Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP180001A
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00:01 Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word,
00:03 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 00:07 It says, "To receive with meekness 00:10 the implanted Word, 00:11 which is able to save your souls. 00:13 And to be diligent to present yourself approved to God 00:17 rightly dividing the Word of truth." 00:20 Join us now for the 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 00:25 Our study today is Stewardship, Motives of the Heart. 00:31 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School lesson study. 00:34 We are so glad you've take the time to tune in with us 00:37 as we begin a new year in a new lesson. 00:41 And what a lesson it's going to be. 00:42 Can we all say amen to that? Amen. 00:44 I'm always excited when we have our panelists with us. 00:46 None of them are strangers to me, 00:48 Jill, Kenny, Mollie, and Shelley. 00:50 And we're going to combine our minds together 00:52 as we hope the Lord will lead us, and guide us. 00:54 And when we ask him, we know that He will. 00:58 Now the lesson for this quarter, 01:00 covering January, February, and March is Stewardship, 01:04 the Motives of the Heart. Mercy. 01:06 And as you know, the Bible says, 01:08 "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 01:10 And we've just come out of a season 01:11 of amazing materialism, 01:13 and the focus has been tremendous financially, 01:15 as well as many other ways. 01:18 If you'd like to get a copy of the lesson to follow along, 01:20 you can go to the following website, 01:22 ABSG.Adventist.org, 01:25 and you can download the lesson, 01:27 or you can go to a local Seventh-day Adventist Church, 01:30 and then ask for a copy of the lesson, 01:32 or join them in their fellowship. 01:35 But before we do anything else, we always begin with prayer. 01:38 And, Jill, I'm just going to require unto you. 01:41 Could you pray for us? Absolutely. 01:43 Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus, 01:45 and we thank you for the privilege 01:47 of being able to open up your Word. 01:49 We thank you for the anointing that's in your Word. 01:52 And right now, we open up our minds 01:54 and our hearts to receive what you have for us. 01:59 Give us ears to hear and a willingness 02:02 to put into practice the truths 02:04 that are contained in your Word. 02:05 And we thank you in Jesus' name. 02:07 Amen. Amen. 02:09 Amen, amen. 02:10 You know, this lesson is one that 02:13 has a perfect timing 02:15 because we just came out of a season of materialism. 02:19 You know, if you go to Best Buy, 02:20 or any other malls, or any other shopping centers, 02:23 even though online shopping is increasing, Shelley... 02:28 there is still some motive that comes 02:31 when you're in the crowds, and you smell the cookies, 02:34 and the candy, and the chocolate. 02:36 And you're passing by the stores 02:38 where 40% is off and 60% is off, 02:40 and people are driven by materialism. 02:42 Everyone wants to get that sale. 02:45 And the Christmas season is a time 02:46 where the merchants don't hesitate 02:49 to reach into our hearts and appeal to our materialism. 02:52 That's for sure. 02:53 Because everybody likes the stuff. 02:55 Yeah. 02:57 I have the distinct blessing of having stuff 03:00 that I don't even know I have. 03:02 And if you've been married, going on 35 years, 03:05 you know, you have stuff you don't even know you have, 03:07 and Kenny is a guy that drives down the highway 03:09 and sees a perfectly good two by four. 03:12 You say, "Honey, I got to get that 03:13 because I'm going to use that." 03:15 And you don't use it for 5 to 10 years. 03:16 Yeah. 03:18 And we start getting nostalgic, and then our clothes 03:21 that we wore when we were in high school. 03:24 Oh, mercy. 03:25 We start saying, "Well, I don't want to give that away 03:26 because that means something special to me." 03:28 The beauty of it is, as we go into the lesson, 03:30 remember, my mother-in-law says, 03:33 "Look at your hand when you are born 03:35 and see what you have in it, 03:37 that's exactly what you're taking with you 03:38 when you leave." Absolutely nothing. 03:41 So let's begin, I'm just going to go ahead and summarize 03:43 because each of our panelists 03:45 is going to cover different one. 03:46 Jill is going to cover filling the barns. 03:48 I kind of identify with that. 03:51 When you have a share 03:52 that's about the size of your house, 03:54 I can call it a barn, if that's a good term. 03:57 And, Pastor Kenny, the allure of materialism. 04:00 Mollie Steenson, love of self. 04:02 Wow. 04:04 And Shelley, the ultimate futility of materialism. 04:07 Let's go ahead and look at the memory text together. 04:10 It comes from Romans 12:2. 04:13 And if you have your Sabbath School Lesson, 04:15 read that along with us. 04:16 The Bible says, "Do not be conformed to this world 04:20 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind 04:24 that you may prove what is that good, 04:26 and acceptable, and perfect will of God." 04:31 I want to begin by just making a point 04:34 that I want to make sure people understand 04:36 we're not making money a villain. 04:39 But money can be a drug 'cause if you look at 04:43 many of these centers of gambling, 04:45 there's only one thing that drives it. 04:47 It's money. It's the love of money. 04:49 Money is never termed in the Bible as evil 04:52 because the Lord blessed many wealthy individuals. 04:55 Many men had great possessions. 04:57 I'm amazed for those of you 04:58 who studied the Old Testament, I'm always... 05:02 my brakes always come on 05:03 when I read about Solomon's Temple. 05:05 Yeah. 05:06 And when I read about the accoutrements 05:08 and the beaten gold and the many fountains, 05:12 and I thought how many fountains do you need? 05:16 And when I read about the way that the Lord had instructed 05:19 the Israelites to build the temple, 05:21 and all the different types of furniture, and the gold, 05:24 and He surely is not a god who hates gold 05:27 because the new Jerusalem, the streets are gold. 05:30 And the foundations are precious stones, 05:33 but it is what it does to the human heart 05:35 on this side of heaven 05:36 that is the issue of this lesson's study. 05:40 Nothing's wrong with money. Can we all agree with that? 05:43 It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. 05:46 And years ago, when we had hour Ten Commandments week 05:48 and I was given the privilege of speaking 05:50 on the tenth commandment, covetousness, 05:53 and covetousness is, in fact, I believe, 05:58 the key to every other commandment being broken. 06:01 Covetousness, one we want the place of God, 06:04 the first four commandments are often overlooked by us 06:08 as it pertains to God. 06:10 When we love ourselves, the last six commandments 06:12 are not extended to our neighbor 06:14 and our fellow believers because we are the ones 06:17 that's coveting either something 06:19 materialistically, another person, 06:20 another position, something they have, 06:23 or something that they're desiring to have. 06:25 But the roadblocks is what I want to talk about. 06:29 Go to Matthews chapter 6:24, 06:33 and let's look at some of these examples 06:35 bought out in scripture. 06:37 Mine, by the way, Sunday is God of this world, 06:41 and in the summary of that, obviously, 06:44 the influence of materialism, the first day 06:46 on which is Saturday afternoon or Sabbath afternoon. 06:50 But Matthew 6:24 points out why the God of this world 06:55 is so determined to get us into materialism 06:58 because something happens here, it says, "No one can serve." 07:02 How many masters? Two masters. 07:04 "Two masters for either he will hate the one 07:07 and love the other, 07:08 or else he will be loyal to the one 07:10 and despise the other. 07:12 You cannot serve God and mammon." 07:14 How amazing it is in the example here. 07:16 Mammon is a god literally that was connected to money. 07:21 And the Lord says, "If your focus is money, 07:24 you can't serve me. 07:25 If your focus is me, you can't serve money. 07:29 One of them is going to take the throne of your heart." 07:32 And, Mollie, have you ever been in a store, 07:35 and you see more than one outfit, 07:37 and you know, how it goes, it says, you know, one is $35 07:41 but they brought the price down, 07:44 and you couldn't afford it when it was $35 07:45 but they say, two for one. 07:47 So now almost specifically, one and the other is half off. 07:53 So instead of $35, you end up spending $45. 07:56 How much is half? Whatever. 07:58 $17-whatever. Yeah, whatever it is. 08:01 Mathematicians, you get that, take care of it. 08:02 But you end up buying more than 08:04 what you could afford in the first place. 08:05 Has that ever happened to you? Oh, yes. 08:07 Because if one is good, two is got to be better. 08:11 And besides you're saving 17 dollars and 50 cents. 08:16 Exactly. 08:17 Years ago, I saw on the honeymooners, 08:19 if you're young just bear with me. 08:22 It's an old black and white Jackie Gleason, 08:24 and most of you know what I'm talking about. 08:25 Jill may not know. That's okay, Jill. 08:28 We have memories that go further back than your birth. 08:30 But Norton asked Jackie Gleason the question, "How much is it?" 08:36 He says, "It's 2 for 25 cents. So how much is one?" 08:39 He says, "13 cents." 08:41 He says, "I'll take the other one." 08:43 Because he's split it down 13 and 12, you get the math. 08:46 But what's happening here is possessions have value. 08:50 Everything you own has a value. 08:52 Possessions have value, but don't let your value 08:56 be defined by your possessions. 08:59 And I went to Dubai, 09:01 My wife and I went to Dubai a few years ago. 09:04 I knew that America is... 09:07 I know that America is a country of luxury. 09:09 But Dubai, I've heard of five star hotels 09:13 but seven star hotels 09:15 with the picture frames on the wall of gold plated, 09:19 and the fixtures in the bathroom 09:21 are not gold looking but gold plated. 09:25 Mercy. 09:27 And where cars 09:28 of a million dollars is no big deal. 09:31 Where the police car, 09:32 we know this would never happen in America is a Bugatti, 09:36 and a Ferrari, and a Lamborghini. 09:38 That will never happen in our police department 09:40 in Thompsonville. 09:41 No. 09:42 But materialism is the whole issue, 09:44 and people just live with great opulence. 09:47 What happens is we lose connection 09:50 with the values of life because we are automatically... 09:53 And this is true, when we see a person drive upon a very... 09:57 What we might consider expensive... 09:59 Now, there's nothing wrong 10:00 with having a car that you can afford. 10:01 I don't want to make that the issue. 10:03 Because when God blesses some, they have the ability 10:05 and the right to purchase something 10:07 as long as it doesn't take 10:09 the place of their affection to the Lord. 10:11 But when possessions become your measure 10:15 of your own personal value, 10:17 that's where the issue comes in. 10:18 Never allow your possessions to be the measure 10:21 by which you are judged 10:22 because it's futile, it's fleeting. 10:25 And when that thing that you feel is valuable 10:28 is no longer at the top of the list, 10:30 your pursuit for something even of greater value 10:32 or further more value will now begin to drive you. 10:36 Materialism is a driving thing. 10:39 Capitalism is the kind of government we have, 10:42 but materialism drives capitalism. 10:45 In places around the world where people can't afford it, 10:48 I remember, we were over in foreign country. 10:50 Once my wife and I, we gave children a balloon. 10:54 We gave them a balloon, and their eyes were just... 10:56 They were just fighting over this one balloon 10:58 as we were blowing it up, 10:59 they can't wait till we're done. 11:01 You blow a balloon in America, kids will pop it. 11:05 You know, I don't want a balloon for Christmas. 11:06 You give a kid a balloon for Christmas, 11:09 you know, there are some terrible things 11:10 that will happen in your household. 11:12 Materialism has taken a hold of America. 11:14 And so I think this lesson, 11:16 a person that might be in a Third World country, 11:18 and we incessantly might say materialism, 11:21 I'm wondering where my next meal is coming from. 11:23 Right. 11:24 But this is truly a lesson or message to people 11:27 in very affluent places in the world. 11:30 The other point is Luke 12:15, look at that. 11:35 Luke 12:15, very important point 11:38 that is brought out in scripture, 11:40 and Jesus makes it very clear. 11:41 He says, "Take heed and beware of covetousness. 11:46 For one's life does not consist 11:48 in the abundance of the things he possesses, 11:51 and the life does not consist in the abundance 11:55 of the things that possess," us either. 11:58 Because certain individuals... 11:59 And confession is good for the... 12:02 Soul. But heart on the... 12:03 Reputation. 12:05 I'm a gadgetarian, you all know that. 12:06 Yes. The latest and the greatest... 12:08 But I use it for the right reason. 12:09 I don't let my devices control me, 12:11 because I'm a person that always say, 12:12 "We got to be smarter than our smartphones." 12:15 You know, because your gadgets could really make you a person 12:18 that is linked to something that is controlling you. 12:21 And so we have to be very careful 12:23 of how we handle the things 12:24 that are made for convenient reasons 12:27 and not for controlling reasons. 12:29 Yes. 12:30 Statistically, somebody talked about the first text, 12:33 the very first text was sent out in 1994. 12:38 And it was, "Merry Christmas". 12:40 And I thought how amazing that was, 12:42 but they say, "Today, each day, 12:45 781 billion texts are sent out per day." 12:50 Wow. Mercy. 12:51 And one of the newscaster said, 12:52 "Most of them come from my children." 12:55 But that shows our world 12:56 is being controlled by its devices. 12:58 So I want to bring out a couple of principle points here 13:01 before we transition to Jill. 13:03 The first thing that when we read Luke 14:26 to 33, 13:08 I'm going to give you the opportunity to read that, 13:10 but I want to summarize the things that you'll see 13:13 when you look at it. 13:14 It says, "If anyone comes to me 13:15 and does not hate his father, or mother, 13:17 and his brother, and wife, and children, 13:19 brothers, and sisters, 13:21 and as even his own life cannot be my disciple. 13:23 Whoever does not bear his cross 13:25 and come after me cannot be my disciple. 13:27 For which of you intending to build a tower 13:29 does not sit down first and count the cost. 13:31 Whether he has enough to finish it, 13:33 lest after he has laid the foundation 13:36 and is not able to finish, 13:38 all who see it begin to mock him saying, 13:41 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 13:44 What king going to make war against another king 13:46 does not sit down first 13:47 and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him 13:52 who comes against him with 20,000, 13:54 or else while the other is still a great way off, 13:57 he sends a delegation and asked conditions of peace. 14:01 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake 14:04 all that he has cannot be my disciples." 14:06 Five very quick points. 14:08 One, that this brings out, 14:10 "Do not put earthly family above Christ." 14:14 That is a form of materialism. They mean more than Jesus does. 14:19 Second thing, we are called to bear our cross. 14:22 Live sacrificially. 14:24 And that is a challenge to anyone 14:26 because each one of us, each one of us at some point 14:29 or the other has been captured by materialism 14:33 from our childhood to our adulthood. 14:35 To get a person to grow up 14:37 without having a materialistic bend 14:38 is an amazing thing. 14:40 Third thing, Jesus says, "Follow me. 14:42 Abandon your life to the journey of Jesus." 14:45 Next thing, very important, before you do anything, 14:48 count the cost, financially, and socially, and spiritually. 14:53 What impact would this next device 14:55 or this next thing you're pursuing 14:57 have on your eternal standing with God? 15:00 And then, most amazingly, forsake all. 15:05 The question is, what are you willing to trade for eternity? 15:09 And the point I transition on is, 15:12 do you own things or do things own you? 15:15 Amen. Jill. 15:17 That's powerful, Pastor. Thank you so much. 15:19 I just wrote those five points down. 15:21 My lesson Monday is Filling the Barns. 15:25 And for that, we're looking at Luke chapter 12. 15:28 So just turn back a couple of chapters to Luke chapter 12. 15:32 Really, we're looking at the danger, 15:34 the danger of self-trust, the danger of boastfulness, 15:39 and the danger of self-centeredness. 15:42 Now before we get into actually the parable of the man 15:45 with a barn, let's just look at the context. 15:48 Luke 12:1 says that there is a large 15:52 and unruly crowd that 15:53 have gathered here to hear Jesus. 15:56 It says, "In the mean time, when an innumerable 15:59 multitude of people had gathered together 16:01 so that they trampled one another." 16:04 So this is a large crowd, innumerable in number, 16:07 and they're beginning to trample one another. 16:10 Jesus began to say to his disciples first of all, 16:12 and then He gives some teaching here. 16:15 We jump over to verse 13. 16:18 And all of a sudden, 16:20 all the way up to verse 13 is Jesus talking. 16:22 He is instructing His disciples, 16:24 and I'm sure those who are in the crowd. 16:26 And now all of a sudden, a man raises his hand. 16:29 Or you'd imagine if there's a large crowd, 16:31 and the Bible says they're trampling one another, 16:33 they might be a little unruly. 16:35 All of a sudden, someone says, 16:36 "Teacher, tell my brother to divide 16:39 the inheritance with me." 16:41 Now the man calls Jesus teacher, 16:43 but really he's not looking for a teacher, 16:45 he's looking for a judge, to make arbitration 16:48 or a decision between the inheritance 16:50 with he and his brother. 16:52 And Jesus recognizes that 'cause He says, 16:54 "He said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge 16:57 or an arbitrator over you,'" 16:59 and then He proceeds not to judge but to teach. 17:03 Verse 15, the verse Pastor read, 17:05 "He said to them, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness.'" 17:09 In the Greek, 17:11 it is the greedy desire for more. 17:14 Beware of a greedy desire for more. 17:18 "For one's life does not consist 17:21 in the abundance of things he possesses." 17:24 Then we have our parable of the barns. 17:26 Then He spoke a parable to them saying, 17:29 "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully, 17:32 and he thought within himself saying, 17:34 'What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops?' 17:39 So he said, 'I will do this. 17:41 I will pull down my barns and build grater. 17:45 There, I will store all my crops and my goods. 17:48 And I would say to my soul, 17:50 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. 17:54 Take your ease. Eat, drink, and be merry.'" 17:59 Verse 20, "But God said to him, 'fool.'" 18:03 Now in English, fool is pretty strong. 18:05 And in Greek, it means stupid, 18:09 senseless, foolish. 18:11 So it's a pretty strong word God used for him. 18:15 "This night, your soul will be required of you. 18:18 Then whose will these things be which you have provided? 18:21 So is he who lays up a treasure for himself 18:25 and is not rich toward God." 18:28 Why was the rich man a fool? 18:31 He was saving up for another day. 18:33 We could say that is a good thing. 18:35 But he was a fool to me for five reasons. 18:39 Number one, he was foolish not to realize 18:41 where his wealth came from. 18:44 He didn't realize it came from God. 18:45 He thought it came from him or something he had done. 18:47 He was foolish not to realize where he had gotten his money. 18:51 Number two, he was foolish not to understand 18:54 the purpose of his wealth. 18:56 He thought the purpose was for himself 18:58 to tear down his barn and build something bigger, 19:01 it was for himself, instead of realizing 19:04 that wealth is given us 19:06 for the blessing of other people 19:07 for the spreading of the gospel. 19:09 Number three, he was foolish to think 19:11 that his possessions were his security, 19:14 and that he could now cease to be productive. 19:16 Remember, he said, now he's going to be at ease, 19:18 he's going to sit back, 19:19 and eat, and drink, and be merry. 19:21 He was foolish to think that that was his security, 19:24 and now he could cease to be productive. 19:26 Number four, he was foolish to presume 19:28 about his future thinking 19:30 that he would still be wealthy in the future, 19:32 thinking that he would even be alive to enjoy that wealth. 19:37 And number five, I think, is the most important. 19:39 He was foolish to go through life 19:41 without thought or consideration of God. 19:46 That is the biggest danger of all, 19:48 going through life without thought 19:51 or consideration of God. 19:54 There's a danger we have in our own lives 19:57 whether you're affluent, and you have possessions, 20:01 or even someone who does not, 20:03 it's a danger for us to forget God. 20:07 Turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 8. 20:09 Oh, yes. Deuteronomy Chapter 8. 20:12 We're going to start in verse 10. 20:13 But before verse 10, in verse 2, it says, 20:16 "You remember the Lord, your God, 20:19 how He led you 40 years in the wilderness." 20:22 Verse 3, "He fed you with manna." 20:25 Verse 4, "Your garments did not wear out, 20:28 your feet didn't swell, and your shoes remained." 20:32 So basically he's saying, 20:33 "I provided for you for 40 years." 20:36 In the wilderness, God provided for the children of Israel. 20:40 And then He brought them, verse 7, 20:43 "To a good land, a land flowing with water, 20:46 and milk, and honey, and wheat, and barley." 20:49 And it's a wonderful thing that he did 20:51 for the children of Israel. 20:53 Then we get to verse 10. 20:55 "When you have eaten and are full..." 20:59 In Hebrew, it says, "When you are satisfied, 21:02 when you have eaten and are satisfied, 21:05 then you shall bless the Lord, your God, 21:08 for the good land which He has given to you." 21:12 What are we to do when we're satisfied? 21:14 What are we to do when we're full 21:15 of the goodness of God? 21:17 We are to bless God, we are to praise him, 21:20 we are to give him honor and glory. 21:23 But what do we often do? 21:25 Maybe not you at home, but what do I do sometimes, 21:28 I forget what God has done for me. 21:32 When things go well and things seem like 21:35 they are going easy, 21:36 it's easy to forget what God has done for us. 21:41 Verse 11, "Beware that you do not forget the Lord, your God, 21:47 by not keeping His commandments, 21:49 His judgments, and His statutes." 21:52 And he goes on, "With all the things 21:53 He has given to the children of Israel." 21:55 Verse 14, "When your heart is lifted up 21:57 and you forget the Lord, your God, 22:00 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 22:02 from the house of bondage," 22:03 it reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar. 22:05 Remember walking in the palace? 22:06 He said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built?" 22:11 And instantly at that moment, God rebuked his pride 22:14 and his sense of self-satisfaction 22:17 in what he thought he had accomplished. 22:19 Jump down to verse 18, "You should remember the Lord, 22:22 your God, it is He who gives you power to get wealth 22:27 that He may establish His covenant 22:28 which He swore to your fathers as it is this day." 22:32 So what is the solution if today you're feeling like 22:35 you have a forgetful heart, you have a self-centered heart, 22:39 you have a self-trustful heart, what's the solution? 22:43 I think, it's four fold. 22:45 Number one, ask God to show you your heart. 22:48 Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things 22:52 and desperately wicked." 22:54 Who can even know it? And so we pray. 22:58 Mollie, you pray this everyday, Psalm 139:23 and 24, 23:02 "Search me, oh God, and know my heart. 23:04 Try me and know my thoughts. 23:07 And reveal to me those areas 23:09 that are not pleasing in your sight." 23:12 So just go to God. 23:13 Sometimes I think in my own experience, 23:16 I can have a forgetful heart, I can forget the things 23:20 God has done for me, but I can go to God and say, 23:23 "God, I want you to search my heart. 23:26 I want you to remind me. 23:27 I want you to pull out for me this self-centeredness, 23:31 this boastfulness. 23:33 And I want to be focused on you." 23:34 Number two, behold Jesus. 23:37 II Corinthians 3:18. 23:39 We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass, 23:42 the glory of the Lord, are changed 23:44 into the same image from glory to glory. 23:47 And so we are changed, we are transformed 23:50 into the image of Jesus by beholding Him. 23:54 Don't look at your brothers and sisters 23:56 to see how they are doing and compare yourself to them. 24:00 Don't look behind and see who is there. 24:02 All we're to do is look forward. 24:04 Amen, true. 24:05 We are to look straight at Jesus. 24:07 So ask God to show you your heart. 24:09 Behold Jesus, spend time in His Word. 24:13 I think many times, our picture of God is distorted. 24:16 It could be because of the way you grew up 24:19 from some pain or something in your past, 24:22 and you're saying, "I don't even know who God is." 24:25 You can get to know Him by the Word of God. 24:28 Start with the Gospels, 24:29 that shows you the picture of Jesus. 24:33 Spend time in His Word. 24:35 And number four, focus on other people. 24:38 James 1:19, "We're supposed to be swift to hear, 24:41 slow to speak," I really need to learn that, 24:44 "And slow to wrath." 24:46 So focus on other people. 24:49 So what is the lesson from the parable of the barn, 24:51 that we are to never forget God. 24:54 Amen. 24:55 Because He is the one who has given us everything. 24:57 Amen. Amen. 24:59 Pastor Kenny. Well done, praise the Lord. 25:01 That is good fruitful thought. Praise the Lord. 25:04 We're going to be on Tuesday's lesson. 25:05 I thought, how interesting that I ended up with this one 25:09 because it said, the allure of materialism. 25:12 And I don't know if anyone, out there here, 25:14 has ever been allured by things of this world. 25:18 So I thought, you know, what does allure really means? 25:21 So I just, I looked it up its definition, 25:24 to tempt with something desirable. 25:27 How many of us have ever been tempted 25:29 with something that's desirable? 25:31 And then, to attract or to entice someone, 25:35 notice this, or a fascination or charm. 25:39 And sometimes when things are advertised 25:42 the way that they are, when the allure of materialism, 25:45 they do, you are almost hypnotized 25:48 by what they are offering. 25:50 I can remember back so many years ago, 25:54 it may not be a good illustration 25:55 but let's just use it anyway because the impression it made 25:58 on my mind as a little guy, it was advertising, 26:02 I think it was cigarettes Marlboro 26:06 or another one where they had the cowboy. 26:09 Camel. Camels. 26:11 I didn't smoke but I know that. 26:12 No, I didn't either, but it was... 26:15 I was allured by this advertisement 26:19 because I loved cowboys back then. 26:22 You know, that's the only time that I got caught stealing. 26:28 Did you say confession was good for the soul? 26:30 What it was? Yeah, yeah. 26:32 I went to play at the neighbors, 26:34 and he had a little cat gun in a holster, 26:37 and I wanted one so bad 26:38 because we don't have any at home. 26:40 So when I got done playing, 26:41 I decided the best thing to do is take it home. 26:44 And so I took it home with me. 26:45 See, I was allured 26:47 because I've seen this advertisement. 26:48 I've seen the Marlboro Man or Camel Man, handsome man, 26:52 cowboy hat, the guns, the beautiful horse, and all, 26:57 you know, the scenery, it was beautiful. 26:59 I thought, "Oh, boy, to be like that," 27:01 but they were advertising something. 27:02 He was doing this. 27:04 And I thought, "Well, it can't be too bad 27:05 because look at all the surroundings." 27:07 So I wanted one of those guns. 27:09 So I went across the neighbors, Gollio was her name. 27:13 I took the gun home with me. 27:15 And so we had just little small closet for... 27:18 My brothers and I, 27:20 we lived in a room with six by ten, 27:21 it was like a sell. 27:23 We had a bunk bed, 27:25 and then beside it where you could sleep, 27:27 three this way and one on top up here. 27:29 So you know how small, it's part of a porch, 27:31 that's kind of a small. 27:32 Anyhow, I took that gun, 27:35 because I was allured by materialism or things 27:38 what they can do in advertising, 27:40 and I took, and I hid it in the dirty clothes 27:42 there in the room there. 27:44 But about every five minutes, I couldn't stand it. 27:47 I had to go touch the gun. 27:49 I had to go peek 27:51 and make sure it was still there. 27:52 I had to look at it because it even reminded me 27:54 "The Lone Ranger", you know, 27:55 had the white pearl handle and so on. 27:58 Pretty soon, mom came up 28:00 after my 20th trip probably anyway. 28:03 "What are you doing running back and forth in that room?" 28:05 "No, nothing," then I began to lie. 28:08 "Well, no, there's nothing going." 28:09 Well, you know, 28:10 "Every time I look at you, you're running back to room. 28:12 Let's go back and see what it is you have." 28:14 Well, she found out that I had taken the gun. 28:17 So that allurement cost you initially to steal 28:20 and then to lie. 28:22 And then to lie. Covet, steal, and lie. 28:24 I was doing all of the above. 28:26 I broke every one of them 28:27 because it was just I had to have it 28:28 because the advertisement, I want to be like it. 28:31 Anyway the response of my mother, 28:32 and I'm glad she did. 28:33 She said, "Son, just march your little self 28:36 right across the alley way, and you knock on the door, 28:38 and you talk to Mr. Gollio," the man, 28:41 "And you tell him, 'I've taken this, 28:43 and I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry, 28:44 and I'll never do it again.'" 28:46 That was a long walk. 28:48 It couldn't have been over 200 feet, 28:49 but, man, it was a long walk. 28:51 And I was just hoping maybe one of the boys 28:52 or momma would answer, but here come dad. 28:54 So I thought, "Oh, I had to face dad." 28:56 So I told, I said, "Mr. Gollio, 28:57 I'm so sorry I took this gun and holster, 29:00 and I shouldn't have done it. 29:01 It was wrong, but I sure, really, oh man, 29:03 I just want it so bad that I got carried away, 29:06 and I took it." 29:07 And he said, "Well, son, don't you worry about it. 29:09 It's okay." 29:10 I said, "Well, I appreciate that anyway." 29:12 These are things sometimes that take us 29:15 when we are allured by the advertising 29:17 because there is billions of dollars 29:20 that are spent to entice us to buy things 29:23 that we really don't even need, 29:25 that we already have as has been mentioned here. 29:28 I think about the three parts of materialism. 29:32 I jotted those down. 29:34 Materialism, material is what a thing is made of. 29:39 Material, we think about, it's what something is made of, 29:41 and it's depending on what might entice you 29:43 is not going to entice me and vice versa, 29:45 but some things just entice us. 29:48 And it's advertising, 29:49 the advertising is that we are a target. 29:54 We are a target by the advertising, 29:57 you know, billions and billions of dollar business. 29:59 They target the young people. 30:02 They do it by social media, you know, whatever it might be. 30:06 They target you at Christmas. 30:08 They know what you like, what you don't like, 30:10 and they get to you, and they say the right thing 30:12 to make you buy something you really don't need. 30:15 And so, you know, we look at this thing here, 30:17 but all of a sudden, we become materialized, 30:21 and we don't even realize that we've done it. 30:23 We might disappoint our Heavenly Father 30:25 and maybe our earthly family by doing things 30:27 and taking things that we shouldn't take. 30:30 Materialism, in philosophy, don't throw stones yet, 30:35 but in philosophy, it says here that everything in the world 30:38 including thought, will, and feeling 30:42 can be explained in terms of matter. 30:46 But what we are looking at in our lesson, 30:47 we will look at the spiritual part of it is, 30:50 materialism is a tendency to be more concerned with 30:52 what's been brought out, 30:54 material things than we are spiritual things. 30:57 I mean, that's just the bottom line 30:58 as far as I am concerned. 31:00 And so we must be careful not to become materialized. 31:04 Nothing wrong with material things 31:05 has been brought out or wrong with money, 31:07 but we don't want to be materialized, 31:09 or we put that above the things of God. 31:11 And I looked at the advertising, 31:15 some things on advertising, I thought how interesting. 31:16 We don't have time to go into all of them, 31:18 but there's five or six things that the world does 31:21 to entice each one of us 31:24 to get involved in things of the world. 31:27 And what are some of the dangers? 31:28 To me, one of the dangers was, 31:29 when I get involved in these things, 31:31 and I'm spending money, 31:32 maybe where I don't even have it, 31:34 you know, and I'm going in debt, 31:35 and I'm using the credit cards, how about the cause of God? 31:38 This is what these lessons are all about. 31:40 Who really suffers when you think about that 31:44 maybe we overspend or we buy something 31:45 we don't need, even if it's... 31:47 What is it that one half price? 31:49 You know, buy one, get one half price. 31:51 And you mentioned, "Oh, I saved," 31:53 that's kind of our reasoning. 31:55 We really didn't needed it anyway but we saved. 31:57 We'd save a lot more 31:58 if we just didn't have to purchase it. 32:00 But we spend everything and then when it comes 32:03 to the calls of God 32:04 and getting this message to the world 32:05 which it takes finances is all of a sudden, 32:08 we say we don't have anything. 32:10 People will spend billions here on the Christmas season. 32:15 They'll spend in presents, 32:16 not saying everything is all wrong, 32:18 just simply, they'll spend. 32:19 They didn't bring a gift to Jesus. 32:21 They didn't give to support the gospel. 32:23 They didn't give to make sure 32:24 this message goes into the world. 32:26 So they become materialized and not even recognize 32:29 maybe that they have become that. 32:30 So anyway, I looked up a couple of things, 32:32 I thought interesting here in a couple of minutes 32:34 that we have here. 32:35 It says a few steps, and if you're looking at 32:38 something you want to buy, it was worth looking at, 32:41 again, the allurement of it. 32:43 So the advertiser, 32:45 the one who wants to sell something, 32:47 he's looking at you and he says, 32:48 "Well, what is it that they want? 32:51 They're going to the store and they'll say, 32:53 'Where is the best place to put this on the shelf?'" 32:55 You know, how they do that? Positioning, yeah. 32:57 They position. 32:59 And so they target certain individuals 33:01 and certain things that are going on. 33:03 And they say, "What do you want to show the customers", 33:06 number one. 33:07 And then, "What do you want them to do 33:10 when they see the ad?" 33:12 Well, naturally, when you see the ad, 33:14 they make it so... 33:15 Sometimes oh, you just want it right now. 33:18 You want to get the card out, credit or whatever, 33:19 and charge even though you know, 33:21 you may not be able to pay for it, 33:22 and say I want that now. 33:24 And a lot of times, they will say 5 to 10 days. 33:28 But we can do it for a little price, 33:31 we can get here overnight. 33:32 Oh, have mercy. 33:34 "Get it here overnight. 33:35 If you can get here faster, get it here. 33:37 I got to have it 33:38 because they made it sound so good, so realistic, 33:41 and made me feel like I needed it." 33:43 And so sometimes, we are just, may I use the word, 33:45 sucked into these things that, what about the things of God. 33:49 That's the whole point here, I say, the marketing. 33:52 Market, remember, you are a target out there. 33:56 That's right. 33:57 The world out there is targeting you and me. 34:00 And some of the things are out there. 34:01 Even though we don't need them, 34:03 we're going to go get them anyway. 34:04 And some people get them 34:05 because somebody mentioned here, 34:07 maybe the Jones or the Smiths have it, 34:08 and we want to be like them. 34:10 Or sometimes it might be when we are raised up 34:12 maybe in a poor environment, 34:15 and you don't have those things, 34:16 sometimes, I don't know 34:18 if that makes sense to anybody... 34:19 But you want to have a couple of those things 34:21 because you didn't have those. 34:23 You know, my brother and I always talk about 34:25 when we went to school, they just come out 34:26 with a government deal of having milk everyday. 34:29 You know, and I think it was five cents 34:33 for chocolate milk everyday. 34:34 So you got five little cartons for five cents. 34:36 Well, we could never afford the chocolate, 34:38 and it was two cents for white milk. 34:41 So, you know, and we could never get that 34:42 unless we found some soda bottles, 34:44 and take them in, and redeem those to get the money. 34:47 This is all good stuff, but I'm saying, 34:49 we have to be careful in that environment as we come forward, 34:52 we forget the things of God. 34:54 We forget, and we are allured into materialism in a way 34:58 that somehow is very difficult to come out of. 35:02 And so we need to be praying daily 35:03 as mentioned here. 35:05 We need to set our eyes upon certainly Jesus Christ 35:07 absolutely in Him. 35:08 And you know, I appeal to each one of you 35:11 to make sure this season 35:12 or any season that we put God first. 35:15 We give to God first. 35:17 We make sure, you know, 35:18 the things of getting this gospel truth. 35:20 Giving the 3ABN, giving this message 35:22 to go into the world. 35:23 Do those things first. 35:25 Don't let money be your God. 35:27 Give back to him. 35:28 And I guarantee you, He's going to give back to you. 35:31 Guarantee, you're going to have what you need to get by, why? 35:34 Because he said, He's promised that He would do that. 35:36 Amen and amen. Excellent. 35:38 And I'm thinking what's the number one reason, 35:41 Pastor Lomacang, that people say 35:43 they can't pay their times. 35:46 They can't afford to, they can't afford to, 35:50 and what that does is it cuts off your nose, 35:53 despite your face. 35:54 You can afford not to tie. 35:57 So I'm looking at Wednesday, and it's love of self. 36:03 And actually I'm going to kind of look at two different areas 36:08 that they have similar definitions, 36:10 but they are different. 36:12 It's love of self which is narcissism, 36:15 and we'll look at that a little deeper, 36:17 and thinking more highly of your self, 36:20 and so I want us to turn to Romans 12:3. 36:25 That's Romans 12:3. 36:29 And the scripture says, 36:30 "For I say, through the grace given to me, 36:35 to every one who is among you not to think of himself," 36:39 what, "More highly than he ought to think. 36:43 But to think soberly as God has dealt 36:46 to each one a measure of faith." 36:49 So we're looking at the influence of materialism, 36:53 and I'm looking at love of self 36:56 or thinking more highly than you should. 36:58 Now, I want to say this. 37:00 We shouldn't think more lowly than what we should either. 37:03 We are what God has made us, and we are... 37:09 The scripture plainly says that 37:11 when we've made Jesus the Lord of our live, 37:14 we are nothing because of who we are, 37:16 we are something because of who we contain. 37:19 So we're not to think that we are little bugs in the mud. 37:23 No, we are not. We are God's very own children. 37:26 But we aren't to think more highly than we should. 37:29 Now thinking more highly of yourself than you should, 37:33 what do you think that would become 37:36 when you think more highly of yourself than you should? 37:39 Pride. 37:40 Pride often reveals itself 37:43 in an exalted opinion of oneself. 37:48 Now, proverbs 16:18. 37:51 You can all quote this. 37:53 Pride goes before destruction 37:57 and a haughty spirit before a fall. 37:59 So don't think more highly than you should, 38:02 that's pride, that's stinking pride 38:05 And have you ever seen anybody that was full of pride? 38:10 And the scripture says pride goes before destruction. 38:14 So you see somebody that's full of pride, 38:17 you don't have to try to work out their destruction. 38:20 They're putting a biblical principle into operation, 38:23 and they're going to get a biblical result. 38:25 It's not your place to deal with their pride, 38:28 almighty God will deal with their pride. 38:30 As a matter of fact, I wanted to look at 38:33 where the birthplace of pride was. 38:37 So Ezekiel 28:17, 38:39 just looking at the A part of that scripture. 38:42 Tell me who I'm talking about. 38:45 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. 38:49 You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor." 38:54 What are we talking about? Lucifer. 38:56 And where was this, where did this take place? 38:59 It was in heaven. 39:01 And the birthplace was in the very portals of heaven 39:05 in the person of Lucifer. 39:08 Beauty and wisdom. 39:11 Where did each of these attributes come from? 39:15 Can a beautiful person take credit 39:18 for their genetic makeup? 39:21 Can an intelligent person take credit 39:24 for their learning capacity? 39:26 Where does your genetic makeup and your acuity, 39:32 where does that come from? 39:33 It comes from almighty God. 39:36 Lucifer deceived himself thinking 39:41 he was greater than he really was. 39:43 Now I don't want any of us to be guilty of that. 39:47 I want us to turn to Isaiah chapter 14, 39:50 going to go through that very quickly. 39:52 Isaiah chapter 14, 39:55 here is what Lucifer says about himself, 39:59 "For you have set in your heart, 40:01 'I will ascend into heaven. 40:05 I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. 40:09 I will also sit on the mount of the congregation 40:13 on the farther side of the North. 40:15 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.'" 40:19 He goes on to say, "I will be like the most high." 40:24 He had a lot of confidence in the I, didn't he? 40:28 Now let me ask you this. He had I trouble. 40:30 He had I trouble. That's right. 40:32 Did he have the ability to be like the most high? 40:36 No. Did he have that ability? 40:39 He was self-deceived, and he was ambitious. 40:46 Self-deception and self-ambition 40:49 are two traits of Lucifer's fallen heart. 40:53 Now what were they? 40:54 Self-deception, self-deceit, 40:57 Satan was self-deceived into thinking 41:00 he could make himself like the most high God, 41:03 and he had self-ambition. 41:06 Ambition is a grievous fault. 41:09 It seems like I'm quoting Shakespeare there, 41:11 but I think it's a good quote. 41:14 These texts describe the fall of Lucifer, 41:17 and they show us that in many ways, 41:20 the original sin is that of narcissism, narcissism. 41:26 Have you ever seen anybody that was narcissistic? 41:28 Yes. 41:30 Self-centered, self-seeking, self-serving. 41:33 In fascination with one self, 41:38 self-love, vanity, 41:41 and inflated sense of one's own importance, 41:46 self-love, Satan was reveling 41:49 in his natural God-given attributes, 41:53 his beauty and his wisdom. 41:56 We, humans, can be guilty of the same thing. 42:00 But there is another danger that Paul warns us about. 42:04 Now I want you to go to 2 Timothy chapter 3. 42:09 And Paul is writing to his young protégé. 42:14 I love Timothy. 42:15 And Paul just loves Timothy, and he's giving him instruction 42:21 on how to become a mighty man of God, 42:23 and Timothy did. 42:25 But these are instructions that we can all take to heart. 42:29 He says, "But know this that in the last days, 42:33 perilous times will come." 42:35 Now do you all agree that we're living in the last days 42:38 and are perilous times upon us? 42:40 Now listen at Paul's description, 42:43 "For men will be lovers of themselves, 42:48 lovers of money." 42:49 Now I'm stopping there because we've just looked 42:52 at lovers of self, that narcissistic attitude, 42:57 that self-love, that self-exaltation. 43:02 But now he talks about something else, 43:04 lovers of money. 43:05 Now, Pastor Lomacang, 43:07 you covered this very well already. 43:09 But in the Amplified Bible, 43:11 let me read 2 Timothy 3:2. 43:17 It says, "For people will be lovers of self, narcissistic, 43:23 self-focused, lovers of money impaled by," 43:28 and this is the word that Pastor Lomacang used, 43:30 greed, that greed. 43:33 A further warning in the book of Timothy, 43:36 that's 1 Timothy, flip over to chapter 6 43:39 and let's look at verse 10, 43:41 and again, we know that 43:43 when we're teaching these lessons 43:45 that we are going to share a lot of the same scriptures. 43:48 But I think we were talking a little earlier. 43:50 I think that I read somewhere that it takes you 43:53 hearing something 26 times before you hear it. 43:57 Well, we're going to hear this one again too, 43:59 1 Timothy 6:10, 44:01 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil 44:06 for which some have strayed 44:08 from the faith in their greediness 44:11 and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 44:14 So again, money isn't the root of all evil, 44:18 it's that love of money. Yes. 44:20 Materialism has the potential to feel people 44:24 who have great possessions 44:27 with an inflated sense of importance. 44:30 When one has a lot of money, I would know I'm going to take 44:34 the writer of our quarterly's word on this. 44:37 When one has a lot of money, it's easy to think more highly 44:41 of one's self than one should. 44:44 What's the antidote? 44:45 Always, if we're going to present a problem, 44:48 we need to present the solution to the problem. 44:50 What's the antidote? Having money isn't a sin? 44:53 Money in and of itself isn't evil. 44:56 It's the love that's the snare. 44:59 Philippians 2:3, "Let nothing be done 45:02 through selfish ambition or concede 45:04 but in lowliness of mind, 45:06 let each esteem others better than himself." 45:10 Jill quoted this scripture earlier. 45:12 "Search me, oh God, in all my heart. 45:14 Try me and know my thoughts. 45:16 See if there be any evil way in me, 45:18 and lead me in the path that's everlasting." 45:20 One last quote from Sister White, 45:23 it's in the Desire of Ages, page 20. 45:26 "There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man 45:30 that lives unto itself." 45:33 Wow, that's really good. Thank you. 45:35 I have Thursday, 45:37 the ultimate futility of materialism. 45:39 First I want to share a story with you 45:41 that I heard a pastor tell once, 45:43 and it just rungs so true. 45:48 He had announced in church that he was going to take up 45:51 a collection for a very needy family. 45:54 Well, Anna was a single mother, had several children. 45:58 And when they heard that this collection 46:00 was going to be taken up, they wanted to participate. 46:02 So they were living from, I mean, 46:06 just by the skin of their teeth, 46:08 they were getting by, 46:09 and she and her children went out, 46:12 and found extra yard work to do, 46:14 and they raised $50. 46:16 So then they came and made their contribution 46:19 of the $50. 46:20 Well, the following week, they got a check, I mean, 46:26 they took up the collection, the following week, 46:28 Anna and her children got a check for $56. 46:32 They had not recognized that they were the destitute family 46:37 for whom the collection was being taken up. 46:41 And it's interesting to me, first of all, 46:43 here they were the poorest of the poor, 46:46 and they managed to give $50 46:49 whereas the rest of the congregation 46:51 had only chipped in $6, but also it's interesting to me 46:57 that they knew their true identity in Christ. 47:03 They didn't feel destitute, 47:05 they knew that I Corinthians 6:20, 47:08 that they had been bought with the price. 47:11 They knew their value before the Lord. 47:14 And you know, I Peter 1:19 says that 47:18 we've been ransomed not with corruptible things 47:22 like silver and gold but with the precious lifeblood 47:25 of Jesus Christ. 47:26 I want you to know if you're watching 47:28 or listening today that you're worth nothing less 47:31 than the price that He paid for you 47:34 with the blood of His son Jesus Christ. 47:37 So their true identity was wrapped up 47:41 in belonging it to God. 47:43 And I want us to look at two scriptures, 47:46 and I'll just read the first one. 47:48 You can turn to I Peter 2:9 as I am, 47:50 because they are counterparts, the Old Testament 47:54 and the New Testament, but let me read 47:55 Deuteronomy 7:6. 47:58 We need to know that we're God's possession 48:01 and find our true identity in Him. 48:03 This is what He said in Deuteronomy 7:6. 48:06 "You are a holy people to the Lord your God, 48:08 the Lord your God has chosen you 48:11 to be a people for Himself, 48:12 a special treasure above all the peoples 48:17 on the face of the earth." 48:18 That's the old covenant promise 48:19 but now we've got the counterpart 48:21 in the New Testament. 48:23 The new covenant counterpart in I Peter 2:9, 48:27 and Peter writes, "You are a chosen generation 48:32 of royal priesthood, a holy nation, 48:35 His own special people that you may proclaim 48:39 the praises of Him who called you out of darkness 48:44 into His marvelous light." 48:47 So we're a chosen group. 48:49 We've been chosen and destined 48:52 to fulfill His purpose, to be a witness, 48:55 to testify to the grace, and the goodness, 48:58 and the glory of Jesus. 49:01 And when you think about it, the Old Testament, 49:04 there was a ritual priesthood in the Old Testament 49:08 that was abolished where, at the cross. 49:12 We are now a royal priesthood 49:16 based on Christ as our high priest. 49:20 And we are associated with Him in this priestly work. 49:24 Jesus has a finished work. 49:28 There is a work that He finished at the cross, 49:31 and in John 19:30, He cried out, "It is finished." 49:37 He fulfilled every sacrifice 49:40 that was typified in these sanctuary services 49:43 of endless sacrifices. 49:46 He fulfilled that so that 49:49 the sacrifice for salvation 49:53 by grace has been fulfilled. 49:55 That's His finished work. 49:57 But Jesus has an unfinished work. 50:00 He serves as our high priest. 50:02 He stands by the side of God. 50:05 Making intersession for us and that's what He asks of us 50:10 in our priestly duty is that we intercede for others 50:16 that we should be... 50:17 And, you know, we think of intersession only as prayer. 50:20 Actually we need to realize that 50:22 we are the hands and feet of God. 50:24 Sometimes He's going to have us intercede 50:26 if Mollie's got four little babies at home, 50:29 and she can't feed them, He's going to have me intercede 50:32 by taking her groceries, you know. 50:35 But I wanted to think of... 50:39 Let me just touch on this. 50:40 Let's turn to 1 John 2:16. 50:45 1 John 2:16. 50:49 I'll read 16 and 17. 50:51 This is so important. 50:54 John writes, "For all that is in the world, 50:57 the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 50:59 and the pride of life," that's the lust of the ego, 51:04 "is not of the Father but is of the world." 51:09 This triad temptation was Eve's problem. 51:13 Was it not? 51:15 The fruit was good to eat, the lust of the flesh. 51:18 It was beautiful and pleasing to her eyes, 51:21 the lust of the eyes. 51:23 That fruit, Satan told her, 51:26 would make her be like God that she would know 51:30 the difference between good and evil. 51:32 That's the pride of life. 51:34 She wanted to be like that. 51:36 Same thing, Jesus was tempted with the same triad temptation 51:40 when the devil took Him up, and first he said, 51:43 "Turn these stones into bread." 51:46 That's the lust of the flesh. 51:49 He was hungry. He'd been fasting for 40 days. 51:51 Then he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world 51:54 and said, "They will be yours." 51:55 That's the lust of the eye. 51:56 Then he said, "Cast yourself down 51:58 because it is written, 52:00 He's going to charge His angels to hold you up." 52:03 Jesus, the pride of life, Jesus could have said, 52:06 "Yes, I could prove that I'm the Son of God." 52:08 So this temptation, 52:12 scholars considered that temptation as sensuality, 52:17 the lust of the flesh, materialism, 52:21 the lust of the eyes which you covered so well, 52:23 the allure, the lust of the eyes, Kenny. 52:27 And then the pride of life, 52:30 the egotistical ostentation. 52:36 So materialism is a form of identity crisis. 52:40 See, Anna and her children 52:43 didn't have that identity crisis, did they? 52:46 And it's when we define who we are by what we own. 52:52 And materialism which is the love of owning things, 52:57 this is a spiritual snare that the devil sets, 53:02 and it causes all groups, all social and economic groups, 53:08 even the poor people could be caught up 53:10 in materialism. 53:12 But the only way that we can overcome this love 53:17 of owning things, this idea of materialism, 53:20 it is tempered when we practice being a good steward. 53:27 Materialism cannot withstand the control of the Holy Spirit. 53:32 So if we read James, in James 5:3, 53:38 he cautions against materialism. 53:40 Listen to this. 53:42 He said, "Your gold and silver are corroded, 53:45 and their corrosion will be a witness against you." 53:48 They're going to testify against you. 53:49 It's going to eat your flesh like fire. 53:52 He says, "You have heaped up or hoarded treasure 53:57 in the last days." 53:59 So when you're looking at the futility of materialism, 54:04 the vanity of riches, first of all, 54:07 the destructive results of the rusting and the corroding, 54:12 they're not going to last forever, are they? 54:14 But look when you have that uncontrolled appetite for that, 54:19 look how it affects your spiritual relationship. 54:22 You begin to trust in the things 54:24 that you own rather than trusting God. 54:26 You're desiring to own more rather than to know more 54:30 about God. 54:31 And last days should be a time for laying up treasures 54:36 in heaven rather than on earth. 54:38 Jesus said in Matthew 6:19. 54:42 He said, "Do not lay up treasure for yourself 54:45 where rust and moth destroy, 54:48 and where thieves break in, and steal. 54:51 But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven 54:55 'cause where your treasure is, 54:56 that's where your heart is also." 55:00 Here is the ultimate futility of materialism. 55:03 You can't take it with you when you go. 55:06 You know, generally, 55:08 it isn't even that satisfying when you have it. 55:10 When you find people who are materialistic, 55:12 they buy, they buy, and they always want more. 55:15 These are superficial trappings 55:20 that appeal to our flesh and our heart. 55:24 And it's just Satan's way of buying souls. 55:28 Materialism corrupts the mind because people begin to trust 55:32 in what they own instead of in God. 55:34 And in the ultimate end, we are going to hear 55:37 one of two messages from the Lord. 55:40 He is either going to say, "Depart from me, 55:45 I never knew you, you who practiced lawlessness." 55:48 Or He is going to say, "Well done, 55:50 thou good and faithful servant. 55:52 You've been faithful over a little, 55:54 I'll make you faithful over a lot. 55:55 Come and enter into the joy of your master." 55:59 That's right, thank you. 56:00 Thank you, Shelley, Mollie, Kenny, and Jill. 56:04 This lesson is showing us that we're going to have 56:06 a tremendous time this quarter walking through 56:09 what it means to be a steward, and, you know, 56:11 stewardship is in four areas, it's time, talent, 56:13 testimony, and treasure. 56:15 If you remember that, so the Lord is calling 56:17 all of us to be a steward. 56:19 And thank you, Jill. 56:20 I like that you talked, 56:21 and what I got from each one of you, 56:23 one is an empty life is a person 56:24 measured by possessions. 56:26 Amen. 56:27 Materialism minded people are never satisfied. 56:31 Pastor Kenny, I couldn't forget, 56:32 you talked about advertising, advertising, 56:35 we are the target of advertising. 56:37 How amazing is this historical targets. 56:41 And then, Mollie, personal worship, 56:43 that was something that was so amazing. 56:44 When you worship self, you forget that 56:47 God is the one to be worshiped. 56:49 And, Shelley, so wonderfully, I like this, 56:51 don't desire to own more but to know God more. 56:54 Amen. Beautifully said. 56:56 And, you know, those of you who are watching our program, 56:59 remember these two very important thoughts. 57:01 Psalm 37:16, "A little that a righteous man has 57:04 is better than the riches of many wicked." 57:06 Yes. 57:08 And what a long name Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach 57:13 said, "To be content with little is difficult, 57:16 to be content with much is impossible." 57:20 We pray that the Lord will give you contentment 57:21 with Godliness which is great gain, 57:24 until we see you again. 57:26 Amen. |
Revised 2018-01-10