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welcome to everyone just a reminder there is a hymn sing tonight after the service you can head upstairs and sing some additional songs and hymns well for our call to worship this evening i want to read Psalm 97 Psalm 97 there's a good admonition for all of us specifically in verse 10 in light of the Ten Commandments but i do want to begin reading in verse 1 the lord reigns let the earth rejoice let the multitude of isles be glad clouds and darkness surround him righteousness and justice or the foundation of his throne a fire goes before him and burns up his enemies round about his lightnings light the world the earth seeds and trembles the mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord at the presence of the lord of the whole earth the heavens declare his righteousness and all the people see his glory but all be put to shame who serve carved images who boast of idols worship Him all you gods zion hears and is glad and the daughters of judah rejoice because of your judgment so lord for you lord our most high above all the earth you are exalted far above all gods you who love the lord hate evil he preserves the souls of his Saints he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart rejoice in the Lord you righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name amen well please turn in your trinity trinity hymnal to number 53 him number 53 will stand as we sing together well friend through asked that we remember a niece and a nephew of hers both who have brain cancer and then she asked that we remember her husband Ron we do pray for him on Sunday mornings and wednesday evenings please remember him as well in your private prayers and let us go to the throne of grace are blessed in our holy God we come before you on the Sabbath day again to sing the praises of our great God you confess your glory and your majesty we confess your excellence we confess that you are the triune God Father Son and Holy Spirit we know that you have made this world and all things in it we know that in your Providence you govern all your creatures and all their actions and we know as well from the scriptures that you are the one who had saved his people from their sins we thank you our Father for the the plan of salvation the purpose the decree undertaking to deliver your people from their iniquity we thank you that in the fullness of the time you send forth your son who was born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law we thank you for the life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for His perfect obedience to the law of God and for his death at Calvary is our substitute and as our blood atonement we thank you for the resurrection and for the current session of the Lord Jesus at your right hand and we look forward to that day when he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead we praise you as well for the work of them the Holy Spirit we know God that you have drawn us to yourself by his power through his aid we have come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and turn from our sins so all glory and praise and adoration goes to our great God we echo the prophet Jonah and the saints in heaven who all declare that salvation is of the Lord from first to last and in between our God is the one who has brought us out of darkness in the marvelous light so tonight we pray that you would be glorified in this meeting place that as we sing and pray and look to Holy Scripture we would worship you in spirit and in truth that our worship would be acceptable to you that we would come to you with reverence and godly fear and with great joy and thanksgiving on with praise and worship we pray that you would receive it tonight through our Lord Jesus Christ our great high priest we ask that you would look with favor upon those in our midst with physical chopper certainly as we consider these things as we consider the truth of our salvation we ought to respond with praise and worship we pray that you would receive it tonight through our Lord Jesus Christ our great high priest we ask that you would look with favor upon those in our midst with physical challenges and difficulties we think of Fran and we pray that you would give her grace and wisdom to deal with her family members we pray for this nice and for this nephew that the care that they receive would be useful and would be beneficial we also pray for her husband first and foremost that this man would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we pray that you would watch over him physically as well and just look with favor upon Fran and upon her family we pray for others in our congregation with these ongoing physical challenges that they would know grace to persevere in the midst of trial and difficulty that they like David would strengthen themselves and the Lord their God that they would know the nearness of God as they're good and they would be strengthened with might and the inner man by the power of your Holy Spirit we also pray for each and every one of us in this congregation we all have spiritual struggles many temptations in the sinful world we have our own remaining corruption and just a whole host of things that that argue against our perseverance but grant us grace Lord God to persevere grant us grades to lay hold of you and private grant us grace to gather together on the Lord's Day with other brothers and sisters that we may worship you that we may know the means of grace and their power to strengthen us in our daily lives we ask that you would look with favor upon the the persecuted Church we know there are many who do not have the sorts of benefits and liberties that we enjoy we pray for those God in in the middle east and we pray for those under oppressive regimes that continue to get murdered and martyred for the cause of God and truth we pray that you would surround your people with protection and grant them favor from on high and enable them in the midst of these trials and calamities to nevertheless maintain a faithful witness and testimony to our Lord Jesus Christ we pray for Asia Bibby enforce heed Abedini and for others like them that they would be released from prison and be able to return to their families as well our God we thank you that there is a sound reformed baptist church in its lamb about in pakistan we thank you for that ministry and pray that you would prosper them that you would continue to bless the word of god as it goes forth in that nation and may there be a multitude who turn from their idols to the true and living God we thank you Father that we are just one small part of a much larger hole that the kingdom of God most high is progressing that it's moving forward that Christ has promised to build his church and the gates of Haiti shall not prevail against it we thank you Lord God for this that there is progress that there is perseverance among the kingdom or within the kingdom and we know that you have all things under absolute and sovereign control we pray that you'd have mercy upon the civil government we know Lord God that much that happens to people and society is as a result of either good or bad laws the Solomon said righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people and certainly father we see all manner of sin and crime against you against men and Lord we pray that you would change the hearts of men and cause them to rule in justice and with equity even as we read in the scriptures that righteousness and justice of the foundation of your throne certainly civil judges civil governor civil magistrate sought to rule in a say more like manner we pray that you'd have mercy and that there would be a day when the sorts of sins that are rampant today would be would be stopped that they would no longer be legislated for or subsidized but we would see the criminalization of abortion and sodomy and euthanasia these things that are done against image bearers of the living and true God we ask now that you would forgive us for all of our sins and all of our unrighteousness she would continue with us in this glad our help us to rejoice and to praise and to honor you our great God and we come to you through Jesus Christ our Lord and it's in his name that we pray amen please turn with me to 675 675 we'll stand as we sing together you you can turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 5 I'll read the scripture that will preach from tonight I'll read this now we'll sing our final him and then look specifically at verse 21 but i do want to read beginning in chapter 5 at verse 1 and moses called all israel and said to them hear o Israel the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today that you may learn them and be careful to observe them the Lord our God made a covenant with us in hora hora the Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers but with us those who are here today all of us who are alive the Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire I stood between the Lord and you at that time to declare to you the word of the Lord for you were afraid because of the fire and you did not go up to the mountain he said I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage you shall have no other gods before me you shall not make for yourself a carved image any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them nor serve them for I the Lord your God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the father's upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my Commandments you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain observed the Sabbath day to keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God but in it you shall do no work you know your son nor your daughter nor your male servant nor your female servant nor ox nor your donkey nor any of your cattle nor your stranger who is within your gates that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you and remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day honor your father and your mother as the Lord your God has commanded you that your days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you you shall not murder you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor you shall not covet your neighbor's wife you shall not desire your neighbor's house is filled his male servant is female servant his ox is donkey or anything that is your neighbors these words the Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mountain from the midst of the fire the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice and he added no more and he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me amen will let us pray God as we look to the Holy Scripture this evening we pray for the Ministry of your spirit that he would guide us and lead us in this particular commandment that speaks to our heart it speaks to the internal disposition we know that you govern not only our actions but also our thoughts our wills and our affections and I pray that you would help us to see the spirituality of your law the comprehensiveness of it that it extends to the total man and give us grace to receive the things that we see in holy scripture and as your people may we walk in a manner that is consistent with such things may forgive us that we oftentimes fall short we thank you for the blood and the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that he is the mediator of a better covenant we thank you that he is the one upon whom all the promises of God are yea and amen now we thank you that he has saved us from our sins we pray through Christ our Lord amen well for our final him you can turn to 453 and again we'll stand as we sing together number 450 three Deuteronomy chapter five as I said tonight we're taking up the tenth commandment specifically verse 21 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 its field is male servant as female servant as oxes donkey or anything that is your neighbors let us ask the Lord again for assistance 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 and form 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 to move from external action to word and to thought specifically the ninth commandment deals with false witness and the tenth commandment deals with covetousness now when you skirt a 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 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 his of his the actions that he engaged at again not that it's not sin God always deals with sin but the government of 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 the idea is the same but every desire and even every covet just thought isn't necessarily sin if you were out in the middle of the desert you were dying of thirst and you coveted a drink a drink of water that would not be unlawful that would be legit the covetousness is specified in this particular passage it is a 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 in her 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 and the things in condemn but your mind is actively pursuing it or your mind genuinely desires it or your mind is actually craving work or coveting that particular thing you are still guilty before the Lord God most high and remember that covetousness in and of itself visa V the tenth commandment is condemn now one of the problems that covetousness or one of the problems that covetousness presents is that it is a precursor to actual 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 on or 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 consciousness in and of itself is wrong so the presence of covetousness often leads to an act of transgression you can see Micah to one and two later if you want to verify that but does not necessarily have to in order to violate the commandment Peter craigy says it is this dimension of the commandments that is taken up in the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 5 21 248 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 that and whether or not we have hatred in our hearts to that the Lord Jesus shows us what was God's a ridge intent with the decalogue of the ten words it was the Pharisees and it was the scribes that messed up the law in other words when Jesus in Matthew 5 21 248 says you have heard that it was said to those of all 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 nope 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 lost proverbs 6 25 there is prohibition against hatred Leviticus 19 there are prohibitions that speak to the internal man to 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 antithesis you have heard that it was said to those of all not by Moses but by Moses distorter xand Moses pervert errs Greggy 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 fact you can look at Ephesians 5 to verify this Ephesians chopped 25 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 idolaters a covetous man is an idolaters 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 contacts the strong sexual overtones in other words they are contacts that are denouncing sexual sin or porneia 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 has addicted to internet pornography is substituting God most high for something that gratifies his carnal lusts it is idolatry oftentimes 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 for 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 right 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 debt 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 I see his garage and I don't have a garage boy I really want that thing we just kind of underestimated 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 neighbors 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 sisters property or your sister's husband so just understand that remember in our study in the eighth or 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 has not seen in proximity or familiar but is anyone with whom you have to do your 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 Rome 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 lost 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 accommodate 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 light 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 is filled as male servant his female servant as arts as donkey and it's all summarized at the end of verse 21 or anything that is your neighbors so you cannot say well it's not as dogs it's not as oki it's not as female servant it's not as male servant as its 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 tenth and the eighth have a lot of similarities as well the eighth is the prohibition against that 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 you work and you buy certain things you get to have that 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's 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 and 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 akin 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 as tan we see the same sort of thing in first Kings 21 a hab wanted to extend his his winter home if you will and so he wants or rather he wanted to extend his garden basically or essentially so he craves nay boat's field and then through a series of events he ends up seizing that feel as well we see it in David in second 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 and have acted upon it the act of covetousness is in it in and of itself a sinful act notice in James 113 a 1 14 and 15 you may turn their 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 are 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 114 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 tenth 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 the sin of discontented nets being discontent I have to say one of the true joys of being a parent is when your kids are at about that age 1 or 15 months or whatever it is it's been a while since they've been that that's small and you either go out to a restaurant or you're at home and and there happens to be a lemon there I mean I don't think the butler's were the only ones that did this you give the the lemon to the little toddler and they put that lemon in their mouth and they make this grin us and they make this just you know repulsed face you know they do that whole wiggle there that's that's true fun as a parent doesn't it I don't think it hurts that i don't think it's you know painful other than a little discomfort that they're going to 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 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 conscious 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 neighbors reveals a heart of discontent at what God has given to us you see that in the commandment we ought to realize that discontented nests 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 now 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 discontented pneus 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 NB the law and possessions of others and that brings us to a fourth aspect in terms of prohibition Envy not all dis contentedness is envy envy is in a class by itself envy is jealousy with the malicious intent 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 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 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 him on a stringer right in the late of bed of the river there and NB over talk I you know it was terrible i was probably green and fuming and all that sort of thing he walked away for a minute I in the stringer and let the fish go if I'm not catching anything neither is he that is wicked and be a deprivation of something that is lawfully has 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 so you see it's worse than jealousy it is the desire to see someone deprived of that which is lawfully there's this is there this this sin of envy finds its way into Vice lists in the New Testament Romans chapter 1 verse 29 first Corinthians 33 Galatians 5 21 this is a work of the flash according to Paul in Galatians first Timothy chapter 6 James 3 14 and six of 14 to 16 so when we look at this particular command we're supposed to nod are not supposed to have an inordinate desire for our neighbors spouse and in order to czar for our neighbors 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 on you know kind or whatever there's just that disposition among psalm and that is condemn and as well envy now in terms of the reason for or the command the first place the law God tells us not to covet God tells us to regulate our passions or affections or 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 are 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 has 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 got what Israel God its codified its 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 punish people for sexual immorality prior to Sinai God punish 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 it 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 first 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 in rome reflecting probably on romans 12 we were 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 and he 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 case you haven't understood this brethren God is not egalitarian man wants to reduce every you know 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 that we're certainly not to get angry with God Reverend when we envy a brother or when we envy someone or when were disc and dad it tells us something can a relationship with God because ultimately especially as Calvinists are reformed 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 and we're upset about that and we get angry that somebody got a raise and we did it who are we ultimately angry at I mean will 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 10th 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 tanned 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 that 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 discontented pneus 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 five and six 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 good 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 well whether you again ever get whatever everybody else may have God has promised and covenant and never to leave you nor forsake you in the second place we need to recognize the surpassing importance of eternity to come why don't 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 in to have it 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 Scott 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 but that excuse me first Timothy chapter six verses 3 to 10 if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to hold some 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 commend me 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 withdrawal 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 in generalities no he tells us what kind of men these are 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 as 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 of the temptation to suggest that if somebody does have stuff if God has prospered them then they are necessarily covetousness acha 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 proud 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 gang of sync Nebuchadnezzar when he's looking over the 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 20 is necessarily in said 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 know those who are prosperous and those who are on aren't have the same role in 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 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 to help really to try and head off at the past the sin of covetousness is the exercise of a charitable spirit the exercise of a charitable spirit and 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 and heaven please forgive me and I take a PI over there and I try to make his day nights the exercise of a charitable spirit being kind to others instead of wanting their stuff being kind to others instead of craving their wives of their husbands you see that's the mindset that is requisite for new man 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 staying saying boy I wish I had that I wish they didn't have it I just want what now that's not the mindset of God's people we were 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 man that's the two grand commandments that we have to do with well in terms of application look at this the use of the commandment like we have with the others the civil use you ever realize what the advertising industry depends on the violation of covetousness I realize there is the sense where an advert 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 basis to 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 prompts staff communion with God is mo bless it 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 coverage of 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 score 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 probably think I am but the idea is 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 you know the the fiscal irresponsibility that is indicative of our federal government's 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 tent remember if there is a vital link between the tent and the first as we have seen what we find that is that society will indeed suffer as a result a rejection of the first work leads to a rejection of all the words there in or between right says when a society has so profoundly and deliberately abandoned the first intent commandments the moral vacuum that results from the loss of all those Commandments in between soon follows we've seen that connection and romans want 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 the remainder of chapter 1 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 worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator was god blessed forever and from that vantage point from that rejection of the living and true God calms murder comes adultery comes theft comes lying comes covetousness when we reject God visa V the first and the Ten Commandments we are going to reject men by all the other Commandments as well there is a societal of fact 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 tenth commandment will always find you out I don't care who you are all of us have probably broken the tenth commandment well I shouldn't say probably can anyone say no I'm not asking for a raise and can anyone say I've never coveted I've not met that person you see that's what this rich on 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 sent 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 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 law breaker and though he hasn't engaged 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 of tutored use Romans 77 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 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 for say 'get 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 we're coming to a close the constant and diligent watch over our own heart what is Solomon say in the book of Proverbs he says keep your heart with all diligence for out of its bring 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 Shan and watch my heart no you need to watch your heart at your workplace you need to watch your heart and 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 and joined upon each one notice it's not eat your brother's heart keep your sisters 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 its 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 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 so calm 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 Ten 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 and the law of the Lord how I love your lawn is my meditation day and night may these things truly serve as a rule of life for us and may we find power and a and strength by the Spirit of God to comply it with these things we ask that you would go with us now we pray that you'd watch over us and this coming week help us to glorify you as individuals as families and our workplaces and when you bring us together again as a church and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen it will close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed and again if those who wish to sing some more you can go upstairs for additional singing you