THE LIFE OF FAITH (Last Part)
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II. MATERIAL THINGS
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Man Is a Dual Personality
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Man is a dual personality, an eternal spirit clothed with a material body. The material body is temporal. In this body we live and move and have our being in our time spent upon this earth. In this body man was defeated in his first encounter with the devil (and it continues to be the arena of struggle, Galatians 5:17). Because of sin and death this body is destined to go back to the elements of the earth from which it originally came. The eternal spirit goes back to the God who gave it to face accountability and judgment (Ecclesiastes 12:7,13,14; Hebrews 9:27). Eternity now comes in view. As those who have accepted and followed the Savior, we know that our spirits will be clothed with a spiritual body that will never again be subject to death and decay (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4; Revelation 21:4). This is the hope of a Christian (1 John 3:2,3).
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The Old and New Testaments
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Interestingly, the dual personality of man is reflected respectively in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament was largely a material system, but governed by morals, that prophetically pointed to the coming spiritual system, the New Testament (and era of man’s restoration to God). In the material, it had a "shadow of good things to come." The children of Israel were promised a land that flowed with milk and honey, and consequent material blessing if they obeyed God. If they were not faithful, the land would "spew" them out. The very center of their religion involved a prestigious physical temple with a material emphasis. They exercised their religion within the bounds of an earthly kingdom. Now in the New Testament the emphasis is on the spiritual and the eternal (John 3:3-6,16; 4:20-24; Hebrews 12:28; etc.).
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The Material in 
The Proper Perspective
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The life of faith demands that we understand and maintain the proper relationship between material and spiritual things. We must ever keep the material in the proper perspective, as Paul said, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). The undertone of the Sermon on the Mount deals with this and both aspects of man’s being. Here the Lord lays out his teachings about his coming kingdom, the church, and the righteousness that was to be practiced therein. Clothed in captivating picturesque language, what he says about material things is so well expressed that it would be well to lay these words out before us and carefully examine them. In particular, notice the following excerpt.
       "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life [be worried about], what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment [be worried about]? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought [be worried], saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:24-33). 
God and Mammon
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Here God and materialism are pictured in conflicting juxtaposition with man’s corresponding dual nature in view. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Here avarice is personified, even deified, in the Aramaic word "mammon." This corresponds with what Paul says in Ephesians 5:5 and Colossians 3:5 where he labels "covetousness" as idolatry (idol worship). The word idolatry literally means to worship that which is seen. The material side of man under a false illusion that it is everything becomes obsessed with obtaining the material. Materialism dominates ones life, actually crowding out God and becoming "god."
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Hating One and Loving the Other
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The Lord Jesus emphatically stated, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." This matter of hating one and loving the other could be literally true, or it could be the Hebrew expression that means to love less. Either way, it would be awfully hard for a slave to try to obey two masters, especially with such conflicting views. Another time Jesus said, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). We know that "hate" per se is absolutely contrary to Christianity. Matthew 10:37, speaking of the same requirement in being a disciple, makes it plain that "hate" does not always mean hate in the sense we usually think of it. It reads, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Hate some times is a Hebrew idiom meaning to love less. This usage of this word can be seen as Jacob’s love for Rachel and Leah is described (Genesis 29:30,31).
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Anxiety As Opposed to Contentment
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To serve the idolatrous god of materialism is to have a life filled with worry, and even problems of greater magnitude, especially in selfishly grasping for more and more. The Lord zeroes in on simple basic things, what we eat and what we wear, in calling our attention to what really matters in reference to the material. He illustrates from nature. Consider the fowls of the air. Consider the lilies of the field. In God’s order of things, He takes care of these with sufficient food and being properly arrayed. Someone has said that God feeds the fowls of the air, but He doesn’t put the food in their nest. This is true. If we put forth an earnest effort, as was God’s intentions from the beginning, He will see that we are blessed and our basic needs will be met. Hebrews 13:5 admonishes, "Let your conversation [the way that you live] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Yes, as opposed to the anxieties in a life dominated by materialism, Paul reminds Timothy that "godliness with contentment is great gain," and he continues by saying, "And having food and raiment [those basic things of which Jesus spoke], let us be therewith content. But they that will be [aspire to be] rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all [kinds of] evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Timothy 6:6-10).
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Paul admonished the Philippians, "Be careful [full of care, anxious] for nothing: but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6,7). In the light of this, Paul went on to say, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (4:12,13). The Christian, whether rich or poor, learns how to accept his lot in life and therein be happy and content in the Lord (James 1:9-11).
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"Seek Ye First the Kingdom"
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As the eternal part of us, the spirit should control and use the body for high and noble purposes (not the other way around). That is what the Lord had in mind when he said in the Scripture from the Sermon on the Mount, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you [your physical needs will be met]" (Matthew 6:33). This corresponds with what he had said in confronting the temptation of the devil, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). But he was quick to say "a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). It is to be found in the area of the spiritual for "godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Yes, "to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6). In your life of faith ever keep Matthew 6:33 before you. Look out (!) when the dominance of the material and worry crowd God out!
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III. THE EXPERIENCES IN LIVING
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With the problem of sin dealt with and man’s life in relation to material things put into proper perspective, let us now look at the experiences in living.
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A World of Sin and Death
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Life is filled with all kinds of experiences, both "good" and "bad." But overall we should always remember that we live in a world of sin and death. Paul asserted, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). Even we, as Christians, are not exempt from this. Paul continues, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body:" (8:23). Our souls may have been redeemed, but the body hasn’t. We still live in a world of sin and death.
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"Why Not Me, Lord?"
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Therefore, as Christians, it is good that we have the proper perspective of experiences involved in living. When "bad" things happen to them, sometimes people ask, "Why me, Lord?" That may be the wrong question. Perhaps it would be more fittingly to ask, "Why not me, Lord?" All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Sin is an awful thing to God. Some times it is said that certain people are living on borrowed time. But, really, all of us are living on borrowed time. We have been ever since we came to the age of accountability and committed our first sin. "For the wages of sin [singular, just one sin] is death…" (Romans 6:23). God could have carried out the sentence for sinning right then, but He didn’t. We were spared. Through the grace of God we have been living on borrowed time ever since. In becoming a Christian, we have taken advantage of this borrowed time to get right with God (and now to live in hope). But the sentence of death still hangs over our bodies. That is the common lot of all of mankind (Hebrews 9:27).
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Adorning the Doctrine of God
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As we live the life of faith, things that happen are not without significance. In fact, any and every thing that a Christian does and experiences is full of the utmost purpose and meaning. The bottom line is the glory of God. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). When sickness and hardships come, God may see fit to answer our prayers and give us relief. Then again He may not (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; 2 Timothy 4:20). It is appointed unto man once to die (Hebrews 9:27). Paul speaks of how we should "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10). By letting our lights shine, even (and especially) in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, we "adorn" the doctrine of God. It is made to appear beautiful in the eyes of the world as it is seen that our faith sustains us and we can persevere even in the most trying times. The apostle Paul himself is an example of this (Philippians 4:6-13). As a believer he could write from his Roman imprisonment, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). Then carrying this to its conclusion, the Scriptures speak of "by what death" a person would "glorify God" (John 21:19). The death of a saint is like an "amen" at the end of a beautiful prayer. His experience in living and dying has brought glory to God.
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A Key Verse of Scripture
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Romans 8:28 is a key Scripture to keep in mind as we live the life of faith. It reads, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." It is reasonable to believe that the "good" will always "work together for good." But here it says "that all things work together for good to them that love God." The kind of God that we worship can take the bad, even the worse things that can happen, and turn them into good. And the worse thing that ever happened to us may be the best thing that ever happened to us if we don’t let it get the best of us.
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Illustrations of This Truth
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Let us notice what God can do. A classic illustration is seen in Joseph in the book of Genesis. Out of hatred, jealousy and envy his brothers sold him into slavery. For a seventeen-year-old his future indeed looked bleak. But we know the rest of the story. Through the providence of God he ends up being second to Pharaoh over all of Egypt. During the famine when his brothers came to buy grain, he reveals himself to them. "And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life" (Genesis 45:4-8). Later he would say, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good" (Genesis 50:20). 
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Another illustration that caps them all is that of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified on a cross, the way that slaves and the worst kind of criminals were executed. Death is usually looked upon as defeat, the end of everything. No doubt, the devil thought this would be the case with this Jesus called the Christ as he inspired wicked men to do what they did. But, no! This only expedited God’s wonderful plan of redemption (Acts 2:23,24,36). That which appeared to be the most awful and tragic thing ever to happen became the most wonderful. Salvation for all of mankind was accomplished! "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). That’s what our God can do. 
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Furthermore, let us illustrate once more, the persecution upon the early church, lead by Saul of Tarsus, looked like the devil was really going to wipe the church out (Acts 8:1). But did this happen? No! As the church was scattered, the gospel was scattered. We read, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). Instead of the church still being bottlenecked up in Jerusalem, as they were hesitant to reach out, now churches sprang up everywhere throughout the region and beyond. And Saul of Tarsus became the most vocal advocate of Christianity. God turned defeat into victory. That’s the kind of God we worship.
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Keeping the Right Attitude
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As we face the experiences of life, we need to keep the right attitude. James instructed his readers, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [various trials]; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:2-5). What is James saying here? We are challenged to accept the negative experiences in life with a positive attitude (even with "joy"!). Like we said, the worst thing that ever happened to us could be the best thing that ever happened to us, if we don’t let it get the best of us. As our faith is being tried, we are to pray for wisdom to be able to see the spiritual good that can come from this. One spiritual result of trials, as he points out here, is the learning of patience.
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The Attitude of John and Paul
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The attitude of John in Revelation 1:9 is most admirable. This reads, "I John, who also am your bother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Really, legally and from the viewpoint of the world, John had been banished and exiled on this ten-mile-long rocky islet called Patmos off the coast of Asia Minor because the Romans classified him as a criminal. We understand this island was commonly used for the banishment of undesirable people as they were sentenced to slave in the rock quarries isolated from the rest of the world. But did John look upon this as his fate? No, he was there for a higher purpose, to receive the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ (as the ages were unfolded before him). Likewise, the apostle Paul spoke of himself as "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:1), not a prisoner of the Romans. The Lord had a higher purpose for him. He was "an ambassador in bonds" (Ephesians 6:20), even to "Caesar’s household" (Philippians 1:12.13; 4:21,22). It was all in the context of his mission to preach the gospel to "every creature."
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"All Things Work Together for Good"
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Briefly we now outline some of the Scriptures that show different ways of looking upon the things that happen to us (as we are admonished by James to exercise wisdom and see the spiritual significance, James 1:5). These are some of the ways "that all things work together for good to them that love God" and "are the called according to his purpose" (according to the Word of God).
Produces Patience: "Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:3); "…We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience" (Romans 5:3)
    Sins Are Purged: "…Through manifold temptations [many trials]: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perish, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6,7). "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1). (Also read Psalms 119:67,71).
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    Chastisement from God: "…My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth…" (Read all of Hebrews 12:4-11 to get the full picture). 
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    Causes Humility: "…There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, than am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
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    Enhancement of Hope: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope…" (Romans 8:22-25). (Also read Romans 5:3-5).
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    Preparation for Eternity: "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
"All Things Are Yours"
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Ever keep these truths in mind as we live the life of faith. We should never be the victim, but we should be on top of the heap of whatever happens to us. According to Paul, everything belongs to the Christian (and should serve him in living the Christian life). The Corinthians were glorying in men (preachers) instead of simply recognizing that they were God’s servants (and theirs) in the gospel (and it is inappropriate to glory in slaves). These preachers belonged to all of them, not just a particular preacher to a particular faction. This lead Paul to say, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours. And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s" (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). What a statement! In essence, everything belongs to a Christian. Everything should be looked upon as servants, or means, to bring glory to God and to advance our spiritual well being. What a challenge! What a way to look at things!
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Great and Reassuring Scripture
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As we live from day to day, some great truths found in Romans chapter 8, following that key verse 28, are always good to keep in mind. These verses are most reassuring. Paul prods our minds with pointed questions to get our attention so that we will be sure to listen to the wonderful things he has to say. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Read Romans 8:28-39). Whatever comes in life, always remember this Scripture. Our lives are lived in the context of God’s love.
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"If The Lord Will"
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As we close out this point and this article, we point you to one more admonition. Listen to what James says: "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (James 4:13-15). Whether it involves material pursuits, spiritual pursuits---anything, what we plan and what we do should always be conditioned with the words, "If the Lord will." The apostle Paul likewise used this mode of expression. He told the Corinthians, "I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will" (1 Corinthians 4:19). Acts 18:21 finds him using these words again. It is simply a humble recognition that our lives are lived interwoven with God and his intentions for us. It is this matter, again, of putting God first in what we do (Matthew 6:33). Any and everything in our lives has purpose and meaning in relation to God. "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28) any way that you look at it. Amen!
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