Howdy Imagine starting a restaurant chain in
America and making one radical decision We're
going to stay closed on Sundays. I know Weird,
right? No football crowd. No after -church rush.
You only get half the weekend sales And people
I'm sure laughed at the idea. They said, I'm
sure it would never work, but Chick -fil -A has
been doing it since 1946. And today, it's one
of the most successful fast food chains in the
country. How often is it that you're driving
past Chick -fil -A on a Sunday and you're like,
oh, I'd love to get some nuggets. Oh, it's Sunday.
Still there's occasionally there's that one car
that's in the drive -thru and there is like did
you not get the memo? It's it's literally on
the sign right there closed Sundays You know
we're over there This this oftentimes makes us
smile even though we wish we could get some waffle
fries Because that closed drive -thru it preaches
a sermon making money is not meant to be the
driving factor in our lives. Our lives determine
how we utilize the money that we have. See, that's
really the question in our readings today. Amos
shows us people who could not wait for the Sabbath
to be over so they could get back to the money
-making ways that they had. And Jesus shows us
a story about money that asks What are you really
doing with what you have? Whom are you really
serving with it? And here's the big idea for
us. Wealth and possessions that are not always
evil, but what you do with them shows where your
heart is. And God calls us to use what we have
for eternity. Let's start for a moment with Amos.
He describes people who sit and worship, but
they're restless. They're tapping their feet.
They're checking the time. When will this be
over so we can get back to business? Let's get
back to life. When will the Sabbath end so we
can sell more grain and we can make more money?
Does that sound familiar? Probably not the part
about grain. I have no idea how to sell grain
myself, but we know the feeling. Have you ever
caught yourself in church thinking about the
work deadlines, the bills, the lunch plans, maybe
even some money that's riding on the game a little
bit later? How many people have their fantasy
leagues? Money and worry, they creep into our
minds like a strange little virus, even when
we're supposed to be focused on God. And see,
that's the reality check though. Wealth and possessions,
they're not neutral. They don't just sit there
doing nothing. They pull at our hearts. They
compete for our loyalty. They determine what
we believe to be important. And this is something
where Chick -fil -A offers a living parable,
asking themselves, what do we really serve? Do
we serve profit or do we serve purpose? Many
of you, I'm sure, have been at a Chick -fil -A
on a Friday afternoon, where the line is lined
up all the way twice around the building, and
it still somehow takes less than 10 minutes to
get through. Just saying. God has completely
taken care of them without needing to panic about
their one day off. If they can afford to turn
down Sunday sales and still be packed every other
day of the week, it tells you something. Being
driven by purpose instead of just the profits
in the short term does not need to destroy us.
Jesus says you cannot serve both God and money.
But if God is happy to care for us without worrying
about how we're doing it ourselves, then why
do we still make poor decisions that destroy
us from the inside out? If wealth reveals our
heart, then the way that we use it matters. And
here's where scripture gives us a powerful contrast.
Notice the contrast between Amos and Jesus' parable.
In Amos, the wealthy used their power to crush
the poor and gain what they could at their expense,
caring nothing for what God would desire of his
people and how they treat one another. They rigged
scales. They would have them that ended up being
lighter so that they could end up giving less
to them in exchange for the money they received.
They would sell leftovers, acting as if it is
the best, the premium of the grain, instead of
realizing it was whatever was left over. And
they squeezed every penny they could out of other
people. God says, I will not forget their deeds.
Judgment was coming. See, that's one way that
people may use wealth. Selfishly, unjustly, short
-sightedly, not even worrying that they're doing
it to those who have very little already. But
in Luke, Jesus tells a strange story. Isn't it
strange to hear Jesus seemingly glorify the bad
guy? It's strange because it treats the manager
who's inept at his job and wasteful with what
he has and treats him as a model to follow. But
let's be clear. Jesus was never afraid to take
someone who was seen as unclean or unworthy and
use them to try to make a point about how terrible
the good guys, the leaders, were in his day.
See, we may be okay with Samaritans and tax collectors,
well... at least one of them. But they were just
as terrible in his day as the manager. Talking
about the unworthy manager is a way of showing
that if he can even do things with what is unworthy
wealth, if he can still do good things with that,
how much more should you be able to do when you
are someone following after God? See, this manager,
he's about to be fired. So he shrewdly calls
in his master's clients and he reduces their
debts. Hey, don't worry. I got your back. I'll
help you out now if you'll help me out later
down the line. He's dishonest. Yes, that's the
point. He's still thinking ahead. He uses what
little he has left. to secure relationships for
the future and to make sure he even has a future
at all. And that's the point is to show if a
corrupt manager can use corrupt money to care
for other people and then provide for his own
future, how much more? Why weren't the people
in Jesus' day who were saying that they followed
after God and that he was the one leading them?
Why weren't they able to do the same thing in
regard to the people and their own future with
what they were claiming to be good and right?
They were not caring about the future kingdom
of God, and they couldn't seem to care about
the people who were all around them. Jesus presents,
if even worldly people know how to prepare for
the future with how they spend money, shouldn't
God's people be even wiser? in spending money
for the future. We must use money now in ways
that echo into eternity, both for people and
for God's kingdom. See, here's the contrast.
Amos' people of Israel chased after the short
-term gains and they were bringing God's judgment.
The manager in Luke, the dishonest one, for all
of his faults, at least he looked ahead and was
praiseworthy for it. But the challenge then comes
to us. Will we spend money as if this life is
all there is? Or are we using what we have in
ways that last forever? Think about Chick -fil
-A. You know that running joke about how every
worker smiling has to say, my pleasure. Oh, no,
I forgot my straw. My pleasure. Oh, I needed
some Chick -fil -A sauce. My pleasure. And then
they even have the music videos where they joke
about it. Oh, no, my tire went flat. My pleasure.
There we go. Oh, no, my lawn meets boat. Oh,
my pleasure. And then the one person doesn't
say my pleasure. And it's like, oh, they got
disappeared real quick. The thing is, is that
that doesn't happen by accident. It's training.
It's culture. It's a long term investment in
people, not just food. Compare that to the crowd
for Amos. cutting corners and cheating customers.
One is about trust and service, the other one
is about exploitation, and it reveals who the
people are through how they behave. And that's
the invitation. Don't waste your wealth on what
fades. Use it for what lasts. But the question
for us, how do we live this way? Where do we
find the strength to use wealth? for eternal
purposes instead of temporary gains. But see,
the good news is that even when God was speaking
through Amos to people who were clearly doing
the wrong thing, He isn't only pointing out failure,
hey, you really messed up there. He saw the greed,
the impatience, the exploitation in Israel's
hearts. And yet He spoke because He wanted them
to turn back to Him. Even when they had to learn
things the hard way, God's desire was still that
his people would know him even during the exile,
even after the exile. The same is true with Jesus.
He tells a parable about a manager who wasn't
being wise, but notice he's not closing the door.
He's opening it because he wants the listeners
who are ready to hear to take the opportunity
to change. That's the grace of God for us today
too. He speaks to us not to condemn us and to
leave us there, but to give us the choice, the
chance to turn, to change, to redirect our lives
and our resources toward the things that really
last. But how do we actually do that? I mean,
let's be honest, money's powerful. Resources,
they grip us tight. What is it that frees us?
from its hold. And yes, I know the obvious Sunday
school answer is supposed to be Jesus. I get
it. But how is the answer Jesus? How do we become
something different because of Jesus, and who
He is and what He's done? See, Paul says that
though He was rich, yet for your sake He became
poor, so that you through poverty, His poverty
might become rich. Jesus gave up the wealth of
heaven, to walk among us in poverty. Not poverty
being a carpenter's son per se, but the poverty
of being a mortal human being. Instead of the
immortal that he was in heaven, he laid down
his life to give us eternal riches. Forgiveness,
grace, eternal life. That's the treasure no moth
or rust can destroy. But it's more than just
looking to Jesus as an example because honestly
yeah, he is the perfect example to follow But
if all we're doing is trying harder We're gonna
fail See when we know that our future is secure
in Christ We know that God has cared for us.
He's saving us from death, from sin, from hell,
from everything. We don't have to be asking the
future all the time. Then we don't have to cling
to money as if it's the only place of security
anymore. We can be open to what God is providing.
But how do we use what we have for eternity?
Well, there are three things to bring up. One...
Give generously. Uh -oh, this must be the stewardship
sermon. We really don't do a lot of them because
this isn't the point. See, the manager, he used
his resources to secure a future. The thing is,
is that, yes, we would like it if you would help
contribute to what we're doing here at the church.
We're going to tell you a little bit more in
a second about what we're preparing for next
year. But it's not just about that. It's about
asking how what we have can bless others in our
everyday life. Think about it beyond these church
walls. How is it that we bless others with what
we have, with what we can give? How do we relieve
the needs of the people who are around us? How
do we advance what is good? Because every act
of generosity is a seed that's planted for eternity.
Because the more gracious we are, the more others
can see Christ being in us. But more than that,
it's about investing in people. Money can buy
things, stuff, but only love can change lives.
People are the eternal, not the things, not the
stuff, the humans. Because that's where God has
given His grace. Investing in people, it might
be mentoring a student, it might be helping a
neighbor, it might be encouraging someone. during
a hard time, but the more that we're investing
in people with the grace of God, that's where
the return can be eternal. But also be faithful
in the little things. Stewardship, it's not always
these dramatic things. You know, every once in
a while somebody's able to give something really
big and that's great and that's awesome, but
most of the time that's not what it is. It's
about honesty in our business. When we know we
could, get the upper hand when someone we have
an advantage over. It's when we're careful with
budgeting, knowing that we need to prepare for
things for our family and for our future. It's
keeping promises to people where we know we could
drop the ball, but they needed us. It's showing
kindness when we know people just need someone
to just show them something kind. Tiny actions
echo forever. That's where Chick -fil -A comes
back in. You know, how many times we know where
somebody sat down and they finished up and the
worker, they brought their food to the table.
They offered to refill the drink and you're sitting
there like, am I supposed to tip you? No, you
don't tip at Chick -fil -A. Why'd they do it?
Because they could. Tiny? Yeah. Memorable? Absolutely.
That's what Jesus means when He calls us to be
faithful in the little things. It's not always
the grand gestures. It's about the daily ways
that we use what we have to bless others. In
Amos, the people couldn't wait for the Sabbath
to be over so they could chase more money. And
in our world, the temptation isn't all that much
different. Not just money. The things that we
desire. But then we see Chick -fil -A saying,
we'll stay closed on Sundays. because purpose
matters more than profit. And we hear Jesus saying,
where your treasure is, there your heart will
be also. So the question is simple. Where's your
treasure? Because one day you'll look back from
eternity and realize that every act of generosity,
everything you gave, every sacrifice you made
in faith, none of it was wasted. It all became
part of somebody's eternal story. So we don't
just use wealth for today. We use what we have
for eternity. Kingdom stewardship is not always
flashy. It's not measured by all the things that
we've accumulated. It's not measured by any of
the possessions we have, but what we've entrusted
to God. When we do, our heart shifts. Our treasure
shifts. You know, in closing, it's funny. People
don't really rave about chick -fil -a because
the chicken is life -changing. It's good. Don't
don't don't tell them I said otherwise. It's
good. It's good All right, it's not I want to
say it's life -changing Lee good. Maybe the chick
-fil -a sauce. That's fair But what people remember
is how they were treated The kindness the faithfulness
and the little things and that's the point money
fades products fade but love lasts In Christ,
love lasts forever. So where's your treasure?
Where's your heart? In Christ, you have the chance
to turn, to change, and to live differently.
And when you use what you have for eternity,
God multiplies it into a return that never fades.
So may we use our wealth, not just for today,
but for people and for eternal purposes. Thanks
be to God.