Lucas 16

Lucas 16

Piper reminds us that "money is going to fail. It will do you no good at all on your death-bed. And whether you have an eternal habitation will depend, at least in part, on whether you used your money to advance the cause of Christ in the lives of others, or whether you used it to advance your comforts and your status symbols. That is the point of Lk 16:11: “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches?” In other words, the possession of money in this world is a test run for eternity. Can you pass the test of faithfulness with your money? Do you you use it as a means of proving the worth of God and the joy you have in supporting his cause? Or does the way you use it prove that what you really enjoy is things, not God?" (Luke 16:19-31 Preparing to Receive Christ Hearing Moses and the Prophets) Jesus repeatedly links faithful use of our earthly wealth with the accumulation of heavenly treasure Luke 12:33-note “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. Luke 18:22-note When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Mt 6:19-21-note Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Entrust (4100)(pisteuo from pistis; pistos) means to consider something (in this context some ONE) to be true and therefore worthy of trust. This is same verb used by Jesus when He said "repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mk 1:15 where both repent and believe are commands in the present imperative = make this your lifestyle = something only possible as we daily depend on the Holy Spirit - see more detailed explanation) True (adjective) (228)(alethinos from alethes = true, one who cannot lie) is an adjective which pertains to being in accordance with historical fact - genuine, real, true, valid, trustworthy (worthy of confidence, dependable). Alethinos describes that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name -- thus genuine not spurious, fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended. Luke 16:12 "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? KJV Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's Luke 19:13-26; 1 Chr 29:14-16; Job 1:21; Ezek 16:16-21; Hosea 2:8; Mt 25:14-29 who will give you that which is your own Luke 10:42; Col 3:3,4; 1 Pe 1:4,5 Luke 16 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 16:1-13 How to be Truly Rich - Steven Cole Luke 16:1-13 Investing Earthly Finances with an Eternal Focus - John MacArthur FAITHFULNESS IN HANDLING GOD'S FUNDS And if you have not been faithful (pistos) in the use of that which is another's - Here Jesus refers to trustworthy use of other's things, and in context other's money and possessions. Ultimately, this refers back to God, because it all belongs to Him! Haggai 2:8 says " ‘The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,’ declares the LORD of hosts." The psalmist agrees that "The earth is full of Your possessions." (Ps 104:24) Asaph records God's declaration that "every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills." In sum, it all belongs to God. We as believers simply have temporary stewardship. Everything we have is a stewardship. It belongs to God and He asks that we would use it for His glory. Who will give you that which is your own - ("Why should you be trusted with things of your own?" = NLT)) In other words we are held accountable for our stewardship. Jesus' statement causes us to examine our heart, fully understanding that our faithfulness or unfaithfulness in using mammon now will impact our future, including our future reward (see rewards). And the sad irony is the more we accumulate for ourselves here on earth, the less we will store up for ourselves treasure in heaven. What we do depends to a large extent on our perspective -- is it primarily temporal or primarily eternal? (See related topic - Vertical Vision) Paul alludes to this when he wrote that in this present life believers are to "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:18-note) THOUGHT - How's your eternal vision? Is it "20/20" so to speak? Perhaps you need an eye (heart) checkup!