Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Covetousness Pt.4

Let's turn to Luke, chapter 12; we'll pick up where we've been in our study on covetousness: "...beware of covetousness: [the Scripture tells us,] for a man's life consisteth not of the abundance of the things which he possesseth." We're living in an age, as we've been saying in the study, that this is the god we are opposing in our generation, in our nation. The affluence has made our people drunk with the fruit of their own strength. We're a people that is moving in idolatry to the gratification of self in our lascivious living, in our pursuit of avarice at every turn. To think we can go out there on a daily basis and not be vexed is to put ourselves in danger. It's affecting you, and it's affecting me. Amen? You can't get away from it. We're being told every day, "You've got to have bigger. You got to have better. You're nothing unless you live here, drive this, smell this way." Some of us have chosen our own fragrance; we'll go ahead and leave it at that. We realize that we're being told what it means to be a success, and being folks, being people, we're influenced by social pressure. We're influenced by wanting to be accepted of others. We're all in the flesh that same way and wanting to, because of pride, not be one of the crowd, but to excel, to be above only and not beneath. The spirit of Satan that dominates society is the one that says I will exalt myself, Isaiah says, above the most High (Isaiah 14:13-14).

In every one of us, our flesh, is that tendency to want to exalt himself, to be the biggest, to be the best. The fact of the matter is, we're all, in our members, warring on a daily basis pride, selfness, self-indulgence of our emotions, of our appetites, and the admonition is: "Beware!" Are we? Beware! "Watch and pray, [Jesus said,] that ye enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Are you really on guard for what's going on out there? Are you guarding your own heart? Are you guarding your own eyes? "For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." (1 John 2:16).

The spirit of covetousness is going to come in through your eye gates. It's already in our members. It doesn't have to come in; it's in there. "For out of the heart proceed...adulteries, fornications..." (Matthew 15:19) and drunkenness and revelry, and all that's of the flesh, the hatred, and the envy, and the strife. Inwardly, it's already in us. Outwardly, it's feeding the eye gates. What are we doing to protect ourselves?

Let's pick this back up in Luke, Chapter 12, and allow the Lord to speak to us concerning the need to be content in our godliness. The Apostle said, "Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). We were talking about covetousness, and we saw what it meant in its definition. We know that to covet is to lust, to have strong desire, an insatiable desire. We're going to look at a couple Biblical references to the fact that covetousness is idolatry. We need to get a hold on that. We said that it's not the worship of the item. Here I am, and I'm battling with covetousness and whatever it is. I'm really being drawn toward this new vehicle, this new Escort I have to have, and life can't go on without it. The juices are flowing, so here I am worshipping whatever this item is. We shared with you last time: it's not the item. So often people will look at the thing and say, "You know, Ford's are bad;" nobody says that. "Cars, the abundance: you shouldn't want bigger and better. Those things are evil."

There's nothing in the Scripture that talks about the items being evil, because we're not worshipping the idols; we're worshipping self. It's the gratification. It's the false status. It's the indulgence of self. It's trusting in status, the provision, and not in God. That's why covetousness is such a horrendous sin, because it's exalting self above the sovereignty of God who said He will give us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). He's the One who meets all of our needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). He's the One who has provided for us sufficient to the day. "Therefore take no thought, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What shall we drink?' or, 'Wherewithal shall we be clothed?' For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matthew 6:31-32). To have that need beyond what God calls need is lust; it's covetousness. This is what the Master's addressing here.

"...Therefore I say unto you [verse 22], Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on." We saw that he gave the illustration to consider the ravens. They don't sow, they don't reap, but God provides. He said to consider the lilies of the valley: Solomon in all of his splendor was never arrayed with such glory. Verse 28: "...how much more will [your heavenly Father] clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

Covetousness is moving outside the realm of faith. Covetousness says, "God won't get it for me, so I'll get it for myself." Faith trusts God. Faith says, "God will meet all my needs according to His riches in glory." Faith says, "My heavenly Father knows that I have need of these things. I'm going to trust in Him. Anything else isn't necessary; it won't edify me. It could, in fact, harm me and destroy me, so I'm going to trust God."

Verse 29: "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink [Look at the next phrase; I like it] neither be ye of [Say it with me] doubtful mind." Covetousness is unbelief. Covetousness is that spirit that doubts the goodness of God.

We saw not only the goodness of God, but also the justice of God. For you and me to give way to covetousness, as we said in our last session, is to indict God. "God's not fair. God doesn't provide. He doesn't see my worth. He's judged those other people worth more than myself; therefore I will exalt myself." It's a powerful spirit, so we want to continue to address this discontentment.

Keep your finger here and go over to the sixteenth chapter for just a second; we're going to continue to look at the provision of God, the need to trust. Look in the sixteenth chapter at what the Lord says. Verse 14: the Lord had just spoken and said, "There's a real problem. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. You're going to love the one, despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now, we saw, the Scripture said, "He that loveth silver will not be... [what? Do you believe that? "Yes." No. Do you believe that?] ...nor he that loveth abundance with increase..." it goes on to say. Do you believe that? Do you really believe that you don't need more, that more is not better, that more won't satisfy you? Have you come to that place yet? Have you disciplined your mind sufficiently to believe that? I doubt it. Are you working at it? Are you warring with it? Are you pulling down the strongholds, these thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God? You're no different than any of the rest of us in here. I know how you think because that's the way I think. What are we doing about it? Practically, what are we doing about it?

I shared something with the pastors the other day and again in our meeting yesterday. We were just talking about different things in the fellowship. I said, "The biggest concern I have right now, the biggest danger that we have right now in the fellowship is this: we're not living our doctrine." Now, many of us are doing a better job than others, but a number are beginning to rest in what they believe and not deal with the reality of the fruit they're producing in their lives, that our households are producing. We're in denial because of what we believe, but by our fruits we're known, the Scripture says.

We all know it's wrong to lust and to covet. If covetousness is not just having such a strong desire for my neighbor's wife or his land, but if covetousness is just being discontent and wanting more, than we've got something to deal with. Most of us seem to think we're okay because we're not lusting to the degree that we're wanting to kill a man, like David, for his wife. What is that? Listen. What did David have? Pretty much everything; didn't he? Would that satisfy you? You see, this is the man who when he was in the spirit said, "Who am I and my family that we should have the privilege to give to the glory of God and to the household of God all of this wealth? Who am I? Just a shepherd's kid and God has exalted me to the throne." You see, when he was in the spirit he saw his worthlessness. When he was in the flesh he just saw what he wanted, and that was more. When the prophet came to him, what was it that the prophet said? He said, "There was this guy that had all of these sheep and whatever, and they were all his. There was a man that had just one little ewe. He had just this one little lamb, and this man went and took it." David said, "That's not right, man. That guy is going to pay!" Nathan, the prophet, said, "Thou art the man!" (2 Samuel 12).

If we took a survey tonight, can you find the man? Where is he tonight? What was it that caused this man who had so much to look over his balcony, see this woman, and have to have her too? Next week it would be another one, and the next week it would be another one. "He that desires silver will not be satisfied with silver, and he abundance will never be satisfied with increase." You say you believe that, but, beloved, look at the man of God, the sweet psalmist, the man that wrote the praises of God, the twenty-third psalm; he was driven by the same lust that you and I are on a daily basis. He proved you can have everything and still want more, but not you? "I'm different. If I could have just a little more, I'd be satisfied." You're lying to yourself. You're lying to yourself. You need to understand. I need to understand that what we have to do is be content with the presence of God. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." To trust in the sovereignty of God, that He will meet my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus, that He is the one that's going to order my steps; and I don't have to go out and vaunt myself, exalt myself, reward myself. Despite what all the faith people say, not everyone's going to be rich. Paul said, in Timothy 6, "I want you to exhort those who are rich among you." It means there are some, but everybody's not.

Now, if I were to ask the question (I'm not going to do it tonight): how many of you would like to be wealthy? If each of us allowed ourselves to respond to the natural impulse--how many of you would like to be pierced through with many sorrows? You see, Timothy 6 says that's one of the things wealth does. Jesus said, "...How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into [Heaven]" (Mark 10:23, 25). We all think, "I can handle it." "Lord, through everybody else forsake you, don't worry, man; Pete's here for you." The very spirit that would cause you to think you can handle it, pride, is the sister of covetousness. It's the very thing that will kill you.

I don't know about you, but I can't handle it. I don't want to be rich that I forget God, and I don't want to be poor that I steal. Isn't that what the Word teaches us? I just want sufficient. I just want what Father wants me to have. Some of the young people look at some of the things that I possess and say, "Yes, I wouldn't mind having what you have either, and I'd be content." I happened to have that shirt on again today; I don't wear it every day by the way, and it is washed in between wearing. I heard them say this. I had that shirt on that says, "He who dies with the most toys still dies." Listen to what carnality says, and I know the kids were horsing around, but they wanted to add a little bit to it. They said (they didn't know I heard them), I heard one of them say, "Yes, he who dies with the most toys still dies, but he's got the most toys!" Are we content? I have a million times more than I deserve, and that much more than I thought I'd ever have, and I'm absolutely no happier; in fact, probably sometimes less; but the point is: God's the source. You never seek it. The blessings of the Lord overtake if you'll just pursue God. Now, the blessings are going to be different based on God's sovereignty and who we are, but are you satisfied? Are you content? You can't be satisfied with abundance.

Listen to what's said here. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees...heard all these things: and they derided him" (Luke 16:13-14). The Pharisees, the dudes who had so much pride in their doctrine. Now, why would they get ticked off at Jesus for making a statement like that? It tells us, doesn't it, in that verse. "And the Pharisees also, who were [Say it!] covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." He said, "You guys have a problem." Here I'm wanting you to see some of the source of covetousness: pride in our members, lust in our members. It's in every one of us, every one of us.

Jesus speaking here says, "...Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." You see, you're not just wanting those things because you think that it would make you happier. You're not just wanting the Rolls Royce, the Mercedes, because it rides better than the Escort. Then there are those people who say, "Well, you know, a car's a car; there's no difference." Yes, there is, and we won't bother to show you because once you've tasted of it, the Escort will never be the same.

That's one of the tragedies. I think somewhere in the first of November, Charles and Rachel are coming from Kakamega. It's going to be cool, but it's really going to be horrible for them. I was there when they took their first bite of pizza and had their first ice cream; and they adjusted well. To come out of interior Africa into the Galleria of Tysons will shock your system. The only thing that comes to mind is an old Kingston Trio song, "Oh, will he ever return. No, he'll never return." There is a difference. Really, we don't do it for the ride. We don't do it for the taste. Can I tell you something? I've just forgotten the name of our steak place in Florida. Somebody help me. Charlie's--"Charlie Poa!" Can I tell you something, really? Charlie's filet minion is better than Sizzler. You say, "My shoe is better than Sizzler!" It is. We have to come to grips with that, okay? It's real. It's better, but do we always want to drive because it's a better ride, it handles better, the car is tight, it's quiet? The reason I want to wear my Armani is because it just fits so well; it hangs properly, the seams. Have you ever noticed how (if you happened to have pattern) every line lines up? Now, some of you are going to go home and look and say, "I didn't know mine didn't line up." There's a right way to do things.

I was talking to a guy, a leather worker, about getting some custom leatherwork done. There's this one guy that does a little bit of leatherwork, for a seat and stuff. Whatever it is that you give him, it's interesting, the guy makes it not only look good and symmetrical, but he goes through and counts to make sure every one has the exact number of stitches down every seam; one can't have more stitch than another. They have to be absolutely right. Don't you like stuff like that? I like stuff like that. You've got to pay for stuff like that.

Now, I know what some people are thinking: "What's wrong with a Baggie? That'll cover it." You're right. The point I'm making is there's a difference. Many of us would think, "Well, it rides better. It hangs better. The material's better." It is.

Have any of you ever slept on a really nice set of sheets? You're saying, "You mean, there's a difference?" You know, like when you go to the motel, and the sheets are multi-purpose. They can be sandpaper, sheets, a weapon. They have sheets with thread counts you won't believe. Oh, that's nice, man. You just slide right into them. It is so good. Don't get silk sheets or satin sheets; get some really nice kind. Besides, silk: have any of you ever had those? They won't stay up. We had a pair years ago; silk sheets, thought we'd get them. That was kind of cool, you think. I was young then; you can do that when you're young. Here we were, young, and we were going to try that. It was going to be very romantic. It didn't work. We got laughing so hard. The thing, you'd pull it and they'd go, "Whoosh!" right off there, just like that. Pillows were flying off the bed. It's like: "Whoosh!" you're skating through. Nice cotton. Forgive me for going over there. Now, those things are private, so that's not a good illustration, but the point I'm making is: there's a difference. But most of us don't do it for that purpose, really; mostly it is to be seen of men.

Look what He says. He said, "The problem with you covetous men is this: you want to be highly esteemed of men." It's not just the personal gratification of the experience; it's the promotion, whether they promote you or you promote yourself in your own mind, among men. That's a spirit we're going to have to come to grips with, beloved, whether we want to or not. That's what's behind a lot of this spirit: comparing ourselves by ourselves.

Now, stop and think. "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, ...abundance with increase." Our father had that problem, didn't he? He had everything but one tree. You just can't eat the fruit of that one tree. Everything else is yours. You just can't have that one tree. What did he want? Now, if Adam and Eve went down in that perfect environment, without sin in their members, what are you and I contending with today? Thank God we're indwelt by the Spirit of God, amen? Thank God we've not been left to the power of sin. Thank God that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Thank God that sin no longer has dominion over us. Thank God that we can yield our members as instruments unto righteousness, Romans says. We are not prisoners to our lusts, to our appetites; but it's in us, and we have to come to grips with that. It's an every day confrontation; we have to come to grips with that. It doesn't go away when you get older; you have to come to grips with that. Here we are, every day, putting on the full armor of God. Every day, walking in the Spirit so we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. Setting the doctrine deep into our hearts, that godliness with contentment makes you the richest man on the earth! Do we believe that tonight? Are we living our doctrine, really? That begins to be the issue. If we're not, instead of walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, we're becoming more and more impotent on a daily basis.

Turn to Joshua; let me show you what I'm talking about. In the book of Joshua, we all know the story here. The promise had been given. They were going to go into the Promised Land, the land that flowed with milk and honey. They were going to live in houses they didn't build, drink from wells they didn't dig, the Scripture says. His glory had gone before them. We all know the story. In chapter 6 of Joshua, the battle plan was this: march around the city, don't say anything, "And [then (verse 4 of the sixth chapter)] seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day, ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests will blow the trumpets. You shall shout with a great shout..." a shout of worship, of praise, of honor to God, and the walls came down. Now, here's the only thing you have to realize in this whole process. Verse 24: "And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord." You see, what God said here was, "I'm going to give you this land. You're going to go in, and, Jericho, I'm going to supernaturally deliver into your hands; but the abundance is Mine. I want you to honor Me with this." We know that's the reason of tithe, right? We honor the Lord with the first fruits of all of our increase. It's about honoring God, giving Him His due if you please.

They go in, and they possess the land, and the great victory was won. Now they're looking at Ai, and they're getting ready to go up to Ai, and they're pretty full of themselves at this time. They said, "Look [verse 3 of the seventh chapter], there's no need for all of us to go up there. Ai's just a little tiny city. Look what happened here at Jericho. Don't make the people break a sweat [verse 3]. They're only a few." They went up, the Scripture says, and they fled before the people of Ai. Their own hearts became as water. Joshua (verse 6) falls on his face before the ark, and he's praying; he's saying, "What's wrong? What happened?" Then comes one of the strangest Scriptures in all of the Bible: Chapter 7, verse 10. God says, "Don't pray." We're always told to pray. He said, "Stop praying; get up; stop praying. Praying is not doing you any good." Now, listen to me; many of us are praying. We emphasize prayer. We come up here every night of the week. We're here for prayer, but what good is prayer if there's covetousness in the camp? What good is prayer if each of us individually is out trying to sneak a wedge of gold? That's what this story is all about. "Get off up your face. There's sin in the camp. There's an accursed thing in your midst; that's why you can't stand. That's why nothing ever goes right." Think about this.

Now, it may not even have to do with things monetary. It may not have to do with your own personal position socially, financially. We all know that we're not as the pagans. We don't believe that bad things happen because you're bad, and good things happen because you're good; that's a pagan belief. But we do believe that there's justice. We do believe that there's judgment. We do believe that you can be cursed of God if you're defying God, if you're stealing from God what is His, the love and the dependence that He deserves as a loving heavenly Father by saying, "God doesn't care, so I'll get it for myself." Now, in the spirit of this thing, we see right here that it says in verse 12, they couldn't stand because they were accursed. Now, look at the power of this statement, verse 12: "...neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people..." and we're going to cleanse you. We know the story. The people came before the Lord and God revealed the household. "And Achan answered [verse 20] and said, 'Indeed I have sinned against the Lord. [Verse 21] I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold...then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth.'" And the people of God couldn't even function.

What do you think covetousness is doing to your household? What do you think this spirit is doing to hinder your children from walking in the spirit? Your kids that you're wanting to grow up and walk in the spirit, to have renewed minds, to be separate from the world, to walk in power, to not sow to their own flesh. There is nothing that will rob the power of God more quickly than covetousness, from this war that you and I are involved in. Why don't we spend a little less time praying and a little more time getting the covetousness out of our houses, and see the power of God?

Father, we thank You for Your Word tonight. As we continue in this study, we ask that You would reveal our hearts. Father, as a whole, we're a people that are in pursuit of You. We love You. You are the treasure and the desire of our heart, but we want to love You more. Father, I'm not satisfied with where I am. This hour in which we live is so dangerous. Now, we know that You've put us here in Sodom, but we need Your grace to live. Father, we're like every other man; we can't make it here without You. Our children aren't going to make it without You. Are we looking to be highly esteemed of men? Are we content with your love for us? Or will just a little more do it? "Just a little more; I just need just a little more, so I can be comfortable; so there's no pressure on me." Faith doesn't know pressure. Rest doesn't know pressure. Contentment doesn't know pressure. It's not what you have or don't have; it's in whom you believe. Make us strong, Father, we ask in Jesus' name.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. We'll take a moment as Gary plays for us, and we're going to take a number of runs at this. I'm just trying to come at it from every angle I can to turn over the soil in our hearts, to let the seed be planted. We're all in the same boat. Don't get down on yourself. Everybody's there, and we're just wanting to help each other out, but don't lie to yourself. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all [of the other] things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). David, who had virtually everything and wanted more, (listen!) took Bathsheba, and she didn't satisfy. The words, "Thou art the man" pierced his heart: "How vile I truly am!" It birthed the fifty-first psalm: "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; [Listen!] and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me." "I can lose everything, but not Your Spirit, not Your presence." The true value system restored. You see, that stuff seems important until you really realize it can cost you God. Create in me a clean heart, a pure, innocent, thankful heart. Oh, I love You, Father. Hallelujah!

As we sing this together, just worship Him and thank Him because He first loved us. I love You, Lord. Oh, Lord, You are; sing it again, and just worship Him. You're the pearl of great price. You're all in all. Hallelujah! We can't even love You without You loving us first. We have nothing to offer You but what You've given us. We just offer back Your love. We offer the free gift of thanksgiving because of Your grace that's caused us to see Your worth and not our own. We're rich because You love us. Give us faith to believe that You might be all in all. For that, Father, we just say, "Thank You," and "Be glorified in our lives," in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Before you go turn to somebody next to you, say, "Godliness with contentment is great gain, praise God." Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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