Fighting the Green-Eyed Monster - Part A

That's how insidious envy is it so bad that Paul the apostle puts it in a list of the works of the flesh some pretty gnarly sins relationship. Envy is a toxin spiritual toxin poisons our soul puts us at odds with other people or clouds our ability to see things clearly.

One writer even said envy is the last send Christians what can pass envy is often a subtle sin but is also one of the most destructive excuse for peace and distorts everything around today on connect with skip-Skip examines the sin that's incredibly destructive, but go so easily undetected and what you can do to avoid before we begin, we invite you to catch Skip Sunday message live at nine and 11 AM at live.Calvary NM.church. That's 9:11 AM@live.Calvary NM.church.

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I think we're in Genesis chapter 37 in acts chapter 7 SQ particulates into today's message. There were two guys lived in a town that grocery stores on the same street just across the street from each other. Large windows in the front so they could look out and see the other competitor what they were up to became fierce rivals over time that I got pretty bad to where when the customer will go into the other store. The guy in his Starwood lookout kind of a snarl jealous of the other guy got the customer and he didn't. The other guy would gloat, and so it got bad and I'm an angel appeared to one of these storeowners and said I'm a grant you anything you want anywhere. She walked will be yours under one condition.

Whatever you request. Your competitor will get twice as much. So you may want to be wealthy, extremely rich, no problem, I can do that for you.

Just know that your competitor will get twice as much wealth as you asked for. As you get and if you want to live a long life at happy life. No problem, but your competitor will live longer and happier and so the guy wanted to make a wish.

But he did know what to ask for. In lieu of the stipulation, so we thought about it and he finally said okay here's my request. Strike me blind in one eye. That's how insidious envy is it so bad that Paul the apostle puts it in a list of works of the flesh some pretty gnarly sins in Galatians chapter 5 envy is toxin the spiritual toxin poisons our soul. It puts us at odds with other people or clouds our ability to see things clearly. One writer even said envy is the last send Christians will confess because it's so ugly and he has been called the green eyed monster ever heard that people say all your green with envy. And I wondered about that. Who came up with this color scheme for things like whose blue, red, green, so I just curious about that. So come to find out the idea being green with envy comes from Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's famous playoff fellow in which Iago warns fellow. It is the green eyed monster which Dr. mock the media feeds on a reference to envy.

But you know envy is a difficult sender Russell with sort of like pinning Jell-O. Just when you think you got a grasp of it. It wiggles loose and doesn't stay down doesn't stay tamed, but like other white-collar sends it serious. It can ruin can destroy. There's an old Greek proverb that says as rust corrupts iron so envy corrupts a man what is Andy exactly what you might look at envy as the art of counting other people's blessings instead of your own.

You notice what they have where they are, what they're doing now we come to Genesis 37 which is of course the story of Joseph the story are probably all very familiar with the story of Joseph is the story of envy in Genesis chapter 37 down in verse 11 it says, and his brothers envied him. So what were about to consider is the story of the envy of Joseph's brothers against Joseph himself, then in acts chapter 7 verse nine Stephen later on when he gives a message sums up the life of this patriarch saying the patriarchs. That is the older brothers becoming NBS sold Joseph into Egypt so you know that this is a story kind of a classic rags to riches story and the pit to the pinnacle. You know he's in the pit of imprisonment by his brothers get sold as a slave, but he makes it to the very pinnacle you become second most powerful man on earth.

But before he reaches the pinnacle he has to go down to the pit and what you need to know it was envy that put Joseph in that pit now as we look at a few verses in chapter 37 of Genesis as we considered the green eyed monster of envy unmake three simple statements. Three truths about envy and he has a history. Andy has a recipe that is are certain things that make for it and envy has a remedy. Let's begin with the history I want you to notice something in the first two verses. This is now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob, Joseph, being 17 years old was feeding the flock with his brothers and the lad was with the sons of Bill Hahn, the sons of zaleplon, his father's wives and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. The wording here is interesting since this is the history of Jacob and immediately begins telling the story of envy of how his brothers envied him that when he says this is the history it means this is the account of, or these are the generations of but what's interesting is where he begins.

He says here's the history now let me begin with son number 11 so if you know the history of this family and know that this is the firstborn son the firstborn son is Ruben. Then there's Simeon Jude, etc. come down to Joseph but he says here is the history and then he begins with Joseph and we discover why that is later on because Joseph is the guy that saves and preserves the generations of Jacob by where God is going to take him as the Prime Minister of Egypt, but I found that interesting.

Here is the history.

This is the history of Jacob. Actually, if you think about it the whole history of Jacob and his family is a story of envy, envy is like in every era of Jacob's life.

In fact, you might even say Jacob learned envy from his mother. It was Rebecca, his mother, who was envious of the fact that her other son Esau had the blessing that Jacob, she thought should have so she got him to envy his brother dressed little Jacob up like he was his brother and tricked the father out of the blessing, then later on, Jacob's brother Esau envy Jacob because Jacob managed to steal the blessing. Then later on when Jacob is in labor and land working for his uncle Laban or his father-in-law Laban. Laban becomes envious of Jacob because Jacob has more flocks and herds.

The maven.so no matter where you slice it, were dealing with a family history of envy, but Andy goes back further than that. Although back to Cain and Abel because one brought a sacrifice that God was pleased with. And Cain became envious of able see envy happens to be a part of human nature. There's not a person in this room who hasn't struggled with the vice in the sin of envy doesn't make it okay. It doesn't make it excusable, but it is what it is. It's deeply rooted in our human constitution.

Even Jesus noted that envy is part of what happened at the fall part of the human heart. Jesus said that's what comes out of a man is what makes him to file for unclean. For from within, out of men's hearts comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. So it's a part of all of us as part of fallen humanity Activa notice. My dogs envy each other if I give one dog something I can just tell the other dog thinks. Why did he have that what she had that so there was a documentary even on television about wild dogs in Africa and the commentator said they seem to display the human emotion of envy so that all candies everywhere, even in wild dogs in Africa know what is this show up with us.

Where do we as believers in Christ struggle with envy pretty easy to answer that every time someone around us become successful gets promoted gets blast. We are going to deal with envious thoughts is a great text of Scripture in Romans 12 verse 15 beautifully put says rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep in that beautiful, it's beautiful, but try doing that one part is easy. The other part is hard.

You discover weeping with people who weep is pretty easy, rejoicing with people rejoices pretty tough.

It's easy for us to bend down to put our arms around somebody who's lost something or struggling or is hurting because they're hurting were not there struggling were not so, I was going to come in console you and weep with those who weep.

But when somebody else is blast and you're not too rejoice with that person is in a whole different league. You might think. Well, that's my issue I'm above all that I don't struggle like that really. With a little game player. What if game. What if what if you lost your job, you get fired you get laid off.

And you also discover your coworker in the same department gets promoted and gets given a raise. Do you find it natural inclination to rejoice with that fellow coworker, probably not. What if a parent or a set of parents who by the way happy to be critical of your child. One of those parents discover that their own child was caught cheating is era sense of smugness and even serves them right. Kind of a feeling that comes over you probably what if your own son drops out of school while your friend son gets given a four-year scholarship to an Ivy League school. You struggle with envy. Probably what if you miscarry and your girlfriend calls and says they're having twins.

There are so many different levels of which we are going to be confronted with this issue and why do we feel that why why why did those struggles, and those other things happen because those things amplify our own failures or perceived failures somehow awesome not being there or having data or doing those things.

This makes us makes our failure seem much bigger David Paul Tripp wrote, why do we all struggle with envy. We struggle with it because our greatest allegiance is to ourselves and our own happiness.

There's simply no denying it. Life on this side of eternity is one big unending war of kingdoms. Much of our inner turmoil and interpersonal struggles are the direct results of kingdoms in conflict.

So when somebody else get something or is blast her prospers were successful are tendencies to turn inward toward ourselves rather than upward and outward toward others. That's what envy will do so. Envy has a history there's a second thing I want to see here that is envy has a recipe want to show you is for contributing factors that make for the perfect storm here. There are other factors that will contribute to a person being envious.

But I want to show you a few in this text. Number one is what I'm calling natural dissimilarity that is we compare ourselves with others because the were similar in some ways were different enough that we make comparisons to look at verse two. This is a history of Jacob, Joseph, being 17 years old was feeding the flock with his brothers. That statement gets qualified in the next sentence and the lad was with the sons of Zohar in the sons of Philpott his father's wives. Notice that's plural and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father, so you know that Jacob had four wives.

There's really only one that he love I get to that a minute but ever for women. There was a layer and then Rachel and then there was Jill Pineville ha for handmaids of these other gals and so they produce children for him. At first, so just just think of the scenario. Here are 12 brothers from four different moms you think there's any problems. I mean, I'm one son of four boys from one mom and we had problem we had issues always a problem, but we are always comparing ourselves with one another. Why do you have bad outcome on this. That's what brothers do. There's enough dissimilarities between us and envy will grow when we compare ourselves with others which we do a lot because were different enough summer tall summer short summer skinny summer not.

Some are dark some are light on and on. There's enough to compare ourselves with good or bad. I bicycle Barbara Becky so my barber but I remember years ago and say I came in the America one day and I said so what you notice about all your clients as well as a common theme, nobody's happy with who they are is that if they have straight hair than my curly hair for Pearly here. They want to get straightened if they have dark hair. They want a blonde of its blonde they want to darken it and so I found that fascinating. Now I am unsure how the other brothers in the story looked in their physical appearance were not told, but interestingly we are told how Joseph looked in chapter 39 verse six it says Joseph was handsome in form and in appearance. So that's a red flag right there.

So in this text of the reading. He told me 17 years old. So now you have a young, handsome, capable upstart's got all the things stacked against him enough for his brothers to make comparisons with now.

I think that you and I wrestle with this comparison issue in the silliest things like social media we get on Facebook.

We got an Instagram and those people are posting pictures of their vacation in Bermuda under the palm trees on the boat and were not there or that new house that they got and we don't have or the perfect family that were not a part of and so in that comparison.

We may decide on a push like back home to push on follow that silly but it happens. Envy always compares and asks why them.

Why should they deserve that.

Why should they be there so natural dissimilarity. We all make compares as a second factor I want you to make note of social integrity.

Did you notice in verse two says Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father so I would say from my high school days. He knocked on them. That's always a college writing. He was a tattletale there something that I noticed about all people young people in particular, all people need to feel accepted. We want to feel loved and accepted.

We have a need for that. But younger people. In particular, have huge need to be accepted more than the average person and the idea of rejection is devastating to especially a younger person. That's the reason young people sometimes do things that are against their better judgment as they don't want to risk being ostracized by that group. So groupthink is huge at a certain age. Joseph it says a 17 so he too needs to be accepted. We would love to be accepted by his brothers, but he makes a decision to tell on them, which tells me that there some internal moral compass that is stronger than his need for acceptance which I find commendable, but but unusual story reminds me of Daniel in the sense were Daniel was young, but it says the purpose and is hard not to defile himself. He just said I'm to live a certain way to do what's right.

So to make things worse than your handsome kid with an overdeveloped sense of honesty. Do you remember what you felt like when your brother sister told mom and dad a new is your thinking.

You just wait let's that's what happens here cultivates envy question and I Promise that I know the answer this but I think I do. Why, why do you think Joseph was so brutally honest in telling his dad about the brothers widening around the numbers. Is it well you know they're doing okay is another not doing okay.

Don't bad any flat gave him a bad report.

There's no embellishment of the story, no exaggeration is not overstating just matter of fact. Why, I don't know for sure, but perhaps he had learned this by just watching his family over the years.

Dad his own dad had been dishonest with his father and tricking in the getting that blessing. Also, when Joseph was 11 years old.

His sister Dinah was raped and these other brothers killed Shechem and Hannah more and all the guys in that village essentially tricking them and tricking dad so Jacob, the father felt, danced, felt slighted felt like he had been deceived and tricked and he took umbrage to. He remembered that Shane and he probably looked at all of those things that, not me. I'm in a live above reproach, and live a different kind of a life so there doesn't seem to be malice on Joseph's part just honesty, but his brother see it differently his brothers in looking at this just see a pretty boy who's a tattletale and they're out to get him let me just say something if you're an honest person.

I applaud you, but look out if you got a person says no wherever I am at.

I'm in a live above reproach him to live with integrity. If I see evil. I'm gonna make it known on a call about the great commendable way to live.

We ought to live that way, but at the same time you are putting the target on you were people going to call you all sorts of names from Ms. Goody two shoes to Mr. perfect and much worse. So a couple of factors going on her natural dissimilarity and social integrity limit of your third parental partiality notice verse three now Israel name for Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children that Skip message from the series white colors. Now you Skip to share how you can help keep this broadcast going strong, connecting more people like you to the good news of Jesus. The greatest trials in your life are off your greatest opportunities to reflect the gospel and we want to connect friends like you to God's truth. So your equipped to share your faith with others during those times. That's why we've made these encouraging Bible studies available to you and you can help keep them on the air when you give a gift today here so you can give now give us a call at 800-922-1888 to give a gift today 892 to 18 connectwithskip.com/~that's connectwithskip.com/donate. Your generosity will keep this biblical encouragement coming your way going out to help change more live. Did you know there's an exciting biblical resource available right at your fingertips through your mobile device Skip has several Bible reading plans available in Bible simply download the app search Skip next with Skip Heitzig six years. The remedy for end. You can experience the freedom to enjoy hassle with Skip Heitzig presentation of connection communications to God's never changing truth ever-changing time