Materialism

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Materialism Greed
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What is it?

• Materialism Preoccupation with or emphasis on
  material objects, comforts, and considerations,
  with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual,
  intellectual, or cultural values.
• Tangible objects are of more value that
  intangible
• Greed - Excessive desire to acquire or possess
  more
• Greed ? Materialism
• Greed is based on the love for money, not the
  possession of it
• Poor people can be greedy
• Rich people can be charitable
• 1 Timothy 610For the love of money is a root of
  all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed
  from the faith in their greediness, and pierced
  themselves through with many sorrows.

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Who wants to be rich?

• 1 Timothy 69But those who desire to be rich
  fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
  foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in
  destruction and perdition.
• How many people desire to be rich?
• Who does NOT desire to be rich?
• Luke 1613No servant can serve two masters for
  either he will hate the one and love the other,
  or else he will be loyal to the one and despise
  the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
• What does it mean to serve money?

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Greed is common

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vsz36WCCX82A
• 2 Timothy 31-4But know this, that in the last
  days perilous times will come For men will be
  lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
  proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
  unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving,
  slanderers, without self-control, brutal,
  despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,
  lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
• Perilous ? Dangerous ? Risk losing salvation

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• Signs of materialism

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Blind to the needs of others
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Blind to the needs of others

• Too focused on my own success to worry about the
  needs of others.
• Other people slow me down and are obstacles in my
  way
• Tithing reduces my bank account it hurts to
  give
• Not considering there are many poor people all
  around in need of our help
• Poverty nearby

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Insatiable desire for more

• Rockefeller How much is enough? More than I
  presently have.
• Collecting money becomes a hobby and a goal
• Richness can cause us to neglect our spiritual
  life

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Not being able to let go of wealth

• Luke 1818-23Now a certain ruler asked Him,
  saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
  eternal life? So Jesus said to him, "Why do you
  call Me good? No one is good but One, that is,
  God. You know the commandments "Do not commit
  adultery,' "Do not murder,' "Do not steal,' "Do
  not bear false witness,' "Honor your father and
  your mother." And he said, "All these things I
  have kept from my youth. So when Jesus heard
  these things, He said to him, "You still lack one
  thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to
  the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven
  and come, follow Me. But when he heard this, he
  became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
• How do we feel when we are asked to give?

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Constantly comparing with others

• How do I feel when a friend buys something new?
• My attitude towards poor and wealthy people says
  something about my value system.
• How do I feel about the person driving
• James 22-4 - For if there should come into your
  assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel,
  and there should also come in a poor man in
  filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one
  wearing the fine clothes and say to him, You sit
  here in a good place, and say to the poor man,
  You stand there, or, Sit here at my
  footstool, have you not shown partiality among
  yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

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Showing off

• Do I feel the need to show off my things to other
  people?
• Jeremiah 923Thus says the LORD Let not the
  wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty
  man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man
  glory in his riches

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How we treat the poor

• James 51-6Come now, you rich, weep and howl
  for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your
  riches are corrupted, and your garments are
  moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded,
  and their corrosion will be a witness against you
  and will eat your flesh like fire. You have
  heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the
  wages of the laborers who mowed your fields,
  which you kept back by fraud, cry out and the
  cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the
  Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in
  pleasure and luxury you have fattened your
  hearts asb in a day of slaughter. You have
  condemned, you have murdered the just he does
  not resist you.

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Willingness to disobey God to obtain more

• Mistreating others. Possessions are of more
  value than people.
• Lying, cheating, stealing
• Working more than is necessary at the expense of
  other things not leaving time for God each day

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• How does materialism develop?

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Focus on Worldly things

• 1 John 216 For all that is in the world--the
  lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
  pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the
  world.
• Experiencing a luxury without having the maturity
  to handle it
• The finer things in life

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Giving in to covetousness

• Luke 1215And He said to them, Take heed and
  beware of covetousness, for one's life does not
  consist in the abundance of the things he
  possesses.
• Looking at what my neighbor has
• Thinking life would be better if I had it too
• Seeking after material possessions for that
  reason alone

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Confusing necessities with luxuries

• How much of what we have do we really need?
• What are some things that we THINK we cant live
  without?
• Choosing to live without a luxury
• 1 Timothy 68And having food and clothing, with
  these we shall be content.

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SEEING money as our security

• The need to secure our future by saving more
• Faith in money more than God
• Luke 1216-21Then He spoke a parable to them,
  saying "The ground of a certain rich man yielded
  plentifully. And he thought within himself,
  saying, "What shall I do, since I have no room to
  store my crops? So he said, "I will do this I
  will pull down my barns and build greater, and
  there I will store all my crops and my goods. And
  I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods
  laid up for many years take your ease eat,
  drink, and be merry." But God said to him,
  "Fool! This night your soul will be required of
  you then whose will those things be which you
  have provided? "So is he who lays up treasure
  for himself, and is not rich toward God.

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Listening to the media

• Our greed can be fueled by the media, credit card
  companies, companies that want us to buy their
  product, etc
• Products we MUST have

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• How to fight materialism

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Giving Serving

• Mark 1241-44Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury
  and saw how the people put money into the
  treasury. And many who were rich put in much.
  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites,
  which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples
  to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to
  you that this poor widow has put in more than all
  those who have given to the treasury for they
  all put in out of their abundance, but she out of
  her poverty put in all that she had, her whole
  livelihood.
• Giving what we have makes us realize how blessed
  we are
• We can live with much less than God has given us
• Giving God a chance to bless us Gideon example

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Redefine what is valuable to us

• Luke 1234For where your treasure is, there your
  heart will be also.
• Satan tempted Christ with
• Food (Desires of the flesh)
• Glory
• Riches
• How much time do we spend seeking after these vs.
  purity holiness?

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Fasting prayer

• Matthew 44But He answered and said, It is
  written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but
  by every word that proceeds from the mouth of
  God.
• Learning to live with less food rely on God
  more
• Praying focuses us on the heavenly things more
  than the earthly

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ASK God to satisfy what we lack

• James 42You lust and do not have. You murder
  and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.
  Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
• God who knows our actual needs wants to bless us
  even beyond our bare necessities
• We should ask Him to provide for us what is right
  and be content with what He gives

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Summary

• Signs of materialism
• Blind to the needs of others
• Insatiable desire for more
• Not being able to let go of wealth
• Comparing with others
• Showing off
• How we treat the poor
• Willingness to disobey God for money

• How does materialism develop
• Focus on worldly things
• Giving in to covetousness
• Confusing necessities with luxuries
• Seeing money as our security
• Listening to the media
• How to combat greed
• Giving and serving
• Redefine what is valuable
• Fasting prayer
• Ask God to satisfy what we lack

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CONCLUSION

• Many of us are caught in the web of greed
• And we think its normal and healthy because we
  see it all around us
• Honest self-examination
• Confession