Untitled Sermon (5)

Exodus 20:17 (NASB95)

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

V. 17. Thou shalt not covet—The foregoing commands implicitly forbid all desire of doing that which will be an injury to our neighbour, this forbids all inordinate desire of having that which will be a gratification to ourselves. O that such a man’s house were mine! such a man’s wife mine! such a man’s estate mine! This is certainly the language of discontent at our own lot, and envy at our neighbour’s, and these are the sins principally forbidden here. God give us all to see our face in the glass of this law, and to lay our hearts under the government of it!

Wesley, J. (1765). Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 270). Bristol: William Pine.

1 Timothy 6:6–10 (NASB95)

6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 & 2 Timothy and Titus Avoid Worthless Arguments and the Longing to Be Rich / 6:3–10

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. Picking up the words godliness and gain from verse 5, Paul here presents the truth about both. The false teachers thought godliness was a means to financial gain; instead, godliness is great gain in itself when accompanied by contentment. Godliness does not come and go with the uncertainties of material wealth; godliness, with contentment, is the wealth, independent of one’s bankbook and possessions. The false teachers had it backward.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Jim Elliot

CASHING IN

Even Christians whose teaching meets orthodox standards can become false teachers if they become motivated by financial rewards. If we lose our sense of mission, our desire to serve God and the people in our sphere of influence, we can become entirely self-serving.

Take an intentional inventory of your deepest desires and your record of carrying out responsibilities. Is your faithfulness determined by obedience to God or by the size of the financial incentives?

Each of these three components contribute to understanding the abundant life Jesus offers (see John 10:10):

• Godliness—Throughout chapter 4 of this letter, Paul contrasted the characteristics and consequences of godliness and godlessness. Godliness requires training (4:7) and develops inner spiritual qualities, while at the same time being apparent in the way we relate to others (4:12). Godliness exhibits true character exemplified in the way we serve others.

• Contentment—Like godliness, contentment grows from our attitude toward living God’s way. “Contentment” was one of the highest Greek ethical qualities, meaning “sufficiency in self.” Christians turned it around to mean sufficiency in Christ. Paul revealed that he had discovered the secret to contentment to be complete reliance on Christ: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

To have contentment in Christ requires four decisions about the events and possessions of our life:

(1) We must focus on what God has already allowed us to have.

(2) We must disregard what we do not have.

(3) We must refuse to covet what others may have.

(4) We must give thanks to God for each and all of his gifts (4:3–4).

1 John 2:15–17 (NASB95)

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The Apostle John begins this section of scripture with not a suggestion or opinion but, a command. Do not love the world or anything in it! Why can’t we “love the world”? I mean John 3:16 says…”God so loved the world...so if God can why can’t we? That’s when we need to understand “What in the world” is he talking about when he mentions the world in this context. The word world means several different things in scripture. Mainly when it is mentioned it refers to the created world, lost people or the world system under Satan. In John 3:16 it is used to describe lost people, In Genesis one which is the created account God is referring to cosmos, the created world. But, in the 1 book of John it is referred to as the world system under Satan. In 5:19 John writes: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24 ). So don’t love the world, because that would put you in the group with the God-haters whether you think you are or not. Either Jesus is your good shepherd or he’s not even on your farm, either Jesus is your prince of peace or he’s not even in your kingdom, either he’s Lord of all or he is not Lord at all.

Our call is to love God, to love the world that God created, and to love the people that God has created. But we are not to love the world or the things of the world. We cannot love the world and love God at the same time.

A Worldly Love consists of three things….and this is a Love God Hates

I. The Lust of the flesh appeals to our appetites

First, it consists of a The lust of the flesh. Which is any strong desire or inclination toward anything that is forbidden by God. This would include sex outside of marriage and homosexuality. Lust of the flesh” describes what it means to live life dominated by the senses. In the extreme, it would include “gluttonous in food , indulging in pleasure, lustful and lax in morals, selfish in the use of possessions; regardless of all the spiritual values; extravagant in the gratification of material desires.[1]

II. The Lust of the flesh appeals to our affections

The lust of the eyes is what we see or perceive to see. This term points to the sinful desires of greed and covetousness, to want what you do not have, but which others may have. Jesus said if you look at a woman lustfully you have already committed adultery in your heart. A Christian contemporary worship band says it like this in their song “slow fade” Be careful little eyes what you see,It's the second glance that ties your hands, As darkness pulls the strings” So we have to set our sight on Christ or else we will be like Peter when he tried to walk on water and started to sink.

III. The Pride of Life appeals to our ambitions

Then there is the Pride of Life which is “ Having assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things.”We “pride” ourselves in being independent. Living the American dream, having a yard with a white picket fence, having the biggest house and the nicest care. What the world deems as important such as prestige, power, and titles God does not value. Someone with the pride of life is blinded to the reward of the gospel which is eternal life and will face an eternity in hell for it. Don’t get me wrong “It’s okay to have things, as long as things don’t have us”. It’ when we worship the creation rather than the creator when our worship has turned into idolatry.