Luke 16:1-13
How to Fail Well
\\#16:1,9\\ Please note that Jesus is first talking to His disciples
and that He is talking about failing. In fact, He is preparing some
of His disciples for what is their inevitable future.
The word FAIL means to quit, to leave, to cease, to stop.
Why is it the inevitable future of some of Jesus’ disciples to fail?
Because actions lead to consequences. There is the consequence of
commission and there is the consequence of omission. Certain actions
have certain inevitable consequences.
Jesus has spent much time teaching His disciples how to succeed;
however, some have not listened. They had not totally quit—yet, but
they had not followed His counsel on how to succeed, so they would.
Who are they? Judas for one, but many of Jesus’ disciples had quit
following Jesus.
John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples
went back, and walked no more with him.
Now, Jesus was teaching those disciples how to fail.
Christians who aren’t going to obey Christ completely should listen
carefully. Failure is an inevitable future… in your ministry, in
your family, in your walk with Jesus.
I. The Parable Is of An Unjust Steward.
A. A steward is simply a trusted servant. He is one to whom
responsibility has been entrusted.
1. The term coincides with the people Jesus is speaking to,
"HIS disciples" \\#1\\.
2. These are those that Jesus had entrusted with some things.
B. We are all stewards for Jesus Christ in one way or another.
1. I am a preacher and pastor, entrusted to preach the Word
of God to this church and community.
a. This is my unique calling.
b. I am one of the few men who will pastor this church
and one of the select men who will pastor in this
community.
2. But God has given me many other treasures.
a. My time, my life, my days upon this earth - That is a
gift, a treasure given to me by God.
Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
b. My wife, my home.
c. My children and grandchildren.
d. My money
e. My acquaintances, my friends
f. My knowledge
g. My abilities
h. My opportunities
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let
us do good unto all men, especially unto them
who are of the household of faith.
i. The Bible itself
j. The commands of the Bible
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.
k. While these are my trusts as well, I am not the only
one charged with some of them. Some of them are
yours too and you have others and so do I.
C. \\#2\\ Every steward must give an account of his stewardship.
1. This is an important aspect of this parable and of for all
who have received anything of value from God.
Romans 14:10 …for we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God shall bring every work
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether
it be good, or whether it be evil.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to
that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2. So every Christian shall stand before God to give an
account of those things entrusted to him or her.
a. I think that many have never considered that.
b. God has a plan for your life and has given you gifts,
abilities, and opportunities to accomplish them.
c. What are you doing with the things God has given to
you?
D. The steward of this parable had not listened to his Master
and so was to be removed from his post. That was the message
that was sent on before.
II. At this point, Jesus begins to give counsel on how to fail well.
A. Then Jesus gives His first counsel to the disciple that was
going to fail.
1. \\#9\\ Make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness.
a. Make friends. What kind of friends.
b. Of the "mammon." The word is Aramaic. It means of
defiled things, typically of wealth.
c. That goes with the third main word, unrighteousness.
d. So God is saying make friends with the unrighteous
who have or through defiled things like money.
2. Of course, the point of the parable is teach a spiritual
point. What is the spiritual point?
a. The point of this parable is not to encourage us to
fail. God does not want anyone to fail.
b. \\#5-7\\ Neither is the point to teach us character
for this unfaithful steward would be yet more
unfaithful by giving away his Master’s goods to pad
his future!
c. The point is, if you are going to be unfaithful and
fail anyway, you’d better be smart enough to use this
world to prepare for your future!
(1) If you are not going to be faith, use money and
whatever unrighteous means at your disposal to
make yourself worldly friends to help you as
God will not be there for you.
(2) That is exactly what this man did and his Master
commented him for it!
3. Is this really what God wants?
a. NO.
b. This is satire. Jesus is using reverse psychology to
show us the utter foolishness of not listening to
Him.
c. What would God rather we do?
(1) Listen to Him.
(2) Obey Him.
(3) Do what He has created us to do.
d. But if you are not going to do that, you might as well
make the most of this world because you are going to
need help one day and it won’t come from Him.
e. You are going to fail and it is inevitable.
B. \\#10-12\\ Be careless with the small things to which you are
entrusted.
1. \\#11\\ People who won’t do right with the small things,
won’t do right with the big things either so make your
habit not to right with the small things.
a. People always want the big things from God but if they
aren’t doing right with the things God has already
given them, they are not going to do right with
bigger things.
b. People often want greater riches, but if they aren’t
doing right with the little they have, they will not
do right with more.
c. People often want a mate, but if they are not treating
the people in their life well now, they will not
treat their mate right later.
d. Some pastors want bigger churches or fields in which
to minister, but if they are not doing right with
where they are today, they would not do right in a
bigger field tomorrow.
e. Some spiritually-minded people want revival power, or
soul winning power, or prayer power, or wisdom or
knowledge; yet, they are not using what God has given
to them now and so God knows that they will not use
what they want if He gave that to them.
2. Does God really want us to neglect the things He has given
to us and to fail?
a. No. Again, this is satire and reverse psychology.
b. What God wants is for us to take account of what He
has already given to us and to use it for His glory.
c. That simple list of things that we take for granted
like…
(1) Time
(2) Our Bible
(3) Our knowledge of the Bible
(4) Our church
(5) Our family
(6) the voice God has given us
(7) The health we have
(8) The neighborhood in which we live
(9) The life God has given to us
d. There is nothing so small or unimportant that God
doesn’t watch over it.
(1) The Bible says that God looks over the sparrows.
(2) I remember when I delivered papers a lady asked
me knot to put her newspaper in her box. Some
birds had made a nest in it and she would rather
the birds have their nest than she have her
paper in the box.
(3) She considered that little nest was important.
(4) Would to God that we would consider every
sunrise, every breath, every soul we meet, every
opportunity we have just as important.
e. For if we cannot or will not, we shall certainly fail!
C. \\#13\\ Split your loyalty and serve two masters.
1. This is advice on how to fail well.
2. Jesus uses that word "mammon" again.
3. Mammon can be anything that can be corrupted and defiled,
but most often it is riches and wealth.
a. It could also be fame and popularity.
b. It could be position and influence.
4. Live for the things of this world and you will surely
fail.
a. Isn’t it interesting that the advice is not forsake
God completely and seek after mammon?
b. That is what most think it required to fail at
spiritual things but that is not what Jesus mentions.
c. There can be only one number 1!
d. All you must do is mix your loyalties and you will
fail.
e. Create many little loves and it will not be long until
you have sacrificed your first love.
f. This is a principal through out all of the Bible.
Song of Solomon 2:15…the little foxes, that spoil the vines…
III. The Bible teaches devotes much time to teaching us many truths
on how to succeed for Christ, but it is summed up in one verse.
1Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful.
A. Faithful to Jesus Christ.
B. Faithful to the things of God.
Which road are you on? The road to success or to failure?
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