The Sin Nobody Sees Part 1

One reason for us. Jesus phone number for something in all of us wants someone else we can carry our belongings into the afterlife. No U-Haul will follow your curse coveting that's what God addressed in the last 10 Commandments. Stay with the Moody Church in Chicago. This is going to win with Erwin Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line Esther lutes are why do you call covetousness. The sin nobody sees will date.

Of course, is all of us know it is a sin that nobody sees, but God is and that's why God put it in the 10 Commandments and it covers not coveting somebody's house. Another man's wife, and the list could go on.

God is looking for pure hearts. You know, if there's someone listening today who doesn't believe that holiness really matters. Think of this verse. If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another holiness matters. That's why I've written a book entitled why holiness matters. The 10 Commandments Jesus and you and this is one of the last times we are making this book available to our many listeners for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us listen carefully as God himself speaks about the sin that oftentimes no one else sees. I suggest that if you make out a will and you ought to have one. Incidentally, you have children, I suggest you make it out very thoroughly because if not, there's going to be a big scrap at your funeral happens all the time, you'd be surprised at the fine the wonderful Christian in home that are split torn into by strife and division and hatred, all because of the inequities of dividing up the loot after people die. I think of Amanda New York, a Christian man in New York who said that because his brother tried to chisel him out of part of his inheritance he actually plotted to kill him.

Something happens when people realize that there was money that they were to receive the doesn't seem to be coming to them. One day Jesus was preaching a sermon and that someone interrupted the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke tells the story. Maybe we should turn to that story. Someone interrupted and said teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with may seem like a rather reasonable request. Jesus wasn't actually asked whether or not he would be the arbitrary was asked to take sides.

He was saying, tell my brother the boys said to divide the inheritance with Jesus, backed out of the responsibility.

Instead he does something that you and I would never think of doing in a context like that. That seemed like a reasonable request. Jesus said to the young men beware of covetousness, covetousness, he says, because a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things he possesses. That's what Christ's response was, and then Jesus goes on to tell the story of a farmer very familiar farmer who had lots of grain and the he had more than his grain reason is Barnes could hold in sizes.

I'm in a tear them down and I'm to build greater and then I'm gonna go to Florida and the rest of my life. Eat drink and be merry.

Tomorrow we die. Enjoy it.

Covetousness is a sin that is so subtle because for one thing nobody sees it. Look at the other Commandments thou shall not commit adultery. Certainly, Jesus said that we should not lust in our hearts, but basically adultery as far as the act is concerned is something that is can be taken into account to judge a person you take for example the sin of stealing, lying, covetousness hides down deep in the heart, and there is no law in the United States nor in the state of Illinois that can ever try you for covetousness never seen it yet seen all kinds of interesting things in the Chicago newspaper never have seen anyone tried for covetousness. It lurks within the human heart. The 10 Commandments are all held together. I wish I had time to show that but the one that it holds them altogether is the last one and the first one there almost identical.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his house nor his servants or anything that belongs to his neighbors, and it is impossible to touch any of the other Commandments without somehow infringing on covetousness is tied together with all the rest you can't commit the other sins without committing this one to now let's answer some questions regarding covetousness and we got to do this quickly. First, why is covetousness so deceitful, why is it so deceitful. The Bible talks about the deceitfulness of riches, the deceitfulness of covetousness, let me tell you very quickly that in first Corinthians are actually first Thessalonians chapter 2 verse five the apostle Paul talks about the cloak of covetousness.

The reason that covetousness is so deceptive is that it always comes close in a way that is deceitful. Something like that little red riding Hood story where the wolf first of all please the grandmother so that later he can play the wolf covetousness comes cloaked. How does it come cloaked, it can come cloaked under the doctrine of fairness. Fairness. You look at this young man.

He says teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. There's nothing wrong with that. I got to get what I have coming to me. We ought to do this properly, just as the will specifies sounds right.

Jesus looks into the young man's darkness is all beware of covetousness waited a minute here you have a legal problem but deeper than the legal problem is a couple inches problem. It's the problem of the human heart.

So you see, under the doctrine of fairness, we can hide the desire for things sent and do to make sure that we're going to get our share because we have it coming to us and we may legally but the problem is down deep within. There's a covet your spirit.

It also comes cloaked not only with fairness but it comes cloaked with prudence and I reread the story of this rich man I've never preached on the parable. Frankly, I sure that in the years I should have but I never have. But I reread it this past week. A couple of times and thought to myself, my word, what's wrong with this man. I mean he has no place to put all of his grain so he builds his grain reason is Barnes bigger and he says I'm going to take all of them in debt. All this away and that I'm going to eat drink and be merry.

Isn't this the American way of life, wouldn't this make an excellent story on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Isn't this what life is all about is to get as much as you can so that you can enjoy it and you can travel and you can have friends and you can eat out and you can live in a lavish place and you can take care of everything.

Isn't that we were all about my dear friend, under the guise of prudence can lurk very, just deceitful. Grabbing hungry deceitful heart see that's why covetousness is a sin that probably I cannot convince you that you have it only God can show it to you. It is so deceitful because people sable. I got to earn a living or other people are doing it and I got to compete in all these excuses are given UC and it cloaks the desire for things and for security and down deep beneath the frugality and the fairness and the prudence there is the heart that craves the desires more than other people have see the problem is that the greed of the human heart can never be satisfied.

That's the problem of the Bible says in Proverbs that he loves silver is not satisfied with silver amazing because what it's saying is, is that you and I have within us and an insatiable desire. If we loves silver. We will not be satisfied with silver we will go on to gold, and we will go on to this and onto that and on and on.

It will go and the first continues to get greater and greater and greater. And it does not abate. No matter how much greed greed is like a cord that is wrapped around the human heart until it chokes everything you become miserly and withdrawn and stingy and irritable and and full of all kinds of schemes because of that read that covetousness spirit, greed, people who are greedy or full of restless energy wanting to grab your to paint a picture of covetousness. I don't think it would be a person that was fat and clumsy.

It would be lien, the hungry, scheming, desiring, that's what exists in the human heart. That's why it's so deceitful. There's a second question and that is how is it detected how do you know whether you have a covetous heart. Notice the text. First of all you we can tell it by what we say.

Notice this man who speaks, he reasons to himself. Verse 17. First of all, he's speaking to himself I I guess it's all right to speak to yourself, but when you begin to answer. Maybe you have some problem I heard someone who says I always speak to myself because there's nobody else around intelligent enough to carry on a conversation with this man was reasoning to himself, saying, what shall I do sense I have no place to store my crops. This is what I will do all I will tear down my barns, I will build larger ones will store their own migraine.

I met people like that. Take a good look in the mirror.

Maybe you see the Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh there's some people who cannot talk about spiritual things. It cannot come out of their mouth all that they talk about is earning money all that they talk about is things things things acquiring, acquiring, who has what and how much that's how you detect covetousness, not only by what you say but by what you do. This man decided of course to make room for all of his grain. Instead of thinking that he really ought to give it away. He begins to use the things that God has given them and to hoard those things even more than he needs you know that there are some people who have more money than they will ever need, and they still don't give it away. It's amazing just to think there are people who have more money than they will ever be able to use up and they still don't give it away because of the greed that exists in the human heart and guidances. Thou shall not covet. We got to hurry on. First of all why is it deceitful, it's because it comes cloaked under the guise of very respectful ideas and concepts.

Secondly, how is it detected by what we say and by what we do because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Thirdly, why does God hate it so much.

God so uptight about when it comes to covetousness book of Proverbs says that God hates a covet your spirit.

Why does God dislike this sin, perhaps more than almost any other. It's because covetousness is a denial of God to denial of it is rebellion against God. How first of all, a covetous person denies God's provisions denies God's provisions he saying God I can't trust you to take care of me.

Consequently, I got to grab for everything that I can in life. I've got to make sure that I have enough and even more than I could possibly use. Because I can't trust God I got to go out there and I've got to do it and I've got a whole rebellion against the provision of God. That's why the Old Testament when God says you can have man out. The Lord said to them, he said go out every day. Gather it if you stored in your tent. One day it's going to get old. Why, because God says I don't want you to have two days worth of manna in your tent. One time, because if you do on the second day you might not have to trust me. And Jesus said to give us this day our daily bread but you see, under the guise of proper planning and we all ought to plan properly can exist. The most covet your spirit. A person who says I am going to make sure that even if God doesn't come through. I'm going to have enough, and there is rebellion against the provision of God.

That's why God hates covetousness is also not only rebellion against God's provision and denies that, but also is rebellion against his Providence.

His Providence because we may look at what others have and we may envy them.

We may covet them, and actually what God is saying to us is that within his Providence. There are some people that are rich.

There's some people that are poor. I'm not saying that the poor shouldn't try to earn money and to become rich. But I'm simply saying that in this life.

There are all these inequities and in a sense we must admit to that God has a right to do as he wishes with his own and therefore when we begin to murmur and complain and we are filled with covetousness, whether we are rich or poor, we can have that kind of a heart.

It is then that we are rebelling against God's will and a place for us in this world and that's why in Colossians chapter 3 pulses. Covetousness is idolatry. It is idolatry.

What would we do here at the Moody Church of someone were in idolater someone who would bow down to an image which I well they should be disciplined but what do we say when the Bible says that a covered chest person is an idolater why he has set up a rival worship just like the Samaritans did they rivaled the worship in Jerusalem when God's is only at Jerusalem.

The Samaritans says it's too far to go, we want to have our own worship center and so they worship bailed up on the mountain. God says if you have a covetous heart.

What you are doing is you are supplanting me you are saying that I am the second and that you are inviting arrival into your life who is vying for your attention. Covetousness is is idolatry says the Scripture. That's why God hates it. Remember, the Bible says that we can trust God.

I will not fear what man onto may be content with such things as ye have for you know that the Lord has said, I will never leave you and forsake you see contentment is related to the presence and the faith that we ought to have in God and other question how can we overcome it. How can we overcome it. I want you to know today that you and I are born filled with covetousness filled with you so you don't even know me. I don't have to know you the only requirement for me to say that is that you be a member of the human race and you make your own judgment whether or not you qualify on that score.

We are born born with a deceitful covet your spirit, and so how do we take that that's that is within us coveting our neighbor's wife, our neighbor's possessions, our neighbors house.

Anything that belongs to anybody else, desiring it, craving it building in our imaginations.

The hope that someday it will be ours the wish that it were ours, how can we take that awful route that is so implanted in the human heart and extracted the answer is you can't because covetousness is so much a part of you that it's not even possible for you to get at it.

Only God only God can take it out of our hearts. Only God, you know, I think that one of the greatest miracles you know you really know when when God is able to change people we say no. Can God change people attired.

There are times when God has actually taken a stingy person and made him generous. Did you know that I that's hard to believe what when I heard that I remember hearing about a man who is so stingy, so miserly everything that he gave was so incredibly measured because he didn't want to be guilty of over generosity or over giving.

He wanted to keep everything absolutely right, and to just give enough to make it look good. And guess what God took this Christian who had allowed the covetousness to grow up in his life and God smashed him and loves to yes my friend, God is in the business of changing the human heart.

Let me ask you a question you think that the God of the Old Testament is somewhat different than the God of the new I'm in the Old Testament people were stoned for disobeying God. We don't do that today. Now of course we know that God has not changed.

But why the difference. Will these are the kinds of questions I deal with in my book.

Why holiness matters. The 10 Commandments Jesus and you and this is one of the last opportunities that we are giving you for this book to be yours for gift of any amount you can simply go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com and in the moment. I'll give you a phone number that you can call to have your questions answered. But let me emphasize that even though God is the same. He does not change his administration has changed but we need to understand very clearly he is not relaxed his standards so ask for the book why holiness matters.

The 10 Commandments Jesus and you go to RTW offer.com or if you prefer, call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 and you'll be convinced that the love of God and the holiness of God coexist in his nature.

It's time again for you to ask a pastor looks or a question about the Bible or the Christian life. All Christians want to understand the Scriptures correctly. That's certainly the case with Tim who listens to running to win in Carthage Indiana.

Here's his question. Dr. looks or my question is about the qualifications of a preacher according to first Timothy, the apostle Paul speaks of a man being the husband of one wife, in your interpretation of this is he speaking of polygamy or of divorce. My wife's uncle is a Southern Baptist minister and he believes this pertains to someone who's been married and divorced.

Do you believe a man can be a minister if he has been married, divorced and remarried before he came to know Jesus as his savior will my friend. First of all let me thank you for asking this question. It shows the interest that you have as well as others on what is the biblical requirement to be a pastor.

Couple of comments. The text that you cited in Timothy literally means that the man should be a quote one wife, man. Obviously that means he should not be polygamist, and obviously it means that it should be a man who is wholly devoted to his wife, a man of proven character. Now if you asked the question, is it possible for a man who's been divorced and remarried to meet this requirement. I think under certain conditions. Yes, he can because I think when Paul lists the various qualifications that are needed, he does so understanding that these are present qualifications.

For example, it says that he should be someone who is self-controlled and respectable and able to teach. Clearly these requirements would not have been requirements that he would've had prior to his conversion or in his past. You follow me here so if they are present day requirements. I think probably a divorced man can within time regain the kind of credibility of being a man who is a proven character. Now I want to emphasize that this doesn't mean that someone who's going through a divorce or someone who's had a divorce recently meets these qualifications because when you talk about proven character were talking about a long period of obedience in the right direction so I don't want to specify the length of time, but people need to be convinced that they have before them a man who loves his wife who's proven that he loves his wife, he has lived with her consistently and faithfully for many many years. If he meets those qualifications. Yes, I think he can serve some wise counsel from Dr. Erwin Blitzer thank you pastor looks or if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor looks or or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, Hanoi 60614. This sin lies hidden smoldering flame beneath the surface, sin, nobody sees the light buyers of Western conflict because longing for what others have is a recipe for ongoing discontent. Next time I'm running to win. Join us for some final thoughts on why the 10 Commandments makes it clear that we are not running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life for Dr. Erwin Blitzer this is Dave Hollister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church