I count it a most wonderful privilege to be gathered here with you all today, because I realise that it is only by the mercy and love of God that I am here.
I am so grateful in my unrighteousness that I have known of God’s care.
This thought has been so much on my mind and the thought of the care of God’s children that I have experienced, because they have shown it for Jesus sake.
It is a care that God has put into their hearts, and is so precious to me.
In this world people are so careless, and the carefree attitude is a dangerous thing that we have to beware.
People in the world are careless concerning what is right and what is truth.
We as God’s children need to be more caring.
God is looking for a caring people, kingdom-minded people, to have this concern, this care for the things of God.
If we are at all careless today, it is likely we will care even less tomorrow, and there is a tendency to fall back and fall out.
There is one little expression in the N.T. that Jesus used concerning God’s people: He called them children of light.
In John 12, Jesus said, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness cometh upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not wither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.”
We can be thankful that we have been called with such a great calling to be children of light in the midst of children of darkness in the world around us.
There is such a difference between God’s people and the children of the world – that difference which is between light and darkness.
Paul said in writing to the Ephesians in the 5th chapter, 8th verse, “Walk as children of light.”
There is a little portion of scripture I would like to read.
It is mostly an explanation of a parable in the 16th Luke; the parable of the unjust steward.
I am thankful that Jesus, when teaching parables, has given an explanation, and that is so precious to us.
Verse 8, “And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”
We can be thankful, and I am thankful for those that brought this glorious gospel to me; to be used by God to open up scripture and to help me to appreciate the truth and the way of God.
We have heard in the meeting how we appreciate these that brought the gospel to us, because it is the ministry that Jesus taught.
This ministry is such a wonderful ministry because throughout the whole world those who are following Jesus in the ministry are being used by Him to bring this glorious gospel, that changes lives and brings spiritual blessings.
Sometimes there is a tendency to look to some more than others, and some servants of God in the past as better than today.
God forbid that we think like that.
I have been encouraged in thinking of how we can be an asset as a child of God, by upholding the hands of God’s servants in our midst.
This way we can frustrate the work of Satan, even binding his hands, that he is not able to do what he wants to do.
By upholding the hands of God’s servants in our midst, we can do this.
I was thinking of this matter of caring.
God cares and He wants us to care.
We know that God cares because in the 8th Psalm it says, what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
I have to say, “Who am I and what am I that God should care for me.”
When we think of Jesus and all that God has done in giving His only begotten Son, laying down his life, we surely know God cares.
I was thinking of the sacrifice of Jesus, we were hearing of John 10, and in the 10th chapter of Matthew Jesus made it clear, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Surely God does care.
God has every care for us.
I was noticing of David in Psalm 56 how he emphasizes this fact of God caring, when he says, “Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book7”
God sees and knows and cares, and he takes note of our tears and we can be assured that they’re in His bottle, and even written in His book.
Peter was able to say, “Cast all your cares upon Him for he careth for you.”
We think of the false ways of the world: hireling, beggar for money, because they are not true under-shepherds.
I like to think of Jesus as the good shepherd, the great shepherd, and the chief shepherd.
There are those that have followed Him in the gospel and I would like to be numbered among them that are under shepherds and have care.
Jesus spoke of the hirelings in John 10 “He careth not for the sheep.”
A man working for wages.
God wants us to be a caring people, and to care for the all-important things, for the standard and for the fellowship and the maintenance of it; to care to do our part and to take steps in the interest of the Kingdom.
In the scriptures there are so many mentions of care-takers; servants and stewards.
Our life is not an ownership, it is a stewardship.
We are not our own.
We are brought with a price.
We are here to honour and glorify God.
As we come to this 16th chapter of Luke, we find there that Jesus is speaking a parable.
He tells us that this unjust steward, the lord commended him that he had done wisely.
He said, “For the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.”
That word lord is spelt with a small “l”.
The master of that steward commended him because he had done wisely.
He had thought of his natural future and natural concerns and homes.
Then Jesus said, “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.”
Or the people of the world are wiser in natural things.
Jesus was speaking the parable about natural things.
People of the world are wiser in natural things than the children of God are in spiritual things.
God wants us to be concerned about our spiritual future.
About our having friends that can receive us into everlasting habitations, and to have a home to go to when this life is over.
The only friends that can receive us into heaven are God and Jesus and his friends.
When we heard the gospel, we were made conscious of the fact that one day we have to give an account.
There are things that make up unrighteous mammon.
Untrue riches and the least things; What are the unrighteous mammon and the untrue riches?
First of all, we think of our health and strength.
Health is wealth; time is money; and people say, what they have is their own to do as they like with that.
We are stewards of these things and they all belong to the unrighteous mammon, untrue riches and the least things.
God’s children are stewards of natural and spiritual things.
As we are privileged to be children of light, we have a great responsibility.
Sometimes we wonder why people don’t get help when they listen to the Gospel, or after making a beginning they are out of God’s way. We can often trace it back to the smallest things. They haven’t considered the fact that their life is not their own, and time is not theirs. It is to be used in the way God wants.
God is concerned about our behaviour.
People are not concerned about being honest in their dealings with their fellowmen.
You think of that unjust steward. We might say that Jesus was commending the unjust steward, but that is a parable and lord is spelt with a small “l”. There is a verse in the O.T. in Psalm 41 where David said, “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing; his Glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived, he ‘blessed his soul; and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.” The lord of that unjust steward, he praised him when he did well to himself. Jesus speaks all the time of faithfulness in this parable. Faithfulness even in the least things is wisdom in the sight of God: If we are not faithful in that which is least, we are unfaithful in much. Jesus explains this parable, “Who will commit to your trust in the true riches?” They are the ‘blessings of the kingdom; spiritual life, grace we have received in Christ to become His child. To be a child of light, numbered among His children. Who will commit to your trust the true riches if you have not been faithful in untrue riches? Then He goes on further, “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another’s man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” If you have been faithful as a steward, for another man, who will give you true riches? There are words in a hymn, “Nothing is mine if I must, leave it here, when I have ended my earthly career.” God wants us to have what will be with us eternally, these true riches and what will be our own. Jesus said, “If you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” There are three mentions in the N.T. of stewards, apart from the one we have already mentioned here. The first one we read of in Paul’ s letter to the Corinthians, and it is concerning the ministry, 4th chapter, first verse. “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” God is looking for faithfulness from us as His servants. Faithful in every aspect, in upholding; standards and presenting the gospel. Faithfulness is what God requires. If you look into Paul’s letter to Titus, you will find that he says in the first chapter concerning elders. There are God’s servants the preacher and there are those that have some responsibility in the church; the elders and then the saints. Here in the 5th verse, he tells Titus to ordain elders. “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set-in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I have appointed thee; if any be ‘blameless, the husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not giver to wine, no striker, and not given to filthy lucre.” The bishop must be blameless as the steward of God. Those that are the elders of the church are stewards. In 1 Peter 4, v 8 we read, “And above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves; for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality, one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold Grace of God.” This is your responsibility in the church and a child of God, and a child of light, to minister what God has been willing to impart to you, because you have said, “I will be faithful in the least things.” It has been committed to you the true riches. You have received the grace of God. We are stewards of natural and spiritual things, and it is required that we be faithful and we minister these things one to another. Peter goes on to explain and he said, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” That is God’s wish for us, that we be useful in His kingdom. God is anxious that we be faithful in these things. I have thought of the true riches, the heavenly riches. Earthly riches can rob us and in this way, when we think of living in an affluent society and people are looking for ease and pleasure, so many things that they want a carefree life; not to be burdened with this and that. God wants a caring people, and prosperity can make us poor if we let it. There are many cares that people have that they have brought upon themselves, and there is a grave warning in the 8th chapter of Luke, Jesus says of the ground that is thorny, that which fell among, thorns, the cares and the riches and the pleasures of this life choke the word that it becometh unfruitful. Some fruit, but not fruit to perfection. This is a grave warning. We get involved, but how good to get involved in the cares and the riches of the life to come. I hope we realise the great value of the things that God has put into our trust, that we would go forth to be an asset as children of light, to shine. Paul speaks about this crooked and reverse nation, among which ye shine as lights in the world. To be a light in the world we need to love one another, and be content in our lot, having this peace and being satisfied; then constancy in our service. People will see this. We are constant in going to the meetings, constant in our service, and one day we will have to give account when we die. Jesus said, “When you fail, you make to yourselves friends to the mammon of unrighteousness by means of being faithful in the least things, that when you die, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” They mean Jesus and God and his friends that would receive us into His everlasting kingdom. May we be faithful stewards to the end.
Truth Archive 