The Doctrine of the Christian Life - 4. The Christian Attitude to Material Things
Notes
Transcript
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Introduction
All of us have material things not just of necessity but also for pleasure. What is important is that things do not become the be all and end all in our lives. They are God’s gifts to us to be used for his glory.
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1. God’s Gracious Gifts
1. God’s Gracious Gifts
Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966 3. Christian Behaviour
Wealth and all material things justly obtained are to be received as God’s gracious gifts, and to be used for worthy ends with a due sense of responsibility and stewardship.
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a. Expelling Myths
a. Expelling Myths
The Prevailing attitude of many is that Christians should be poor and not have many possessions.
i. The Bethlehem Factor
i. The Bethlehem Factor
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
ii. The Carpenter
ii. The Carpenter
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
iii. The Wise Men
iii. The Wise Men
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
iv. Anointing Jesus’ Feet
iv. Anointing Jesus’ Feet
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
v. Jesus’ Garments
v. Jesus’ Garments
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things,
vi. Ananias and Sapphira
vi. Ananias and Sapphira
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
vii. Lydia
vii. Lydia
14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
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2. God’s Gracious Gifts
2. God’s Gracious Gifts
Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966 3. Christian Behaviour
Wealth and all material things justly obtained are to be received as God’s gracious gifts,
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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.
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2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
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17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
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3. Stewardship
3. Stewardship
Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966 3. Christian Behaviour
to be used for worthy ends with a due sense of responsibility and stewardship.
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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.”
22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
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6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
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11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
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4. Covetousness
4. Covetousness
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Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966 3. Christian Behaviour
For this reason and because of a deep desire to be just in all his dealings, the true christian should renounce all forms of gambling, the root of which is covetousness.
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17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
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15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
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14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
In New Testament times, the talent was the largest named quantity of money, worth about twenty years’ wages for the average day labourer.
A talent was a unit of currency worth about 6,000 denarii. A denarius was the usual payment for a day’s labor. At one denarius per day, a single talent was therefore worth 20 years of labor (assuming a 6-day work week, because nobody would work on the weekly Sabbath).
Conclusion
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19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.