Beware! Part 4

Brethren, today's sermon is part four of my Beware series that we've been walking through. I first began this on the last day of Unleavened Bread. It's a series focusing on the warnings that Jesus Christ and the apostles gave on matters pertaining to salvation. These are issues that can cause us to stumble spiritually. Issues that could cause us to fall short of the grace of God and, frankly, miss out on eternal life in the kingdom of God. If we're not careful to heed the warning, Beware part one was Beware the leaven of the Pharisees. And in that message, we saw the dangers that hypocrisy and the doctrines of men play in our relationship with God. And the lesson that came out of that sermon was, be genuine.

Be genuine before God. Be genuine with one another. Serve God with a pure heart and with a genuine faith that pleases him. You know, purity without hypocrisy.

In part two, we looked at Beware a root of bitterness.

And we examined the destructive nature of unresolved anger and resentment. We looked at the story of Esau and Jacob and how that played out actually down through history to our day and even unto the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. The damage of bitterness and unresolved anger. And the fact that, you know, a root of bitterness is a root of poison that has defiled many. But the lesson is, forgive. Be willing to let go. Be willing to release what it is that holds on and keeps that bitterness inside. God has forgiven us in his mercy and we must forgive as well. And finally, part three last week, or two weeks ago, I guess it would be now, was beware false prophets and teachers. And in that message, we focus on the warning of Jesus Christ and the apostles that impostors will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived, and that we as God's people must be on guard. We must watch for the wolves in sheep's clothing. We must listen to the message, see the fruits. And again, we must be willing as well to respond and avoid those when we recognize the presence to be such. So there's many lessons that we see as we can walk through the scriptures and understand that there are salvation issues that Christ said, Be careful. Beware. You know, take heed because these things are essential. And each of these three messages reminded us that there are real spiritual dangers lurking there around us, present in this world, that would seek to, again, take our salvation if we fail to heed the warning. Today's beware message is no different. Today, we're going to consider another beware that came directly from Jesus Christ himself. And I want to turn to Luke 12 to begin as we pull this beware out of the heart of the gospel. Luke chapter 12.

So much of what Christ and the apostles taught, it were the words for life. It's how you live, but it's also how you don't live. And we understand those things as we see them in contrast. Luke chapter 12 and verse 13, it says, Then one from the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But Jesus said to a man who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you.

You know, I've actually appreciated greatly this comment by Jesus Christ over the years, who made me a judge, you know, who made me an arbitrator over you, because for me, it's actually helped me to analyze and determine at times what it is that maybe I should meddle in, or not. Right? Sometimes they say, don't grab the dog by the ears. Is that, I think that's the phrase. But, you know, there's time to know, what do you get involved in and what you don't you? And here, this man apparently had an issue with a relative. His brother wasn't, from his perspective, fairly dividing his father's inheritance with him. And he said, Lord, tell him to do it. And Jesus essentially said, you know, what does that have to do with me? You know, in a kind way. But he simply said, that's not my jurisdiction. That's not what I'm here to do. This is a family matter that should be resolved here in the family. And as I said, I've appreciated that conceptually over time. But then he doesn't just drop it there. He goes on to give a caution. Verse 15, he said to him, Take heed and beware of covetousness.

Which is interesting. You can just read past it so quick. But in terms of salvational bewares, this too is a big one. Take heed and beware of covetousness. For one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

And so here we have this warning for all of us. It's directed at this man, but the principle applies. Take heed, beware, beware the sin of covetousness. Watch out for it. Look in your life. Is it developing? Is it something that's actually guiding the course of your life and how you live in your outlook? Christ says, don't become entangled into it because as we're going to see, the consequences of covetousness are absolutely destructive, both to our relationship with God and to one another.

Okay, this plays out in many directions. It's not just an innocent sin. Beware the sin of covetousness. That's the title today. Beware, part four, beware the sin of covetousness. We're going to consider what is covetousness? What's the danger of it? What's so harmful about it anyway? And what's the antidote? You know, all these bewares come with a lesson. You know, don't live this way, live this way. There's an antidote. There's a result that's to be positive in our life, so we're going to consider what the antidote to covetousness is today as well.

So today we're going to explore the topic of covetousness. And as this passage goes on, then Christ enters into a parable that's instructive for us. Again, verse 15, he said to them, take ye to beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Then he spoke a parable to them, saying, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?

He said, okay, I will do this. I will pull down my barns, and I will build greater, and there I will have room to store all my crops and my goods. So, you know, the production has been plenteous. His work has been hard. Now he has all this abundance, and he says, I'm going to make room for it. And I think it's important to recognize that the focus of the parable is not that it was a sin for this man to be successful.

Okay, and it's not a sin to be rich. You understand the package, hopefully, and there's other scriptures that apply to this, but it's not a sin to be rich, if your perspective is indeed correct. Because there were people in the Bible who were rich, faithful, godly people. So, in that sense, the substance isn't the sin. It's not hard to not run to work hard, to make good decisions, to increase in the abundance because of God's blessing being there. And you know, it's not even wrong to build greater barns to hold the abundance.

Okay, that's actually not the central core of the issue. We should all aspire to be successful in whatever you do. In fact, Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verse 10 tells us, whatever your hand finds to do, to do it with your might. So, his abundance wasn't the problem. His ability to produce wasn't the problem. So, what is the problem? What is the focus here? Well, the problem is a matter of priorities.

And we'll see that as we go forward. What was this man's priority? And as he considered his wealth, balanced with considering God, what was his priority? Verse 19, Jesus said, I say to you, he says, I will say, as this goes on, okay, this is the man says to himself, right, my soul.

He says, Yo soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. So, I've worked hard, I've gathered all these things, I've laid them up, I've built bigger barns. Now he says, I can just simply take my ease. Verse 20, but God said to him, fool, this night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided?

So, with he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. We have a compound sentence there, you know, he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. The problem here is the trust that this man placed in his riches above God. You know, he looked to those and said, I can take it easy, and I feel abundant, and I'm provided for. I can take my ease, and I am satisfied. So, if his source of security and confidence and satisfaction in this life is in these things rather than looking to God for the fulfillment, now there's a problem.

Now there's an issue of his focus. Again, it's not a sin to be rich. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, many in the Bible were rich by God's blessing, but this parable is talking about right priorities and the priority of putting God first. Putting your faith and trust in God first for your confidence and knowing that you need to be rich towards God because he's the one that pours out the blessings. You know, he may bring rain on the just and the unjust, but it still comes from him.

The blessing of God, what he gives to you, whether it is small by the legitimate work of your hand or large, it is still God's blessing. But anytime that physical possessions or coveting after physical possessions keeps us from putting God first, then it's sin. Our priorities are backwards. And Jesus said, beware. Watch out. Take heed, because this could actually take you out of the kingdom of God.

In Exodus chapter 20, we can gain additional insight into what the sin of covetousness is, how it can manifest itself.

Exodus 20, here we have the listing of the Ten Commandments. God brought Israel out of Egypt. He's taking them to the promised land, and he says, this is what you will live by. If you apply these things, life will be good. Exodus chapter 20, in verse 17, says, you shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. So here in the Ten Commandments, we have the definition of coveting as being an inappropriate desire for something you cannot have. It's about as basic as we could boil it down here from verse 17. To covet something is an inappropriate desire for something that you cannot have. And you know what? It may not mean that the item is a bad thing. It's a good thing to have a house, a wife, that's a blessing. To have oxen, you go out, you plow the field, it allows you to grow a crop and have abundance. And so all these things, and of themselves, are not something wrong to desire. But you see, is it something that is inappropriate because it's not yours? Or because it's not something that is actually available or appropriate for you to desire after? That's the point. Your neighbor may have the newest, shiniest truck on the block, and beautiful ski boat behind. It's not a sin for him to have one, and it's not a sin for you desire to have one in a right and proper context. But you know what? If you open the window to your house, draw that curtain back, look out the living room window, and it's out there parked along the street, you know, the curb right across from where you live is shiny, and it's always clean, it's spotless. And it's beautiful. You know, four-inch lift, wide tires, crew cab diesel. And he fires it up, you go, that's a four-inch turbo back exhaust, and you can just hear that turbo whistle as he pulls out. You know, beautiful. In the boat, you could pull skiers, you could pull a tube behind that, get up a lazy afternoon of fishing with cold drinks in the ice chest, and you pull back the curtain, and you look out there. What do you feel? What do you think? Well, it could be good or it could be bad. There's nothing wrong with admiring it, right? Nothing wrong with telling your neighbor just how much you like it. That's nice. I wouldn't mind having one like that myself. And maybe if you're good friends, he'll even take you out in it. Nothing wrong with that. But if you lust after what he has to the point that, you know what, you become jealous. Starting to get this maybe resentful feeling welling up because of what your neighbor has and not you, that's coveting. Now there's going to be a problem that's now developing between you and your neighbor after something that's rightfully his to have, something that would be rightfully, you know, by comparison, okay for you to have if you went down to the dealership. If you covet your neighbor's ox, it's not like you go take it from him. It's the blessing that he has something you could be happy for what he can produce with it. And if you have the opportunity and ability, you could go get yours, you know, down at Oxen's R Us or something. But the challenge, what? That's his and I want it. That's coveting.

You know, if you feel like you deserve it more than he does, you know, and that's commercialism today, isn't it? After all, you deserve it. That's what they tell you when you turn on the TV, the vacation, the vehicle, whatever it is. In fact, you deserve it so much. Zero down, zero interest, 84 months, and we'll even give you cash back because you deserve it. And you start to think, yeah, I do. I work hard, and I'm a good guy anyway. So, you know, the problem becomes looking, and if you look at your neighbor and you think, well, you know what? That should be mine, not his, because after all, I deserve it. I work harder than he does, and I'm worthy. Again, that's coveting.

If every time you see that truck and boat pull out towards the lake, you know, Sunday morning, beautiful sunny day, and you just, you know, fires up that truck and his beautiful wife gets into the passenger seat, and two straight-A students climb into the back because, you know, it's a crew cab, it's four doors, and just beautiful, and you think that should be mine, and you have this obsessive desire to possess what he has, not what you have. Again, that's coveting.

So, this commandment isn't saying that all our desires are immoral. Again, nothing wrong with owning a shiny new truck or a ski boat if you could do it in moderation and within your means. There's nothing wrong with that, and it's not an immoral desire, okay? But this commandment is telling us that there are some desires that are wrong because they're not ours to pursue in the first place. That's his wife. That's his house. That's his whatever it may be fill in the blank. And that's why I said earlier that covetousness impacts our relationships both with God and our neighbor because it spawns attitudes, attitudes that are inappropriate towards both, as we saw in Christ's parable and as we saw in this commandment, and it leads to other sins as well.

With God obsessing after things could put us into an attitude of not putting him first, because you see now God isn't the priority in our life. Whatever it is we want becomes the priority. And you know, we still may say, I serve God, I seek God, but if your obsession puts your focus and desire more heavily on what it is you want rather than God, that's sin. And beyond even sin, that is of coveting, that is also idolatry. And what we're going to see as we walk through this is coveting is so insidious because it drags all of these other sins in with it as well. It's not just a standalone. It is far-reaching. So with God, obsessing after things can put us into an attitude of not putting God first. It can be not only coveting, but also idolatry, because we make an idol out of what it is we desire to possess. You know, wanting a shiny truck and a boat, if you obsess after that to the point that you go, I can get that if I just work one Saturday a month. And, you know, if I don't pay half my tithes, after all, you know, I'll drive that truck to the feast. And you can kind of play these games, you know, a person could in their mind. You know what? Suddenly it's sin. It's idolatry. It's coveting. It's putting something else before God. And that plays out in other ways as well. There isn't money to go to the grocery store or put shoes on the kids and you say, well, what's your problem? I ran around barefoot when I was a kid. But, you know, there's things aren't in order because now you have to make that payment every month. You've overstretched to something that, again, wasn't what should be attainable to you. It becomes idolatry and coveting. With our neighbor, coveting leads to an attitude of jealousy and resentment towards them over what they have. And you know what? Easily, again, leads to other sins as well if it's not rained in. And so it's encompassing in terms of it's going to affect a lot of people and it's going to be a challenge that there's going to pull other sins in with them.

I think of King David and, you know, David's a good example on both ends of the spectrum. You know, when he sinned, he sinned big, but when he acknowledged those and repented, he repented big. But think of King David's example. He coveted after something, didn't he?

Hot day, went up on the roof of the palace, looked out, saw another man's wife, Uriah's wife, and he said, I want her. He was the king. He could basically take whatever it was he wanted. He said, I want her. And you can say, okay, that is lusting. It is lusting, but you know what? It's also coveting because David wanted something that was not lawful for him to have. Right? It was another man's wife. So sin number one, coveting. Right? That's where it began. Then he acted on his desire, which led to adultery. Right? Sin number two. You have coveting. Now you have adultery. And when Bathsheba became pregnant, David came up with this failed plan now to convince Uriah that, okay, this is his baby. So I'll bring him home for more. I'll feed him a good meal. I'll maybe get him a little drunk and send him home to his wife. And he'll have relations with his wife. And when she's now showing with child, the story will be it's his baby. That's what he'll believe. So now we got sin number three, the conception of a lie. Right? Because sin starts in the heart. But of course Uriah was a notable man. He was an honorable man. He wasn't going to go in with his wife while the soldiers were in the field. So he sleeps at the king's doorstep. So that didn't work. So eventually, what happens is David resorted to murder. Right? In order to cover up his sin. Since Uriah out on the battlefield with the orders that the other troops pull back and leave him exposed, and he's killed. So sin number four, then, is murder. So you have coveting where it started, adultery, lying, murder. You know what? You could even add in theft. He stole Uriah's wife. You could add in idolatry. He put something before God that he knew was wrong. Okay? So these things aren't just exclusive of and by themselves. The Bibles, these things play out in so many ways in the repercussions. We don't always put names together in places, but you take it down the line aways. Absalon comes and chases David out to grab his throne. And there's an advisor of David that jumped over to Absalon. Right? I hit the fell. Who was he? Well, he was Bathsheba's grandfather.

Perhaps he never really even got over the concept of what David did to his son-in-law. Well, his grandson-in-law and his granddaughter. And now he's backing in rebellion against the throne of David. So these things have a way of playing out in so many different directions. And you might think, well, it's just innocent. What's coveting? Well, it starts in the mind, but then it projects out through actions. And the consequences can be rather dramatic. Breaks up relationships between us and God and between us and one another in so many different ways. And so there's two types of coveting we're looking at here today and what we've covered thus far. Number one was an intense desire for something that we can't have or that it's not lawful for us to have. Might not be a bad thing, but that's not yours to have. Right? Bathsheba was not for David to have. Number two in coveting is a desire for something that is lawful to have, but our pursuit of it is done in an improper manner. You know, you've placed that thing, that must-have thing, above your relationship with God. It's now an idol, and it's a sin, and it's idolatry. Or you've overextended yourself beyond reason, put your family in jeopardy, others in jeopardy, in order to obtain that thing it is coveting. Something that is lawful, but the pursuit of it is done in an improper manner. It's interesting to note that the Ten Commandments are bracketed between two commandments that contain the concepts of idolatry. Commandment number one and commandment number ten, they bracket the other eight together, and if you broke number one and number ten, you could see how all the rest in between are broken as well. We're in Exodus 20. Let's look at verse one. Let's look at the first commandment. Exodus 20, verse one. And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, you shall have no other gods before me.

Anything that puts God in the position of number two is idolatry. He says, I'm number one. You shall have no other gods before me. And it doesn't matter what it is that you might put up in that place. It is idolatry. And the other eight commandments are bracketed between this concept of idolatry on both ends, and they all relate directly either to our relationship with God or our relationship with one another. If you've broken one, you've broken them all, but in terms of idolatry, the effect just shatters all the way through the list. The potential is to affect everybody, even God. Now, if we jump back to the New Testament, Colossians chapter 3, we see that idolatry is just exactly what the Apostle Paul labeled covetousness to be.

Colossians chapter 3 verse 2. Colossians 3 verse 2. Paul says, Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. So again, we're talking priority. Where's your focus? It's on the calling of God and that relationship with Him. Verse 3, For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. He says, When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you shall also appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Covetousness, which is idolatry. Paul makes that clear statement, linking the two together. And you might think, it's an innocent thing and covet in my mind. Well, that's where idolatry begins as well. And it's obsessive desire that elevates itself and now greed and lust and self are pulled into the mix and put above God when we covet. Paul says that's idolatry and that's the textbook definition. Now his instructions also were to what? If we go back to the beginning of verse 5, put to death your members which are on the earth. And he goes through and lists this. He says, put it out. Put to death because this is salvation. This is a matter that could keep you out of the kingdom of God if you don't reign it in, get it under control, and put it out completely.

And we notice why, verse 6, it says, because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, because of covetousness, which is idolatry, upon everything else. The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. So there's coming a day, brethren, where there's going to be a reckoning from God against idolatry, against covetousness, against all these other things, and your very salvation depends on putting it to death. And Jesus himself said, beware, take heed. Don't touch it. Don't go down that road. Your eternal life is at stake. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 1. Ephesians 5 verse 1, Paul reiterates the point.

Covetousness is idolatry. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 1, therefore be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for the saints. Paul says, you know, these actions aren't even worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence with the saints of God. People identify you. They're not to identify you by these trademarks. The link is not even to be there. Verse 4 says, neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks. Verse 5, for this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

So again, Paul links these two concepts together. Any covetous man who is an idolater can have no part in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Brethren, this is a clear-cut, salvational issue, and God isn't going to have anyone in his kingdom who hasn't overcome the sin of covetousness. Is that serious?

I mean, I wonder why. What's the big deal about covetousness anyway? I mean, is it maybe it's a little harmful play in the mind? Well, again, we've seen it spans out in so many directions, but what would be the problem with having a being with the power of a God being, right? Spirit being in the family of God who was covetousness. What would be the problem with that?

Well, Satan's not a God being, okay? He is a lesser being. He was an angel, and yet we get a front-row seat, don't we, to the destructive effects of covetousness with someone that has power far beyond, you know, the physical realm anyway. One day, Satan said, what? I will be like the Most High.

Right? So what did that entail? Okay, you know, rise above the clouds, above the stars of heaven, sit above the congregation on the, you know, farthest part of the north. I will be as the Most High, or I will be like the Most High. He coveted something that was not his to possess the throne of God. It's cosmic. That's not even enough of a word, you know, but I mean, this is in the realm of spirit realm. This was the greatest act of covetousness and revolt, and we're again, we have a front seat to the destructive effects from this being. 10th Commandment says, don't covet your neighbor's house. How much more do you not covet your God's throne? And you see the source of where this comes from, and just how dangerous it is. The Bible says Satan was the seal of perfection. He was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. God created him that way. Right? Awesome. Incredible. In the presence of God, at the throne of God, all this that was his, and yet it wasn't enough.

And the concept of coveting was, I need more. But you see, more, if it doesn't come from God, doesn't satisfy. You need more, and you need more. And Satan said, I will be like the most high.

And that's the insidious trap with covetousness. It does not truly satisfy. Okay, that's that's big point of the lesson. It does not truly satisfy. It leaves you wanting more. We Americans have an act of chasing after things that we say, if I get that, that'll make me happy. Right? You know, if I just lived in that house, drove that car, swim in that lake, whatever, married to that person, whatever it might be, I'll be fulfilled. That will make me happy. I'll be content. And true satisfaction will come by grabbing hold of something physical in the flesh. That's our American mindset. And if we're not careful, we can actually begin to idolize the physical as a source of our contentment. We can convince ourselves that the physical things really do make us happy. That that is where true love and joy and peace and fulfillment comes from, the things of the flesh, when the reality is those things are fleeting and they do not satisfy long-term.

Do not satisfy long-term. This is nothing new. Let's go Ecclesiastes chapter 5.

This is nothing new. The same, same old covetous nature. It's been around for since the beginning, since the beginning of rebellion, anyway.

Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and verse 10. King Solomon wrote about this concept 3,000 years ago, roughly.

It was alive and well in his day and is alive and well today. Ecclesiastes 5 and verse 10, He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, and he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity. And so it's about what you love.

What do you love? Right? It says, if you love silver, wouldn't you think I'm going to grab some and then I'll be satisfied? No. Because you love it. You want more. You want more. And it's a physical thing and it doesn't truly satisfy. He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver. And so at the end of this cycle, it just repeats again more and more, but fulfillment never truly comes. There's nothing wrong with seeking financial security or wanting things that make our lives comfortable and enjoyable. You know, if you can quit walking 20 miles and sit on a riding mower, good for you. You know, that's great. All right? But the point is, those things can't be allowed to take away from our relationship with God. Otherwise, it is covetousness. It is idolatry, no matter what it is. A new car is only going to look and smell new for so long.

Some people have experienced that, I'm told. I got a three-year-old car a number of years ago. And you know, you got in on a warm day and you could still smell the new car smell just a little bit. But, you know, it really doesn't take very long before you're trading in that car. It lost the smell because the dog threw up in the backseat and whatever else happened in the car. Somebody ran into it with a shopping cart in the grocery store parking lot, whatever it is. It doesn't take long. That new, beautiful thing that you loved, you're trading it in, you're going to capture that feeling again. Zero percent, eighty-four months, you know. But anything that takes us away from God. If that's where your love is, it's vanity and it's fleeting. The lesson is we must love God above all else. He is our priority. He is the one we seek and it is He who brings true happiness and fulfillment.

But there has to be a relationship, doesn't there? And that's where covetousness, again, it's damaging to that. But a relationship with God is what brings satisfaction and fulfillment, not a relationship with the things that eventually fade away into obscurity. The temporary is temporary, is vanity, the eternal is of God, and it is enduring. And that is where our relationship ultimately must be. The Apostle Paul understood this concept well. You read through his writings, through his travels, and there were places where the church supported him to go do things through tithes. There's other places where he said, I don't want to be a burden to the church or even accused at profiting from the church. So he worked his trade with his own hands to provide for himself. And Paul had a rough life in a number of respects. But again, when you read through those things, you see he was someone who could be content. No matter the circumstances he found himself in, you know, whether he was hot or cold, in a moment where he didn't have to work with his hands or he did have to work with his hands, and even at times when he was in prison. And to me, it's incredible to read through the prison epistles without forgetting the perspective. Paul's in prison when he wrote this, and he said, be joyful, be abundant. Well, God has given you his good. This life is a blessing, and he's sitting there under Roman confinement. The book of Philippians is a prison epistle. Again, Paul wrote it under chains. And in Philippians chapter 4 verse 11, Paul said, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I think that's a very profound concept. I've learned in whatever state I am to be content. You know, I think we sometimes struggle with that, but it's my belief that contentment is the antidote to covetousness. Ultimately, a relationship with God is the antidote, but where does contentment come from? It's the right and proper relationship with God, and that is what Paul came to understand very, very clearly. It's the lesson that Paul learned for himself, and it's the lesson he passed on to Timothy as well. First Timothy chapter 6 verse 6.

I don't see Paul as falling into the snare of obsessing over more and more and more, never truly being satisfied. No, he came to the point where contentment came because of his relationship with God, and he served God even under duress. First Timothy chapter 6 and verse 6 says, now godliness with contentment is great gain. As well as memory scriptures, we should seal in our mind. Godliness with contentment is great gain. It's such an important principle to remember. The New Living Translation puts it this way. It says, true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. It's like if you have a relationship with God and you're satisfied with what he's provided you in this life because your fulfillment comes from him, you're rich.

You're rich beyond what the guy with the boat and the truck across the way who doesn't, perhaps, know God. He has some satisfaction, and that's fine, okay, and it wouldn't be a sin for you to have a similar type satisfaction with something nice, but again it comes back to the priority is God. True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. The point is our sufficiency in this life comes from God, and he is the source of our purpose. He's the source of our fulfillment, and as long as we are content with that reality, we will truly be rich because no matter our physical station in life, God is there. No matter if you've worked hard all your life and you rent and you don't own the house you live in or you've worked hard all your life and you own a mansion or whatever you want to say in there, whatever it is, no matter your station in life, if you are in a relationship with God, you will be fulfilled and you will be wealthy. But we have to be willing to receive it. Verse 7, it says, All right. God has given us what we need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these things will be added to you.

Again, brethren, it's about what we truly love.

Okay? It's not a sin to be rich, it's not a sin to have money, but what is your love? It must be for God, pursuing a relationship with Him and the fulfillment that comes from Him. Verse 11, But you, O man of God, he says, flee these things, put them out, run as fast as you can from them, okay? Flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you are also called, and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I was thinking about this passage this week, this concept of, you know, confessing the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. And you know who I thought of?

Same person I thought of all week, Lionel. I think I'm someone who confessed a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. You know, he was a dear friend to us and a servant to this congregation. And as I mentioned earlier, I sat back and just kind of looked at the comments that came through. I went over the Felicia's Facebook page last night. I think there were at some point, there were over 57, 60 comments or more of people leaving thoughts, well wishes on her wall regarding Lionel. They all reminded me of the good confession that he confessed before many witnesses and how he lived his life, his actions, and the words that he spoke. And you know, I looked at those comments. This great man, one said, wonderful man, kind man. He always cared. Cheerful manner, serving heart, godly man, giving person, a faithful servant, bright light of service and joy. And they went on and on, the comments of those who knew Lionel. Jesus said, one's life does not consist of the abundance of the things he possesses. And Lionel didn't drive a new car, right? He didn't live in the biggest of houses, but he was rich towards God and he shared that blessing with all of us, didn't he? He confessed the good confession. And so when I think of this verse, and I think of what Jesus Christ said of our life not consisting of the abundance of the things we possess in terms of the physical possessions, and when I think of godliness with contentment is great gain, again, I think of Lionel because that was his nature and that's what he shared with all of us. And he loved to just have the congregation get together, barbecue, picnic in the backyard, over at the park, whatever it was. But his nature was not that of a covetous person. And he was a man who found true fulfillment in life because he put God first, and he told you he put God first. And he always says, you know what, whatever happens, it's okay because God's in charge. And that's the memory I carry with me, and it's rather dramatic. And so he will be missed, and we'll see him again in that great day, and that will be a wonderful reunion with him and many others. Let's conclude in Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews 13, it's actually an incredible couple of verses because it contains the overall package of the entire sermon wrapped up into one passage.

Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5, author probably the Apostle Paul, the writing here and the things that are referenced are very similar to what we've looked at thus far. Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5 says, let your conduct be without covetousness. You know, live your life in an honorable way without this sin, without covetousness. Be content. Be content with the things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what can man do to me. Brethren, the source of true contentment in his life comes through our relationship with God and assure knowledge that he will never leave us or forsake us. And if we put him first and we come before him in our knees first and our relationship with him is first before all else, we truly will be satisfied. We will have fulfillment. What more could we seek or want? Beware the sin of covetousness, Jesus Christ warned, because that sin threatens to take our eyes off of the reality of the contentment that God offers as a gift if we will receive it. Covetousness puts an idol in place of God. Brethren, beware.