Primary Text: Matthew 6:19-34
Memory Verse: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
Introduction:
While the last lesson focused on living the righteous life filled with the essential sacred elements of charity, prayer, and fasting, the focus now is upon living life righteously: how we are to live the reality of our Christianity in its common activities. I once asked a faithful, seasoned minister what the Bible meant by “the world.” His compelling answer stated, “The world is anything that will cool our affection towards God and the church.” I’ve questioned if self should be included in that statement, but have come to realize that self is very much included, if not the primary issue of worldliness, for it is our love for the world and our attitude toward it that is the primary concern.
Jesus taught that worldliness takes two primary forms: (1) a positive love for the world and all that it offers, and (2) a stressful anxiety about the world and its many cares. Both are equally dangerous and upon captivating our hearts, render us useless to God. The old comedian, Flip Wilson, often played a female comedy character named “Geraldine.” When caught in the wrong, Geraldine’s most famous line was, “The devil made me do it!” That seems to be the attitude of many Christians who feel the need to blame someone or something other than themselves for personal failure. “Don’t punish me, punish the devil: he made me do it!” While the devil is our archenemy, bent on our total destruction, Christians blame him for many things that really aren’t his fault. The world, and our involvement with it, are just as much to blame. Remove the devil and we still have problems.
Because worldliness is so subtle and dangerous, there are those who hide themselves away from it as hermits. Jesus never taught that. How can we be salt and light in the world if we are removed from it? How can we preach to others, encourage the down-trodden, heal the sick, or visit the imprisoned, while nested away in isolation? “Go into all the world…” Jesus said (Mark 16:15). So we must learn how to live righteously amidst the world’s corruption.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- Explain what Jesus taught about treasures upon earth and in heaven. Matthew 6:19-21
- What did the Apostle Paul teach about storing up treasures in heaven in 1 Timothy 6:17-19?
- What did Jesus mean about having “singleness of the eye?” Matthew 6:22-23
- Why did Jesus say it is impossible to serve two masters? Matthew 6:24; 10:37; Deuteronomy 6:4-5
- Why did Jesus teach that we aren’t to be filled with anxiety over the things that sustain our lives? Matthew 6:25-26
- Does it make sense to worry about things that are beyond our control? Matthew 6:27
- How can we be reassured of God’s perfect provisions by considering the flowers of the field that perish? Matthew 6:28-30
- Why is the way a Christian lives, to be different from the heathen? Matthew 6:31-32
- Discuss the importance and need of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness each day, and stop fretting over our tomorrows. Matthew 6:33-34