TRANSFORMED IN MY POSSESSIONS


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TRANSFORMED IN MY POSSESSIONS

What are your most valuable possessions? QUESTION

#1

#BSFLtransformed BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

Possessions don’t last. Your relationship with God does.

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE “You can’t take it with you.” But some people certainly have tried. Take Billy Standley. When he died at age 82, he was buried on his 1967 Harley Davidson Electra Glide cruiser. He worked for years fabricating a massive casket of cement, wood, and Plexiglass so everyone could witness his last ride. As the funeral proceeded to the cemetery, onlookers all saw Billy Standley on his bike, surrounded by his trophies. He was determined to try and take it all with him.1 That may sound excessive, but we all can get carried away with our possessions. Perhaps you know someone who gets a little crazy about their car, couch, or carpet. Possessions aren’t necessarily bad, but there’s no doubt they can drive a wedge between us and God. If we aren’t careful, we won’t own our possessions—they will own us. That helps explain why Jesus spoke more about money than just about any other topic. Let’s look back at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and let Christ transform our view of our possessions.

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 6:19-24 19 “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and

rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither

moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole

body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness! 24 “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate

one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.”

Treasures (v. 19)—The Greek word translated here literally means “a deposit”; in context, it refers to wealth considered so precious we want to store it up and keep it for ourselves. Lamp of the body (v. 22)—A portable lamp that gave enough light to help a person find his or her way in the darkness. Such lamps were common in the ancient world and could be attached to a person’s body in a variety of ways.

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

Possessions don’t last. Your relationship with God does.

How does our culture reflect the truth of Jesus’ statement in verse 21?

QUESTION

#2

Matthew 6:19-21 We all have things we treasure—possessions we value more highly than others do. My wife often asks how many fishing lures one man can possibly need, and my joking response is always the same: “Just one more.” The problem with our possessions is that they can never satisfy. We know this from experience, and yet we still feel the pressure when the next ad reveals something else we can’t live without. It’s not easy to turn away from earthly possessions, especially in today’s culture. But it’s critical for followers of Christ to do so. The good news from Matthew 6:19-21 is that when we invest in eternal treasures, we send them ahead of us. When we use our resources and possessions to advance God’s kingdom, we collect for ourselves “treasures in heaven.” One way we can invest in God’s kingdom is through giving to our local church. I believe in the tithe: giving ten percent of my money and resources to God (see Mal. 3:10). Some people say the tithe was a part of the Old Testament law, and therefore doesn’t apply to us today. It’s true that we now live under grace, but grace always goes beyond the letter of the law. I don’t approach tithing as some legalistic practice; instead, it’s my starting point for giving—for acknowledging that everything ultimately belongs to God.

GIVE

Unfortunately, the church as a whole is doing a poor job of giving our resources back to God. Depending on what research you read, the average Christian gives between 2.5 and 4 percent of what they earn. I believe many in the church are living in financial scarcity because of their decision to withhold their resources from God (see 2 Cor. 9:6). It doesn’t have to be that way. When we trust God with our finances and put Him first, we’ll be transformed in our possessions.

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WHICH MASTER? Jesus made it clear that we cannot serve both God and money. Use the following assessments to gain a picture of which master you’ve been serving in the following areas of life. Your largest expenses: Serving money

Serving God

Your tithes and offerings: Serving money

Serving God

Your current debt: Serving money

Serving God

Your savings and retirement: Serving money

Serving God

Your future prospects: Serving money

Serving God

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

Possessions don’t last. Your relationship with God does.

Matthew 6:22-23 How good is your eyesight? According to the Vision Impact Institute, three out of four Americans need vision correction. And of that group, up to 41 percent don’t wear glasses or contacts on a regular basis—but they should.2 Let me state the obvious: life can be skewed, even dangerous, if it’s not in focus. That’s equally true if our spiritual focus is out of whack. Jesus spoke of the eye that is “good,” borrowing from the Jewish idea that a good eye represented a generous attitude. By contrast, a bad eye was stingy and self-focused. In the modern world, a nearsighted attitude only considers how things affect me. It’s easy to base decisions on our own comfort or pleasure, even to the point where we lose focus on God’s kingdom. We need to remember these words from the apostle Paul: “So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). How do you fix your eyes on something you cannot see? Several actions will help you maintain a clear focus, so that “your eye is good” and “your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22): Fix your eyes daily on Christ (see Heb. 12:2). Renew your mind daily through the Word (see Rom. 12:1-2). Confess any selfish pursuits, interests, or goals that cloud your vision (see Ps. 119:36-37). Invest in others and build up treasures in heaven (see Matt. 6:20-21). Your spiritual vision is important. Do whatever it takes each day to keep your focus on Christ.

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How do these verses contribute to Jesus’ teaching about possessions?

QUESTION

#3

When have you felt the tension of trying to serve two masters?

QUESTION

#4

Matthew 6:24 As the old song says: “You gotta serve somebody.” Ultimately, we serve what we focus on each day. Most people live their lives as slaves to their own passions and desires, but both Paul and James identified themselves as slaves of Christ (see Rom. 1:1; Jas. 1:1). That may sound ironic, since no one is more free than a follower of Christ. Yet that’s the paradox of the gospel: a life lived for self leads to slavery, while a life lived in service and surrender to Christ leads to freedom. The thing about being a slave—and, again, everyone serves someone or something—is that you can only have one master. Jesus was clear: if you are serving money, which means chasing after it and filling your life with all it can give you, you’re not serving God. Jesus was calling for single-minded devotion and commitment—a tough call in our culture, which is short on commitment. The largest “cult” in our country is the cult of cultural Christianity. Cultural Christianity says Jesus came to be a part of your life. That’s false. Jesus never came to be a part of our lives. Either He is our entire life (see Col. 3:4) or He has no part of our lives. We have to make a choice between those two, and that choice will be reflected in our relationship with money. Money is an area where many of us have compromised instead of being fully committed to Christ. Why should this be so? The answer is fear. We’re afraid God won’t provide. Fully committing our finances to God is perhaps the toughest test of our faith that many of us will face. One passage God has used time and time again to grow my faith and help me to trust God with my finances is Psalm 37:25: “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.” Money and possessions are temporary. God is faithful, and He has promised to never abandon us. Let’s serve the One who has never let us down—and never will.

How can we work as a community to stay focused on the things that last?

QUESTION

#5

BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

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THE POINT

Possessions don’t last. Your relationship with God does.

LIVE IT OUT What will you do this week to make your relationship with God a priority over your possessions? Consider these options: Memorize. Commit Psalm 37:25 to memory. Let this verse strengthen your faith and drive out your fear, especially as it relates to your finances. Review. Take a look at your bank statement or purchase history for the past month. Use this information to make a list of your priorities and major concerns. I nvest. One way to invest in God’s kingdom is through giving to your church. If you haven’t been giving, start this week. If you are giving, take the next step and begin giving one percent more of your income to God’s kingdom. You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead by investing your earthly resources in heavenly treasures. Remember that truth, because your possessions will last for the blink of an eye. Your investment in God’s kingdom will last for eternity.

1. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ohio-man-buried-riding-harley-davidson-motorcycle-article-1.1598403. 2. http://news.essilorusa.com/stories/detail/vision-impact-institute-releases-study-on-corrective-lens-wearers-in-the-u.

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