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Deuteronomy chapter 5, as I said 
tonight, we're taking up the 10th commandment, specifically 
verse 21. And I want to do three things 
tonight. First, we'll look at the prohibition 
of the commandment, the reason for the commandment, and then 
the positive aspect of the commandment. If I don't make it to the positive, 
realize there is a positive aspect to the commandment. and hopefully 
we will see that. But notice, you shall not covet 
your neighbor's wife, you shall not desire your neighbor's house, 
his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his 
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. Let us ask the Lord 
again for assistance. As we come to this text, Father, 
we pray that you would find us out if we are guilty, that you 
would apply the balm of Gilead, that we would know the blood 
of Jesus that does cleanse from all unrighteousness. As well, 
our God, inform our minds concerning your law and help us to walk 
accordingly by the power of your Holy Spirit. We need him, and 
we need the forgiveness of sin even now, Lord God. So cleanse 
us and supply that which is lacking in our own hearts and lives. 
And we pray through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Remember, the 
second table of the law is summarized in Leviticus 19, 18. You shall 
love your neighbor as yourself, and in that second table of the 
law, there are commands given to protect life, marriage, and 
property against invasion and attack. The last two move from 
external action to word and to thought. Specifically, the ninth 
commandment deals with false witness, and the tenth commandment 
deals with covetousness. When you survey the Old Testament 
and even the New, you will find that covetousness is everywhere 
identified as a sin. But it was not a crime in Old 
Covenant Israel. All crime is sin, but not all 
sin is crime. We do not want the government 
to punish thought crime. We do not want the government 
to intrude upon our lives in terms of our thoughts. And that's 
what I think is running through the old covenant system. It wasn't 
about the thoughts of a man, but it was about the conduct 
of the actions that he engaged at. Again, not that it's not 
sin. God always deals with sin. But 
the government, the magistrate, is to deal with external transgression 
of the law. And I think that this command 
as well shows us the comprehensive character of God's law. It not 
only extends to what we do, but it extends to what we think, 
and we need to have a proper understanding concerning this. 
In the first place, the prohibition of the commandment. By way of 
definition, Webster's 1828 defines coveting as to desire inordinately, 
to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess. Now the word covet in a general 
sense can be mean can mean desiring, wanting, or craving. In fact, 
there's two verbs used. If you look at verse 21, you 
shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And then dropping down, 
you shall not desire your neighbor's house. Two different words, but 
the idea is the same. But every desire and even every 
covetous thought isn't necessarily sin. If you were out in the middle 
of the desert and you were dying, of thirst and you coveted a drink 
of water, that would not be unlawful. That would be legit. The covetousness 
is specified in this particular passage. It is an inordinate 
desire to obtain or possess something. It is unlawful for you to obtain 
or possess. Harmon says, illicit desire was 
the root from which all the other sins would spring. So there is 
a close connection between the Tenth Commandment and everything 
that precedes. The Tenth Commandment deals with 
man's inner heart and it indicates or demonstrates that the law 
of God is never complied with if it is strictly external. In 
other words, if you refrain from or don't engage in the things 
herein condemned, but your mind is actively pursuing it, or your 
mind genuinely desires it, or your mind is actually craving 
or coveting that particular thing, you are still guilty before the 
Lord God Most High. And remember that covetousness 
in and of itself, vis-à-vis the Tenth Commandment, is condemned. Now, one of the problems that 
covetousness presents is that it is a precursor to 
external sin. In other words, when we covet 
something, then we go out and pursue that thing sinfully. But 
it's not necessary that the external act occur for covetousness to 
have occurred. In other words, we may have this 
ungodly desire, we may have this illicit longing for something 
that is not ours, even if we don't act upon it, the thought 
that we have it is a sin against God. So yes, covetousness is 
a precursor to actual external acts of disobedience, but it 
doesn't necessarily mean we're not coveting if we don't commit 
those acts. We need to understand that. Covetousness 
in and of itself is wrong. So the presence of covetousness 
often leads to an act of transgression. You can see Micah 2, 1 and 2 
later if you want to verify that, but does not necessarily have 
to in order to violate the commandment. Peter Craigie says it is this 
dimension of the commandments that is taken up in the teaching 
of Jesus in Matthew 5, 21 to 48. Remember the Lord Christ 
there doesn't indicate that as long As you've engaged in external 
compliance with the letter of the law, you're okay. No, Jesus 
says that the law always speaks to the heart. The law not only 
condemns the external act of adultery, but it condemns the 
internal act of lust. The law not only forbids the 
act of actually taking someone else's life, But the law also 
speaks to the way that we treat human beings, and the way that 
we speak to them, and whether or not we have hatred in our 
hearts to them. The Lord Jesus shows us what 
was God's original intent with the Decalogue, or the Ten Words. 
The Pharisees, and it was the scribes, that messed up the law. In other words, when Jesus, in 
Matthew 5, 21-48, says, You have heard that it was said to those 
of old, but I say to you, some have wrongly concluded that Jesus 
is elevating the law over against its original intent. They suggest 
something like, You have heard Moses say to you, but I say to 
you. No, Jesus does not have a problem 
with Moses in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has a problem with 
those who have distorted, those who have perverted, and those 
who have misused Moses by stressing external compliance alone. As 
long as you don't stop someone's heart from beating, you are compliant 
with the sixth commandment. Well, as we go through the old 
covenant scriptures, we see that's just not the case. There are 
prohibitions against lust, Proverbs 6, 25. There's prohibition against 
hatred, Leviticus 19. There are prohibitions that speak 
to the internal man. So what Christ does in the Sermon 
on the Mount is simply highlight the spirituality of the law as 
it had always been intended to be interpreted. It was the Pharisaic 
misinterpretation that Jesus corrects in those antitheses. 
You have heard that it was said to those of old, not by Moses, 
but by Moses' distorters and Moses' perverters. Craigie goes 
on to say, not only the act, but also the desire is condemned, 
partly because the desire is what leads to the act, and partly 
because whether or not the desire leads to the act, it betrays 
the same wrong attitude toward a neighbor. So if you engage 
in covetousness and then act upon it, that is condemned. But the act of covetousness is 
condemned whether you act upon it or not, because you still 
have the wrong attitude and the wrong heart motive toward your 
neighbor. As well, the Tenth Commandment 
is intimately linked to the First Commandment. In fact, you can 
look at Ephesians 5 to verify this. Ephesians chapter 5, specifically 
verse 5, the apostle Paul is condemning wickedness, exhorting 
the people of God to walk in love. And in Ephesians 5, he says, 
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous 
man, who is an idolater, A covetous man is an idolater. Notice Colossians 3, a parallel, 
specifically in verse 5. Paul says, therefore put to death 
your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, 
passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Now note specifically 
in both of these contexts the strong sexual overtones. In other words, they are contacts 
that are denouncing sexual sin, or pornea, or sexual immorality. More than likely, the covetousness 
that is in view here is probably sexual in nature. And more than 
likely, that is what Paul says is idolatry. A man puts his carnal 
desires before the living God. A man who is addicted to internet 
pornography is substituting God Most High for something that 
gratifies his carnal lusts. It is idolatry. Often times a 
good indicator of what we are idolaters concerning is where 
do we spend our time and where do we spend our money. Whatever 
is the object upon which we spend our time, or the object upon 
which we spend our money, most likely that object captivates 
our hearts. And if it is on, say for instance, 
internet porn, or some actual act of sexual transgression, 
or be it whatever thing, may captivate our hearts. If we are 
spending more time with that object, if we are spending our 
money and energy on that object, then it is most likely the problem 
of idolatry. So what we have in the first 
two commandments, specifically in the first, is a prohibition 
against idolatry. You shall have no other gods 
before me. The second commandment describes 
how we are to approach this true and living God. And then the 
tenth commandment, linked by Paul to idolatry. This leads 
Christopher Wright to make this observation. He says, thus, the 
commandments come full circle. To break the tenth is to break 
the first. He says, for covetousness means 
setting our hearts and affections on things that then take the 
place of God. You see, this is no small thing. 
You say, well, we all covet. You know, I walk into my neighbor's 
house and if I'm a woman and they have a nice house, I might 
covet that. Or I'm a man and I see his garage 
and I don't have a garage. Boy, I really want that thing. 
We just kind of underestimate it. It really betrays something 
wrong in our hearts at a very fundamental level. Are we content 
with what God has given us? Are we content with our brother 
having what God has given him? Let's move specifically to the 
prohibitions in the commandment. First of all, the inordinate 
desire of a neighbor's wife. Now, these are legal codes, and 
certainly when it speaks about a prohibition against coveting 
your neighbor's wife, it certainly involves a woman coveting her 
neighbor's husband. It certainly makes that implication 
as well. Legal codes don't typically spell 
out everything in great detail. There's a general principle And 
then we're supposed to use our heads and make the proper implications 
concerning the law. So because it speaks of wives 
and it speaks of his stuff, doesn't mean it's okay for you to covet 
your sister's property or your sister's husband. So just understand 
that. Remember, in our study in the 
ninth commandment, a neighbor isn't somebody just in proximity. 
It isn't just somebody that lives next door to you. Your neighbor 
is anyone with whom you come into contact with. And the word 
of God is clear. You shall not covet your neighbor's 
wife. The definition of neighbor is 
not seen in proximity or familiarity, but is anyone with whom you have 
to do. You're not to do this. You're 
not to crave or desire another man's wife. You're not to crave 
or desire another woman's husband. The Word of God condemns that. The Bible speaks to our thought 
life. The Bible speaks to our wills 
and to our affections and to what we set our minds on. We are simply not given the prerogative 
to let our minds roam and wander and rollick and run free with 
whatever they desire to lay hold of. The coveting of another man's 
wife is directly related to the lust condemned by Jesus in Matthew 
5, 27 and 28. You have heard that it was said 
to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to 
you, whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has broken 
the commandment, the sixth word. And as well, we need to understand 
the coveting of another man's wife is an offense to God. He sees it, he understands it, 
he knows it. It's an offense to the man whose 
wife we are coveting and it's an offense to our own wives or 
to our own husbands as the case may be. You simply do not want 
to engage in that sort of a thought life. You simply do not want 
to let your mind run roughshod over particular people. You are 
to govern it. You are to control it. You are 
to subdue those affections and seek to marshal that energy into 
a proper desire of your own wife or of your own husband. In the 
second place, it is an inordinate desire of a neighbor's goods. 
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not desire your 
neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female 
servant, his ox, his donkey. And it's all summarized at the 
end of verse 21. Or anything that is your neighbor's. So you cannot say, well, it's 
not his ox, it's not his donkey, it's not his female servant, 
it's not his male servant, it's his car. Well, that belongs to 
your neighbor and you can't do that. You see the end? specifies 
and gives the general summary, anything that is lawfully possessed 
by your neighbor, you are not to crave it, you are not to desire 
it, you are not to covet it, you are not to think through 
it and ponder it and delight in it and wish that you had that 
particular item. The Lord here does not condemn 
hard work. I think the 10th and the 8th 
have a lot of similarities as well. The 8th is the prohibition 
against theft. What do we see in in the Eighth 
Commandment, and I think we see upheld here, the legitimacy of 
private property. God does not begrudge a man private 
property. If you go out and you work and 
you buy certain things, you get to have them. The government 
shouldn't take them away from you, your brethren shouldn't 
take them away from you, and your brethren shouldn't think 
about taking them away from you as well. Now the presence of 
covetousness often does lead to the act of transgression. 
There are several instances in the Bible. Remember in Genesis 
chapter 3, that foundational passage concerning the fall of 
man. There was a covetousness or a 
desire that preceded the particular act. When she saw that the tree 
was desirable to make one wise, she took and gave the fruit to 
Adam. Remember in Joshua chapter 7, 
when Achan, that man, stole those items that were under the ban. 
What does he say? He said, I saw them. There was 
an allure to them. There was something that provoked 
him such that he took it, buried it in his tent. We see the same 
sort of thing in 1 Kings 21. Ahab wanted to extend his winter 
home, if you will. And so he wants, or rather, he 
wanted to extend his garden, basically or essentially, So 
he craves Naboth's field, and then through a series of events, 
he ends up seizing that field. As well, we see it in David, 
in 2 Samuel chapter 11, when kings went out to battle. David 
didn't go. David sent Joab. David went up 
on his roof and he saw the woman. That was a precursor that got 
the ball rolling. But even then, if he hadn't have 
acted upon it, the act of covetousness is in and of itself a sinful 
act. Notice in James 1, 14 and 15. 
You may turn there. James 1, 14 and 15 gives us something 
of an anatomy of sin. You want to know what happens 
when you sin? It's all right here. James 1, 14 and 15. I don't mean what happens when 
you sin. I know you know that you sin, 
but what are the steps or the things involved in that particular 
sin? It's almost as if James throws 
it up under the microscope so we can examine the procedure. Notice in James 1.14, but each 
one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, 
it gives birth to sin and sin, when it is full grown, brings 
forth death. So when we come to this 10th 
commandment, yes, we are forbidden from desiring our neighbor's 
wife. We are forbidden from desiring our neighbor's goods. But in 
the third place, we are forbidden from the sin of discontentedness, 
being discontent. I have to say, one of the true 
joys of being a parent is when your kids are at about that age 
one or 15 months or whatever it is, it's been a while since 
they've been that small, and you either go out to a restaurant 
or you're at home And there happens to be a lemon there. I mean, 
I don't think the butlers were the only ones that did this. 
You give the lemon to the little toddler, and they put that lemon 
in their mouth, and they make this grimace, and they make this 
just, you know, repulsed face. You know, they do that whole 
wiggle thing. That's true fun as a parent, isn't it? I don't 
think it hurts them. I don't think it's, you know, 
painful other than a little discomfort that they're gonna get over it. 
It's almost like some people though never got past that phase 
when their parents put lemons in their mouth as children. They're 
always discontent. They always look like they just 
ingested a lemon. They walk around with a lemon 
in their pocket and they bite it so they can look upset, unhappy, 
discontent. If we are forbidden from being 
covetous people, this necessarily implies that we are not to be 
a discontent people. We are to be happy with such 
things that our God in heaven has given to us. The desire for 
anything that is our neighbor's reveals a heart of discontent 
at what God has given to us. You see that? In the commandment, 
we ought to realize that discontentedness with such things that our Lord 
has given, whether it be property, whether it be a spouse, if the 
Lord Most High has given you a wife or given you a husband, 
a covetous heart toward another man or another woman, again, 
is a great sin against God. It's a sin against your spouse. Be content with the wife of your 
youth. Be content with the husband that 
you have been given. Now, sometimes this can be subtle. Sometimes a man or a woman can 
say something like, why aren't you more like so-and-so? Why 
aren't you more like sister whoever? How come you can't fix plumbing 
like brother, you know, whoever in the church? Some of these 
comparisons and some of these things betray covetousness. Obviously, I wish I could fix 
plumbing and do all those good things and whatnot. You know, 
there's not always a wicked element there, but it does betray something 
of a heart of discontentedness. Charles Hodge says it includes 
this commandment, the positive command to be contented with 
the allotments of providence and the negative injunction not 
to repine or complain on account of the dealings with God with 
us, or to envy the lot and possessions of others. And that brings us 
to a fourth aspect in terms of prohibition, envy. Not all discontentedness 
is envy. Envy is in a class by itself. 
Envy is jealousy with a malicious intent to see our neighbor deprived. You see, jealousy is when I really 
want that car. Envy is, not only do I want that 
car, but I don't want him to have it. I mean, that's just 
wicked, isn't it? Or even if I don't get it, I 
still don't want him to have it. And you know my illustration 
I always use here. Somebody's already nodding. Years 
and years ago when I was a little fella, I went fishing with my 
father and my cousin. And my cousin caught lots of 
fish. And I caught nothing. And he had them on a stringer 
right in the bed of the river there. And Envy overtook. It was terrible. I was probably 
green and fuming and all that sort of thing. He walked away 
for a minute. I undid the stringer and let the fish go. If I'm not 
catching anything, neither is he. That is wicked. Envy. A deprivation of something that 
is lawfully his. He caught those fish, he worked 
hard, he was wise, he did what he was supposed to do. I'm not 
supposed to take that away from him. That's what envy is. Gary 
North defines it this way. Envy is the desire to see a successful 
person brought low, even when, should the person be brought 
low, The envious person does not benefit directly. You see, 
it's worse than jealousy. It is the desire to see someone 
deprived of that which is lawfully theirs. This sin of envy finds 
its way into vice lists in the New Testament. Romans chapter 
1, verse 29. 1 Corinthians 3, 3. Galatians 
5, 21. This is a work of the flesh, 
according to Paul in Galatians. 1 Timothy chapter 6, James 3, 
14 to 16. So when we look at this particular 
command, we're supposed to not or not supposed to have an inordinate 
desire for our neighbor's spouse, an inordinate desire for our 
neighbor's stuff. We're not to be a discontented 
lot looking like we're pulling lemons out of our pockets every 
step of the way and chewing them up so that we can grimace and 
look unhappy and unkind or whatever. There's just that disposition 
among some and that is condemned and as well envy. Now in terms 
of the reason for the command, in the first place the law. God 
tells us not to covet. God tells us to regulate our 
passions, our affections, our will. God says that his law is 
not only that or not only concerned with that which is external, 
but it is concerned with the internal disposition of the heart. 
It is a comprehensive law. The spirituality of the law is 
a beautiful thing to behold. That's why when we look at Matthew 
5, we're not to conclude that Jesus is elevating the law that 
he states over and against what Moses has said. Everything Moses 
says jives with what Jesus says. Everything Jesus says jives with 
what Moses said. Why? Because the law reflects 
the character of God. This is not the first time that 
the law of God is given. You say, here on the plains of 
Moab, of course it was given back at Sinai. Remember, Deuteronomy 
is the wilderness generation. It's the second generation. Because 
of their murmuring, because of their grumbling, because of their 
whining and sniveling, they did not enter the land. So it was 
this second generation that would enter the land and reap the benefits 
and the promises of God given to Abraham. So he repeats the 
law here at Moab. The original giving of the law 
was at Sinai in terms of the Ten Commandments. But even then 
it was not brand new. We study our confession of faith. 
Chapter 19 makes it very clear the moral law was given by God 
to Adam. The moral law is a reflection 
of who God is. Adam, God, what is real, God. It's codified, it's summarized, 
it's put into ten handy units at Sinai and again at Moab, but 
it's the same law. Prior to Sinai, God punished 
people for murder. Prior to Sinai, God punished 
people for sexual immorality. Prior to Sinai, God punished 
people for theft. For lying. Prior to Sinai, all 
of those elements were already in place. As Lightfoot says, 
Adam got the same law in the garden as Israel did at Sinai. But in fewer words and without 
the thunder. So you see the law of God as 
a whole has been in place from the beginning. And it extends 
not only to the external acts of man, but to the internal disposition 
of man. So the reason for the commandment, 
the law of God, secondly, love for our neighbor. Love for our 
neighbor. When we look at 1 Corinthians 
13, where Paul defines love, he says, love does not envy. Love does not envy. Love does 
not go about wanting to deprive people of the things that they 
lawfully possess. I mean, I don't know who you are, but there's 
no way you can justify envy in terms of love. I love him. I 
just don't want him to have what God's given him. That's not the 
case. Love for neighbor. Hodge says, 
as envy is the antithesis of love, it is of all sins the most 
opposed to the nature of God, and more effectually than any 
other excludes us from his fellowship. How could Hodge say that? Well, 
I think reflecting probably on Romans 12, we're told in Romans 
12, 15 to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with 
those who weep, aren't we? Envy is the direct opposite to 
that. Envy says, I rejoice over those who weep. And I weep when 
they rejoice. You see, if somebody comes to 
prayer meeting and they say, I got a raise at work. My employer 
saw that I'm doing a good job and he bumped my pay and I'm 
just happy about that. And somebody goes home and cries 
because they didn't get a raise. That is weeping over somebody 
who's rejoicing. We ought to enter in and praise 
God most high for that benefit or that blessing. In case you 
haven't understood this, brethren, God is not egalitarian. Man and 
government wants to reduce everybody to the same playing field. God 
blesses some tremendously. God blesses others maybe not 
as tremendously in terms of material provision. We're not to begrudge 
them. We're not to get angry with them. We're certainly not to get angry 
with God. Brethren, when we envy a brother, or when we envy someone, 
or when we're discontent, it tells us something concerning 
our relationship with God. Because ultimately, especially 
as Calvinists of reform, we know God is sovereign, and we know 
that he gives wealth, and we know that he is the one ultimately 
responsible for the provision of a brother. So if we rail against 
that, or we're upset about that, or we get angry that somebody 
got a raise and we didn't, who are we ultimately angry at? I 
mean, we'll target brother whoever, but it's really God. And our 
theology knows better. And then that connection with 
idolatry. We cannot miss that. The first 
and the tenth go hand in hand. Well, in terms of the positive 
aspect of the commandment, third point. Westminster, larger catechism. What are the duties required 
in the tenth commandment? The duties required in the tenth 
commandment are such a full contentment with our own condition and such 
a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor as that 
all our inward motions and affections touching him tend unto and further 
all that good which is his." In other words, we are to promote 
the happiness of others in the way that we treat them. But I 
just want to draw out some things in terms of positives. In the 
first place, we ought to recognize God's promise and provision. We ought to recognize God's promise 
and provision. When we come to this commandment, 
in terms of violating it, when we desire someone else's spouse, 
when we desire someone else's goods, when we express discontentedness 
or envy, we are saying something about God. We are saying that 
He has not dealt with us as we deserve. He has not given us 
what I need. He has not supplied me with that 
thing that will benefit me and make me happy. We need to understand 
as God's people and recognize His promise and His provision. 
Hebrews 13, 5 and 6, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as 
you have. For he himself has said, I will 
never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord 
is my helper. I will not fear. What can man 
do to me? We need to recognize his provision 
or his promise and his provision. He has given us what he has given 
us, and he has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Brethren, 
that in and of itself is most excellent. Whether you ever get 
your brother's car, whether you ever get your brother's stuff, 
whether you ever get whatever everybody else may have, God 
has promised and covenanted never to leave you nor forsake you. 
In the second place, we need to recognize the surpassing importance 
of eternity to come. Why do we get so bent out of 
shape over stuff? We're not taking stuff with us. 
Stuff does not enter into the eschaton. There is no suitcase 
that you pack prior to entering into heaven. Why do we get so 
worked up about phones, about stuff, about items? about things, 
about knickknacks. How many knickknacks can we possibly 
have? You ever moved? Have you ever 
moved and concluded, we have too much stuff? We all like our 
stuff until it's time to move that stuff. And then we say, 
it's too much stuff. I've got to thin out the stuff. 
A lot of our lives are spent with our stuff. Now, stuff is 
important. It keeps the rain off our heads. 
It keeps the cold out of our bones. It keeps fire, you know, 
near us and food and all that. We need stuff. That's not the 
point. But we crave stuff, we desire stuff, we long for stuff. Stuff makes us happy. We need 
to resist that tendency. We need to understand the surpassing 
importance of eternity to come. The third place, we ought to 
appreciate or have an appreciation for the happiness of others. 
If it is in you to get upset that somebody is blessed, you 
need to repent. If it is in you to rejoice over 
somebody who's in misery, you need to repent. That is folly 
and sin and unholy. Again, Romans 12, 15, rejoice 
with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Covetousness 
reverses this and rejoices over those who weep and weeps over 
those who rejoice. In the next place, in our own 
lives and in our own hearts, we ought to cultivate biblical 
contentment, biblical contentment. First Timothy chapter six, a 
passage we have looked at in the not too distant past. Excuse 
me. First Timothy chapter six verses 
three to 10. If anyone teaches otherwise and 
does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our 
Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 
he is proud. knowing nothing, but is obsessed 
with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, 
strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of 
corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness 
is a means of gain. From such, withdraw yourself." 
Paul doesn't mince words when he's dealing with false teachers, 
does he? Paul doesn't say, you know, there's some bad guys out 
there, and I just want to dance around it, and I want to speak 
in vagaries and generalities. No, he tells us what kind of 
men these are. And he speaks in verse 6, now godliness with 
contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into this 
world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. We didn't 
come with stuff. We can't carry stuff out. You 
see, we need to cultivate contentment with what God has given to us. 
And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare 
and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction 
and perdition. For the love of money is a root 
of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith 
in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many 
sorrows." Now, guard against the tendency or the temptation 
to suggest that if somebody does have stuff, if God has prospered 
them, then they are necessarily covetous. That doesn't follow. You know what? Sometimes God 
may keep us from the position of having a lot of stuff because 
we can't handle it. Some persons might be able to 
handle it. Some persons might be able to handle God's blessing 
and provision in a large quantity. We can't necessarily conclude. 
Notice in verse 17, command those who are rich in this present 
age to get rid of their stuff. No, that's not what Paul says. 
To get worse jobs. No, that's not what Paul says. 
to give up all their money and join monasteries and shave their 
heads and bang tambourines at the airport, that's not what 
Paul says. Command those who are rich in 
this present age not to be haughty. That is something that may be 
in the heart of a prosperous man, to be proud, to be haughty, 
to suspect that he himself has built this kingdom. Think Nebuchadnezzar 
when he's looking over the kingdom that he himself had built and 
he's parading himself and he's strutting himself and God judges 
and sends him out to live like a beast in the field. Haughtiness 
is something that a rich man must guard against, but so must 
poor man. Notice, nor to trust in uncertain 
riches but in the living God. Again, you cannot conclude that 
a man who has plenty is necessarily in sin. He may be, I'm not suggesting 
otherwise, but he's not necessarily so. Paul's instructions concerning 
the rich is not that the rich become the poor. You can't maintain 
such a position from the Bible. The Bible knows no monasticism. It knows no vow of poverty. It knows no vow of chastity. It knows no unlawful vows in 
terms of an extra special commitment to God. No, those who are prosperous 
and those who aren't have the same role and duty and obligation 
before the God of heaven and earth. So they are not to trust 
in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly 
all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be 
rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. You see, 
a man with stuff needs to take this seriously. A man who's been 
prospered by God and blessed by God richly needs to take seriously 
the mandate of verse 18. Let them do good, be rich in 
good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves 
a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold 
on eternal life. So the absence of stuff and the 
presence of stuff have similar challenges. We need to regulate 
our conduct, our mind, and our thoughts concerning God and his 
word about our stuff. And in the final place, in terms 
of a positive aspect, a help really, to try and head off at 
the past this sin of covetousness, is the exercise of a charitable 
spirit. The exercise of a charitable 
spirit. It's the opposite of covetousness. 
If I'm desiring my neighbor's wife, or I'm desiring my neighbor's 
husband, or I'm desiring my neighbor's good, If I just say, Lord God 
in heaven, please forgive me. And I take a pie over there and 
I try to make his day nice. The exercise of a charitable 
spirit. Being kind to others instead of wanting their stuff. 
Being kind to others instead of craving their wives or their 
husbands. You see, that's the mindset that is requisite for 
new men in Christ Jesus. We're not to live like the Gentiles. 
We're not to walk around lusting after everything that moves. 
We're not to walk around surveying people's things saying, boy, 
I wish I had that. I wish they didn't have it. I just want, 
want, want, want. No, that's not the mindset of God's people. We're to fear God. We're to honor 
God. We're to glorify God. We're going to try and produce 
good toward others. Love to God. Love to men. That's the two grand commandments 
that we have to do with. Well, in terms of application, 
we'll look at this, the use of the commandment like we have 
with the others, the civil use. You ever realize that the advertising 
industry depends on the violation of covetousness? I realize there 
is a sense where an advertisement sets it out there. Here's a product 
that's available to you. A lot of advertisement is not 
calculated for that. It's to appeal to you at your 
basest and most carnal level. You know, equating this product 
with much happiness, Brethren, happiness doesn't come through 
products. It really doesn't. Happiness 
comes through relationship with God the Lord through Jesus Christ 
our Savior. Communion with God trumps stuff. Communion with God is most blessed 
for the creature. The advertising industry depends 
on the breach of this commandment. So does the industry of pornography. It is appealing to base, carnal 
covetousness wherein a man or a woman will look at another 
man or a woman that is not theirs lawfully, that is not their spouse, 
and look upon them in a way that God the Lord condemns. You're not to covet as well. The presence of personal indebtedness 
is often relative to a covetous spirit. You know, a man that's 
in debt up to his eyeballs, he might have a problem with covetousness. If he can't walk past the store 
without succumbing to the pressure of buying this stuff for further 
happiness. If he has a garage and has to 
rent a storage facility and has to rent a second. I mean, that's 
just amazing, isn't it? We have to rent places to put 
our stuff. The garages and the closets aren't 
enough to hold our stuff, so we gotta get, if you have a storage 
facility, I'm not condemning you, you probably think I am, 
but the idea is that this may betray a covetous spirit, indebtedness. We're supposed to be content 
with what God has given us, not charge ourselves into the fiscal 
irresponsibility that is indicative of our federal governments. That's 
not supposed to be what happens with people. We're not to rack 
up the stuff as a reflection of our covetousness. In terms 
of the societal decay that results from a rejection of the 10th, 
remember, if there is a vital link between the 10th and the 
first, as we have seen, what we find then is that society 
will indeed suffer as a result. A rejection of the first word 
leads to a rejection of all the words therein or between. Wright 
says, when a society has so profoundly and deliberately abandoned the 
first and tenth commandments, the moral vacuum that results 
from the loss of all those commandments in between soon follows. We've seen that connection in 
Romans 1. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth 
in unrighteousness. So Paul starts with ungodliness, 
and then he indicates unrighteousness. As he develops his argument in 
the remainder of chapter one, he shows that that is the progression. 
Men knew God, but they didn't glorify him as God, nor were 
their hearts thankful. But they exchanged the truth 
of God for the lie, and they worshiped and served the creature 
rather than the creator, who is God-blessed forever. And from 
that vantage point, from that rejection of the living and true 
God, comes murder, comes adultery, comes theft, comes lying, comes 
covetousness. When we reject God vis-a-vis 
the first and the tenth commandments, we are going to reject men by 
all the other commandments as well. There is a societal effect 
when we engage in these sorts of things. In the second place, 
the pedagogical use. Perhaps you're not a Christian 
tonight. Perhaps you've not come to the Lord Jesus tonight. Perhaps 
you can say, with that rich young ruler, you know, all these things 
I have kept from my youth. I haven't committed murder. I've 
honored my folks. I haven't committed adultery. 
I haven't lied. I haven't stolen. Well, the 10th 
commandment will always find you out. I don't care who you 
are, all of us have probably broken the 10th commandment. 
Well, I shouldn't say probably. Can anyone say, now I'm not asking 
for a raise in the hand, can anyone say I've never coveted? 
I've not met that person. You see, that's what this rich 
young ruler was suggesting. All these I've kept from my youth. 
When Jesus says to him, go and sell everything you have, take 
the proceeds, give it to the poor and follow me. Jesus is 
putting his finger on the pulse of this man's sin. Jesus is indicating 
to this man he's got a problem with covetousness. Jesus is not 
teaching works righteousness. Jesus is not suggesting that 
as long as you sell your stuff and you give the money to the 
poor and you follow me, you're going to go to heaven. Jesus 
is using the law in that particular capacity as a pedagogue to show 
that rich young ruler that he is a sinner, that he is a lawbreaker. And though he hasn't engaged 
in the external manifestation of murder, adultery, or lying, 
or theft, he nevertheless has those things simmering below 
the surface in his heart. Jesus uses the law as a pedagogue 
to show this man his bankruptcy before a holy God and the need 
for Christ. Interestingly enough, this was 
the same commandment that God used in the life and ministry 
of the Apostle Paul. Romans chapter 7, excuse me, 
at verse 7. This is the pedagogical use of 
God's law, the child tutor use. Romans 7, 7. What shall we say? Then is the law sin? Certainly 
not. On the contrary, I would not 
have known sin except through the law, for I would not have 
known covetousness unless the law had said, you shall not covet. You see, God used that law specifically 
for Paul to show him that he was a sinful man who stood in 
need of blood atonement. And I suspect that this commandment 
will have that effect upon each and every one of us. Our confession 
recognizes within the Christian life The law functions like that. We begin to sin, or we begin 
to cut corners, or we begin to covet stuff, or we want to fill 
up another garage. And the law comes and it brings 
us back to an appreciation for the gospel, brings us back to 
the foot of the cross, brings us back so that we apply to the 
blood of Jesus, confess it, forsake it, find mercy, and then by the 
grace of God go out and pursue the normative use of the law. 
So we've got the civil, pedagogical, And normative, how do we as Christian 
believers use this particular law? Well, in the first place, 
we need to understand or recognize that the law extends to our internal 
disposition, thoughts, will, and affections. Thoughts, will, 
and affections. God's law regulates every area 
of our lives. And in the second place, there's 
a lot of other things we could add to this normative use of 
the law. but we're coming to a close, the constant and diligent 
watch over our own heart. What does Solomon say in the 
book of Proverbs? He says, keep your heart with 
all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. You 
see, if covetousness is something that is internal, what ought 
to be our full-time jobs? It ought to be watching our hearts. 
I'm not saying go tomorrow on Monday morning, quit your job 
and tell your employer, I'm going to go sit on Mount Cham and watch 
my heart. No, you need to watch your heart at your workplace. 
You need to watch your heart in your home. You need to watch 
your heart in your church. You need to watch your heart 
everywhere. It is a full-time job. and it 
is something specifically enjoined upon each one. Notice, it's not 
keep your brother's heart, keep your sister's heart, keep everybody 
else's heart. It's a full-time job, brothers 
and sisters, to keep your heart with all diligence, understanding 
that from it spring the issues of life. So in terms of the civil, 
the pedagogical, the normative, the Tenth Commandment has great 
utility for the people of God, for civil society, and for unbelievers, 
hopefully to drive them to the cross that they may seek forgiveness 
through our Lord Jesus. Because there are no men, no 
women who can ever say, I haven't coveted. I've only ever been 
pure in my thoughts. I've only ever been righteous 
in my appropriation of stuff. I've only ever been good around 
other women or other men. No, most of us have broken the 
law over and over and over again. But that's the beauty of the 
Christian gospel. The law comes, shows us our sin 
and depravity, and the gospel comes to deliver us by the power 
of Jesus Christ through his blood, through his righteousness, there 
is forgiveness and there is life eternal. So come, if you have 
not, as a covetous man or a woman, come to that fount that is open 
for sin and uncleanness and you will find mercy. Well, let us 
pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
these 10 commandments, and we thank you that you have not left 
us without them in this world. They are beautiful. They are 
wonderful. Help us to take the attitude 
of the psalmist who said, how I delight in the law of the Lord, 
how I love your law. It is my meditation day and night. May these things truly serve 
as a rule of life for us, and may we find power and aid and 
strength by the Spirit of God to comply with these things. 
We ask that you would go with us now. We pray that you'd watch 
over us in this coming week. Help us to glorify you as individuals, 
as families, in our workplaces, and when you bring us together 
again as a church. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.