Sermon Central
-
Coveting
Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 11, 2017 (message contributor)
When I was in sixth grade, I went to Corona Elementary School in Bell. Our school had a cafeteria, but my mom couldn’t afford to have me buy lunch. So I brought a lunch from home and ate it every day. Every day I carried the same meal in my brown paper bag.
Baloney sandwich on white bread
Small bag of potato chips
Thermos bottle of soup
Randy Shull sat to my right. He never brought a lunch box to school. At noon each day, he got to go to the school cafeteria and eat the best food a little boy could imagine. I never got to eat at a restaurant or cafeteria. Randy ate there every day.
Each lunch period I looked at his meal. I watched in agony as Randy opened his mouth wide and spooned in the fresh, hot food. I listened to him smack each bite while I forced a baloney sandwich down my throat.
Paul said, “I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” I would not have known about coveting if it weren’t for Randy’s cafeteria meal.
I memorized the Ten Commandments in grade school. I could say the tenth by heart: “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” (Exodus 20:17).
With my head I learned not to covet. But with my heart I learned how to covet. I know that cafeterias weren’t mentioned in the off-limits list in the tenth commandment. I didn’t covet my neighbor’s house, wife, servants, ox, or donkey. But that last phrase did me in: “or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Yep, that includes cafeteria food.
I coveted. And, I was jealous. And, I had to repent.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
You Often Hear, "There Are 2 Kinds Of People In ... PRO
Contributed by Gene Gregory on Nov 8, 2004
You often hear, “There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those who see the glass ½ full and those who see the glass ½ empty.” I believe there is another. The discourager who complains that it isn’t bottled water. You know the ...read more
-
As David Lieberman Explains, "Self-Esteem And Ego ... PRO
Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Nov 8, 2004
As David Lieberman explains, “Self-esteem and Ego are inversely related—when one goes up, the other goes down…a person with low self-esteem is highly sensitive…The greater our self-esteem, the less hurt we feel when someone is disrespectful.” • You can see how important this is to church life; ...read more
-
A.w. Tozer: The Divine Conquest PRO
Contributed by Brad Bailey on Aug 6, 2004
A.W. Tozer, "The Divine Conquest" - “While few would dare thus to voice their secret feelings, there are millions who have imbibed the notion that they hold in their hands the keys of heaven and hell. The whole content of modern … contributes to this attitude. Man is made large and God ...read more
-
This Past Thursday, I Had The Opportunity To Ride ... PRO
Contributed by Gene Gregory on Nov 8, 2004
This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to ride with 2 deputies in the Oviedo area. That night, I rode with a deputy as he patrolled his area and one of the things we did was drive around behind many of the stores and shopping centers to make sure there were no problems there. Of the patrol ...read more
Related Sermons
-
(When God Shows You Favor)
Contributed by Derrick White Sr on May 11, 2017
Joseph's brothers hated him because their father favored him. In fact, Joseph's father loved him so much that he had a coat of many colors custom tailored made just for him. The brothers were so angry and jealous
-
Everyone Matters
Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Jan 27, 2019
Paul uses the human body to illustrate three wrong attitudes Christians sometimes hold onto, and how to move past them toward unity in diversity.
-
The Spirit Of Saul
Contributed by Joshua A. Muncy on Aug 17, 2016
The Spirit of Saul is one of the many spirits coming against the church today. This message tells how to identify, confront, and demolish this spirit before it destroys a church.
-
David Establishes Relationships Series
Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Apr 29, 2013
God's hand was on David. The Lord was going to make him into on of the greatest kings in human history, but in order to do that God had to mold & sharpen him. God needed to do His work in order to make His man. The way God breaks & makes His great servant
-
The Pain Of Betrayal
Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Aug 13, 2017
The story of Joseph is a story of betrayal by those closest to you. But it is also a story of how God will see you through, no matter what you face, and how God can bring good out of the worst possible situation.
