Envy, Part 2

Today on Senate line with JD Greer you envy those people who have the thing that you most worship law popularity and prestige that you will be envious of those who have more friends and influence in you. If you love thinking of yourself as a perfect mom and homemaker human in the other mothers choosing to be doing better than you follow the smoke trail of your MBs down to the fires that you have built your altars of worship because that's where the real problem is like the Bible pastor and theologian JD Greer I Molly benefits and we are thankful to be jumping into God's word with you today just say that MD seems to be a bigger problem for today's generation before us and think we all know why social media seems designed to play on it, leaving us all discouraged and wanting what others are daily showing off to the world is important to remember that we look at other people's lives on social media here seem quite literally filtered NH. So let's join Pastor Jenny right now as he concludes his message on the difficult emotion at least a version of it was a key element work in the garden of Eden. God had told Adam and Eve that they could eat of literally every tree in the garden except one, and they thought will about us, about one but that's for the best route is. I bet he's holding out on us. Keller summarizes this way. So Cindy will make you think something is wrong even in paradise that dries up your soul taken away even your appetite to enjoy things a little time talking with somebody you had some issues with throat and mouth cancer and they said, you know, one of the worse most unexpected things was losing my ability to taste is no longer taste good to me… I didn't realize that when you lose your appetite to so much of your life gets destroyed but what MB does. It is a cancer that destroys your ability to enjoy anything to taste anything. For example MB make some of you unhappy in her marriage to make some of you and happy in your job is why you become a generally critical person critical about everything you can find a flaw in anything that critical spirit is not a personality quirk. It comes from a deep dissatisfaction that arises many times from envy. Plus some of you guys are having a midlife crisis when you're only in your early 20s enjoy what it's like there's got to be more from life as you look around while working in the back of your mind every time you look at Facebook or Instagram. You're always thinking. I think others are probably enjoying something that I'm missing out on nothing is ever good enough, because MB is destroyed, your ability to enjoy the good if not imperfect things of God is put in your life. Stop ignoring that check engine light you got a cancer in your soul that is drying up your life force and asking to start drying up everybody around you, you start to feel faint, which is another translation a different English translation of numbers 11 use as you start to feel faint. Whatever you have, like life requires more for you to be really healthy to be really fully alive need something else.

The happy life always seems like it's right over there right or somehow in that one tree for God has not let you have yet that's what is it's like there just get that one tree they got a said no to me for right now. Then I would be healthy and to be fully alive, but it's a lie. The book of Ecclesiastes and come back and tell me of literally being the richest, smartest, most powerful man in the world with the most gold girlfriends and the most famous delete any kind of happiness. You can't answer is no is not where it is number three in the ignores God's goodness, promise for the future. They seem insanely to forget this whole situation there is temporary God was sending them to a literal promise land that flowed with milk and honey, which is their way of saying abundant in blooming onions and cheesecakes non-calorie when he was eat all you want.

You never guess that is like that's it's gonna be awesome is just amazing. Don't acknowledge okay just want to hear me.

There are some good things that you might want but you miss out on for a few years for some you, you might miss out on for your entire life but there's deprivations are only temporary wealth were strong and beautiful body regular vacations to Hawaii they might be some of the things you miss out on a great marriage even a great family might be one of those things you miss out on back portables counselors who are unhappily single cells and reflect on how temporary the situation is first Corinthians 7, he says, verse one nonprescription seven point times were in very short from now on what those who have wives lives as though they had nine mappers reread that you like what seems like a terrible versus things like that key verse people going to Vegas, but those who have wives lives a bad night.

It let me assure you that is not what Paul means I would've that I first explained himself restarted for the present for this world is passing away, and along with it. Things like marriage and biological families and cousins and sons and daughters not supplement so basically he says you married people should reflect on the fact that your marriage is not ultimate or permanent, and you single people should reflect on the fact that your situation is not permanent either. Both situations are light and momentary, and soon they will give way to what is permanent and ultimate which is Christ and the church in eternity. And on that day. Paul assures you in the whole Bible assures you none of us will suffer any, lack Psalm 1715.

As for me, David says I will bold your faith in righteousness when I awake in heaven. I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

None of us to feel like were missing out on anything. Psalm 1611 a verse that we use a lot here in your presence is the fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures for evermore fullness of joy means joy that could not get any stronger pleasures for evermore means literally no pleasure conceived that could last any longer than what you're going to experience up in heaven first reduced you're not one of my favorite verses about heaven as it is written, what no I see what New Year's Eve and heard no human heart is conceived. God has prepared these things for those who love him. If you can think about it it's not good enough or what's gonna happen up there right they literally cannot be described in a somehow I could describe it to you. You wouldn't believe it if I told you got me Sen. tell you about a square circle or a four sided triangle just would not compute and see because of that knowledge of what is coming in eternity watches it means that because I know that I can be content with the impartial blessings that I have now even if there's a bunch more that I want that I don't have yet because the small blessings point to something far greater. I will soon receive.

The time is short and that's going will God gives me a promise land that is flowing with milk and honey right alert here for minute little total nerd story and I'm doing this for just a handful of you, but the handful you better appreciate this okay J.R.R. Tolkien and CS Lewis really friends, as you know that I met J.R.R. Tolkien led CS Lewis to faith in Christ when they were both professors at Oxford. Both of them are writers of that with them would arguably two of the most influential Christian writers last. You know, a British writer's release of the last hundred years, Tolkien was very envious of Lewis because Lisa talked about how they wanted to write books and everybody loved to read. Want to write books that would really change the world and Lewis was a writing machine.

He just turned out book after book after book and his books were selling like crazy and J.R.R. Tolkien was stuck on one he was trying to write. It was called Lord of the rings and he kept on writing and rewriting chapters because nothing was ever as good as what he aspired to just can never be good enough because I gotta be better than Lewis got so frustrated with his lack of progress compared to Lewis that he got writers block and stop working on the Lord rings completely is criticizing him never to pick that up again or touch it again one night. He said I had a dream. He said when I woke up I wrote the dream down into a story and after this.

Remy said I was fine. This story is called lease by middle is a strange underside of it just the/1 nerd everybody after you've read lease by Nagel anybody in here I go, so still an urgent identify a rear insecurities of the story. Nagel is an artist that is commissioned by his town to make a mural, but after years of working on this mural had only completed a lease in the mural and then after years ago really completed. He died and he's on a train to Paradise and as he's going in the paradise before him stands the tree completely finished and told him said, I realize that in this was a picture of my life. All of us only get to taste a little bit of the world to come. Some of us get more than others, but eventually were all going to get the whole tree. So when we went all we feel like we have is a leaf. You can look toward heaven and think about the day that you're going to enjoy the experience and see the full three. The point is, our knowledge of what is coming in the future to help keep us content here when there's some blessing, but I wanted to still have yet like another one of my favorite authors, Jim Wilkin says that those who know good awaits them in heaven can be content with having little here on earth but away realizing this is what free tokens of his writers block. He was able to feel free of the pressure of feeling like everything had to be perfect, and so his appetite came back so to speak any finished Lord of the rings inglorious orcs and all. And by the way, if Lord of the rings was only belief I can't wait to see the whole story. All tree up in heaven right in all God's nerd said they man amen I lastly number four, number four, envy, doubts God's goodness experienced in guidance. Everyone was in the survey. It is rightly forgets God's goodness poured out the past pursuing the overlooks God's goodness provided in the present number three in the ignores God's goodness, promise for the future. Number four MB doubts God's goodness experienced in his guidance, God had a purpose for his people. Even in the wilderness.

It was a part of his plan to make them into his special people in the wilderness, God was teaching his people things about faith that were far more valuable than garlic and onions and his presence was with them every step of the way keeping them from famine and war and all the diseases of Egypt why they literally never got sick for 40 years, but envy Them from seeing that her believing it. Instead, they saw themselves as alone abandoned and deprived of the really good stuff in life like garlic some weeks and onions in first Corinthians 10. The apostle Paul references the story numbers 11 and he says the root cause of what's going on here because of their envy, is idolatry. And at first it may sound confusing to use a wide knowledge read and see little statues in the store anybody bowing down to worship at a different God, but idolatry is when you love and crave something more than you love and great God. When you think of something beyond God and his plan for you is more necessary for the good life in God's plan. Much SVC according to Jesus in John six Jesus was symbolized in the manner so in despising the manna and they're saying the man was not enough they were despising Jesus and saying Jesus was not enough. What they always had and what we always have in every situation was the ever present fellowship of Jesus, the knowledge of his love, and the assurance of his promises. And that is supposed to be enough and we gotta choose between him and that in garlic and onions. We take him because knowing him is the essence of the happy and the abundant life knowing him is what keeps our souls from dried up knowing him is what makes us really come alive and this is eternal life. Jesus said, John 17 three that's eternal life is knowing your life not streets of gold, no sickness, no eternal life is just knowing you and that's something that you can know right now. Eternal life is something you begin right now I'm Jesus set up come to give them life and to give it to the more abundantly, and that life that are looking for is found in me is that I didn't get that they were idolaters. They didn't think I was enough so they turned elsewhere. Soren Kierkegaard full floss for his book sickness of the death says it in the arises directly out of worship. If you want to understand what you really worship was in this one. Understand what you really worship by she what you worship everybody and you listen to me this week what you worship. All you say God let no statues in my house I worship God says you understand what you really worship follow your Indies you envy those people who have the thing that you most worship. For example, if you love popularity and prestige. Then you will be envious of those who have more friends and influence in you. I was totally me in high school and college. The rest of our lives as well, if you love thinking of yourself as a perfect mom and homemaker. If that is where you find your worth and identity urine in the other mothers who seem to be doing better than you. If you worship the idea of being happily married or have a boyfriend or being in love. When you feel envious of those who have a boyfriend.

If you daughter a girlfriend or your always to be on the lookout for those whose relationships seem better than yours. If you idolize family stability than you are envious of those who look like they got a better family dynamic than you follow the smoke trail of your Indies down to the fires that you have built your altars of worship because that's where the real problem is, don't just build this mobility idolatry is that is the only place to correct the problem is, like Paul, Paul Tripp says if you worship your way into envy you worship your way out. You worship your way. Maybe I can just say stop doing it. You worship your way and you worship your way out. I have a pastor friend in Texas says we are church growing talk about us the hot new church. Since we we we we we had a building campaign to move across town to a better section of town and that was good beware our church exploded and we went from a cool new church. Do we want to one of the nation's premier mega churches. He set out really to this day. Don't know how to explain it, but when we made that move. It never happened is that we started to struggle.

Our tennis begin the to lag, we struggle to display that the that the debt semiweekly doing things but we never became that kind of big huge church is I was walking through a field behind my house one day, he set on this because I was angry God.

I started to yell God and you not. I told God about a pastor. He said not far from me, who had affairs with five women in his church grew really big Y was having in the unit getting fired.

Another guy north of me had a mega church, but he was now going to jail for embezzlement is essence of a Goddess and God come on get the wrong address and your blessing. I got my pants on my hands off the offering plate. Yet these guys are here doing all this stuff why aren't you blessing me. All of a sudden this little question came in them online so on. When will Jesus be enough for you. Sometimes I'll say I think that's when I became a Christian is in us fell down on my knees and I started to weep because I realize that he had not been enough for me had never been enough for me.

I want to Jesus plus all this other stuff. I was miserable because of our tennis the day before, but I mean if I got the Holy Spirit if I got the word of God. Why cannot begin to it. Why can I be content wise my joy based on having to grow my church is biggest somebody else's. So here's my question for you. When Jesus can be enough for you right when she's when I see I know you want to have a bit better job is fine.

When I live in a nicer house that's fine that's not unspiritual, you might want to be married do not wish your husband was like somebody else and I wish they would infer that's fine right to judge it to what these things to improve. But when is Jesus going to be enough for you that you can be content and not a people who have what you think that you want something that only unspiritual people wrestle with about apostle Paul passes. We looked at the other day weeks ago over. Talk about anxiety. Paul said this also viscous. He struggles with watches. I learned whatever situation I am to be content that were learned to become instinctive learning. Now I know how to be brought low on how to abound in any and every circumstance have learned the secret of facing planning and hunger abundance me I can do all things through him who strengthens me Santa my God will supply every need of yours and mine. According to his riches in glory in glory in Christ Jesus you keep in mama the way that Paul wrote this from prison is under house arrest and betrayed by his friends there. People literally going from church to church that these planets smearing his name is not getting a lot of letters from the church.

Is he planning these chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day. I put it this way he's not writing these words on the beach, drinking a little drink with an unrelenting is not live in his best life now but he says is that I've learned to be content with a little and I can be content with a lot didn't really change my contentment. I'd rather have a lot of little but need a lot of little changes my contentment because I want to do all things through Christ through him who strengthens me know. Contrary to popular opinion, that is not supposed to be athletes verse quoted as they get ready to shoot a foul shot to make this bow saw the price you strengthens me. That is not whatever's means whatever's actually means one of what the athlete is if I make this bow shall become the hero great and if I airball this bow shot and they make fun of me for the rest of my life and I lose the championship game because of that I never get taken. I never go Pro and all sportswear comes crashing down. It's okay because I've got Christ I can do all things through Christ.

It is because of the presence of Christ, he is the real man.

He is what my soul needs. I just need him to come alive my jersey.

The rafter only people talking about me. I don't need to be the hero champion. I don't need a bunch of money. I just need Jesus.

He is enough. The secret to contentment is not being thankful for the little that you have the secret to contentment. To see how much you really haven't given how rich a treasure we possess. In Jesus Christ our Lord. You want to feast on Jesus, the true and eternal man is knowing him, I promise you it is knowing him. That is the food that your soul craves will think about it on the cross, Jesus lived out the opposite of NB did he not, rather than being resentful of our joy Jesus was broken over our brokenness and Jesus gave up his good things so that we can say from our bad things as anybody else or anything else ever demonstrated that kind of love and commitment to you know that's why he's the true matter. Your hunger will cease to be overpowering only when you learn to feast on him the secret to condemn. It is not just being a little that you have a swimming how much God is given you in Christ. I rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather have him than riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I just want to be led by his nails Narnia. I just want to Jesus.

He is the man of that muscle. As with all these problems try to show you we start out thinking that jealousy, envy is a horizontal problem is a problem between us and people who have things we want what we come to see is that it's really a grudging God is a Jesus is not enough for us is that we don't really trust and the reason you're envious is because you don't trust the reason the MBM is because you don't treasure it is not enough.

Do you really believe in his goodness and can you say Jesus right here right now yeah got a lot of things that I'm working for life.

A lot of things I want but I from this point on I just need you just give me Jesus give me Jesus rather have Jesus continue release yourself to Jesus all the way to Jesus. Yes, I'm a worker things but I just want to do your will. I want to know that when 10 years 20 years 70 years however long I live just to have you. I just need you to be happy. I can do all things with Christ through Christ's side. Christ, I do all things with Jesus you're the one who strengthens me.I pray that you would be the manna for our souls and releases God from Indian bitterness releases God from idolatry turn our eyes upon Jesus we pray in Jesus name, amen enough for you, don't God's goodness you're listening to Summit life Bible teaching ministry Jeannie Greer, Pastor Ginny, our current teaching series about a mission is called smoke from the fire. Can you explain what you mean by that phrase section comes from St. Augustine. He said that our emotions, especially motions that are troubling to us like anxiety and worry, fear, stress and deep sadness.

He said those are like smoke that are it is arising from the fire and if we follow us. This trail of smoke back down to the fire.

We can see the altars that were worshiping that so attaching indication it's an indicator light of what's actually going on in your heart to rather than just trying to suppress your emotion or deal with your emotion.

I need to be less sad, less worried you got ask you figure out what is it that is the fire that indicates the altar you're worshiping at that's creating that emotion that we have a new devotional book that I'm really excited about this a great great tool to help you actually do. This is called smoke from a fire just like her series and they could make a great accompaniment to use you as you listen to and study and ponder these things.

Please get in touch with us today and Ginny said we would like to get you our newest resource when you visit Jeannie Greer.com this 10 day devotional in Scripture God will help you call to mind the goodness of God and realize that his plans for you ultimately good, let's get to you today. I truly believe it will be something that you will continue to come back to again and again for important reminders and encouragement. The smoke from the fire devotional work that comes our way of saying thanks you donate to support this ministry. Your generosity makes it breast to produce these programs and to keep them coming to you on the radio, TV, and you gave your helping someone extravagant life changing one of God through this program join mission by giving today sort fire call 866-335-2866 335-5224.

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