Use Earthly Wealth for Eternal Purposes

Luke 16 sets a rich man, a steward, and the shock of an audit on the table. The master’s goods have been wasted, the jig is up, and the manager is told to turn in the books. Jesus lets that crisis preach. The stewardship was always temporary. The position, the accounts, the oil and the wheat never belonged to the steward. Psalm 24 already said it. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. So the steward’s end-date only exposes what was true all along.

The crook finally thinks straight. What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? He lets what is certain about tomorrow shape what he does today. He moves quickly. He uses whatever authority is left to secure a future. Jesus does not praise his honesty. He commends his shrewdness. The sons of this world can think clearly about a short-term future. The sons of light should think even more clearly about an eternal one.

Jesus ties this to the Father’s heart in Luke 15. Heaven throws a party when the lost come home. If that is what makes heaven sing, then unrighteous wealth should be pressed into that music. Make friends by means of money that will fail, so that when it fails, they receive you into eternal dwellings. Homes, calendars, bank accounts, skills, influence, even enjoyable hobbies can be leveraged so that sinners meet the Father who runs to meet them. That is not buying salvation. That is stewarding blessings to align with eternal priorities.

Then Jesus pulls the thread tight. One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. Money is not the true treasure. It becomes a test. Handling another’s temporary goods reveals whether a heart can be entrusted with true riches. Temporary versus true, another’s property versus a lasting inheritance, shouts the same question: whom does the heart serve? No servant can serve two masters. Not should not. Cannot. Sooner or later, God or money will call the tune.

The parable, then, does more than teach wise planning. It exposes belief. The dishonest manager used money to secure a short tomorrow. The disciple’s use of money displays what future is actually believed. The Father’s party is real. Eternity is certain. Stewardship is temporary. So the text presses the church to use things and love people, not love things and use people, and to let the certainty of standing before the Master shape every choice today.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Let eternity shape today’s choices [48:10] The manager’s clarity arrived when he faced the end of his role. Jesus turns that into a pattern for discipleship. Certainty about the future is meant to govern the present, not float above it. Planning for retirement is wise, but planning for meeting the Master is urgent. [48:10]
• 2. Steward temporary things for mission [53:56] The Father’s joy over the found in Luke 15 sets the target. Money, homes, schedules, and skills are tools that can open doors where the gospel can be heard and seen. When earthly goods are pressed into the service of heaven’s party, ordinary life becomes kingdom work. [53:56]
• 3. Faithfulness begins with very little [01:01:13] Jesus refuses the myth that more creates faithfulness. More only magnifies what already is. The way a disciple handles a small check, a short window of time, or a quiet opportunity reveals whether trustworthiness lives in the heart. [61:13]
• 4. Money tests masters of the heart [01:03:49] Cash is not the true treasure, but it is a sharp revealer. Budgets disclose priorities, not just preferences. Over time, spending and giving trace lines back to a throne, and the trail shows whether God or money is calling the shots. [63:49]
• 5. You cannot serve God and money [01:04:57] Jesus speaks in absolutes because loyalty eventually consolidates. Compromise feels possible for a while, but one love will win. Choosing God as Master reorders the rest of life, freeing a disciple to use things and love people without being owned by either. [64:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [34:18] - Prayer for children and start
• [36:57] - When the jig is up
• [38:10] - A crook every Christian can learn from
• [39:09] - Reading Luke 16:1-13
• [42:25] - From the Father’s joy to the disciple’s mission
• [43:26] - What a steward is and is not
• [45:02] - It all belongs to the Master
• [46:29] - The day of accounting is coming
• [48:34] - Let the future shape the present
• [50:43] - Sons of this world vs sons of light
• [53:11] - Make friends by unrighteous wealth
• [55:32] - Ordinary hospitality as gospel light
• [57:06] - Golf, evangelism, and intentional joy
• [59:54] - No fool who gives what he cannot keep
• [61:13] - Faithful in little, faithful in much
• [63:49] - Money as a test, not a treasure
• [64:57] - You cannot serve God and money
• [66:21] - What wallets say about worship
• [67:35] - Stewardship is temporary, eternity is certain

1. In Luke 16:3-7, what specific actions did the dishonest manager take when he realized his stewardship was ending?
2. How does Jesus contrast "sons of this world" with "sons of light" in Luke 16:8, and what example does He use to illustrate this? [50:43]
3. According to the sermon, what connection does Jesus make between the Father’s joy in Luke 15 and the use of earthly resources in Luke 16? [42:25]
4. What does Psalm 24:1 reveal about ownership of earthly resources, and how does this relate to the parable in Luke 16?

1. Why do you think Jesus chose a dishonest manager as an example for His disciples, even while condemning his dishonesty? [38:10]
2. Jesus says to "make friends by means of unrighteous wealth" (Luke 16:9). What does this imply about the purpose of material blessings in light of eternity? [53:11]
3. How does the statement "you cannot serve God and money" (Luke 16:13) challenge common cultural attitudes about balancing faith and financial success? [01:04:57]
4. The sermon mentions that "faithfulness in little things reveals trustworthiness for true riches" (Luke 16:10-12). Why might small, daily choices matter more than grand gestures in discipleship? [01:01:13]

1. If the way you spend money "tests the masters of the heart" [01:03:49], what would your recent bank statement or calendar reveal about your priorities? What one change could align them more with eternal purposes?
2. The dishonest manager acted urgently to secure his future. What practical step could you take this week to use a resource (time, skill, money) to intentionally point someone toward God’s love? [53:56]
3. How might ordinary activities (e.g., hobbies, meals, work) become opportunities to "make friends" for eternity, as illustrated in the story about the golf game and dinner party? [57:06]
4. Jesus says, "One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much" (Luke 16:10). What "very little" responsibility (e.g., a small task, a modest income) have you been given? How can stewarding it well prepare you for greater trust?
5. The sermon warns that "budgets disclose priorities, not just preferences" [01:03:49]. What one financial habit could you adopt to ensure your spending reflects serving God over money?
6. Reflect on the phrase, "Use things and love people, not love things and use people" [59:27]. When have you been tempted to reverse this? What would it look like to correct that pattern in a current relationship?