Welcome to Union Grove Weekly with Pastor Josh Evans. Union Grove Weekly is a sermon broadcast from Union Grove Baptist Church, located in the northern Davidson community of Lexington, North Carolina. It is our desire to give you practical teaching from God's Word that will encourage and inspire you on your journey with Jesus. Thanks again for tuning in to Union Drove Weekly. In 1913, a man by the name of author Mohmand, he wrote this comic in a local newspaper.
And the comic that he wrote depicted really the social climbing McGinnis family who struggled to keep up with their neighbors, specifically the Joneses. One segment of the comic that he wrote in 1913 read: It was by Miss McGinnis to her husband as he left out the door to go to work. And she told him: look at Miss Jones. She goes to matinees, she entertains, she wears wonderful clothes, she gets something out of life. You have simply got to make more money.
In which, in the comic, her husband responded, Okay, I'll ask my boss for a raise today. And here's the thing: as you are aware, that out of that 1913 comic came a common phrase that we still use today and that really identifies in a lot of ways society. It is the phrase keeping up with the Joneses. This mentality really plagues society, does it not? This mentality of trying to keep up with the pace around us and people looking around at what other people have and just assume that because they have it, I need to have it, and because it works for them, it must work for me.
And this is not just the secular world. This is just people in general. This is Christians and followers of Christ struggle with this idea of coveting or keeping up with things around us.
Some ways when we look at coveting and we look at this 10th commandment: thou shalt not covet. But in a lot of ways, we all struggle with this one. We all struggle with this desire for other people's. Other people's stuff. And wish we had it on our own.
Think about a few ways that I was thinking about how we can covet from time to time. If you've said some of these, you've probably been guilty of the tenth commandment. You've said, man, my car. Is a piece of junk. I wish I had the car that that person had.
I wish my kids were as well behaved as their kids.
Okay, no amens there, okay. We're getting a little too close to home.
Some of you felt the deepest conviction you've ever felt in your whole church experience right there. But here's my point is that our society struggles with this idea of of coveting. Jobs, successes. Or anything that is someone And by the way, when I scheduled this series, I wasn't even thinking about the time frame as we about to enter into a holiday season, the Christmas season. Right?
And so, this idea of coveting is really, in a lot of our households, it's a regular thing that many of us struggle with. In fact, not only is it mentioned here in Exodus chapter number 20 when God is giving his moral law something that we should stay away from. But also, if you were to turn, and we don't have the time to look at it, but in Romans chapter number one. The Apostle Paul is writing, and in Romans chapter number one, he lists a large list of just terrible sins. And one of those being covetousness.
And you say, what was the list of sins referring to? He begins to talk about the curse that sin has placed on society. What do you think God is trying to teach us with this tenth commandment?
Well, a simple definition that we'll work through to desire enviously that which belongs to another.
Now, the key word is enviously. You see, coveting is when you desire in an envious way that which belongs to someone else. Coveting, I think, what God was telling us is when you crave what someone else has. to the point where it makes you unhappy. Because you don't Have it.
You see, you could even trace this sin. Really, this curse of sin, coveting. all the way back to the beginning. Eve Had every tree in the garden of Eden, the beautiful garden of Eden. She could, you know, partake of any tree in the entire garden except for one.
She had everything. Everything that she needed to be happy, but the one thing that she didn't have, she wanted. She coveted She desired for that, and therefore, the curse of sin has placed in your heart and my heart this idea of coveting from the very beginning. If you trace the word coveting throughout your Bible, you will find that when you come to the New Testament, Uh the word covet And the word lust. are used interchangeably.
In fact, in many ways in the New Testament, the exact same Greek word is used for coveting and for lust. The word literally means a craving. It means a craving for something. It's when you see something and you think that the thing that you see, perhaps the thing you don't have or don't possess, that you start to view it as essential. To life.
And by the way, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. The things that we desire a lot of times are good things. But the problem is, it becomes coveting when what you desire becomes. the ultimate thing. It becomes the ultimate thing.
That's when it becomes bad. It's when you look to things and you start to say, I will be happy when I can have this or whatever. You think that the things that somebody else has is going to make you happy.
So go back to the list that I mentioned earlier. If I had the clothes that that person have, if I had the house that that person had, if I had the spouse that that person had, if I had the whatever fill in the blank that you want, if you had that, it would make you happy. Happy.
Now, let me say this up front: that the 10th commandment doesn't forbid the desire for certain things. I mean, scripture points out that we should desire certain things.
So, just a desire for something is not wrong in and of itself. I mean, the scripture implies that we should desire to be married. We should desire to have children. We should desire even to do good works. But the problem is when we desire the wrong things.
And we desire good things in the wrong way. That you start to look at things and possessions and clothes and money and homes and cars and toys. And you looked at all these different things and you start to view every single one of those things as essential and something that you need to be happy in. Yeah. Kevin DeYoung, he pastors a church over in Matthews, North Carolina.
He wrote a book on the Ten Commandments, and he said in his book some interesting things that I thought were really, really helpful. And he said, you might be coveting if, and he went through this list. I thought this was interesting. The first thing he said was this: you might be coveting if you have hurt others to get more for yourself. In other words, he expounds on this, and this is just my summary of what he said in his book.
He expounds and says: if you're willing to cut corners, hurt people's feelings, make an unethical business decision that benefits yourself, then you are guilty of coveting. He goes on to say, you might be coveting if you are preoccupied with making and accumulating more. It's not wrong to own nice things. But if you're never satisfied with what you own and you're always wanting something more, then you are guilty of of coveting. He goes on to say, number three, there's just four, you might be coveting if you are unwilling to give up what you already have.
He references in his book the rich young ruler. Do you remember when the rich young ruler came to Christ and said, I want to follow you? And he's supposed to, you know, he goes through a list of the laws, and he's doing, I mean, I'm doing great with those. And then he says, Well, leave everything and follow me. And he had great possessions, he wasn't willing to do it.
And then, number four, he says: you might be coveting if you are frequently grumbling about your house. Your spouse. Or the quality or quantity of your Possessions. The point of coveting is when you see, and the problem with coveting is when you start to view things as what will make you happy. I have to have that in order to be happy.
And so up on the screen, you're going to see a fill-in-the-blank. And this would mean that you are coveting if you say, if only I had. Fill in the blank. I would be happy. If only I had that, if only I had the possessions, or only if I had more money, or if only I had a nicer car, or if only I had nicer clothes, or if only I had more shoes, or if only I had a bigger house, or if only I had a different whatever.
Right? If only I had the promotion that they have. If only I had the job that they have. If only I have fill in the blank, when you start to view anything that I just mentioned as the source of your happiness, then you are guilty of the 10th commandment and coveting. That's what coveting is.
It's when we start to view things as ways to make us happy. That's what God was forbidding in this 10th commandment. He was telling his people not to covet. And by the way, the nation of Israel struggled with coveting, just like we do. I mean, remember, God was telling him from the beginning: I'm supposed to be your king.
I want you to look to me for the source of guidance, the source of leadership, the source of safety, the source of security. And what did the nation of Israel do? They ask God, well, everybody else has a king. Every other nation has a king, so therefore we want a king. They coveted.
a king from the very beginning. And not only that, they coveted everything else that these other nations around them had. And what God was trying to tell them from the beginning is that all the sorts of happiness that they need is they can find in Him. And to look to him as their source of happiness, not possessions. And nothing else.
I think we've all lived long enough to realize that stuff does not. Make you happy. You know what's funny is that a lot of people, even in our world, will realize that stuff doesn't make them happy, but they still continue to search in the wrong places. Jim Carey, the actor. And comedian.
Played in the most famous classic movie of all time, Dumb and Dumber.
Okay. He famously said this. I think everybody should get rich. and famous And do everything that they have ever dreamed of.
So that they can see that that's not the answer. Tennis star Boris Becker, he was quoted to say this. I won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all of the material possessions that I needed.
It's the old song of movie stars and pop stars who have everything, yet they are still unhappy. You ever paid attention to athletes and famous comedians? And you watch them, and they have everything that they could have ever dreamed of, and yet they still cannot find happiness. You see, that's the issue, and that's what we find, and that's what God was forbidding in this 10th commandment: he is trying to tell us and tell his people that stuff, all of these different things, they will not make you happy. Don't look to those things and covet after these things for your happiness.
No, be content with what you have in him. And so that person's looks, that person's spouse, that person's house, that person's car, that person's bank account, that person's retirement, that person's clothes, that person's career, that person's success, that person's personality, that person's popularity. None of those things can make you happy.
So, the command is to don't covet.
Now, like we've seen, we've seen, you know, don't kill, don't commit, all these what I would call negative commands. Don't kill, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't bear false witness, and now don't covet. Each one of those have a positive spin to them. Don't kill was value life. Don't commit adultery.
The thing God was trying to tell them was value marriage. Don't steal. No, rather, value the right that people have to own their possessions. Don't lie, value truth, and value others. And as you come to the tenth one, it's don't covet.
And you say, what is the positive spin, or what's the opposite of coveting? It's this. We should value contentment. When he says, don't covet, the positive spin to that is we, as his followers, should value contentment. In other words, here's what I'll tell you: the tenth commandment here.
is more than just not coveting. It is a command to be content with who God is in your life. and what he has given you in your life. That's the positive side to this this commandment. It's more than just coming away.
Okay, I won't desire those things. I'm not going to covet those things. No, it's way deeper than that. There's a positive spin that God was trying to tell his people, and God from the very beginning has been trying to tell them this: hey, you need to be content. Be content with who God is in your life because everything you're looking for in a possession, God wants to provide that for you.
We look to possessions for happiness, and we should be happy with God and God alone. And that's what he's trying to tell us. It's being content in those words. The heartbeat behind the tenth commandment. is to delight and be content with who he is.
It's viewing him as sovereign. And viewing him. As enough. It's viewing him as enough. I mean, Philippians 4:11, Paul understood this.
He said, Not that I speak in respect of want. For I've learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. In 1 Timothy 6. Verse 6. It says, but godliness with contentment is great gain.
In other words, here's what the scripture is telling us when he says, godliness with contentment is great gain. He's saying, and listen to this: He's saying that what you get. And what you gain in a relationship with Jesus. is better then anything you gain. With more stuff.
What you get in a relationship with Jesus is better for you than a bigger house. What you get in a relationship with Jesus is better than a brand new wardrobe. It's better than more money in your bank account. It's better than a really good retirement fund. It's better than a lot of toys and a lot of fun things.
No, what he's saying is that it's greater gain with Jesus than what any of those things could ever afford. In fact, in 1922, Ray Miller wrote the words of a famous song that you will understand. And I think it's interesting the timeframe of which she wrote it. It was only a few years after the comic that I opened up with that I told you in 1913 about this idea of keeping up with the Joneses. Just a few years after that, this Ray Miller wrote this song, and here's what the words say: I'd rather have.
Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather be his than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hand. He goes on to say, Than to be the king of a vast domain, Or to be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
And in verse 2, he says, I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause. You see, we don't just covet stuff. We covet people's success. We covet people's personalities. We covet people's popularity.
We cover all those things. And here in this second verse, it says, I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause. I'd rather be faithful to his dear cause. I'd rather have Jesus. Then worldwide fame.
I'd rather be true to His holy name. Here's the point. That's what the whole 10th commandment is all about: it's being content with Jesus. It's being content in a relationship with him. It's being content that if you lose everything in life and you still have him, you still have enough.
That's what the whole point of the 10th commandment is. And that's why God's commanding us and his people and his followers to say: listen, don't covet anything. Don't covet anything. Anything that your neighbor has, don't even worry about it because you have me. And that is enough.
So when we look to this idea, don't covet. How do we apply it? Like, how do we practice it? Real quick, three things, very practical outlined for you here today. And I think these are helpful.
And I think these will help you apply this idea of being content and not coveting. being content with what you have, being content with who Jesus is in your life. And not coveting anybody else. The first thing we must do is this: if you take notes, Shift your focus. From earthly possessions to heavenly possessions.
Shift your whole focus. From two heavenly possessions. and not on earthly things. In Matthew 6, Jesus In his teaching, famous Sermon on the Mount. He commands us not to lay up treasures.
Uh that are just gonna decay. And so he tells us, no, you should lay up treasures that are going to last, these heavenly treasures. In other words, the things that are going to last. Let me remind you that the wardrobe that you have is not going to make it.
Okay, you're gonna get a whole new white garment when you get up there or whatever.
So don't be so focused on all the things that we have here, right?
Okay? And so the toys that you have. They're not going to make it. They're not going to mean anything. The big house that you have.
Now, if God's blessed you with these things, that's fine. But be content with where he has you. Don't always want more. You get the biggest house and now you're like, I want a bigger house. You get a good wardrobe and new clothes.
I want more. Right? You we always want more. That's coveting.
Okay? No, it's being content with what we have. And let me tell you, all those things are gonna rot, they are gonna decay. And so Jesus is saying this: why spend your entire life? We're all given different amounts of time, you know, 70 years or so, maybe on average.
You get that. Why invest your whole 70 years in stuff that's going to just rot and decay one day and that you can't take with you? Instead, invested in people and the gospel. And lives that are going to be changed one day. Invest it there, things that are going to last forever.
And that's the point. And so for us, if we're going to apply this tenth commandment about not coveting and being content with what we have, we have to shift our focus from earthly things to heavenly things. You got to start looking at your life, parents, evaluate your life. What are you investing your whole life on? Is it on the gospel?
Is it on discipling your family? Is it on discipleship of others? Because those are the things that are going to last, but yet what we find is we spend so much time on things that are just going to rot and decay. We spend so much time trying to achieve and trying to get. And so much time trying to just want more.
And sometimes those things are what's going to rot and decay. And what Jesus is commanding us to do is to focus on heavenly things, things that will last forever. The second thing is practice gratitude. Listen, this is the great week for this, okay? But not only the week of Thanksgiving, right?
It should be all the time. I don't know what your Thanksgiving traditions are. We go around the room for hours and we say what we're thankful for. One day of the year. That's the point.
It's like this week, it's like, man, Thanksgiving. You would say the word thank. Thank you and stuff like that all the time. But it's like, no, this should be a daily thing that we should involve ourselves in. Thanksgiving should be a daily thing that your family engages in.
But we should say thank you. Kids, say thank you to your parents. Got really quiet when I said that. But seriously, we need to practice gratitude. Say thank you to your spouse when they do something.
We need to be, you know, Christians should be the most thankful people on the face of the planet. We should be grateful. We should be thankful for when people do things for us or when people care for us. but also with our relationship with God.
Some of us come to God and we're like a, we look to God like a vending machine. Like, hey, give me this, give me that, you know, and that's why we go to God and we forget that, no, our prayer time and our relationship with Him should be filled with giving Him praise and giving Him thanks for all that He has done for us. We need to practice gratitude and express it on a regular basis in our relationship with Him, but in our relationship with one another. Practice gratitude. Shift your focus from earthly things to heavenly things.
And then rec number three, very simply. And I'll close with this one. Recognize Jesus as your ultimate treasure. Thanks again for listening to Union Grove Weekly with Pastor Josh Evans. we would like to invite you to join us in person on a Sunday.
Union Grove is located in the northern Davidson community of Lexington, North Carolina. You can learn more about us, listen to previous sermons, and plan your visit all at our website, ugbchurch.net. We hope you'll join us next week at this same time for Union Grove Weekly.
