In this sermon, Pastor Steve Mays discusses the issue of coveting and its impact on society. He emphasizes that the greed and covetousness of individuals and nations are causing conflicts and divisions. Pastor Mays highlights the importance of a rediscovery of Jesus Christ and a transformation of the heart to overcome coveting. He also addresses the curse of coveting and the need for a cure, which involves aligning our desires with the things of God rather than worldly possessions.

It's the 2012 Summer of Sermons with Steve Mays. Today, Pastor Steve Mays encourages us to set our desires on the things of God, rather than the passing riches of this world. We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need, to impress people we don't like. That's amazing to me. What is wrong with us? Set your affections on things above. Put your life above. Amen? Why is it that we always want what we can't have? We may desire someone else's car or admire their spouse. Is that wrong? Well, if we then steal that person's car or seduce that person's wife, well then yes, the desire is wrong. It's called coveting. And it's included in God's top ten list of do's and don'ts. In Pastor Steve's series on the Ten Commandments, he encourages us to set our desires on the things of God, rather than the passing riches of this world. Here's Steve. I read an interesting article the other day by a guy named Paul Harvey. He used to be a radio announcer. He's no longer with us. And he tells a story about a man who was driving to work when a woman in a brand new car hit him. Both cars stopped to survey the damage. The young woman jumped out of the car with tears rolling down her eyes. I know, I know, I know it's my fault, but my husband just gave me the car. And she says, what am I going to do? What am I going to say to my husband? He was sympathetic, but they exchanged driver's license, registration. She opened the glove department and found the registration. Inside the envelope, a letter from her husband. In case of an accident, remember honey, it's you I love, not the car. Oh, I can see that we don't have some of those guys here. I agree. I totally agree. What? You hit what? But he makes an interesting point. He sums up by saying his priorities were right. And it just hit me like a ton of bricks. Because he understood that people were more important than things. And that's what I want to talk to you about this morning. That the things that you have are not important. It is the people in your life that make a difference. Now some of you, God has given many, many, many things. And you need to be good stewards of those things. And they're important because God gave them to you. But there comes a point where things become possessive. And we will do anything to keep going after things. No matter how old we are. Sometimes I get a kick and I look at some of the people go shopping. And my wife is shopping. I think it's in every woman's DNA to go shopping. I mean nothing will keep them out of this mall. And it's the most amazing thing to see how they're getting in there. And they're going in for the time of their life. And I'm thinking, you know, I've lived my whole life trying to get out of here. And they keep coming back. But it was interesting to me that things sometimes are not the answer. And the more you get, oftentimes we destroy more relationships. Abraham Lincoln was seen walking with his two sons. And both boys were crying as a passerby came by the president. What is wrong with your boys? Exactly what is wrong with the whole world, said Lincoln. I have three walnuts and each boy wants two. In other words, greed, greed, greed. And this is the best. Early in the 1800s, 1895 or late in the 1800s, there was a woman. Her name was Mrs. Garrett. And she had to keep the finances going. The finances were $17 million back then. One day she died. She left no will at all. And people couldn't believe it. Well, what happened absolutely changed the history of lawsuits. It says, attempting to prove relationship to her and the claim as part of her estate, more than 26,000 people from 47 states and 29 foreign countries represented by more than 3,000 lawyers got involved. In their efforts to obtain her inheritance, they committed perjury. They faked family records. And they even were willing to doctor up the family Bible by changing the date. So far, 12 were confined. 10 received jail sentences. Two committed suicide. Three were murdered. And many have been found missing. Now, it's an amazing thing what we'll do to get something. And what I want to share this morning, it's not wrong to desire or to have. God put that desire in your heart. The Bible says that you are to covet the most earnest gift. But you are not to lust or to hurt or to step or to destroy people in getting it. And when there comes a moment in your life that you have taken care of yourself and you've taken care of your grandkids, and God, for some reason, continues to bless you, it's time for you to stop and begin to look around and see where you can be a blessing. In other words, God has given to you a gift. And you do not have to be rich to covet. One of the worst things that can happen is some of us who have nothing are always wishing that we'd have more. And sometimes coveting happens to those of us that have nothing. And we can covet. We want what other people have. And it is the worst sin of all. And so here, the 10th commandment, notice in Exodus 20, verse 17, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is in thy neighbor's house. Now in Deuteronomy 5, verse 21, there's a little bit of a twist to it. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's wife. It puts the wife before the house, which I think is cool. So we're getting close to the New Testament here. Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's house, his field, so it throws that in his field, or his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or the things that is in thy neighbor's possession. In other words, thou shalt not covet. And what he's saying in a very profound way is you are not to covet his house. Not to look at his real estate. Not to wish that you could have what he has. So when you go for a walk, or you go for a drive, and you say, Oh, I wish I could have that. No, you don't. Because there you are desiring something that you cannot have. You're putting your husband through something that he cannot give. And once again, you're probably not taking care of what you do have. And so, always the grass is greener on the other side. We feel, we expect, we deserve. It's our right. We have a desire. We want it. Now, I want a house on the beach. I think that would be cool. Looking out at the dolphins, looking at the waves. I think my Bible studies would be much better. Don't you? I don't think so. Well, I want a BMW. I totally agree. You can get to church quicker. Amen. You can listen to me more clearer on a better stereo. No doubt. And all of a sudden, you realize we can justify things. But here, it means real estate. Don't look at what he has. Well, he has three houses. I have one. I just got to get together. So, you put the pressure. So, you get a second job. And then you get a divorce. Or you have a second job. And you drag your wife through never seeing you. And you lose the kids. What does it really cost you? When you go above what God wants you to do. Or you desire what you really shouldn't have. Or you get what you know you can get without being in God's will. Or the sacrifice you will make to leave God out of your life. Leave out church. Quit Thursday night. Quit Sunday night. Just to once again make the millions. And you find that the more you make, the more you have to pay taxes on. So, what's the use? It would be better to have one hand and be happy than have two and be miserable. And by the way, for those of you that do not have. Those who do have. It takes a heart and a life of stewardship to keep what you have. It takes incredible insight and brilliance to hold on to what you have. Because it's not easy holding on to it. You have to move it. You have to stay on top of it. You got to stay over it. You have to watch it. You have to move it. You have to move things here. You have to move things there. You have to be tremendously good stewards of it. Otherwise, you can lose it overnight. So, those of us that barely make it, it's not much difference. We have it. We put it in the bank. We go on. Those who have it are worried about it. They can't think about it. They have to make more. There's all kinds of traps all the way around. And there's no doubt it's nice having money to lay $50 down. To go do this. Or to go on a trip. Or to go into a store. But, you know, it's just not the same. Shopping at a thrift shop or going to a maid company. But by the time you pay for a shirt, a $127 polo shirt, you can go right next door for $2 and buy a polo shirt. You know? It's just like, when is it too much? So, you are not to covet your neighbor's wife. So, you hear your wife. I'm short. You know, I don't like how I look. My hair is a mess. Everything is a mess. Then the neighbor moves in. She is tall. She is thin. And her hair is together. You think, wow, look at her. And your wife says, what about me? Well, you have been complaining all these years. And all of a sudden you say, well, she is tall. And then you get slapped. You know? Don't covet. Don't look. Don't desire. Because the woman that God gave you is the woman that God wants you to have. And the way that God made her is exactly what God wants. And by the way, go look in the mirror and see how you look. You are bald and fat. What are you talking about? At least she does not have her weight. You know? And she has hair. And she has teeth. That she takes care of. You know? What are you going to say? And you are not to covet the neighbor's servant. In other words, boy, we do this in business. We rip off other people's partners. We rip off other people's merchandise. We take their foremans. And we don't care about them. We want to take care of our business. So we are going to rip off. We are going to steal. And that is what he is saying. Don't do it. Don't do that to your neighbor. Don't do that to the friends you have in business. God will send somebody to you. But don't abuse them for you to get ahead. In other words, where they mow the yard so good. And they can do the windows so clean. And my servants aren't like that. Would you come over with me and I will pay you a little bit more. But you are going to destroy a friendship. Don't do it. And then you are not to covet their animals. What are you talking about? Their dog? No. Let me change the story. You are not to covet their Porsche or their whatever it might be. So you are not to covet. You got that? You are not to look at her when you have a beautiful woman. You are not to look at his boat. And when you have a little boat in your bathtub you can go play with. You are not to look at his toys. When he has a BMW, you have a VW. Same thing. One goes faster. One goes slower. That is all there is to it. One is old. One has to be pushed. The other one is nicer. Here is what the wisdom of Will Rogers. So cool. We spend money we don't have. Amen. We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need. Amen. To impress people we don't like. That is amazing to me. We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like. What is wrong with us? And then Martin Luther from the old days said this. We should fear and love God so that we do not seek by crafting us to gain possession of our neighbor's inheritance, or home, or wife, or servant, or cattle, nor obtain them under pretense of legal right. Oh, I see that you have cancer and you have a little thing dripping down into your arm. Oh yeah, I do. Well, can I buy that lawn mower since you don't need it any longer? How dare you do that? And we do that. There are people that would go thinking, Hey, if I don't do it, someone else is going to do it. And I don't want another neighbor to do it. You're not to do that. Here is what he ends up saying. But assist and serve him and keep him what he has. In other words, here is the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am alive to help my neighbor not lose what he has. So he has a boat. He has all these other things. He's going through a tough time in his life. And I'm going to say, Oh, I hope he gets a divorce. And I could definitely end up with his boat and a couple of other things he's going to have to sell. That is horrible. And God knows that. What you should say is, What can I do to help you? And I'll tell you what, I'll mow the yard so you can save some money, so we can get some more treatments, so you can live longer, because if you die, this neighborhood would never be the same. Amen? Our selfish nature, in the Greek, it's a word that actually means to covet, means to grasp. It means, very simply, to reach out after. I have to have it. I need it. It means to crave a thing. There was a time in my life, I sold my Harley, and I thought, you know, Gal didn't want to ride the Harley, so maybe she'll ride this Jeep Wrangler. So I bought this Jeep Wrangler. It was gold, great price. I think it was, like, whatever it was. And it was used, of course. And so I said, Honey, I got this Jeep. And she goes, Oh. And I said, Let's go to the mountains. So she goes, Okay. So we hopped in it. And all of a sudden, we're talking on the way up there, and it was bouncing, and it was all the way up there for two and a half hours, and it was bouncing, bouncing, bouncing. And we got up there, and we got out of the truck, and we kept bouncing, bouncing. And we had the worst night of our life. Both of us had a stiff neck and a headache. And I sold it when I got back. And she said, Why did you buy it? I said, Because I thought it'd be fun to get the wind in my hair. She goes, You don't have no hair. What's wrong with you? I said, Well, it'd make me feel better. And it's like, all of a sudden, the Lord says, I thought I made you feel better. You see, even I. I need this. I want this. I have to have this. It's going to make me feel better. No, Jesus will make you feel better. So I sold the golden calf. You know, it doesn't make you feel better. But we buy these crazy things and do these things. It's only $19.95. You get two for $19.95. Everything's $19.95. So the dictionary speaks grasping, a greediness, a hoarding after it. How much more do I really need? What do I have to have? And it means to seek to destroy other people in getting it. It also steals from each other. And we lie. We fight with each other. We lust after each other's possession. We resist each other's opinion. And we destroy each other's family. Why do we do this stuff? Because we have to have. We want. We need. We don't want to be left out. And the answer is because we covet. Behind every single sin is this word covet. We covet, and that's why we steal. I have to have it. We covet, that's why we commit adultery. I need to be satisfied. We covet, and that's why we murder. I'm sick of you. Get out of my life. We covet, and that's why we disregard other people. I'm going to put you down because I have the ability. And so this now, 10th, is the changing of the guards. The first nine dealt with action. The outward manifestation, but the 10th, deals with the inside of the heart. And I believe it is what is a problem in America, and it cannot be healed. It can only be healed by Christ. It can only be healed by revival. And this is why your government, this is why the countries, this is why the nations are coming against each other because they want what they have and they want the territory because they're greedy and they're coveting and they don't care about anything else. And this is so powerful to understand. If you can get inside of a man and change his heart, then you have a choice. And so what we need in America and what we need in our life is a rediscovery of Jesus Christ. In other words, they're connected. But this last one is the inward man, the holiness that goes inside. And out of all this one, the last one, comes the other nine. So four things quickly. Number one, the concern about coveting. We have a concern about it. Number two, the cause. What is the cause of this coveting? And number three, the curse. What is the curse when I do covet? And number four, what is the cure? Is there a cure for this craziness? Listen to what Jesus said. He warned us in Luke 12, verse 15. And he said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness. For a man's life is consistent not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. He does not consist in the things that he possess. And the Amplified, it says, He said to them, Guard yourself and keep free from all covetous. In other words, guard your heart. Protect everything that goes on inside your heart. It's not the in and out that's going to make you stumble. It's the junk you add into your heart. It's the desiring for things, the ambition for other things. Mark said in chapter 7, verse 21. He said, For within, out of the heart, a man possess evil, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, coveting. In other words, out of the heart. So these things explode. I have to have. I need. I want. But why? Jesus said in Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not. One more time. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not. Well, why do you want? You see, it's connected. And though it's painful to admit, When I'm not right, I want to go shopping. When I'm not right, I want to go out and buy things. When I'm not right, I want to do certain things. Now, I can be really right with God and have money and want to invest. That's a whole different ballgame. But if God tells you to sell it, would you do it? If you can't get rid of it, you can't start it. In other words, everything you have, Everything that is owned by you was given to you by God. So you have to be obedient to God. And God picked you out because God knew you would listen to his will. Well, why doesn't God give me all of it? Because you wouldn't listen. Well, yeah, just try me. I'll show God I'm listening. Well, he gave you what you have. Then you don't tie. So why are you going to tie now? See, you have to start somewhere. So there are certain people in the body that God has blessed. They just understand it. They can move in it. They can do it. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers. And then notice verse 10, Nor thieves, nor those who covet. Interesting. Why? Because a person, listen, that covets does not see God. Does not see God's people. He sees himself. So a man who is possessed in himself doesn't care about God's people and doesn't care about God. He's like the farmer. I'm going to build bigger barns. And Jesus said to that man, You fool, this night your soul is required. And that is the danger. It will take your heart away from God. And what happens is you begin to be famous and then you ditch church and then you begin to have new friends. And they're not the same standard. You now have compromised your life. If you can hold your compromise to nothing and do not compromise, God will bless you. But there are warnings. Be careful. Concerns. It's going to get to your heart. And out of the heart comes these things. I need a new car. I need a new home. We need to decorate. Why? Is the real issue decorating or the real problem your relationship with each other? Are you doing this to try to feel better or are you doing great in your relationship and you just like to have a nice looking home? Very important. If it's to help each other, you can save a lot of money and get help. It saves millions of dollars if you could just stop and get right. In fact, you should make a policy in your marriage. We're not going to build and we're not going to decorate until we're right with God, both of us. Because the money he spends on her will not make it work. Because she'll want more and you have to work more. It's never going to satisfy. Boom. Number two. The cause of this incredible coveting. Four things. Paul says comparing. This is a great verse. Jot this down. 2 Corinthians 10-12. It says, We dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with the same and commend themselves. This is a great verse. But they that measure themselves, they that compare themselves, are not wise. In other words, if I measure myself, compare myself, or weigh myself, it's not the same. Do not compare. If I look at Billy Graham, I'm never going to be there. We dare not compare ourselves, number ourselves, or measure ourselves. So what do pastors do? Look at the church. It's empty. And so they compare and they look at other churches and they're so bugged, they're not teaching the Word of God. You teach, God will bring the people. Do not compare. James says something different. In James 4, verse 1, he says, Lusting brings this incredible coveting. He says in James 4, verse 1, From whence comes wars and fighting among you at home? Do they not come from your lust that you war in your members? You're fighting with you and your wife, you and the kids. Why? Because you're lusting. I'm right. He's right. They're right. Hey, you're all wrong and God's right. We fight, we lust. Why are we in wars? Because we're going after different things. We're lusting after more power, more things. And he says in verse 2, Ye lust and have not. Ye kill, desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight and war that you have not because you ask not. In other words, I gotta get it. I gotta pull the string. I gotta make it happen. When you don't even pray. Just pray. Just ask God to put your family back together. I have to make her understand my point. No, you don't. Did Jesus say that to you on the cross? He said, Come. Jesus did not say, I want you to understand that you are a ding-a-ling. No, it's just assumed that we are ding-a-lings. He would never do that. He said, Come. So, this attitude of being right is so weird. Or my neighbor. I'm not loving my neighbor. I'm not loving my wife. I'm not loving my children. I'm not loving my job. I'm not loving my life. That's the problem. And so here, James says, You know, we are lusting. And here, we find Paul says, You're comparing. When I compare, I'm gonna be weird. When I begin to lust, I'm gonna make horrible decisions. And then Paul and Matthew mention about riches. In 1 Timothy 6.10, For the love of money is the root of all evil. Not money is not the root of all evil. Nothing wrong with money. But the love of money. I want more. More. No. The love of money. I have to have it. It says we err from the truth. It pulls us away. And then John says, It's the flesh. In John 2.15, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Man. That's what we have. I'm lusting after this. I want this to drive so I look good. Why do you want to spend $55,000 so you look cool? How about give everybody $55,000 and we'll all tell you you're cool. Then someone dance it and get rid of it. I don't like it no more. Now listen very carefully. The curse. This is the curse. And you need to hear me. The curse of coveting. It blinds us to God's word. It blinds you to God's word. There's nothing wrong with the stock market. But if you play it, remember, you're going to be on it 24-7. You're going to be looking at it. You're going to be stopping. You're going to be checking it. You're going to be moving it. You're going to be doing this. You're going to be doing that. It's gambling. Just get it through your head. It's gambling. Can't believe you said it. It's gambling. It's just flat gambling. Many have made millions. Many have lost millions. Many people who are rich put a little bit aside and they gamble with it. It's just a sophisticated way of gambling. Here, it blinds me. Matthew 6.33 says, Seek ye first the kingdom and His righteousness. You see, when I'm going after that and checking that and looking at that and how can I do this and how can I do this and this business deal, am I seeking God? No. If you seek God, all these other things are going to be added. Joshua says, If you meditate upon me day and night, then you're going to have success. Then you're going to prosper. So when all of a sudden you put God first in your life, then God is going to bring it in and open heavens and you will not be able to contain it. Any other way, you have to do it. And it's going to be every moment, every day, what's going on. And you're not going to be talking about Jesus Christ. You're going to be talking about so what's the hottest thing? What can we do? What can we buy? Where can we go? What can we do? It has nothing to do with Jesus Christ. So long as you know that, that's all I want to say. There's a curse. It blinds you from God. Number two, it blinds us from God's will. Now check out this verse and jot it down. Ezekiel 33, 31. This is a great verse. It blinds us from God's will. And they come into the church here at South Bay. And they set before Pastor Steve. And they hear the word of God. But they will not do them or listen to them. For with their mouth they show much love. But in their heart they go after things that they can buy and have. Ease. I'm guilty. I got to have a bigger TV. 44 inch, 55 inch, 72 inch. Got it. Then I went to a friend's house. A button would bring the lights down. And a button would cause the fish tank to be seen. And the screen would open. And the whole way home I was saying, when I got back from my TV, I was back in Bethlehem. It was so small. It was so tiny. It sounded so terrible. You know, I just wanted to go out to the movies or something. Now, do I know better? Uh-huh. Could I do that? No. Would I like to do it? Yeah. Will I ever be able to do it? Nope. So, what do you do, Pastor Steve? I called him up, asked if I can watch TV with him. But it's just like, I got to see what is God's will. Hear the Word and do it. Whoa. Get rid of it. But the fish tank came on when he pushed the button. Number three. It blinds us from God's Word. It blinds us from God's Word. Ezekiel 18. No, Exodus 18, 21. This is a great verse for leadership. Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people able men such as fear God. That's me. Men of truth. That's me. Hating, coveting. It's just a big TV. That's all it is. God. And place such over them. You see, if that's in my heart, I'm going to be talking about I need to have this. I need this. And what does God want me talking about? Jesus Christ and Him dying. Him crucified. And so, we have made mistakes putting people who love God and everything else, but they love Him from their mouth, but they don't love Him from their heart because material things pull them away, take them out. They can't make a good decision. Materialistic things drive them away. And then it blinds me from God's wonder. In Hebrews 13 it says, Let your conversation or your manner of life be without coveting. In other words, the substance of your life. Listen, be careful. Because it will blind you from God's Word. It will take you out of God's will. It will take you away from the work of God in your life and it will rob you of the worship of God. Danger. Now, what's the cure? Quickly. The cure for this thing, very simply, is control your affection. What do I do? Look my eyes to the King of Kings. Ceramic view of the stars. As far as the universe, God gave me a picture. It says in Colossians 3, 1, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above. Put your life above. Amen? Number 2. Control your anger. Not only control your affections, control your anger. In Matthew 5, 22, But I say unto you, Whatsoever you're angry with, if you're angry with a brother without a cause, you're in danger. I hate my neighbor. What can I do to help you? How can we be a keeper? My wife is my neighbor in a way. What can I do to help her? Whoever is outside of my body is my neighbor. My wife, my children, am I going to be giving or am I going to be taking? Am I going to be selfish or am I going to be sacrificial? And lastly, control your attitude. You have to control your attitude. Ephesians 5, 2. And walk in love as Christ also loved us. In other words, you have to go after the things in your heart, deep in your heart, knowing that God's will is so important. It says in a national survey of churches done by Moody, 10% of the people cannot be found. 20% never attend church. 25% admit they never pray. 35% admit they never read the Bible. 40% never contribute to the church. 60% never give to missions. 65% never study the lessons material. 70% never assume any responsibility in the church. 85% never invite anyone to church. 95% never win a person to Christ. 100% expect to go to heaven. You see, what's wrong with that? I do what I want, God take me. It doesn't work that way. I do what He wants. I've got to deal with this selfish, coveting, greedy attitude that I have. I need to be content exactly where I'm at. With who I have and what I have and who I am. Good advice from Pastor Steve Mays concerning the cause, the curse, and the cure for coveting. You know, many folks feel that the 10 commandments God gave us way back when in the book of Exodus don't fully apply to our lives today. Maybe we should rename them and say the 10 suggestions. Pastor Steve says, no, I don't think so. So in his collection of studies focusing on each one of these commandments, Steve explains their relevance in our lives today. Today's message is just one of 22 sermons that make up this in-depth examination of God's top 10 instructions. Learn all about this set at our website, lightoftheword.org. That's lightoftheword.org. Or we'll be glad to tell you about the 10 commandments collection when you call us at 1-800-339-WISE. That's 800-339-W-I-S-E. Summer of sermons continues when Pastor Steve talks about the function of the conscience. What can it do for us? Well, that's what Steve explains next time on Light of the Word.