EXPLORE THE TEXT
Believers should focus on heavenly treasures rather than worldly possessions.
19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up 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 healthy, 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 serve two masters,
since either he will hate one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.”
Discuss what this passages says about wealth as well as what it doesn’t say.
God never condemns wealth when used properly, but He does not want us controlled by material possessions.
Direct attention to the “Did You Know?” feature (PSG, p. 52).
Note that more than 2,300 Bible references to money and possessions prove it is an important topic.
Call out the things that destroy earthly wealth in these verses.
To highlight the danger of storing up improper treasures, share this content from pages 51-52:
Material possessions cannot be carried beyond the grave into the heavenly kingdom.
The things that carry over into the kingdom of God include
the godly character of the disciple and the souls of people influenced for Christ.
As Christ followers use their material resources in this life
to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others, they are storing up treasure in heaven.
Earthly possessions are to be used for the work of building God’s kingdom.
Highlight the significance of the eye and the choice people must make between two masters.
Most people assume that we invest our money in things we love. Jesus said the reverse is true.
The location of our treasure determines the condition of our heart.
By doing what is right, inner motivations will follow.
Jesus used the eye to illustrate
the importance of proper perception.
We maintain proper moral focus when we see as God sees.
Full of light does not suggest that illumination penetrates each body part.
Every part of the body benefits from healthy eyesight.
Conversely, every body part suffers if the eye is bad.
Jesus likened the result to being full of darkness rather than light.
The term for “bad” can also be rendered “harmful.”
The issue is not physical well-being,
but keeping a spiritually healthy perspective and avoiding spiritual harm.
In context, Jesus addressed the issue of one’s treasure and its effect on the heart.
When the light inside us turns dark, that darkness runs deep.
The Greek wording emphasizes the degree or extent of the darkness.
Jesus made it clear that we cannot serve two masters.
Either we will hate one and love the other, or we'll be devoted to one and despise the other.
Jesus was not saying that money itself is bad
or that all wealthy people are evil.
Jesus’s emphasis was on loving God preeminently,
leaving all other matters in their proper relationship to Him.
If we love God supremely, we will serve Him alone-
and experience His blessings in the process.