The Legacy You Leave Behind
Pastor Darryn Scheske | Living Generously—Part 2 | Luke 16:1-14 | Sunday, October 19, 2025
Communion Scripture
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever” John 6:35, 38–40, 51 NLT
Gospel Reading
Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ “ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’ “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts.” Luke 16:1–14
THE LEGACY YOU LEAVE BEHIND
Living Generously – Part 2
“‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg…” Luke 16:3
“I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.” Luke 16:4
“So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ “ ‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels.’”
Luke 16:5–7
“The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”
Luke 16:8–9
The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. Jesus said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts.” Luke 16:14
The shrewd steward used money that wasn’t his to make friends for the future.
1. Focus on changing the way you think
“The time is now. Repent and believe the good news.” Mark 1:15
“The greatest of the deadly sins is sloth.” –Karl Barth, Theologian
2. Focus on stewardship not ownership
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” Luke 16:10–13
The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. Then Jesus said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. Luke 16:14
3. Focus on making friends for eternity
“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, you will be welcomed you to an eternal home.” –Jesus, Luke 16:9,
Take a lesson from the unjust steward
Use Someone else’s money to make friends for eternity
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2