0:13 Come on. Well, good morning. Maranatha Bible Church. Welcome to this Lord's Day service. It is a joy to be with you in our second week in our new home, God is good, all the time.
8:13 As we begin our service today, I invite you to stand up for the reading of God's word. And as always, may the reading of the word of the Lord penetrate all of our hearts today and focus our hearts on worshiping him and giving him our all throughout the entirety of this Lord's day service. I'd like to read this morning from Psalm 148, 148. The Psalmist says, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens.
8:46 Praise him in the heights. Praise Him all His angels. Praise Him all His hosts. Praise Him sun and moon. Praise Him all you shining stars.
8:58 Praise Him you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created, and he established them forever and ever. He gave a decree and it shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth. You great sea creatures in all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word.
9:25 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth, young men and maidens together, and old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord. For his name alone is exalted. His majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people.
9:52 Praise for all his saints. For the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord. Let's do that today. Father, we thank you.
10:04 And Lord, we join with the heavenly host this morning. We join with your creation throughout this globe. And Father, we join with our brothers and sisters across the lands and and all across the earth. And we praise your name today. For you alone are worthy.
10:22 You alone are worthy of all praise and glory and honor. Yet as your people, Lord, we thank you as we praise you. You bless us, and you give us joy that is incomparable to anything this world has to offer. And so Lord, we give our hearts to you today. May you move in this service today.
10:40 May you speak to your people today. Convict us of our sin. Lord, bring it to the forefront of our minds and may we confess it before you, our loving God. Focus our hearts and motives on serving you and glorifying you through everything that we do. And ultimately, Lord, may you be glorified in this service and may your people be filled with joy.
11:04 In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Church, will you please remain standing, and lift your voices to the Lord today. Father, we do reflect on those words, and we do thank you that we can remind our souls to rise to you because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. And Lord, we hold on to that.
19:00 And Father, for those in this room today who are brokenhearted, who are going through suffering and affliction and pain and and doubt. Lord, I I pray that by the power of your spirit, you remind their souls of who they are in Jesus Christ. Father, we're not looking for fake smiles here, but but we are looking on our faith anchored and rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. May you remind all of that, all of us today of that. In Jesus' name, amen.
19:30 Amen. Church, please spend the next couple moments greeting each other in the name of the Lord. We are in the Lord's house today. We are continuing our worship and I invite the ushers to help us in that as we worship the Lord through our giving, giving back a portion of what he has entrusted to us for the advancement of his kingdom and the spread of his fame throughout this city and all over the world. And as the ushers are coming to help us with that, I just have a couple of announcements to this or this morning.
20:34 Remind you that we don't just meet here on Sunday mornings now. We also meet here on Wednesday evenings at 07:00 where we gather together as a church family to pray and seek the Lord's face, and cry out to him for for the future of this ministry, but more importantly, for the advancement of the gospel in our lives and in the lives of those we come in contact with. Friday evenings at 07:00 as we go through verse by verse the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures. We are currently in the book of Nehemiah. So Wednesdays at 07:00, Fridays at 07:00, Sundays at 10:30.
21:13 Children, parents, Vacation Bible School is coming up. We have the date set. They it is going to be July 28 through July 31. Registration is not open yet, but please, if you are interested in volunteering or attending or letting your friends and family know about Vacation Bible School, those are the dates registration will open up soon. Stay tuned for that announcement.
21:39 The Maranatha Conference is coming up as, as well. The dates for that are August 27 through the thirtieth. And I've been told that registration for that opens up Monday, not this Monday, not tomorrow, but the next Monday, June 15. And it will close very quickly. So please plan now for when when registration opens up.
22:02 We would love for you all to join us in Muskegon, Michigan for that yearly church conference. The last announcement is more of a practical announcement as we have moved into this wonderful location. It's a big location. It's a big property, right? It's it's 14 and a half acres.
22:22 The building is large. So parents, please help us. We we love children in this church. We love babies in this church. We we we love them.
22:33 But we also wanna make sure that they are safe and protected during our times of fellowship. So if you could partner with us and the and the deacons and the leaders and just watch your children. Like I said, it's a big land. It's a big property. So keep an eye on your children even in the midst of your fellowship, even in the midst of your enjoying one another.
22:53 Please, please help us in that. And no children are allowed in the sanctuary after this service is closed, and no children are allowed no one's allowed in the kids wing as well. These are just practical steps that we are trying to take to steward the building well, and also to ensure the safety of everyone who attends. Let me read a couple verses from Philippians chapter one as a word of encouragement as we continue our singing and our worshiping God. Philippians chapter one verse twenty seven and twenty eight says, Paul says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
23:30 So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel salvation and that from God. Just briefly, just zero in on this verse, this this phrase in verse 27, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. So Paul is reminding the church and it's a reminder to us that we are partners in the gospel and that our mission is to strive together, side by side for the faith of the gospel. What does the striving mean? It implies hard work, right?
24:25 It implies difficulty. It implies hardship. It's not easy, but it's glorious. It's glorious when we do it together. And by saying striving side by side for the gospel, what is Paul also saying?
24:44 Possible for you as a body of believers to backslide together. It's possible for you to compromise together. It is possible for you, church, side by side, to drift and to coast and to lose your focus. And he's saying, don't do that. One spirit, one mind.
25:08 In another book, he says, one baptism, one Lord, one father over us all. And how do we do that together? Well, at the beginning of the verse, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of and you are united more with your brothers and sisters in Christ than you are with your biological unbelieving family. You have more in common with the imprisoned Christian in China. Then you do with your unbelieving brother, Astor.
25:57 And this is not to say that we don't love our biological family. No, this is actually means that we pray for them all the more that they will join us in our heavenly And I say that to remind us. And we have a lot of cultures represented here. Christ is greater. So may we always keep our focus on Christ.
26:31 May we encourage one another, brothers and sisters, to love and good works as we gather together and we strive side by side for the sake of the gospel. May that fuel our singing today. Why do we sing songs that the whole church can sing? Because we are singing them to the Lord and we are singing them to each other to remind each other who we are in Jesus Christ as we go on this mission together, side by side. May that fuel our singing today.
26:57 Father, we thank you for yet another opportunity to come before you and to lift our voices to you and to each other. Father, may through the singing, may through the preaching, and most of all the Lord's Supper today, may we be encouraged to stand side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ for the sake of the gospel of Jesus. Again and lift your voices to the Lord.
35:13 Heavenly father, we thank you for this lord's day. Father, our second lord's day in this new building that you have graciously provided for us in this season. Father, our desire is to glorify you, to proclaim the name of Christ in this place in all of our worship. We ask, Lord, by the power of the spirit that that would happen in this meeting from beginning to end. We ask that in the songs that we sing, in the message that is about to be preached, in our fellowship, all of it, Lord, would proclaim Christ crucified, the risen savior.
35:46 May your love be evident in this meeting today. And we ask, Lord, that, you would just fill our hearts with your joy, your strength, your comfort in all things today. Be glorified in this place. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
36:34 We will be looking this morning at Luke chapter 16 beginning in the first verse. It is a parable of the dishonest manager. The Lord Jesus, beginning in chapter 15, is speaking in parables. Now, parables teach us important truths. And we see then the tax collectors, the extortioners of that day, and sinners, drawing near to him to hear him.
37:15 But we see another group, not very much interested in Christ's teaching, but rather looking for something against him, the Pharisees and the scribes. Jesus told him beginning in chapter 15, the parable of the lost sheep. He gives him another parable of the lost coin. And then he gives him the parable of the prodigal son, which we have looked at a few months ago. And that parable of the prodigal son ends with the older brother who clearly represented the Pharisees complaining that the father's grace toward his younger brother is unwarranted.
38:09 In his eyes, his father was wrong to accept his son's repentance and celebrate his return. This was the attitude of the Pharisees. We are better. We we observe the oral law. We pray, we fast, and we give.
38:33 Yes, we do give for everyone to see. Their hearts were far from God. They have never appreciated or sought the salvation of sinners. And they wanted God to be exactly like them, rigid and forgiving, legalistic, focused on the external, not on the heart. But the father's response regarding the return of the prodigal son was exactly what the Pharisees did not want to hear.
39:19 He says: It is fitting. It is appropriate to celebrate and be glad. To rejoice with the music and singing for the return and the repentance of my younger son. Now, by now, the Pharisees are clearly not happy. They are full of hostility towards Jesus.
39:50 And now in chapter 16, Jesus turns to his disciples and he tells them another parable. Remember? The Pharisees are still there and they are still listening to every word Jesus is saying. How do we know that? How do we know that?
40:11 Look at verse 14 of chapter 16. It says, the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things and they ridiculed him. They ridiculed our Lord. Not because of wrong teaching but simply because they hated him for the truth he spoke. Why then should we worry or stop preaching when people ridicule us?
40:52 It is expected. If the words of life that proceeded from the mouth of our Lord and Savior were rejected and ridiculed, should we expect praise? And if we do get some praise, maybe maybe we must ask ourselves whether we are speaking the truth or not. Because the truth is going to be ridiculed when you speak of the cross as the only way to Christ. We speak about Christ as the only mediator between God and man.
41:37 That's a truth that is ridiculed by many. Let us continue to speak the truth. In verse one, Jesus begins his parable by saying, He also said to his disciples, There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his positions. And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be a manager.
42:20 So this parable is about a wealthy businessman, a wealthy farmer who had people working for him, and he had a manager over his business. This was customary in those days that the manager would live on the property of his boss or his employer. This manager was a man that his boss trusted in him, otherwise he would not have been hired. He had a great authority to sign contracts on behalf of the owner to execute business deals. But a word came to the owner that his manager was unworthy of his job.
43:09 He was a dishonest man. He was wasting his boss's possessions, property, money. He called him and said to him, what this thing I heard about you? You see, no one wants a bad employee. Right?
43:32 No one wants a dishonest manager, a cheater, and he tells him, you are fired. You're done. You cannot take the risk of keeping on the job someone whom you know is a dishonest, misusing your funds. And he tells me I need all the business deals you made, all the contracts turn in the account of your management. You know?
44:08 Every one of us will hear one day similar words. And I'm not talking about unbelievers because unbelievers have no management to give an account for. What they will answer for is what they have done with Christ. And since they have rejected Christ, their destiny is sealed. The sentence their sentence is declared.
44:46 As we read in John chapter three verse 18, whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only son of God. They will stand before the great white throne which is the final judgment as we see in revelation 20 and will be cast in the lake of fire for rejecting Christ and for rejecting Christ's love. So we're not talking about unbelievers, we're talking about believers who will one day give an account for their management. Management of what? Management of our talents, management of our time, many of our skills, many of our money and resources, many of our families.
45:51 Everyone will give an account. Every believer. What I have done with what God has given to me, what I have done with what Christ entrusted to me, have I been a good and faithful servant. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. First Corinthians 14.
46:19 It is required, God says, of us as stewards to be faithful. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God, says Romans fourteen twelve. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Second Corinthians five ten. For what?
46:51 Paul continues to say, and so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. He's speaking to believers, to me and to you. Oh, someone might say, but I thought, you know, we are going to heaven and that's all. We're all equal and and there is nothing more to it. Is that really true?
47:26 My friend, if you have placed your trust in Christ, heaven is your eternal home. And Christ himself will be your joy and companion forever. Your salvation is secure in him. But take heed how you live, each one of us. You don't want to stand ashamed before the judgment seat of Christ, looking back at wasted opportunities.
48:04 Life that bore little fruit for Christ's glory. Barely saved, no rewards awaits you. John in his first in his first letter chapter two twenty eight tells us, and now little children abide in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame that is coming. He's speaking to believers. Everything you have done on this earth will be tested by fire.
48:53 Were you consumed with building your own kingdom while neglecting Christ's kingdom? Your talents were not used for him. Your skills were not used for his service. And your time was spent on empty passing things instead of what lasts forever. You built with wood, hay, and straw as as Paul tells us in first Corinthians three, rather than gold, silver, and precious stones.
49:33 How did you build, believer? How are you building right now? What material are you using? The fire will test the quality of each one's work. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved.
49:58 Saved, yes, but suffering loss of reward. It's not enough to be saved and say I'm going to heaven, but what reward I'm going to have in heaven? What crowns I'm going to lay at Jesus' feet in appreciation of what he has done for me? What a tragedy to enter heaven with nothing today at the feet of Christ. Let us then build with all our hearts that which will last for eternity.
50:35 And by the way, this is by the subject of this parable. Now the master tells him, your job is finished. And each one of us, his job on this earth will finish. Right? Either through death or at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
51:00 Then verse three, and the manager said to himself, what shall I do? Since my master is taking the management away from me, I am not strong enough to to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. You see, he did not make any excuses. Many would make excuses. Right?
51:30 If you had employees, they do make excuses sometime to justify their sins and their falls and their wrongdoings. But this manager made no excuses whatsoever. He did not try to defend himself or justify anything he has done. He knew well he was guilty, that he has cheated and wasted his master's money. And the word wasted here that is used is the exact word mentioned in chapter 15 verse 13 about the younger son.
52:07 It says there, he took the father's inheritance, went to far country, and there he what? Squandered his property in reckless living. This manager squandered his boss's money. He wasted his money. He was wasteful and reckless in the use of his master's finances.
52:33 Now he realized now he is in a big trouble. Losing his management position means losing his income, his home. You see, he lives on a farm on his boss's property, he is at great risk. He is in a big trouble. And he realized that he is not a skilled person in anything but management of a farm.
53:03 He says, I can't dig. He he cannot do any manual labor. But also there's something else. He say, I can't beg. At least maybe he has one good virtue.
53:19 He's ashamed to beg. I can't beg. And there's four. He said, I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. Now this man was clearly dishonest, but he was not foolish.
53:47 He was not stupid. You see, but even the smartest people are eventually exposed, and their dishonesty comes to light. How many leaders have thought they could sin in secret and hide it? Only to discover they were not clever enough to keep it concealed forever. You might be smart.
54:21 We might be smart. But I tell you this, we're not smart enough to keep our sins head in forever. And if anyone listening to me today living another life, Let me put it this way. Let me tell you plainly, you will not hide your sin forever. And if you are ashamed at the thought of your sin exposed before people, before your wife, before your husband, before your children, before the church, should you not tremble at the thought of standing before the judgment seat of Christ, There will be far greater shame.
55:22 But, you know, I praise my savior for his his goodness, his faithfulness, his mercy, even the cheater. Even the one who lives a life of shame in secret when he comes in repentance to Christ and faith, God looks at them as a pure version as we have said last Friday. Someone who has never sinned before. This is the God that we worship. So don't remain in your sin.
55:56 Turn to God and you will find always acceptance. Now the manager began a very quick plan that will guarantee him with a place to live. He can't wait too long. He must come with a quick plan. He must prepare for the future.
56:22 He says that people may receive me into their houses. He has only few days to get out of his own residence, and he must find somewhere else to live. He does not own a house. He has a place to live. Verse five.
56:44 So summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, how much do you owe my master? He said a 100 measures of oil. He said to him, take your bill and sit down quickly and write 50. Then he said to another, we don't know how many were there, but at least Christ mentions two debtors. Then he said to another, and how much do you owe?
57:17 He said a 100 measures of wheat. He said to him, take your bill and write 80. So begin with the first, and he asked him a simple question, how much do you owe? Now it's not because he does not know. I'm sure he does know how much.
57:39 It just he wants to make sure probably the numbers match. No discrepancies between his record and the debtors the debtors' numbers. The debtors answer say and say a 100 measures of oil. That is approximately, there is nine gallons of oil per measure of of good, probably extra virgin olive oil. And, that was worth approximately one year of work.
58:10 Sit down and quickly write 50, he tells him. Now the manager or or the debtor has no idea that the manager has been dismissed from his job. He is thinking what a great man is this guy. What a great master he has. Now remember, the manager handled all the transactions, not the master.
58:40 His responsibility was to increase his master's wealth. Then he asked the second debtor how much he owes the master, and he says a 100 measures of wheat. That's about a 100 bushels of wheat. So he tells him, take your bill and write 80. The first one reduces by 50%, this one by 20%.
59:09 How pleased these debtors must have have have been right now. How thankful they must have felt. This man had saved him a great deal. Surely, now they felt indebted to him. Favor often expects favor in return.
59:31 Isn't it? He did a favor for us. Now we are indebted to him for another favor. But you see it goes much deeper than that. Again, you do not know this man has been dismissed.
59:48 You do not know what he is doing is unlawful. Once again, this manager is cheating his master. Clearly, he is a cheater. That what he knows to do, to be dishonest and cheat and lie. Yet, everyone assumes this is maybe the master's decision.
1:00:19 Perhaps he had told him that he has spoken to the master about their debts, about the hard economy, and and the master agreed to to reduce what they owed. And now everybody is happy. And maybe there is celebration in town. And the news maybe spreads quickly about how good this master is. And as often is the case in The Middle East, the news does spread quickly.
1:00:56 Every man is a news channel. And people began to praise the master for his kindness and generosity. Then the manager returns and hands over the books to his boss. Here you are. Now even though the manager acted dishonestly, the master is now bound to accept the revised accounts.
1:01:39 Why? Because now his reputation in town has been already established. And you know how much reputation is important in The Middle East? Now everyone now in town in town is thanking him for his generosity. He cannot go back and say, I never authorized those reductions.
1:02:09 You will owe me the full amount. He must accept the outcome and take comfort that his name is now spoken of well throughout the town. So what did the manager do? Simply this. He used his present position of influence to prepare for the future when that position would be gone.
1:02:40 That's the lesson. He gained friends. He secured a temporary shelter for the days to come. He gained favor. He was shrewd.
1:03:03 He calculated every move carefully. And now we come to the shocking commentary of the master in verse eight and nine. And I'm sure if you have read this parable, you came to this answer to this statement maybe and you are saying, what? The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
1:03:49 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Now are you shocked at that? At first glance, it may be shocking, but don't be. Don't be. Listen.
1:04:19 The master did not commend this manager for his dishonesty. He did not commend him for his disloyalty. He did not commend him for embezzling his own money. What did he commend him for? For his shrewdness.
1:04:39 For this one thing, shrewdness. What is shrewdness? It's a prudence. It it's wisdom. It it's forward thinking.
1:04:54 Our lord is just saying that the people of this world, the unbelievers are more shrewd. They are wiser in the management of their finances, in the use of their position and authority and influence than God's people in using what God has given to them. Whether our talents, money, or time, skills, or whatever God has entrusted to us. And if the church pursues the thing of God, the way the world pursues money, earthly pleasures, things would be much different. If the church invests in eternity the way the people of this world invest in the stock market, how they diversify their portfolio, checking it, adjusting it on regular basis, keeping an eye on reports and news, researching every move, and making decision to build a larger portfolio, never saying I'm content, but I also want more.
1:06:21 Many Christians are so content in their spiritual life. They don't want anymore. How is your heavenly portfolio? I don't want to know anything about your Fidelity portfolio. How is your heavenly portfolio?
1:06:47 How much have you been saving? I don't want to say for retirement, but for eternity. I understand it's important to say for retirement, but how much have you been saving for eternity? Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew six twenty and twenty one. But I but but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
1:07:25 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Are we seeking to accumulate heavenly treasure the way the people of this world pursue earthly wealth? Are we searching the scriptures daily to know the mind of God just as the sons of this age study reports, markets, and news? They understand that knowledge rightly used can produce earthly gain. How much we should understand that the knowledge of God's word rightly applied produces eternal reward and heavenly treasure.
1:08:26 Are we investing in the kingdom of God with the same vigor, urgency, and desire that the people of this world invest in the kingdom of this world. Verse nine. And I tell you, make a friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. And Christ here uses the word mammon for wealth, for money. And he calls mammon you notice that?
1:09:15 Unrighteous wealth. Not because it was necessarily obtained dishonestly, though it may sometimes be the case. Rather, it belongs to this fallen world and is often used for unrighteous purposes. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ here making a contrast between earthly currency and heavenly currency. He is saying, make friends for yourselves now by means of earthly wealth so that when this worldly money fails, when the dollar loses its value, when the day comes that no one desire it anymore, when it passes away and becomes worthless, you will have invested in something that remains, something that is lasting.
1:10:29 Christ is speaking of what takes a place after this earthly journey is over, and we are called to our heavenly home. At that moment, the dollar will have no value. Everything earthly will have lost its worth. But what you did with that dollar, while on earth, may result in heavenly reward. So make make friends, use the dollar for heavenly purposes.
1:11:09 And here Christ says that they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. Who are they? Who may receive us into the eternal dwellings? There are those whose lives you touched for Christ while on earth, whether by speaking the truth of God to them, supporting the spirit of the gospel, or using your resources for the eternal good and for the eternal salvation. Matthew 25 verses thirty five and thirty six, Christ there says these words.
1:11:58 He says, for I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me.
1:12:15 I was in prison, and you came to me. And because you did it for them. Christ says you did it for I take it personally. You did it for me, Christ says. There, on that day, you may be greeted by people you have never met or seen before.
1:12:44 Yet through your generosity, the word of God reached them and by God's grace, now they are in the presence of Jesus and you will enjoy company with him in the presence of Jesus forever and ever and ever. In Matthew twenty four twenty five, the lord gives us another purple just to mention it. And then we see a master that entrust money to three of his servants according to their ability. To the one, he gives 5 talents. To another, he gives two, and to another, he gives one.
1:13:36 And he commands them to invest what he has given to them. Now this is a picture of Christ, of course, giving each one of us abilities, opportunities, resources in this world to invest in his kingdom. Now what is expected of the Christian investor or steward? Faithfulness. To use what Christ has entrusted for us for the advancement of his kingdom.
1:14:08 Now how did the first servants do? They did very well. They doubled his master's their master's money. They doubled it. That's a great investment, great return.
1:14:24 And what did the master say when he returned? Surely rejoicing. I mean, to see his money doubled, he's rejoicing in their diligence, in their faithfulness. He said, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little.
1:14:46 I will sit you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. In verse 10, the Lord Jesus of our parable continues with these words, one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. And one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth that's in the money that God provides for us now, Who will entrust you?
1:15:25 The true riches. And if you have not been faithful in what in in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? The way the word translated very little here is in Greek and offer render least. So is saying that whoever is faithful in what is least will also be faithful in much. And what is least that the Lord is referring to?
1:15:59 Money. Quite interesting. Christ refers to money as the least. And Jesus says, if you are unfaithful with God's money and we must acknowledge everything we have is belong to him and is from him. If you are unfaithful in this least matter money, Christ says you will also be unfaithful in greater matters.
1:16:27 That his assessment, not my assessment. So it begins here. Do you want, Jesus, to test your faithfulness to God? Do you want to examine your spirituality? How do you handle your money?
1:16:51 Do you have a heavenly perspective? Are you investing in eternity? Are you using God's resources for the building of God's kingdom? If you're not faithful with money, do you just ask why should you be entrusted with the greater things, with spiritual riches? If you are unfaithful with the little you have now, why should the Lord place more into your hands?
1:17:19 As simple as this. And verse 12 as we finish. And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? Jesus says that what you now possess belongs to another. It belongs to God.
1:17:43 The manager in this parable was unfaithful with his master's money. He was misusing what he had what has been entrusted to him. Likewise, the Christian who handles money with a with no thought of eternity, with no concern for Christ's kingdom is being unfaithful with owner of all what we have. And the lord closes the parable by drawing his final conclusion in verse 13. No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
1:18:30 You cannot serve God and money. Now we know God is master. But now just tell his disciples and though the Pharisees were listening, the message especially for his disciples, the message is for us. He tells us that money can become a master, a powerful master. Money is never intended to be a master.
1:19:02 Money was intended to be a servant. However, for many people, money rules their lives. They serve it. They think about it. Constantly, they love it more than anything else, even more than their family.
1:19:24 Money becomes their security, their identity, their pursuit, their everything. Just says that if this disc describe you, do not claim that Christ is your master for no one can serve two masters. That's hard. That's the truth since it came from the mouth of Christ. So the question is simple to all of us today, who is my master?
1:19:57 Am I consumed with what is temporary, earthly, and perishing, or do I live with a heavenly focus and an eternal perspective? Let's pray. Our heavenly father, we thank you that you are our master, and you are a kind, a faithful, a loving, a merciful master. You are gentle. Lord, you never treat us according to our own doings, but rather you always treat us with mercy.
1:20:52 And we praise the lord for for that. Lord, as we look around us, we see you have entrusted us with so many things, great gifts, skills, talents, and many of us with great resources, and we do praise you for that. We praise you. And I'm sure, Lord, you have found many of us faithful. For this very reason, you have given us even more because of our faithfulness, and we praise you for it.
1:21:27 Well, we pray that this morning, each one of us will examine his or her heart and ask this question. Why I am in this condition? Is it because of my unfaithfulness or something else? To seek your heart, to find your truth. God, we pray even this morning that you would enlighten our hearts and mind to see your truth.
1:21:58 Stir our hearts with vigor to invest in what is lasting for eternity. Your kingdom, lord. Lord, we give you the glory for this church, and we praise your holy name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
1:22:14 Let's stand up to worship the lord together. As we prepare our hearts to break a bread, you may be seated, please. Usually, we like to take a few minutes, very short minutes to meditate on a specific scripture before the Lord's supper supper. First Corinthians chapter five verse six to eight. Your boasting is not good.
1:28:58 Do not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old living, the living of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Paul addresses the gifted church at Corinth.
1:29:37 Though they were rich in gifts, they have become careless in the exercise of those gifts and in matters related to church purity including in observing the Lord's table as we see in chapter ten and eleven. In this chapter, Paul corrects their conduct. The conduct within the church. The church was tolerating open sin, and Paul strongly rebukes them, insisting that such things must not be allowed among God's people. The sin of one individual, Paul says, affects the whole body.
1:30:26 He says that a little leaven leavens the whole lump, a truth many people don't wanna talk about today. And Paul builds his argument upon a principle drawn from the Passover as established by God himself. And in this passage, we find two elements in the background of Israel's redemption. Number one is the Passover lamb, but secondly, the removal of leaven in preparation for the feast of the Passover. Now the Passover lamb clearly points to Christ.
1:31:10 Paul explicitly say in verse seven, for Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Then in verse eight, Paul mentions the feast. Let us therefore celebrate the festival. Now he's referring, of course, to the feast of the unleavened bread that followed the Passover. Now before the the feast began, all living was removed from the home.
1:31:45 Paul uses this as a picture. Just as Israel removed the living, so God's people are to put away sin and walk in sincerity and truth. So when Paul says clean clean out to cleanse out the living, he's withdrawing on what Israel has done or do before the Passover. Every household would carefully search the home, removing every trace of leaven so that nothing unclean remained as they enter the feast. No yeast was to be found anywhere in their dwellings.
1:32:35 Throughout scripture, living often serve as a picture of sin and corruption. Families would examine every corner of the house, ensuring nothing remain that would defile the Passover celebration and the remembrance of God's deliverance. Paul applies this principle directly to the church. As we gather on this Lord's day to remember Christ, our true Passover lamb, we're called to examine ourselves and put away every living of sin, malice, and hypocrisy. And while Paul is not directly teaching on the Lord's table in this passage, the imagery he uses, I think, remind us of it.
1:33:34 And therefore, I would say as Israeli prepared themselves to eat the Passover meal with cleansed homes, so the church is called to approach the Lord's table with cleansed hearts. Let us then approach it this morning with awe, humility, gratitude, thanksgiving, joy, and yes, with repentant hearts. Now this is a feast of remembrance. It's a celebration. Let me remind you.
1:34:07 Yes. We are serious, but it's not a funeral. It's not. We must come with joy. It's a celebration.
1:34:15 We celebrate what Christ has done and what has accomplished. It did not end with his death. It ended with his resurrection. And the benefits of this resurrection, my and your resurrection, and life from the dead. This table, I'd like to remind you, is for those who know Christ as Lord and savior, who desire to walk in fellowship with him.
1:34:44 If you don't know Christ yet as such, or if you are living in in sin or in a deliberate disobedience, we ask you to refrain from this table today. Likewise, I would add, if you are a believer who has not yet followed Christ in baptism, we do encourage you. We do encourage you to take this step of obedience and publicly identify yourself with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection before participating in the Lord's table. We're going to do today like we have done, in the past, the original way. The ushers will lead us into that.
1:35:29 You come forward and you go from the sides. The night just was betrayed. He took bread, then he gave thanks before he broke it. Let us give thanks. Lord Jesus, what an occasion to be here this morning, to think of what you have done for us.
1:44:57 Lord, this is your table. It's all about you. We have to remember your death, your suffering, your cross, your shedding of blood. Well, we don't know what was going in your mind, Lord, when you met there with your disciples in that upper room, Lord. You knew everything was going to happen to you.
1:45:18 You knew the suffering ahead of you. You know that Peter will deny you. Judas will betray you. The whole world will unite against you, yet you were able to encourage the disciples to wash their feet and to give thanks. Oh lord, we give you thanks.
1:45:40 We praise you for the body, your body that you offered for us and as we take this bread, yes lord, we remember what you have done and we tell you our salvation is secure with what you have done, and we just thank you for it. We give you the glory. Amen. This is take it, eat it. Do this in remembrance of me.
1:46:13 Let's eat together. Let's give thanks for the cup. Lord Jesus, we know that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. We know and we declare that it's not by our work, not by our good behavior or conduct, not by our prayers, fasting, giving nothing. It's by your blood.
1:47:02 Your blood was shed for our cleansing and redemption. We thank you for every precious drop of blood you shed for our salvation, and we give you the glory. And as we drink it together, we say together, thank you, Lord Jesus, for the finished work on the cross on our behalf. Let's bring it together with thanksgiving. Stand up to worship the lord for the last song.
1:54:12 Just want to read one verse at the end from Colossians chapter three. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Sit your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with the Christ in God. Lord Jesus, we thank you and we worship you. And Lord, we pray that your church will remain faithful to the end.
1:55:02 We'll invest in eternity. We'll have a heavenly perspective. We'll boast only in one thing, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we give you the glory and the honor. In your name, we pray.
1:55:21 Amen. Don't leave yet. Our meeting does not end with this meeting. We have always a fellowship downstairs, so please stay for fellowship. And I heard we have pizza, so please join us to have fellowship together.
