Multiplying Forever Friends (Luke 16)

Multiplying Forever Friends Message Introduction

We’re beginning the year 2015 with the message series “Living in Light of the End.” What does it mean to live in light of the end? To live in light of the end is to live life here and now, keeping eternity in view. Living in light of the end is thinking about the future, not just in this life, but in the next as well. We use God’s revelation of the future to prioritize our lives today.

Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV)  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

God’s Word instructs us to set our hearts and minds on things above, that is on the eternal things of God. As we do that, God will give us the wisdom to live the best lives on this earth that we could live. Living out God’s incredible purposes for our lives in light of eternity.

Today, my message is entitled “Multiplying Forever Friends.” We’re going to be talking about how to set our priorities in this life in light of the end. Now, if I was to ask you the question “What is the most important thing in our world?” What would you answer? Perhaps we first would need to figure out what makes something important. I would submit that the most important things are those that are going to last the longest. For example, if I buy soda to drink, it’s not so important, because I’m going to drink it and it’s going to be gone.

If I buy a house, that’s a lot more important, because it’s going to be around a long time. And things that are going to be around a long time, generally cost more than those that are temporary. So, important things are those that last the longest and have the most value.

What is the most important thing in this world? It’s people, people made in God’s image. People are not temporary, they are going to last forever, because when you die, that’s not the end of you. You will exist forever either in heaven or hell. Not only are people going to last forever, but people have great value. Not only have they been made in God’s image, but Jesus, the Son of God, gave His life, for people. Because they have such great value to Him. So, you are one of the most important things in this world, because you were created in God’s image and have the opportunity to spend eternity with God.

Acts 17:27 (NIV)  God did this [created people] so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

So, your top priority in life is to enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Your next priority has to do with all the other valuable people around you.

When I was in college, I led a small group Bible study that we called “Forever Family Fellowship.” We gave it that name because we realized that as believers, we were part of God’s family and we would be part of that family together forever. You can have all kinds of friends in this life, but only those who are believers will be your forever friends, part of God’s forever family. Today, we’re going to learn what Jesus had to say about making forever friends.

Learn to set priorities

Jesus told a parable often called the parable of the shrewd manager. This parable is confusing to many people because they don’t know what to make of the manager. Is he an example to follow or not? So, let me just say at the start, that Jesus uses the example of the shrewd manager to teach us principles of setting priorities in our lives, not to follow his example.

Oftentimes, people just kind of coast along in life, not thinking about the future or eternity until they encounter a difficult situation. God allows difficulties in our lives oftentimes to get us to evaluate our priorities.

Difficulties make us think

Luke 16:1-2 (NIV)  Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.  So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

So, the manager worked for a rich man. The manager was not a good manager, he misused or wasted the resources that the owner had entrusted to him. So, his boss, the owner, called the manager into his office and asked him for an explanation. However, it was obvious that the owner had already made up his mind about the manager, for he planned to fire him shortly.

There is no indication in the story that the manager attempted to rebut his boss’ accusations, so they must have been true. His lack of good stewardship of the boss’s resources had been found it. When you realize you’re about to be laid off of a very good job, it makes you think about what you’re going to do next. And so the manager began to think about his priorities in life.

Relationships are the most important

Luke 16:3-4 (NIV)  “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg–  I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

The manager reasoned with himself that the most important thing in life when he lost his job was his relationships with people. If he had friends, then his friends would welcome him into their houses and take care of him, when he lost his job. So, the manager came up with a plan to make some new friends who would help him when he was laid off. The manager’s priorities were right, relationships are the most important, even though he had a somewhat selfish motive.

Maybe you’re going through some difficulty in life. Could be in the area of job, finances, health or something else. Times of difficulty are good times to evaluate your priorities in life. Relationships are the most important things in your life. They are not the only priority, but if you have your relationships right, then everything will fall into place.

The first and most important relationship in your life is your relationship with God. If you have that right, then your relationships with people will be easier as well. So, whether you’re going through a difficulty right now or not, make God your first priority and other relationships as your second priority. Now, today, we’re going to primarily talk about building relationships with people. However, we’ll see how your relationship with God informs your other relationships. How can you build the relationships or friendships with people that God desires?

Helping others builds relationships

Oftentimes, people will complain and say that they have no friends. They are just waiting for someone to come up to them and be there best friend. It’s been said, to have a friend, you have to be a friend. In other words, if you learn how to be a friend to others, you will those who are friends to you as well. How can you be a friend to someone else? You can build a relationship or friendship by helping another person. In order to help someone else, you must first …

Discover the needs of others

Luke 16:5-7 (NIV)  “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’  “‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’  “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

The manager’s plan involved discovering how much each of his master’s debtors owed the master. Here we see too examples, although I’m sure there were many more. The first owed 800 gallons of olive oil. That’s a pretty big debt. The manager cut the debt in half. The second debtor owed 1000 bushels of wheat. The manager cut 20% off of it and made it 800. So the manager discovered the needs of others, with a view to …

Meet the needs of others

Luke 16:8 (NIV)  “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.

What the manager did was not right, it was actually losing the master money, but that’s not the point of Jesus’ story. The master commended the dishonest manager, because he had thought through his predicament at losing his job and had come up with a shrewd plan to take care of himself. The manager’s plan involved making friends of other people in the world by reducing their debts. So, the manager met the needs of others, so that his new friends would met his needs in the future.

In the next verses, we’re going to see how to apply these principles to believers, people of the light.

Now, we are not to follow the manager’s dishonesty in misusing his master’s resources at the beginning of the story and then cheating his master of even more at the end. As we’ll see, God has entrusted many resources into each of our lives. We are to be stewards of what God has given us.

All the money that you have in your accounts is not your money to do with as you wish. It’s God’s money. He has entrusted it to you in order to use it for Him. Jesus is going to tell us how to use God’s money for God’s purposes.

Use God’s money to make forever friends

Luke 16:9 (NIV)  I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

This is Jesus’ punch line for the entire parable. Just as the dishonest manager used money to make friends who would welcome him into their homes, so we are to use money to make forever friends. How do you make forever friends? By leading people to be saved and receive the gift of eternal life.

Our money will be of no use after we die. But in heaven we will be welcomed into our eternal dwellings by our forever friends, whom we have been instrumental in leading to Jesus. Just as the resources that the manager had were those of the master, so our resources, our money, is really God’s. Every dollar you have is God’s. Our money is to be used to make forever friends.

Be faithful with little and you’ll be given more

Luke 16:10-12 (NIV)  “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.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Jesus goes on to show us how to use the money that He has entrusted to us. Most people say they don’t have enough money. Yet, Jesus tells us that is we are faithful to use the little we have, we will be trusted with more. In fact, Jesus says that if we are not trustworthy in handling His money, He won’t trust us with true riches, blessings beyond world wealth.

The starting point in God’s Word in being trustworthy with God’s money is giving God through the church a tithe, or 10% of your income. What does the church use this money for? The church uses the money that is donated to lead people to Jesus in the St Louis area and around the world through missions. As you are faithful to give the tithe to God first and you see His blessing, you will begin to understand that the other 90% is God’s as well.

God will instruct you how to be faithful with His resources. Some you will use to put food on the table, a roof over your head, clothes on your back and so on, the necessities of life. Other, you may use more directly in making forever friends, laying up treasure in heaven.

Serve God with His money

Luke 16:13 (NIV)  “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Jesus ends His teaching by describing money as a master in competition for your devotion with God. Some people think they can serve God and yet keep control of their money. It can’t be done. If you don’t recognize that all your money is a gift from God, money will become a idol, of which you will never have enough.

Rather than trying to serve God and money, we must choose to serve God alone. Recognizing that all the money in our possession comes from Him and is still His. We are managers of God’s money and resources.

What did Jesus tell us to do with our money? “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, who will welcome you into eternal dwellings” Make a priority to use your money to multiply forever friends.

Pray over your family budget. Pray before major financial decisions. Ask God how you can use your money to win more people for Jesus. How can you use your resources to extend God’s kingdom? How can you show God’s love to those who do not yet know Him?

God has given each of us worldly wealth that can be transformed into forever friends in heaven. Let’s use it for God’s priorities, so that we can be a blessing and layup treasure in heaven that will last forever.

Message Audio, Outline & Study Guide

Living in Light of the End Message Series

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