Sunday, January 31, 2016

The Rich Young Ruler Mat 19:16-26

The Rich Young Ruler

Matthew 19:16-26

What do you think the jews of the day thought about the rich young ruler? He had them fooled.

Jesus didn’t tell others that they had to sell all they had, why would he create a different set of entry requirements for this guy? It wasn’t different; he had placed something ahead of Jesus.

Jesus could look into the young man’s heart and see that he had an idol (money). We see people all around us that put things other things above a relationship to God. 
What are some of the most common idols you see in our culture (things people put ahead of God)?

Suppose someone approached you this week (since this lesson will be fresh on your mind) and says, “I’m a good person, I go to church, I treat my family well – even my aging parents, but I’m not sure I’m going to end up in heaven”. Suppose you also know that they are really devoted to (one of the areas identified). What would you tell them?


Can you take “riches” out of Jesus response and generalize it to other things that people may value ahead of God, or is this strictly a “riches – Money” problem?

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Storing Up Treasure in Heaven

Introduction – Describe the A&E show Hoarders –
10-15 Million People suffer from Hoarding disorder.
First defined as a mental disorder by the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 2013. – TV shows go back to 2009

Hoarding is a response that some people develop to address one of several felt needs.
                Certainty
                Love and Connection (keeping items that remind them of special relationships)
                Security
People who are hoarders also frequently suffer from anxiety and OCD.


Jesus knew that trusting in earthly treasures would only lead to anxiety and fear, so at this point in his sermon he explains the best alternative. He said to Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. I’d like for us to talk about how to do that.
First What are some specific actions that are NOT examples of storing up treasures in heaven?
What would you consider some examples of “Storing up treasures in heaven?”
What good is heavenly treasure?

Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. Which comes first, your heart or the location of your treasure?
Lance’s quote on confidence, “Fake it till you make it”.

V24 says you cannot serve God and wealth.
Rick Exell (Lifeway) says that money is a means, not an end.
What are some other things that you cannot serve along with God? Food, Power, Popularity, Fitness, LONG LIST.
Of those things, why do you think that Jesus pointed out this one in His sermon?

 V25 Jesus points out that life is more than food and clothing. Why does He point out that life is more than food and the body is more than clothing?
He knows that life is made up of dreams, goals, relationships, faith, raising kids, grandkids, work, fun, sleep, and many other components. It seems that he is pointing out that we should not so concerned with the material things that we miss the most important things.

Jesus points out that seeking His kingdom and His righteousness should be a priority, then our needs will be met. There might be a couple of different ways to look at this promise. You could say, If I seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, I will get all the food and drink I need. But you might also be able to say, If I seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, I will be so focused on what God cares about that my needs will become insignificant.
Sometimes when we hear sermons or participate in CG discussions on stewardship or giving we think that the motivating reason for such a topic is to boost giving to the church. You may have thought something like “giving is down, so here comes a sermon on how we should give to the church”.

Going back to the Sermon on the Mount, Do you think Jesus preached on this topic so that preachers would one day be able to use this sermon topic to coerce people into giving more to the church? If not, then why would he spend he preach on this?

If time permits:
How would you summarize this passage?


Saturday, January 9, 2016

1 Timothy 6:3-11 Get Rich Quick

Open – Favorite or most memorable super bowl commercial

Commercials are companies’ attempts to get us to buy their products, to show us how great our lives would be if we had their clothing, drink, car, or whatever. Today we are going to see what the Bible says about what we really need in life.

The two passages we are going to consider talk about contentment. When we consider contentment vs. materialism, we are going to see that the believer is encouraged to be content rather than focus on what he or she does not have or what the “Joneses” have.

Paul, writing to the church in Philippi says this: Philippians 4:10-14;


Paul is talking about contentment in “Whatever circumstances he is in”.

Is it easier to be content with lots of stuff or with very little stuff?

I think Paul has already described the “secret” to the contentment he describes here in v4-9 above. What are some of the things He describes in the verses just before those we read that can help with contentment?

The Bible’s get rich quick scheme. This next passage also helps us put a desire for material things in perspective. Paul, writing to Timothy, is explaining how to deal with people who in in it for the money, people who are chasing what they perceive to be a great pathway to riches through the church.

1 Timothy 6:3-11

V6 is a key verse. It explains that godliness is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
What are the two things that Paul says once we get these, we can be content? Food, Covering.
If you have more possessions than food and covering, should we consider you a greedy person?
If it is OK to have more than just food and covering, how much is enough and how much is too much?
How can someone identify the difference between “Foolish and harmful desires” and the desire to earn the best standard of living possible for himself and his family?


Rhetorical: Think about your level of desire for material possessions, money, the security you think might come with a little more, and weigh that against your pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love and perseverance.  If there were a gauge, like a fuel gauge on your car, and one side was all out greed and materialism, and the other side was the total pursuit of righteousness, where would the needle be on your gauge?