So the consummate question here is not "What do you confess?" Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. The most commonly sited reference to “mammon” in the Christian Bible comes from the Sermon on the Mount, as related by Jesus’ disciple, Matthew. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You believe God only talks to your pastor and not the congregation. 24"No one can serve two masters. This includes money but it is more than money. Illness strikes and our hoard is gone. You see this again when Paul, in writing to young Timothy says: As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. You see this in Verse 32 of this same chapter where Jesus says, "For the Gentiles seek all these things." Traditionally this is a very sensitive subject. We will begin with the words of Jesus on these great themes. In the letter to the church at Laodicea he reminded them of this. Would you do that? In other words, those who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord, those who hunger to enter into the fullness of all that he has prepared. But the Lord said to me, 'That man needs that plane and you have good credit. Let us ask ourselves this question. They were lukewarm, he said, "neither hot nor cold." There was a man who recognized real values, treasures in heaven versus treasures on earth. He has also found a niche in role-playing games, popping up in the likes of Dungeons and Dragons and Final Fantasy. The proof of our blindness and our slavery to earthly treasures is found in the naive certainty that we often display that we can serve God on Sunday and mammon on Monday through Saturday and that God will accept this; that we can work out a compromise. The treasures on earth are the tangible, material values which we expect to enjoy now. In this situation there was available an opportunity to invest in treasures in heaven. I heard a man tell of being in a meeting where a missionary had presented a need for an airplane that cost eight thousand dollars. I know we need to be led in these matters, but did you honestly consider mortgaging your home, or taking some other means of raising money in order to seize this opportunity? Can I regard these things with a kind of detachment, an objectivity that allows me to use them but not to be bound to hem?" In Verses 21-24, he unveils to us a commitment which creates a danger. Ourtreasure may be a home, it may be a person, it may be a position that we hold or seek after. Ah, but if he has an unsound eye, ("an evil eye" the King James says), if his eye is set on treasures on earth, then there is a cloudiness, a haziness. The man who said, "Money is not everything but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place," was not reflecting reality, for there are many things that can be more important than money in our lives. The desire to possess is instinctive in human life, God-given, in other words, a natural thing. All rights reserved. In Luke 4, when Jesus gives a summary of his own ministry (and surely he fulfilled these words about laying up treasures in heaven himself, he lived on that level), he describes his activities in these terms, quoting from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,     because he has appointed me to preach good news to the poor. You cannot serve God and mammon." Because he had a girl friend in that city. The treasures on earth lay hold of the affections first, and, in a subtle way, they begin to change the man. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. Although the etymology of the world “mammon” can be traced back to the Aramaic dialect, it had little historical significance until it was taken up by early Christians. That is, do not talk about it to yourself, forget it. A high school boy said to me some time ago, holding his head in his hands, "Oh, I don't know what is the matter with me. A coolness toward spiritual values sets in. They were all ready to go in every way except for the supply of their monthly support. Clearly, the word has always meant “wealth,” but the dark connotation—and even personification—of the word seems to be a purely Christian invention. As we traveled she finished the package, crumpled it and threw it down on the floor, and I noticed that it was the brand that has written across the front of it, "They Satisfy." He popularized the idea of the “Seven Princes of Hell,” each of whom matched up with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The world is so full of a number of things I think we should all be happy as kings. We know, for instance, that earthly treasure -- things, persons, places, positions, favor, etc. That is our primary objective. "Remember," he said, "If you give a disciple a cup of cold water in my name you will never lose your reward," (Matthew 10:42). They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, be liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. It is the way we look at things. We say that we serve God but we are actually serving mammon; that is, materialism, wealth. He said, "He died a millionaire." And he said, "Oh, I see what you mean.". They are perfectly right, and so is the idea of having things. Am I deeply disturbed if there is something I want but I cannot have it, or that I have and lose? "Examine yourselves to see whether you are holding to your faith. This classification of demons began with Alfonso de Spina’s Fortalitium Fide, which divided the demons into ten groups. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. Beginning with the emergence of Christianity under Roman rule, many early Christians tried to find a way to fit the villainous Mammon, against whom Jesus and his disciples preached, in with their Roman heritage. Some people associated Mammon with Plutus, the Greco-Roman god of wealth. I think there is a very delicate touch of humor here. (Matthew 6:22-23 RSV). In order that we may enjoy them.] Message transcript and recording © 1964 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. The only time we can lay them up is now. They seize our feelings, our affections and they hold them in an iron grip. 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