Good News, Good Ground | Scott Silcox
STEWARDS, NOT OWNERS
8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.” - Luke 16:8-13
What is Jesus Looking For?
1. He’s Looking for Eternal Awareness
What the manager understood:
+ His time was limited.
+ His authority was borrowed.
+ His future mattered more than his present.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein...” (Ps.24:1)
“The mindset of stewardship”
“Live as one who has to give account.” - Charles Spurgeon
What is Jesus Looking For?
2. He’s Looking for Intentional Generosity
Generosity that looks like:
+ Kingdom leverage
+ Future-focused sowing
+ Eternal relationship building
“Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into eternal dwellings.” (v.9)
“The mindset of stewardship”
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” - Jim Elliot
What is Jesus Looking For?
3. He’s Looking for Faithfulness in the Small
“One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.” (v.10)
(Shrewd = thoughtful, awake, strategic)
“urgency”
(Faithfulness = steady, trustworthy, consistent)
If the world is strategic for money…
Why aren’t believers strategic for souls?
“The mindset of stewardship”
“The power of possession is great, but greater still is the power of a life that does not depend upon possessions.” - howard thurman
“The mindset of stewardship”
We are planting a harvest, not building a portfolio.
Generosity isn’t random, it’s strategic.
It’s about allegiance, not dollars.
