Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Beware of Covetousness

Amen! It's good to have everybody home from St. Kitts, the Missions team, praise God! What a great team: no pith helmets on this one, just suntans and beaches. No, we're excited about the fact that a tremendous job was done. That's one of the misconceptions people have about missions: you have to go out and it has to be as miserable as it can possibly be. There are some areas-it doesn't matter whether you're in the penthouse or in the outhouse, they need Jesus, amen? St. Kitts is on its way up now to tourism; I understand they have a place now for a couple of cruise ships to come in. Those of us who went a few years back and had to stay in the homes there got to have a good time. We called it the Sun and Sand, whatever, I don't know what the new name of the motel is but it's quaint, not quite the Marriott resort, is it? But we're excited to hear what God has done down there.

Let me just read something to you. This will bless you. I just want to encourage those of you who went, some had that misconception: "Well, you know it didn't sound like it was as tough as the trip to Africa." It's not how tough it was, it's the fact that lives were touched, amen? That's what it's all about.

What a blessing to see the care that went on. Those that went down there were ordered by the Lord. The work was tremendous and is going to bear some great fruit. Chuck said he made a comment to the people trying to make a point, and then he had to kind of back up and say, "Now, I didn't mean it that way." As he was talking to the congregation, he said, "Now, I want you to know these people here aren't the cream of the crop." Now there's a left-handed compliment, isn't it? What he was meaning to say was we didn't hand-pick people; these were just volunteers, a cross-section of the community that said they wanted to go, and this is what the Word of God does in the lives of ordinary people, amen? Thank God for all of you that went and we just rejoice that you are the cream of the crop, praise God.

Let's go ahead and take a look at a couple of other aspects. We were talking about thankfulness, being thankful, in everything giving thanks, for that's the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. We talked about entering His gates with thanksgiving, entering His courts with praise. We are a people that are to be constantly aware of the goodness of our God, to rejoice in His provision for us, to boast in His greatness; and in the areas where we are without comprehension, to declare that God is good and that the Judge of all the earth does right. We're to be thankful that even though things are not manifesting in the way that we would think they should, God's way is better. We took a little bit of time and we talked about those different aspects of truly being able to appreciate what God has given us. We talked about some of the things that we should, first of all, be thankful for: one that we emphasized was the unspeakable gift, amen? We, of all people, have received that treasure that's in earthen vessels, the treasure of the presence of God. We're a people that have been called the tabernacle of God, we are the inheritance of God, we are the children of God, the sons of God, the heirs and joint heirs with Christ Jesus, and we are ambassadors of Christ. We have a lot to be thankful for. And it's in the unseen realm, it's the eternal, the supernatural, the spiritual realm that the majority of our treasures exist in, and yet we are constantly being inundated to value the temporal, and if the temporal doesn't measure up with the standard of the day we start getting bummed out. We have treasures laid up where moths and thieves cannot break in, steal or corrupt, amen? We're rich, praise God! We have so much to be thankful for. We talked about being thankful for redemption, the unspeakable gift of Jesus abiding in us. We talked about being thankful for the community, the body of Christ, and we talked about how that's something that we're to constantly to stir ourselves up and purposely be thankful for. Even today, have you taken time to just say, "Thank You for the body of Christ"? Not just individuals, address individuals to Father as we have had our lives intertwined, and there are people that we're closer to; but you know those that are closest to you are not the only ones that are caring for you and ministering to you, amen? We lose track of that sometimes. We are so caught up with the people who are the closest to us that we don't realize all of the accumulated care that we're getting from those around us that are just speaking a word in season, that are doing things that bless us and lift our hands that we don't even see. They are taking burdens off of us that we're not even aware of, as they are caring for other aspects of the body of Christ. What I'm saying is, are you thankful for the body? Are you thankful for the body?

As we read that letter from Elston, it just causes my heart to rejoice and to appreciate, again, the thankfulness for the body-each member just doing their job. When you were gone, people here had to take up some slack for you. That's ministry, amen? It's not just being on the front lines. So we're thankful for the strength, the care, each member fulfilling their role, and we just rejoice in that. We talked about that need to be thankful for and in everything. We talked about the "for" everything and we spoke primarily to things that were monumental, things sometimes that were tragic and how difficult it is to be thankful for those and we put it in the eternal perspective which allowed us to say: "Even though I don't understand it, I'm thankful that God is working to will and to do His good pleasure." And by faith we're able to declare that thanksgiving. We're thankful not only for the circumstances and what they accomplished in the unseen, but we're thankful for what it's working in me, the character.

We talked about David refreshing himself and rising up and saying about his child, "Even though he can't come to me, I'm going to keep my act together so I can go to him." Making God big. Many times, in those monumental thing, we can get perspective and it jars us to the realization of the goodness of God, the wisdom of God, the severity of God. As a loving Father, He puts things into eternal perspective. Sometimes it's easier to be thankful for monumental trials and hardships, more thankful than for the daily, mundane things. How many are thankful for the manna? Now, we might be a little more thankful if it did, in fact, supernaturally appear every morning and we had to go out and get it; but I want you to understand something: God provides for you daily. Are you thankful? Do we pray in faith, "Give us this day our daily bread?" We are so bombarded by abundance and what we would perceive as the mundane, the natural that we forget, many times, to be thankful for God's provision for us. Some people say, "I'm so thankful for my health, that God gives me the ability to work." Amen. "I'm so thankful for my job that I have that opportunity to go and by the sweat of my brow, under the curse, make provision for my family. I see that as a blessing." Amen.

But let's never lose sight of what the real source is: God. Amen? Now many of us lose sight.

We were sending counsel just the other day in the fellowship, they were faced with a decision with natural provision and distribution and some of these things. What are the biblical precedents; as one of the deacons came to me and was asking for some insight and what could be addressed in this situation. I was sharing with them to tell this person not to forget this one aspect: Many of us say, "Everything I have is the Lord's." That's not a trite statement, that is a fact. Amen? And if everything I have is the Lord's, that makes you a steward, and everything you do with it is for the glory of God, not the glory of man, not your own wishes or whims. Are we thankful not for what God has given us, are we thankful that God has placed us as stewards over His stuff? This isn't our stuff; this is God's stuff! God didn't give you stuff, He gave you Himself. Amen? He adopted you and He placed you as steward to care for His stuff. So the next time you get bummed about the fact that you don't have more, stop and realize you don't have anything. That'll cheer you up. In fact, it's very liberating and it will bring a contentment. I'm not in competition, I'm not going out to get for me because it's the Lord that's blessing me. I only want what God has given me, I don't want any less, and I don't want any more than what God provides. "Don't make me poor, don't make me rich." I just want Your wise provision, I want to be what You want me to be, what You've called me to be. "It's the blessings of the Lord that make rich and add no sorrow." You see, if you're discontent there is a sorrow of heart, there's a heaviness of heart. It breeds a subject that we're going to talk a little bit about this evening, the spirit of covetousness. You see, unthankfulness produces covetousness. The thankless heart is coveting after more, it's not thankful for what it has. But God as my source-"Godliness with contentment is great gain." It brings about a peace, a satisfaction. But the desire, Paul says in First Timothy 6, "The desire to be rich, that discontentment is the love of money that's the root of all evil" (verses 6-10).

I saw the commercial, I haven't seen the show so I might be drawing the wrong conclusion but what it appears to me is this: There is this program coming on, I don't know all of the facts, I just know they are putting a bunch of people in this room, I don't know how many, but I think this X number of people, let's say a dozen. The whole thing is there is this countdown for a million dollars, and it keeps getting decreasing until one guy can convince the rest of them to give him all the money. Yeah, like that's going to happen! Now I'm sure somewhere in this negotiation-I don't know what the rules of the game are, but somewhere "Hey, man there's ten of us, we can just agree to..., if everybody trusts me, you give it to me, I'll split it up and give you all $100,000 apiece and we're out of here, man." Human nature, how many of you think they're going to buy that? That is not going to happen. There is supposedly this preacher on there, and this is where I'm going with this. There were two excerpts about this individual. The one was something about a million dollars and the first response of this preacher was, "Yeah, all right!" That was one cut, and then the next cut when they found out what it was all going to be, he said, "I'm not here about the money, because money is the root of all evil." Now they've caught this preacher lying, over here, "Yeah, a million!" "Well I'm not here for the money." If you're going to quote Scripture, at least do it properly, right? Money is not the root of all evil, it's the love of money. Not as Reverend Ike says, "The lack." Reverend Ike says the lack of money is the root of all evil. Reverend Ike says, "You people are caught up in the wrong thing," he says, "You group over here and there's WHITE POWER, and you people BLACK POWER," he says, "There's only one thing, it's GREEN POWER." Now the man is speaking the truth; money answereth all things, amen?

Who are you trusting? Is what you have causing you to rejoice? The blessings of the Lord make rich and add no sorrow. What you have when God is the source brings a contentment of heart, a joy. When God is the source it breaks this power of covetousness. We're living in a society right now where people are absolutely possessed with covetousness. It's a demonic force, that spirit of antichrist, and we're battling it on every aspect of life. All that is in the world, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life, that's all that's in this world system. Man is being inundated constantly and being told that he deserves more. "You should have more. Look what they have, you're better than them." "We have a right to all these things." And it goes on and on and on. As stewards, as slaves, we have a right to nothing. Our Master provides for us sufficient all that we have need of. Is Jesus Master of your life? Do you really, truly realize you possess nothing? Nothing is your own. Your time is not your own, your life is not your own. These resources that you have are not yours, they are God's, you are a steward. How are they being administered for the glory of God? Are you fulfilling that purpose that God has ordained for you? This lack of thankfulness of what we do have, this spirit of thanklessness for what God has provided, the Father of lights, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, do you see Him as the Giver of every good and perfect gift? Your Father knows what you have need of.

So these are the areas of relationship and confidence we have in Him. "I'm thankful, thank You, thank You!" When you receive your food, are you thankful? We pray, "Lord, I thank You for this food." Are you thankful? You don't have to pray some great prayer, you can pray something as simple as the little children would pray, "Rub-a-dub-dub, thank You for the grub," if you're praying in faith and in thanksgiving. It's not in what you say, it's how thankful your heart is. I like it when the little kids pray for their food and they say, "Father, bless the food and help us to not get a spanking." That's the prayer, you know where these kids are living, right? (Some of us, dad, should pray that.) We're in a place to where that's cultivating the awareness of being thankful for what God has provided. When somebody gives you something, and you truly-I'm not talking about socially responding. I'm not talking about it's the socially accepted thing, when somebody gives you something, are you thankful? "Thank you, I appreciate that, that's a blessing!" They didn't have to give you that. "Well, I earned it. I'm not saying thank you; I earned that, I worked for that." I'm trying to think back, but in all of the different areas it's a very difficult thing to relate to. As I've traveled over the years and different things and gone places, it's very difficult because as an ambassador, as a steward I'll normally respond at every situation with thanksgiving. "Thank you," in the name of the Lord, because it's seeing someone that's been obedient to God, it's seeing God glorified. It's thanksgiving through the circumstances to God as the source. Have you cultivated that in your heart and in your mind, or "I've earned this?" You're not thankful when you believe you've earned it. Why? Justice has been met. "I provided a service, this is the by-product of that, and it's my right. I'll thank God for that strength, and that wisdom, and that gift, and that capacity." If you want to get into the intricacies of things-and I don't want to get it too complicated, but do you understand in many of these times people obeyed God to get to where they were to cause this transaction to transpire? I'm thankful they listened. I'm thankful that God, in such a great myriad of ways, has been the source. I'm thankful I got to serve them. You do a service for somebody and they say, "Thank you." When was the last time that you said, "No, thank you for coming, thank you for letting me serve you, thank you for letting me be a part of this to where we both benefited?" That's the blessings of God! But we've become so self-oriented and the emphasis is, "What am I getting out of it?" It's all the by-product of this spirit that I want to talk about tonight. I'm a little off track now, and I want to get on to this aspect of covetousness, the fruit of thanklessness.

We know in the study we just did it's one of those things that's not to be once named among us; we studied about that. We know from the Scriptures that covetousness is idolatry. Now, many of us think that when the Scriptures speak of covetousness being idolatry that what we're basically thinking about is that which is being coveted is the idol: that new pair of shoes, the house, the clothing, the car, the position, the fame. That's not it. The idol is what? Self. Now we can begin to idolize the object, but primarily the idolatry is self-exaltation. "I want that because I deserve it, it will make me feel better, I have a right to it." And in all of these things, that spiritual force, the dynamics of Antichrist in the unseen realm; lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life; it's all that's in the world. Do you understand that new job offer is coming from that spirit? "It's the Lord that's opening that door for me." No, He's working all things for good, but everything that has to do with this world's system is lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. Now, God can use these things for His own purposes and His own glory, but I want you to understand something: whoever it was behind that board that made the decision to come and hire you or to give you the raise was not saying, "I believe God spoke to us." We have people who go and take courses on business, on finance. We would call it the dynamics of economics, of business, investing in good workers and all of these great wise decisions that we make so we can increase our bottom line. It's all about gain; it's not about godliness. It's all about lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. It's all about worship of the creature and not the Creator. So see it for what it is. As Christians, as children of light, if we can step back and not be seduced by that, and not be impressed by it, and not in any way use these worldly methods to advance our self.

Now listen, I didn't say we didn't operate these; I said we're not using, trusting in, hoping in them. We're moving like the Hebrew children, we have to operate in this structure, we're in the world even though we're not of it, but who are we trusting? God! "Let me just continue to live by faith. I'm not going to do it any way but tell the truth. I'm not going to lie for you. I'm not going to oversell. I'm going to speak the truth, God is going to bless me. You'll find out something: you let me do it my way, I'll be the best salesman you ever had. I'll produce more for this company than anybody, and I'll do it without lying, and I'll do it without flattery, I'll let my yea be yea and my nay be nay, and everything I put my hand to will prosper." Is that the way we're going out into the world? That's how we're different, that's how we become salt, and that's how we become light. It's not by being just like them and saying, "God did it." It's by still eating the pulse, by eating the oatmeal instead of the king's dainties and watching God bless you and you be ten times wiser and ten times more productive than anything they can do. But we get enticed and we get seduced by this spirit of covetousness. It's dangerous.

Turn over to Ezekiel. Let me show you something that I think is very pertinent. As you're looking into Ezekiel, we're going to go over to Ezekiel, Chapter 33. In Luke 12:15, (which is close to Ezekiel), we'll jump over to Ezekiel, but look at Luke for just a moment. Jesus is talking about the spirit of the Pharisees. I want to show you how there is a Pharisaical dimension to those that are trying to justify their worldliness and call it the blessings of God. Those people who want to do everything like the world and say, "God blessed me, look how God blessed me." Jesus is speaking in the twelfth chapter of Luke, and it says, "In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Verse 1) Interesting: So He exposes this hypocritical spirit. Hypocrisy, we know what it is, it's just play acting, pretending. He says what's spoken in darkness is going to be revealed, and He talks about the fear of men's faces and the need to be a respecter of persons and to impress men and the fear of failure in the world's sight; the fear of not measuring up to the standard in men's eyes. In the context of this He says, "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear [verse 5]: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." I think we ought to say "amen" to that. Now He's going to contrast the world's system with the Kingdom of God, darkness and light. What we're so afraid of is we're not going to have enough. It's a force within every one of us, not only that we're not going to have enough, but somebody is going to have more than us, and we deserve more because our eyes have been opened and we're as gods, we should rule, we should reign, we're better than everybody-all of those things that are the fruit of selfness.

Covetousness-we know the root to every sin is pride, selfness. Covetousness is the expression of the appetite of pride and the over-valuation of our self-worth. We covet, we long for, we desire because we deserve, because I am superior. He's trying to tell us here that there's going to be a day of reckoning, and we need to begin to look at the eternal consequences of making the wrong decision and who we're going to fear: the world system or the justice of God. And He begins to put to them the biblical revelation of worth: "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Verse 6). You see, we've put this false value on our worth but we're judging God as accounting us worthless, when He says we're priceless, we're His inheritance. He became sin with our sin that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. He has purchased us to Himself with His very blood, and He says, "I'm going to care for you; cast your care upon me, I care for you." Every time we turn our backs and despise Him by judging Him non-caring, incapable of making us happy by having to pursue contentment, and peace, and joy outside Himself, we're applying the wrong biblical worth to ourselves and to God. "Also I say unto you [verse 8], Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied...," and He goes on and He talks about the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. "And one of the company said unto him, Master...," in the midst of all this when He's talking about eternal treasures, eternal values, where to place our affections, a guy comes up right in the middle of all that, and this invariably happens, it makes you want to pull your hair out sometimes. A guy comes up and says, "Master, I heard that teaching, it was great, uh, tell my brother to give me what I deserve, to divide my inheritance with me." "And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?" "This isn't where I've put the value; didn't you hear what I just said? That's not why I'm here."

Now look at the next phrase, verse 15, "...Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Now with that in mind, I just want that phrase to ring in your ears. I want you to use that as a foundational Scripture for the next session that we're going to go into. I'll say it again, "...For a man's life consisteth not in the [what's the next word?] abundance of the things..." It's not just talking about things, it's talking about-see we're not just looking for things, we're not looking for daily bread, we're not looking for God as the source, we're not looking for manna, we're loathing this manna. Enough isn't enough. We want [say that word] abundance. We don't want enough, we want abundance. You're getting quiet. We want what? Abundance, yeah, abundance. And once you have abundance you want more abundance, exceeding great... When is lust satisfied? We know that doctrinally, the problem that most of us have is we try to find the contentment, the fulfilling in the object and you can't ever be fulfilled until you get the right Provider. It's not about the stuff, the stuff doesn't satisfy. It's the love of the One that gave it to you that satisfies. Now as kids we always say, "It's not the gift, it's the meaning." Kids don't believe that. "Don't be talking all that ‘meaning' stuff, give me something good." You see childish perception and adolescent perception in that way, but what about in real life where we're living today? A man's life doesn't consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses! Isn't that sad, the narrow-listen to the magnitude of what Jesus is saying: A man's life does not consist of that which he possesses. Are our lives measured by what we possess? Is that all there is? It's all vanity, vexation. What is the whole duty of man? "What's it all about, Alfie?!" Do you ever feel like that, "Is this all there is?" No! If life feels that way to you, guess what, you are looking at the abundance of things. You're not seeing the true treasure of the relational privilege we have with Almighty God. We're children of God, heirs and joint-heirs. God, the Father of lights, has provided me sufficiently with this little piece of manna. "What is it?" "I don't even know what it is, but it's from God so it's worth something," amen? "What does it taste like?" "Nothing." It had a little bit of a taste of honey, I'm sure there was some taste. It reminds me of those rice things. Why bother? "Well, it's just the crunchiness." That's why God made potato chips and peanuts. A couple of those things would be nice with about a half pint of peanut butter between them, that'll do. But what's God-are you excited about the source?

Can you imagine how-we sit here and judge these guys but we all have the same human nature. We all would have that same tendency, but right now the perspective of thinking that all we're going to have, everything you have now, gone. If at this moment God could just erase, it's all gone, and all you have are the clothes on your back and that's it. If that happened, guess what? You wouldn't be in a hurry to go home at 9:00 because there wouldn't be one. You'd probably be able to find some time on your face before God, fellowshipping with the saints, and in the morning-here we are because we don't have any place to go now. It's all gone, we're here all night praying, seeking God, and we wake up in the morning and we go out and in the parking lot: Breakfast; there it is man, McGriddles! I want to tell you something if God sent me a McGriddle, I'd eat it. I'm not too fond of Ronald's but if God sends me one-I don't mind those they've got a new thing out, what's it called? It's a McGriddle. I love that syrup. Give me something sweet, that's good stuff, got syrup soaked into the pancake with bacon, that's good. I'm hungry. But wouldn't it be cool to have nothing but what God provides for you? How many of you would like that? Let me see your hands, how many of you would like that? It would be great! You see, you don't think you would like that because you've never had that. You've never seen how good it is. Now, what I'm here to tell you is you can have stuff and still have that when you realize that your life doesn't consist of the things you possess. You se, as long as there is trepidation, then that stuff has you. You have to get free, you can't let it have you anymore.

Jesus said, "The world has nothing on Me, it has nothing in Me." He wasn't just talking about man and man's power over Him. He was talking about the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. I'm not here to try to impress men. I'm not here to flatter you. I don't need your praise. I don't need your acceptance. I'm about my Father's business, I'm living to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant," and I'm free! Paul said it. He said, "I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. It's not about the stuff. When God wants to give me abundance, praise God, God is the source of the abundance, and God is the source of the lack." Are you there yet? Or is there a fear is there anxiousness? Is there the need to provide for yourself? Do you truly believe that you can cast your care before Him, He cares for you, that when you wake up every morning there's going to be manna there, praise God, and you can say, give us this day our daily bread? Why are we studying this, why are we talking about thankfulness and covetousness? Because I want to tell you something: This spirit is robbing us of our faith. I'm on a long-term course of trying to get us back to believing God as a community, because hard times are coming. I'm on a long-term-you're going to hear it from all different angles over these next months should the Lord tarry, about trying to strip the strangle hold of the wisdom of the world, the provision of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life; all of these things that enter in and choke the Word of God out of our lives. I also want you to know that in the process we can live and you can have abundance and not be under its power if God is the Provider. And if God doesn't give you as much as the other person, then stop judging God and be content and rejoice, amen? Stop being jealous, and thank God for giving your brother more than you have, and don't judge Him for not giving it to you! We're not Communists, amen? "Well, we should all have the same." Who said? God said, "Charge the rich that are among you." That means some will be rich and some won't. Those that are rich, He said, "Charge them with the opportunity to share and to tell others." "Here are some things you can do, these are ways I conducted my life and God blessed. He may want to bless you and He may keep you where you are. If you get to the place where you don't have anything to eat, I'm ready to distribute." "I'm going to, even at a moment's notice, I'm in a position where should the apostle stand before us and say, ‘Look man for us to preserve as a community we all got to have a common pot. Everybody brings everything they have and they put it in the pot.'" Are you there? How many of you, right now, if times came to where we as a community had a need, are you ready to put everything in and lay it at the apostle's feet to be distributed as the needs are there? "You aren't getting my stuff, Jack. God may get His ten percent, but I tell you what, you keep your hands off the rest of it." I've got news for you: we don't want your money, amen?

We had a guy freak out the other day, we sent money-we are one of the only ministries I know of, we've done it on a number of occasions, we give money back to people. We don't want your money. "What do you mean, churches are about taking people's money?" You know that's what people think. We don't want your money. To take your money would be to dishonor God. Our giving is to honor God. Numerous cases, I just got thinking, there's actually been more than a couple. Send it back, we don't want your money, it's dirty. We only return to God what He's given to us. We only give of God His recognition, worship, firstfruits. Where are you living today? How satisfied are you with God's wisdom and His distribution of your resources? In a world where we are told we have to have more, are you content with what God has given you?

Ezekiel-Let me read you a passage there real quickly before we unhook this evening. Let me show you the spirit of the age that Ezekiel is contending with here. If you read the book of Ezekiel and you see the Prophet and what he's speaking toward, it's really kind of a cool place. As so often would take place, the prophets would stand and forewarn the people of the justice of God at hand; and that's what we've been sharing with you. You may not see it, but I've seen it. "Oh, you've seen it?" Yeah, and it really makes me feel super spiritual, just about like Balaam's donkey, but I can see the angel with the sword lifted. As a people, a human race, as a people, nationally so prosperous, believing this lie-I don't want to get off course, but let me tell you something, this thing is smoke and mirrors. We, as a country, are bankrupt. If we were an individual we'd be gone. The only reason that we haven't closed the doors is because for us to close, everybody closes. So the whole rest of the world looks the other way and pretends we're still alright, because our death is theirs. How long can this go on? How long are we going to pretend, how long can people just with numbers move them around and make everything look all right? Until the Antichrist comes, until everybody says, "We can't pretend anymore, we're doomed." And a guy steps up and says, "Here's the answer." You think they're not going to flock to this guy? I mean, dear God, this guy is going to save my IPod. I want you to know something, I've been looking on the Internet, there's a Web site, the M5 Board keeps you up to date with everything that's going on new with the M5, the car we just got. Checking on all of the different things, it's a very high tech car-it has a motor and four tires. To read these guys on there, they're lamenting, they're distraught because there are no adapters for their IPods. I'm going, "Somebody has to do something. I mean, dear God, you're driving one of the most technically advanced cars that costs a fortune, it's unique. Poor thing, I feel really bad for you!" Don't you all feel bad for this guy; he doesn't have an IPod adapter for his new M5? You know what the average age is of those that are driving these things is, they are in their 30s? I think it's just that the older guys can't figure out how to get on the Internet and vote. They did a survey, what is the age of the guys that are driving and most of them are 30s. I thought, "Man, that's amazing." Then I thought, "You know what these older guys don't even know how to get on there." Greer showed me. Do you understand the age we're in? Do you know we're broke? Do you know the average American doesn't even have $400.00 in savings? You go, "Man, people have that much in savings?" Did you know what the average credit card balance is? Whatever happened to doing without until you had enough money to buy it? Some of you are like...what? I can remember when people didn't even finance automobiles, the only thing that somebody would finance would be their home; you saved up until you could buy it; you didn't borrow, you weren't in debt.

"Got to have it, got to have it, got to have it." "Really? Okay, well here I'll lend you some. Here 18 percent, sure." There are people who have their credit cards up to where if they paid in a 100 years, they would still be paying interest. They are watching their interest-only-payment TV, sitting on their no-payments-until-2042 sofa. It's insanity, and it's right here in Ezekiel. It's the age that we're living in. I want to tell you, to keep these possessions-I won't go over to Revelation right now, but to keep these possessions they're going to worship the beast. Antichrist is all about money. Antichrist is going to come to power through the Church and turn on this harlot, this hypocrite, this one that embraces that spirit for its own gain and prominence. The Antichrist is going to destroy that whore as this kingdom emerges based solely upon economics. Don't look for Antichrist at the fortuneteller's little place down here. It's not about the occult. Antichrist is on Wall Street and Madison Avenue, and that spirit is seducing us, it's vexing us; it's damnable tentacles are embedded in our minds. To be able to think freely again of the simplistic thankfulness for the basics of life and God as the Provider has been lost in the majority of lives. That was the age that Ezekiel was standing and prophesying in Chapters 33 and 34.

Chapter 34 of Ezekiel is very similar to Jeremiah 23. And we're out of time. Let me just read this last phrase to you to give you something to meditate on, but go back and read Chapters 33 and 34. If you want to be thankful for something, be thankful for Pastors who will lead you into truth. But Chapter 33, verse 30 says, "Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people [the hypocrites that Jesus spoke of over in that passage we just read; they're feigning to be God's people, they say that they are God's people], and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not." Like Saul, who would call on David to come and play the harp to soothe that demon that was possessing him. He sang spiritual songs; he sang about the goodness of God, it was the only thing that could calm Saul. We hear the Word, we hear the teachings, we hear the truth, and the truth calms us somewhat. We go, "Yeah, that's true, that's real," but we're not living it. We choose the blessings; we choose to believe that God will deliver us. We choose to believe that which soothes us, but we still provide for ourselves, we still trust in ourselves. That's what Ezekiel is saying. You're saying God is your source, but you are being driven by your covetousness, by your dissatisfaction, by your need for more. I don't want to get off course right now, but this need for more, "I need more," and so because of that the body of Christ isn't enough, we need to develop our horizons so we go join secular clubs. This, isn't where we are as a fellowship right now, but you can see it many places, and our kids need to be involved in other secular activities, and sports, and computer this and whatever, because God is not enough. And wives have to have 23 sisterhood groups that they are part of because their husband is not enough, and tending the home and raising children isn't enough. "I have to be fulfilled, I have to go out and work, and I have to wear my power-suit." That spirit of covetousness-what God provides and what God says is orderly is never enough, it's never going to produce what will satisfy. How much is enough? The people that were chasing after had everything but one tree! So stop and think: if you could gather everything in the world-now it could be available, because, listen, if you don't think this spirit of covetousness is powerful, it's one of the temptations that was put on Jesus as He was taken up and said, "These kingdoms are mine, the power, and to whomever I want to give them, all you have to do is bow and worship me. All this power, all this wealth, it's mine." Where did he get it? He got it from the guy who had it all but wanted one more thing, the only thing he didn't have. That's the power of this thing we're talking about. How safe are we? We're going down if we don't constantly renew our minds, if we don't make choices to deny ourselves, if we don't make choices to value God, His Word, His ways, His provisions, and stop believing the lie of the world and our own hearts, these wicked, evil imaginations.

Father, we thank You for the Word tonight. As we live in this day and this hour, You've given us great grace to stand. You've given us Your Spirit and Your wisdom, and we thank You that we're able to prevail by Your grace and by Your strength. We thank You that the days are going to be shortened, because if not, even the very elect would be in jeopardy, unable to stand. It's really kind of scary, Father, that some don't see, some are totally content with hearing the song. But as we read in Luke, the hypocrisy, those that confess you before men are going to be confessed, those who stand and live before men are going to be accepted, those who are uniquely Yours, distinctly Yours, and all of the others will experience the vapor and the vanity, it will be over in a moment. Help us to be content with Your presence, with godliness as our great treasure. We're still so vulnerable. As David of old had everything, and yet instead of being on the front lines he finds himself on the rooftop relaxing, and looks on Bathsheba, and the same thing that's in every one of us, he's moved with that appetite to have what he doesn't have, to have a momentary fix of pleasure. "Nobody will know." Then she's pregnant, and sin leads to sin, and now what are we going to do? "Now I have to kill Uriah because he's a man of integrity, he comes home and won't visit his wife so my scheme didn't work. Now I have got to get rid of him. Now the Prophet comes and puts his finger in my face, now my baby dies. Now I can't build the temple of God." That's the fruit of covetousness. You're better off to be with your army, eating the bread, warring for righteousness; you'll be safe there, praise God! Make it real we ask, Father, in Jesus' name, amen.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment. What an hour we're living in to be distracted on every side, to have no restraints. All you have to be able to do is con that person on the other end of the phone to push a button and your credit limit goes up. Credit means something, a little bit today; if you have bad credit, you still have to pay a little higher interest that's all, and you still get what your lust wants. There's no stigma in being bankrupt anymore. In fact, it's a method of perpetuating our covetousness. No restraints. God forbid that somebody would be restrained! Our well-meaning laws say, "Well yeah, but you can't take a person's home when they are bankrupt." Bankrupt used to mean you go on the streets. You're a little wiser with what your decisions were. No restraints. We go out there every day and our minds are vexed. I just encourage you to turn them back as your source, God as your trust, God as your treasure, your Provider, and everything that does not come from Him, not interested in it. "For it's the blessings of the Lord that make rich and add no sorrow." What a great treasure we have. Let's sing it together and just worship Him tonight, He's worthy of our praise. All the money in the world can't buy the presence of God from us.

Some of you young people look around and you see your parents where they are today, and they are blessed. You think they've always had it. They haven't always had that. Some of you young people say, "Pastor, that's easy for you to say, look at all the stuff you have." You haven't been born long enough to see me without my stuff. I want to tell you something: I'm the same man without my stuff that I am with my stuff. I'm a steward, I'm a servant, I'm a dependent. "So are you saying everything you have, it can go away and no big deal?" Yes, it's a big deal; I like stuff, I like all my stuff. I like that Father has given it to me, and when He takes it He'll give the grace to judge Him right, and my flesh will have the same tendencies that your flesh would have, and the same tendencies that Job's flesh had, but God's grace caused him to put his hand over his mouth and justify God and not himself. Next time somebody says, "How come you don't have more stuff, how come you're not a success, and how come...?" "Well, because I never get any breaks." Why don't you stop and stand back and justify God, and say, "I have everything God wants me to have right now and I'm blessed, praise God." Boast in the goodness of your Father. Use it as a source to testify of the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Turn to somebody next to you and say, "We're blessed." Praise God. Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

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