Dear Christian friends:

All of us are planning to go to heaven when we die. If we were not planning and hoping for that, we would not gather here in church this morning.

True, we think about heaven sometimes, but do we think about it enough? I think we think too much about our life here, and worry about it than about our future in heaven. And if we worry too much about the troubles and responsibilities and pleasures of this life our faith and hope in Jesus will be destroyed.

In our text Jesus gives us a good lesson to remind us to think more about our future life in heaven. He tells a story about a certain steward who thought about his future and made some good plans for his future, so that when He got fired he had a good place to go.

With this parable or story Jesus wants to impress on our minds that we should think much about going to heaven and make good plans for that.

So this morning I wish to speak to you about

Before you can seriously plan of heaven you must understand that your life and time here on earth will not last very long. Often we act like we will live here on earth a thousand years and more. Many people save up enough money to live five-hundred or a thousand years. They build houses that stay for two-hundred or three-hundred years, some houses in Europe are more than a thousand years old.

"The angels from their throne on high
Look down on us with wondering eye;
For where we are but passing guests
We build such strong and solid nests:
But where we hope to live for aye [ever]
We scarce take heed on one stone to lay."

The steward in our lesson understood that his time was almost finished. The Lord said to him, "You may no longer be steward." One day God our Lord will say that to each one of us: "You may no more be a steward. Your time and work for Me on earth is finished. You must die."

And you know that people go either to heaven or hell when they die. You don't want to go to hell, but are you ready for heaven? Have you the right plans for heaven? Did you use your life and time rightly so that you can go to heaven when you die?

In verse 9 Jesus tells us how we are to do this:" And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,[a] so that when it runs out you will be welcomed[b] into the eternal homes." (New England Bible)

As the crooked steward in the lesson used his Lord's money to make friends. So we are to use our Lord's money to make many friends here on earth. Our Lord God gives us life, health, time and money. He loans them to us while we live. We should use our life and time and money to make many friends. Then when we die these many friends will help us. How? They will say to God that we were good and kind and helped them.

This appears as if we get into heaven because of our good works. Does this contradict the Bible in other parts where it says we get into heaven because faith in Jesus who died for our sins? No! This does not contradict that, but agrees and supports it.

True, we get saved and judged righteous only by faith in Jesus Christ. But if anyone really believes in Jesus Christ, he will love other people and talk to them about Jesus and win them for Jesus. He will be kind to others and help them in their needs and troubles because of of his faith and love in Jesus. John says, "If God so much loves us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:11) John also says in 1 John 4:20, "He who says he loves God and hates his brother is a liar."

So if we really believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, then we will love others and forgive them and help them in their needs and troubles. We will try to use our money and win many friends for God.

In this way we can be sure that we have true faith and we know that we are making and following the right plans that lead to eternal glory in heaven.

Are you using your life and money to win friends for God? If you are, you know that you have a place in heaven reserved for you. If not, you can't be sure.

Amen.