Do Not Covet - Contentment and Gratitude

Welcome to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. Check us out online at www.sharonrpc.org. We pray that this message will be a blessing to you and that the Lord will use it to transform your faith and your life. Let's turn in our Bibles to Exodus chapter 20, Exodus chapter 20, Genesis, Exodus.

You don't have to turn far in your Bibles. Exodus chapter 20. And believe it or not, I think next week we're going to be back in Joshua. So we are in a series in Joshua, and I hope that we'll see how these come together as we work through that book. But today we are at the last of the Ten Commandments, Exodus chapter 20, verse 17, the 10th commandment.

If you're using your pew Bible, you can find that on page 68. Exodus chapter 20, beginning at verse 17, here now, this is God's word. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

Prayer for Illumination

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the opportunity it is to sit at your feet. Lord, we pray that you would teach us. We pray that you would watch over us and that we might keep your commandments. We pray these things in Jesus's name. Amen.

Sermon

Well, there's quickly approaching on us something that I have mixed memories about Christmas. Mixed memory, because I remember when I was in seventh grade or somewhere about that. I don't know how old I was then, but I remember that time period. I was in about seventh grade and I remember disappointing my parents. It was at that time that my parents saw that things were starting to shift and what I wanted and they thought, oh, he would like to probably have more grown up things like new clothes and stuff like that.

And so as I opened each of my presents, You know, this time that's supposed to be filled with gratitude and thankfulness. I got sadder and sadder and sadder. I opened a present and there are new jeans and my brother gets a super soaker. I opened a new present and my parents spent good money on buying me new shoes. And my little brother gets another toy and present after present. And I just bawled.

Because I didn't get what I wanted. And then I remember as an adult sitting there one time and I saw that happen at a Christmas gathering by a child. And I just thought, these parents spent a lot of money and a lot of time and a lot of thinking to give this child a good gift. And their response to it was, it's not good enough. It's not enough. It's not what I want. And to be honest with you, I kind of turned into a Grinch for Christmas for a long time in response to that.

But see, the reality is each of us have that same heart. We always want more. We want bigger, we want better, we want newer, we want nicer. We're discontent with what we have. Instead, we're covetous of what other people get. This is just a comment on our modern culture. This is all around you. I hope you realize that you live in a culture that's meant to stoke a fire, an ember in your heart of discontentment.

Even this week, as I was reading articles on contentment and thinking about this, I went to a website that was dealing with an article on contentment, and on the header bar were advertisements. And on the right hand sidebar, we're guess what, more advertisements to buy more things. And even in the article, you know, point one, they have a couple of paragraphs. And guess what's at the four point to an article or an advertisement, another advertisement, another advertisement, another advertisement. We cut down trees and we put up billboards. We turn on the TV to watch the news. And instead, they're trying to sell you their stuff. Never contentment, always needing more stuff.

If you doubt me sometimes, just go and watch some of the funny commercials and think about this. When you watch that perfume, especially perfume and cologne commercials, I don't know what's about them, but they're really funny if you watch. If you just buy this scent, all of a sudden you're going to be Fabio, or all of a sudden you're just going to have this beautiful life. Or if you just buy this alcoholic beverage, all of a sudden you're going to have all the friends and it's going to be wonderful. Now, if you buy this car, if you just buy this infinity, you're going to be driving down Pacific Coast Highway and life is going to be great. It's meant to stoke up discontentment in your life, what you don't have and show you what you could have if you just bought more.

But here in Exodus chapter 20, God specifically tells us, you shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that resides within his gates.

See, as Joshua was standing there with the people, they're looking at the Jordan River. They're about to go into the promised land. There's going to be lots of things that they could covet. They could covet their neighbor's house. They could covet the pagan religions around them. They could wish they had this land instead of Canaan. They could wish that they had bigger vineyards and better vineyards, even though they didn't have to plant the ones they were going to have.

As we find, it's not going to take long when we get into the rest of Joshua, this commandment they struggle with continually, just like you and I. commentator on this passage, when he speaks about this in light of the nation of Israel, he says that God is giving them this commandment because what people wish for has a major role to play in what kind of society they're about to create. What they desire will influence the society that they are about to create.

God is giving them the promised land. What is it going to look like for Israel in the land of Canaan? Well, it depends on what their heart's desire is. As Israel was about to enter the promised land, their eyes were to be lifted up to heaven. They were to take delight in God. They were to trust God and follow His ways. They were to be content with all the goodness that came from His hand. But there was always something lurking in their hearts, a discontentment to want someone else's lot.

Just to make sure we understand this is an equal opportunity sin. Doesn't matter if you're rich and doesn't matter if you're poor. Money that can't buy you contentment and poverty will not ensure you don't have covetousness. Poor people on the street are in content and covet and harbor bitterness towards the rich. And rich people in our society aren't content with the homes they have, not content with their vacations, not content with their families.

I've met plenty of rich people who just want more, more and more. As I was raised in a poor area, Southern California, I remember there was a family down the road from me about seven houses down that it was three generations living in the same two bedroom house. Parents, middle family in the main area of the house, grandparents who had made an apartment in the garage and an illegal shack in the back where the grandchildren, adult grandchildren were raising about to start their family back there. And they would routinely, as I went over to their house, bemoan the rich people in our town. Not content. But then when we were at grad school and we were in one of the richest counties in America, north of Chicago, literally three blocks down from Michael Jordan's mansion, I would go into go into these gigantic houses larger than the size of this church.

And I would go and I'd meet with these families and tutor their children. And their children would complain of how their parents just wanted more, more and more. All the while, their children just wanted the love of their parents. But their parents just wanted to keep working, and keep working, and keep working, wanting to keep up with their neighbors.

It's an equal opportunity sin, both for the rich as well as the poor, because the problem is it's a heart issue. It's not an economic line issue. It's a heart issue. Covening resides not in the actions, but in the mind and in the heart. We distrust God's goodness. We're discontent with what he's given us. And indeed, a lot of people, it ends up having two prongs, a hatred towards God and a bitterness towards our neighbors. God, you haven't given me what I want and I feel like I deserve. and looking at your neighbors and saying that they shouldn't have that.

I've worked hard enough for that. This is the parts of our minds that have been affected by the fall. We might think it might be tempting to look at verse 17 and think, well, I can understand, you know, not murdering, not committing adultery, not stealing. Those are things that actively hurt people. But this seems like just a hard issue. You've got to deal with it. But I'm going to propose to you that there is a series of consequences of failing to keep this commandment. There are external effects of not keeping this commandment.

When we have our hearts coveting our neighbor's house, coveting their spouse, why do you think that people fall into or commit adultery? Because it first started being covetous towards that person's spouse. Why do you think that somebody is wrong to steal? Well, yes, that's going to hurt them, but guess what? Guess where the problem started? It started in coveting. I want what that other person has. It destroys marriages. It undermines their families.

And indeed, covetousness will entice you to steal, kill and to commit adultery. Indeed, committing covetousness is showing both your contempt for God and your lack of love for your neighbor. It's not just people out there, it's not just external to you, but it's also internal. When we commit the sin of covetousness, we become dissatisfied in the good things that God has given us. When we covet after somebody else's spouse, what happens to your marriage? It erodes underneath your feet. It hurts your own marriage. When we when we covet other people's things, it depletes us of joy in the things that God has given us.

Indeed, many people not being thankful for the good things that God has given forth to them. Instead, they try to keep up with other people and covet other people's things and go in debt and and have all filled with all sorts of anxiety. and stress, trying to keep up with the Joneses is just another example of the American way in which we violate this commandment. When we covet our man, this is a hard one, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is his neighbors.

How many children are affected because their parents look at another family and see, oh, look, those children behave this way, get these grades, are able to perform in academics this way, are able to achieve these athletic goals and then take that desire for their children to make those same achievements and force it down upon their children when that might not be where God has gifted them. But their covetousness, that they want to look like they have the A student, look like they have the top performing athlete of a son. Indeed, they end up hurting their own children. Or how many businesses do this when they see another business and they're performing well, and then that business then takes those expectations and tries to shove it on their own employees without giving them the adequate resources and support to actually accomplish those goals.

Desiring somebody else's achievements, desiring their servants, desiring their household, desiring their success and trying to force it on the people they're supposed to love. Indeed, covetousness makes our hearts bitter. We don't have what they have. It's an unlawful desire to have what's theirs. And then it doesn't actually fulfill us. All it does is make us lacking, steals us of peace, steals us of spiritual growth, steals us of trust, and covetously steals us of loving God and our neighbor. So what's the answer? What's the answer? If this is so pervasive, is that every turn of our heart? What's the answer? I'm going to propose to you nine different parts of the answer here, nine different positive parts of this commandment that the scriptures bear out for us. The first is the value Jesus Christ, value Jesus Christ. Philippians three, eight. Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.

Paul had lost everything. He had lost his reputation. He had lost his family. He had lost his job as a rabbi. He had lost any credibility with his education. He had lost everything. And yet he said, it's all right, because I have Jesus Christ. Because I have Jesus Christ. We could lose everything, but we can never lose Christ. Secondly, contentment and godliness go hand in hand. Contentment and godliness go hand in hand. We read that in First Timothy chapter six. Now, godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world and is certain that we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing with these, we shall be content. I didn't I didn't bring anything into this world, all I brought was a dirty diaper, a lot of crying and a bunch of sin. I didn't bring the riches of this world with me, and guess what I'm going to take out of this world? Nothing but a soul redeemed by Christ.

Pursue godliness, pursue gentleness, pursue love, And as we think upon these things, as we discipline ourselves for godliness, this is what he says to him when he says, Oh, man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness.

Thirdly, contentment comes by subtraction. The world's going to tell you that you will be content when you have enough stuff. When you have the right things, when you have enough experiences, when you have enough education, when you have enough income, when you have the perfect family, when you have enough children, whatever it is, the human mindset is, if we just have enough, we just get a little bit more, we'll finally have contentment.

The scripture says, nope. We learn contentment by subtraction, not addition. Philippians 4, verses 11 and 12, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be a base and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I have learned to be both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. How will you abound, Christian? It's not in focusing on the other things, but it's on focusing on Christ. You can be content in this life if you believe, if you have Christ. You can do all the things that He has given you to do. It's not because you're going to get more resources, but it's going to be because Christ is with you. Be content by subtraction, by gaining Christ and losing everything else. Fourthly, we need to have a life ordered by gospel priorities. Matthew chapter six, verse thirty three. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

If our what is your goal in life, let me just let's just take a step back here and I need to ask an honest question. What is your goal in life? Is it the next promotion? Is your current goal in life that you really need to get a job done or need to be able to buy a new car or a new implement or a new piece of doodad or doohickey and that's what your mind's been on?

Has your goal been that you just want to raise children? To be honest with you, one of my goals with our kids for homeschooling, as I say, I want you to be godly and I don't want you to be weird. Homeschool kids need this. But my point with that is saying to my children, my goal is for you to love Christ. What is your goal? Why are you working? Why are you at the hospital? Why are you at the mine? Why are you at the school? Why are you doing the work that God has given you? Is it for his glory? Or is it for your own gain? We'll find contentment and satisfaction for our souls when we know what we're doing is for his glory.

Following soon on the heels after that is point number five, have a right focus and practice. Philippians chapter four, verses six through nine starts off first with a camp commandment. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. But then it goes on in verses eight and nine.

It says, finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, Whatever things are of good rapport, if there is anything commendable and praiseworthy, meditate on these things.

What are you thinking about? What are you meditating on? What you think most about, what you meditate most on will show what you are seeking fulfillment in. But if you're thinking about Christ, If you're thinking about the God who dwells in inapproachable light, if your mind is stayed on Jesus Christ, if your heart is fixed to God. In the level of covetousness, other people's things will fade away because you realize you have what is good and praiseworthy. Next, focus, six, focus on the long term. Matthew, chapter six, verse 20, store up treasures for yourself in heaven.

You can die with a big old 401k and your life might be miserable. You might die with a great retirement account where you can go to the golf course every day. And be the most bitter person that anybody has ever met. You could die with the biggest mansion in the U.S. And still go to heaven as a pauper. Where are you laying up your treasures? Are you investing in the kingdom or are you investing with moths and rust will destroy? Invest in the long term.

Seventh, realize contentment is not found in things. Hebrews, chapter 13, verse five, let your conduct be without covetousness, covetousness, be content with such things as you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you just to make sure we understand.

This is one of those beautiful instances in which do not covet is a command and be content is also a command in the exact same sentence. He's commanded these two things of you. Do not covet and be content. But the question is, what are you content in? It's the second part of that verse. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Is your contentment found? that he who did not spare his own son, will he not also freely give us all things?

Eighth, love your neighbor. Love your neighbor. Job chapter 31 verse 29 says, love doesn't curse, or Job doesn't curse his neighbor. Psalm 122, one of the songs of ascent, speaks of praying for the peace of Jerusalem, caring for the people in the church. Esther chapter 10, verse 3, Mordecai gets a good reputation. Why? Because the text tells us he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews. He worked for the people of God. He loved his neighbor.

And indeed, this is tied to loving. First Corinthians chapter 13, that beautiful chapter on love. Verses 4-7 tells us that love does not envy. Love does not envy and it is not self-seeking. Do you love your neighbor? Do you promote their well-being? This is why Jesus tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Lastly, we're going to wrap up on this last point, just thankfulness and gratitude, cultivate a heart of thankfulness and gratitude.

A story and then a quote from one of the Puritan writers, Matthew Henry, he was walking along the road one day and he was robbed and he was all of his things were taken from him and he returned home. And as he was thinking about that event, him being him being stolen from, he wrote in his journal these three things, he says, I'm thankful, Lord, that even though I was robbed, I have never been robbed before. Secondly, I am thankful that even though the thieves took all that I had. Thankfully, it wasn't that much anyways. Thank you, Lord, lastly, that because I was the one who was robbed and I'm not the one who did the robbing. How amazing is that? The guy gets home, everything's been stolen from him, and he has a place to give thanks. It was Matthew Henry said Thanksgiving is good, but thanks living is better. How do we cultivate hearts of thankfulness?

Well, first, we see that this is commanded. I'm going to rattle off a series of verses for you. I would encourage you to go and read these later on today. First Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Notice. Rejoice. Pray, and everything give thanks. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and everything give thanks. Why? For this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. What is God's will for you? That you would rejoice, that you would pray, that you would give thanks.

Colossians, chapter four, verse two, continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with Thanksgiving. Philippians, chapter four, verses six and seven, we just talked about that a moment ago, be anxious about nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With Thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 8, 19 through 21 tells us, likewise, speaking to one another in Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Give thanks. Give thanks. Give thanks. Give thanks. Give thanks. Give thanks. We are really good at praying for stuff. Let's face it, we're really good at that. What most Christians are really poor at is giving thanks for the things they already have. We find different examples. Of this, both in history and in the scriptures, when you look at Ephesians one and Paul just can't stop giving thanks all the time. Every time he remembers of the Ephesians and his prayer, he gives thanks for them. In Daniel, chapter six, we love that story.

You know, the king has said you're not allowed. Nobody's allowed to pray to anybody but the king for 30 days. So Daniel goes up into his room and what does he do? He does the same thing he's done every day. He goes and prays three times a day. But Daniel chapter six, verse 10 says he goes into his room and he prays and he gives thanks. Even in the midst of the death sentence on his life, what earns him his spot in the lions, and he's giving thanks.

I'll never forget the story of a Chinese woman during the people's revolution that she was put in prison for being a Christian and she was given one small bowl of rice a day. And she would line up the rice grains end to end on the little table that was provided for her. And that's all she had to eat for a day. And for every grain of rice, she would pick up and she would thank God for one thing in her life and eat that grain of rice. She was in prison. Do you know how many grains of rice are in a bowl? Doesn't matter if the bowl is the size of your fist. There are hundreds of grains of rice.

And she had that much to give thanks for. Just recently, there was a Christian arrested in the Middle East and he stated, I started to pray and I got to that, I got the peace that was beyond all understanding. I gave thanks because I felt so close to God at that moment.

Do you see his thankfulness came not when he had more, but when he had less. Do you have a house? Thank God. Do you have a car? Thank God. Do you have shoes on your feet today? Thank God. Do you have shoelaces in those shoes? Thank God. Did you have a phone in your pocket? Thank God. Do you have water at your home? Do you have food in your cabinets? Thank God. Do you have a toothbrush?

Thank God not everybody does. Do you have shampoo to wash your hair? Thank God, not everybody does. Do you have a towel to dry off with when you get out of the shower? Thank God, not everybody does. Do you have a couch to sit on or a chair to rest when you get tired at home? Thank God, not everybody does. Do you sit in a warm home? Thank God, some people sleep under bridges. Do you have a Bible in a language you can understand? Thank God. There are millions of people who don't. And even if every single one of these things were taken from you, you know what? You can thank God because Christ cannot be taken from you.

Are you able to see this morning? Thank God. Not all of our brothers and sisters can. Were you able to taste your breakfast this morning? Thank God, not everybody can. Are you able to put two thoughts together? Brothers and sisters, there are some even in our own congregation, both here and in nursing homes who cannot do that. Thank God for your thoughts. Are you able to put on your shoes? Thank God not everybody is able to.

Are you able to breathe without a machine helping pump oxygen into your lungs? Thank God He's given you lungs and He's preserved your health and He's given you a body. Are you able to walk? Are you able to run? Are you able to do chores? Are you able to tie your shoes? Are you able to write? Are you able to read? Not everyone is able to do these things.

Thank God. You see, you have blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing upon blessing. But even if your mind goes, even if your eyes dim, even if your hearing dulls, even if your mobility is gone, Jesus Christ, will never leave you nor forsake you. You might not be able to do much, but you will always be able to thank God for the love that He has shown you in Christ Jesus.

How do we fight contentment? Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.