Chapter Four: Eight Additional Evils of Earthly-Mindednes
But now, many of you are so focused on trivial matters of this world that the blessed truths you hear from time to time, things that even the angels desire to understand, are choked and unproductive. Why did the young man who asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life not receive any benefit? The scripture says he had great possessions. It's true that a person can be rich and still be godly and holy. But in this case, it was his attachment to the world that hindered the young man from following Jesus Christ. Young men are usually more prone to fleshliness than to chasing after worldly wealth, but sometimes it has been the downfall of some young men. They were very enthusiastic when they were servants, and the Word of God was precious to them!
But when they entered the world and tasted its sweetness, the Word was choked within them, and they lost their love for it. They lost their delight in the Word. This is the great danger of being attached to the world; it hinders the great benefits of the Word, and this is a terrible evil. If you had hearts that were open to receiving what is being preached, your hearts would tremble at the thought of this.
Lord! What should I do so that I am not hindered from benefiting from Your Word? It is the great blessing of God to the world. It is the Word that must save my soul, and it is more valuable than ten thousand worlds. Whatever might hinder me from profiting from Your Word, I must beware of it. Beware of being attached to the world. Many of you know this deep down in your conscience.
Sometimes any kind of business can prevent an earthly-minded person from coming to the Word, and when they do come, there is earth in their hearts and ears that keep them from listening to the Word. When your thoughts are focused on earthly things during a sermon, it's possible that a truth will pass by your soul that could have saved you eternally, and you have lost that opportunity that may never come again.
Chapter Four:
Eight Additional Evils of EarthlyMindedness In the seventh place, being focused on worldly matters leads to foolish desires in the heart, and this is a great evil. Let me explain further by giving six examples. The same Scripture that was previously cited for the temptation and snare, 1 Timothy 6:9, states,
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." These desires are foolish and unwise.
First, earthly-mindedness causes people to pursue things that are vile and base. It causes them to expend the strength of their immortal souls on things that have no value whatsoever. This is a foolish desire – to waste the strength of an immortal soul on trivialities. If you were to see people of great talent spending their time on pointless and frivolous activities, such as catching flies or chasing feathers, you would say that they had become foolish and thoughtless. Similarly, it is foolish for the soul of man, capable of such greatness as communing with God – the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit – to waste its strength on such worthless and trivial things that cannot help in times of trouble. Oh, this is indeed a foolish desire!
Second, foolish desires, or an earthly mindset, cause people to become servants to their own servants. You would think that a person is foolish if they become a servant to their own servants. God has made the things of the earth to be servants to us, and yet we place our necks under the yoke of our own servants and become servants to them! Is it not a great folly for a person to expect all their honors and respect to come from a servant, rather than from any excellence within themselves?
Suppose a man is traveling and is shown some respect, but it is for the sake of his servant rather than for his own sake. Once he realizes this, he would feel dishonored. However, an earthly heart puts itself
in such a position since it considers it a great honor to receive recognition and respect solely due to its wealth and possessions.
Earthly people do not respect others for any inherent worth or excellence within them, but only for their riches. This means that a person is not respected for who they are, but rather for their servant
– which is a great shame.
Consider some men who used to have wealth, but now have lost everything and are as poor as beggars. Who values them now?
However, if a man has grace and holiness, and loses everything and becomes as poor as Job, the angels of heaven would honor him and glory in serving him. This is the difference between the carnal, worldly heart and the spiritual heart. It's a foolish desire to make yourself a servant to your servants.
3. Earthly-mindedness leads a person to foolish desires because they could have more of the world if they did not focus so much on it. It is foolish to endanger oneself for the sake of the world when one could have it better without doing so. It is also foolish to exert a great deal of effort on something when it could be obtained with less effort. If you belong to God, and keep your heart more spiritual, you can expect God to bless you with more of the good things in this world.
Your earthly-mindedness causes God to limit your access to these things. I believe that many have experienced bad outcomes in their worldly affairs due to God's displeasure with their worldly focus. If you continue to work in obedience to God and entrust your success to Him, you may experience greater success than you have had. How foolish it is to do otherwise!
4. Furthermore, it is a great folly to purchase something at a price greater than its worth. Suppose you sent a servant to buy something and he returned saying that he paid ten times more than its value.
You would think he was foolish. In the same way, an earthly-minded person appears to God, His angels, and all the saints, to be a fool.
Why? Because you give this world something a thousand times more
valuable than the things of this world. You give the world something that can bring you to heaven.
I may say to someone who is focused on worldly things, "The thoughts, cares, affections, and efforts that you devote to the things of the world could have saved your soul for eternity if you had directed them towards God. You could have gained Christ, heaven, and eternal life. The Lord would have been with you, and on the day when all things are revealed before everyone, you could have said, 'If I had spent my thoughts, cares, and efforts understanding the ways and things of God and eternal life, my soul would have been saved forever.' Not that our works can save us, but because God would have been with you on that path."
It is a sad thing to spend your thoughts and cares on things that you may never have (for many people spend their lives pursuing worldly things but never attain them). Will this not be folly? Will you not regret your choices later? "Oh, why did I spend my life pursuing something that I did not get, and now I am damned for it? If only I had spent time on things that concern my soul and eternal life, I might have had a better chance of attaining them."
God does not fail people in spiritual matters as He does in earthly matters. A person may work as hard as possible in their worldly affairs and still fail. But show me someone who was diligent in seeking the things of God and eternal life, and I will show you someone who did not fail. I truly believe that on Judgment Day, no one will be able to say, "Lord, I did my best to save my soul with the talents You gave me, but You denied me Your grace, and now I must be damned." I don't think anyone will be able to say this. But people do say this about worldly matters. They say they have done everything they could, worked hard, and toiled, but still failed. It is a foolish thing to expend all your energy on something so uncertain. It is like spending all your money on rocks or something that does not benefit you at all. This folly resides in the heart of humankind.
Imagine two people travelling to the Indies, where they can find precious stones. One of them spends their money on valuable commodities, including precious stones, while the other spends the same amount on worthless trinkets. Both of them set out with the same amount of money and return with their respective treasures.
However, one returns with precious stones that bring him and his descendants great prosperity, while the other returns with nothing but stones that make his neighbours ridicule and mock him. How he would regret his foolishness!
This is how it will be for people on the day of judgement. This world is like a sea voyage, and we are sailing through it with either a cargo of pearls or worthless rocks. During the times of the gospel, there is a market for pearls, that is, things that will enrich us for all eternity.
Some people focus all their strength, thoughts and heart on things that will cause them to bless God in the highest heavens forever.
Others concentrate on earthly things, loading themselves down with thick clay. One person will be blessed for all eternity, joining with angels and saints to praise God's free grace in Christ. Another person could have been blessed forever as well if they had directed their thoughts and heart towards the same things, but instead, they become a cursed fool, the scorn and contempt of both men and angels for all eternity.
Earthly-mindedness leads people into foolish lusts. Those who have an earthly mindset think that they are the only ones who are blessed and praise themselves for it. Regardless of what they think, the Holy
Ghost said that the lusts that come from earthly-mindedness are foolish.
5. It is foolish for a person to do something that they will have to undo in order to gain. This is especially true for those who are so focused on earthly things that they resort to deceitful means to obtain them. Such people will have to undo all that they have done.
You may have obtained something of value through a cunning and dishonest way, and you may congratulate yourself on your
cleverness, but this is a foolish desire. Why? Because you will have to do it all over again. Either you will be damned forever, or you must restore what you have taken, even if it means impoverishing yourself, as Zaccheus did. All the sorrow and repentance in the world will not be enough. You cannot be forgiven, even if you are deeply sorry and repentant, if you do not restore what you have taken, if you are able to do so.
I don't think there has ever been a gospel minister who did not believe that it is absolutely necessary for salvation to make restitution. And this one reason should satisfy any person's conscience: YOU CANNOT TRULY REPENT OF A SIN AND STILL
WILLFULLY CONTINUE IN IT! If you do not restore what you have taken, you are willfully continuing in that sin. Why? Because you are not only harming the person you wronged in the first place, but you are also continuing to harm them as long as you keep what you have taken. If you are able to make restitution but refuse to do so, simply because you are reluctant to part with your money or possessions, you are willfully continuing in the sin. No man or woman can truly repent of a sin and yet willfully persist in that sin. What a foolish desire it is to obtain the things of this world in a way that you will have to undo, and that will bring you shame.
Oh, consider how foolish it is! You deceitful servants who waste what you have stolen on your lusts, and then when you come to your senses, you must restore what you have taken, and it may require giving back a significant portion of your estate as restitution. It must be done, there's no way around it. Therefore, what a foolish desire it is to be so fixated on earthly things that you obtain them through deceitful means.
When people are too focused on earthly things, they may lose the enjoyment of those things before they even possess them. For instance, if someone is overly concerned and attached to something on earth, they may become burdened with guilt. Then, even if God grants them that earthly thing, their conscience may trouble them,
thinking, "I have this thing now, but did I receive it with God's blessing? I possess it, but I obtained it through my troubling thoughts, cares, and affections. I cannot say that it comes from God's love, but rather I fear that I received it in His anger, because of how I acquired it."
Thus, all the joy and comfort that could have been experienced is lost because of the wrong attitude towards it. If that comfort had come from God's providence, and if they had submitted themselves to God, they could have experienced much joy and praised Him for it, saying,
"The Lord has blessed me in my business. I have received it through God's love." However, because their hearts were attached to earthly things, when they receive them, they find no comfort in it. The pleasure of that thing is lost before they even possess it because they have spent so much effort on acquiring it. When a person finally acquires something, and after getting it, they realize that it has cost them more than it's worth, the comfort of it has already vanished.
THE EIGHTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is the root of apostasy. Let me give you one Scripture and compare it with another. II Timothy
4:10 is a notable text that shows how earthly-mindedness leads to apostasy. It's the example of Demas. The Apostle said that Demas had forsaken him. What was the matter? Demas loved this present world, which made him an apostate. But what was Demas before this? Compare this Scripture with the Epistle to the Colossians, and you will see what he was before. He was an ardent disciple of Paul's, and the Apostle held him in high esteem. Read Colossians 4:14, where Paul was directed by the Holy Ghost to say, "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you." Here, Paul ranks Demas among the famous professors of religion. When we write to our friends and say,
"So-and-so commends themselves to you," we usually do not name them unless they are good friends.
Interpreters think it was the same Demas, and the word gives some ground for this. In Timothy, you find that he names Luke there, too.
It seems that Demas and Luke were two great associates. Paul
mentions them together. When Demas had forsaken him, Luke still rode with him, and when Paul sends the greetings of Luke, the beloved physician, he also sends the greetings of Demas. But one was truly godly and, whatever sufferings Paul met with, one cleaved to him and would not forsake him. But when Paul began to suffer,
Demas thought, "There's no thriving for me if I follow this persecuted Apostle." Demas would have no more of Paul; he thanked him for his company and departed from him. He has forsaken me.
Why? He has embraced this present world. Another note: though he was an ardent professor, Paul's heart was not very affectionate towards him, for he said, "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you." He did not say "the beloved Demas." It's true, Demas was an ardent professor, and he seemed to wear a cloak of religion, yet Paul was directed by the Holy Ghost only to speak of him as a professor.
The Holy Spirit directs Paul to speak of two companions, giving one the epithet "beloved" while only naming the other. Both men are very enthusiastic and companions together, but those who are godly, old disciples can favour one more than the other. They are both professors, and both have excellent parts and gifts, yet there is more spirituality and greater experiences in one than in the other, for it appears that there was more in Luke than in Demas. Your earthlyminded men afterwards prove to be apostates. Usually, before their grand apostasy, they manifest some deadness and waywardness of spirit towards that which is good. Yes, their spirits reveal them to be earthly spirits. They are fixated on the world.
Before a person dies, their breath will smell very earthy. You might say, "Oh, such a person cannot live, their breath is so earthy!" So it is with those who are great professors of religion. Those who have an intimate acquaintance with them before they apostatize smell their breath to be earthly in their duties, in their conversations. Oh, be careful of being earthly-minded, lest it be the root of apostasy. This may be written on an apostate's grave, "THIS WAS AN EARTHLY-
MINDED MAN OR WOMAN IN SPITE OF THEIR PROFESSION."
And hence it is that they fell from the truth in times of danger. When they were put to the test, they were base backsliders from God and His truth.
THE NINTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness wonderfully dulls the heart in prayer. It sinks the spirits of people and limits them in spiritual duties. Indeed, it defiles every duty of religion. In Psalm 119:37,
David prays to God that He would turn away his eyes from beholding vanity and that He would quicken him in His Law. Certainly, the vanity of which he speaks means the things of the world, and by his eyes, he means the eyes of the mind, chiefly working on the thoughts of his heart after worldly things.
In verse 36, the Psalmist asks God to incline his heart towards His testimonies and away from covetousness. He prays, "Lord, do not let my heart be inclined to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from vanity so that my heart does not incline towards covetousness. Lord, do not let my thoughts be occupied with such worthless things, but revive me in Your Law." He is saying that when his mind is focused on earthly things, he feels dull and heavy in his spirit and cannot perform holy duties with ease. He has experienced that his heart becomes heavy and impure due to his thoughts and mind being consumed with vain earthly things. Therefore, he prays to God to not let his heart incline towards covetousness, but to turn his eyes away from vanity and revive him in God's Law.
If you want to be revived in God's Law and perform duties with ease, be cautious of looking at vanity and following after covetousness. An earthly spirit is a lifeless spirit. Just as dust is the most sluggish and lifeless element, similarly, an earthly spirit makes the heart sluggish, lifeless, and dead to any holy or spiritual duty. I ask your conscience to bear witness to this. Whenever you have set your heart and mind on earthly things and have been busy with worldly activities, you have found your heart dead when you come to have communion with God. A heart full of impurities will be lifeless in spiritual exercises.
You often complain about vain thoughts and dead spirits during holy
duties, but the reason lies in your indulgence in worldly things. Your earthly-mindedness is the root cause of your deadness in spirit. How many prayers have been ruined by an earthly heart! On the other hand, those with spiritual hearts have enjoyed blessed communion with God and have been refreshed, while you have gone with a dead heart and returned with a dead heart. This restraint in duties comes from your earthly-mindedness.
THE TENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is such a great evil that wherever it exists, it would be just for God to write your name in the earth. Those who have an earthly mindset and are not aware of it, should fear God because He may have already written their names in the dust. In Jeremiah 17:13, the writer speaks of such people, saying,
"Oh, Lord, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. Those who turn away from You will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters."
It is evident that he is referring to those who have an earthly spirit because in the 11th verse he says, "Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay are those who gain riches by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become fools."
Then he describes the excellence of God and His sanctuary, saying, "A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary." It is as if he is saying that there are foolish, vain people who seek nothing but to become richer in the things of the earth, but a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of Your sanctuary. Lord, we see the excellence in You, Your ordinances, and Your sanctuary. Lord, the hope of Israel, in whom there is so much excellence, is there anyone who abandons You, who has so much excellence in Yourself, who are the hope of Israel? Lord, it would be just for their names to be written in the earth, for them to never partake in the good things that are in You, the excellent things that are in Your ordinances and in Your Gospel. But, Lord, let their names be written in the earth, let God write about such a man or woman, "EARTH SHALL BE THEIR PORTION." One day their mouths will be filled with earth, and that's all the good they will
receive from the Almighty. Those who have known God and the things of eternal life cannot but recognize this as a sad and grievous evil, to have their name written in the earth!
THE ELEVENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is a great evil and those who are consumed by it are cursed, just like the serpent. This curse means that you grovel on the earth and your soul is trapped in sin, feeding on dust. While the saints feed on Jesus Christ, on His flesh and blood, on the hidden manna, on the bread of angels and on the corn from heaven, you satisfy yourself with earthly things. This is a sign of being a part of the serpentine brood and of the old serpent. It is a curse to be groveling on the earth and feeding on it.
THE TWELFTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is a dishonor to God and a scandal to religion. How can you profess to have an interest in Christ and not seek higher things in God? Is it possible that you hold the everlasting gospel in your hand, profess to be closer to God than others, and yet have the same desires for worldly things as those who are outside of the faith? This diminishes the excellence of grace, and it is like mixing impure metals with pure metals which takes away the splendor of the pure metal. In the same way, mixing earthliness with the profession of religion tarnishes its beauty and splendor.
Your way of living will never convince anyone or draw them to godliness because there is so much darkness and earthliness in it.
People will say, "Yes, they talk a lot about religion, ordinances and such things, but they are as worldly as anyone else." Your conversation is so full of earthliness that bystanders will think that your profession of faith is just a verbal thing or a pretence. This brings a bad report on the things of God, like the spies who brought a bad report about the land of Canaan.
Every person who professes religion should strive to make it shine and display the beauty, loveliness, and glory of God's ways to all who see them. But if you live an earthly life and lie about your profession, it brings a great scandal to the name of Christ and His gospel that
you claim to uphold. This is a great evil, and it tarnishes the reputation of religion. Even those who have little religion have some sense of generosity and despise sordidness, which is what some religious people are known for. Don't let those who only have natural talents or education surpass you in this respect. Get rid of that greedy, miserly, and worldly disposition; it is only fitting for Judas, who betrayed his Lord for money. If you know someone who you fear doesn't have a genuine faith in God, but is generous, thoughtful, and concerned for others, be careful not to scandalize them. If these people were to come to love and embrace the power and strictness of religion, and if they were humbled by the Holy Spirit for their sins and saw the excellence of Jesus Christ, they would be great instruments for the Church and the Commonwealth. Therefore, it's a great evil to bring scandal upon such people. Instead, strive to live in such a way that they can see the beauty and excellence of religion through your actions. It would be better for you to give up everything in this world than to bring shame to the ways of God and the profession of the name and gospel of Jesus Christ.
THE THIRTEENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness greatly hinders preparation for death, and it can make death very painful and terrifying. "Be careful," Christ warned His disciples, "that your hearts are not weighed down with indulgence, drunkenness, and the worries of life." Note how He combines them all. It's odd, you might say, that Christ would warn them about this. We don't think they were drunkards, going to taverns or stumbling in the streets. But by drunkenness, He means any excessive consumption of food or drink, and religious people can fall into that trap by indulging too much in earthly pleasures.
However, even those who despise gluttony and drunkenness can become consumed by the worries of life. That's why Christ said, "Be careful that your hearts are not weighed down by the worries of life."
Why? What harm would come from worrying about earthly things?
The text says, "And so that day will come upon you unawares, like a trap that catches everyone on earth. Therefore, always be on the
watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen."
Although the Scripture speaks of Christ's coming, I can apply this to death. At the time of death, Christ comes specifically. There is a particular day of judgment when you die. This also applies to times of affliction. In such cases, the evil of earthly-mindedness becomes apparent because it hinders the preparation of the soul for affliction.
Oh, earthly-mindedness will make your affliction painful and heavy.
Affliction is very painful for an earthly spirit. If God takes away any of your worldly comforts because your heart clings too closely to them, they must be torn away from you, and that will cause you pain.
A person wearing loose clothing can easily take it off when going to bed at night, but if a person has a sore on their body, and their inner clothes stick to the sore, when they remove them, it causes great pain. Then they cry out in their pain! Truly, this earthly-mindedness comes from a disordered spirit, and earthly things cling to the hearts of men and women who are earthly, like inner clothes sticking to a sore on a person's body.
Now, when afflictions or death come to take away the earthly things they've been attached to, it's painful and distressing. For those with an earthly spirit, it's unlikely that they'll have any sense of peace or a clear conscience in times of sickness. It will only remind them how they've spent their time and energy on earthly things instead of focusing on what truly matters.
As death approaches, their spirit becomes increasingly troubled, and they may ask themselves, "What good is it that I have gained so much material wealth? What good is it to me now that I am on my death bed? What comfort can I have in all the things I have enjoyed on earth? I have troubled thoughts, but what is left now that death is upon me? It is likely that death will only reveal the impurities and leave behind the dirt and filth of my earthly pursuits. All the worldly
things I've been attached to are gone, but the guilt of my excessive care and affections is still upon my spirit."
I once knew a man who lived near my previous dwelling who had a covetous and earthly spirit. When he was on his deathbed, he called for his money and started swearing. He spoke to his bags of money and hugged them, saying, "Must I leave you now?" This man had spent his life pursuing these things, and his heart was set on them as his sole possession. But then he realized that he had to be stripped of all his material possessions, houses, lands, and money. For such a man, death is truly a terrible and distressing experience.
Now, what should the life of a Christian be but a continual preparation for death? Many of the heathens said that philosophy was only a preparation for death. Christianity, however, is uniquely a preparation for death. Therefore, do not let your heart be attached to the things of this world, but constantly think of death so that when
God calls you to part from these things, you may do so with as much ease as a man who is going to bed and sheds his loose clothes. For the saints, the grave is like a bed where they fall asleep when they die. They can lay down all things and go to their sleep with ease and peace.
A person can have their conscience tell them, "I have been diligent in my calling, but I have been faithful to God rather than to the world. I can bid the world farewell now. I have done with it what it has done with me. My time was spent working for God, and He continued to provide me with what I needed. Now my work is done; farewell to the comforts of this world. I expect other comforts where I am going."
Such a person can die with comfort, but those whose hearts are filled with the cares of this life will have the day of Christ come upon them unawares.
THE FOURTEENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness will eventually lead to destruction and drown your soul in perdition. There are two texts that speak to this. The first is here in this text. The Apostle says that
men who focus on earthly things will end in destruction. He joins both together: earthly-mindedness will lead to destruction in the end.
And the other place, for our purposes, is 1 Timothy 6:9, where the Apostle speaks of bringing them into snares and foolish lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. Some who are washing themselves in the Thames River go a little way at first, and then venture a little further and further, and at length, they are over their heads and ears. There they are drowned and cannot recover themselves. So it will be with your hearts if you don't pay attention.
You think you may venture so far into the things of this world. Why?
Are they not good and in themselves lawful? "I did not get my estate by wrongdoing or cheating." And so, gradually, your hearts are stolen away from God and become enamoured with these earthly things.
You get deeper and deeper into the world until, eventually, you are plunged in over your head and ears before you are aware, and then you cannot recover yourselves. That person who gives their heart to the things of this world and thinks that they will go no further, I bet a hundred to one that once these things have captured their heart, they will gain more and more power until this person is drowned in destruction and perdition.
A man or woman can be undone as much by earthliness and be damned and perish eternally as by adultery, drunkenness, murder, or any notorious sin. Many who are great professors of religion are likely to perish to all eternity due to the earthliness of their minds.
Do not deceive yourselves into thinking that because you keep from those gross and notorious sins that others engage in, therefore you hope to be saved. Your earthliness may damn you as well as anything else. Upon dung-hills, you cast not only carrion and such nasty stuff, but the dust that you sweep from your houses. I may compare hell, which is the place where God casts those damned out of His presence, to the common dunghill upon which filthy creatures are cast. Now upon that dunghill, there are not only carrions and filthy