Transcript

Podcast Introduction

It’s Saturday. So this must be our day for reading from the Gospels. Today we’ll read   Luke 15-16.   After the reading I’ll have some comments. I’m calling today’s episode “What’s Your Plan?”

Comments on Luke 16

I don’t remember ever hearing a sermon based on this parable. It requires some thought.

There are three basic players in the story. The main character is the steward. Of second importance is the debtors, and finally we have the rich man.

It seems that the steward, who worked for the rich man as the manager of his possessions or property, had wasted the rich man’s goods. We don’t have any details, but we are told that the rich man called the steward to account for how he had handled his responsibilities. And the rich man told him that his services would no longer be required.

So the steward, knowing that he needed to make other plans for his future, went to the debtors with a scheme. If he could make friends with them, he would be able to at least have a roof over his head. So he had the debtors rewrite what they owed to the rich man, with substantially less than the full amount. In doing this, they were now in debt to the steward, and he could collect on that with favors from them.

When the rich man found out, he complimented the steward for being so clever in making a new plan for himself.

So the lesson in this parable is this: We will all be called to account for what God has given us. How clever are we with the time, talent and resources He has entrusted to us? Do we put as much thought and effort into building the Kingdom of God as we do to building a cushy life for ourselves? Which is more representative of true riches? Which will last longer? A boat, a fancy car and a big house? Or a deep and abiding faith in God, and a life of serving Him? 

Don’t misunderstand, beloved. One can be monetarily rich and still live a life in service to God. But with financial wealth comes great responsibility to use it for the Kingdom of God. When financial wealth becomes your primary motivation, God is no longer in the center of your life. As Jesus said in verse thirteen, “You cannot serve both God and money.” 

Let’s make it a point to see to it that when God calls us to account, we won’t have to be ashamed and afraid like the steward was. Let’s plan wisely for our eternal future.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 15 NIRV; Ch. KJV

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Transcript

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Steve Webb 0:00
Let’s plan wisely or our eternal future.

Steve Webb 0:10
Here we are together again, this is the Lifespring family Audio Bible and I’m coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004. I’m your OG God castors. Steve Webb, how are ya? Well, it’s Saturday. So this must be our day for reading from the Gospels. So our reading today is Luke 15 and 16. After the reading, I’ll have some comments, and I’m calling today’s episode. What’s your plan? The show notes page for today’s episode, is it Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 178. And you can email me at Steve at Lifespring media.com. Let’s begin.

Steve Webb 0:46
Luke chapter 15.

Steve Webb 0:48
The tax collectors and sinners we’re all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were whispering among themselves. They said, This man welcome sinners and eats with them. Then Jesus told them a story. He said, suppose one of you has 100 sheep and loses one of them? Won’t he leave the 99 in the open country? Won’t he go and look for the one lost sheep until he finds it? When he finds it, he will joyfully put it on his shoulders and go home. Then he will call his friends and neighbors together he will say Be joyful with me. I have found my lost sheep. I tell you it will be the same in heaven. There will be great joy when one sinner turns away from sin. Yes, there will be more joy than for 99 godly people who do not need to turn away from their sins. Or suppose a woman has 10 silver coins and loses one. She will light a lamp and sweep the house. She will search carefully until she finds the coin. And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors together. She will say Be joyful with me I found my last coin. I tell you it is the same in heaven. There is joy in heaven over one center who turns away from sin. Jesus continued, There was a man who had two sons. The younger son spoke to his father. He said, Father give me my share of the family property. So the father divided his property between his two sons. Not long after that, the younger son packed up all he had. Then he left for a country far away. There he wasted his money on wild living. He spent everything he had. Then the whole country ran low on food. So the sun didn’t have what he needed. He went to work for someone who lived in that country who sent him to the fields to feed the pigs. The sun wanted to fill his stomach with the food the pigs reading, but no one gave him anything. Then he began to think clearly again. He said, How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food, but here I am dying from hunger. I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and I have sinned against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers. So he got up and went to his father. While the sun was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, quick, Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let’s have a big dinner and celebrate. This son of mine was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost and now he is found. So they began to celebrate. The older son was in the field. When he came near the house he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants. He asked him what was going on? Your brother has come home the servant replied, your father is killed the fattest calf.

Steve Webb 4:03
He has done this because your brother is back safe and sound. The older brother became angry, he refused to go in. So his father went out and begged him, but he answered his father, look, all these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I’ve always obeyed your orders. You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But this son of yours wasted your money with some prostitutes. Now he comes home and for him you kill the fattest calf, my son, the father said, You’re always with me, everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad this brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found.

Steve Webb 4:49
Luke chapter 16.

Steve Webb 4:52
And he said also unto his disciples, there was a certain rich man which had a steward and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods? And he called him and said unto him, how was it that I hear this if the given account of the stewardship for Thou must be no longer steward, then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my Lord taketh away from me the stewardship, I cannot dig, to beg, I am ashamed, I am resolved what to do that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lords debtors unto him, and said unto the first, how much I was Thal into my Lord. And he said, and 100 measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and sit down quickly and write 50 Then he said to another, and how much was thou? And he said, and 100 measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill and write for score. And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, make to yourself, friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness, that when you fail, they may receive you unto everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least his faithful also in much, and He that is unjust, in the least, is unjust also in much if therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches, and if he have not been faithful in that, which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own, No servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also who recovered is heard all these things, and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God know if your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John, since that time, the kingdom of God is preached, and every man press into it, and it is easier for heaven on earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail. Whosoever put it away his wife and marry another committeth adultery, and whosoever married her that is put away from her husband committed adultery. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen in fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hell, he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and see if Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father, Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that that one I lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us, and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from vents. Then he said, I pray the therefore Father, that that would send him to my father’s house. For I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them less they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let him hear them. And he said, nay, father, Abraham, but if one went under them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded the one rose from the dead.

Steve Webb 9:00
You know, I don’t think I ever remember hearing a sermon based on the parable that Jesus told at the beginning of chapter 16, specifically, verses one through 13. I think one of the reasons I haven’t heard a sermon based on this is because, well, it’s a little bit of a difficult parable. There’s three basic players in the story, the main character is the steward. of second importance is the debtors. And finally, we have the rich man. And it seems that the steward who worked for the rich man as the manager of his possessions or property had wasted the rich man’s goods. We don’t have any details, but we are told that the rich man called the steward to account for how he had handled his responsibilities, and the rich man told him that his services would no longer be required. So the steward, knowing that he needed to make other plans for his future, went to the debtors with a scheme. If he could make friends with him, he at least would be able to have a roof over his head or So he thought, and so he had the debtors rewrite what they owed to the rich man with substantially less than the full amount. In doing this, they were now in debt to the steward, and he could collect on that with favors from them like a place to live. Well, when the rich man found out, guess what he complimented this steward for being so clever in making a new plan for himself. So the lesson in the parable is this, we will all be called to account for what God has given us. How clever are we with the time, the talent and the resources that is entrusted to us? Do we put as much thought and effort into building the kingdom of God as we do to building a cushy life for ourselves, which is more representative of true riches beloved, which will last longer, a boat, a fancy car, and a big house, or a deep and abiding faith in God and a life of serving Him. Now, don’t misunderstand, beloved, one can be monetarily rich and still live a life in service to God. But with financial wealth comes great responsibility to use it for the kingdom of God. When financial wealth becomes your primary motivation, God is no longer in the center of your life. As Jesus said in verse 13, you cannot serve both God and money. Beloved, let’s make it a point to see to it that when God calls us to account, we won’t have to be ashamed and afraid like the steward was, let’s plan wisely for our eternal future. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment at Lifespring media.com/s 12 V. 178. Tomorrow we’ll begin the book of Philippians. We’ll read the first two chapter.

Steve Webb 12:01
On this date in church history, February 22 1857, Charles M. Sheldon was born he was an American congregational, clergyman, social reformer and devotional writer. His religious novel in his steps, written in 1897, was a best seller and eventually sold 23 million copies in his steps introduced the question, What would Jesus do? That’s another book that when I was in the Christian book selling business, we sold a lot of, it’s probably still selling so it’s beyond 23 million copies, I’m quite sure.

Steve Webb 12:44
Prayer requests. I got this text from Del this afternoon. He said I just brought Kathy home from the hospital, the doctor was pleased with the surgery. So far, the shoulder pain is gone but replaced by the pain from the surgical site, which should ease up as it heals. Regardless, the pain is under control. Her new Walker will arrive tomorrow, which is designed for patients who can use only one arm, she was very comfortable using the walker with her physical therapist. Her arm will be in a sling for three weeks as she recuperates at our daughter’s in Riverside. And to you he says thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. Let’s pray. Our gracious heavenly Father help us to be the very best stewards we can be with what you’ve given us. And thank you for the good report from Dell. And we just ask that you’d speed Kathi feeling. I asked Lord, that You would bless the Lifespring family, be with them. Help them father to feel your presence. pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Steve Webb 13:47
Guys, this is going to be a short one today because man I am just completely emotionally physically and creatively spent. I’ve had about three really difficult days in a row, nothing, you know, earth shaking or anything, but just stuff that I’ve been putting fires out stuff like that, literally, thankfully. But just stuff that you know, you’re not able to get the things done, you want to get done. You just have to take care of things that come along and demand your attention. So I’m just going to call this a short one tonight. I hope to get a really good night’s rest and somewhat restful day tomorrow, which will be my Saturday. And we’ll go from there. Thank you for hanging in there with me. Thank you for being part of the family. I truly do appreciate you. Comment on the show at Lifespring media.com/s 12 v 178. Email me at Steve at Lifespring media.com. Please support the show at Lifespring media.com/support. And I will see you on Sunday. May God bless you richly. Thank you for being here. I mean that. My name is Steve Webb. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai