Classic Sermon Outlines
vw _ fllerander Maclaren
SERMON SIXTEEN HOW THE LITTLE MAY BE
USED TO GET THE GREAT
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. If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
THESE are very revolutionary words in more than one aspect. There are two things remarkable about them. One is the contrast which is seen in _all three verses between what our Lord calls "mammon" (that is, simply outward good) and the inward riches of a heart devoted to and filled with - God and Christ. But another striking thing about the words is the broad, bold statement that a man's use of the lower goods determines, or is at least an element in determining, his possession of the highest.
I. A NEW STANDARD OF VALUE.
A. The Antithesis between "Small" and "Great" (Verse 10).
1. They imply a comparison with each other.
2. They imply a common standard of value for both. "Small" and "great," _of course, are relative terms; they imply a comparison with each other, and imply also a reference of both to a common standard of value.