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 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.