Sermonette: The Philosophy of Black Friday
Materialism and Covetousness
#856s
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Given 24-Nov-07; 18 minutes
description: (hide) Black Friday stirs up greedy, materialistic, covetous attitudes, characteristic of modern secularism. Materialism is based upon the premise that only matter exists, excluding anything connected with spiritual. Consequently, seeking pleasure or joy and avoiding pain is the only motivation for living. Materialism advocates that spirit does not exist, and that accumulating the most toys before expiring is our highest goal. The Bible, on the other hand, records that God is Spirit, and man's destiny is to become composed of God's Spirit, a member of the God family. The command against coveting helps us to avoid becoming wrapped up in ourselves or having inordinate greed for our neighbor's possessions. When a nation reaches a materialistic mindset, it is on its way to oblivion. The same thing happens to our spiritual well-being if we take on that materialistic mindset.