Luke 16:1-13 Can God Trust Us As His Stewards?

LUKE 16:1-13 CAN GOD TRUST US AS HIS STEWARDS? 4-9-11

Let me say 1st of all what a Stewart is, a steward is a person who has charge of another man’s goods. Abraham had a steward who had charge of all his possessions. It was Abraham’s steward, possible Eliezer of Damascus (Gen.15:2) although is not named, who went on a trip to Haran to find a bride for Abraham’s son Isaac in Gen.24:, and this Steward is also a picture of The Holy Spirit that has come to this earth seeking a Bride for Christ.

1 Cor. 4:2 Paul tells us, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful”

All that we have in our possession actually belongs to God, He has allowed us to have these things and He will hold us accountable for what we do with them.

If we’re saved we are His Stewards, we’re working in His vineyard to bring praise to His name, we as His Stewards are to lift Him up and win other souls for Him with the resources that He has allowed us to use, or to put it another way, we’re His Ambassadors, an Ambassador is a representative of his King yonder in a far away country, you and I that are saved no longer belong to this world, our home is heaven and one day we’ll be going home when our stewardship has run its coarse, we’re in the world but we’re not of this world.

Let’s keep in mind as we get into this parable that the Pharisees were there and they were trying to catch Jesus in some thing or some way to ridicule Him, Jesus is still in the house of one of the Chief Pharisees; He went there to eat with them back in chapter 14:1

Listen as I read today’s text found in Luke 16:1-13.

And let’s be sure to notice that He is also talking to His disciples, we are His disciples today.

1And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

There’s no doubt that the Pharisees had a good dose of religion, they even knew what Gods Word said and yet they had added all kinds of do & don’ts to it that wasn’t suppose to be there, they were not true stewards of God, in fact they were bad represenitives of God and His Word.

The rich owner in this parable was perhaps away on some kind of trip and now he has returned home or it may have been that he trusted his steward and had not been observing what he’d been doing closely, but be that as it may its told to the owner of these riches about his unfaithful manager, the person that he had entrusted to take care of his riches and goods, it was told to him that his steward had carelessly been wasting his riches.

The unfaithful stewart had grown so accustom to being around and handling these riches that he fail to remember that these riches was not his, although he carelessly used these riches as though they were, he wasted his lords money.—is that not what many of us do today with the riches that the Lord has entrusted to us to use for His honor and glory?

He was like the bank worker that was finally caught embezzling the bank funds.

Ø Makes us think of Numbers 32:24 -- be sure your sin will find you out.

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2And he called him, (the certain rich man called his steward, his manager) and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

And now this crooked manager was found out, it was time to give account of what he has been doing with the rich mans goods, instead of drawing up a financial statement, he decided to use the law of the world which is self-preservation.

He obviously felt as though he was above getting a job and go to work like every body else, and he was ashamed to beg, but he was not ashamed to steal, he thought nothing about using what was not his to begin with, he was a 1st class crook, he’d make a great politician.

This man did not apologize to the rich owner and ask him to for give him and if he would give him another chance, and the reason was he had no regret or remorse for his actions.

The rich owner fires this unjust steward but gives him a short time to make arrangements to do with his unemployed situation.

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3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.-- **(I know what I’ll do) he was going to try to appear to the rich mans debtors that he was really a fine feller, and then they’d remember him when he’s down and out.