The Heart of the Matter

Heart of the Matter Exodus 20:17 Context 1. We return to Mount Sinai where God thunders the Ten Commands to his gathered people. 2. The laws to this point have been straightforward, objective, and easily enforced. 3. Now we arrive at the command that sets the 10 Commandments apart from every other law code modern or ancient – God addresses the heart. You Shall Not Covet 1. Covet: a strong desire that can be positive or negative (for example, see Genesis 2:9 and 3:6) 2. God uses the command twice – once for inanimate objects and once for people. 3. God offers both examples and a blanket statement (“you shall not covet … anything that belongs to your neighbor”) 4. God furthers the intensity of the command when He repeats them in Deuteronomy 5:21 Devastating Consequences of Coveting 1. Achan Coveted God’s Treasure (Joshua 7) • • • Shinar was known for their fine fabric In today’s numbers, the gold was worth about $43K and the silver about $2K. His sin cost 37 lives including his own. 2. Ahab Coveted Naboth’s Vinyard (1 Kings 21) • • Jezebel conspired with false witnesses to murder Naboth Ahab’s blood was shed in that vineyard as punishment for his covetousness 3. Jesus Confronts a Covetous Brother (Luke 12:13-39) – Jesus connects covetousness with greed, anxiety, worry, and a life wasted for God’s Kingdom. The Cure for Covetousness 1. Looking to Christ is the only Cure – Philippians 2:5 • • • • There was strife in the church at Philppi – 2:2-3 Paul gives us the chief example for a life free of covetousness – 2:5-8 Paul demonstrates what this has meant for His life – 3:111 Paul addresses the elephant in the room – Philippians 4:2 2. Applying Christ’s cross daily is the only regimen – see Luke 9:23