Introduction
The Sabbath has always been God’s weekly reminder that enough is enough.
It whispers through the quiet hours: You can stop striving now; you already have Me.
And yet, in a world that never stops chasing more — more success, more recognition, more possessions, more happiness — it’s hard to rest in that truth. Every advertisement is a modern serpent, hissing the same temptation that echoed through Eden: You’ll be happier if you have this.
But the longer we listen, the more restless we become.
Covetousness is not just greed; it’s the fever of discontented desire. It’s the disease that makes us forget what we already have in Christ.
Today, as we gather on this Sabbath, I want to talk about The Cure for Want. Because God never leaves His children without a remedy.
The cure begins with what I call The Covetousness Jab — a divine vaccine that neutralizes envy and inoculates the heart with gratitude, contentment, and generosity.
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1. The Infection of “I Want”
Covetousness doesn’t march in with drums; it slips quietly into the soul.
It tells us joy is just one purchase, one promotion, one relationship away.
The tenth commandment doesn’t just say, Don’t steal. It goes deeper:
> “Thou shalt not covet… anything that is thy neighbour’s.” — Exodus 20:17
That commandment exposes the root of every other.
People don’t steal until they covet.
They don’t commit adultery until they covet.
They don’t lie until they covet.
Covetousness is the root system of nearly every moral fall.
When Achan saw the Babylonian garment and gold at Jericho, he said, I coveted and took them. Covetousness blinded him to obedience, and Israel’s victory at Ai collapsed into defeat.
Achan caused the loss at Ai and ended up in Achor — the Valley of Trouble.
That’s the anatomy of sin: seeing, wanting, taking, hiding — always in that order.
And it always ends the same way: loss of joy, loss of peace, loss of presence.
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2. The Covetousness Jab
How do you cure the restless disease of wanting more?
The world says, Satisfy it.
God says, Sanctify it.
The Covetousness Jab has three doses:
>> Dose 1 — Contentment
> “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” — Philippians 4:11
Paul wrote that from prison.
He had no wealth, no security — yet he said, “I’ve learned contentment.”
He had discovered that Christ Himself is enough.
Contentment isn’t complacency; it’s peace between your needs and God’s provision.
>> Dose 2 — Gratitude
> “In every thing give thanks.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Gratitude is the immune system of the soul.
You can’t grumble and be grateful at the same time.
On Sabbath morning, we give thanks in advance — before the next blessing even comes.
We’re saying, God, I don’t need tomorrow’s miracle to worship You today.
>>Dose 3 — Generosity
> “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Acts 20:35
Generosity breaks greed’s grip.
When you open your hands, God opens your heart.
If you’ve lost your joy, give something away — time, forgiveness, kindness, resources — and joy will return.
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3. Happiness: A Consequence, Not a Cause
Happiness isn’t the goal of life; it’s the echo of right living.
You can’t chase happiness and catch it — it’s a byproduct, not a prize.
> “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” — John 13:17
Obedience first, happiness follows.
People who make happiness their goal end up empty because they’ve confused the fruit with the root.
The world says happiness is causal — “If I get what I want, I’ll be happy.”
Scripture says it’s consequential — “If I walk with God, joy will follow.”
Jesus never said, “Blessed are those who feel good.”
He said, “Blessed are the pure, the meek, the merciful.”
Happiness doesn’t come from having more; it comes from being more like Him.
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4. Desire Can Be Tamed by Duty
Desire is energy; God built it into us.
But without obedience, desire becomes wildfire.
Duty is the bridle that keeps passion pointed toward purpose.
David’s desire went unbridled and led to Bathsheba.
Joseph’s duty led him away from Potiphar’s wife and into destiny.
Duty isn’t legalism — it’s loyalty.
It’s doing what’s right when the feeling isn’t there yet.
> “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” — John 14:15
Love transforms duty, and duty tames desire.
When duty leads, desire learns to follow — and one day, it even rejoices.
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5. The Sabbath Cure
The Sabbath is God’s weekly antidote to covetousness.
Six days we labor; one day we rest — not because the work is finished, but because God is enough.
> “Six days shalt thou labour… but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” — Exodus 20:9–10
The Sabbath says, Stop proving yourself; start enjoying your Maker.
When you cease striving, you testify that your life is secure in God’s hands.
Rest is trust in motion.
The Sabbath reorders our desires by reminding us that joy isn’t found in accumulation but in communion.
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6. The Two Tablets of Love
The Ten Commandments divide into two tablets:
1–4 deal with love to God, and 5–10 with love to humanity.
> “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God… and thy neighbour as thyself.” — Matthew 22:37–39
The Sabbath closes the first tablet; covetousness closes the second.
They are the bookends of divine love.
>> The Sabbath: Love’s Rest Toward God
The first three commandments tell us whom not to worship.
The Sabbath invites us to come and worship the One who made us.
It’s not a restriction; it’s a relationship — God saying, “Spend time with Me.”
>> Covetousness: Love’s Guard Toward Humanity
The tenth commandment guards the heart.
Covetousness poisons relationships before words are spoken.
When we love others rightly, we stop resenting their blessings.
Together, the Sabbath and the command against coveting tell the whole story of love:
One teaches us to rest in God’s presence; the other teaches us to rejoice in what others have.
Between them, the cross is formed — vertical love for God, horizontal love for man.
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7. Worship Fuels Service
Before there was “love your neighbor,” there was “remember the Sabbath.”
Because service to others depends on worshipping God.
You can’t pour living water unless you’ve first drawn from the Source.
The Sabbath fills your cup so you can serve without running dry.
When worship stops, service becomes performance.
But when worship deepens, service overflows naturally.
That’s why the Sabbath is the hinge between heaven and earth — it fills the heart vertically so love can flow horizontally.
Worship restores the well; service draws from it.
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8. The Cure for Want
Covetousness says, I must have.
Contentment says, Christ is enough.
> “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” — Psalm 23:1
When you trust the Provider, you stop worshiping the provision.
When you rest in the Shepherd, you stop chasing the shadows.
The cure for want is worship — trusting that what God finished is enough.
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9. Three “It Is Finished” Moments
The story of salvation unfolds through three great declarations — each one proving that God provides everything.
>>Creation — “It was very good.”
> “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” — Genesis 1:31
Adam and Eve began life in a finished world.
Their first sunrise was not work but worship — God’s gift of rest saying, “It’s all prepared. Enjoy it.”
The Sabbath celebrated sufficiency.
>>Redemption — “It is finished.”
> “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished.” — John 19:30
The Creator became Redeemer, and the work of salvation was complete.
Creation’s rest said, “You are Mine.”
Redemption’s rest said, “You are forgiven.”
Both invite us to rest in a God who provides.
>>Completion — “Blessed are they that do His commandments.”
> Revelation 22:14
In the new creation, Sabbath rest becomes eternal celebration.
Nothing missing, nothing broken, nothing coveted — all finished in Christ.
> Creation gave life.
> Redemption gave salvation.
> Completion gives restoration.
Every Sabbath we celebrate all three — creation remembered, redemption renewed, completion anticipated.
Each sunset still whispers heaven’s refrain:
> “It is finished — and it is very good.”
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10. Appeal
Maybe you’ve been chasing something — believing that if you could just get it, you’d finally be happy.
Maybe the Spirit is whispering today: What you really need isn’t more — it’s enough.
The cure for want begins with surrender.
When you open your hands, God fills them with peace.
On this Sabbath, hear Him say again,
> “My grace is sufficient for thee.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9
Come back to the Shepherd who makes you lie down in green pastures.
He provides everything — and it is very good.
