Matthew 6:19-34

Introduction:

1. Today we begin looking more closely at some of the specific challenges the world brings to the broader principle of obedience in a rebellious world (discussed 2/2/2025).

2. We begin with an issue every Christian in the western world must face; living in a consumer culture pressures us to pursue the temporal over the eternal.

Discussion:

I. The Danger

A. Jesus warned against consumerism in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:19-34).

1. Such is reflective of temporal rather than eternal thinking (6:19-20).

2. It also reflects our heart’s allegiance, who our master truly is (6:21, 24).

B. Consumerism convinces us that our pleasure is the goal, a goal which may be bought.

C. “Consumer culture can be seen as offering and legitimating a wide range of aesthetic experiences and bodily pleasures…designed into goods and consumer spaces by the growing ranks of cultural intermediaries” (M. Featherstone in IESBS).

D. When these things fail, anxiety and sorrow set in (6:25-32).

II. The Solution

A. The solution is easy and difficult.

B. It is very easy to understand Jesus’ prescribed solution:

1. Keep our eyes on the eternal, imperishable (6:19-21, 32; cf. 1 Corinthians 15; Colossians 3:1ff).

2. Trust that God will supply everything for now and in eternity (6:25-34; 2 Peter 1:3).

C. It is difficult to maintain this trusting focus in the heat of earth’s difficult moments.

1. Abraham had God’s promises but lied to save his life (Genesis 13:10-20; 20:1-18).

2. Elijah fell into despair at Jezebel’s threats despite his recent victory (1 Kings 19).

3. Job questioned God’s care in his time of anguish.

D. Yet, in every case, God always delivered on His promises, so trust we must.

Conclusion:

1. Consumerism is one of the simplest of Satan’s tactics to understand, but it is simultaneously one of the most difficult to fend off.

2. As hard as it may be, we simply must seek the kingdom first or be swallowed up by it.

Food for Further Thought

1. What are some consumeristic temptations you face in your life?

2. What steps are you taking to put these elements in their proper place?

3. How can we better guard the church against a consumerist mindset?