1125. Being Satisfied with God: Examining the Tenth Commandment

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Senior's intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything, so he established daily chapel services today. That tradition continues with fervent preaching from the University Chapel platform were continuing a study series entitled. Oh how I love thy law, which is a study of the 10 Commandments. Today's message will be preached by Dr. Nathan Crockett, director of ministry training at Bob Jones University will be examining the 10th commandment which is thou shalt not covet Dr. Crockett's message will show us how we can be totally satisfied with God, please turn to Exodus chapter 20 verse 17 Exodus 20 verse 17 as we talked today about being satisfied with God examining the 10th commandment several months ago I received an email been invited to speak in the series went out to several of us and they asked us if we would list the top three of the 10 Commandments that we would like to speak out if we are willing to speak in a never really thought about that before. Which of the 10 Commandments. What I like to speak on and the more I thought about it. My number one choice was the final commandment. The 10th commandment.

And that is not because I feel like I've succeeded at this commandment like oh I never covets I want to speak on that. In fact, it was maybe the opposite I've never murdered anyone. I've never committed adultery.

But I certainly covet quite a bit and I actually felt like because of my own struggle with this commandment and even wanting to know precisely what it meant and what it was talking about.

If you like I haven't heard too many sermons in my life. I'm not coveting that I wanted to examine this further. Just personally, maybe you would feel the same way most of the other commandment seem to focus on external actions. But when we look at do not covet were talking about our internal thoughts in our hearts desires and so probably none of you this week have committed adultery though. Maybe you've had wrong thoughts and probably not murdered someone over bow down to a graven image, but probably many of us even this week have coveted were very likely to break this on to Exodus chapter 20 verse 17 is very straightforward. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house shall not covet the neighbor's wife, nor his manservant nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbors and as I studied for this. I looked at many many different definitions of covetousness. The Hebrew word as the idea of a strong desire I must've lost many different definitions here so I would like to define covetousness. I think this summarizes it covetousness is the unlawful desire for something that does not belong to you. The unlawful desire for something that does not belong to you. You should have your married a righteous desire toward your spouse be should not have a desire toward someone else's spouse, you should enjoy the home that God is giving you.

Even the physical house, but you shouldn't want to steal someone else's house, you should enjoy kids if someday God gives you kids.

You should enjoy your kids but you shouldn't covet somebody else's children, even in Webster's dictionary they give a sample sentence and I thought it was very telling. It was this the king's brother coveted the throne he wanted something that was not rightfully his, was his brother's right to be the king.

So the unlawful desire for something that does not belong to you now as we get started here, I want to contrast ungodly covetousness with godly biblical ambition, I would not want to preach a sermon like this and for us to think oh I need to go somewhere and become a monk fact in the Middle Ages. There were monks that lived in caves is a group of monks called the pillar monks that they were also known as the skylights and they would they would stand atop of the pillar and people would come and try to either they would go without food or people try to get food up to them and this was their way of saying I have nothing to do with the world. I'm literally standing on top of the pillar the magician David Blaine. I think 2003 did this on 100 foot pillar in New York City and he stood there for over 30 hours a subpart of his inspiration was these weird pillar monks a that not be hard to go to classes if you're outstanding on the pillar you don't. You don't need to do that we don't need to retreat from the world. In fact, biblically, you should pursue good grades, you should hope to have a good job and to excel in your job and to do well coveting is not ambition. In Romans 1520, Paul said, I strived literally. I made it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named lest I should build upon another man's foundation, Paul made his ambition in Mark Twain's cousin or Tom Sawyer at the end of chapter 2 after the whitewash seen wearied this he hits Tom had a nice good idle time.

All the while plenty of company in the fence had three coats of whitewash on the end run out of whitewash you to bankrupt every boy in the village. Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world after all, he discovered a great law of human action without knowing it, namely, that in order to make a man or boy covet a thing.

It is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. Oftentimes, we covet something that we feel like it is difficult to attain.

Oftentimes, covetousness is a gateway send to think about. Second Samuel 11 David sin with Bathsheba. It starts with an inner desire that it transforms into an very external sinful actions right.

He breaks the 10th commandment when he desired Uriah's wife after solar bathing. He breaks the eighth commandment when he steals Bathsheba away from her husband.

He breaks the seventh commandment when he commits adultery with her. He breaks the ninth commandment when he lies about the affair he breaks the six commandment when he gives orders to have Uriah killed in battle and you could argue that he broke the first commandment by completely ignoring God during this whole episode, so the text says don't covet your neighbor's wife.

First of all your neighbors house. In biblical times, and even in our times. It's very easy to look at someone in your neighborhood or someone you know or your roommate and covet their house and says don't covet your neighbor's spouse was over he says why you shouldn't women should not covet someone else's husband. Don't covet your neighbor's homicide. This way, their possessions, because a manservant or maidservant help people accomplish things in our day. You might think about having a great car or really someone who does the lawn work for you are super nice new refrigerator, brand-new, remodeled kitchen, don't covet your neighbor's possessions and then it says there are two there donkey. I would call this their profession because that was the means by which they provided food for themselves.

It has it words how they made a living in our day with a don't covet your neighbor's job so I work my head off doing such and such and my neighbor know he's in the marketing and he goes out and golfs with people all the time and he makes double the salary I do. Don't covet your neighbor's house for spouse possession or profession and then finally anything else.

Don't covet anything. The text says that belongs to your neighbor that might be their looks, their body type young ladies in particular look at someone else and if only I could be as thin as her and she never even has to diet their athletic ability. Their musical ability. Their wardrobe their kids.

Why can't my kids be as cute as their kids to realize that that Americans in particular are known for agreed that there is actually a multibillion-dollar industry called the marketing and advertising industry, and in 2016 in the US hundred and $90 billion were spent on advertising that's that's more than any other country in the world by far. In fact, the second most the second biggest market for advertising. China doesn't even come to the halfway point of what is spent in American probably most famously, the Super Bowl Super Bowl Sunday. People gather around their TV wearing their football jerseys and eating Doritos and not even realizing that while they watched so much money is being spent over the past 52 years. It's estimated that $5.4 billion has been spent Super Bowl commercials.

The average price of the most recent Super Bowl was over $5 million for 32nd ad that's over hundred and $70,000. A second, companies are spending hundred and $70,000. A second, hoping that they'll hook you into buying their product there there planning on your greed. I think American credit card debt is one sign of our covetousness for every family that owns credit cards.

The average debt is over $16,000. You often hear the figure over $5000 per American credit card debt but not every American owns credit card people to actually own credit cards. On average over $16,000.

We hear about the American dream.

You can drive whatever car you want to live in whatever he house you want and retire early and it often leads to covetousness. We don't just covet people's money.

We covet their looks we covet the color of eyes that they have their body type their brain, their GPA, their athletic ability. Maybe for some of you. You covet the favor that one of your siblings seems to have with your parents have five children, the youngest of whom is only a few weeks old and I noticed that even many times particular. My older three bites and it's almost like they're there jockeying for position because they want my wife and I do notice them and they want to prove that they're smarter than their siblings with Genesis being home.

Her baby with my wife been bringing the other four kids in the school which is interesting with a bum ankle, but it works out and we have this rule that if we can leave by 705 only live about 10 minutes from campus, but we leave by 705 go out to eat breakfast food leave after 705 we breakfast in the car so that encourages them to help get ready quickly and so on. In a few days ago.

Shepherd says daddy Lillian is blackmailing Christian is like okay how she doing that well she's telling Kristin if he doesn't give her his hot cross buns. She's going to go really slow on purpose so we don't make it to the car by 705 we had to eat in the car. We don't get to go to restaurant so I talked to them about my wish and blackmail. And I say you know what the three of you dear ready when she got to the car when you finish getting obvious close on him. The 16 month old and I'll bring him out of the car so they got the car. Galvez goes on in my head out the car and Lillian announces Shepherd did something worse than blackmail. He killed one of God's creation.

And that's the same as killing God is like will know it's not the same as killing but Shepherd what did you kill Lisa while they were just sitting around there looking at it and they would get in the cars. I just pushed it need like it was just an old centipede anyways. Who really cares is no big deal. Lillian said I wanted to catch that centipede and keep it for a pet increase in the three-year-olds is Lillian nobody keep centipedes for pets if you catch a toad or frog or lizard you keep it for a pet but not a centipede million says are some people catch dogs and cats and keep them for pets and shepherds correct Teresa know. No one catches dogs and cats and keep some for pet they buy them as a puppy or kitten and they raise them up is like if you went out in the wild and try to catch a dog you might catch a wild dog or a wolf that be really dangerous if you just caught a random cat somewhere. It could be a bobcat that would be dangerous. Lillian respond Shepherd, I'm smart.

I would never go out and catch a bobcat I would catch a cute fluffy little cat and make a really good pet in the three-year-old person sides with a seven-year-old says note Lillian. I know you you be running around catching bobcats in his like dad, what is a bobcat so that they're trying to one up each other. They covet being thought well of by their siblings and their dad though they are the smartest one.

One of the main things that we tend to covet is money and what money can buy us in first Timothy six addresses that Paul writing to his protégé Timothy Wright says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, it certainly can carry nothing out and having food and raiment. Let us be there with content, but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lust which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil. The ideas all kinds of evil which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, a man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Now, would it be wrong for a believer to drive a car like this one will show you on the screen would be wrong to own a boat like this one, or to live in a house that looked like this, or maybe some very wealthy people own their own island with you own your own island with that be wrong if we had more time we can spend more time discussing that. But I think the bigger question for you. Today is the fact that probably you would save my bank account is at 1/1000 of what it would take to own something like that, but for some of you even when we showed those pictures on the screen.

There was something in your heart that said I would do anything to have a car like that. I'd kill to live in a house like that I would work no matter how much overtime it required to own my own island.

And if that's your heart's desire, then you're guilty of breaking first Timothy six there. There are very wealthy people that God is used in his kingdom have been very generous and they held their possessions with a very loose hand and they recognize that there simply is Stewart you could be a multimillionaire and not violate first Timothy six.

Or you could be a pauper and violated, you could be a homeless person doing everything you can to get your next but so we tend to assume all this is a really good message for the rich. But that's not me. It's a major oversight because compared to the rest of the world, everyone sitting in this room is rich compared world history, rich but also the fact that covetousness is an equal opportunity device and I think particularly in our day social media often contributes to it because we see airbrushed images of models and we we tend to think that everyone else has better than we do.

Even within the church or something known as the prosperity gospel that exalts covetousness as if it's godly, it's so easy to look at our neighbor Mrs. Summers coming up and maybe maybe you know you're you're married and you have kids in your sitting there and you're looking at your neighbor and he has a beautiful inground pool may be within an infinity edge and here you are in your dipping your toes and your kids kiddy pool and you covet it's it's envy you envy the person your neighbor and you covet their thing. The pool play make three quick points of application closing. First of all, how do you counteract this by cultivating contentment. Secondly, will look at loving your neighbor.

And thirdly, finding fulfillment in Jesus, the opposite of coveting is contentment. Hebrews 13 five let your conversation, your lifestyle be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have, how do you how do you cultivate contentment. What you seek to enjoy God's good gifts. Listen to Ecclesiastes 3 and 13 all these every man shall eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor. It's the gift of God.

I read about a rich businessman found a fishermen during the day and the fisherman just sitting there looking at the ocean and the businessman says wire and shellfish and he said I called the fish that I need today in the businessman says there still lay in the day you should go out and catch mornings as Wyatt got all that I need will if you would catch more than you could sell it and then you could buy a bigger boat and you can go deeper to the ocean he could catch more fish and pretty soon you can have a whole fleet of boats and you can own your own business like I do and you could be a very wealthy man. The fisherman said why would I do that will because someday after all that hard work you could retire. What would I do then money.

I don't know you could just relaxing to sit out look at the ocean and the fisherman said what he think I'm doing right now can we learn to enjoy God's good gifts to us. Enjoy God's good gifts.

Secondly, be grateful for each part of your life. Covetousness is the evidence of an ungrateful heart John D. Rockefeller famously was the single richest man in the world during his lifetime and someone asked him Mr. Rockefeller how much money is enough in his fame or famous answer was just a little bit more the quality of your life has very little to do with the quantity of your life. I don't take the time but there are numerous even recent studies on happiness and greed that show that more money does not always equal more happiness in 1990 the 24-year-old Danny Simpson robbed a bank in Ottawa, Canada. He got away with $6000 yet caught, he went to trial. He spent six years in prison. The really amazing part is when they studied out Danny Simpson had robbed that bank using a 45 caliber semi automatic pistol made by the Ross rifle company, Québec, Canada in 1918 that gone and antique at the time that he robbed the bank and slipped still $6000 went to jail the gun he robbed with was worth $100,000.16 times more than the amount of money he stole if he had learned to appreciate in value what he had probably no idea what the gun is worth the one of been stuck in jail.

Wish we had time to read Matthew 625 to 34 year familiar with verse 33 that we should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things should be added unto us the secret to complete 10 minute and lasting satisfaction is not in getting more it's in wanting less on time.

Her John Matthew speaking to a group of people and he said our monitors are too big. We want to much, you may not always have everything you want but you can want everything that you have. So cultivate contentment. Secondly, love your neighbor maybe you notice this with each part of this commandment. Something was in common it's your neighbor's house in your neighbor's wife and your neighbor servants in your neighbor's donkey and ox. If you love your neighbor, you're not going to covet what they have. Think about your parents is your dad coverages when you get good grades. Does your tad covet your athletic ability.

Of course not. He's thrilled to see his son or his daughter do well why because he loves you we don't covet after people that we love. And of course Christ summarizes the two of you and all the commandments with these two big ones love God and love your neighbor coverages person loves things a content person loves people. And thirdly, find fulfillment in Jesus. If you find your heart constantly. Longing for something this world cannot provide.

It's because you were created for different world menu, you realize that were supposed to be dead to ourselves and to send me think about Colossians 3 to set our affections on things above, our life is hid with Christ in God.

You realize that people who are dead don't covet. I wish they got me a better coffin. Why am I not under the shady part of the cemetery now that people don't covet. We should be dead to ourselves and dead to our sins and alive to Christ.

Listen to Luke 1215. He said under them, take heed and beware of covetousness from man's life consisted not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. You are so much more than the things you possess. Find worth find identity find satisfaction and fulfillment in Jesus, more stuff will not satisfy you. Howard Hills Howard Hughes took the money that he inherited from his parents and he took millions and turned it into billions. He became a Hollywood filmmaker and*he wanted more fame. He wanted more thrills and he built designed and flew the fastest airplane in the world of his day. He wanted more pleasures.

Illicit sexual activities. He had all kinds of drugs he wanted more power so used his money to influence two different US presidents. He had money and fame and thrill and pleasure in power.

But if you know anything about Howard Hughes. He died insane by most people standards, emaciated, colorless sunken chest. His his fingernails were in grotesque corkscrews had rotting teeth yet tumors throughout his body. All the skin was pockmarked with needle marks. He died as a billionaire junkie constantly wanting more. The things of this life will not satisfy today's ago the Saturday is at Golden corral with my three oldest kids like taking them for lunch and that's one of their favorite restaurants. They'd eaten some veggies and fruit and meat, which is part of my requirement for them to get together the dessert bar so when they went to the dessert bar is a little bit surprised because normally they want the cotton candy or the chocolate fountain. The fondue fountain or the fudge this time. Even the ice cream they just wanted straight up candy and so each of them got as many gummy bears and jellybeans. I would allow them to have. We went back to the table and they were building designs with the colors of the jellybeans and so on. The jelly bears and and jellybeans and and gummy bears and we were sitting there and I can think of going there for some reason and my daughter Lily and says daddy, what would it be like the five euro girl have a whole house made out of jelly bears and I just kind of smiled. I didn't want to talk to her about Howard that support the weight of a bathtub or you know what would happen on a hot summer day in your house becomes a puddle around you with that with the gummy bear in and then Christian's get his jellybeans in the line.

He's like, I would like a place where there be a whole long path of jellybeans in the Lancet.

I would love a long bath of jellybeans increases annoyance a bath. They said patently is a known thing about about the jellybeans you could eat the bubbles and they taste really good that they start talking about what a world would be like made out of candy and shepherd kinda pauses them at one point in all this seven-year-old wisdom. He knows the oldest brother and he says guys that's exactly what heaven will be like. I wasn't sure what to say I didn't talk to them about that that theologically there is no place in the Bible that mentions candy in heaven, but something hit me and I thought whether you're a child or an adult. There something in you that longs for something better and can I remind us that the glory of heaven will not be gummy bears are jellybeans. It won't even be golden streets or mansions. It won't even be our loved ones as much as we long to see them. The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land, and we will spend if you're a believer all of eternity enjoying Jesus heaven will be heaven because Jesus is there. How do we counteract the insidious scent of covetousness which tempts each of us. We cultivate contentment.

We love our neighbor and we find ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who alone is worthy. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We pray that you would impress it on our hearts. The you would help us to find contentment in Christ, we would be satisfied with you alone and not drawn to love all that this world offers. We pray this in Jesus name, amen. If you appreciate this program and benefit from the faithful preaching and teaching of God's word would you consider sending us a special financial gift. You can easily do that through the website. The Daily Platform.com. I'm Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. Thank you for listening to The Daily Platform, the Bob Jones University school for continuing online and professional education offers convenient and affordable online programs. Whether you're seeking to expand your skills pursue a passion or develop a ministry on your own time qualified and engaged instructors will help you reach your goals. For more information, visit scope.BJ you.edu or call 888-253-9833 you would listing to a sermon by Dr. Nathan Crockett, director of ministry training at Bob Jones University which is part of the study series about the 10 Commandments.

Join us again next week as we conclude this series here on The Daily Platform