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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Covetousness is an obsessive or compulsive focus on what doesn't belong to you. What is the cure for covetousness?
We all have a spark of it inside of us. What quenches covetousness? One word, contentment. Contentment is the cure for covetousness. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You've likely heard the saying, the grass is always greener on the other side.
It's a familiar feeling, right? We can't seem to suppress our occasional bouts of envy, but comparison rarely yields a healthy outcome. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares how we can replace jealousy with contentment. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David. And welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Before I begin today's message, I'd like to extend a heartfelt invitation for you to join me and Amy on the exclusive Pathway to Victory journeys of Paul Mediterranean cruise.
The dates are May 5th through 16th, 2025. You have lots of choices for your vacation, but personally, I find few things more edifying than intentional travel that elevates and inspires your walk with Christ. On this unforgettable vacation of a lifetime, one of our stops will be in the ancient city of Ephesus, which was the epicenter of Paul's historic ministry. Imagine witnessing this historic biblical site with your own eyes and worshiping God with other believers.
Take a look at the fabulous vacation we've planned for you by going to ptv.org. Well, today and again next time, I'm presenting the final message in a practical teaching series about the Ten Commandments. And so today is your final opportunity to request my brand new book for the young person in your life. It's called The Ten Commandments for Kids. God gave us these ten guardrails to keep us on track, and I want you and your family to experience God's best for you, especially as it pertains to the timeless wisdom of the Ten Commandments.
So please, while there's still time, give us a call. Go online to ptv.org or write us a letter and request your copy of the Ten Commandments for Kids. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Well, sometimes we fall into the insidious trap of comparing ourselves to others. In doing so, we become envious. Today we're going to talk about the brilliance of the tenth commandment.
I titled my message, Control Yourself and Be Content. Who is it that is truly rich? Benjamin Franklin once asked. He answered his own question by saying, Who is rich? He that is content. And who is that?
No one, Franklin said. I think he's right. But discontent, a desire for something more or different than what we have, isn't always bad. I mean, dissatisfaction has been the impetus for some great discoveries like America. It's been the impetus for great inventions like the microchip. It's been the motivation for great social movements like the abolition of slavery.
All of that happened because people were dissatisfied with the status quo. But dissatisfaction can also be the foundation for sin. In fact, it's the foundation of just about every sin we've looked at in this series on the Ten Commandments.
And I think that's why God saved this commandment for last in Exodus 20, verse 17. 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 else that belongs to your neighbor. What does it mean to covet?
What are we talking about when we say we are not to covet? As I just mentioned, it's not the same as desire. Desire can lead us to godly pursuits. Our desire for food motivates us to work. Our desire for protection leads us to seek shelter. Our desire for companionship leads us to the relationships we need in life. But covetousness is desire that has gone awry. It is an obsessive or compulsive focus on what doesn't belong to you.
It's a form of envy, of greed that can lead to taking from another person what doesn't belong to you. And I think this is why God saved this commandment for last. Now, had I been giving the Ten Commandments, I wouldn't have closed with this one. At first reading, I thought God had made a mistake.
He should have closed with something really big. No murder, no adultery, no stealing. But covetousness, that seems kind of a minor offense. And yet, when you look through the Scripture, you see it was the motivation for some of the most well-known sins recorded in Scripture.
I just jotted down, just off the top of my head, some of these that come to mind immediately. Genesis 3, it was because Adam and Eve coveted divinity and immortality that belonged to God. They ate the forbidden fruit. Or in Joshua 7, Achan coveted the wealth of Jericho, and so he stole it, breaking the eighth commandment.
Or remember Ahab, King Ahab in 1 Kings 21? He coveted the Naboth's vineyard, and so he falsely accused Naboth. He had him executed, and he took his vineyard, violating the ninth, sixth, and eighth commandment. Or Ananias and Sapphira, they coveted.
They desired the same praise that Barnabas received for his generosity. And so they lied about what they had given, breaking the ninth commandment. Over and over again, you find God condemning this burning desire for what we don't yet have. In fact, in Micah chapter 2, verses 1 to 2, there is a woe. You find that in Scripture, W-O-E, woe, woe, woe. That's a divine damnation, and he pronounces covetousness with a divine damnation. In Micah 2, verses 1 and 2, woe to those who scheme iniquity, who work out evil on their beds. When morning comes, they do it, for it's in the power of their hands. They covet fields, and then seize them, and houses, and then take them away.
They rob a man of his house and a man of his inheritance. Well, where did covetousness come from? I think, again, this is one reason God hates it so much.
Let's look at the origin of covetousness. It took place in heaven, and remember the story? Lucifer, who was Satan's original name, Lucifer was the chief angel. God had given him charge over all the other angels, but he wasn't content with that great position. He wanted a different position. He wanted God's job. He wanted to be like God.
And because of that, Lucifer was cast from heaven. Now, we have all inherited that proclivity to covetousness, desire gone awry, a burning greed for what doesn't belong to us and belongs to other people. Now, we all have that simmering in our heart, but there are three catalysts that fuel that covetousness until it turns into a raging fire.
A fire needs fuel to keep on and to grow brighter. So does covetousness. What is it that fuels covetousness? First of all, our culture. The culture in which we live breeds covetousness. Peter Krafft, the Catholic theologian, said the world's oldest profession is advertising.
It all began in the Eden when Satan said, eat this piece of fruit and you will be like God. And that's the basis of all advertising. This is what you really need to be happy.
That's just part of the culture of our age. And that culture leads to dissatisfaction. Here is what you need, and since you don't have it, this is why you're miserable. Dissatisfaction.
If only I had that house, if only I drove that car, if only I wore those clothes, if only I had that person as my life partner, I could truly be happy. Why hasn't God given me those things? God has shortchanged me. You know, somebody once said, all sin is contempt for God. And if the root of covetousness is a hatred, a contempt for God, God hasn't given me what I really need.
How does that make God feel? When we accuse him explicitly or implicitly with short-changingness, just imagine for a moment, your kids are off at school one day, you're young kids, and there's a knock at your door and you open the door, and a stranger is standing there and he introduces himself as a worker from Child Protective Services. He said, we're here to investigate a complaint. You say, a complaint?
Yes, a complaint from your children. They say they don't have anything to eat. So you take them in, you're just surprised, and you show them a pantry filled with food. Well, your kids say they don't have anything to wear, no clothes, and so you go and show them their closet filled with clothes. They say they're freezing to death in the house, there's no warmth in the house.
You show the worker the thermostat that's at 72 degrees. How do you feel towards your child? The same way God feels toward us. When we accuse him of not giving us what we really need in life. In 1 Timothy 6, 8, Paul says, if we have food and covering with these things, we should be content. That's why Solomon in Proverbs chapter 30 verses 7 to 9 said what should be the prayer of every Christian. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Proverbs 30 verse 8, give me poverty nor riches. Just feed me with the food that is my portion. In other words, just give me enough, Lord. Don't make me rich, don't make me poor, give me what I need every day.
Why? If I have too much, I might get full and deny you, saying, who is the Lord? But if I have too little, I may be in want and steal and profane the name of my God.
Culture leads to dissatisfaction, the opposite of contentment. And dissatisfaction can lead to the third catalyst for covetousness, and that is idolatry. You may think I'm never guilty of idolatry. Idolatry is something, is simply loving something or someone more than we love God.
Is there anything in your life you are pursuing more than you're pursuing your relationship with God? By the way, an idol isn't only something that you may have already. Many times, an idol can be something you don't yet have. You think in your mind, if only I had that position.
If only I had that position. If only I had a relationship with that person, I could be truly fulfilled. And so we make an idol in our mind of what is it other than God that could bring us real satisfaction. In Psalm 115, David talks about the futility of idolatry.
He says in verse 4, their idols are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they can't speak. Their idols have eyes, but those idols can't see. They have ears, but they can't hear. They have noses, they can't smell. They have hands, but they can't feel. They have feet, but they can't walk.
They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them or worship them will become like them, everyone who trusts in them. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no person, there's no possession, there's no position that can satisfy your deepest need other than God himself. And that's what leads to covetousness. Culture, dissatisfaction, idolatry. What is the cure for covetousness?
We all have a spark of it inside of us. What quenches covetousness? One word, contentment. Contentment is the cure for covetousness. What is contentment? That word contentment literally means containment. It's a person who is self-contained. That is, he doesn't look to external things for his satisfaction in life. He doesn't tie his joy to the square footage of his house, the model of automobile he drives, the outcome of Friday's game, the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
No, it's internally that he finds happiness and joy. And for a Christian, that is his relationship with Jesus Christ. Listen to Philippians 4 verses 11 to 13. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned, underline that, to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means and how to live in prosperity. In each and every circumstance, I have learned, underline that, the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Why did Paul say I learned to be content? Because contentment isn't natural.
It's not a part of our DNA. It's something we have to learn. Paul had to learn it.
How did he learn it? I want you to jot down Paul's three secrets for contentment. They're all found in this little letter we call Philippians. First of all, contentment is based on a life that is ministry focused.
It's ministry focused. Look at verse 12 of Philippians 1. Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. What were Paul's circumstances? As my old teacher, Howard Hendricks, used to say, when Paul wrote this letter, he wasn't sitting on the French Riviera sipping a pina colada. He was in prison. He was facing what could have been his execution.
He was waiting to hear the final verdict. And yet he said, I want you to know, I'm happy about my circumstances, for they have turned out for the progress of the gospel. He says, my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout all the Praetorian Guard. Even Caesar's guards are hearing the gospel.
And not only that, most of my brethren now have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. In other words, all of my circumstances are turning out to help me meet my life goal to share Christ with as many people as possible. You see, as my friend Bob Beale says, every life, every one of our lives, exists for one of two purposes. Our life is focused on either filling a greed or meeting a need. Our lives are either self-focused or others-focused. Do you know what the goal of most Christians is, what their real focus is in life? Peace, prosperity, pleasure, the avoidance of any kind of pain.
It's self-focused. And that's why adversity like imprisonment or bankruptcy or sickness, those are tragedies. Because they are detours for most Christians' focus in life. Had Paul had that focus, peace, prosperity, pleasure, the avoidance of pain, then his imprisonment would have been a great tragedy. It would have got him off the road to what he wanted in life. But Paul had another's focus in his life.
It was to share the gospel of Christ with as many people as possible. And because of that focus, he was able to see how this temporary tragedy was really being used by God for good. Your focus in life is the filter through which you view the circumstances of your life. Somebody has written, if for me to live is money, then to die is to leave it all behind. If for me to live is fame, then to die is to be forgotten. If for me to live is power and influence, then to die is to lose both.
But if for me to live is Christ, then to die is gain. Paul said the key to contentment is, first of all, a life that is ministry-focused. Second, a gratitude that is regularly expressed.
A gratitude that is regularly expressed. Philippians 4, 4, Paul wrote, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. In fact, did you know in Philippians, Paul talks about rejoicing or joy 19 different times in the four chapters of this letter. Why does he talk about rejoicing, rejoicing, rejoicing so many times?
Because Paul understood a simple truth. It is impossible to be grateful and discontent at the same time. You can't be expressing thankfulness to God while at the same time grumbling against God for what he hasn't given to you.
And that's why Paul focused not on what he didn't have, but on what God gave him. And he said, I rejoice, I rejoice, I rejoice. His life was filled with gratitude. You know, when I think about that truth, I think about my grandfather.
He's in heaven now. But later in his life, my grandfather went through a tragedy. In a three-month period of time, he lost both his wife at 58 years, my grandmother. Then three months later, his only daughter died, my mom.
You know, that would be enough to crush most people, to lose your mate and your child in a three-month period. He was grieving, no doubt about it. But every time we went to see him after that, my brother and sister and I, he would take us to the cemetery. And we would get out of the car and we would stand around those graves. And he would just thank God for the time he had with his wife and daughter. And then he would lead us in a prayer and we would pray together, holding hands around the grave.
And then he would always close by leading us in this song. When upon life's billows, you are tempest-tossed. When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings. Name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done. Regularly express gratitude to God for what he has done, not for what he hasn't done yet. Finally, Paul had contentment because his life was built upon a faith that was based on the sovereignty of God. He had a faith that was based on the sovereignty of God. Remember, when Paul is writing this letter, he's awaiting the verdict of his trial, whether he would live or die. But notice what he said in verse 19 of chapter 1. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
What did he mean? He knew this would result in his deliverance. He said, look, one of two things is going to happen. Either because of your prayers, I'm going to be delivered from prison. If I'm not delivered from prison and I'm executed, I'm going to be delivered from this world into the presence of Jesus Christ.
Either way, I win. I'm going to lead the outcome to God, believing that God's plan, whatever it is, is a good plan. Let me ask you this morning, do you have that assurance?
Do you have the assurance of Psalm 84-11 that God will withhold no good thing from those who walk uprightly? Do you have the assurance that every aspect of your life, your job, your mate, your children, your grandchildren, are all a part of God's sovereign plan? A plan, as Jeremiah 29-11 says, was planned not for calamity, but for your welfare.
A plan that will give you a future and a hope. It's that rock solid belief in the sovereignty of God in your life that is the foundation for contentment, which in turn is the only real cure for covetousness. Yes, we can be content in any circumstance, knowing that in the end we will experience God's sovereign plan. That's the brilliance of the 10th commandment. I hope you've been able to join us every day in August during my presentation of this teaching series about the 10 commandments.
And if you haven't already done so, be sure to get in touch with Pathway to Victory right away, because today is the last day to request the book I've written for your family on this relevant topic. It's titled The 10 Commandments for Kids. Our nation has become obsessed with personal freedoms. As a result, millions of people have rejected self-governing rules like the 10 commandments.
Well, I'm convinced that this defiance against God's law is responsible for the deterioration of our nation. And as parents and grandparents, it's our privilege and our God-given responsibility to impart these timeless principles to our families. Every God-fearing household should own a copy of this creative resource so that you can teach the ones you love these valuable life-giving lessons that are prescribed by God Himself. Be sure to take advantage of this offer to receive my new book called The 10 Commandments for Kids. I'll be sure to send a copy to your home right away when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.
And thank you for giving generously. Through our collective gifts, we are pushing back the forces of evil in our country. And we're doing so by helping men and women embrace the timeless principles of God's Word.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you give a generous gift to Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of the brand-new illustrated book for children, The 10 Commandments for Kids. Plus, you'll receive the bestselling book by Dr. Jeffress called The 10, How to Live and Love in a World That Has Lost Its Way. Here's our toll-free number, 866-999-2965, or visit online at ptv.org. And when your gift is $125 or more, you'll receive not only the two books, but also the complete collection of audio and video discs for The 10 teaching series. Plus, we'll include a helpful study guide.
It's perfect for a Sunday school class or a small group Bible study. But this is the last day we'll mention this exclusive offer, so please get in touch right away. One more time, call 866-999-2965, or find us online at ptv.org. You could also write to us if you'd like. Here's that mailing address, P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's P.O.
Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us next time for the start of a brand new study in Ephesians called Holy Living in an Unholy World. That's coming up Monday, here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
