Investing for Maximum Impact

Investing for Maximum Impact            HOPE Christian Fellowship

Series:  You Have My Axe Part 2                                                January 11, 2009

Luke 16:1-9                                                                                        Rich Lamb

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 1Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’   3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’   5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’  6 “ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
      “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’   7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
 “‘A thousand bushels[ of wheat,’ he replied.
 “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

 How do you expect the master to react when he finds out about what the scoundrel is doing? [no answer but just wait with this question up]

 Luke 16:8-9 “People of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings”.

 One key to effective Bible study: Allow yourself to ask, when reading in the gospels, “How is what Jesus says here __different than what I expected him to say?”

What kind of guy is the master? __shrewd businessman__

 What is shrewdness? “using limited resources for maximum impact or gain”

 What allowed the manager to suddenly become very shrewd? He knew:

1)       The money he was giving away wasn’t his

2)       He wouldn’t have access to it for very long

How do these facts help us to think about the time, money, gifts and resources we have been given?