Responsibility Comes with Accountability

Our annual theme this year is Growing in Gospel Gratitude, and as we progress toward the end of the year, we are also at the end of Stewardship Month…I hope this has been an edifying time for you as you reflect on the definition of stewardship which is….

Stewardship is “God giving responsibility with accountability”

And you also are seeking to remember and apply the…

Four Principles of Stewardship

1. God owns everything, you own nothing

2. God entrusts you with everything you have

3. You can either increase or diminish what God has given; He wants you to increase it

4. God can call you into account at any time, and it may be today

Intro - AS we think about stewardship…do you agree with me that you probably don’t want to hire someone who is responsible for bringing down a 32 Billion dollar company?

Sam Bankman-Fried started the company known as FTX in 2019 as a “Bitcoin Exchange.” A bit like a stock market exchange, except for Bitcoin…and just so we are clear…right away…I think digital currencies like this are a scam…but its going to make for a great introduction.

According to news reports, at its height, there were over 1 million people using this platform…and CNBC reported this past January that it was valued at over 32 billion Dollars…a hefty price tag for sure.

On Nov. 7, after a particular news story was published… there was a “run on the bank” so to speak…reminiscent of the depression area…and when folks started withdrawing their money…it started to become clear that there might not be enough money.

Within a day there were rumors that FTX might even be for sale…and the more the stories came out…the worse things got.

News reports have been streaming in almost every hour about how these company and funds were being mismanaged by the executives at the company…and each story seemed to reveal a new layer of incompetence.

A recent story, said that 1 Billion dollars in assets that were entrusted to the company just VANISHED.

Another 10 Billion dollars was transferred to a hedge fund that the CEO owns and his girlfriend ran…and that many more stories of mismanagement keep appearing.

In its bankruptcy filing, the CEO reports that it has 100,000 creditors…just pause and think about that…Now, that bankruptcy has been filed, this even has the attention of the government…

The company which is based in the Bahamas has placed the former- CEO under ‘supervision” and he has resigned from his post as CEO.

While the final story in this saga has not unfolded…stories are starting to come in about how bad of a manager this man was, I think it would be fair to say that this man…and these executives…are not the type of folks that you would want to hire to come work for you in the future…do you agree.

Back to that opening question…would you be hiring that guy to come work for you??? It seems this man is begin called into account…things are coming to light and he is going to have to answer for them…

As we conclude stewardship month we are going to focus on how God can call you into account at any time, and it may be today …

Stewardship is God given responsibility with accountability…and we will all give an account one day for what has been entrusted to us…and we have been entrusted with something much more valuable than a 32 Billion Dollar company.

So today we are going to focus on the 4^th principle of stewardship and how…

Responsibility comes with Accountability

With that in mind please turn to Luke 16:1-13

Proposition: 3 Key points to prepare for accountability.

This is so important as we recognize God can call us into account at any time, and it is to impact what we do in the present in light of the future that is coming at any time.

I. Understand God will examine our stewardship

2 Corinthians 5:9 -⁹ Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

This is a passage that we emphasize a lot in biblical counseling and it is a passage I think every Christian should know well and be able to call to mind in any situation as they consider what tehri goal is and if what they are stewarding a situation with the right goal, namely to be pleasing to the Lord.

However it is good for us to also look at the next passage that gives motivation to do what pleases the Lord, for we will give an account…this is not condemnation, but rather the receipt or loss of rewards based on how we stewarded our lives for God’s glory…

2 Corinthians 5:10 -¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

It is important to understand we will be held accountable, God will one day call us into account and we do not know what day that is…so how we respond each day reveals that we understand we are accountable…it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when.

In light of that you want to….

A. Be careful not to squander What God Has Given to you (vv. 1-2)

This is the start of this parable…someone who was not a good steward…

Luke 16:1–2 -¹ Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. ² “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

The main point of this parable is how does one use their earthly resources to make an eternal investment…and we get to that point starting with pour stewardship…but we don’t want to miss the point that it would have been better if this man was a good manager, and he applied the principles he does later…right from the beginning…

WE want to be good stewards Even if no one knows what you are doing…because just like in this parable, eventually things come to light and people find out…this manager flew under the radar for a while and then someone told his master about the wasting of the masters resources.

Note there were consequences…there is a consequence for all of us for being poor stewards…when we are called into account, we must…

B. Recognize the consequences for squandering God’s resources (v. 3)

Luke 16:3a -³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me?...

The manager was fired, he was removed from his position…

There are also consequences for a believer for not being a good steward…not that we would loose our salvation, but there is the loss of rewards, and loss of opportunity to glorify and serve the Lord.

We see this for believers at the judgment seat of Christ….

1 Corinthians 3:14–15 -14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Consider the Context of this passage…Right before we have the parable of the Prodigal son and Self-Righteous son, then right after this parable we have a discussion with the Pharisees who love money.

In the parable of the prodigal son The Father gave the son money that was squandered, and yet the Son returned and was accepted…the other son was bitter and squandered the opportunity to show Grace and follow the Fathers example…

The Pharisees who scoffed at Jesus received another parable, namely the rich man and Lazareth…one got wealth and comfort in this world, but did not steward the opportunities presented in Moses and the prophets to trust God for Eternal life…the other went through many trials in his earthly life but was blessed with eternal comfort and eternal life….

The pharisees squandered the treasure of the messiah that was right before them…and there were significant and dire consequences for those who reject the messiah and instead embrace the treasure of this world.

The point is Everyone on earth is going to give an account with how they responded to the Gospel message…and believers who has trusted Christ will also give an account regarding how the gift of eternal life impacted the way they lived their earthy life.

The key here is when you are held accountable and when you know you are going to be held accountable with real consequences…how do you respond…do you respond wisely….

A wise response is to….

II. Adjust your current course in view of future accountability

The bad manager will be on the street…there is a reckoning coming and he will be held accountable for his actions in a very real way…and so he must adjust his course…

So too when you recognize you are not stewarding an area well…do you change, do you adjust…do you take a good look at what you love and do you repent to serve your true master…the Lord Jesus Christ….

When you embrace the reality if accountability…this starts by first when you

A. Evaluate your position (vv. 4-7)

Luke 16:3 -3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

There is a humility/wisdom here where you recognize the resources at your disposal and not think better of yourself etc.…a fool thinks they can do it on their own by their own strength, a wise person understands they need relationships, they need help.

A wise person understands the resources they have, and how to use them in a way that increases the return, that is what a good investment is….

This bad manager had one resource…he was called to give an accounting and he was going to be removed, so it seems he had access to the books for a little while longer, and that was his only resource for the foreseeable future…

And he took action…so too if we are to be wise stewards we too must not sit back and be optimistically lazy….we are to humbly evaluate where we are and then…

B. Take action in view of the future (vv. 4-7)

Notice what the manger did…he said…

Luke 16:4–7 -⁴ ‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵ “And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷ “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

Now some commentators suggest that he is taking his normal commission off of the bill. We don’t know for sure, but that makes good sense as it seems like the master would not rejoice in more of his money being squandered.

This might also explain why the amounts he is taking off differ as these are commodities and they may have different market prices at the time.

I do find it a bit interesting that he asks the customers what they owe as I assume he would know it, but maybe this is simply a narrative choice of communicating the process…or it is an example why he was a bad manager initially.

Regardless, he is taking the one resource he has, and he is decreasing the bill, presumably, taking money out of his own pocket, but he is making friends and he understands that the help of others who have houses and established income is wiser than getting a few bucks in his pocket that will run out just like the prodigal sons money ran out.

You see this manager understood what was more valuable, some money right now that will run out, or people who are thankful for him, who welcome him into their homes and who want to help him long term.

He recognized what is more valuable in that situation….we too are called to…

C. Pursue what is truly valuable (vv. 8-9)

Notice how Jesus explains how the master viewed this situation…

Luke 16:8–9 -⁸ “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. ⁹ “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

The master praises him and says he acted shrewdly…the word means…

Shrewd - g - prudently, wisely

One commentator said…

In any event, the master would lose no money if the amount forfeited was simply the interest the manager would have gained. Furthermore, such a forgiveness of debts would hardly have hurt but would probably have helped the master’s own reputation. Therefore, the master admires the manager’s shrewdness. The manager knew his job and reputation were gone because of his previous mishandling of funds. He needed friends; and, by foregoing the customary interest, he won friends among the creditors. Jesus then uses this story to show that the “people of the light” could also accomplish much by wisely giving up some of their “worldly wealth.¹

¹ Walter L. g, “Luke,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed.

Shrewd…is a word a bit like lust/desire…you can desire something good or something bad, your desire can be good or bad…you can also use ‘wisdom’ for something good or bad…the word shrewd and the story really forces us to define the word well… shrewdness is amoral, like lust…in that sinful people can be wise/shrewd in the ways of the world and know how their choices result in things favorable to them, but God’s people should be even more wise with an eternal heavenly wisdom that looks even further ahead. So wisdom is about knowing how your present actions impact the future, and sometimes unbelievers are more wise than believers.

When Jesus talks about the wealth of unrighteousness, he is simply talking about worldly wealth…Heaven is paved with Streets of gold, so it is not like people in heaven are going to be clamoring after gold coins etc…a heavenly focus understands there are things of greater value that money, and that is the glory of the Lord and being a part of His great plan of redemption…life has value, and eternal life has the greatest value….and so just as the manager used some of his money wisely with a view of what is valuable in the future…so too must we use the resources we have with a view to the future and what is truly valuable…we will be held accountable for how we used our resources and if we view things in a way that has eternal value.

I think as we look at stewardship month, there are a great number of people in our church who use their earthly resources for eternal purposes and I am incredibly thankful to serve with folks who are generous and wise and who regularly year by year make an eternal investment in so many gospel centered ways.

And just as the word of God directs us…we want to keep growing and excel all the more…we want to constantly recognize God is our master and he owns everything…he has entrusted us with everything we have…our bodies, our minds, our gifts and abilities, our money, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our church family, the truth of His word, the relationships with our family, friends, coworkers and neighbors…and our relationship with Him, and the gift of eternal life….we have been entrusted with everything….and he wants us to increase it, to grow so that His glory fills the earth.

And he will hold us accountable if we are faithful to Him…

And so in response to this parable and in response to stewardship month, and how responsibility comes with accountability… I think it is right and good for us to seek to continue to grow…

It is good to….

III. Seek increased responsibility through faithfulness

Sometimes people want as little responsibility as possible, and they want to be held accountable for as little as possible…I think believers should be very different in that they want more responsibility and they embrace that they will be held accountable for that increase in responsibility…but this starts with a

A. Focus on being faithful in areas you will be accountable (v. 10-12)

Notice how Jesus bring the point of all this home to his followers…

Luke 16:10–12 -¹⁰ “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. ¹¹ “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 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?

The idea is that we ought to want to be entrusted with true riches…we ought to want to be faithful in little things so that they lead to being responsible in bigger things.

But it starts with being faithful for what you have…

• Kids, it is your room, your homework, your chores…if it is your job to do the dishes, seek to wash the dishes or load the dishwasher in an effective and efficient way that blesses your family. If you have an exam to study for, be sure you take responsibility so your parents don’t have to constantly remind you. If you want to drive the car someday, do a good job with the dishes and your homework.

• Adults, take good care of your vehicles so your kids can one day drive them….seriously, take good care of your finances knowing every dollar reveals what you worship….be wise with your schedule so you prioritize reading and mediating on Gods word….Seek to serve regularly with your family….you may have to miss out on something to serve in a way that has an eternal focus…but trust that serving in a Gospel focused way has eternal rewards than temporary pleasures.

• Seek to be faithful in small things…and look forward to God entrusting you with more. Just as he said later in Luke…

Luke 19:17 -¹⁷ “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’

I think it is great to have a budget and to have a wise family schedule and routine…so that there is stability that honors God…but the idea is that you want more, not just a good budget and stable family situation, or organize home or schedule…you want more than a budget, you want God to bring a person in your sphere of influence you can share the gospel with, invite to church, encourage them in their walk with the Lord, because that is of eternal value…

You want God to bring you someone who is hurting that you now have to stewards Gods word to give them words of life and words of Hope…

You want to not just have a home where the kids help with chores, but also where you are digging into the idols of the heart of your kids and doing some deep cleaning and helping them put off idolatry.

Focus on being faithful in little things, worshiping God in the everyday mundane activities of life…do a good job for His glory in whatever you do… and ask God to entrust true riches to you…ask Him to entrust you with eternal ministry opportunities…

Now this whole discussion comes full circle…because we can’t grow in our responsibility if we leave our first love…we can’t get distracted and try to serve two masters…

To be a good Steward we must…

B. Be faithful to one master (v. 13)

Jesus ends this section by saying…

Luke 16:13 -¹³ “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The reality if this bad manager had a master in name, but not practice…He did not view Him as a master, and he served himself and squandered what the master entrusted to Him…which revealed he has another master.

It would have been better if this manager recognized the best job is the one he has right now…if he would have given up what he wanted, and worked hard for His master it would have had been future returns…Now he course corrected, but it would have been better to serve His master genuinely from the get go…

God is calling us to now ride the fence, not try to have it both ways, not try to live for God a little and live for ourselves the rest of the time…He wants all of us…

Gospel: The first step of stewardship for some may be to admit your sin against the Lord, and then in repentances, genuinely turn to Him as your master…the one who died and made a way for you to be entrusted with the gift of eternal life…

Believing friend…He wants us to trust that living for Him and serving Him, is actually a better investment than living and serving ourselves and trying to get the treasures of the world while he have an eternal treasure in Christ.

Are we living for now…or are we living for what has eternal value…things that are done to exalt the name of Christ.

How we handle our earthy treasure, reveals what we truly love and value in our heart…

Matthew 6:21 -²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The point is that wealth is to be used for the glory of God, wealth is not to be your god…

God will hold us accountable for what we truly worship, what we truly value, what we truly love…

May we all be good stewards of God’s love…and treasure it above all else, and use our time, talents and treasure to show the Love of Christ to others…

May we live and invest our life wisely…look forward to hearing the phrase from our master….Well done my good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.

Lets pray to that end.