LUKE CHAPTER 16
Luke 16:1-15 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. MB: In other words, “Give me an account, before you leave.”
:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. MB: He knows he’s lost his job, so he comes up with a plan.
:4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
:5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? MB: He assumes (or knows) the master is like him so, with no thought of apology or seeking his master’s mercy, he continues on the path of selfishness proving he was never a steward for his master’s benefit, but always his own. Being a man of the world, he acts as a man of the world would. “Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed.” (Matthew 25:24) He blames the master and not himself. Following is the plan he devised.
:6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. MB: He curries favor with unrighteous mammon in order to save himself.
:7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
: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. MB: Perhaps the word *shrewd would be more fitting. Yet this is how the children of the world behave when faced with a dilemma such as this. They are wise in the ways of the world but not in the ways of light. Their masters are worldly also, and in this case the master sees what type of steward he has in his employ and commends him. This is normal behavior for men of the world. Within the generation of worldly men and women, there is little thought for the well-being of others. (Testimony: My father, who was a very successful businessman, this was many years ago mind you, said to me, his young up and coming son, there is only one way to make a million dollars and that is to lie, cheat and steal. He of course was not referring to becoming a thief, but there are ways within the world of business where loopholes exist for such behavior. I can’t imagine how it is today.
:9 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. MB: Now we know from our knowledge of the Word where these friends of mammon have their habitation. Yet in verse 9, it seems we are being advised to make friends with such people. Well that could very well be the case if you have turned off the path of faith and are now fellowshiping with the world. It would not be wise to live in pretense as a child of light if you are indeed not living the life of faith. “For the just shall live by faith, but if any man turn back My soul shall have not pleasure in him. If you have turned off the narrow path you cannot in full confidence claim our King’s full favor. Choose now whom you will serve, God or Mammon.
:10 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. MB: Here is the admonition; if you remain faithful to the Word of God, the blessing will not only come but will increase. And on the other hand, the unjust steward was an unfaithful steward for his master so when caught in his sin he turned his face toward the ways of his generation and continued in his unjust ways. What does Jesus say to the children of light? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:17-18) There is a choice here: remain in the world or return to the Father. If you choose to remain in the world, then this chapter offers some advice. But if you wish to turn back to the Father, then read the previous chapter, Luke 15:11-32
:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? MB: If we the children of light turn back to unrighteous mammon, we have no choice but to live and be as them; we cannot live in both worlds. And once having gone back, then how can we expect to be trusted with true riches? At least be as the prodigal son in the previous chapter and repent. You may not be given the riches of the Kingdom, but you will be permitted to live in the Father’s house once more. Remember, if you stay in the world, then you will still be judged according to your works. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2Corinthians 5:10
:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? MB: If you are faithful to care for what I give you, then I will be faithful to give that which I have promised you.
:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
*Scheming, conniving, calculating, hard (as in hard-hearted).
Prophecy, Jesus speaking:
“You are children and citizens of the Kingdom of Light, and I am your King. I have called you out of darkness and into the light. I have given many promises of supply and protection to those of My faithful children who obey My call and come to Me. My children have no need to make friends with unrighteous mammon, for fear of Me failing to keep My Word. Am I man that I would lie unto the Children of David? I have not only promised that I would care for you, but I have also given you the Keys of the Kingdom, prophecy and many spiritual weapons and gifts to aid you in your walk of faith. You are most richly blessed above all men. The message is clear to those who would walk with Me. These who would go to unrighteous mammon ask amiss, that they may consume it upon their lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:3-4)
I have always called My children out of the world. But in these days of the End, My call is more urgent, more insistent, because a line has been drawn, I am separating My sheep from the goats of this world. I am calling My remnant into the wilderness before judgment falls upon unrighteous mammon. My just ones shall live of My hand by faith and the unrighteous ones who trust in the arm to save them will fall into perdition. If you would know in which direction to walk, then listen to My whispers. If you are following My checks and leads, then I will lead you to the hungry sheep. By following My will, you will be fed and cared for by Me and those that you minister to. Fret not for tomorrow; take My hand and I will lead you to green pastures, for I that feed the sparrow will also feed you from My hand. I promised that I would supply your food and clothing, yet if you come unto Me, I will supply much more than that, for I love to dote on My faithful brides. If I supply through someone that I have brought along your path, then that is from My hand. But to go into the world to curry favor for gain is an abomination to Me and My soul will have no pleasure in you.
I made it very clear in the previous chapter, Chapter 15, how unrighteous mammon looks to Me. It is a pen of pigs. Why would I ask you to go feed yourself in the pig pen looking for help from the swine when both the door to My house and My arms are always open and ready to receive the prodigal sons? These ones that give counsel to befriend unrighteous mammon are prodigals that have not yet filled their bellies with the husks of this world. They do not discern the signs of the time. They do not hear My voice calling them to come out of the unrighteous mammon for the time of the End has come. These ones would do well to read Luke 15.”
“(Dad speaking:) Will you be one whose last words will be, “If I only had”? “If I had only forsaken my trinkets and toys of the world! If I had only forsaken my selfish desires. If I had only forsaken my lust for material comfort. If I had only forsaken my desire for System knowledge. If I had only learned to live together with others. If I had only taken up the challenge to be a missionary for Jesus!” Will you be one who only saw the promises of God from afar off? Or will you be one who is persuaded of them and embraces them?”