A Servant Named Shrewd

THE WISE MANAGER

September 19, 2004 - John Wesley United Methodist Church, Falmouth, Massachusetts

Luke 16:1-13

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

This is one difficult scripture! The main character in Jesus' story is a very smart person who is "just a little but" off course. It isn't always easy to detect when you are dealing with a SHREWD character. (Particularly if you are trying to get a good price on a different car!) But the sad fact is that sometimes I think there are remnant of this character lurking inside my own heart and mind! I try sometimes to be SHREWD!

This servant called Shrewd is convinced that faith is real. The only thing is that Shrewd thinks that he is an exception to the rules. In some situations– which he decides upon– it is all right for him to cheat on his Master. To depart from what he knows his Master would want him to be doing.

You have to admit that Shrewd is forward looking. There is nothing wrong with planning for the future. The only problem is that Shrewd's forward look is not FAR enough forward looking. He is thinking about next week and next year. He doesn't think about the fact that he is going to live forever.

Shrewd bargains away from total honesty. Away from keeping faith with the Master. Shrewd says "I'll

Shrewd missed the point entirely. Dealing with God is NOT done with a sharp pencil and fine print. Dealing with God is a LOVE BUSINESS!

Is it OK to cheat just a little in our LOVE relationships?

Unfortunately, most people do! Just a little! BUT CHARACTER IS BUILT ON INTEGRITY! (Verse 10) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much! "

WE DON'T HAVE TO SERVE GOD WITH PERFECTION. WE DO HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH HIM. WE SERVE GOD BY LOVE, NOT BY SHREWDNESS.

Postscript to sermon, in view of 40 Days of Purpose beginning next Sunday (Sept 26, '04):

Beginning next week in the bulletins will be an insert with questions to be thought about and answered, having to do with the church-wide emphasis on seeking to draw closer to God.

There were questions for this pre-launch Sunday. They were:

  1. WHAT DOES GOD WANT? The answer given is: "MY WHOLE LIFE"

    God doesn't want what we have– God wants US! He loves US!

  2. WHAT DOES IT TAKE? The answer is: "DISCIPLINE" I would put that in my own words by saying pleasing God takes: A deliberate decision to tell God we love Him by our willingness to obey Him.
  3. WHY SHOULD I DO IT? The answer is: "THE CROSS" How else can we respond to genuine LOVE? God so LOVED us that he gave his only begotten Son. 2 Corinthians 5: 15 he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.