Conflict with Covetousness

Pastor Ostella

2-9-97

Introduction

Living the heavenly life involves some very earthly responsibility. We live the heavenly life on earth on a pilgrimage journey across a battlefield where we are to put sin to death in our members upon the earth (v. 5). There is a negative side to the Christian warfare. There are some do nots, some putting offs, some cutting aways. We will eventually get to the positive side. But for now here are some introductory comments that show the importance of tackling the negative. 1) First, it does no good to sow in ground already covered with noxious weeds and thorns. Wouldn't you first do some weeding; some clearing; some ground preparing in order to sow some good seed with hope for good fruit? 2) Second, we tend to deceive ourselves. We will admit that we are sinners, sure, that is human nature. But then we cloak them with hyprocrisy and paint them with colorful hues or thick varnish. So there is this shine to our life but look deep down through the varnish and what true ugliness do you see? 3) We do a lot of talking without the walking. We may prate about the gospel at great length, and it may have a wonderfully pleasant sound, but that will be worth nothing. It is just noise until there is real change in us; it is just noise unless we walk in newness of life (risen from death). Last week we considered how the new life involves conflict with sexual sins. Today we will consider the conflict with the sin of coveteousness. It is negative but important that we do this. Verse 5: "and greed which is idolatry." Three questions will guide us: what is coveteousness, how does it reveal itself, and what is the solution?

1A. Literally speaking, what is greed?

The word translated greed is from a group of words that include cheating, grasping, and a strong sense of being compelled in a specific direction. The term "greed" narrows the idea in a particular way to a strong compulsion toward material things, money, and possessions. Coveteousness is called idolatry. It is "idol"..latry. Literally, have the word for worship and the word idol. It is idol worship to be greedy and coveteous. A key aspect of coveteousness is desire. But it is not just some weak and withdrawn desire. Rather it is intense desire; strong passionate, insatiable desire. But note that intense, insatiable desire may be good or bad. For example, a parallel word in the OT that is used of coveteousness also has a good sense: Isa. 26:8, "We have waited for thee eagerly; thy name, even thy memory, is the desire our our souls." We covet thy name and memory! So what makes it sinful? It is the exercise and satisfaction of basic God given human desires toward things forbidden or in a manner forbidden. It is the exercise of strong human passions autonomously and inordinately.

2A. How does coveteousness manifest itself?

We have a good start so far but need to get closer to home. If we answer this question it will help us get past our cloaks and through the varnish. So let's look at some qualities and expressions of life that reveal the coveteous heart. There are a number of areas here.

1B. First, there is a preoccupation with the things of this world.

That is where all thoughts are- on material things, on the temporal, the now and the physical. That's it! The coveteous man can think of nothing but shop and farm (Watson, Ten Commandments, 175ff). He plots and projects, counts and calculates. He is overloaded with worldly business to such a degree that he may scarce have time to eat but he definitely has no time to pray. The active word here is preoccupied. What do you think about? When you are not here at church, where is your mind? Do you give careful and deliberate thought to spiritual things? Toward what is your mind set? What is your mindset? If there is a void and vacuum of reflection on the things of God than you are coveteous; your desires are focussed, you bow down and worship earthly idols!

2B. Words and conversation refect this consuming orientation.

All discourse is about the things of this earth. Words are the looking glass of the heart. They show what is inside; we are like the fish with a piece of money in its mouth. Money is lodged in the throat and governs all vibrations from the voice box. Where is speech about the Scriptures, God, and the gospel?

3B. Look at the choices you make

There is a parting with heavenly things for love of the temporal and fleeting for the coveteous person. Coveteousness will not choose Christ when He is heard to say "sell all you have and follow me." Give it all away, all to me, Jesus says. How difficult is this to hear? Does it make you hot at the collar? It is hard for a greedy person to give, even some. It is hard for a greedy person to do so expansively. In Scripture there are two areas especially singled out for giving of our money: 1) to the spread of the gospel, and 2) to the needy. For the coveteous person, opening the hand wide to give in either area is a difficult choice, one that may occur due to social pressure but for no other reason.

4B. Consider your efforts

Do you take more pains for earthly things than for heavenly? In order to secure a contract, or to make that extra buck do we not turn every stone, and take less sleep. The coveteous person will extend no painful efforts for Christ and the gospel. He may lust for this earth but only wish for heaven. There is a lust for the fleeting and just a wish for the eternal.

5B. But attitude says it all!

Many attitudes reveal coveteousness deep within our hearts. Envy is an example. If you are very much aware of the prosperity or advantage of another, beware, you are on envy's doorstep. For sure, if you have painful resentment in your awareness of the prosperity of someone, then you are coveteous. Your desires are inordinate. It may come out in jealousy where you are intolerant of a rivial. This may apply to competition on the job or in the marketplace. But it can apply to time, to coveting time. Let me tell you a story of a teacher and a student. I was in a cubical that carried all sound. Student came with loud clicking of his feet & smell of his coffee, sat down with a "Whats up." I answered with "what business is it of yours?" He choked, "sorry" and clicked away in a hurry. I was jealous for my time. Where did I go wrong as I sat there deeply afflicted in conscience? I showed intolerance toward him when he interupted me. The intolerance showed that my desire (a good one; for the students, for the gospel) was inordinate. How do we respond when others interrupt our time, our activities, our pursuits in this or that? If our jealously for our time, a good thing in itself, yields intolerance, then we are coveteous.

Another attitude that reveals coveteousness is repining at the good of another. Instead of resentment we feel or express dejection or discontentment or even grief at hearing of the advantage, superiority, or wealth of another person. It may never show up in mean words or acts, though it might, but it is coveteousness to feel dejected when we hear that another prospers. It unsettles the coveteous person; leaves him discontent. Note the discontentment theme in Hebrews 13:5, Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. The suggestion is that discontentment and the love of money go together. In this light greed, coveting, being dicontent is a restless aspiration for advance in wealth. This is all trying to cross section the enemy. We need to identify properly in order to engage the conflict wisely and productively. Coveteousness shows up in our thinking, our speech, in our feelings, and in our actions. The coveteous man is one whose desires are ruled by temporal and fleeting things. He has little or no time for God. He worships and serves the creature instead of the Creator. It is not that physical things, work, possessions, or money are evil in themselves. They are not evil per se, in and of themselves. They are idols in an evil worship on our part when we desire them inordinately and seek them in forbidden ways and when we do so in such a way that thoughts and efforts related to the knowledge and worship of God are crowded out.

3A. What is the solution?

What can we do about greed? How do we engage conflict with coveteousness wisely and productively?

1) First, be alert and on guard This is cause for alarm. God is jealous about this matter of worship. Remember this is a religious issue. The Lord says "you shall have no other gods before me." God who sees all takes special note of the sin of having any other god before Him. So, Jesus says in Luke 12:15, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

There are all kinds of greed and they are subtle; they reach deep into our feelings and attitudes. We have sneaky exuses (riders). For example, someone is in financial need but I cannot help them because they are not worthy; I work for my money (note the tone). Granted to eat one must work. But Scripture says work that you may have in order to give to those in need! Be on guard: a sound heart is life of the flesh but coveteous envy is rottenness of the bones (Prov. 14:30). There is something odious here! Paul says: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction" (1 Tim. 6:9).

2) Second, to counter coveteousness, acknowledge the sovereign distribution of skills and goods. He withholds from one and gives to another according to His own purposes. This is a great antidote to greed and inordinate desire to note carefully that when coveteous we hold God with contempt, we become His judge and complain against His decisions. We resent him, we repine in His presence.

3) Third, meditate on the fruits of coveteousness. This is a sobering eye opener. Take Ephesians 5:5 for example: "For of this you can be sure: no immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." He goes on and says "don't be deceived these things bring God's wrath. Likewise our text, Colossians 3:6. bc of these-wrath. It is a chasing of the wind to exclude matters of the Bible and biblical obedience from your life in pursuit of a fleeting earthly reward and in the process forfeit any hope of an eternal inheritance. How contradictory! It is a fools grasping and collecting to store up in bigger and better barns and then meet your maker and hear Him say: today your soul is required of you, what can you exchange for it? What does is profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his soul? I tell you nothing!

4) Finally, make the choice of love for God above all earthly things. Here is decisive medicine. This is an absolute and unconditional surrender of yourself to God. Does this mean I don't give a thought to bank accounts, insurance, and car repairs? No. It means that you make the choice to serve God in every single earthly thing that you give thought to. It is Him that you worship and serve when you go to your work. It means to be a priest, a believer priest. It means you have a temple where you go to work. It may say GM, it may have your address, it may be the grocery store, but above the entry but it will say "temple" because it is there that you do your temple work as a priest, Hebrews 13:15-16: do good, share, sacrifice, praise, confess. Bottom line: make God your desire in life. Make Him the delight of your life.

Isaiah 26:8-9 should be our confession. O Lord we wait for you; your name and glory are the desire of our hearts; we covet you; we yearn for you in the night and long for you in the morning. Make this your personal confession with the Psalmist: Whom have I in heaven but you? And being with you, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I was grieved, embittered, senseless and ignorant but "I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory" (Ps. 73:25, 24).

Turn away from yourself and your earthly idols to worship and serve the living God. Make Him your delight in life and you will find peace and contentment in the fleeting things of this earth, in Him you will have true riches. Let us fall down before the majesty of our God with acknowledgement of our sins, praying that he powerfully convict us and move us to true repentance, that we may be utterly abased and made nothing in ourselves, that we may learn to seek all our welfare in Him. And may he lead us closely by the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be replenished and granted the true fruits of his gracious gifts (Calvin, Eph., quote & paraphrase, 419).

As many writers (like Calvin) point out, for living the heavenly life we need more than having the good shown to us. The vices rooted in us must be corrected, "just as it would profit very little to sow in a ground already over grown with ..noxious weeds..and thorns" (Eph 405). We may be convinced of the faults within us, "yet we labor to cloak them through hyprocrisy, and to set colour and varnish upon them; or else we prove obstinate, and become very unwilling to accept guilt, though our shame lie open to each and all" (406). We may prate about the gospel at great length, and we may be wonderfully clear-headed, but that will be worth nothing until the said change appears in us, that is to say, until we lead a new life (409).

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He powerfully move you to true repentance that you may be utterly abased and seek Him only. May He lead you closely by the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ and make you fruitful unto every good work. Amen.