L esson 6 *February 4–10

Laying Up Treasure in
Heaven

Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 6:5–14, Heb. 11:8–13,
2 Cor. 4:18, Gen. 13:10–12, Gen. 32:22–31, Heb. 11:24–29.

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).

J
esus gave us the world’s best investment strategy when He said:
“ ‘Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal’ ” (Matt. 6:19,
20, NKJV). Jesus concludes His investment strategy by saying,
“  ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’  ” (Matt.
6:21, NKJV). In other words: show Me what you spend your money on,
and I will show you where your heart is, because wherever you put your
money, your heart is sure to follow, if it’s not there already.
Do you want a heart for the kingdom of God? If so, then put your
money where it will reap eternal rewards. Put your time and your
money and prayer into God’s work. If you do, you will soon become
even more interested in that work, and your heart will follow, as well.
This week we will review texts and illustrations that show us how to
store up treasures in heaven and, ultimately, reap an eternal reward.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 11.

46
 S unday February 5

Noah Found Grace

It is noteworthy to consider that those who are seeking heavenly trea-
sure are frequently called by God to make major life alterations here on
earth. Be prepared to face the same thing, if need be.

Read Genesis 6:5–14. What radical changes came into Noah’s life as a
result of obeying God? What principles can we find here for our-
selves in a world that needs to be warned about impending doom?

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Noah could have spent his time and resources building a home for
himself, but he chose to make a drastic change in his life and to spend
120 years of that life in following the call of God to build the ark.
Many skeptics today dismiss the story of the Flood as a myth,
often based on scientific speculations about the known laws of
nature. This is nothing new. “The world before the Flood reasoned
that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed. The recurring
seasons had come in their order. Heretofore rain had never fallen;
the earth had been watered by a mist or dew. The rivers had never
yet passed their boundaries, but had borne their waters safely to
the sea. Fixed decrees had kept the waters from overflowing their
banks.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 96. Before
the Flood, people argued that a flood could never come based on
a faulty understanding of reality; after the Flood, based on a faulty
understanding of reality, they argue that it never came to begin with.
As the Bible says: “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccles.
1:9, NKJV).
Meanwhile, the Bible also says that people will be skeptical of end-
time events, as they were of the Flood (see 2 Pet. 3:3–7). How can we,
then, prepare for the coming destruction? There is a conscious decision
called “delayed gratification.” This basically means that we should
patiently do the work God has called us to do in the hope of a more
glorious future reward. We don’t know when Christ will return. In one
sense, it doesn’t matter. What matters instead is that, like Noah, we do
what God asks of us in the meantime, even if, as with Noah, it means
some radical life changes.

How ready would you be to make a major change in your life

for God if, like Noah, you were called to do just that? (Hint: See
Luke 16:10.)

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47
 M onday February 6

Abram, the Father of the Faithful

God called Abram to leave his homeland and his kinfolk and go to a
land that He would show him. Thus began the bloodline of the Messiah.
Though details aren’t given, Abram had to leave the land of his birth
and early years. Surely, it wasn’t an easy decision, and no doubt he gave
up some earthly pleasure and conveniences to do it.

Read Genesis 12:1–3. How were “all the families of the earth .  .  .
blessed” as a result of this promise and its acceptance?

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This was a major life-changing event for Abram and his family. “By
faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which
he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing
where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NKJV). “Abraham’s unquestioning
obedience is one of the most striking evidences of faith to be found in
all the Bible.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 126.
Most of us would not be eager to leave our homeland and our friends
and family members. But Abram did so. Abram was satisfied to be
where God wanted him to be. As strange as this may seem, Abram,
Isaac, and Jacob never received that land in their lifetimes. Yet, they
remained faithful to God anyway.

Read Hebrews 11:8–13. What is the relevant message to us here?

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Abram was known as a prince by those living around him. He was known
to be generous, brave, hospitable, and a servant of the Most High God. His
witness for God was exemplary. By the grace of God, we are heirs with
Abraham. “Just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was accounted to him
for righteousness.’ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons
of Abraham” (Gal. 3:6, 7, NKJV). “And if you are Christ’s, then you are
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29, NKJV).
With Abraham, as with Noah, we see someone making a major life-
changing decision as a result of obeying God.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:18. How should the message of this verse

impact the kind of spiritual decisions that we make? How did
both Moses and Abraham follow that same principle?

48
 T uesday February 7

Lot’s Bad Decisions

When Abram left his homeland in response to God’s call, his nephew
Lot chose to go with him on his pilgrimage. Genesis 13 records that God
blessed Abram to the point that he “was very rich in cattle [the primary
measure of wealth in that culture], in silver, and in gold” (Gen. 13:2). Lot
also “had flocks, and herds, and tents” (Gen. 13:5). They both became so
wealthy with their extensive livestock herds that they could not dwell close
together. In order to avoid strife between their herdsmen, Abram offered
Lot the choice of where he would like to live. Of course, Lot should have
deferred to Abram, his senior, and because he owed his own prosperity to
his connection to him. However, he showed no gratitude to his benefactor
and selfishly wanted what he considered the best land available.

Read Genesis 13:10–12. What rational factors could have led Lot to
make the decision that he did?

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However easily Lot could have justified his decision to move to the
city, things didn’t turn out so great for him there, and when Abram heard
about what happened to him, he didn’t say, “Well, too bad, Lot. You reap
what you sow.” Instead, he came to his rescue (see Genesis 14).
Sometimes in our quest for more stuff, we don’t learn our lessons
well. Lot moved right back into Sodom! But in His great mercy, God
sent messengers of warning to Lot and his family, letting them know of
the pending destruction of these cities.

Read Genesis 18:20–33. What did God tell Abraham was the reason
for His visit to earth? What was Abraham’s response to the news
that God was planning to destroy these wicked cities?

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Because of Abraham’s concern for Lot and his family, he bargained

with God to spare the cities if righteous people could be found in them.
He started with 50 and went down to 10. In harmony with His character
of love, God never stopped granting mercy until Abraham stopped asking!
God and the two angels personally delivered Lot, his wife, and their two
daughters. But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. Lot entered
Sodom a wealthy man and came out with almost nothing. How careful we
need to be about the kind of decisions that we make, especially thinking
only of short-term gains in contrast to the big picture (see Mark 8:36, 37).
49
 W ednesday February 8

From Deceiver to Prince

As a young man who loved and feared God, Jacob nevertheless stooped
to conspire with his mother, Rebekah, to deceive his father and gain his
blessing. As a consequence, he started his adult life on the wrong path,
having to flee or, perhaps, face an early death. Rebekah told Jacob to “flee
thou to Laban . . . ; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury
turn away; . . . then I will send, and fetch thee” (Gen. 27:43–45). Jacob
was actually gone for 20 years, and he never saw his mother’s face again.

Read Genesis 32:22–31. What happened here to Jacob, and what spiri-
tual lessons can we take from this story about God’s grace, even
when we make wrong decisions?

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“Through humiliation, repentance, and self-surrender, this sinful,

erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He had fastened
his trembling grasp upon the promises of God, and the heart of Infinite
Love could not turn away the sinner’s plea. The error that had led to
Jacob’s sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud was now clearly set
before him. He had not trusted God’s promises, but had sought by his
own efforts to bring about that which God would have accomplished in
His own time and way. . . . Jacob had received the blessing for which
his soul had longed. His sin as a supplanter and deceiver had been
pardoned.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 197, 198.

Read Genesis 49:29–33. Though Jacob no longer had any holdings

in Canaan, what instructions did he give his sons regarding his
burial? Who else is buried in that cave? Why do you think Jacob
made this request?

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The Bible informs us that all three of the patriarchs and their wives are
buried in the same cave. Jacob’s trust in God was strong, and he considered
himself a stranger and pilgrim on the earth (see Heb. 11:13). Despite mis-
takes, he left home with nothing but came back to Canaan a wealthy man.

Despite our mistakes, God can still bless us. How much better,
however, to avoid the mistakes to begin with! What choices are
you now facing, and how can you avoid making the wrong ones?

50
 T hursday February 9

Moses in Egypt
The character of Moses dominated the early years of sacred history.
He was kept alive in the providence of God, who worked through an
enterprising mother and a caring sister. When Pharaoh’s daughter found
baby Moses in the ark of bulrushes, she asked his Hebrew mother to
care for him and paid her to do so. What a blessed challenge for a
young mother who was an exile and slave! Jochebed had only 12 years
to teach her child to pray, to trust and honor God, and shape his charac-
ter for a life of service. For years, Moses was trained in the royal courts
of Egypt. “ ‘And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
and was mighty in words and deeds’ ” (Acts 7:22, NKJV). As Moses
matured as a man, he made a conscious decision that changed his life
and the course of history.

Read Hebrews 11:24–29. Think about what Moses left behind and
what he had to face instead. Try to look at it from his position,
before he made the choice. What was he leaving, and what was he
choosing to accept by leaving?

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Egypt was one of the greatest powers in the ancient world at the
time, if not the greatest. The Nile River created such fertile land that
Egypt, flush with crops, was a wealthy and powerful nation, and Moses
himself would have been at the top of this kingdom. It’s hard to imag-
ine how tempting the lure of the world, the world of Egypt and all its
treasures, must have been to him in his early years. Surely, he must have
found the adoration, the pleasures, and the riches tempting. No doubt
he probably very easily could have justified staying rather than throw-
ing in his lot with a bunch of despised slaves.
And yet, what? As Scripture says, he chose “rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb.
11:25, NKJV). And talk about afflictions: a major part of the book of
Exodus deals with the struggles and trials of Moses, who, even after all
he went through, was still not able to cross over to the Promised Land
(see Num. 20:12). Yet, in the end, we all know that Moses made the right
choice, even if at times he must have wondered himself if he really had.

From a worldly perspective, Moses should have stayed in Egypt.

However, as Christians, we have been given a view of reality that
takes us way beyond this world. When we are tempted by the
world, how can we keep the big picture always before us? Why is
it so important that we do so?
51
 F riday February 10

Further Thought: God honored His part of the covenant by bless-

ing Abraham. And Abraham honored God by not storing up treasures
on this earth. “The heritage that God has promised to His people is not
in this world. Abraham had no possession in the earth, ‘no, not so much
as to set his foot on.’ Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he
used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow men; but he did
not look upon this world as his home. The Lord had called him to leave
his idolatrous countrymen, with the promise of the land of Canaan as
an everlasting possession; yet neither he nor his son nor his son’s son
received it. When Abraham desired a burial place for his dead, he had
to buy it of the Canaanites. His sole possession in the Land of Promise
was that rock-hewn tomb in the cave of Machpelah.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 169.

As we live, we are sometimes tempted to go toward wealth and lei-

sure. It takes strong faith to practice delayed gratification. “The mag-
nificent palace of Pharaoh and the monarch’s throne were held out as an
inducement to Moses; but he knew that the sinful pleasures that make
men forget God were in its lordly courts. He looked beyond the gor-
geous palace, beyond a monarch’s crown, to the high honors that will be
bestowed on the saints of the Most High in a kingdom untainted by sin.
He saw by faith an imperishable crown that the King of heaven would
place on the brow of the overcomer. This faith led him to turn away
from the lordly ones of earth and join the humble, poor, despised nation
that had chosen to obey God rather than to serve sin.”—Patriarchs and
Prophets, p. 246.

Discussion Questions:
Ê What will happen to our possessions when Jesus comes? (See
2 Pet. 3:10.) In fact, what can happen to them even before Jesus
comes? (See Matt. 6:20.) Why, then, is it always important to keep
things in the proper perspective?

Ë Jesus warned about “the deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4:19).

What is He talking about? How can riches deceive us?

Ì In class, talk about the ways Moses might have justified staying
in Egypt instead of leaving everything behind in order to flee with
a bunch of slaves to a barren desert? What ultimately must have
caused him to decide as he did?

52
 i n s i d e
Story
Miracle of a Mission School
By Chifundo Kanjo
Two very different kinds of mission schools shaped John Phiri’s life.
As a youth, John was sent from home in Malawi to study the family’s non-
Christian religion on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. John spent three
years immersed in the religion’s main book and learning how to establish
houses of worship in unentered areas of Africa.
Finishing his education in Zanzibar, the young man was sent back to
Malawi to lead two houses of worship. He also was tasked with closely
monitoring local Christians and reporting his findings back to Zanzibar. To
better understand Christianity, he was instructed to read a King James Bible.
Over the next few years, John joined three different Christian churches,
rising to a senior position in one of them, as he collected information for
Zanzibar. All the while, he led houses of worship in two Malawian towns.
John’s heart was touched as he read the Bible. He found it more under-
standable than his religion’s book. He longed to know more about Jesus.
Still a youth, he enrolled in the Seventh-day Adventist school at Luwazi
Mission. For him, it was a new kind of mission school, very different
from the school in Zanzibar. He was particularly interested in the school’s
Pathfinder club, and he joined it, participating in all the programs.
John fell in love with Jesus during a week of prayer at the school, and
he gave his heart to Jesus in baptism. He stopped sending information to
Zanzibar. John’s father was furious when he found out. He angrily accused
John’s mother of being the cause, and he divorced her.
Years passed, and John felt called by God to put his mission schooling
to work. While he had been trained in Zanzibar to open houses of worship
in unentered areas for his former religion, he resolved to take his Adventist
education and do the same thing for Jesus. He became a Global Mission pio-
neer, an Adventist who establishes congregations in unentered areas within
his or her own culture. John served as a Global Mission pioneer for 10 years,
and many people from his family’s religion gave their hearts to Jesus.
John went on to graduate with a theology degree from Malawi Adventist
University and today serves as an Adventist pastor.
John said the Adventist mission school changed his
life. “Do not underestimate the importance of mission
schools,” he said. “They are a tool for people to know
Jesus and accept Him as their personal Savior. Seventh-
day Adventist education is very vital in preaching the
gospel and making Christ known to all.”
Learn more about Global Mission pioneers online at: bit.ly
/GMpioneer.

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org. 53
Learn to Cultivate Benevolence

Y
ou know that giddiness that tickles
your stomach as you watch a loved
one open a thoughtfully chosen gift
or the feeling of warmth that envelops
your heart after you help a stranger in need?
God knows that when we give and help and
serve, our lives are richer and fuller than when
we hoard and guard what we have.
Counsels on Stewardship is a collection of
practical instruction on how to cultivate
the kind of benevolence that pays us back
abundantly in spiritual blessings.
Put God to the test and see for yourself!

For
eBooks, ©2021 Pacific Press®
go to: Publishing Association
Please contact your ABC
for pricing in Canada.
Adventist-eBooks.com 2155901069
More Mission!

Y ou could read the mission story about 13-year-old Precious, whose

heart was transformed by the sound of children singing at a
Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Uganda.
Or you could meet her and her friends through a collection of photos!
Visit the Facebook page of Mission Quarterlies to download
extra materials that make the mission
stories for children and adults
come alive every week.

@missionquarterlies