The 
ight House
Sunday School (Materialism and Priorities)
Materialism and Priorities
(Matthew 6:19-23)
This Sunday School less on is on “Materialism” (the love and desire for earthy materialistic possessions) and Priorities (the relative importance of things).
Consider these scriptures:
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21)We are not to have a materialistic heart and mind. That is, we are not to place too much importance upon material things nor yearn for them. This does not mean that there is any thing wrong with having nice things nor is there anything wrong with having an abundance of material things. It becomes wrong when we allow these things to become so important to us that we place such an importance on them that they divert our attention away from serving God. It also becomes wrong when these material things becomes more the object of our affections than God. This teaching is paralleled with the teachings of coveting and greed.
Verse 19 and 20 say:
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
(Matthew 6:19-20)First of all, we see in this verse that we are instructed not to purposely set out to accumulate worldly riches. How can we keep serving the Lord the focus of our life if we are focused on obtaining wealth? This does not mean that everyone we encounter who has an abundance of earthly treasures is not focused on serving the Lord. The Lord will sometimes reword righteousness with material possessions. Remember Abraham, Job, and King Solomon; all these men were blessed with wealth, but their heart’s desire was to serve the Lord. When Job lost everything, it did not change his devotion to God. Their wealth did not come from a carnal and greedy ambition to become rich men. In fact Solomon when he had the opportunity to ask anything he desired of the Lord did not choose to ask for wealth, but he asked for wisdom and understanding. God being pleased with his request, granted Solomon wealth in addition to his request of wisdom and understanding.
Therefore we must not be judgmental and assume that a wealthy man is not living a life pleasing to God.
Why would God bless some men of righteousness with wealth but not all? God knows our hearts and therefore He knows who may be negatively affected by wealth and who would not. It would not be much of a blessing to receive vast earthly treasures if it cost us anything regarding our fellowship with our Lord. Some can handle being blessed with earthly treasures without corruption and some can not.
It’s not the possessions that corrupt us, but it is the love and desire for them that corrupts.
Notice an often misquoted piece of scripture.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
(1 Timothy 6:10)This verse is often misquoted as saying, “Money is the root of all evil…” Make note that it is not “money” that is the root of all evil, but the “LOVE” of money that is the root of all evil.
The other message in that verse teaches us that worldly treasures are temporary, while Heavenly treasures are eternal. Even from a pure logical perspective it does not make sense to concentrate on accumulating worldly treasures which are temporary when our focus could be on laying up treasures in Heaven which are eternal. This logic however, is only convincing if a person truly believes in God’s word.
Many people say they believe in God, and believe the bible is true, yet they do not live as though they truly believed in it’s truths. This principle of living in a way that you lay treasures up in Heaven rather than laying up earthly treasures is one example of how some live contrary to God’s word while yet, saying they believe in His word. I belie that most ALL of us including myself have been guilty of not adhering to this teaching.
Verse 21 says:
21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
(Matthew 6:21)That verse is loaded with truth! There is a revealing connection between what a person strives to acquire and the focus of his passion. If a person’s top priorities are to have fellowship with God, seek to know God and have a better understanding of His word, to be obedient to God, and to work in service to God, then his heart will be on Heavenly things and he will be laying up treasures in heaven. Although we can not see into another man’s heart, much will be revealed for others to see in how he lives. Such a man as described here for example will most likely be someone who attends church faithfully, studies his bible regularly, and his favorite topic of conversation will center on the things of God.
A person who’s top priorities are to accumulate wealth and or material possessions on the other hand, will not have the same spiritual passions as the person who truly seeks to serve God first.. His favorite topics of conversation for example may be on the economy, politics, the stock market, cars, etc… There is nothing wrong with having conversations on these topics, but if they take a higher priority than serving and following the Lord, it is
a case of materialism and will be revealed in a person’s conversation. When we are saved, we become a new creature and a part of being that new creature is to have new passions and desires.
The following verse seems to apply to this lesson:
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
(Matthew 6:33)Verse 20 says:
20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
(Matthew 6:20)This verse gives us instruction and also tells us something about Heaven. The instruction is lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, rather than to lay up earthy treasures. How do we lay up treasures in Heaven? Look above at verse 23. That is the answer. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” That one statement sums up a lot of things because if we FIRST seek the Kingdom of God, then God and all His instruction is our top priority in life. If God is our top priority in life, then we will strive to follow His commandments, live by His instruction, and have a heart of praise and thanksgiving.
What does this verse tell us about Heaven? The verse says, “…where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” Rust does not corrupt in Heaven. Once we are in Heaven where all things are eternal, time has no significance. In Heaven all things are always brand new. I believe this not only applies to tangible things, but also applies to things such as joy, peace and happiness as well. Here on Earth our joy found in earthly things diminishes quickly. For example, we may get very excited when we first take possession of a new car or move into a new home. We may continue to enjoy that car or that home, but the excitement we felt when we first took possession of it diminishes with time. When we first get married or when our child is born, we are in a wonderful state of joy. Years later, although we still love our spouse and our children, that special feeling we experienced when it was all brand new is faded. This will not be the case of our experience of Heaven.
Try to imagine our first moments in Heaven. Well, we really can not do that, but just try. The unspeakable joy and happiness we feel in those first moments will be with us for all eternity! When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. We will also have no less JOY to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.
Naturally, there will be no thieves in Heaven. There will be no worries or concerns what so ever. What ever rewards we will receive for how we lived and served on Earth, will be eternal. Another thought: There will also be no more chances to earn more.
Whatever we receive in Heaven will depend entirely on how we live and serve God here in this world.
Now consider these scriptures:
22The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
(Matthew 6:22-23)Jesus often spoke symbolically to make his message more clear. However, what was clear by such symbolism in Jesus’ day may not be so clear today because the metaphors Jesus used were connected with issues and traditions of that day which of which have since become unknown to the modern world. That is the case of this piece of scripture.
“The light of the body” is based on the ancient concept that the eye was the window through which light entered the body. If the eyes were in good condition then the light could enter the body. Jesus uses this understood concept of the day to make reference to a mans “spiritual sight”. When Jesus speaks of the eye being single, he is referring to a persons focus or attention. “Single” meaning being focused on only one thing and that being in this case, the things of God. In other words if a person’s attention is on the spiritual (God, Heaven, etc…) then his whole personality will be without blemish. If a Christian lives by the principles of God’s word with his focus on serving God, then his Christianity will show on him. This principle goes back to being a light of the world and salt of the earth. By the same token, if the eye is evil, and ones goals, focus, and motivation are of worldly things, that too will be reflected in one’s personality.
God Bless you,
Carl
I may not look like much, but I cost a bunch!
