Your Move with Andy Stanley — to help people make better decisions and live with fewer regrets.
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#Luke 16:1-8
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Your Move with Andy Stanley | What To Do About Money Part 1 | May 22, 2022
- Andy Stanley: Hey everybody, welcome to Your Move, where we
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- help you make better decisions and live with fewer regrets.
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- I'm Andy Stanley and I'll be your guide.
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- As you know, money talks.
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- But what if it could really talk?
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- What if your money could really talk?
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- What would it tell you?
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- Well that's what we're talkin' about today, right here on
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- Your Move.
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- ♪♪♪
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- Andy Stanley: So if our money could actually talk, do you ever
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- wonder what it would tell us?
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- Because if our money could talk, assuming it was for us and
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- assuming our money was trying to help us, I doubt that we would
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- be shocked at all at what our money would tell us, right?
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- Because we kind of already know.
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- I mean, if our money started talking, our response would be
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- along the lines of, yeah, I know, I know, I know, yeah, I
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- should have known, no, I shouldn't have.
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- The shocker I think in this whole series that we're gonna
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- talk about is not what our money would say, the shocker that I
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- hope is a shock to you in a pleasant surprise, the shocker
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- is the parallel between what our money would say if it could talk
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- and what Jesus did say when he did talk.
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- You may know this if you grew up around church, but Jesus
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- actually said more about money than heaven.
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- But the interesting thing that may be a shock, because of the
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- way preachers talk about money, is Jesus never asked for
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- any money.
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- He talked about it all the time and never asked for any except
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- for one occasion we know of, he asked somebody to borrow a coin,
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- he did a coin trick.
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- Not really.
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- Anyway, he used it as an illustration, and then the best
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- we can tell he gave the money back.
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- So what was he up to?
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- What was this about?
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- And what we discover when we read the gospels is when it
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- comes to money and possessions, Jesus really was up to
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- something, and he really was after something.
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- But as it turns out.
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- It wasn't anybody's money.
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- So let's jump in.
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- If your money started talking, and if money could talk, one
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- thing for sure it would tell us is this.
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- I, being money, I can add meaning to your life, but I'm
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- not the meaning of life.
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- I can add meaning to your life, but I'm not the meaning of
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- our life.
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- Money would remind us that it is a much better means than an end.
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- In fact, if you make money an end, you may end up alone.
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- But using money as a means to an end is what makes
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- money meaningful.
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- Now this is a really important little statement I'm about to
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- make because this lands on all of our lives and this isn't like
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- a Christian thing or a non-Christian thing, this is
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- just a thing thing.
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- Being a means to an end, I want you to think about this, being a
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- means to an end is what makes anything meaningful.
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- Being a means to an end is what makes anything meaningful.
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- This is why we don't have Segways.
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- You didn't get that, okay.
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- Have you ever ridden a Segway?
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- It's like if you've ever had a Segway you think, this is the
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- coolest thing in the world, I need one.
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- And you can never come up with a reason for why you should have a
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- Segway, even if they were less expensive, they just didn't
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- catch on because we just couldn't figure out a meaning,
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- so they became meaningless.
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- They're interesting, they're fun, but they're just not a
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- means to an end that anyone's come up with yet.
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- The thing that makes anything or anyone meaningful is when that
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- thing or that person becomes a means to an end.
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- That's what it means to have meaning that's what meaning
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- actually means, and it's true for you as well.
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- If you want to have a meaningful life, you have to come up with a
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- way of being a means to an end that goes beyond you.
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- And here's what we're gonna discover.
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- When you decide to be a means to an end, your money becomes a
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- means rather than an end as well.
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- And you will begin to view all of your money, you will begin to
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- view all of your resources, you'll begin to view your net
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- worth, you'll begin to view everything as a tool.
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- And this is exactly, we shouldn't be surprised, this is
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- exactly what Jesus taught in one of his, are you kidding me did
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- he really say that, parables.
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- So Luke was a first century doctor who actually got the
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- information about the life of Jesus and put it in an orderly,
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- chronological order for his first century audience.
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- And it was so valuable to the church they meticulously copied
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- it and eventually it was collected with some other New
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- Testament documents and became part of the New Testament, which
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- became part of our Bible.
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- And so Luke, who thoroughly investigated all these things,
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- records for us several of Jesus' parables, and one of them is a
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- parable about money and possessions.
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- And here's what Luke said that Jesus said, Jesus told his
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- disciples and the disciples are the general group of people that
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- followed Jesus everywhere, including the apostles but
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- broader than that, Jesus told his apostles, there was a rich
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- man, and they knew immediately this wasn't a true story, Jesus
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- was making this up in order to make a point.
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- There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting
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- his possessions.
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- There was a rich man who had so much to manage he couldn't
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- manage it all.
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- He had so much to manage it he hired a manager who bought and
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- sold and traded with his name.
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- And he got wind of the fact that this manager was doing deals on
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- the side, or doing something dishonest that made him nervous.
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- So Jesus continues.
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- So this rich man, who had too much to manage so he had to have
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- a manager, called the manager in and he said, hey, what is this
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- I hear?
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- Word on the street is you're not dealing with my stuff well,
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- you're not being very accountable, you're not being
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- honest, you're not representing me well with my stuff.
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- What is this I hear about you?
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- Give an account of your management.
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- That is, get the books together, finish up whatever you're doing,
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- because you can no longer be my manager, you cannot be my
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- manager any longer.
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- So he fires him.
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- But before he let him go he says, you're fired, but I need
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- you to kinda tidy up, you know, all the loose ends, bring me the
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- big notebook, give it to me, and then you're out of here, you can
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- no longer be my manager.
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- Jesus continued.
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- So everybody's leaning in, 'cause he's such a
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- good storyteller.
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- The manager in the parable, this is Jesus teaching, the manager
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- said to himself, and this is the key word, what shall I do now?
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- What shall I do now?
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- Oh no, I wasn't expecting this, I've been caught.
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- What should I do now?
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- My master is taking away my job and I'm not strong enough to
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- dig, I'm an inside guy, and I'm ashamed to beg, I have my pride.
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- And suddenly he finds himself, the guy in the parable, with a
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- little bit of time and a little bit of opportunity to figure out
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- where he's going to go and if anybody is going to take him in.
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- So he thinks about it and he comes up with an idea, and he
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- says, I know!
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- I know what I'll do!
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- I know what I'll do so that when, because this is all about
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- time, when I lose my job here, I'm losing it, people will
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- welcome me into their houses.
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- So he comes up with a plan to make sure that when he's no
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- longer employed by the rich guy he has someplace to go and
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- someone to go to.
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- So here's the plan that he came up with.
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- So, this is Jesus telling this parable, so he called in each
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- one of his master's debtors, and his master probably had a lot of
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- debtors, he just gives us illustrations of two of them.
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- He calls in each of the people who owed his master something,
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- people he'd been doing business with.
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- And he asked the first one, how much do you owe my master?
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- And this gentleman said, well, I owe your master 900 gallons of
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- olive oil, he replied.
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- And the manager told him, take your bill and sit down quickly,
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- sit down quickly before anybody sees.
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- Sit down quickly before anybody finds out, sit down quickly
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- because I don't have much time.
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- Sit down quickly and make it out for 450.
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- So the guy's like, absolutely, let's just finish this up, said
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- boy, this is this is amazing, thank you, thank you.
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- Hey, if you ever need anything, call me.
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- Oh, yeah, I might do that.
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- Then he asked, Jesus continues, then he asked a second.
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- And how much do you owe my master?
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- A thousand bushels of wheat, he replied.
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- He told him, take your bill and make it 800, just 800.
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- Yeah, let's just finish this account out, just make it 800,
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- let's just wrap this thing up.
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- Wow, well, thank you.
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- Hey, if there's ever anything I can do for you, just let
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- me know.
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- Don't worry, you may be hearing from me sooner than you think.
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- And the implication is, he did this over and over, because
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- Jesus, in the parable, said, he went to each one of the people
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- who had done business with his master and he settled these
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- accounts so he could have all the accounts settled but he gave
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- everybody these huge, huge discounts.
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- Now in the parable when his boss, when the rich guy finds
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- out, or the way Jesus says it is, the master, because you know
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- the master's gonna find out about this right, the master and
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- everybody in Jesus' audience is thinking, oh man, this guy's
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- going to jail.
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- If you have not heard this parable before you'd think the
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- same thing.
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- And the reason you think the same thing is because Jesus is
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- the master storyteller, Jesus knew how to get his first
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- century, and sometimes his 21st century audience, to lean in and
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- to be just confused enough to have the category scrambled just
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- enough to where we have to pay attention and ask the question,
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- what is he trying to say in this fictitious story?
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- Because in every parable there's someone who represents God, and
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- in every parable there's someone who represents the people in
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- Jesus' audience.
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- There's someone who represents God, and there's someone who
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- represents you, and there's someone who represents me.
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- And the people in Jesus' first century audience assumed that
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- the dishonest money manager is about to get into big trouble,
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- but they would be wrong.
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- They would be wrong, because the text says that Jesus actually
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- commends, in the story the master commended, that is he
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- complimented him, that is when he found out what happened he
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- smiled, he high-fived him, he slapped his knee and he laughed
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- and he said, you got me!
- 00:09:49.607 --> 00:09:51.342
- And the text says that Jesus said inside this made-up story
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- in order to make a real point he said, the master commended the
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- dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.
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- He commended him in the parable because this guy thought
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- it through.
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- He thought it through with the future in mind, he thought it
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- through with his limited opportunity and his limited time
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- in mind.
- 00:10:12.063 --> 00:10:13.397
- Jesus' audience is very confused, and Jesus pulls out of
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- the parable and he begins to teach the lesson he wants his
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- audience to know from the parable, that in the kingdom of
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- heaven, the way that God views wealth and money and possessions
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- is different than the way we view it, and here's how he views
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- it, and this is the lesson, this is the takeaway, this is the
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- application of the parable of the unjust, dishonest
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- money manager.
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- He pulls out of the parable and he looks at us, he looks at his
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- first century audience, and here's what he says.
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- For, now he's out of the parable, for the people of this
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- world, the people who live their lives as if all there is to life
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- is this life, the people who live as if it's only about a
- 00:10:53.604 --> 00:10:57.208
- birth certificate and a death certificate, the people that
- 00:10:57.208 --> 00:11:00.244
- live as if all you see is all there is and all you get, the
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- people of this world, he said, are more shrewd, that is, they
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- are more thoughtful, they think things through better, they are
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- more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the
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- people of the light.
- 00:11:16.961 --> 00:11:18.796
- And the people of the light, in that particular context he was
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- talking about the Jewish people, who had an eternal promise from
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- God that God was gonna do something fabulous through
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- the nation.
- 00:11:27.104 --> 00:11:28.439
- He's saying that the people who have the covenants, the people
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- who have the promises of God, sometimes aren't as thoughtful
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- and don't think things through as well as the people that just
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- assume that all there is to this life is this life and that if
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- there is a God he's not that interested in my life.
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- And then this is expanded to those of us who put our faith
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- in Jesus.
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- Anyone who believes that there's more to life than life, that
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- there's life beyond this life, he says, the people in this
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- world oftentimes, they think it through better than those of us
- 00:11:50.327 --> 00:11:53.564
- who think in terms of, or are supposed to think in terms of,
- 00:11:53.564 --> 00:11:57.101
- eternity, those who live within or who are supposed to live
- 00:11:57.101 --> 00:12:00.704
- within a broader context.
- 00:12:00.704 --> 00:12:03.541
- The money manager was commended for taking full advantage of is
- 00:12:03.541 --> 00:12:07.611
- limited time and his limited opportunity.
- 00:12:07.611 --> 00:12:10.614
- Jesus' point is the reason this guy was commended, it's not
- 00:12:10.614 --> 00:12:13.551
- because he was dishonest, he was commended because he took full
- 00:12:13.551 --> 00:12:17.188
- advantage of his little bitty time and his little
- 00:12:17.188 --> 00:12:21.592
- bitty opportunity.
- 00:12:21.592 --> 00:12:23.093
- And Jesus' point for you and for me is simply this.
- 00:12:23.093 --> 00:12:26.597
- That we are to do the same.
- 00:12:26.597 --> 00:12:29.633
- That when it comes to our money and when it comes to our wealth
- 00:12:29.633 --> 00:12:32.203
- and when it comes to our income, we are to view it within the
- 00:12:32.203 --> 00:12:36.106
- context, not simply have this life, but the broader context,
- 00:12:36.106 --> 00:12:39.777
- and we are to ask the question, how do I get maximum use out of
- 00:12:39.777 --> 00:12:44.114
- it in light of my little bitty time on this planet and the
- 00:12:44.114 --> 00:12:47.284
- little bit of opportunity that comes my way?
- 00:12:47.284 --> 00:12:50.955
- And then, just so we don't miss it, Jesus leans in and he gets
- 00:12:50.955 --> 00:12:55.926
- very, very specific.
- 00:12:55.926 --> 00:12:58.028
- And he gets so specific that the first time I read this parable
- 00:12:58.028 --> 00:13:01.232
- as an adult and really understood the implications, it
- 00:13:01.232 --> 00:13:04.869
- really was life-changing and life-shaping for me.
- 00:13:04.869 --> 00:13:08.806
- Because Jesus now gives an imperative.
- 00:13:08.806 --> 00:13:11.242
- If you're not a Christian, you don't have to do this, okay?
- 00:13:11.242 --> 00:13:14.578
- Please don't hear me telling you what to do, I have no authority
- 00:13:14.578 --> 00:13:16.647
- over you and if you're not following Jesus he doesn't have
- 00:13:16.647 --> 00:13:18.482
- any authority over you either.
- 00:13:18.482 --> 00:13:19.817
- However, there are some takeaways for you so hang on.
- 00:13:19.817 --> 00:13:22.219
- But if you're a Jesus follower, Jesus leans in and he says, I
- 00:13:22.219 --> 00:13:28.659
- tell you, in other words, pay attention, I'm talking to you
- 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:32.263
- now this isn't a story, I tell you this is the command used.
- 00:13:32.263 --> 00:13:37.234
- Why?
- 00:13:37.234 --> 00:13:38.569
- Because it's a means to an end, it's not the end.
- 00:13:38.569 --> 00:13:40.037
- Because it's a tool.
- 00:13:40.037 --> 00:13:41.438
- Use worldly wealth to which we might be inclined to say, well,
- 00:13:41.438 --> 00:13:45.342
- what other kind of wealth is there?
- 00:13:45.342 --> 00:13:46.677
- A ha!
- 00:13:46.677 --> 00:13:48.045
- The question, you're payin' attention.
- 00:13:48.045 --> 00:13:49.513
- Use worldly wealth, this is a command, to gain friends for
- 00:13:49.513 --> 00:13:53.717
- yourselves like the money manager so that when it is gone,
- 00:13:53.717 --> 00:13:57.388
- because it will be gone, actually you'll be gone, but
- 00:13:57.388 --> 00:14:01.592
- anyway, when it is gone, you will be, and this is so strange,
- 00:14:01.592 --> 00:14:05.296
- welcomed into eternal dwellings.
- 00:14:05.296 --> 00:14:08.232
- Now don't ask me to explain this because I can't explain this.
- 00:14:08.232 --> 00:14:12.469
- And in fact isolated to the teaching of Jesus at this
- 00:14:12.469 --> 00:14:15.739
- particular time in his life, this really doesn't make any
- 00:14:15.739 --> 00:14:18.208
- sense, because the implications are unmissable.
- 00:14:18.208 --> 00:14:21.745
- The implications are that there's something we can do with
- 00:14:21.745 --> 00:14:25.482
- temporary wealth during this little bitty slot of time that
- 00:14:25.482 --> 00:14:29.320
- we have in life that makes an eternal difference.
- 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:34.892
- And honestly, I would not take that seriously, and you
- 00:14:34.892 --> 00:14:38.762
- shouldn't take it seriously either, except for one thing.
- 00:14:38.762 --> 00:14:43.267
- After Jesus was crucified, he came back to life.
- 00:14:43.267 --> 00:14:48.372
- And when someone predicts their own death and resurrection and
- 00:14:48.372 --> 00:14:51.342
- pulls it off, whenever they talk about death or resurrection, you
- 00:14:51.342 --> 00:14:56.580
- and I should pay attention.
- 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:59.216
- So consequently, looking back through the filter of the
- 00:14:59.216 --> 00:15:02.519
- resurrection of Jesus, Luke is writing this on the other side
- 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:04.955
- of the resurrection, he's like, I know this sounds a little bit
- 00:15:04.955 --> 00:15:07.091
- crazy, and I know that Jesus' first century audience in the
- 00:15:07.091 --> 00:15:10.227
- moment certainly didn't understand what he was talking
- 00:15:10.227 --> 00:15:12.062
- about, but clearly there is something to this because Jesus
- 00:15:12.062 --> 00:15:15.299
- substantiated the idea that there is eternity, not just
- 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:18.602
- through his teaching but through his life and specifically
- 00:15:18.602 --> 00:15:22.539
- through his resurrection.
- 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:23.941
- But his point is clear.
- 00:15:23.941 --> 00:15:25.709
- That your money and your possessions, my money and my
- 00:15:25.709 --> 00:15:28.912
- possessions, money is a means, it is not the end.
- 00:15:28.912 --> 00:15:34.485
- It's a means to an end that goes beyond us, and Jesus said it
- 00:15:34.485 --> 00:15:38.989
- even goes beyond this life.
- 00:15:38.989 --> 00:15:42.526
- The implication is that our right-now resources, that our
- 00:15:42.526 --> 00:15:47.498
- right-now resources, that your right-now resources have the
- 00:15:47.498 --> 00:15:52.169
- potential to make a forever difference, that we can't take
- 00:15:52.169 --> 00:15:57.041
- it with us, we've heard that our whole lives, right?
- 00:15:57.041 --> 00:15:59.009
- We can't take it with us, but there is a way for us to have
- 00:15:59.009 --> 00:16:01.712
- something to show for it beyond this life.
- 00:16:01.712 --> 00:16:04.915
- It's a means to an end.
- 00:16:04.915 --> 00:16:06.517
- As Jesus would say, it is a tool.
- 00:16:06.517 --> 00:16:09.853
- Now, if Jesus is right, and I think he's right, you know, but
- 00:16:09.853 --> 00:16:14.591
- if he's right, it means that I should view, and that you should
- 00:16:14.591 --> 00:16:18.228
- view, not a percentage of what you have as something that
- 00:16:18.228 --> 00:16:21.799
- should be made available to your heavenly Father, it means that
- 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:24.935
- we should view 100% of what we have as a potential means to
- 00:16:24.935 --> 00:16:29.606
- an end.
- 00:16:29.606 --> 00:16:30.974
- In other words, the question that we should begin to ask as
- 00:16:30.974 --> 00:16:32.976
- Jesus followers, in fact I would encourage you to ask this
- 00:16:32.976 --> 00:16:36.080
- question just for fun even if you're not a Jesus follower, the
- 00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:39.049
- question that we should all ask at some level is, how can I
- 00:16:39.049 --> 00:16:42.252
- leverage more of what I have as a means to an end that's not me?
- 00:16:42.252 --> 00:16:47.658
- How can I leverage more of what I have as a means to an end that
- 00:16:47.658 --> 00:16:52.029
- is outside of what benefits me?
- 00:16:52.029 --> 00:16:55.599
- Because as most of you already know, because all of us have
- 00:16:55.599 --> 00:16:58.068
- experienced just enough of this to know, that is where joy is
- 00:16:58.068 --> 00:17:02.206
- truly found, isn't it?
- 00:17:02.206 --> 00:17:06.343
- When Sandra and I were first married, one of the advantages
- 00:17:06.343 --> 00:17:09.513
- that we had is, we had several advantages, one, we were raised
- 00:17:09.513 --> 00:17:13.050
- very similarly when it comes to money and managing money
- 00:17:13.050 --> 00:17:16.286
- and generosity.
- 00:17:16.286 --> 00:17:17.621
- We were both raised by very generous parents.
- 00:17:17.621 --> 00:17:20.257
- And so, consequently, when we set up our budget and we started
- 00:17:20.257 --> 00:17:23.927
- doing life together, we decided up front there is a percentage
- 00:17:23.927 --> 00:17:26.730
- of our money that is going to be given away first.
- 00:17:26.730 --> 00:17:29.433
- We just decided that, 10% to our church and then another percent
- 00:17:29.433 --> 00:17:32.369
- is gonna go to other things that we love.
- 00:17:32.369 --> 00:17:34.071
- And here's why.
- 00:17:34.071 --> 00:17:35.606
- This is pretty brilliant, you're gonna wanna write this down.
- 00:17:35.606 --> 00:17:37.474
- Okay, you ready?
- 00:17:37.474 --> 00:17:38.809
- The reason you should decide ahead of time what percentage of
- 00:17:38.809 --> 00:17:40.911
- your income you wanna live on is because you are going to live on
- 00:17:40.911 --> 00:17:43.547
- a percentage of your income.
- 00:17:43.547 --> 00:17:46.550
- Let me say that again.
- 00:17:46.550 --> 00:17:47.918
- You, each one of you, I don't even know you, all of you are
- 00:17:47.918 --> 00:17:50.888
- living on a percentage of your income, why would you not choose
- 00:17:50.888 --> 00:17:54.324
- it rather than letting a lifestyle choose it for you?
- 00:17:54.324 --> 00:17:58.061
- See, that's what shrewd thinking, forward-thinking
- 00:17:58.061 --> 00:18:01.899
- people do.
- 00:18:01.899 --> 00:18:03.233
- They don't think about the numbers of dollars, they think
- 00:18:03.233 --> 00:18:05.002
- about the percentage.
- 00:18:05.002 --> 00:18:06.336
- We also decided that anything we own we're gonna try to figure
- 00:18:06.336 --> 00:18:08.572
- out how to use it to help other people.
- 00:18:08.572 --> 00:18:10.607
- And we've been successful and we've been unsuccessful, and
- 00:18:10.607 --> 00:18:12.709
- sometimes I get selfish and sometimes she has to
- 00:18:12.709 --> 00:18:14.611
- say, remember?
- 00:18:14.611 --> 00:18:15.946
- I'm like, oh yeah, you know, 'cause she's more inclined that
- 00:18:15.946 --> 00:18:17.915
- way than me.
- 00:18:17.915 --> 00:18:19.249
- And we also decided that we're not gonna hoard stuff.
- 00:18:19.249 --> 00:18:21.785
- If we're not using it, we're going to give it away.
- 00:18:21.785 --> 00:18:24.087
- As soon as I have the box and I'm about to go into the
- 00:18:24.087 --> 00:18:26.356
- basement with it I realize, okay, if I take this into the
- 00:18:26.356 --> 00:18:29.026
- basement it will live there for two or three years doing no one
- 00:18:29.026 --> 00:18:32.930
- any good, and then one day I'm gonna see it and go, I need to
- 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.566
- get rid of that, and then I'm going to put it
- 00:18:35.566 --> 00:18:36.900
- into circulation.
- 00:18:36.900 --> 00:18:38.268
- So don't even take it down there, just give it away.
- 00:18:38.268 --> 00:18:42.306
- And then we decided that we're gonna try to say yes to anyone
- 00:18:42.306 --> 00:18:45.108
- who ever asked us for anything.
- 00:18:45.108 --> 00:18:46.443
- Now that's complicated, that's not even always wise to just do
- 00:18:46.443 --> 00:18:49.479
- for people when they ask.
- 00:18:49.479 --> 00:18:50.814
- But we decided if we're gonna err, we're gonna err on the side
- 00:18:50.814 --> 00:18:54.785
- of generosity.
- 00:18:54.785 --> 00:18:56.119
- And this isn't unique for me, many of you've done this.
- 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:58.488
- If you haven't, I hope this is challenging to you.
- 00:18:58.488 --> 00:19:01.091
- Through the years, what actually happened, what actually
- 00:19:01.091 --> 00:19:03.660
- transpired, is that we turned stuff into stories.
- 00:19:03.660 --> 00:19:09.666
- And we don't miss the stuff.
- 00:19:09.666 --> 00:19:13.237
- The stories are still very emotional for us.
- 00:19:13.237 --> 00:19:17.574
- There are some stories that we can't tell to this day, and it
- 00:19:17.574 --> 00:19:20.811
- was years ago some of these things happened, that we just
- 00:19:20.811 --> 00:19:23.247
- don't tear up when we think about the opportunities we had
- 00:19:23.247 --> 00:19:27.150
- because we decided ahead of time.
- 00:19:27.150 --> 00:19:30.654
- Here's the thing, okay, then I'll move on.
- 00:19:30.654 --> 00:19:33.156
- This is what I know about you.
- 00:19:33.156 --> 00:19:34.591
- All of you have several things you factor into your
- 00:19:34.591 --> 00:19:37.694
- financial decisions.
- 00:19:37.694 --> 00:19:39.062
- We all do.
- 00:19:39.062 --> 00:19:40.397
- I mean, even if you don't have it written down, you don't even
- 00:19:40.397 --> 00:19:41.732
- know what they are, I promise you, every time you make a
- 00:19:41.732 --> 00:19:43.233
- financial decision you factor in something, you have some things
- 00:19:43.233 --> 00:19:46.470
- that you factor in, right?
- 00:19:46.470 --> 00:19:47.871
- So I want to suggest you begin factoring this question in,
- 00:19:47.871 --> 00:19:53.543
- because this could possibly free you up to become more of the
- 00:19:53.543 --> 00:19:58.415
- kind of person that you actually wanna be anyway.
- 00:19:58.415 --> 00:20:00.817
- And here's the question.
- 00:20:00.817 --> 00:20:02.152
- Do I want more stuff, or do I want more stories?
- 00:20:02.152 --> 00:20:09.826
- And let me just give you a tip.
- 00:20:06.123 --> 00:20:12.162
- Nobody's gonna talk about your stuff in the end, they're gonna
- 00:20:12.162 --> 00:20:16.900
- tell stories about you.
- 00:20:16.900 --> 00:20:18.735
- Do you want more stuff, or do you want more stories?
- 00:20:18.735 --> 00:20:22.339
- How do you compare the stuff with the stories?
- 00:20:22.339 --> 00:20:25.409
- And yeah, we gotta make a living, we gotta pay our bills,
- 00:20:25.409 --> 00:20:27.244
- gotta get our kids through school, I get all that, I'm not
- 00:20:27.244 --> 00:20:29.446
- advocating irresponsible living, I'm just saying I think you
- 00:20:29.446 --> 00:20:32.482
- should factor this in.
- 00:20:32.482 --> 00:20:34.518
- What do you want, more stuff, or more stories?
- 00:20:34.518 --> 00:20:40.924
- Now here's Jesus' point.
- 00:20:40.924 --> 00:20:42.292
- His point is simply this.
- 00:20:42.292 --> 00:20:43.627
- Money, money can add meaning to your life when you use it as a
- 00:20:43.627 --> 00:20:49.933
- means to an end that goes beyond you.
- 00:20:49.933 --> 00:20:54.237
- Now the parable, the teaching on the parable isn't over, and I'm
- 00:20:54.237 --> 00:20:56.807
- gonna get through this last part pretty quick 'cause
- 00:20:56.807 --> 00:20:59.042
- it's fascinating.
- 00:20:59.042 --> 00:21:00.410
- He continues, he's not done, they're all leaning in.
- 00:21:00.410 --> 00:21:02.379
- He says this, he says, hey, by the way, whoever-- And whoever
- 00:21:02.379 --> 00:21:05.549
- means whoever.
- 00:21:05.549 --> 00:21:06.917
- Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted
- 00:21:06.917 --> 00:21:11.221
- with much.
- 00:21:11.221 --> 00:21:12.556
- Do what?
- 00:21:12.556 --> 00:21:13.890
- Yeah.
- 00:21:13.890 --> 00:21:15.258
- And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be
- 00:21:15.258 --> 00:21:17.894
- dishonest with much.
- 00:21:17.894 --> 00:21:19.629
- Okay, wait, wait, what are you talkin' about?
- 00:21:19.629 --> 00:21:20.997
- He keeps goin'.
- 00:21:20.997 --> 00:21:22.332
- So I tell you, if you have not been trustworthy in handling
- 00:21:22.332 --> 00:21:25.669
- worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches, or who
- 00:21:25.669 --> 00:21:30.307
- will trust true riches with you, or to you, one text says.
- 00:21:30.307 --> 00:21:34.077
- And Jesus' point is simply this, that no matter how much you
- 00:21:34.077 --> 00:21:36.079
- have, that your money, your wealth, your possessions, my
- 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:39.416
- money, my wealth, my possessions, not only is it a
- 00:21:39.416 --> 00:21:41.618
- means to an end, not only is it a tool, from the kingdom of
- 00:21:41.618 --> 00:21:45.522
- God's perspective it's all a test as well.
- 00:21:45.522 --> 00:21:49.259
- It's like the manager in the parable, that we have a little
- 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:52.963
- bit of money, we have a little bit of resources for a short
- 00:21:52.963 --> 00:21:55.232
- amount of time, and we are basically being tested to
- 00:21:55.232 --> 00:21:58.034
- determine whose kingdom we are most devoted to, the book-ended
- 00:21:58.034 --> 00:22:05.108
- kingdom of this world, or the kingdom in which there is more
- 00:22:05.108 --> 00:22:09.045
- to this life than what we can see and that goes beyond the
- 00:22:09.045 --> 00:22:11.448
- bookends of our physical lives?
- 00:22:11.448 --> 00:22:14.718
- But he's not done, he says this.
- 00:22:14.718 --> 00:22:16.153
- And by the way, as we wrap up, if you have not been trustworthy
- 00:22:16.153 --> 00:22:20.290
- with someone else's property, that's like, wait, wait, wait,
- 00:22:20.290 --> 00:22:24.594
- what are you talkin' about?
- 00:22:24.594 --> 00:22:25.929
- I mean, this is my paycheck, this is my money, I have the
- 00:22:25.929 --> 00:22:28.398
- deed to the house, you know, I have the title to the car, I
- 00:22:28.398 --> 00:22:30.600
- mean, I own stuff, this is my stuff.
- 00:22:30.600 --> 00:22:32.636
- If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property,
- 00:22:32.636 --> 00:22:34.971
- who will give you property of your own?
- 00:22:34.971 --> 00:22:37.707
- I'm trying to relate, okay, I've lost you.
- 00:22:37.707 --> 00:22:42.446
- But if your money could talk, and if my money could talk, I
- 00:22:42.446 --> 00:22:46.917
- think it would confirm what Jesus is saying at the end of
- 00:22:46.917 --> 00:22:49.586
- this teaching.
- 00:22:49.586 --> 00:22:50.954
- And your money would remind you, hey, by the way, if you've
- 00:22:50.954 --> 00:22:53.056
- forgotten, I will still be here when you're gone.
- 00:22:53.056 --> 00:22:57.961
- And the moment you think you own me, I own you.
- 00:22:57.961 --> 00:23:03.733
- Because you, like the money manager, are a steward.
- 00:23:03.733 --> 00:23:07.771
- You are a manager, you are not an owner.
- 00:23:07.771 --> 00:23:12.275
- In fact, you're going to leave it, the fact that you're going
- 00:23:12.275 --> 00:23:15.078
- to leave it indicates the fact that you couldn't possibly own
- 00:23:15.078 --> 00:23:17.714
- it or you would take it with you.
- 00:23:17.714 --> 00:23:19.316
- But if you're not an owner and you're a manager, here's a
- 00:23:19.316 --> 00:23:21.751
- question everybody should ask, who am I managing it for?
- 00:23:21.751 --> 00:23:26.056
- For who?
- 00:23:26.056 --> 00:23:27.390
- I mean, if you're just stardust, if you're just an accident of,
- 00:23:27.390 --> 00:23:31.728
- you know, evolution by natural selection, and I don't know how
- 00:23:31.728 --> 00:23:34.764
- to answer the question who you are managing this for, because
- 00:23:34.764 --> 00:23:38.201
- you are going to leave it all behind, we all know that, nobody
- 00:23:38.201 --> 00:23:40.270
- argues with that.
- 00:23:40.270 --> 00:23:41.671
- But think about this.
- 00:23:41.671 --> 00:23:44.407
- If in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and
- 00:23:44.407 --> 00:23:50.447
- if in the beginning God created mankind in his image, and if in
- 00:23:50.447 --> 00:23:56.019
- the beginning God made us, as a race, stewards of this planet,
- 00:23:56.019 --> 00:24:02.626
- and he gave each of us a little bit of time and a little bit of
- 00:24:02.626 --> 00:24:06.062
- opportunity and a little bit of resources to manage, then
- 00:24:06.062 --> 00:24:09.733
- suddenly all of this makes perfect sense.
- 00:24:09.733 --> 00:24:14.137
- And Jesus would say, manage it well.
- 00:24:14.137 --> 00:24:16.773
- And please don't get confused.
- 00:24:16.773 --> 00:24:18.575
- Don't get confused.
- 00:24:18.575 --> 00:24:19.910
- If your money would talk, it would remind us, I'm a means,
- 00:24:19.910 --> 00:24:24.247
- I'm a means, I'm not an end.
- 00:24:24.247 --> 00:24:26.550
- I'm a tool, and I'm a test.
- 00:24:26.550 --> 00:24:29.486
- I can add meaning to your life, but don't be confused, I'm not
- 00:24:29.486 --> 00:24:33.123
- the meaning of your life.
- 00:24:33.123 --> 00:24:36.860
- So as we wrap up I want to ask this question, then we're gonna
- 00:24:36.860 --> 00:24:40.564
- pick this up next time.
- 00:24:40.564 --> 00:24:42.265
- What do we do with all this?
- 00:24:42.265 --> 00:24:43.700
- I mean, where do we start?
- 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:45.035
- I think the place to start is the place that Jesus is
- 00:24:45.035 --> 00:24:47.203
- pointing to.
- 00:24:47.203 --> 00:24:48.538
- And the place to start is not an amount of money, and the place
- 00:24:48.538 --> 00:24:51.074
- to start isn't even really a percentage.
- 00:24:51.074 --> 00:24:53.376
- The place to start is with the bigger question, the big
- 00:24:53.376 --> 00:24:57.247
- question that really most people never stop to ask and
- 00:24:57.247 --> 00:24:59.916
- consequently never have an answer for, a question that on
- 00:24:59.916 --> 00:25:03.520
- the surface seems to have nothing to do with money, but in
- 00:25:03.520 --> 00:25:05.789
- the end it has everything to do with money.
- 00:25:05.789 --> 00:25:07.924
- So here's the question I want to leave you with.
- 00:25:07.924 --> 00:25:10.360
- If being a means to an end is what gives your life meaning and
- 00:25:10.360 --> 00:25:15.398
- purpose, to what ends do you want your life to be a means?
- 00:25:15.398 --> 00:25:20.737
- If being a means to an end that goes beyond you is what gives
- 00:25:20.737 --> 00:25:24.240
- your life purpose and meaning, to what ends?
- 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:27.310
- It doesn't have to be one thing, and shouldn't be one thing.
- 00:25:27.310 --> 00:25:29.546
- To what ends do you want your life to be a means to?
- 00:25:29.546 --> 00:25:34.751
- And we've asked these questions before.
- 00:25:34.751 --> 00:25:36.353
- What do you want people to celebrate about you when
- 00:25:36.353 --> 00:25:39.556
- you're gone?
- 00:25:39.556 --> 00:25:40.890
- What would I want people to line up to thank me for at the end of
- 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:44.327
- my life?
- 00:25:44.327 --> 00:25:45.829
- And I don't even know you, but I know you enough to know this.
- 00:25:45.829 --> 00:25:48.098
- The answer, you wouldn't give this answer, well, here's what
- 00:25:48.098 --> 00:25:51.167
- it is for me.
- 00:25:51.167 --> 00:25:52.535
- It's accumulation, consumption, upgrades, fashion forward, a
- 00:25:52.535 --> 00:25:55.205
- house full of stuff.
- 00:25:55.205 --> 00:25:56.573
- That's the meaning of my life.
- 00:25:56.573 --> 00:25:58.608
- Nobody chooses this on purpose, listen to me.
- 00:25:58.608 --> 00:26:01.511
- If you don't decide the ends to which you want your life to be a
- 00:26:01.511 --> 00:26:04.748
- means, that is the direction our culture will pull you.
- 00:26:04.748 --> 00:26:08.051
- You already know that.
- 00:26:08.051 --> 00:26:10.286
- And you don't want to spend another season of your life like
- 00:26:10.286 --> 00:26:12.255
- that I, know you don't, nobody does.
- 00:26:12.255 --> 00:26:14.057
- She ate, she drank, she was married, then she died.
- 00:26:14.057 --> 00:26:18.461
- Right?
- 00:26:18.461 --> 00:26:19.796
- [laughter]
- 00:26:19.796 --> 00:26:21.197
- I mean, that's just not, that's not a legacy, right?
- 00:26:21.197 --> 00:26:23.566
- That's a life poorly lived.
- 00:26:23.566 --> 00:26:25.869
- Here's the thing, and I'm done.
- 00:26:25.869 --> 00:26:27.804
- When you answer, look up here, when you answer the big
- 00:26:27.804 --> 00:26:31.374
- question, when you answer the big question and you start
- 00:26:31.374 --> 00:26:35.545
- wrapping your heart around the answer to the big question, your
- 00:26:35.545 --> 00:26:39.082
- money will follow, because money is a means to an end.
- 00:26:39.082 --> 00:26:43.987
- Money is a tool, it's not the goal.
- 00:26:43.987 --> 00:26:47.023
- And we've all lived long enough to have seen that in the lives
- 00:26:47.023 --> 00:26:49.492
- of other people.
- 00:26:49.492 --> 00:26:50.827
- We've all experienced just enough joy to know it's true.
- 00:26:50.827 --> 00:26:53.196
- When you answer the big question, something begins to
- 00:26:53.196 --> 00:26:55.899
- happen in your heart.
- 00:26:55.899 --> 00:26:57.867
- But listen, until you answer the big question, until you answer
- 00:26:57.867 --> 00:27:02.272
- the big question, you may just end up following your money.
- 00:27:02.272 --> 00:27:07.510
- And that would be a shame.
- 00:27:07.510 --> 00:27:08.912
- Because live for yourself, you only have yourself to show
- 00:27:08.912 --> 00:27:13.416
- for yourself.
- 00:27:13.416 --> 00:27:14.784
- Along with some stuff for people to fight over when you're gone.
- 00:27:14.784 --> 00:27:19.422
- So this week, here's the question I want you to
- 00:27:19.422 --> 00:27:21.458
- wrestle with.
- 00:27:21.458 --> 00:27:22.859
- If being a means to an end is what gives life meaning, to what
- 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:25.128
- ends do I want my life to be a means?
- 00:27:25.128 --> 00:27:28.531
- And when you identify and embrace the answer to that
- 00:27:28.531 --> 00:27:31.067
- question, your money will begin to follow, and you will begin to
- 00:27:31.067 --> 00:27:35.138
- view everything you own, everything that comes your way,
- 00:27:35.138 --> 00:27:39.342
- as a means to an end, as it was intended to be.
- 00:27:39.342 --> 00:27:44.881
- Andy Stanley: Well, that's it for this episode.
- 00:27:44.881 --> 00:27:46.249
- As always, thank you so much for staying up late or maybe getting
- 00:27:46.249 --> 00:27:49.185
- up early.
- 00:27:49.185 --> 00:27:50.520
- If you'd like to watch today's episode again or share it with a
- 00:27:50.520 --> 00:27:53.022
- friend, head on over to our Your Move YouTube channel where
- 00:27:53.022 --> 00:27:56.392
- you'll find all the latest Your Move content for free.
- 00:27:56.392 --> 00:27:59.829
- And it's all designed to help you make better decisions and
- 00:27:59.829 --> 00:28:02.732
- live with fewer regrets.
- 00:28:02.732 --> 00:28:04.100
- Thanks so much for watching, we will see you right back here
- 00:28:04.100 --> 00:28:06.369
- next time on Your Move.
- 00:28:06.369 --> 00:28:09.305
- ♪♪♪
- 00:28:09.305 --> 00:28:20.517
- male announcer: The preceding program is sponsored by Your
- 00:28:24.721 --> 00:28:26.756
- Move with Andy Stanley.
- 00:28:26.756 --> 00:28:29.010
