MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Last Sunday, in my sermon "Love Is Kind" I said, "The Apostle Paul comes close to being the composer of a great love song in 13th chap. of 1 Corinthians. In it he pictures perfect love ? ideal love, & describes how love ought to be."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
ILL. I read a story not long ago about a girl in the 2nd grade who had collected a fair amount of money from the "tooth fairy."
Her name was Rachel, & every time she lost a tooth, her mother put it in an envelope, placed it under Rachel's pillow, & lo & behold, in the morning the tooth was gone & in its place was $2. That was great!
At least it was, until one day Rachel was visiting a friend who told of putting her tooth under a pillow & finding $10 the next morning.
Suddenly Rachel was no longer content. Her friend's $10 was a whole lot more than her $2. So she asked her friend’s mother, ‘Would you please call my mom & tell her which tooth fairy you use?’”
APPL. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:6 that "Godliness with contentment is great gain." But this little girl had lost her contentment. Why? Well, Paul warns that “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap…." (1 Timothy 6:9)
I. WHAT IS THIS “TRAP"?
What is this “trap" that can rob us of our contentment? It's called "envy." The little girl had gotten $2 a tooth. That’s a lot of money to a child. But suddenly, she was no longer happy. Why? Because her friend had gotten $10 for her tooth. Now $2 was no longer enough.
ILL. I recently read an interesting item about SW Airlines. For nearly a year after the tragedy of 9/11 all passenger airlines experienced a drastic drop in their number of passengers & their income. It was so bad that most airlines were either declaring bankruptcy or on the verge of doing so.
Southwest also experienced a big drop in passengers & income, but it was the only big airline that was still showing a profit..
So while other airlines were cutting expenses, laying off employees, struggling to survive, SW’s employees were relatively secure in their jobs.
But workers in one of SW's unions threatened to strike for higher wages. Why? Because employees in another airline that was going bankrupt made more per hour than they did.
These union workers were not content with their job security because others, on the verge of losing their jobs, were getting higher wages than they were.
You see, an attitude of envy can be a destructive force in any life.
Jesus says envy is one of the things that makes a man unclean. In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance & folly.
"All these evils come from inside & make a man ‘unclean.’"
James 3:14-15 says, "If you harbor bitter envy & selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil."
And Paul warned in Galatians 5:19-21, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity & debauchery; idolatry & witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions & envy; drunkenness, orgies, & the like.
"I warn you ... that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
In other words, envy is a serious danger, for it can make us unclean & unspiritual & rob us of our salvation. It is not a desirable trait to have in our lives.
II. WHAT IS THE BASIS OF ENVY?
What is the basis of envy? The basis of envy is the belief that we deserve better than we’ve got.
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 20:1-16, "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day & sent them into his vineyard.
"About the third hour he went out & saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go & work in my vineyard, & I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour & the ninth hour & did the same thing.
"About the eleventh hour he went out & found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 'Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go & work in my vineyard.’
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers & pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired & going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came & each received a denarius.
"So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work & the heat of the day.’
"But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay & go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.
'Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’"
Did you catch what made the workers unhappy? It didn’t matter that they got what they originally agreed was a good day's wage; or that the money was the landowner’s & he had the right to be as generous with others as he pleased.
They just felt they deserved more than the others. So they complained!
ILL. Jeff Strite wrote that he attended a seminar on Estate Planning where they talked about “Revocable Living Trusts." They’re kind of like a will but with some significant advantages.
The lawyer who presented the seminar told of an instance where a couple of sisters had come to his office to challenge the fact that their brother had received the family farm in their parents’ trust. The lawyer had heard such complaints before, but he was still troubled by their greed.
“Do you know why your parents left the farm to your brother?" he asked. “Yes," they replied. “He had taken care of them in their old age, & had worked the farm for them.”
“Did you ever help with the farm?" he asked. “No." “Did you ever help your brother take care of your parents?" “No." “So why do you think you should share in the farm that your parents wanted to leave to him?" “Because it’s the family farm, & we believe we deserve it.”
The lawyer smiled sadly & then said: “You have every right to contest this trust, but you have to realize that this trust has a clause in it. That clause warns that should this trust ever be contested & that challenge be lost, those who contest the trust will lose whatever inheritance they might have had.
"In other words, if you contest this trust & lose – your share of the inheritance will be given to your brother." Those ladies left his office & he never heard from them again.
Envy is a sin that sneaks up on you, & you sometimes don’t even realize that you’ve fallen prey to it.
III. AVOIDING THE “ENVY" TRAP
A. So how can we avoid the "envy" trap? Look at Philippians 1:14-18 where Paul is writing from prison, "Because of my chains, most of my brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
"The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.
"But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."
How did Paul react? Was he jealous & resentful that others were in the limelight & he was in prison? No! You see, real love rejoices in the success & usefulness of others in the service of Christ.
B. Now let me briefly suggest three things that will serve as an antidote for envy.
1. First, Focus on the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
What are you focusing on? If your focus is not on the kingdom of God, it will be on something else, & that something else often leads to jealousy & envy.
When my focus is wrong, I tend to compare myself to others. When my focus is wrong, I am usually ungrateful for what I have. Where are you focused?
ILL. William Boice wrote: "Dear Lord, I have been re-reading in your Holy Word about the rich young ruler & his obviously wrong choice. But it set me thinking.
No matter how much wealth he had, he could not ride in a car, turn on a light, buy penicillin, hear a pipe organ, watch TV, type a letter, mow a lawn, fly in an airplane, sleep on an innerspring mattress, or talk on the phone.
Now I can do all those things. So, if he was rich, then what am I?
2. Secondly, Develop an Attitude of Gratitude. Paul wrote in 1 Thess. 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
This verse may very well be one of the toughest Bible verses for most of us to follow. It is not always easy to do.
And yet, expressing our gratitude to God for everything will help guard our hearts against the sin of envy.
3. Finally, Learn to be Content. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, & I know what it is to have plenty.
"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
The only type of comparing a Christian should do is comparing what our lives would be like if we didn’t have what God has already supplied to us. So, how content are you?
ILL. The "Dear Abby" newspaper column received this letter a few years back:
"Dear Abby, Happiness is knowing your parents won’t almost kill you if you come home a little late. Happiness is having your own bedroom. Happiness is having parents who trust you.
"Happiness is getting the telephone call you’ve been praying for. Happiness is getting good grades & having parents who don’t fight. But happiness is something I don’t have." Signed - 15 & Unhappy
A few days later the Dear Abby column carried this response from a 13 year old girl: "Dear Abby, Happiness is being able to walk. Happiness is being able to talk. Happiness is being able to see. Happiness is being able to hear.
"Unhappiness is reading a letter from a 15 year old girl who can do all these things & still says she isn’t happy. I can talk, I can see, I can hear, but I can’t walk." Signed - 13 & Happy
Americans have one day a year they dedicate to being thankful. But for Christians, every day should be a day of thanksgiving, if only because we have more to be thankful for than anyone else. For God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins.
INVITATION
(Note: Portions of this message and some illustrations were adapted from two fine sermons contributed to Sermon Central by Jeff Strite and Alan Smith.)
