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January 12, 2003 - Matthew 6:19-24

Open It

1. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only three possessions with you, what would you choose and why?
2. What valuable possessions do you have that cannot be replaced?
3. What are some things you'd never give up, no matter how much money you were offered for them?

Explore It

4. Where did Jesus urge His followers not to "store up treasures"? Why? (6:19)
5. Why did Jesus discourage stockpiling things? (6:19)
6. What can happen to a person's material possessions? (6:19)
7. Where did Jesus encourage us to invest our wealth? Why? (6:20)
8. Why is heaven a better place to "bank" than earth? (6:20)
9. What does the location of a person's treasure say about that person? (6:21)
10. What is described as the "lamp of the body"? How is this so? (6:22)
11. What is the result of "good eyes"? (6:22)
12. When will people's lives be full of darkness? (6:23)
13. What did Jesus say about serving two masters? (6:24)
14. Why did Jesus say we cannot serve two masters? (6:24)
15. What two masters did Jesus mention in this context? Why? (6:24)

Get It

16. How have you felt whenever you have lost a valued possession?
17. How can we "store up . . . treasures in heaven"?
18. How can we determine where our treasure is (and thus where our hearts are)?
19. What sort of things do you think about most?
20. Where does your mind naturally gravitate to in those moments just before you go to bed?
21. How clear is your spiritual vision right now?
22. What masters most often fight for your allegiance?
23. In what ways do you serve money?
24. In what ways can you master your money?

Apply It

25. How could you make an investment in eternity today?
26. What committed Christian friends could help you evaluate your use of money in the next month?

Storing up treasures in heaven is not limited to giving but is accomplished by all acts of obedience to God. There is a sense in which giving our money to God's work is like investing in heaven. But our intention should be to seek the fulfillment of God's purposes in all we do, not merely what we do with our money.

Spiritual vision is our capacity to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from his point of view. But this spiritual insight can be easily clouded. Self-serving desires, interests, and goals block that vision. Serving God is the best way to restore it. A "good" eye is one that is fixed on God.

Jesus says we can have only one master. You cannot serve God and wealth. Just a moment, wealth is not the problem. Mammon, by personification, refers to the god of riches, the enemy of Jesus. You cannot serve God and the enemy of God at the same time. You can see the kinds of conflict that this would create in the life of an individual who attempts to serve both at the same time.

Jesus contrasted heavenly values with earthly values when he explained that our first loyalty should be to those things that do not fade, cannot be stolen or used up, and never wear out. We should not be fascinated with our possessions, lest they possess us. Jesus is calling for a decision that allows us to live contentedly with whatever we have because we have chosen what is eternal and lasting.

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