighteous but it can lead to unrighteousness. James says something similar about the tongue in James 3:6: “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” The tongue is not literally a world of unrighteousness but from it can come all kinds of unrighteousness.

From the start of the application Jesus is nailing home the point that our possessions are not as significant as we make them out to be. More than that, they are downright dangerous. They can lead each one of us astray. And if you have been alive for more than a few months, then you have already been led astray by things time and again, and fighting your attachment to your stuff is a struggle that will take the rest of your life.

Things are not significant. What is significant is people. What you have is to be used with a focus toward ministry. This doesn’t mean everything has to be given away. It does mean our lives are focused on ministering to people rather than on accumulating stuff. The point of this stuff is to “win friends for yourselves” – and to win them for the kingdom of God. Jesus does not value stuff, he does value people.

One more word about our stuff. Jesus is not yet making this point, but he will in verse 12 – that is, the stuff you call your stuff, it isn’t really your stuff to begin with, it really belongs to someone else. This is the second point Jesus makes. So all of our clinging, all of our grasping, all of our scrambling for more mammon, more worldly goods, is all for nought because we can never own any of it. We need to serve God with the things that we do not really own to begin with and which are passing away. Through this we will receive the things that are eternal.

But while we have mammon within some sort of control, while we have this stuff God has entrusted to us, Jesus instructs us to use it to win friends for ourselves. He does not want us to buy people’s affections. Rather, we are to display generosity. Be a person of generosity, a person known for how open your hands are and not for how tight your fist is. Give it away. It isn’t yours anyway, and if you hold onto it too tightly it will lead you into unrighteousness. Live generously. Help the needy. Give to the poor. Feed the hungry. Give the waitress a good tip. In doing so you will win their friendship and in doing so you will display the love of God to the world. There is a missional purpose here. A gospel-lived-out purpose. It is displayed by the end of verse 9: that they (the ones who received your generosity) may receive you into the eternal dwellings. By your witness, by your life, you made hearts ready to receive the gospel. They will not be able to receive you into Heaven if they have not reached it. By your work, they might reach it. Also, the gospel itself is one of the things you have been given which you are called to share. Share it all!

We are reminded in this verse that our lives will come to an end. This is what Jesus means when he says when it fails. Your stuff can only get you so far in life. The day will come when it will fail to sustain you any longer and you will die. Everything you built up in this life will be over. It will be gone. But did you build into eternity? Did you by your life prepare for a life that will never pass away? Jesus does not guarantee that people will be saved by our witness – he only says they may receive you, not that they will. They may be there to welcome you, but they may have rejected the message despite your love and witness. You are not responsible for the result. But you can be certain that if you do not give away that which is not yours, no one will be there to receive you. In 1 Corinthians 3:14-15 Paul talks about our works on earth being tested when we are received into Heaven. Some works will survive into eternity, others will not. He says: “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” Jesus is not talking about salvation. We cannot buy our ticket to Heaven. He is talking about living a life of meaning and value. My favorite preacher John Piper has a little motivational series he does called “Don’t Waste Your Life” and that’s what this is all about – living for eternity. Living so that the works of your hand do not burn up on the day of testing.

And so Jesus in verses 10-11 tells us to be faithful. Be faithful in the little things. Your money, your stuff – those are the little things. I don’t care how much you value them, they are little in the eyes of God. And he has much greater things he wants to give you. Things that last and are eternal. But if you are not faithful with those little things – if you are not generous, if you do not give away that which is not yours, then how can anyone expect you to be faithful with the truly great things? God has entrusted you with a bunch of stuff. Have you used it faithfully to his glory? Is God glorified by how you handle his stuff? If not, how can you expect him to entrust to you deeper, fuller ministry in his kingdom?

It is in verse 12 that Jesus drives home the point that none of this stuff is ours to begin with. We on earth are like ants in someone’s ant farm, scrambling to build our own great domains, struggling for power and position, seeking recognition and prestige, completely ignoring the fact that just beyond the glass is something far greater than ourselves, something that shows how insignificant we all really are. The difference here is that God has entered the glass. God has revealed himself to us. God continues to dwell and walk with us. And still we seek our own domains. But nothing we have is our own. We only have that which God has allowed us to have, and someday he will take away everything and burn it good. Your favorite car – ash. Your prize iPod music collection – ash. Your dream home – ash. Everything. Ash. The only things that will last are those things done in the service of and for the glory of God.

The promise of verse 12 is that we will have the chance for good things that last into eternity. Jesus does not elaborate on what this is. Are these the crowns that we will lay at his feet? Is this the eternal appreciation of people we led to the gospel? Is this our inheritance as faithful children of God? I don’t know. But it will be good. And God desires it for us. Will we give up our petty possessions and seek that kind of reward?

Finally, Jesus reminds us that we need to keep God as the focus of our existence. We can only have one master. Either we will serve God or we will serve possessions. If we serve God then our possessions are simply a means of service. If he calls us to enjoy them, enjoy them to his glory. If he calls us to give them away, give them away with a joyful heart, knowing you are bringing him glory.

There are so many ways you can serve God with the things he has entrusted to you. Share the gospel which has been entrusted to you. Use your talents in the church. Use them out in the world, to draw people to Christ. Use your resources to spread the gospel. Give money to missionaries. Fund trips to Africa or Peru or Kentucky. Sponsor children through Compassion International. Find ways that you can help the poor in your community. Volunteer to serve the needy at a homeless shelter. The list goes on and on. Jesus once said that the poor will always be with us, and he was right. The world is a needy place and it grows needier by the day. Gas prices skyrocketing around the world. Food riots in India and Haiti because parents can no longer feed their children. The environment becoming more erratic causing problems for farmers. With all of the troubles many people see this as a time to draw all their stuff even closer, to hold it tighter. Protect themselves. They try to keep what is not theirs. But it is a time for Christians to be all the more open, all the more generous, serving a world that is so very needy. You might suffer. You might feel want yourself. Jesus never said this would be easy. But you are just passing through this world, a pilgrim headed for your eternal dwelling. Do not build on the crumbling foundation of this world but on the eternal foundation of Christ your King.