Sabbath School Lesson for February 4-10, 2023
Overview of Lesson 6, Laying Up Treasure in Heaven
Memory Text: ” ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’ ” Mark 8:36, 37 NKJV
This week we will explore these topics:
- Sunday: Noah’s grace in God’s eyes was a treasure to him that saved him and his family.
- Monday: Abraham’s faithfulness was his treasure that led him to heavenly Canaan.
- Tuesday: Bad decisions of Lot almost cost him his heavenly treasure.
- Wednesday: Jacob’s early mistakes made him have to wrestle for his godly treasure.
- Thursday: Moses chose God’s treasure rather than what he had in Egypt.
These biblical patriarchs exemplify what it means to store treasure in heaven. They each struggled to follow God by making choices that would advance God’s heavenly kingdom. We would do well to learn from their successes and mistakes, as we, too, grow to become the faithful stewards God desires us to be.
Part of our stewardship strategy must include ways to invest in God’s kingdom. This old, sinful world is not where our heart should be. We are pilgrims and strangers here, but God has provided a way for us to invest in something more valuable than any treasure found on earth. There is only one place to store this investment safely, and that is in our hearts. See Matthew 6:19-21.
One way to see where our treasures are stored is to examine how we spend our money. Those things we purchase reveal a lot about where our heart is when it comes to God. By sharing our time, talents, and wealth with those less fortunate, we glorify God and thereby advance His kingdom. We are blessed with many heartfelt rewards, even before we get to heaven.
Sunday: Noah Found Grace
The first time the word “grace” is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 6:8–Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. To be honest, it sounds like God was feeling more anguish than grace when it came to the conduct of most of humanity in Noah’s lifetime. But Noah was different than his neighbors. Genesis 6:9 tells us he was a just and perfect man, and that he walked with God.
The world was reeling out of control, with much suffering and chaos due to the extreme violence that pervaded the population. God decided that a worldwide flood was needed to cleanse the earth–He was ready to see all mankind destroyed in one sweeping motion.
All, except for Noah. If Noah proved up to the challenge, he could save himself and his family by following explicitly God’s commands to build an ark and be saved from the waters that were sure to engulf the whole planet.
Noah spent many years, not only building an enormous ship, but preaching to anyone who would listen that they were destined to drown if they didn’t enter the ark when God was ready for the waters to come (2 Peter 2:5).
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Genesis 6:5-9, 13, 14, 22 and Hebrews 11:7
- How did Noah store treasure in heaven, saving him and his family from a disastrous flood?
Luke 16:10
- Why is it important to be faithful stewards even in the smaller matters of life?
Monday: Abram, the Father of the Faithful
Just as violence was a prevailing problem for Noah’s generation, as time went on, idolatry and pagan religions became dangerously close to wiping out anything good. It became so bad that God once again called for a generous, brave man named Abram to take drastic action to save a righteous bloodline for the future Messiah.
Abram was told to pack up his household and leave the place he had always called home. He was to go to an unknown place, wandering as a nomad under primitive conditions–a command that would have seemed senseless to most of Abram’s family and friends.
But Abram was faithful and obeyed God’s call, even though Sarah was barren for many years. With God as his guide, he invested in His mission by storing his treasure in heaven and eventually becoming the father of the faithful.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Genesis 12:1-3 and Hebrews 11:8, 13
- Why did it take faith to believe God’s promise and do what He asked of Abram?
- How did Abram’s faith and obedience enable him to store his treasure in God’s heavenly mission of saving a bloodline for our Savior?
- In what way are we still pilgrims on this earth?
2 Corinthians 4:18
- How does this verse help us understand the nature of heavenly treasure? How does it differ from earthly treasure?
Tuesday: Lot’s Bad Decisions
Both Abram and his nephew Lot had many possessions (Genesis 13:2, 5). It came to a point that there was not enough land for both their herds and flocks to dwell peacefully, so Abram wisely suggested they part ways, giving Lot the option of choosing first where he wished to go. This became Lot’s first bad decision, as he chose the fertile plain of Jordan for himself, rather then let Uncle Abram, his senior, decide the matter.
Later, when Lot was kidnapped by pagan armies who had invaded Sodom and Gomorrah, Abram gathered up an army himself and rescued Lot. Unfortunately, Lot once again, after his release, chose to dwell with his family in Sodom, where they had found such a pleasurable, convenient way of life.
Despite these foolhardy, even selfish, choices, Lot was found to be righteous and was rescued again by angels, when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire. Lot paid heavily for his actions though, with most of his family lost with the rest of the unrighteous in those wicked cities. See 2 Peter 2:6-8.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Genesis 13:8-11
- How might the story have ended differently, if Lot had allowed his uncle to choose which way to go?
2 Peter 2:6-9
- What lessons can we learn from the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Wednesday: From Deceiver to Prince
We can learn much from the life of Jacob, who did not start out as a very good steward of God. His choice to listen to his mother’s devious plan for how to obtain the birthright from his brother Esau did not work out so well. It caused him to have to flee his home and family to escape the wrath of his brother.
Twenty years later on his return home, he found himself wrestling with a powerful Being, which turned out to be God Himself. He was blessed for his night of suffering and given the name Israel, which means “one who prevails with God”.
He had left home with nothing except a bad reputation for being a deceiver. But by trusting God’s promises and following a better course of action, he became an honorable prince of men, able to carry out God’s mission and provide a bloodline for the future Messiah.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Genesis 32:24-31 and Hebrews 11:21
- What do you think Jacob/Israel learned by having to limp the rest of his life from his wrestling with God?
- What can we learn from Jacob’s mistakes and recovery?
Thursday: Moses in Egypt
Moses is a good example of a man who chose to lay up heavenly treasure. After he became of age, which would have been at 12 years old in the Hebrew culture, he had ample time to taste lavish, worldly treasures in the courts of one of the wealthiest powers of the ancient world (Hebrews 11:24, 26).
As we are told, he chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” in Egypt (Hebrews 11:25). Moses certainly had his trials and affliction as they struggled to make their way to Canaan, but he kept the big picture ahead of him and most often made wise stewardship decisions that furthered the cause of God.
Remembering that earthly treasures are only temporary is what motivates us to remain with God’s people even today. Nothing can match the eternal pleasure we will experience in our heavenly home at the feet of our Lord and Savior.
Bible Verses for Thought and Discussion:
Hebrews 11:24-27
- Why does looking for our treasure here on earth always disappoint us?
- Why is it important to remain with God’s people, whenever possible?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Jesus mentioned our need to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), but some may still be asking, how exactly do we find this treasure and most importantly, how do we store it.
We find this verse right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. By following the counsel of Jesus, found all through this important discourse in chapters 5-7 of Matthew, we find the answers we are looking for. Starting with the Beatitudes, Jesus proceeded to expand on each of them in great detail.
We begin by being poor in spirit, meaning to be humble and recognize our spiritual need for God (Matthew 5:3). And we end by becoming like the wise man who built his house on a rock (Matthew 7:24).
The Bible characters we studied this week give us models to follow. But truly, Jesus is the only perfect model. He’s the Rock we need to build our lives on. With Him in our hearts, we can invest in spiritual treasures that will last for eternity.
Next Week: Unto the Least of These
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