Term 2 – Week 07
Big Idea – Followers of Jesus are to love God more than their possessions.
Matthew 6:19-24
Outcomes
- To know that it is foolish to love the things of this world more than God, because the things of this world are temporary and they can draw away from God. Real treasure is in heaven.
- To understand that living God’s way in this world means making God and his son Jesus the number priority in life. It’s wholehearted and single-minded allegiance to Him alone.
Implications
- Belief – Having money/material possessions is not a sin, but it is a sin to serve and love the possessions the most above God. Help the children to see that everything we have is a gift from God. Our possessions are not our goal in life, nor are we entitled to them.
- Behaviour – Practically what does making Jesus number 1 look like in the kids’ lives: Is it choosing church over a birthday party? Not complaining about not having what their friends have? Not grumbling when they ask their parents for something but they say ‘no’?
Introduction
Jesus demands that his followers be wholehearted in their devotion him, and in order to do this, they need to have the right attitude towards their material possessions. He forbids what John Stott calls, “the materialism which tethers our hearts to the earth”. Followers of Jesus are to love God more than they love their possessions. There is no security in our material possessions, nor can we love both. Matthew discusses this topic with reference to three separate sayings: on treasure, the eye and slavery.
Treasure (vv.19-21)
In this saying Jesus draws attention to what people prize and love the most above all else. Jesus instructs his followers to not gather up riches (treasures) on earth because these treasures are liable to loss – they can be destroyed or stolen. They may look impressive and lasting, but they are not. There is no security in material wealth. Rather, they are to gather up riches (treasures) in heaven because these treasures are not liable to loss – they cannot be destroyed or stolen. These treasures may not look impressive but they are eternal. Jesus asks, what do we love the most in life? For, the place where we choose to store up what we value most shows what our values are deep down in our heart of hearts.
The Eye (vv.22-23)
In this saying Jesus uses the eye as an illustration of spiritual possibilities. Physically, if the eye is functioning normally (healthy) then it gives light to the whole body and all sorts of bodily functions perform properly/normally. But, if the eye is not functioning normally (evil), then the whole body is in darkness and it will not function properly/normally. It’s the same for the ‘eye of the soul’. A healthy ‘eye of the soul’ has God and his son Jesus as the number one priority in life. Jesus in turn gives light to the whole body, and so that person will live as originally created to be: to love. But, if Jesus is not our number 1 and we love material possessions the most over God, then it is very dark indeed. The service of God must be wholehearted, you can’t love both God and material possessions. It light or darkness – God or material possessions.
Slavery (v.24)
In this saying, Jesus is using slavery to illustrate the point that it’s impossible to give our first allegiance/priority to both God and money. In the full sense of the term, no one can belong completely to two owners/masters. Where there is an attempt at shared ownership, Jesus goes on, there is failure because the slave in such a position will regard each master differently – devoted to one and despise the other. There are no half measures. Jesus says, you can either wholly devote yourself to the service of God or you can wholly devote yourself to the service of money, but it’s impossible to devote yourself wholly to the service of both. God calls for our full devotion, and Jesus warns against money because it tends to draw people away from God.
Memory Verse
Matthew 16:24-26 (NIrV)
Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must say no to themselves. They must pick up their cross and follow me. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses their soul? Or what can anyone trade for their soul?
Songs
The Hero – Awesome Cutlery – YouTube
Leaders PDF
This has been put together using purchased external material and therefore this resource may only be used by Dundonald Church. For more information please contact kids@dundonald.org
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