Ocean’s Parable

August 9, 2026
Ocean’s Parable
Sermon Audio

CENTRAL TEXT: Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1 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. 

Luke 16:10 “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.”

CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 8:1, 4-6, 9

LEADER: O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
ALL: what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
LEADER: You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
ALL: O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

PRAYER/SCRIPTURE READING/CONFESSION OF FAITH: Genesis 1:26-30

LEADER: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
The Word of the Lord
ALL: Thanks be to God!

BENEDICTION: Ephesians 5:16-17

LEADER: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Name from literature or film an admirable rascal. What from their storyline demonstrated that fusion of ordinarily opposite features of character? 
  2. Compose from the parable a profile of the manager (the steward).

Illustrations:

Aug 9, 2026

QUOTES:

A parable is a small story with a large point. The point of the Unjust Steward is that it’s better to be a resourceful rascal than a saintly schlemiel.
- Fredrick Buechner.
Why did the Lord set this before us? It is not because that servant cheated, but because he exercised foresight for the future. When even a cheat is praised for his ingenuity, Christians, who make no such provision blush. 
- Augustine.
#1 Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever
#22 Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of."

Sermons / Talks:

“The Use of Money,” A sermon by Charles Wesley