Do Not Covet

Good morning, Welcome on this beautiful, amazing summer morning. My name’s Ben Nandor Pastor here at our church. We’re finishing the last commandments In our 10 commandments series. So today we’re looking at the 10th commandment which is do not covet. Do not covet coveting happens when someone really wants something and wants that thing that somebody else has. Okay, so it relates to a desire, a desire for something. And most often this happens in our hearts. As we look around, we look around, we’re like, oh I want that, I want that, I like that. And it’s this desire. Now, sometimes it can lead to action and breaking other commandments that are listed in the 10 commandments. Like do not commit adultery or do not steal. Now, let me give you an example In 2019 at a Carolina hurricanes hockey game right after the game. There’s a crowd of people standing around in the arena and one guy was holding a waffle cone ice cream cone. Okay, and talking with a friend and there was a guy standing behind him looking at that ice cream cone and then um, you know, he’s, you can just see, he’s like, man, I want, I want to, I want that ice cream killed, want a taste of that ice cream, I want a bite of that ice cream counter. And so this coveting welled up within him and he, you could see he had a deep desire. Most people just go there like, oh ice cream. Yeah, I’ll go to the vendor and I’ll go buy an ice cream cone. Right? This ice cream cone was there and it was in one of those holders, you know that has drip protection, whatever. So this guy allowed his covetousness to turn into action and he proceeded to grab the ice cream cone, take a big bite and then he tried to put it back in the holder, but by then the guy had noticed that, wait, wait, where’s my ice cream cone? And so then he just turns and walks off and steals the guys ice cream. Now, how do we know this happened? We have video proof and I have the clip here. So Fox Sports was taping us game segment, postgame segment. They managed to catch it on camera and we will see it right now one thing’s for sure. You never know what you’ll see on live tv. People have stuck around and watched the Carolina hurricanes. Postgame show last night witnessed a cold crime play out. Watch the guy there in the white jack. You ink grabs the other guy’s ice cream cone, then takes a lick. We are living in a society people. The thief tried to put it back but the other guy turned around quickly and was up to the Hijinks. So the fan made his getaway through the crowd with The ice cream cost $15. I mean that’s crazy, right? You know, and just as crazy as that is though, there are all kinds of things that and desires that well up within us that are crazy and we covet things that we don’t have. We, we can look at things that are friends or neighbors or coworkers have and we want them and we desire what they have. And and some things that we desire is just kind of crazy in the moment, right? Things like ice cream. And I witnessed this recently, We went to Disney and I witnessed this all over the place. Um, and and Disney, they’ve got it down to a science for capitalizing on these desires. But you’re walking around the park and you see these crazy hats, you know, big goofy ears or I saw this one hat has had this Disney bird, you know, like on top of this baseball hat, it’s like, It’s just crazy, you know, so, so people are wearing all these hats and they see people wearing the hats like, oh that I want that hat because we’re in Disney, right? So they shell out $25 to wear this hat. And then if I showed up on Sunday morning here wearing that hat, you guys to think I’m crazy, right? Like why are you wearing a hat with this giant bird sticking out of it? You know? So they’ve got this down to a science, but they’re capitalizing on people looking around going, oh, I want that and they buy it and they will only wear it while in the park Coveting happens in our hearts all the time. It’s the 10th command. It’s found in exodus. Chapter 20 verse 17. So we’ll go there here. But first let’s pray Lord, we do come to you this morning. We ask you to speak to us. We ask you to help us as we learn to deal with the coveting that we have in our own hearts. Be with us this morning in jesus name. Amen. Hey, Exodus. Chapter 20 verse 17 says, do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servants, his ox donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. So this command comes with some examples. Many of these commands. It’s just the command. Do not steal. Do not kill the things like that. But this one gives us some examples of what he’s talking about. Um, examples of a house, a wife, the servants, the animals, that your neighbor has those kinds of things. And so today we could also include in this modern day list cars, uh, your neighbor’s landscaping the pool that they have in their backyard. Um, tools that your neighbor has interior decorations are, aren’t those kinds of things. Right? So don’t covet the stuff. Anything that belongs to your neighbors. And as we’ve done throughout this series, we immediately asked the question, okay, why? What is at the heart of the matter? What is the heart issue that’s going on here? And we’ve seen all of these commands relate to the heart and it’s a matter of our relationship with God and our relationship with people. Uh they they when we covet when we desire these things that we don’t have but that someone else has yet is related to our relationship with God and our relationship with others. And we’re not acting in love towards God or acting in love towards our neighbor. When when the command is summarized, these 10 commandments are summarized by jesus in the new testament says they’re summarized by love. God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. So when we covet we’re not doing that, we’re not loving God with all of our heart, Soul mind and strength were not loving our neighbors as ourselves. And we will see that the first thing that we see is Coveney happens when we’re not content with what we have. Alright, so if your content, if you’re satisfied, you don’t gaze around, you don’t look around, you don’t look at what others have and say, oh I want that. There’s no need to because you’re satisfied your content. You’re happy. It’s you know, it’s fine. And let me give you an illustration. Um in in 2008 I had a truck. The economy went bad gas went $4 a gallon. It was not good to fill up that truck, you got like 10 or less miles to a gallon. So it’s like tons of money to fill up every week or two. So I got rid of it and I got a small Toyota Corolla instead. Tan, you know, it wasn’t very exciting car, but it was very practical. It was great and you know, it was fine. And so for 12 years I drove that thing around and I, you know, I, I missed having a truck. I wanted to have a truck, but I had a tan, try to crawl and for a long time, that was fine. But then I kind of realized, Hey, when my kids get old enough to drive, that’s when I can get a truck again. Right? And so, um, and so as that day approached, this desire welled up, right? Because I’m like, oh yeah, now I can get a truck. And so all of a sudden, um, I was looking around everywhere and I noticed every truck on the road and I noticed every truck in my neighborhood and I was like, oh, I like that one. I like this. You know, and it’s like this, this uh, this desire. I wasn’t satisfied with my boring accounting accountant car, right? And I wanted this truck again. Did I absolutely need a truck? No, did I want one. Yes. And so that that just turned into noticing and seeing everything around me because I was no longer satisfied with what I had. So when we’re not content with what we have, we begin to covet Paul says in Philippians four. He learned the secret of being content in any situation where they had much or they had little first timothy success has Godliness with contentment is great gain. It is so good for us and for for us to be contents with what we have, there is great gain When we’re content. And if we’re not content, it leads to coveting Hebrews 13 5, but keep your life free from the love of money, be satisfied with what you have for he himself said, I will never leave you or abandon you. Therefore you we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, will not be afraid what can man do to me? And so if you find yourself coveting you find yourself looking around and desiring the the stuff that other people have, it’s an indication that at your heart level you’re not content or you’re not satisfied with what you have, you’re satisfying content. You’re not gonna be looking around and desiring those specific things. Think about it. This is America, right? And there is always something bigger. There’s always something more fancy. There’s always something more expensive. There’s always something that you can get that has more bells and whistles than what you have right now. Right? I mean, that’s the way it is. You know, people make products because we’ll buy them. And so we’re surrounded by the opportunity to desire more bigger, whatever. But if you’re satisfied with your tablet, you’re not going to be looking at your and coveting your neighbor’s brand new ipad pro max whatever they’re called, right? If you’re if you’re not content, you’ll be looking around and you’ll be like, yeah, I want one of those. If you are content, you’re not even gonna be thinking about it like, oh great, I’m glad you got you know, that is something cool for you. So coveting is an indication that that you’re not satisfied what you have. Coveting also happens when we value what our neighbor has more, then we value our neighbor themselves. Okay, we, you know when Jesus said that summary of the 10 commandments is love, God, everything you got love your neighbor as yourself. Now that indicates that you are saying, you know what I want your thing, I want your car more than I care about you. I love that stuff more than I love the neighbor. It’s it’s similar but different than envy. Okay, so if you’re envious of your neighbor, envy happens when we’re upset or angry because of what our neighbor has were upset with them because of what they have. So we want what they have. That’s the coveting piece and then we’re envious we’re angry at them and upset with them because of it. I like how joe Rigney um describes his cussedness, wants what the other guy has, envy is angry that he’s got it. Business is oriented towards your neighbor’s possessions, envy towards the man himself. You see the difference there. So coveting shows that we think that the stuff is more important than our friend than our coworker than our neighbor than our family member. If we really cared for our neighbor, we’d be happy with them that they got this new minivan, right? If we really loved, our neighbor would be super excited that they had this, got this new boat or this riding lawnmower that may cost more than you have saved in your college kids or your kid’s college education fund, right? But you’d be, you’d be happy for your neighbor rather as opposed to like, oh, I want what that thing just got James three says, if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom doesn’t come from above, but is earthly and spiritual demonic. Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice that envy, that, that coveting. It’s, it’s not good. It’s not healthy. And it demonstrates that you’re loving the stuff more than the people, you’re caring more about their car than you are caring about them. Okay. And then coveting also happens when we idolize colossians three five, but put to death what is earthly in you sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil, desire and covetousness which is idolatry, covetousness is idolatry. We are making an idol out of the stuff. We’re elevating the stuff to be above God. We’re desiring those things and thinking that those things will make us happy. Those things will satisfy us more than God will or more than what he’s already provided us. Right? We believe that hey, I would be happier if I had that thing that my neighbor has God. I don’t like that. You’ve only given us this. I don’t like that. I only have this Lord, I want that so similar to loving stuff more than loving our neighbor. Coveting happens. We’re loving stuff more than we’re loving God. We’re exchanging that love for God or a love for stuff and worldly goods. So what does this all mean? What this means? At least it does for me is that I covered a whole lot more. We covered a whole lot more than we thought we did when you walked in the room and sat down and I said the words do not cover right? It happens all the time in our hearts. And and jesus, just like he does with many of the other commitments. He expands and provides some application and how to for us how to deal with that with that fact. How do we deal with the fact that we cover it all the time? How do we not covet? Jesus gives us some practical examples and an instruction in Luke. Chapter 12. So turn to Luke. Chapter 12 with me and we’re going to go through a story and a parable from jesus uh to when he talks and addresses coveting luke chapter 12 Starting in verse 13, someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me, jesus said to a man who made me a judge or arbitrator over you. Okay, so, so this, this starts out kind of weird, kind of awkward jesus in the crowd with people and somebody yells out and he yells out this very personal situation that happened with his family and like, whoa, you know, somehow, some way this guy either got cut out of the will or he felt like he didn’t get his fair share on this inheritance and his brother got more than he got or got it all or whatever. Um and so, so he yells out, hey, jesus tell my brother to give me and divide the inheritance. Um and jesus here, he says to him, he’s like, you know, I don’t know the details, I don’t know what’s going on with this situation and I I’m not the judge. But then what jesus does is he goes to the heart of the issue, he addresses the man and and the heart of the situation, which is that this guy, it’s coveting. So jesus said, I don’t know the detail. I’m not the estate lawyer here, But verse 15, Jesus said to them, take care and be on guard against all covetousness for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. So there’s several things just in this phrase that jesus says here that we can see the first is that we need to be alert, as we have come to experience this morning, when we realize we’re coveting, we need to be alert and watchful so we can guard against it. But then he shares a bit more on the practical application, and he says here that life is more than stuff. Life indeed is more than the stuff that we’re coveting possessions, breakdown cars, wear out couches, crumble houses fall apart close get holes, right? Life is not about those things. You says, life is not about those things. Life is short when you look at eternity and you look at this life, what is what is 70 or 80 or 90 or 100 years or less, right? What is 40 years, 30 years, 20 years. It is just a tiny little blip when you look at all of eternity and you look at thousands and tens of thousands and millions of years, This life is nothing. It is a little tiny blip. And jesus goes on to talk about that. Its life is more than just this stuff. And he really shares here, starting in verse 16 of what it’s all about. And he does So by giving a parable, giving a story, giving an illustration to show us. So jesus told them a parable saying, The land of a rich man produced plentifully. And he and this man thought to himself, what shall I do? I have nowhere to store my crops and he said, I’ll do this, I will tear down my barns and build larger ones and then I will store my grain and my goods and I will say to my soul soul you have ample goods laid up for many years, relax Eve drink be merry. But God said to him, cool this night your very soul is required of you and the things you have prepared whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich words. God so jesus then gives an illustration to show how worthless really the things of this world and the stuff. This world is this guy, he had done well, he had an abundance, He had all these crops. In fact he had so many crops that he ran out of space in his storage bins and she’s like, I’m gonna build some more. So then I’ve got all of this stuff and I can just take it easy. Right? I can, what does he say? I can relax, I can eat drink, be merry, have a good time. He wanted to retire early is essentially what he’s saying. So he assumed you know what I’m set because I can have, I can have the most fulfilling life possible by doing those things relaxing, eating, drinking, retiring early, having a good time that sound familiar to you. Maybe in our culture here in America today might be called something like the american dream, retire early, have an abundance of money, get whatever you want, eat whatever you want, drink whatever you want, have a good time. Right, relax, jesus is addressing this, this uh this mindset and concept that that’s what is the fulfilling thing in life, those things won’t fulfill and in fact this guy was gonna die that very night and all that stuff that you work for and the stuff you story, I mean he’s going to somebody else. This life is not about the stuff, it’s not about gaining well so you can retire early and take it easy and have everything you want know those things will go away, those things will be gone and when you die and you passed from this life you can’t take any of those things with you. What you can take though is the treasure that you store up in heaven. And so jesus goes on to say to his disciples. Therefore I tell you don’t be anxious about this life, what you eat, what you drink, what you buy, what you put on, life is more than food and the body more than clothes. And then he gives an illustration of the animals. Look at the animals. The birds don’t worry about this stuff and he talks about the flowers, don’t worry they are clothed in glory and they’re here today and gone tomorrow. And if God takes care of those things he’ll take care of you. So why be anxious about the rest. But if God close the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow starting the oven, how much more will he clothe you? O you little thing and do not seek what you’re to eat what you drink or to be worried for all the nations, the world seek after these things. Everybody the entire world goes after these things, the stuff. But your father knows and he will provide what you need instead. Here’s what the culmination of the whole story from the man asking about the inheritance to jesus, exposing the covetousness to him, sharing this parable. It all leads to this next verse in this point that jesus putting forth which is instead seek his kingdom and all these things will be added to you. That’s what it’s about. Jesus, life is more than food and clothes and and he demonstrates how creation itself is, shows that. And gives us that picture, that it’s not about those things. It’s not about the clothes and the stuff and the money and the relaxing and the eating and drinking. It’s about what’s to come. It’s about eternity. God provides us what we need. And so jesus here gives us a very practical man. And if you find yourselves coveting, if you find yourselves consumed with the stuff wanting the stuff that you see around you? What do you do instead of coveting instead of being anxious about instead of trying to stockpile instead of looking around at your neighbors and friends and family and coworkers instead seek first his kingdom. His righteousness instead seek satisfaction in him, not in the stuff. The stuff will always leave you wanting more. But when you go after him, when you see God, when you live for his kingdom and his glory, when you seek him, he will satisfy and you will be building up eternal treasure, which is what really matters. So the command to us is do not covet. But how do we do that? How do we carry that out? We do so by going to the gospel, by going to christ. The way to not covet is to be satisfied in christ. So that’s the application, pursue satisfaction in christ and increased alone, Jesus here saying desired the true wealth. The treasure in heaven seek and long for God’s kingdom and his and the eternal possession is not the earthly ones. The way to be free from the love of worldly possessions is to love something greater, something better, something more satisfying. Which is, jesus christ, go after him with all that you’ve got. I love psalm 73 and I encourage you later this either today or later this week to read psalm 73 because it shows how the psalmist went through this very cycle 1st Osama’s was looking around all of the good stuff, the stuff that the wicked had and they were wealthy and they had all the stuff and and and the psalms became envious of them. Then the psalmist turns their perspective on the Lord and God changes and transforms them. You see this verse two here, two and three, but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps have nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. He she then goes on to describe, you know, they had they had possessions, food, wealth of good life. And he asks himself some questions. Have I pursued the Lord in vain. Is this all for not? Why am I suffering when the wicked are thriving? And then in verse 16, he switches his perspective, but when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a Williamson task until I went to the sanctuary of God. And then I discerned there and then I got an eternal perspective, I went to God, I pursued God, I saw God and then he revealed to me, oh, the worthlessness of those things, they are gonna die, They’re gonna pass. Those things are gonna burn and they’re worthless. And so the psalmist perspective then switches in the remaining part of the psalm. The psalmist is encouraged and refreshed and joyful as they’ve turned their focus on God. And they finished in the song by saying, whom have I in heaven and but you and there’s nothing on this earth that I desire except you, my flesh and my heart may fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. What a change in perspective from going to focusing on the stuff and the wealth and the blessing of the wicked. Like I got all this stuff, they turn their focus on God, God change their perspective. And then by the end of that focus on the Lord being satisfied and they’re like, oh it is so good to be with you Lord, it’s so good to be filled with you. I have all that I need. Uh and you are the strength of my life and desire, nothing else but you on this earth. That’s a picture for us of running to christ and being satisfied with him. The picture of the gospel. And so as we find ourselves looking around, as you find yourself coveting something that somebody else has. Instead turn your eyes to the Lord, focus on him, go after him with all that you’ve got and you will be satisfied in him. I want to end this morning with a verse from a song that we sometimes sing or it’s an older song, we don’t sing it anymore. But it’s called Turn your eyes to jesus. And here is one of the verse verses and I love this. Turn your eyes upon jesus look full in his wonderful face and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. That’s right, jesus, we do come to you. We do thank you that you satisfied. We thank you, that you gave your life for us, that we can come to you and to know you and to be filled with you and to be satisfied in you. Help us. I need your help, jesus name. Amen.