The Purpose Of Christ Covenant Church Sermon Series Part III Engaging The Culture Luke 16:1-9

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1 1 Sermon Notes for August 28, 2005 The Purpose Of Christ Covenant Church Sermon Series Part III Engaging The Culture Luke 16:1-9 Introduction A. Our PURPOSE As A Church. Christ Covenant exists to bring the life-changing power of Jesus Christ to Knoxville and the world. We will achieve this by being a family of believers that: Embraces the seeker without judgment Equips the saints to maturity Engages the culture around us B. Our PROBLEM As A Church. 1. We have done fairly well with Part I Embracing the Seeker Without Judgment. a. we are known as a friendly church to those who visit us b. I believe that we are a non-judgmental and gracious church 2. We have done a very good job of Part II Equipping The Saints for the work of ministry. a. this has been our driving force and purpose for the past ten years b. as a result, God s people are using their spiritual gifts in ministry 3. BUT... we are NOT doing a very good job of Part III Engaging the Culture around us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. a. we will look at that today b. as well as how we can become more effective as a church c. Jesus Christ will speak DIRECTLY to us about how we can do this 4. A wonderful book given to me by my son David, is the book Roaring Lambs by Bob Briner. a. in this book, Briner challenges the church to be salt and light in our society 1. NOT to run away from the world and retreat into a Holy Huddle 2. but to enter the world to make a difference for Christ b. here are some questions that Briner has for Christians. The Roaring Lambs Voice Test 1. I have attended a school board meeting within the last year. 2. I have as many close friends outside the church as within. 3. I own at least one original piece of art. 4. In the last year I have written a letter of praise to a network or sponsor of a television program. 5. I consider careers in the arts, journalism, literature, film, and television to be as important for the kingdom as pastoral ministry, or foreign missions.

2 6. I have written at least one letter to the editor of my local newspaper in the last year. 7. I have read at least one book on the New York Times Bestseller List in the past year. 8. I am active in the civic affairs of my community. 9. I have talked with at least one non-christian about my relationship with Christ and what it means to be His follower. I. The PARABLE Of The Unjust Steward. A. The Steward s PROBLEM. 1. A wealthy farmer discovered a problem with his steward. a. it was common in Jesus day for the wealthy to hire someone to take care of their affairs: a steward b. the wealthy man never seemed to check on the steward until word came to him through the grapevine that the steward was abusing his job c. the owner then went to the steward and demanded an accounting audit IMMEDIATELY d. as a result of the audit, the steward was to be fired e. however, the owner gave the steward some time to get the books in order f. so, for a season, he remained the owner s steward 2. The steward faces the problem with the wealthy farmer. a. the steward has had enormous freedom and prestige in his job 1. the owner never checked on him 2. thus, the steward was able to take money and spend it on himself in extravagant ways 3. he grew accustomed to an affluent lifestyle b. as he considered the loss of his job, he said to himself: 1. he didn t want to do manual labor a. he wasn t strong enough to dig b. a CPA. What do you expect? c. Candid Camera 2. he was too ashamed to beg a. too humiliated in light of his previous position b. Jim Baaker going to jail B. The Steward s PLAN. 1. Being an accountant, a bright thinking, creative type he came up with a plan. a. because no one else knew that he had lost his job, he would remain in appearance as the owner s steward 1. it was customary for the steward to receive payments from those who rented land from the owner 2. instead of money, there would be a payment in kind 3. and it would be up to the steward to get a certain amount. If he could get more, then he could keep it himself. 4. in this case he went to two renters to cut a deal with them a. one owed his boss 800 gallons of olive oil 1. the steward simply cut it in half; to 400 gallons 2

3 2. thus affecting his own profit and the profit of the owner b. the other owed his boss 1000 bushels of wheat 1. the steward made it again, a loss to his own profit as well as the owner s profit b. what was the steward actually doing by making deals with the renters? 1. he reduced their debt, thus making them all debtors TO HIM, the steward! 2. he thus made friends with the renters which could allow him to come to them after he lost his job 3. if the renters didn t hire him, then he could blackmail them by telling the owner that they knowingly cheated him 4. there would be no witnesses that could implicate him 2. We must realize that Jesus is using the unfaithful steward as His example. C. The Steward s PERSPECTIVE. Vs. 8 The master commended the dishonest steward because he had acted shrewdly. 1. Believe it or not, once the owner found out about the steward s plan, he COMMENDED the steward for his shrewdness. a. after all, the steward DID position himself for further employment b. he DID at least get the owner most of his payment c. thus, the steward was seen as being shrewd 1. keenly aware; intelligent 2. crafty, ingenious, slick, sly, clever 3. probing, acute, farsighted 2. The Bible paraphrase, The Message, quotes these verses this way: Now here s the surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! Why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter... than lawabiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. 3. And Jesus makes a most amazing statement in verses 8 and 9: For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. a. WHAT in the world is Jesus talking about? b. Is Jesus saying that this scheming, stealing pagan is a model for us to follow??? II. The APPLICATION Of The Unjust Steward. A. A Christian s PROBLEM. Vs "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. 1. Unbelievers are TOTALLY INVOLVED IN THEIR OWN LIVES. a. they are TOTALLY CONSUMED with serving self and their own gods 1. they will do everything that they can to get to the top of their career 3

4 a. in Japan, the Japanese had to create a word for death from overwork Koloshi - because so many Japanese were working themselves to death b. businessmen in the U.S. work hours a week 1. Kosciusko/Fowler - 4:30 AM to 7:30 PM 2. I do believe that most business people in the world work harder than most pastors; although most Pastors work hrs/wk c. what it takes to be a great athlete 1. World class ice-skaters start at age 4 for 20 minutes of fame at the Olympics 2. Olympians Tim Mack 3. Championship tennis players an entire family moves to Florida to train at Nick Bollerteris Tennis Academy d. in a book, The Day America Told the Truth, writers, James Patterson and Peter Kim reveal what extremes some people would go to for 10 million dollars: 25% would abandon their entire family 25% would abandon their church 16% would give up their American citizenship 10% would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free 7% would kill a stranger 3% would put their children up for adoption 2. there is a compulsion that drives the unbeliever to achieve in this world 3. the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Catch Me If You Can a. between the ages of 16 and 21, Abagnale, a high school dropout, portrayed himself as a: 1. Pan American pilot 2. Pediatrician in the state of Georgia 3. a Lawyer in Louisiana 4. Professor of sociology who taught a college course b. he forged checks totaling 2.5 million dollars c. a Houston police chief said of Abagnale: Frank W. Abagnale could write a check on toilet paper, sign it U.R. Hooked, cash it at any bank in town, using a Hong Kong driver s license and I.D. b. unbelievers are MORE COMMITTED TO THEIR WAY OF LIFE THAN CHRISTIANS ARE TO THEIR WAY OF LIFE! 1. despite the fact that their end is futile, their eyes are on the prize of success and they WILL HAVE IT! 2. they are always working toward THEIR GOAL a. and the unbeliever is better at reaching HIS goal THAN THE CHRISTIAN! 4

5 b. AND WE HAVE THE MOST NOBLE GOAL!!! 1. we are working for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 2. we are working FOR OUR REWARD IN HEAVEN! And we are so ho-hum about it! 3. we ought to be as consumed AS THE UNBELIEVER about our goal a. We must not be very clear about our goal! b. WHAT IS OUR GOAL? 1. The Catechism - to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever 2. to know Christ 3. to make disciples of all nations 4. to be salt and light in a tasteless, dark world 5. to grow in the likeness of Jesus 6. to tell others of Christ 4. How much time do WE, AS CHRISTIANS, spend attempting to REACH OUR SPIRITUAL GOALS? a. learn a lesson from the unbelieving businessman wo works 80 hours a week b. learn a lesson from the world class athlete who has given up EVERY- THING he has to be the best at his sport c. learn a lesson from the Ph.D who has spent everything to become a teaching professor d. learn from the Tennessee Volunteers on what it takes to become a champion - This week in the paper - Fulmer 1. He is always thinking about his team 2. We are ready for whatever may come 2. Unbelievers are TOTALLY INNOVATIVE ABOUT THEIR OWN LIVES. a. unbelievers think, plan and even scheme to reach their personal goal 1. they will sell everything that they have to get what they want 2. they will meet and meet and meet until they see it happen a. Bill Gates of Microsoft b. Donald Trump c. Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys 1. bought the team 2. fired icon coach, Tom Landry 5

6 b. Where is the FIRE of the Christian to reach their spiritual goals? 1. How much time do we spend thinking, meeting, praying and working to reach our spiritual goals? 2. WHERE ARE THE THINKERS AND PLANNERS AND WORKERS IN THE CHRISTIAN WORLD? a. D. James Kennedy - Evangelism Explosion b. Paul Cho - Pastor of the world s largest church 3. we tend to let go and let God a. when actually this is a cover-up for laziness b. WHY DID GOD GIVE US A BRAIN? 1. don t confuse laziness with spirituality 2. Galatians 6-7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. c. the Christian s problem is that we are not as committed to our GODLY goals as unbelievers are to their ungodly goals.. 1. we should be ashamed of ourselves 2. and model ourselves after the unbelievers whole hearted commitment to their bad goals! 3. Pastor Ray Stedman once said in a sermon: A lady said to me this week, I came to the place where I decided that I would study my Bible as thoroughly and with as much effort as I studied real estate a few years ago to learn how to be a real estate agent. When I began to put that much effort into it, the book came alive and I ve grown so much and understood so much since. B. The Christian s PLAN. Vs. 9 (Jesus) I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 1. FIRST, Christians are to be STRONG. a. learn a lesson from the unbeliever! 1. LOOK HOW COMMITTED THEY ARE TO THEIR GOALS! 2. SHOULDN T WE BE AT LEAST AS COMMITTED TO THE GOALS OF GOD S KINGDOM! b. the unbeliever becomes a model of commitment to their goals 2. SECOND, Christians are to be SALT. a. CATEGORICALLY JESUS IS SAYING THAT WE ARE TO BE IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT 1. What was Jesus obvious point about being salt and light! a. What is THE PURPOSE OF SALT? 1. to help change the taste of things that have no taste 2. to heal cuts 3. to add spice to foods 4. you would not need salt if everything ALREADY had taste! b. What is THE PURPOSE OF DARKNESS? 1. light PRESUPPOSES DARKNESS 6

7 2. you would not need light if there were no darkness! 2. look at John 17: "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. a. the word for NOT in verse 15 is an emphatic negative Jesus wants to make His point ABSOLUTELY! b. what He prays for is protection from the evil one WHILE they are IN the world otherwise, He would have never prayed for protection. 3. hear this quote: After all, what did Jesus do? Christ met unbelievers where they were. He realized what many Christians today still don t seem to understand. Cultivators have to get out in the field. According to one count, the gospels record 132 contracts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogues and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life. b. after all, Jesus own incarnation was His classic statement of the need for Christians to ENTER THIS WORLD! 1. Jesus came from the ULTIMATE Holy Huddle Heaven 2. and He entered the ULTIMATE place of darkness this earth! 3. THIRD, Christians are to be SHREWD. a. if the unbeliever is going to give himself to this world and be shrewd in money, in sports, and in success we are being called, BY JESUS, then GO INTO THAT WORLD and USE THOSE THINGS TO REACH NON-BELIEVERS 1. go into his world and find a way to reach him 2. BE SHREWD! He won t even know it! b. if Christians retreat from the world, believers will never have a chance to touch unbelievers with the gospel of Jesus at all 1. as Christians, we may think an unbeliever may walk into a church or a Bible study, 2. well... maybe they will BUT MOST WON T! 3. WE HAVE GOT TO GO TO THEM, ONTO THEIR TURF, INTO THEIR WORLD. c. in order to make an impact, we need to study the lives of unbelievers 1. what do they enjoy doing? a. golf b. tennis c. sewing d. painting 7

8 2. now, what can I do with the unbeliever that they are already doing? d. notice what the word use means use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves 1. to commit, cause, produce 2. to construct 3. to carry out, to execute 4. use your: a. house 1. invite unbelievers over 2. they will see that you like antiques 3. they will see that you love horses or that you sew 4. they may think that you have no abilities at all, being that you are a Christian b. business 1. THIS IS WHAT MOST MEN UNDERSTAND. 2. Do you understand business as a Christian? a. yes, your priorities are different b. but, you are a businessman AND A CHRISTIAN! c. engineering 1. I love to meet Christian engineers because an engineer should not be a person of faith a. faith is the unseen b. faith cannot be reproduced in a laboratory or tested c. you should know better than to believe in a literal Bible 2. Christian engineers are truly confusing to the unbeliever a. they will DEFINITELY NOT listen to me a preacher b. but... they will listen to you a fellow engineer d. your love of hunting and fishing 1. you get to know someone on a hunt 2. when you share the same love of hunting with a fellow hunter no matter what their spiritual life may be e. my love for golf 1. in the last 10 years I have learned to play and love golf 2. there is a certain attitude about golf by golfers 3. unbelievers don t expect a preacher to be able to play golf that confuses them. I like that. 8

9 5. Bob Briner, in his book Roaring Lambs writes: The number one way, then, for Christians to be the salt Christ commands them to be is to teach His relevance, to demonstrate His relevance, to live His relevance in every area of life. We cannot accomplish this by talking only to ourselves, writing only for ourselves, associating only with ourselves and working only in the safe careers and professions. Being salt is not nearly so much about having more pastors and missionaries as it is about having many more committed Christian lay people thinking strategically about and acting on ways to build the kingdom in such areas as public policy, advertising, media, higher education, entertainment, the arts, and sports. C. The Christian s PERSPECTIVE. 1. God will bless us who take such a view of the things of this world. Vs. 10 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. a. Jesus is saying here that those who handle wisely the things of the world IN ORDER TO MINISTER TO OTHERS will be entrusted with more so that they can MINISTER TO MORE PEOPLE! 1. in other words, the Christian businessman who USES his business and money to reach lost people through his business will be given more business so that he can help others spiritually 2. if you are faithful in your business when it is small to reach others for Christ, then He will grant you an even bigger arena a. Kraft b. Hersheys c. Heinz d. Wannamakers b. God will bless us as we use our lives to share Christ with the world! 2. Especially those whose total heart is the gospel. Vs. 13 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. a. now, realize that God is speaking of those who are TOTALLY committed using their gifts, talents, money and business for the Kingdom s sake b. Don t expect to be blessed by God WHILE YOU BUILD YOUR KINGDOM. God will have no part of that. c. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan tells of visiting the home of a very wealthy Christian man. On one occasion, at family prayers in the morning, the man prayed tenderly and eloquently for the missionaries and the heathen. When he had finished, his teen-age son said to him, Dad, I like to hear you pray for missionaries. His dad said, Well, son, I am glad to hear that. And the boy said, But do you know what I was thinking while you were praying? I thought, If I had your bank book I would answer half your prayers. 9

10 Conclusion: 1. Are we as Christians as committed to the gospel as the unbeliever is committed to his goals? a. unbelievers are ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO REACHING THEIR GOALS! 1. they will scratch, and claw and work, and plan and meet 2. they will do whatever they can to be successful b. are we, as Christians as committed to the goal of the gospel as the unbeliever is committed to his goals? 1. Jesus says that we should be that committed 2. and that we should do everything in our power, planning and ability to serve Christ in this world 2. Are we, as Christians equally committed to taking this gospel DIRECTLY to this overly committed world? a. if the unbeliever is going to be that committed to his world, and personal goals, then we are to do whatever we can to enter that world with him b. to do anything that we can in that world to share the gospel with lost men, women and children 1. we can now use our new building to do just that, and we will a. concerts b. debates c. seminars d. support groups e. fun events 2. but most importantly, we can use our very lives to reach others a. at the workplace b. hunting in the woods c. on the golf course d. in time of need 3. ARE WE EVEN THINKING THIS WAY LIKE CHRIST DID! 3. The story is told of a man shipwrecked on a lonely unknown island. To his surprise, he found that he was not alone; a large tribe of people shared his island. To his pleasure, he discovered that they treated him very well. In fact, they placed him on a throne and catered to his every desire. He was delighted but perplexed. Why such royal treatment? As his ability to communicate increased, he discovered that the tribal custom was to choose a king for a year. Then, when his term was finished, he would be transported to a particular island and abandoned. Delight was not replaced by distress. Then he hit on a shrewd plan. Over the next months he sent members of the tribe to clear and till the other island. He had them build a beautiful house, furnish it, and plant crops. He sent some chosen friends to live there and wait for him. Then, when his time of exile came, he was put in a place carefully prepared and full of friends delighted to receive him. We are not headed to a desert island, but to the Father s house. Yet the preparations we make here follow us there. 10