Bailey Methodist Church
11/16/2025
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  • Luke 16:1–13 ESV
    1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 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 manager.’ 3 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 dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 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. 9 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. 10 “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. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in 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 he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
    Introduction
    The parable of the dishonest manager is one of Jesus’ most challenging stories. It begins with a scandal: a steward caught wasting his master’s possessions. Summoned to give an account, he scrambles to secure his future by reducing his master’s debtors’ bills. And then comes the shocking twist—Jesus says the master commended this dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly.
    At first glance, it seems that Jesus praises dishonesty—but He does not. Rather, He praises the man’s foresight and wisdom in preparing for what was to come. The manager used his limited time and resources to ensure his survival in the days ahead. Jesus takes this worldly example and turns it toward eternal truth: “The children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
    In other words, unbelievers often show more urgency and intentionality in securing their temporal future than believers do in preparing for their eternal one.
    John Wesley, reflecting on this passage, wrote two sermons that apply its lessons powerfully to our lives—“The Use of Money” and “The Good Steward.” Wesley saw that how we handle money reveals the state of our hearts. Money is not inherently evil; it is a tool—a means by which we can serve or betray our Lord. The question is not whether we have wealth, but whether we are faithful with what we have.
    From these teachings, we discover a biblical pattern for faithful stewardship: Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.

    1. Gain All You Can. (vs. 1–4)

    “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.” (Luke 16:1)
    The parable begins with failure—wastefulness. The manager has been careless with what was entrusted to him. His sin is not simply theft; it is negligence. In spiritual terms, this mirrors the human condition: God has entrusted us with time, talents, opportunities, and resources, yet we often squander them without thought.
    When the master demands an account, the steward realizes he must act quickly. He uses his last days in office to prepare for the future. Jesus is not endorsing his dishonesty but highlighting his diligence and prudence—his ability to act decisively in light of what was coming.
    John Wesley took this principle and translated it into Christian stewardship. His first rule was, “Gain all you can.” That may sound worldly at first, but Wesley meant something very different from greed. He said, “Gain all you can by honest industry; use all diligence in your calling.” Work is not a curse—it is a calling. God created humanity to labor creatively and faithfully.
    For the Christian, earning money through honest work is an act of worship. It reflects diligence, integrity, and a desire to use one’s gifts for God’s glory. The Christian worker is not driven by greed but by gratitude, knowing that every ability and opportunity is a gift from God.
    The Apostle Paul reinforces this same call to diligent, faithful labor in 2 Thessalonians 3:10–12, where he writes, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” Paul was not condemning the poor or the unemployed—he was confronting idleness and spiritual complacency. In the early church, some believers had misunderstood the hope of Christ’s return and stopped working altogether, expecting others to provide for them. Paul corrects this by reminding them that work itself is a sacred trust, a means of glorifying God and serving others. Likewise, when Wesley said, “Gain all you can,” he meant precisely this—labor honestly, diligently, and responsibly as unto the Lord. Our daily work, whatever its form, is part of our discipleship. To be faithful stewards, we must see our labor not merely as earning a wage, but as participating in God’s ongoing work of creation and redemption.
    Application: Whatever your occupation, it is part of your stewardship before God. Whether you are a teacher, nurse, parent, builder, or retiree, your work is a trust. Wesley urged believers to gain all they can—but never at the expense of health, honesty, or love of neighbor. Do not gain wealth by exploiting others, cheating, or neglecting your family. Earn all you can, but only in ways that honor Christ.

    2. Save all you can. (vs. 5-9)

    “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)
    The dishonest manager uses his remaining resources to build relationships that will sustain him later. Jesus takes that principle and spiritualizes it: use worldly wealth for eternal good. Money will fail—it cannot save or last—but it can be invested in ways that have eternal consequences.
    Here Wesley gives his second rule: “Save all you can.” By this, he did not mean hoarding or amassing wealth. He meant avoiding needless expense so that what is saved can be used for good. In “The Good Steward,” Wesley reminds us: “All that is in your hands is not yours; it is God’s, and you are accountable for every farthing.”
    Every decision we make about spending or saving reveals whom we serve—God or mammon. The steward’s foolishness lay in wasting his master’s goods. Many today waste what God entrusts to them not through theft, but through indulgence and neglect. Wesley urged Christians to live simply, to distinguish between wants and needs, and to avoid luxury that dulls the soul.
    Saving all you can means living with purpose and discipline, freeing yourself from debt and waste so that you can be generous. It means saying no to temporary pleasures so that you may say yes to eternal investments.
    The principle of wise, disciplined saving is beautifully illustrated in the story of Joseph in Egypt. In Genesis 41:33–36, after God revealed through Pharaoh’s dream that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine, Joseph proposed a plan to store one-fifth of the harvest during the good years. His prudence and restraint turned potential disaster into deliverance. When famine struck, Egypt was prepared—and through Joseph’s stewardship, not only Egypt but many nations were saved. Joseph’s saving was not for self-preservation or personal luxury; it was saving with a purpose. This is precisely what John Wesley meant when he said, “Save all you can, that you may give all you can.” God calls us to avoid waste and needless indulgence, not to hoard, but so that our resources can serve His redemptive purposes. Joseph’s wisdom teaches us that saving becomes holy when it is done with generosity in mind—when what we preserve is ultimately meant to bless others.
    Illustration: Wesley himself embodied this principle. Early in his ministry he earned 30 pounds a year and lived on 28, giving away 2. As his income grew to 120 pounds, he still lived on 28 and gave away 92. He said, “I save all I can, not to hoard, but to give.”
    This is not about the amount, but the attitude. The question is not “How much do I have?” but “How faithful am I with what I have?”

    3. Give All You Can. (vs. 10–13)

    “No servant can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13)
    Here Jesus brings the parable to its climax. The real issue is not money—it is mastery. Who owns your heart? Who do you serve? Wealth is a powerful servant but a cruel master.
    Jesus teaches that faithfulness in small things reveals the truth about our hearts: “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.” The way we handle money is a spiritual test. If we are unfaithful in worldly wealth, how can we be trusted with true riches—the treasures of grace, mercy, and ministry?
    Wesley’s third rule completes the pattern: “Give all you can.” He said, “Render unto God, not the tenth, nor a third, not half, but all that is God’s.” In “The Good Steward,” Wesley wrote, “Give all thou hast, as a good steward of the manifold grace of God, laying up in store for thyself a good foundation against the time to come.”
    To give all you can means to live open-handedly—recognizing that everything we have belongs to God. Our giving becomes a declaration of faith: “My security is not in wealth but in the Lord who provides.”
    Nowhere do we see the heart of faithful giving more clearly than in the story of the widow’s offering in Mark 12:41–44. As Jesus watched the people bringing their gifts to the temple treasury, many of the wealthy gave large sums, but one poor widow came and dropped in two tiny copper coins—worth almost nothing. Yet Jesus said, “This poor widow has put in more than all the others… for they gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had.” Her offering was not measured by its size but by its surrender. She gave her all, trusting that God would care for her. This is what Wesley meant when he said, “Render unto God, not the tenth, nor a third, but all that is God’s.” The widow’s act reminds us that true stewardship flows from love and trust, not calculation. Giving becomes an act of worship when we release our grip on what is temporary and trust the eternal faithfulness of God.
    Application: Generosity transforms both the giver and the gift. It loosens the grip of materialism, strengthens compassion, and invests in eternity. When we give to the poor, the church, missions, or those in need, we make friends for eternity, as Jesus said.
    Illustration: Wesley warned against the danger of prosperity. He observed that as Christians gained wealth through diligence, they often lost the simplicity and humility of faith. “Where riches increase,” he wrote, “the essence of religion decreases.” The antidote is generous giving—letting resources flow outward rather than accumulate inward.
    Conclusion
    The dishonest manager acted decisively for a temporary future; Jesus calls His disciples to act faithfully for an eternal one.
    In this parable, Jesus reframes how we see money. Wealth is not evil—it is neutral. It becomes holy or corrupt by how we use it. Money is a test of stewardship, a means of grace, and a mirror of the heart.
    John Wesley’s simple yet profound rule—Gain all you can, save all you can, give all you can—remains a timeless guide.
    Gain all you can through honest, diligent work, using your gifts to serve God.
    Save all you can by living simply, avoiding waste, and managing well.
    Give all you can as an act of love, investing in God’s eternal kingdom.
    The true disciple of Jesus knows that nothing is really ours—it is all God’s. The question is not how much we own, but how much of us God owns.
    Let us, then, be faithful stewards—wise managers of the Master’s gifts—so that when our earthly stewardship ends, we may hear Him say: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master.” (Matthew 25:23)

      • Luke 16:1–13NRSV

      • 2 Thessalonians 3:10NRSV

      • Genesis 41:35NRSV

      • Mark 12:42NRSV

  • Take My Life And Let It Be (Hendon)
Bailey Methodist Church
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