Gracious Accounting

Great. That's awesome. Wow. I mean, we've seen this happen for several years now,

having different church planners come through in our community center and just seeing them.

It's just such an honor, guys, to be worshiping with you, to kind of partner with you, to support

you guys in that. And these are men and women who are responding to God's call,

responding to God's call. And I'm sure if they haven't already counted the cost, they've begun

counting the cost and the value of what they're doing, going out into the cities, planting

gospel-centered churches and starting gospel-centered movements, investing their lives into this great

adventure called church planting. And I'm not quite sure if it's the same thing, but for me,

I've been thinking about money and resources a lot this week, too. And see, I've got money

on my mind. Money on my mind. And the reason is that this sermon today is all about money.

First of all, in case you're tempted to just kind of tune me out already because you've

heard a million sermons on preaching and preaching on money and possessions, or if you've heard,

you've never heard one, and you're thinking, oh my goodness, there's watermark in debt or

something, do we just need more money? Well, I just want to say, first of all, that we take

the whole counsel of God seriously. And we take all of God's word, the entire Bible seriously. So when we

actually look at the whole Bible, the topic of money and possessions is actually addressed in the Bible

well over 2,000 times. And, well, faith, for example, just to give you a basis for comparison,

faith is mentioned about 500 times, prayer about 500 times. And I know those raw stats,

they don't tell the whole picture, but I think we need to pause and recognize when we're reading

Scripture that God talks about money a lot, probably more than I'm comfortable with, to be honest with

you. We also want you to see as a staff team and as leaders in this church and elders that, you know,

this isn't kind of a sermon in isolation. We've been taking you on a journey over the last few weeks.

We started with a series a few weeks ago on called In Christ, being in Christ, in our identity in

Christ, how Jesus gives us a new identity and how we live that identity out and walk in relationship

with our Heavenly Father. And then we moved on to look at Exodus, talking about slavery, the things

that, as we live out this relationship with God, still enslave us, still hold us back, the idols

that Jesus continues to free us from. And so as we look at freedom, as we discover that freedom that

God gives us, we now look at a series called A Life Well Lived. And last week, Alfie shared a little

bit about gracious words. How do gracious words overflow from the depths of our hearts when God

speaks gracious words, unconditional love, into our hearts? And today we turn to gracious accounting,

the sense of how we use our money, how we use our possessions. The use of money affects every single

one of us in this room. Whether you earn an income actually today or not, I'm pretty sure you use money

in some way. You have possessions that you use. We all have possessions, things we own. And today,

regardless of what faith or what worldview you have, you know, Christian, non-Christian, I think there's

a range of perspectives on money that all of us can kind of identify with. You see, on one end of the

spectrum, if you follow with me, I think some of us see money as inherently bad. I don't think there's

that many people in Hong Kong who see it that way, but I have met people who see it as kind of the root

of all evil. I've met people in my life, like ascetics, who give away everything they have and just leave

enough for them to physically survive because they see money as corrupting, as evil. And then on the other

hand of the spectrum, you have people who see money as inherently good. It's a good thing. Their goal is to

accumulate wealth. In the prophetic words of my man, 50 cent, it's get rich or die trying, right?

More is better. The bigger the number, the better. And then between these two extremes, I mean, there's a

whole mix of mixed motives and different perspectives, but I think you can kind of boil it down to two views.

There's a kind of people who just really doesn't care about money. They don't think about it.

You know, he just earns it and he uses it. And then there's the person who values money,

but not in and of itself, but as a means to an end.

She sees great value in money, but only as a way to achieve something more important.

So I trust everyone should be able to identify with at least one of these four perspectives,

if we're honest with ourselves. You know, the lover, the hater, the I don't care, and the means to an end.

So let's focus on that last perspective, the person who sees it as a means to an end. And let me share

a story about that kind of person. So there was the CEO, chief executive officer of a large tech company.

Let's call him John. Not the most original, but we can remember. So John, for a number of reasons,

I think including his own selfishness and his own incompetence, I'd say John squandered a lot of money

through some bad decision making, bad business decisions.

Then one day he gets word from his friend, who's on the board of directors. Let's call her Jane.

Jane. Jane tells him, John, the board's going to fire you. It's kind of a heads up. So knowing his days

are numbered, John's like, oh, what do I do? And he has this idea. John immediately uses the company's

resources to secure deals with a major buyer. The terms of the deal, really good for the buyer,

but pretty bad for the company. And there's also this implied condition that they're going to hire

John as soon as possible. The buyer's going to hire John. So now the time comes. Time of reckoning comes,

and the board has a meeting with John. And the board by now obviously has found out about this deal.

But instead of taking action against John, you know, for bad faith or acting in bad faith or whatnot,

they actually praise him. They say, good job. And they release him with this glowing recommendation

for his cleverness. The end.

Now some of you guys are thinking this is ridiculous. This can't be a true story.

And you're right. Because that was just an updated version of the parable of the dishonest manager

that we find in Luke 16. But I want to give you that kind of, just to give you a gist of the story.

So when I actually read the parable for you, hopefully you can kind of follow along with what's

happening. So this is Jesus talking in Luke 16. He said to the disciples, so Jesus' disciples is the

audience. There was a rich man who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this man was

wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you?

Turn in the accounts of your management. For you can no longer be manager. The manager said to himself,

what shall I do since my master is taking the management away from me?

I'm not strong enough to dig. I'm ashamed to beg.

I've decided what to do.

So that when I am removed from management,

people may receive me into their houses.

It's a story

right there.

Now this is one of those trickier parables, I think,

that can often leave people with big questions.

Especially, why would the master commend

this scumbag?

This dishonest manager?

I mean, the story in the parable itself says he was

dishonest.

And he did some serious financial damage

to the master's wealth.

You know, that amount of debt that he wrote off?

I think it's around 20 months

of someone's wages back then.

But I think as we look at the plain meaning of the text,

the most straightforward understanding

is not that the manager was commending,

the master was commending the manager's dishonesty,

but he was commending his shrewdness.

Commending his shrewdness.

So let's take a look at the next little bit.

Summoning his master's debtors one by one,

he said to the first,

how much do you owe my master?

He said, a hundred measures of oil.

He said to him, take your bill,

sit down quickly and write 50.

Then he said to another,

how much do you owe?

He said, a hundred measures of wheat.

And he said to him, take your bill

and write 80.

The master commended the dishonest manager

for his shrewdness.

So there, the difference between commending someone

for their dishonesty

and for their shrewdness.

There's a lot of content there.

I just want to remember now that

Jesus isn't condoning again.

I just want to be so clear.

Don't walk away from this and saying,

wow, the master is,

I can do whatever I want

as long as I'm shrewd.

Look at how Jesus explains it.

Let's take a look at the next part.

This is Jesus now explaining the parable.

He says,

for the sons of this world

are more shrewd in dealing

with their own generation

than the sons of light.

And I tell you,

make friends for yourself

by means of unrighteous wealth

so that when it fails,

they may receive you

into the eternal dwellings.

One who is faithful in a very little

is also faithful in much.

And one who is dishonest in a very little

is also dishonest in much.

If then you have not been faithful

in the unrighteous wealth,

who will entrust you the true riches?

And if you have not been faithful

in that which is another's,

who will give you that which is your own?

In the rest of our time,

I want to walk us through

what Jesus is trying to explain here.

And there's three key concepts,

I think,

that can help us guide

our time through there.

There's shrewdness,

there's unrighteous wealth,

and the true riches.

And they're closely connected.

They're kind of built upon each other.

There's a progression there.

I think as we look at these three concepts,

it'll shed a lot of light

on what Jesus is trying to say

about shrewdness

and faithfulness to God.

So let's start with shrewdness.

I don't know about you,

but I don't know how,

when's the last time

you used the word shrewd?

Anybody?

Did anyone even use it

in the last week?

Last month?

Yeah, I had to actually look this up

because when I think of shrewd,

I think of like a rodent.

And so I just,

you know,

not rocket science,

I looked it up.

Merriam-Webster dictionary,

what is shrewdness?

And there's a lot of talk

about discernment,

a keen awareness.

And then in the actual Greek,

you know,

it carries the sense

of being wise,

being prudent,

acting with great practical intelligence.

intelligence.

So it's clear that shrewdness

is meant to be

an admirable trait.

I mean,

who wouldn't want wisdom?

Who wouldn't want prudence?

Who wouldn't want intelligence?

And so when it comes

to our use of money

and possessions,

shrewdness indicates

that there is this clear

intentionality behind it.

Shrewdness,

when we look at those

four perspectives on money

that I was sharing before,

shrewdness is that one

that recognizes

the value of money

for something greater.

Just like that dishonest manager.

You know,

it's distinguished

from the one

who just loves money

or just hates money

or disregards money.

But in the parable,

we see that shrewdness,

it's not the ultimate goal,

right?

I'm not walking around

just saying,

my life's purpose

is to be shrewd.

There's something more

in the parable

because in the parable,

shrewdness is just

a commendable approach

to the use of money.

It's got nothing to do

with your motives

or your goals.

You could be shrewd

in anything.

You could be shrewd

in saving for your retirement.

You can be shrewd

in providing

for your kids' education.

You can be shrewd

in ripping people off.

You can be shrewd

in just finding

the best deal

on the new iPhone 7

that's going to come out

very soon.

Shrewdness is more

of an approach

than a goal

or motive

and Jesus is a,

he's commending

that approach,

that wisdom,

that discernment,

that awareness

that comes with

using your money.

So I think we can all

agree therefore

that trueness

is something

that is desirable.

But the question

we then turn to then

is,

is shrewdness

for what purpose?

For what ends?

And guys,

the question

we effectively answer

every single day,

whether you consciously

realize it or not,

is this.

What do I use

my money for

and why?

the way you spend

your money,

the way you think

about money,

the way you save

your money,

you're answering

that question

for yourself

day after day.

And if I'm honest,

it's especially true

in a culture

like Hong Kong.

That's just your,

just barrage

of telling you

that you need this

and that.

It's materialistic,

it's consumeristic.

And this is where

that concept

of wealth

in the parable

can really

help us

because wealth

includes all money,

all possessions.

And I think

the pursuit

of wealth

is something

that just seems

ingrained

in society.

Some of you

may have heard

the idea

that no matter

how much money

a person has,

it's never enough.

It's never enough.

Came across an article

in Esquire magazine

just about two weeks ago.

Profiled four men

from four completely

different income brackets.

So you're ranging

from someone

who's right on

the poverty line

up to a millionaire

in the U.S.

And as these men

shared their lifestyles,

shared what they were,

what they could afford,

they were all basically

asked this question.

And it was,

well, so how much

do you need

or do you think

you'll need

to have the life

you want?

Guess what they all said?

They just needed

a little more

than what they had

right now.

That's the incredible

allure

of wealth.

It's never enough.

Jesus is very blunt

when he talks

about wealth.

You see,

in this parable,

he calls it

unrighteous wealth.

And that basically

means

that the wealth

is unjust,

maybe even

immoral.

And I believe

the reason

why that wealth

is unrighteous

is because

it has no ability

to get us

what we really

need

in the depths

of our hearts.

and what do we need?

And I'd submit

to you

this morning

that we need

perfect,

unconditional

love

as human beings,

which can only

come from the God

that created us.

A couple years ago,

Harvard University

released

a study,

a 75-year study.

the data

was gathered

for 75 years

and they released

this study

and they found

two pillars

to human happiness.

First,

love.

Second,

to live life

and cope

in a way

that doesn't

push love away.

So really,

it's just one pillar.

Love.

Loving relationships,

interconnectedness.

Now,

this isn't even

the Bible's thing.

The Bible talks

tons about

how we need love,

but this is

the Harvard University's

75-year study

saying that

we need love

as human beings.

It's all about

those relationships.

And today,

if you're wondering

why your wealth

doesn't satisfy you,

well,

the truth is

it was never

designed

to make you happy.

Describing wealth,

Jesus says,

when it fails.

Not if it fails,

but when it fails.

All the wealth

in the world

can't stop

me from dying.

All the wealth

in this world

can't make me

perfect and righteous.

The wealth

in the world,

it can make me

look good

and say nice things

and learn what to say,

but when I'm angry

and that anger

and those cuss words

are building up

from inside my heart,

the money can't change

my heart.

It can't make me

right with God.

All the money

in the world

can't buy me

into heaven.

It can't buy me

unconditional love.

I mean,

even the Beatles

knew that.

It cannot buy me

love.

It can't buy me

unconditional love.

So the only way

today that we can have

that perfect,

loving relationship

with God

is to simply accept

that He already

loves us unconditionally

by His choice,

by His volition.

How do we know that?

We know that God

loves us unconditionally

because He came

to this earth

as a real

historical person,

Jesus,

and He died

on the cross for us

just like we heard

in communion.

He reached down

to us

because we

were not good enough

and we could never

be good enough

to reach up to Him.

Our unrighteous wealth,

what good

is unrighteous wealth

in the eyes

of a righteous God?

A righteous God

who is perfect

and holy

but chooses

to love,

to love us.

So guys,

when we start

to grasp

the fact

that we can have

eternal life,

eternal life,

eternal dwellings

through God's

perfect love,

now then,

your life today,

your unrighteous wealth,

they begin

to take on

new meaning.

Everything

in this life

you start to realize

is temporary,

is passing

and will fade.

Everything

is temporary

and given

by God

for us

to manage.

You know,

sometimes I wish

that all our money

and all our credit cards

and all my things

were stamped

with God's name

on it.

You know,

Yahweh

or Christ

or what have you.

Because it would

remind me.

You know,

I was looking

at a $100 bill

this week.

If you're familiar,

the HSBC bills

have a lion on it.

I'm like,

ooh,

a lion of Judah.

It's a good reminder.

But then I looked

at the Bank of China bills

and it just has

the building on it.

So it doesn't work

totally.

But you get my point,

right?

if there are ways

for us to remember

who our possessions

really belong to.

Every dollar,

every cent,

everything you owe

is a gift

from God

to manage.

And we have

a far more lasting

and secure place

to invest.

Something that will yield

better than the highest

yielding investment

portfolio in this world.

In this parable,

Jesus is pointing us

to eternal dwellings

and true riches.

So that's the third concept.

The true riches.

Who will entrust

to you the true riches?

Now the true riches

comes from the word

in Greek.

It literally means

the true.

It means the true.

So you can't really

get any more true

than the true.

This is the truest

of true.

And so compared

to unrighteous wealth,

you know,

which is going to fade

and pass away,

true riches

will be ours to keep

because it's eternal.

It's that which is

your own.

It's our own.

True riches

are all the things

that you will experience,

that we will experience

and obtain

in heaven,

in eternity,

because of our faithfulness

today in using

unrighteous wealth.

Those are the investments

today that will actually

have eternal returns.

Those are the heavenly rewards.

Going back to the parable,

Jesus calls the manager

a son of this world

because he's living

for this lifetime only.

You know,

his shrewdness enables him

to deal well with

the people around him

and they'll welcome him

in this lifetime.

Christians are called

sons of light

and they need to have

that kind of shrewdness,

but in contrast,

their goal is to be

faithful to God.

Faithful to God.

Using their unrighteous

wealth in view

of those eternal dwellings,

in view of eternity,

in view of true riches.

So the question

that we need to ask

when we think about

true riches

is what does it mean

to be faithful

in using unrighteous wealth?

Jesus says really clearly

that we need to use

our wealth

to make friends

who will welcome us

into eternal dwellings.

And what this obviously means

is that you need to treat me

like your friend

and spend lots of money

on me

and then I'll welcome you

into eternal dwellings, right?

That's the application point.

Let's pray.

I'm kidding.

In case...

I am your friend.

I am your friend,

but this really isn't about me.

I think what this really means

is that we,

Jesus is calling us

to use our money

in a way that advances

the gospel.

The gospel,

the good news

that people can have

a relationship with God,

a perfect God,

through Jesus Christ.

Because when the people

around you

start coming to know

God's amazing love,

when they grow in faith

through God's community,

a community like Watermark

or the churches

that are being planted

all around Asia,

and when they start

taking part in God's mission

to share his love,

then we can start

being sure

that those people

will welcome you

into eternal dwellings

when you enter into heaven.

Now hear me clearly.

I'm not saying

that we're just supposed

to run around

and throw money at people

with this agenda

that they become Christians.

You know,

we're not trying

to bribe people

to say a sinner's prayer.

Making friends

and being faithful,

I believe,

simply means

being generous.

Being generous

with others

because you've

experienced

God's generosity.

It means that

your wealth

is shared openly

with others

because God

shares his wealth

so openly with us.

You know,

when you're generously

loving others,

your motive

is simply

to give them

a taste,

a taste

of God's love.

You're recognizing

that your wealth

actually belongs

to God

and he's shaping

your heart

to care

about the people

and the things

that God cares about.

And who does

God care about?

Jesus declares

that he came

to seek

and save

the lost,

all those

who don't know

him.

If you think

about it,

when you really

start to love

others,

even in a fraction

of the way

that God loves

them,

I mean,

how could you

not be generous

with them?

Why would you,

how could you

not be generous

with someone

you love?

It's not contrived,

it's not premeditated,

it's not fake,

it overflows

from the love

that you have

for them.

God also

tells us

that he

has a heart

for the poor,

the marginalized,

the disenfranchised.

And so today

if we're thinking

about shrewdness

in using

our unrighteous

wealth

for the purpose

of true riches,

God's telling us,

I think he's

challenging us

to really think

about how we

give to those

who are really

in need.

Because guys,

there are people

in this city,

in this world

who need

unrighteous wealth

a lot more

than we do.

There's over

a million people

in Hong Kong

who are under

the poverty line

right now.

There's people

in desperate need

in the Philippines.

I mean,

that's why we're

sending a

university ministry

mission trip

down there

later this month.

That's why

in the next few weeks

we're going to

spotlight a number

of outreach ministries

to Hong Kong

and beyond

that we're going

to collect

a love offering

for.

There is a need

both in our

community

and beyond.

And this is where

the rubber hits

the road.

This is where

we get practical

because we need

to ask ourselves

this question.

If someone looked

at your spending

this past week,

this past month,

this past year,

he looked at

every dollar

and cent

spent

or saved,

what would

that person

say is the

most important

thing in your

life based

on where

your money

is being?

Is it

more unrighteous

wealth?

Is it true

riches?

guys,

this is convicting

for me

because as I've

been thinking

about this,

I've realized

that I really

don't think

I have that

shrewdness,

that wisdom

that Jesus

is really

talking about.

I'm still

struggling with

that and thinking

about it.

Too often,

I just use

my resources

kind of

haphazardly,

unintentionally,

without

shrewdness.

So this

should be a

hard truth.

This should be

a difficult

thing because

all Christians

and non-Christians,

we will

wrestle with

our unrighteous

wealth.

If I'm honest

with you,

there's a part

of me that

really believes

that life will

be better if I

just have a

little bit

more.

The truth

is that

probably some

things might

get a little

better,

probably could

improve some

things,

could get that

next phone or

whatnot.

But then I

think about

what I imagine

like if I'm

on my deathbed

sitting there,

I just,

guys,

I don't want

to be there

and thinking

and have this

sense in my

heart,

this sinking

feeling that I

spent way too

much time and

energy on

things that

will just

vanish like

vapor.

Thankfully,

as Christians,

I don't think

we have to

worry about

that future.

because great

is God's

faithfulness

and he has

an eternal

life for us.

Scripture

tells us that

God who did

not spare his

own son Jesus

but gave him

up for all of

us, how will

he not also

graciously give

us all things?

And that's the

point.

I want you guys

to imagine if

you are clinging

so closely

two hands to

God because you

know he's your

only way to

eternity.

Jesus is the

only way that

we can have a

loving relationship

with God.

Then do you

have an open

hand to hold

on to your

wealth today?

Do you have

an open hand

if you're clinging

to the cross?

God's love.

So how do we

respond to God's

love?

And I want to

close with this

thought because

in all of this

I realize

there is

a huge element

of faith

in responding

to God's love.

Faith that ties

us all together.

It's not a blind

faith.

It's a faith

that's based on a

true historical

person, Jesus,

that came and

died for us.

It's faith that

God loves you

unconditionally and

he has eternal

life and true

riches prepared

for you.

And as you use

your unrighteous

wealth in a

faithful way,

you'll also need

to take a step

of faith.

because the

truth is you

might not know

all those

friends that

are going to

receive you into

eternal dwellings.

You might not

know who they

are today.

When I was

preparing for

this sermon,

God brought a

memory to my

mind.

Several years

ago, we were

doing anti-trafficking

work in India,

in Calcutta,

in the area,

and my team

had the

opportunity to

escort 15

girls back

into Nepal.

They had been

trafficked out of

Nepal to Calcutta,

forced into

prostitution,

but they were

rescued.

And after a fair

bit of drama,

they could finally

get repatriated

and go back.

But they

couldn't go back

to their homes

because they

weren't safe,

because there

were relatives,

family members

involved in

trafficking them.

And so instead,

we were placing

them in this

children's home

in Nepal.

And understandably,

they were

apprehensive about

it.

Right?

15 girls being

sent to this

children's home.

But as we

brought them in,

as they were

received by the

staff there and

the children in

the home,

just with the

amazing love of

Jesus, just with

great grace and

friendliness,

you could just

see within a

few days,

they were

starting to get

more chatty.

They were

starting to

smile a little

bit.

They became

more talkative.

And then we

said our

goodbyes and

my team,

we headed back

to India.

And sometime

later, we

received a

letter, just a

little letter,

and I just

wanted to share

a portion to

you.

She said,

to lawyer,

uncle, and

aunties, a

big thank you to

all of you.

You've gone

through a lot

of trouble for

us.

If we made

any mistakes,

please do

forgive us.

We pray that

you'll continue

to fight for

girls like us.

I love all of

you a lot.

I'm very happy

that I'm going

to school now.

Here, people

also love us

the same way

you do.

And I'm

writing this

letter in a

hurry since I'm

in school right

now.

Next time, I'll

write it nicely

on a card and

send it to you.

I hope that

even with this

scribbled letter

of mine, you'll

be happy.

I hope that

you're doing

well.

As I reflected

on this this

past week, I

prayed a prayer

for those girls

again.

The truth is

I'll probably

never see those

girls in this

lifetime.

If I'm honest,

I don't know

for sure if

they'll be

welcoming me

into eternal

dwellings.

but I know

how much

they were

moved by

God's love

when I met

them.

So I wouldn't

be surprised if

one day as we

move into

eternity,

those girls

will welcome

me into

eternal

dwellings.

The real

reason I'm

sharing this

story is

because I

don't think

they'd only

welcome me.

I think

they'd welcome

every team

member that

was there.

They'd welcome

every single

donor who

made that

work possible,

who made

that ministry

possible,

people who

may have

never met

them ever

in this

lifetime.

See, when

our Heavenly

Father welcomes

us into

eternal

dwellings,

I believe

He'll show

us how He

used our

faithfulness

to impact

nations and

generations.

And so for

us to step

out today in

faith, to

trust God

that He knows

what He's

doing, that

He's in

control, that

He loves the

lost infinitely

more than you

do, He loves

the nations

more than you

do, and He

will take your

offering, your

step of faith,

and multiply

it.

And look

forward in

faith to

eternal

dwellings, to

the future, to

true riches.

What's the

next step for

you guys today,

for every single

one of you?

What is that

step of faith

as you look

forward to

eternal

dwellings?

Let's pray

together.

God, every

single one of

us here this

morning has a

next step of

faith.

Lord, if that

step of faith is

to put faith in

your Son, Jesus,

Lord, I pray that

now you would

convict and

draw people to

know your love.

God, if it's a

step of faith to

love people who

are unlovable

around us,

Lord, I pray

that you would

lead us to

love generously,

with wisdom,

with shrewdness,

Lord.

Lord, if it is a

step to love

the nations,

to invest and

share and

overflow to the

nations, Lord, to

church planners, to

outreach ministries,

to social justice,

that people would

know your great

name and your love

for them, I pray

that we would take

that next step.

Lord, speak to

us.

Convict us, Lord,

through your

spirit, God.

What is the next

step for every

one of us here?

God, great is your

faithfulness, Lord.

Pray that we would

respond today,

whatever that looks

like, Lord,

whatever that one

next step is,

Lord.

In your precious

son's name we pray.

Amen.