Sermón sin título (25)

Introduction

Today we are going to finish with our exposition of the 10 commandments. The 10th commandment is very special, for two reasons:

There is no human law that considers it among its ethical standards

Its prohibition has to do with the desires of the heart, not with our actions. We will see today, how the fact that it has been placed at the end of the list of norms that God requires of his people, indicates that it is the climax of the law and that its violation affects our obedience to the entire law. To put it another way, all of our sinful actions against God and our neighbor have their source in the desires of the heart.

In a positive way , God wants us as his people to learn to conduct ourselves in love with him and with our neighbor, this implies our external conduct and our internal motivations . God in his law calls us to surrender our whole being to him. As Paul says

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Now may the God of peace himself csanctify you completely, and may your whole espirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord has redeemed us so that we can consecrate ourselves completely to Him.

So as we look at the 10th commandment this morning, we will see that God calls us to consecrate ourselves to Him even in our hearts. Brothers God has redeemed us, he has bought us with the price of blood, we do not belong to ourselves, we owe ourselves to him.

So let's heed his word this morning, which invites us to do two things: to discard all evil desire of our hearts and live content to have him as our God and as the sum of all joy. We are going to consider both of these points this morning as we study our text.

Exodus 20:17

“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 is your neighbor’s.”

Here we have an absolute command, repeated twice: "Thou shalt not covet." The repetition in the bible is important, this is one of the commandments that we have a tendency to underestimate, we do not see that it is so scandalous to break it, we have a tendency to think that if they are not seeing us sin we can consider that we are morally good people.

We forget what the Lord says:

​Proverbs 21:2

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Beloved, we must remember that God will judge the desires of our hearts. Besides these desires he knows them . Let us remember what Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 4:13

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So the repetition of this commandment is necessary , to remind us that our obedience to the Lord must be both internal and external.

In fact, one of the promises of the gospel has to do with the fact that God will change our hearts, for he IS God transforms our hearts so that we have new desires that will ultimately result in a life that shows that we have been redeemed by his mighty hand....

Ezekiel 36:26

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Now, in light of this promise, we are called as the redeemed people that we are, live up to our new identity. Our new identity implies that we must give up our old man with his passions and desires as he says:

Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

This is what the commandment is all about.... God calls us in light of who we already are in Christ to:

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1. Let's get rid of the evil desires of our heart - We must consider them dead.

The king of bad desires is greed. Let us remember the law of categories . Just as adultery is the climax of all sexual sin, covetousness is the climax of all evil desire.

What is Greed?

Greed can be defined as a disordered, uncontrolled and selfish desire to obtain something that belongs to another person.

The violation of this commandment cost us all our lives, let us remember that it was because of this sin that Adam and Eve were expelled from God's paradise.

Genesis 3:6

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Eva's inordinate desire led her to take the fruit of the tree that God reserved for him in paradise. Eve took this fruit to gain something that was not given to her.

Adam and Eve could enjoy the entire garden of the Lord, God reserved only one tree, but Eve, being tempted by satan, coveted what belonged to God, argued to her heart that taking it was good because they would be as wise as God, so she followed her perverse desire and the sin of rebellion became evident when she took the fruit and then offered it to her husband.

Notice that what began as a wishful thinking turned into an act of rebellion. Evil began as a seed that gave birth to sin, and sin brought death and damnation to all men. The desires of the heart are thus the source of all sinful actions.

Do you remember that the law is summed up in loving God and our neighbor?

Well, when we covet we are displaying the opposite of love. We are belittling God and our neighbor.

A. Notice the one who covets despises God:

When Adam and Eve decided to take from the tree that God reserved for him, they were telling him: God, you are not happy with the whole world that you put under my feet for us to enjoy, we want more - We are not happy with you as our God, you are cruel to deny us what belongs to you, we want your divinity, we want your wisdom, we do not want to be creatures, but gods. You are a cruel and ruthless God who does not treat us as we deserve.

B. Notice how greed is contempt for your neighbor

James 4:2

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

When we are greedy, we think only of what is good for us, what we would like to have, what would make us happy, and how our lives would be better if we had what we want, regardless of whether in the process of getting what we want. We affect the people around us.

Also, how it bothers us when we don't have or don't enjoy what others have. For this reason wars occur between us. What the other has will always be better and we want to take it, regardless of the cost.

A person who covets does not love God and cannot love his neighbor, therefore this is a sin that breaks the whole law. This is why it is at the climax of the 10 commandments. This sin is the root of all evil.

1 Timothy 6:10

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For the root of all evil is the love of money, for which some, coveting it, have strayed from the faith and tortured themselves with many pains.

Paul himself, when considering this commandment, felt himself a breaker of the entire law:

Romans 7:7

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What shall we say then? Is the law sin? No way! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin if it had not been through the law. Because I would not have known what covetousness is, if the law had not said: "You shall not covet."

Greed is therefore a terrible sin. For this reason it is found in the group of the most scandalous sins that characterize the man who turns his back on God:

Romans 1:28–29

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And just as they did not see fit to recognize God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they would do things that are not convenient. They are full of all injustice, wickedness, greed and malice, full of envy, murder, lawsuits, deceit, and malignity. They are gossips

Greed is also a sin that deserves God's wrath to be poured out on the greedy:

Ephesians 5:5

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For with certainty you know this: that no immoral, impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

But who is not greedy? Who is free from this sin so abhorrent to God? Brethren, we have all coveted... Notice what we are commanded in the commandment:

“ You shall not covet your neighbor's house… ” Have you not said in your heart? “What a beautiful house these people have. How nice it would be to live in such a house, it looks so nice, so neat. What a disgrace the garbage dump in which I have to live. This is not fair."

“ …you shall not covet your neighbor's wife… ” Have you not told your heart? … “Why did I marry this man or this woman? Look at the husband that this woman has, he is so kind, so helpful, look at how he treats the children and how he helps his wife, he is so considerate. It's unfair that I touch the worst man..... “What a beautiful woman, she always looks neat, despite the years she looks woow, why didn't my wife age like this? If I had married one like that, I'm sure I'd feel happier."

“ …or his servant, or his servant, or his ox, or his donkey… ” Have you not told your heart? .. "Because it's time to ride this bus and others if they can have even one can of car... because I have this can of car and I can't have a newer model, it's not fair... Because everyone is going on vacation, like it is that they manage to go to other countries and I am confined here, with luck I can go to the store or to a park”.... “Why do I get this horrible job?” "Why aren't my children like these brothers, so judicious?" "Why are my parents a disgrace, because I didn't get parents like my brother's?"

“ …or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Didn't you say? “Because I don't have the intelligence and ingenuity of this person... My life would be much better if I were as pretty as her, I touch the ugly face... Why couldn't I have a normal family? Why can't I run, jump, or be as business savvy as my friends? Why is everything in my life so difficult, but for this person everything seems so easy?

Have we not sinned against God in many of these ways?

Our catechism says:

P.148. What are the sins that are prohibited in the tenth commandment?

A. The sins that are prohibited in the tenth commandment are: discontent with our own condition; envy and pain for the good of our neighbor, along with inordinate motivations and desires for anything that belongs to our neighbor.

We must not only mourn this sin and its consequences, but we must remember that this sin makes us idolaters....

we read this text at the beginning:

Colossians 3:5

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Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to fornication, impurity, passions, evil desires and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Notice how covetousness is idolatry.

An idolater says: "I need this to be happy, I cannot live without this house, without being with this person or without having this possession, I cannot be happy without this. If God does not give me this that I want and deserve, he is not Okay.

The idolater defines God on his own terms.

The idolater lives for his idols.

The greedy will always be looking to have more of those things they want and will never be satisfied. His heart is obsessed with getting what he wants, that you will never be enough. Your heart will be like that field full of thorns and thistles described by Jesus in his parable. The word of God is drowning, and it will not be able to take root to bless your life, because you are in search of happiness, captivated with the things that this world offers. You will never have time to pray, to seek the Lord in his word, to be with your brothers and to take care of the things of God.

The greedy is an idolater and shows it, because like the rich young man who approached Jesus, he is not willing to give up anything he owns , because his possessions own him, rule his heart. The greedy do not realize that everything they have will eventually be destroyed.

The covetous, because they have separated themselves from the one true God, will never be content. We were created for God and our soul is only satisfied in him.

The greedy thinks like the man in Swindoll's poem who said:

“It was Spring, but it was Summer that I wanted: The warm days and the fresh air. It was Summer, but it was Autumn that she wanted: The colorful leaves and the crisp, dry air. It was Autumn, but it was Winter that he wanted: The beautiful snow and the joy of the Christmas season. It was Winter, but it was Spring that he wanted: The warmth and blossoming of nature. I was a child, and it was adulthood that I wanted: freedom and respect. I was 20 years old, but it was 30 that I wanted: To be mature and sophisticated. I was middle-aged, but it was the 20s I wanted: youth and a free spirit. He was retired, but it was middle-aged that he wanted: Presence of mind without limitations. my life was over, and i never got what i wanted.

It is difficult for us to enjoy every moment that God gives us, every meal that He provides us, the family that we have today, the friends that are available to us, and the salvation that the Lord has offered us.

In our greedy desire, we focus on what we don't have instead of what we do have, and this prevents us from being content.

We are always thinking: If only... I had this... if only I earned more... then I would be happy. . Our discontent will never end and will make us feel miserable for the rest of our lives.

I hope I have convinced you how wicked it is to have these bad desires. They make us look down on God and people, they make us vile, discontented, miserable and ultimately deserving of hell.

This commandment, more than any other, convinces us that we are sinners. He does it with the merciful purpose of showing us that we need a Great Savior. This savior is Jesus Christ - He never coveted to present us righteous before God and on the cross I bore the wrath of God that we deserved for this sin. And he calls us to repentance and faith.

If you are greedy, you should know that God has given you the greatest of gifts to redeem you, he has shown you that he has not given you what you deserve, but has extended his mercy to you, so that you come to him in repentance, discarding your life all bad desire, abandoning your idols and then calls you to:

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2. Live happy to have him as your God, as the sum of all joy.

I must say that not all desires are selfish. God made us with the ability to desire:

Our desire for food reminds us that we should eat.

Our desire to do something useful motivates us to work.

Our desire for friendship draws us into a community.

Our desire for intimacy, including sexual intimacy, leads us into marriage.

And the deepest desire of all the desires with which we were created, is the desire to know God.

But our desires are corrupted by sin . We want the wrong thing, in the wrong way, at the wrong time, and for the wrong reason, and this is what rules out the tenth commandment.

How can we mortify the evil desires that remain with us?

1 Timothy 6:6

(NASB)

But godliness is indeed a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

Coveting is about winning. Isn't that why you covet? "I want to win a possession, a friend or a house." And God says, “Okay! Do you want profit? I want you to make a profit. I want you to have joy. I want to bless you But you won't get it by coveting. You get it through contentment.

That you love? What are you chasing? What do you think about in the shower, on the way to work, driving or folding laundry? What is the one thing you think you need to be truly happy? If the answer is something other than God, you are an idolater. God understands that our health and our marriage are important; that we don't want to be alone; that family health and purity are important; and that we want peace, quiet, relationships, a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food to eat. He is not ignorant of those things and knows what we need.

“If only I had _____, I would finally be happy.” What's in that blank space? That is your god. When we covet, we are believing a lie about who God is and how He loves us. We must combat this temptation with faith and contentment.

Contentment is wanting what God wants for us instead of what we want for ourselves. It is being satisfied with God, believing that He is enough for us and that He has provided the best for us.

So we put covetousness to death, when we are completely satisfied with God and with those things that he provides us.

Jeremiah Burroughs: “I find satisfaction enough in my own heart, by the grace of Christ that is in me. Although I have no external comforts or worldly conveniences to satisfy my needs.

God is all we need and all we should want. HE HAS OFFERED US THE BEST HE HAS, HIS SON. He did not give us Christ as a means to get what we want, as many offer today. God has given us Christ as everything our life really needs.

When we come to Jesus:

We receive the forgiveness of our sins through his death and resurrection.

We receive the promise of eternal life with God.

We receive the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us, that He will see us through all the trials of life.

What else do we need? And as for everything else, all the things we spend so much time coveting, God says:

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The people whom God redeems, to whom God gives a new heart, understand what is the source of all their satisfaction in life:

Psalm 73:25

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Whom have I in heaven but You? Outside of You, I desire nothing on earth.

They will fight greed like the psalmist did, but they will also desire and treasure God as their most precious possession. Paul said:

Philippians 4:12–13

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I know how to live in poverty, and I know how to live in prosperity. In everything and for everything I have learned the secret both of being satiated and of being hungry, of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

That does not mean that by praying you can achieve anything because the Lord strengthens you. It means that God will be more than enough in your abundance and in your adversity, because Christ strengthens you to find contentment with God.

CS Lewis described: “The problem is not that we want too much, but that we want too little. We are very happy too easily. We want fleeting worldly pleasures. But God does not say to us: "What a shame for wanting these things." It says, "I can give you something much better and more lasting than all those trivial trinkets."

The best thing that God has not given is himself...

Psalm 16:5–6

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The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You sustain my luck. The ropes fell on me in nice places; Truly, the inheritance that has touched me is beautiful.

John 6:35

“Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

How can you say that you need something? You have everything if you have Christ! “ My beloved is mine, and I am his…

If you do not have Christ, he invites you to come to him.

let's pray