A Christian Life in a Materialistic World

The Dangers of Materialism Pride: Deut 8.7–17; 1 Tim 6.17

Deuteronomy 8.7 – 17 “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper” (7–9).

Deuteronomy 8.7 – 17 “Beware lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (10–14).

Deuteronomy 8.7 – 17 “Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth’” (14–17).

The Dangers of Materialism Pride: Deut 8.7–17; 1 Tim 6.17 Covetousness: Ecc 5.10; Luke 12.16–21

Ecclesiastes 5.10 “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income” “Happiness always seems to be just over the horizon of the next purchase.”

Luke – 21 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 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. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Luke “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.’” Who we are, not what we have

The Dangers of Materialism Pride: Deut 8.7–17; 1 Tim 6.17 Covetouseness: Ecc 5.10; Luke 12.16–21 Anxiety: Ecc 5.12; Matt 6.25–32

Materialism and Anxiety Having possessions leads to anxiety (Ecc 5.12) Not having possessions leads to anxiety (Matt 6.25–33) If money is your god, you will be anxious

Antidotes to Materialism The Joy of Giving

Acts 20.33–35 Ephesians 4.28 Acts 2.44–46 Acts 4.32–35

Antidotes to Materialism The Joy of Giving Finding True Contentment

1 Timothy 6.6 – 12, 17 Philippians 4.11

Antidotes to Materialism The Joy of Giving Finding True Contentment Be Rich in the Work of the Lord

The Good Samaritan Robbers: What’s yours is mine Passers-by: What’s mine is mine Neighbor: What’s mine is God’s How are we living in relation to our possessions?