The State of Your Flocks

Well, thank you, Melody, for the beautiful special music. I forgot one other announcement.

We do have our final parenting class of the session this evening, and we're also adding a potluck. So, if possible, those of you that your chairs are basically up to kind of the carpet here-ish, if you can clear your things kind of quickly after services so that folks can get chairs put up and tables put down and all that good stuff, that will make things a lot easier from a standpoint of that. We're also in need of volunteers that might be interested in coming in and helping kind of watch the kids in this last meeting, and we'd greatly appreciate that as well. So, for the past 10 weeks, spend 10 weeks now, every Tuesday night a small group of us in the congregation have been getting together and meeting as we've progressed through the Financial Peace University curriculum together. Now, many of you are probably familiar with Financial Peace University, but for those that are not, FPU is Dave Ramsey's foundational financial program. And in it he talks about a lot of biblical principles that are found throughout the entirety of Scripture from one cover to the other, and really using those bits of wisdom, he pieces together a very solid case for what God's expectations are for us when it relates to our financial blessings and the expectations on us that stem from the blessings that God pours out upon us. It's an extremely valuable course, even the second time around. Shannon and I have taken it before, but it was valuable even the second time around, and it's one that we'll be offering again in the near to distant future here in the Salem area. So if you missed out on it this first time through and are interested, keep us posted, let us know, and we'll look into doing this again here in the future. Throughout the course, it circles back continually on this concept of stewardship and the fact that we are simply stewards or caretakers of what God has given us. And as such, our responsibility in relation to what we've been provided, all of those things should be framed with that realization in mind. Let's start today by turning over to the book of Psalms, and we'll see a statement by the Psalmist that'll bring this concept to the forefront as well as help to set the stage for where we're going to head today. So Psalm 24, and this is one of the passages that is brought up in the class, Psalm 24, and we'll pick it up in verse 1. Psalm 24 and verse 1.

This is written as the Psalmist is reflecting on the concept of creation.

He writes, The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell within. For He has founded it upon the seas, and He has established it upon the waters. You know, this fundamental premise that God created this earth and all that is in it, and He owns this earth and all that is in it, is essential for the direction that we're going to be going today.

You know, it's one of these kind of concepts. I don't know if you've ever done this before.

I'll admit I have. I'm sure you have as well. Have you ever started buttoning the top button and realized you're off a button? And then you button the whole thing and you realize, what's going on here? Why is one side up? This is one of those kind of concepts.

You don't get that first button in the right place. Every other button after it is not going to be in the right location. Everything else comes off. The wheels fall off, essentially, if this button is not in place. I know that I'm preaching to the choir on this, and I'm not going to spend the time to prove out God's creation of the earth. I'm going to assume that we're all good on that. Instead, what I'm going to do is I want to look at the ramifications of this.

And what does that really mean? What are the ramifications of God founding the earth? You know, it is His and the fullness thereof. Psalm 24 read, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Some translations, depending on what Bible's in your lap, if you have a new international, new living translation, and NASB, a number of others read, as opposed to, and the fullness thereof, and everything in it is the way that it reads in certain translations. And so if you think about that, the ramification of that statement is that because the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, we're not really owners of anything. When it really comes down to it, we're not really owners of anything. We're simply holding on to it for a little while.

Yeah, it might be in our possession at the moment. We might be hanging on to it.

But, you know, for example, the car that we drove to Eugene this morning was purchased with the blessings that God has bestowed upon my family. Our home? Same story. It's not mine. It's God's in the truest sense of the form. He's simply letting me hang on to it for a little while. That may change. We've changed with our silver van. There's some guy down in New Mexico who's holding on to that now. But we were able to obtain these things based upon the financial blessings by which I was given to obtain it. I can use those blessings wisely, or I can use those blessings unwisely. That's my choice. But the expectation of God with regards to my life is that I will be a good steward of the blessings that He has provided to me.

And this concept is one of those concepts that's not as easy for us to relate to as it used to be. In fact, we're a bit removed from this word steward. It's just not really found much anymore.

But when the original translators of the 1611 kind of King James version of the Bible came across the concepts and the ideas of biblical stewardship within the manuscripts that they translated to make the King James version, they translated a word into a phrase that people of that time would have been really, really familiar with. The concept of a steward. During feudal times, when there were lords and ladies and kings and queens and other nobles, lords and dukes, they might hold substantial land holdings in an area. And the reality was they were so busy with political life and royal life that they didn't really have the time to invest in managing all of these lands. I mean, imagine for a moment that you're a noble in charge of an area the size of the Willamette Valley from Portland to Eugene. This huge region of land. Are you going to be able to keep track of every single farm in that area and take care of the plantings and the crop rotations and the harvesting and the sale? Of course not. You've got other fish to fry, so to speak. So considering the amount of time and effort that it would take to plan and plant those crops, harvest them, sell them, do all of that, manage the vineyards, the flocks, the herds, and everything else, they just didn't have the time to do that directly. And so what they would do is they would employ a trusted individual. They would employ maybe several trusted individuals, depending on the size of their little fiefdom. And so ultimately they appointed a steward. And a steward is somebody who very carefully and responsibly manages the assets which have been entrusted to them.

Carefully and responsibly manages the assets that have been entrusted to them. They aren't the Lord, but they control the house. They were responsible for the day-to-day goings-on, particularly in the Lord's absence. We have some examples in Scripture where the steward was the one who actually paid the laborer specifically. They paid the laborer for the Lord. They were often a person of status. They were quite important, but interestingly they were still technically a servant. So yeah, they were important, but they were still technically a servant. Scripturally, we see some significant examples. Let's take a look at one real briefly. Genesis 15.

In Genesis 15, we'll see an example of one here.

Genesis 15, we'll pick it up in verse 1, looking at the words of Abraham here to the Lord before he received the promise of Isaac.

Genesis 15, verse 1, After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.

But Abram said, Lord God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus. Then Abram said, Look, you have given me no offspring. Indeed, one born in my house is my heir. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.

Now, Eliezer of Damascus is referred to as a steward, and he's a steward of Abraham. He's a Ben Mckesek of Abram. He cared for the needs of his household. We see later on that he goes to arrange the marriage between Isaac and Rebekah, and ultimately that if Abraham had not fathered Isaac in verses 3 and 4, it mentions he would have inherited Abram's vast fortune. He was entrusted with important tasks and had a degree of right to inheritance. If we move a little forward in the Bible story, while it's not explicitly stated, when you look at the service that Jacob provided for Laban, a reasonable argument could be made for him serving as a steward in Laban's home.

He had full charge of the flocks. He had full charge of the herds of great deal of responsibility for Laban's property on his shoulders. Joseph states that there was nothing that his master, in this case Potiphar, had withheld from him except his wife. Joseph had control over massive amounts of aspects of Potiphar's house, which seems to indicate that he may have served in a steward role in Potiphar's house. When Joseph ascended to Pharaoh's right-hand man, he had a steward within his household, whom his brother spoke to in Genesis 43 verse 19. Now here in Genesis 43 and verse 19 and in other places in Scripture, the term used is ish-al-be-ith, which means the man over the house. It's referenced also later in Scripture as ha-melzer, a steward or a person who is an overseer, and ha-kon-ken, which is an idea of being specifically over money like a treasurer.

Later in the New Testament, it's an oikonomos or an epitropos. There's a number of words throughout that are used to kind of describe this role of someone who is over certain aspects of their master's house. 1 Chronicles 27, 25 through 31, if you turn there briefly, 1 Chronicles 27, 25 through 31, records a list of men who are chosen by King David for responsibilities as overseers, essentially as stewards over his vast kingdom. 1 Chronicles 27 and verses 25 to 31, they have this under the heading of other state officials. 1 Chronicles 27, 25, and it says, Anazm-Maveth, the son of Adiel, was over the king's treasuries, and Jehonathan, the son of Oziah, was over the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses. Esri, the son of Chilop, was over those who did the work of the field, for tilling the ground, and Shemae the ramethite was over the vineyards. Zabdi the ship-ship-ma-mite?

Whatever. Was over the produce. That's a really difficult series of consonants to have all in one order. Over the vineyards for the supply of wine, Baal-Hanon the Gedarite, was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands, and Joash was over the store of oil. Shetrae the sherenite was over the herds that fed and share, and Ishaefat the son of Adelai was over the herds that were in the valleys. The list goes on. A series of people who were serving in various capacities within the kingdom as overseers, with direct responsibility over these things.

Direct responsibility over these particular things. They served as stewards or overseers, responsible for a number of different aspects of the kingdom. And what's really interesting, they were expected to take care of these things as though they were their own, which in many ways they were. They were being fed from these herds. They were being fed from these flocks. So was everyone else. And so their direct care of these flocks and the increase which would come from their responsible management of the flocks was important.

We're pretty familiar with the parable of the Talons. We won't turn over there today, but you can jot the reference if you would like. It's Matthew 25, verses 14 through 30. And in this particular parable, the master is preparing to leave for a far country. And before he goes, he calls three of his servants before him and entrusts to them varying amounts of money that they would be responsible for. While he's gone, there was an expectation put forth to them that they would take care of these things. And essentially, at that moment, in his absence, these men become stewards over the property that they have been entrusted. They are given this. It is expected that they would do something with it. The idea is return on investment, ROI. Get me something for what I've given you. And they were given different amounts based on their abilities. And when the master returned, he rewarded those stewards who grew his assets and cared for his resources. There was one servant who dug a hole in the ground and buried what he had.

And that particular servant received a very strong rebuke and condemnation for his actions.

The expectation was increased. Some were good stewards throughout Scripture, throughout history. Some are good stewards. Some are not.

But we recognize, you know, with this particular parable, it isn't really about money. It seems like it's about money on the surface level, but it isn't really about money. In fact, this parable really takes us from a steward's responsibility being only relating in a physical asset sense to recognizing that there are significant spiritual assets that have also been provided to us to care for and to nurture. And they're ultimately far more important than the temporary physical blessings that we experience in this life. God has blessed all of us exceedingly. We've been given an environment which supports life. You can actually see the sun's out today. Whatever will we do? We've been given an environment that supports life, which we are to manage and to care for appropriately. We've been given earthly possessions. We've been given a brain that can think and process. We've been provided financial blessings. We've been given health. We've been given time. We've been given much, much more.

Our life contains blessings that are much more than just financial. And growth as faithful stewards must then extend to vigilant management of all of these other aspects and areas of our life as well. You know, we think about making budgets. We think about taking care of our money.

How do we take care of our time? How do we take care of the truth that we've been blessed with? How do we take care of preaching the gospel to others? How are we vigilantly managing those aspects of our life as well? Let's go over to the book of Proverbs. I see an important reminder, especially this time of year as we approach the spring Holy Day season. You know, we know that we often double down on our examination efforts at this time of year. We recognize it's an all-year thing and should be an all-year thing. It should be an everyday-ish thing. We really double down this time of year. Let's go to Proverbs 23. And when I said 23, I meant 27. Proverbs 27, 23.

Actually, Proverbs 27, 23 reads, Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. For riches are not forever, nor does the crown endure to all generations. When the hay is removed and the tender grass shows itself and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will provide your clothing, the goats the price of a field. You shall have enough goat's milk for your food, for the food of your household, and for the nourishment of your maidservants. Be diligent to know the state of your flocks.

Look to your herds. Examine and analyze your blessings. Be a good steward of the blessings you've been given. Be diligent because if you are, it says there will be increase. There will be goat's milk for food and food for your servants and your family when blessings are limited or are removed.

Included within this particular passage is an encouragement to do it now and to recognize that maybe it isn't going to last forever. As the hay is gathered in and other things, we have to prepare while there's time, much as we're admonished in Ecclesiastes 12. Prepare while we still can.

And since we're stewards of not just the physical but we're also stewards of the spiritual as well, this concept is very important to us as we go through this examination process leading up to the spring holy day season. We're reminded to be diligent as to the status and the state of our flocks. So in the case of three very specific things, how are your flocks? How are your flocks doing? We take a look at the truth that we've been given, the time that we've been given on this earth to repent and to grow and the responsibility that we've been given to preach the gospel.

What are the state of our flocks? Are we honoring and are we respecting those blessings that have been poured out upon us? Are we doing with them what God would want us to do with them?

In case you hadn't guessed already, the title of the split today is the state of your flocks.

And knowing the state of your flocks in some of these key areas, being really proactive as problems come up and not continuously reactive, is good stewardship. We do have to recognize that all the things that we've been given are incredible blessings. They're incredible blessings.

And if we kind of shrug and we kind of bury those blessings in the ground, ultimately not doing much with them or not growing in the knowledge of the truth or using the time that we've been given wisely or sharing the gospel with others, are we respecting and honoring the blessing that we've been given? Again, what's the state of your flocks? And one of the most important blessings that we've been given is the truth of God. We've been given a revelation of the mysteries contained within Scripture and an understanding of His plan. And we know that not all of this has been given to everyone in this life, that there are many who simply don't understand the fullness of what God expects them. But here we are. We have the truth. It's been revealed to us by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. And God's given us this blessing and this knowledge in order that we might be good stewards of the blessing that we've been given, but not just for us, but for others as well. How well do we understand it? Could we teach others? Or do we rely on a booklet or a web address to tell somebody what we believe? Our families applied to go to Puerto Vallarta for the feast this year, and we'll find out if we get accepted or not. But as a result, I'm working to learn Spanish with renewed vigor. I took a couple years in high school, and it came at that time relatively easy. So I feel like with enough push and practice, I could be at least conversationally fluent before we go. We're close. I may sound like a caveman, but it'll be, you know, I eat food, something like that. But they'll get it. They'll figure it out. They'll know exactly what it is. But my hope is to at least be able to converse and to talk with the Mexican brethren on a personal basis. I don't want to have to work through an interpreter.

Because my interpreter's my kids. Because they're both at Grant, and they're doing the whole thing.

But one of my strategies thus far, reading it and writing it is a very different thing when it's unpredictable. Like I'm doing a program right now that keeps it in very specific categories.

And that's easy because I know the category. But when it's a conversation and it's unpredictable, it's very, very difficult to know exactly what's even being talked about. And so one of my strategies recently has been to find native speakers in Spanish chat rooms and fire away with no accents because I can't figure out how to type the accents, and just practice reading and writing the language with someone who actually uses it on a regular basis. And last Sunday I came across a gentleman who found out the reason that I was interested in going to Mexico was for the Feast of Tabernacles. And he asked what that was. Small question turned into a two-hour theological back and forth in broken Spanish and broken English, which was hilarious, between the two of us on the topic of heaven and hell. Now he's a practicing Catholic, and I'll admit I wasn't up on the specific arguments from Catholicism on heaven and hell, and nor was I prepared for the level of twisting of Scripture that was used. I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. When these opportunities come up, will we be ready?

Because that one came up in a place that I least expected it. That one surprised me as I'm going, how do you even say this? Because it's something that you want to make sure that you have the ability to say very carefully, because you could completely misunderstand a position if it's not said right. But are we preparing now, while we have the chance? The Bible talks about a famine of the word that is to come. Let's go over to the book of Amos. The book of Amos. Amos 8. And we'll pick up the account in verse 11. Amos 8 and verse 11. Pardon me. That one feels open.

That one does not feel open. So Amos 8 will break into a pretty clear description of the end times. He prophesies there will be a famine, not a food and water, but of hearing the word of God. Amos 8 and verse 11 says, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east. They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of God, but they shall not find it. Verse 13, In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst. You know, are we experiencing this to a degree now? I think so. I think so. But is it going to get worse? It's hard to tell with 100% certainty, but verse 12 is a good reminder that at some point in time people will wander from sea to sea, from north to east, looking for and seeking the word of God, but it won't be found. Let's go to Isaiah 55. Isaiah 55.

Kind of a little bit of reinforcement on this concept of seeking God while He can be found. Isaiah 55. And we'll pick it up in verse 6. Isaiah 55 and verse 6. It says, Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He's near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man His thoughts. Let Him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on Him and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Gets into verse 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways or your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. You know, there's times we struggle to sometimes fully understand. We struggle to sometimes fully understand. It doesn't necessarily make sense to us at times. Verse 10, For as the rain comes down in the snow from heaven and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Verse 11, Isaiah 55, So shall my or so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void or empty, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

You know, are we seeking the Lord while He still may be found? Are we using the chance in this life that we've been given wisely, the time that we've been given? Are we being good stewards of the blessing of the truth that we've received? Notice verse 11. Notice verse 11, The word of His mouth will not return empty. It will accomplish His purposes, and it will prosper in the thing to which He sent it. Brethren, that's us. We're the thing the word was sent to. Are we using our knowledge of it to achieve His purposes? Are we prospering and growing that word that was delivered to us?

In this department, what is the state of our flock? Where does it stand? You know, there's also a lot of things that vie for our attention in this life. Work, entertainment, our own obligation. Sometimes, you know, it's funny, we can complain about being busy, and then we look back and we go, who can I blame for being? Oh, right, me, because I keep scheduling all these things. So sometimes we have difficulties, I just got so much going on. Well, it's your own fault, right?

But the hours of our day are sometimes filled to the brim, and it feels like it's getting fuller and fuller and fuller. Time that we've been given is an incredible blessing. It's an incredible blessing. And again, it begs the question, what's the state of our flocks? How are we managing? How are we using that time? Do we manage it in the way that God would desire us to manage it? Or, you know, the assets been given to us by God? Do we, are we good stewards of it in the time that we've been provided? There's been a number of studies done over the years that help to kind of figure out the time spent on various activities. Here's some interesting results. You spend 229,961 hours on average sleeping in a lifetime. That is 26.2 years of your life asleep. Some of us more than others, right? You spend 32,098 hours eating, 3.6 years of your life. 37,935 hours driving. I think we got a few more than that. 4.33 years of your life behind the wheel of a car.

You spend 90,360 hours working 10.3 years of your life. That's if you get to retire.

28,300 hours surfing the internet. 3.2 years of your life. Gone. Click, click, click, click, click, click. 80,486 hours watching television. This is on average just shy of 10 years, 9.18 years of your life. Gone. Doing this. 12,896 hours cleaning 1.47 years of your life. Guys, 6,448 hours, which ironically is less than a year of your life. 9 months. Step it up, gentlemen.

Talking to myself, too. These are averages. These are averages. And the reality is some people have more, some people have less in order to produce the average. But the question really is, are we being wise stewards of the time that we have been blessed with? Are we managing it in such a way that God would be pleased with our management of this asset and with this blessing? Let's turn over to 2 Peter 3 and verse 9. 2 Peter 3 and verse 9.

2 Peter 3 and verse 9 specifically states that God is not slack concerning His promises. It's not slack concerning His promises. No.

He's patient. He's long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Brethren, are we taking advantage of that slackness?

Putting off until tomorrow what should be done today? How are we using and managing the blessing of time that we've been given? Because it could end tomorrow. It could end tomorrow. And if we've put off until tomorrow, what should have been done today? Well, no. There is no tomorrow.

How are we using that time? Let's go over to Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5, just a few pages back here.

Ephesians 5. We'll go ahead and look at verse 15 of Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5 and verse 15.

It says, He then that you walk circumspectly, wisely, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. That word redeeming is ex-ajor-adzo. It means to buy it back, to ransom it, to make it work for you, to closely manage and control it, to ensure that it's doing what you want it to do, or what, in this case, our Master wants us to do, since we're a steward of the time that we've been given. The passage goes on to provide suggestions as to what somebody should be doing. It talks about not being given to too much wine, singing psalms and hymns, fellowshiping with one another. Are we being wise stewards of the time that we've been given?

Are we using it to further the Lord's purposes, or are we just killing time, losing upwards of 12 full years of our life on entertainment, distraction, or avoidance? I want to be clear, it doesn't mean we necessarily spend 100% of our spare time with our noses in our Bibles. We have families, we have jobs, we have the need to decompress occasionally.

But it also means we don't have to consistently binge watch the latest shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. It means we don't have to game extensively or spend our time getting lost in other things. If we're neglecting the more important aspects of our time management, are we being good stewards? What's the state of our flock? What's the state of our flocks?

Another gift that we've been given is also an incredible responsibility, and it's a responsibility of sharing the gospel that we've been given with others.

You know, it's interesting, I've often said, I'm not really preaching the gospel right now, because you guys are already bought in. You know what the gospel is to a degree. And yes, maybe we're talking about the kingdom of God and we're talking about those things, but preaching the gospel indicates that you're talking to people that don't necessarily know what it is that you're talking about. And so it's kind of an interesting thing, because sometimes I feel like we maybe don't do this as much as we probably should on our own personal basis. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel that way myself. Apostle Paul talks about this important responsibility. It's in 1 Corinthians 9.

1 Corinthians 9, if you turn over there.

1 Corinthians 9 talks about this opportunity to be messengers of God, this chance to be somebody who has a chance to pass this on to others. 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 16.

1 Corinthians 9 and verse 16. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of.

For necessity is laid upon me, yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

Verse 17. For if I do this willingly, I have a reward. But if I do it against my will, I've been entrusted with stewardship. In other words, I have to. I've been given this as a stewardship opportunity. And it's expected that I'm going to do something with it. He recognized that responsibility was entrusted to him, that God gave him something, and he was expected to utilize it and to utilize it well. Jesus told his disciples to go out into the world and to preach the gospel to every creature. Every creature. I don't know what that necessarily means to the squirrels, the insects, and all those things. But to preach the gospel to every creature and as disciples, as followers of Jesus Christ, this responsibility is on us as well. If we are disciples, that was the commission that was given to his disciples. And I think sometimes we can get stuck in this idea that God calls people to the truth and that somehow that means that we don't necessarily need to or that maybe he's not somehow going to work through us, that all we really have to do is if you build it, they will come, so to speak. And while that is true, that God does draw people to the gospel, to his truth, and to Christ, that didn't absolve the disciples of that responsibility.

Christ gave it to them directly. Yes, my Father brings them to the truth, but you go out and preach the gospel to all creatures. And because it didn't absolve the disciples of their responsibility, then it doesn't absolve us of our responsibility now. God's given us the truth. He's provided us with time to learn, to repent, and to grow so that by our words or by our example, oftentimes, sometimes it doesn't take words. Sometimes it just takes somebody's example. In fact, I can think of a situation recently where someone came to services solely based on the example that they saw in someone else. That was their entire reason for coming, was based on the example that they saw in someone else. What if we're the tool that God uses to call someone into his flock? What if our word or words in our example brings the other person to the truth? That's an incredible responsibility. It's an incredible responsibility, again, of being a steward. A few chapters earlier, 1 Corinthians 4, 1 Corinthians 4, just flip back a couple pages here. 1 Corinthians 4, he talks about the importance of being faithful in this responsibility, being faithful in this responsibility. 1 Corinthians 4, and we'll pick it up in verses 1 and 2, says, Let a man so consider us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, that we have been entrusted with these things and have a responsibility to take care of them, to share them. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

And we are under the Father's authority as we manage his assets and as we manage his blessings on this earth. We have to be faithful in that responsibility. We have to ensure that we are doing our utmost to do that, because there are a couple of warnings against being unfaithful, stewards. Let's go over to Luke 16. Luke 16.

We'll see one of those, and then a few pages back from there, we'll see another.

Luke 16.

Luke 16 and verse 1, we'll kind of just take this piece by piece. Luke 16 and verse 1 says, He also said to His disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. He was not being wise with what he was doing. He was wasting it. So he called him to him, and he said to him, What is this I hear about you?

Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be a steward. So he called him to account. He said, I understand that you're wasting. I understand that you're not having a respect for the blessing that has been given to me, that of being careless with the assets and the property that you've been entrusted with. And so he's in a position of having to then justify his position before his master based on his behavior. Verse 3, he goes on, Then a steward said within himself, What shall I do?

For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I can't dig. I can't plow. I'm too old to plow, or I'm too weak to plow, or whatever. Too proud to beg, it says. I'm ashamed to beg. I've resolved what to do. When I'm put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he's hatched himself a plan here. Says, look, I can't, I'm not going to beg.

I'm not going to go out and dig. I'll go to the people who owe my master money, and I'll negotiate their debts for pennies on the dollar. And then maybe when my master throws me out of his house, they'll take me in, perhaps. So maybe they'll be sympathetic to my plight. He goes on in verse 5 of 16. So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and he said to the first, how much do you owe my master?

He said, a hundred measures of oil. So he said to him, take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty. Half a bill, right? Then he said to another, and how much do you owe? So he said, a hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, take your bill, and write eighty. So the master commanded the unjust steward, because he had dealt, or I'm sorry, commended the unjust steward, because he had dealt shrewdly for the sons of this world, or more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And this is where this particular parable gets tricky, and it gets kind of muddy at times in people's minds.

They start to ask themselves, wait a minute, why would Jesus commend this person's behavior? It's easy. He didn't. He didn't. In this particular passage, it doesn't specifically identify the rich man with a master in this parable as Christ. Now, in a lot of other ones, yes, it does. But this particular master in this parable, according to this, the way that it seems to be laid out, he's as shrewd as the steward of work for him.

Perhaps in this case he commended him because he realized he would have done the same thing in that circumstance. Verse 8 ends the parable, and verse 9 begins the explanation. So verse 8 ends it, verse 9 begins the explanation. I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fall or when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

He who is faithful, and this is the big point of this whole entire piece, he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. The moral of the story is not to deal shrewdly. The moral of the story is to be faithful in little, to be faithful in little, and ultimately then you'll be faithful in much. He who's unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Therefore, if you've not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? So you can't be trusted with the little things. Why would you receive the big things? So the takeaway from this parable is the need to be faithful. The need to be faithful so that you can then be trusted with much. Let's go back just a few pages from Luke 16 here to Luke 12.

Luke 16, we'll move back to Luke 12. And he provides another example in a form of a parable, and provides us, again, with a responsibility and a reminder of our responsibility in all of this. And ultimately, the stakes. Ultimately, the stakes. Luke 12. We'll pick it up in verse 35.

Luke 12 and verse 35 says, Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. Be ready, be prepared.

And let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. And you yourselves be like men who wait for their master when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them. Verse 38, And if he should come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so, blessed are those servants. It says, Blessed are the servants who remain vigilant, who kept their focus, who continued in it, who continued to grow in the truth, who managed the time wisely, redeeming it from waste, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, those who prepared themselves and recognized ultimately the states of their flocks. Verse 39, But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would not or he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Then Peter said to him, Lord, do you speak this parable only to us or to all people? The Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. A servant that will be placed over all in the Lord's house, over all that he has, becoming a steward, who will receive the kingdom, is the servant that he shall find so doing, continuing actively living in the way of life that the Lord has revealed to his people. One who has a sense of urgency and a recognition that now is the time, not tomorrow, not the next day, but now is the time. One who in the words contained in the book regularly always learning, always learning. One who's managed and prioritized their time and one who by word and example shares their faith with others. You know, as we analyze our lives going into the Passover season, ask the hard questions, is this us? Is this me? Am I this person?

What's the state of our flocks? He goes on in verse 45, but if that servant says in his heart, my master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat the male and the female servants into eat and to drink and to be drunk.

What does he tell himself? He hasn't come yet. He hasn't come yet. He hasn't come yet. It's not going to be soon. I'm just going to let myself slip into a holding pattern here. After all, I've got time. I can relax a little bit. I can put my feet up, slip into the bad habits, choices.

I can beat up on my fellow servants. You know, it's easier to see their issues than it is to see my own anyway, so I might as well make sure they can see them because fixing them is easier than fixing me. So I'll just live it up for a little while because I have time. It goes on in verse 46. The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him in an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes. We know what is expected of us. We know. And if we don't know, it's all in here. We know what's expected of us. That sense of urgency and that wise dealing with what we've been given, all the blessings that have been poured out in our lives, is absolutely essential. In fact, it kind of goes on here in verses 47 and 48, or verse 48, but he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes shall be beaten with few. So if we know and don't do it, the punishment is worse than for those that had no idea. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required, and to whom much has been committed, of him will they ask the more. You know, vigilance and a sense of urgency and necessity in this life. We have no idea how much time we actually have. We mentioned it earlier. It could end tomorrow. You know, we could die tomorrow, not even wake up. We don't know. It's therefore even more important for us to take stock of our lives, to look at and examine the status of our flocks in a variety of aspects in our spiritual lives. Not just time, not just preaching the gospel, but a variety of places. How do we handle the blessings that have been poured out upon us? Are we where we want to be?

Or do we want to, how do we want to improve? You know, what's tough when you answer this kind of a question is, it's individual to each person. One size fits all approach is not necessarily going to work for everyone. Each person knows where they are in their journey.

A particularly dogmatic approach may not be particularly appropriate either. And it's likely that a lot of these processes will be a similar pattern, but not necessarily identical. I'm going to assign a bit of homework this week. I'm going to assign a bit of homework this week. What I'd like you to do is, somewhere on your notes, this is really high-tech. It's written on the back of an announcement. It's extremely high-tech. What I'd like you to do is make a three-subject T-chart. Looks like this. Subject one, subject two, subject three. And then make T-charts there. Box one is the truth that you've been given. The truth that you've been given is box one. Box two is redeeming the time, the time that you've been given. And box three is preaching the gospel.

And really consider, how are you managing those blessings currently? How are you managing them?

Take some time, identify a few places or a few ways that you feel you could personally improve in those aspects. Oftentimes, tell my kids at school, you know, there's always room for improvement. Always room for improvement. So what are some ways that you might be able to improve how you treat the truth of God that you've been given, or the time that you've been given, or the opportunities that you have to preach the gospel? Rather than be diligent to know the state of your flocks.

Give careful attention to your herds. Let's continually respect and honor the blessings that our great God gives us, and let's be good and faithful stewards.