SINS THE SAINTS HAVE SANITIZED
(COVETOUSNESS)
Sins The Saints Have Sanitized - you may not know what the word 'sanitized' means, but if you were to look up any reliable dictionary you would find a definition something like the following: to make more acceptable by the removing of that which is unpleasant or undesirable in features. I feel that this is what we have done, as Christians, regarding certain sins.
The sins we have sanitized are usually internal sins rather than external. They are sins of the attitude rather than actions….although given enoughtime the attitude will manifest itself in an action.
I am not going to concentrated upon the more overt acts of wickedness into which saints lapse, as David did in his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. I am thinking primarily of sins of the spirit and not sins of the flesh (2 Corinthians 7:1).
Take the prodigal and his elder brother for example. The prodigal was possessed of defilement of the flesh, but his brother, who stayed with the father had defilement of the spirit. We need to cleanse ourselves beloved of all defilement of flesh and spirit.
James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Now ,I think, to a large degree, the church has created a problem because often the church focuses on the external life of the Christian, rather than the internal life. Now that's for obvious reasons because it's easier to police our external lives, it's easier to spot when we're doing….. something externally wrong and when we're doing external things right.
Now there is one group of people in the New Testament that warns us against this great danger of concentrating on externals at the expense of internals, and that is the Pharisees. They majored on the externals, and yet those externals, the Lord Jesus spoke scathing words against. In Matthew 23:25 the Lord said: 'Woe unto
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess'. Internally they were a mess; externally things were right - and the tragedy is that we, as believers, can do the same.
The obvious sins of our hands we abhor, yet allow the obscure sins of our hearts. It is the obscure (hidden…internal sins of the heart) that I want to deal with the next several weeks. Most of us will not be overtaken by the deeds of our flesh, but many of us will be overtaken by the defilements of the spirit.
The solemn fact is that the majority of the unsaved will pass through a circle of saved men and women to come to Christ; as a result how imperative it is for the saints to be Christ-like so that no sinner would ever miss the way.
SIN OF COVETOUSNESS
Christ’s warns concerning covetousness! "Take heed
and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
Covetousness has been called "the mother of sin" because the desire to sin first arises in the heart before it finds expression in the act. Covetousness may not appear as bad as some other more outward sins, but in fact it is one of the worst sins because it spawns so many others.
Let us look at this unlawful desire for that which is not rightfully ours. We COVET when we set our hearts upon something, which belongs to another and wish we had it instead of them.
I. The PROBLEM OF COVETOUSNESS
Covetousness is a real problem in our society today. The Bible even declares that in the last days that perilous times would come and one of the sins of the last days was covetousness.
Covetousness is a major problem in our churches today, and it is a real problem among Christians today, and probably all of us are more guilty of it than we even realize.
Where does covetousness spring from? Where are the roots from which it grows from? Where does it begin or arise from?
A. It arises from Selfish Motivation
Mark 7:21 states, "From within, out of the heart of them proceed ... covetousness."
Covetousness comes from a heart that is selfishly motivated instead of being spiritually motivated. "The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart." Man is self-centered. Man is seeking to satisfy himself.
The cause of covetousness is a selfish heart and this in turn leads to a selfish motivation.
B. It arises from Spiritual Misunderstanding
Luke 12:15 states, "Take heed and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."
Jesus follows these words with a parable. The man in the parable was a materialist.
He knew how to make a living, but he did not know how to make a life! He did not own possessions - they owned him!
A covetousness person is so taken up with this life that he loses sight of the eternal life.
Look at Ecclesiastes 5:10.
II. The POWER WITHIN COVETOUSNESS
Covetousness is a very powerful thing.
A. It has power to DECEIVE Us.
We can be so misled that we do not even recognize when we are committing this sin. Covetousness is very deceitful.
In all my years of ministry, I have never had anyone confess to me the sin of covetousness. I have never had anyone own up to the sin of covetousness.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:5 Paul talks about a cloak of covetousness. Covetousness is something no one things he has. We think the other person has it but not us.
B. It has power to DOMINATE Us.
1 Timothy 6:9 states, "The love of money is the root of all evil." Covetousness can cause a man to break all the other commandments. It is the mother of all sins.
If allowed covetousness to go unchecked, it will soon master us. We fall prey to its force and seem to have little power to overcome it.
C. It has power to DESTORY us.
Let me remind you of some from the Scriptures that covetousness destroyed better men than you and I.
1. Achan’s covetousness led to theft and disobedience and ultimately the death of he and his family.
2. David’s covetousness led to adultery and to murder.
3. Ahab’s covetousness led to the murder of Naboth.
4. Ananias and Sapphria covetousness lead to lying to Holy Ghost and ultimately instant death.
III. The PERSCRIPTION FOR COVETOUSNESS
The Bible not only condemns covetousness but it also offers the best cure for those who have been poisoned by it.
See Hebrews 13:5. Contentment is the solution to covetousness.
A college professor once asked , :who is the most contented man…is it the man with six million dollars or the man with six children?”
“Why that is easy,” answered one man, “It is the man with six million dollars because he would me the only one who still wants more.”
You will always be covetousness until you learn contentment. Contentment is the prescription for covetousness, and contentment is found in Christ.
Once there was a wealthy man in England who possessed a wonderful and unique art collection worth millions of dollars in our currency. This man had one son whom he loved very dearly and had desired to leave his art collection to him upon his death. The son however, was killed during the World War II.
Since the wealthy Englishman had no other living heir, he stipulated in his will that his art collection was to be auctioned off upon his death, but with the requirement that the portrait of his son was to be sold first.
Eventually the wealthy man died. On the day of the auction, people from around the world were in attendance to bid on this priceless art collection. The rich man’s lawyer stood and informed the people present of the stipulation placed upon the auction by his client.
When the bidding was opened, no one wanted to bid on the portrait of the owner’s son, because they were waiting for the more valuable pieces to come on the auction block. However, there was a former servant of the owner in attendance, who had greatly loved the owner’s son and had cared for him for many years. It was he who made the only bid on the portrait of the owner’s son. Finally, the auctioneer said, “Going, going, gone. Sold, to the man at the back of the room.”
The rich man’s lawyer immediately stood up and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the auction is now closed. According to the terms of the will, whoever purchased the portrait of the owner’s son took the rest of the collection as well.”
Jesus is the secret of contentment. If you have the Son, you have it all.
A. Be Thankful For What You Have In Christ
1. He will not fail you
2. He will not forsake you.
B. Be Peaceful In What You Have In Christ
"Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have you have."
“The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One,” said A. W. Tozer.
1. You have His assurance - ”for he hath said”
Hudson Taylor the founder of China Inland Mission, was facing a lack of finances in his ministry.
He retreated to office and read the Bible awhile, then prayed a while, and then looked again at the finances. Then he would pray a while, read the Bible awhile, and look again at the finances. Then he prayed awhile and read the Bible.
After a while he left his office. His wife asked him, “What are we going to do?”
“We have a twenty seven cents and all the promises of God…what more do one need!”
2. You have His assistance – “my helper”
Conclusion
A Jewish man in Hungary went to his rabbi and complained, “Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?”
The rabbi answered, “Take your goat into the room with you.” The man was skeptical, but the rabbi insisted, “Do as I say and come back in a week.”
A week later the man returned looking more distraught than before. “We can’t stand it,” he told the rabbi. “The goat is filthy.”
The rabbi said, “Go home and let the goat out, and come back in a week.”
A week later the man returned, radiant, exclaiming, “Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat - only the nine of us.”
Contentment is more a matter of our perspective than of our circumstances! Where are you looking? If you are looking at things, you will be covetousness, but if you are looking to Christ, you will be content.
