Coveting, Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

This is a good test for us just one verse he says it in verse 15 he says rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

That's a pretty short verse. Here's a good question. It helps you celebrate other people's success. You celebrate it when other people succeed, people you know you celebrate dear rejoice with those who rejoice CF. Ask yourself going out today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor know your heart fellowship and alert the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world know when you're young and you know it's always an interesting thing, but he had a totally different emotional reaction to the first of anything. Remember, you got my first car. There's never been a car quite like that. That was the first part of the reason was admit you were growing up, and it meant you had freedom but the other ideas. My last car infinitely better than my first car in every measurable way the joy lasted a very short time it becomes your car, your house is your house, your closer, your close in other words, when you try to covet other stuff you find the law of diminishing returns taking place, it doesn't last for long. What you thought would make us feel so happy only keeps you happy for short time and now you're at the covet for something even more than that. He said that's what ends up happening when we compare ourselves with ourselves in first Corinthians 4. Paul said to me it's a very small thing that I be examined by you or by any human or he said I don't even examine myself unconscious of nothing against myself. He said yet I'm not acquitted, but the one who examines me is the Lord.

Also the only person I care about who really examines my life to see whether it's worthy of the Lord is I don't even examine myself because I'm biased to myself.

He said of this letter that up to the Lord. That's why Paul doesn't covet what is this coveting come from. Turn with me to James chapter 3 James chapter 3 in verse 13. Notice what he says, he said, who among you is wise and understanding let him show by his good behavior. His deeds in gentleness and wisdom. He said, but if you have bitter jealousy or selfish ambition in your heart. Do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This idea of the jealousy and he says the ambition goes right with envy coveting he said if you have that in your heart.

He says do not be arrogant so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes not from above its earthly its natural its demonic. So where's my coveting spirit come from. He said it done come from heaven.

It doesn't come from God. He said it earthly its natural net even goes one step further its demonic. By the way, if you think about it. What did Satan want he coveted the position of God. I will be like the most time I covet that he didn't accept the graciousness of God, he said, forward jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there is disorder and every evil thing you see. He says when you were you are and and being coveting jealous person you have disorder in your life in all your relationships never have peace you'll never have joy you'll never have hope, and it certainly doesn't come from God at all. I guess the question would be what pushes your ending, but so what is it that you envy what is it that you covet. Do you want in your life mean some of us are so shallow. It's just more stuff if I just had little more stuff just more stuff but a lot of us is a lot of different things it's relationships.

It's all kinds of things that we covet what we don't have an interesting thing you see the Scripture says stop exposing yourself 24 seven to the very things that make you covet, you need to do that. But there's another thing the Scripture said it's very important. Go with me to Romans chapter 12 in verse 15.

Now Romans 12 in verse 15. This is a good test for us just one verse he says it in verse 15 he says rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep at the pretty short verse, but here's a good question. It helps you with coveting do you celebrate other people's success. Do you celebrate it when other people succeed, people you know you celebrate with them dear. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Cf. ask yourself that if you ever notice sometimes and I'm not saying it applies to in all situations, but in any situation. Have you ever find yourself in a situation where you hear some bad news about somebody and you never admit it to anybody but you kinda feel good about when is that that's comparing myself in my life. Somebody else has to do poorly for me to feel better about myself.

That's certainly not of the Lord.

He said you need to rejoice with those who rejoice see the whole ideas. I don't want my life to be about me. That's the heart of Indian coveting my life is only about me. If that's how you view your life. I can almost promise you you will not be happy.

Maybe I can define it this way. Envy is resenting God's goodness and other people's lives and ignoring God's goodness in your own life envy is resenting God's goodness and other people's lives and ignoring God's goodness in your own life. He said that has an enormous effect is an attitude that you have. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 15 Proverbs in the Old Testament. Chapter 15 in verse 15.

This will speak the by the way to your nature and if you don't if you don't believe this about yourself.

You might want asked somebody else like a spouse or child or good friend because of my experiences been there's a couple different kinds of people in the world and they're both reflected in this verse. Proverbs 15 in verse 15.

Solomon writes this is all the days of the afflicted or bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Now the bad part of that is the word afflicted. I don't think that's a great word, though the Hebrew word is on the and normally I mean means despondent to let me read it that way all the days of the despondent are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.

You know the despondent life stinks my life. Things are lives think the whole world stinks out there is a terrible day. Looks like rain.

It's bad I mean is just bad.

By the way, if that's your attitude in your life you will find enough to be despondent every single day of if you want to look for what's bad in people's lives.

You can be unhappy every day your life you can be unhappy you to be unhappy in your marriage and be unhappy with your kids.

You can hate your job, you can find it every day and that's what Solomon is saying here. He says all the days of the despondent or bad, just bad days. He said, but I cheerful heart has a continual feast. It's a party I could notice a cheerful heart the cheerful heart sees in a completely different kind of way.

The cheerful heart sees the goodness of God everywhere and all kinds of people's lives celebrating with people happy for people since an amazing thing. That's what can happen to us. That's how we control our attitude, but it's easy to be despondent.

You see, you can find something good and everything about this one. I hate my stupid car. I just hated it's not really reliable and or 78 Ford Pinto.

Nobody seems to think too much of them. Those kinds of things. But did you think about it this way 8% of the people in the world have a car 8% 92% of the people in our world did not have a car. Now you have a choice to be thankful. We want to be despondent.

You see that your choice you now bad that I can bet we we would normally do. We have cars, but then you see the new models every year and you think all boy my soul now that they have a new model put us right back on this whole idea of coveting something else about this when my house is too small my houses to old that's really hot right now. By the way my house is so 80s okay when you're houses 80s.

It's something you should be ashamed. Okay you should you should be ashamed your kitchen and bathrooms that I got from the 80s you should be ashamed. 50% of all the people in the world live in a place of there's no indoor plumbing 50%. So what are you shame.

What bothers you what you covet for something more and something new. You can see how this works. You can see the goodness of God or you can complain about anything and be as despondent as you like. I even hear people say you know I'm just so busy I'm so busy I have my goodness, I have to work and take care of the house and then I have kids and have soccer practice and Beltway, and then at piano lessons and app all the stuff instead of saying well, my blessed with relationships, or what God has put significant people in my life to do so many wonderful and different things so matter perspective.

So let's stop coveting and envying what other people appear to have.

Let's kill the comparison idea, let's rejoice with those who rejoice, let's cultivate gratitude because Christ is all we need. That's what we should pursue with all our heart is only he is going to feel was Blaise Pascal said that God -shaped vacuum in your soul is the only one is going to give you contentment. I want to give one more good reason. If you don't, you can expect the disciplining hand of the Lord. I want to go. Lastly to numbers chapter 11 numbers chapter 11 simply to say this, God hates the idea that we covered in the other stuff you have to understand God sees it as a personal insult that is provisions are not enough for you. This is in three quick acts verse four to verse 10 act one. They covet what they don't have. This is the rabble who were among them had received his great greed he desires.

The rabble, he said, who were among them had really desires that were rabble is an interesting word. It says mixed multitude.

I think in the new international version but it means they had mixed marriages not like you and I think never in the Bible with the Bible ever condemned mixed marriage on basis of race. The Bible does condemned mixed marriage on the basis of faith and that's what they had a married Egyptians and it caused him trouble and it says in this office and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, who will give us meat another coveting what we want.

We just want me. We remember the fish which we used to eat in Egypt, and the cucumbers and the melons and the leaks in the onions and the garlic she that's what happens whenever you covet is an astounding thing when you think about it from that point of view they have what I would call selective memory.

Remember how great it was.

Member member that cucumbers, melons wait, wait, how about this slave for 400 years you were slaves owned by other people know we never mention that we miss the meat. There is no evidence by the way, the Egyptians ever fed their slaves well at all. In our case it's really sad but just like you and I you have a selective memory and remember only what you want to says, but now our appetite is gone there is nothing at all. Look at except this manna Missy God supernaturally providing 2 1/2 million people food for every day of the life.

Now the man was like a coriander seed and its appearance was like that of the belly which means pearl like God sustained them supernaturally every day in the wilderness is. That's all we have the people would go abide and gather written grinding between two millstones and beaded in his mortar and boil it in a pot make cakes with it and its taste was the taste of cakes baked with oil and when the dew fell on the camp at night. The man I would also fall on it.

We just want meat.

I just want more.

I want something else.

Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, and each man at the doorway of his tent.

Imagine that 2 1/2 million people lantern attends crime we want. We want me Moses here in this, but it says, also there, and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly is very upset. He is given them a tremendous provision and notice what they're doing. They want something else wow now removed act to enact to. Whenever you covet something God may do this for you. He may give you exactly what you want and that's what he does. First of all, listen to Moses. Moses said to the Lord, why have you been so hard in your servant. Why am I not found favor in your sight that you avoid the burn of all these people and make come on God. Why do I have to lead him to get worse was that I who conceived all these people was that I brought them forth, that you should say to me carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant to the land which I swore to your fathers, where my going to get that meeting of all these people, he said, for they weeping for me saying give us me that we may. I alone am not able to carry all this people is too burdensome for me enough. Let's what he says.

So if you're going to do a bus with me, please kill me at once you got a love that.

He said if I have found favor in your sight. Do not let me see my own righteousness. Look, I know I shouldn't feel this way but I hate these people. I just can't stand them anymore. All they do is drag me down and whine and whine about what they don't have. So with the Lord ended up saying too much. He said that will put other men in charge. You won't have to do it for yourself will make it even better for them now. God then speaks in verse 19 God says you shall eat not one day, nor two days nor five days or 10 days nor 20 days, but a whole month until comes out your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you because you have rejected the Lord who was among you, and you have wept before him, saying, why did we ever leave Egypt. Notice God's view, you wanted to get it if that's what you want that's exactly. He said what I'm going to give you to have you going to get all that you could possibly want. At Three. Notice at three. The consequence verse 31. Now they went forth for a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the CNA let them fall beside the camp about a day's journey on this side in a day's journey. On the other side. He said all around the camp.

It was about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground that quell this date for about 10 miles. Now member. This is before refrigeration you got quell this deep one quell very go all the Chloe could possibly admit but what she's people. The people spent all day and all night and all the next day and they gathered the quell he who gathered the least gathered 10 homers 16 bushels.

That's the person who did the least.

God 16 bushels of quail. There's no refrigeration but now you have 60 bushes may spread them out for themselves all around the camp eloquently. I got everything I could possibly one while the meat was still between her teeth before it was chewed the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people and the Lord struck people with a severe plague so the name of the place was called give growth out of a, which means graves of the Craver's died. They got all the meat they could possibly want, but they died in huge numbers in it says and from Kim Roth to have top of the people were sent out to has a Roth and there they remained, it has a Roth. The consequence was they got exactly what they wanted to see when you're coveting type person the believer. God may give you what you want you want more, he may give you more but I want to tell you something. Go ahead and get the more but a minute. You will not be satisfied if more is what you want.

You will always want more. No matter what you get. You can't stop the coveting hard is God. I don't really want your provision I want more than what you provide. That's what coveting is that's why so personal to God I'm going to take care of you know how God takes care of each of us. That's up to God. All of us have different kinds of wealth, some of us are financially wealthier than others. Some of us have more relationships than others. It ought some of us have better health than others. That's up to God. But God's is my provision for you was enough possible. I that's why I wonder. Secret of contentment because I've had wealth and I've had poverty. I've been in the palace and have been in prison. You see, I've had relationships and lost relationships and all that. I'm still content because my contentment comes the Christ limit close by asking three questions. Only you can answer me in your own heart. One am I a covetous person. You covet, you see you spend your time thinking about what you might have and spending time about inking about what other people have you covered things. Secondly, my reaping the consequences of my covetous lifestyle. What you mean by that is your life like joy and peace and hope you see you kinda miserable in this bond.

It may be because you covet and lastly am I willing to repent.

Am I willing to stop comparing myself to others in my willing to nurture a cultivate gratitude in my lives in my willing to learn the secret of contentment. My willing to say is Paul I can do all things through him who strengthens the spring father, thank you for our time together and I pray for those who struggle in this area we live in a day and age where we are inundated with the obsession of more more of everything we could possibly have.

I pray father that we each see got our own heart and ask ourselves the my the kind of person it's coveting for something more in my life has it really hamstrung my spiritual growth and has it made me deny the goodness that you have in my life all the provisions as my good father that you have given each and every one of us has it made me think this we pray in Jesus name, amen. Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the little green website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting a monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds. Pastor Bill sermon. You can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking you can search by title.

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