Transcript

Let’s go to Luke 16 this morning. As we continue in our preaching straight through the Gospel of Luke, we come to, well actually we continue a theme the Lord began speaking the last time we were together and we’re going to continue on in that theme as he talks about the fact that we are managers and stewards of all the stuff, the possessions in our lives. We’re not owners, God owns it all and we are managers of what he has given us. Continuing in this theme, verse 10 of Luke 16, we’ll go down to verse 16. Verse 10,

10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. 16 The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”

It was considered the greatest financial scandal perhaps of all times. In 1920, a man by the name of Charles Ponzi developed an investment company whereby men would invest in international postage and it was going to be sold among the nations and then reap great profits so the investors were promised massive returns. However, the reality was only miniscule profits were being made and Charles Ponzi would take new investors’ money and give returns to the old investors and make them think it was a great investment. The problem is that he had to get more investors and get them to give their money to give the last investors some sort of profit and thus the dog chasing its tail kept going on. Of course, pretty soon it was found out. That kind of thing can’t last. An enormous number of people lost their wealth and banks even went out of business because they were supported by the great amounts of money that Charles Ponzi was bringing in and, of course, he went to prison.

It made me think about our government today. Our government seems to function on something of a Ponzi scheme. They keep giving away and doling out and giving away and doling out money we don’t have assuming it’s going to come from somewhere, some day, from somebody but you and I both know one day that is going to run out. There is going to be a great reckoning day and a great accounting day coming up. But we’re also functioning in a Ponzi scheme ourselves. If we think we can use the stuff God has put into our care and there is not going to be a day of reckoning for it. If we think there is no day of accounting of what we’ve done with the stuff he allowed us to be stewards or manages over during this life. There is a reckoning day. There is a day of accounting. So I’ve taken this section where Jesus talks very clearly and very plainly about our stewardship and I call it “The Greatest Ponzi Scheme,” because if you’re going to use the things that are given to you and not think that there is an accounting, a reckoning before God, you’ve been duped and you’re going to come up bankrupt and a loser on the day of judgment.

First of all, let’s notice in verses 10-12: a proper perspective of possessions. A proper perspective of possessions. Just what are we supposed to view the things that God has given us, the things that he has entrusted to our management, what’s the proper perspective of all of that? Subpoint 1: we need to remind ourselves that earthly possessions are of little value. Notice what the Lord says there in verse 10, they are of little value. He says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much.” Now, knowing the context of what our Lord is talking about, he’s talking about the little things being the things of the present world, that the things that we know in this present life and in this present physical earth are just of very slight value when you understand eternal things. First of all, we know everything in this earth is a temporal thing. I’m going to throw a few cross references out there to help seal this into our thinking this morning. 2 Peter 3%3