Which Commandment Is the Capstone?

Well, good morning and happy Sabbath again. Today I would like to conclude a series on the Ten Commandments. I've been working on this, I think, like a year and a half as the opportunities provided themselves. And today I would like to examine the tenth and final commandment. And this commandment is unique. It's important because it incorporates the motive behind the first nine commandments. We could say it's a capstone of the Ten Commandments. There's a reason that it's tenth, because it highlights the intention and internal desire behind the previous nine commandments. It also reveals what Jesus would emphasize in his ministry, and that is the spiritual intent of the law that comes from our desires. It comes from our heart and goes far beyond the physical actions of violating the law of God. The Ten Commandments, as I've said before, are very important. I want you to remember that the Ten Commandments were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, as mentioned in Exodus chapter 40 and verse 20, inside the Ark of the Covenant, because the Ark represented the presence of God. The Ten Commandments are God's template of his moral law that's eternal, that comes from God, from his heart, from his mind. And it goes on and on, no matter what covenant God would make with the people. The card and cord that covenant is God's value system, and those are the Ten Commandments, and that's why that was placed inside of the Ark of the Covenant. Now, in contrast, the law of Moses, or the books of the law, were placed outside or beside the Ark of the Covenant, that's mentioned in Deuteronomy chapter 31 verses 24 through 26. Why? Because they were temporary. They were for specific people of a particular genetic heritage, during a particular place and time, and would be replaced by something we know of as the New Covenant, which again is more spiritual and has a spiritual application. So the Ten Commandments are very, very important. They reflect the mind and the value system of God. So let's quickly read through them to get to the point of discovering more about the Tenth Commandment today. We're going to begin by going to Exodus chapter 20, and we'll begin in verse 1. If you will kindly turn there with me.

I think we know the background of the context of this. It is God literally speaking here. This isn't just simply the law of Moses or what God instructed Moses, and Moses as a mediator told the people. This is directly God saying this, 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. Number one, the First Commandment, you shall have no other gods before me.

Number two, you shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers and the children of the third and fourth generations of those that hate me.

Yes, human dysfunction is passed down from generation to generation to generation as a natural law. Verse six, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me, who repent of their sins and transgressions, and who keep my commandments. Verse seven, there's a third one, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, who takes his name in vain. Number four, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger, who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and see the sea, and all that is in them, and he rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord God blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. And there is no church, no group of people on earth who have the authority to take something that God has blessed and hallowed and set apart as sanctified and say, Oh, it's just simply done away.

Or we're going to change it to another day until the football game starts, or until Walmart opens that day. Now no group or church has the right to say that something isn't blessed or hallowed that God has, and that's why we're here today. That's why we've made the choice to come to worship God in his holy day. Chapter 12, number 5, the fifth commandment, honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Number 6, you shall not murder. Number 7, you shall not commit adultery. Number 8, you shall not steal.

Number 9, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbors. Now we've discussed these laws in previous sermons, so I'm not going to add to them today, but we are going to focus on the tenth and final one of the Ten Commandments.

Verse 17, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, nor shall you covet your neighbor's wife, nor is a male servant, nor is a female servant, nor is ox, nor is donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. The English word covet here comes from the Hebrew word kamad, meaning to greatly delight in something. And of itself it's not a bad word, but when you put it in the context of the way that it's written here, it means a strong desire to the point of lusting after something.

You are consumed with having it. You just want it so badly. The Ten Commandment on coveting stands out among the Ten Commandments because it uniquely addresses the internal state of the heart, rather than just exterior external actions, which the other nine commandments deal with. While the other commandments prohibit observable behaviors like stealing, or murder, or adultery, the commandment against coveting forbids the lustful desire or longing for something that doesn't belong to you. Coveting, as defined in this biblical text, and also in Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 21, refers to an intense or inappropriate desire for another person's possessions to take their relationships, to take their status, to control them, to have material things, or to have power over them.

The commandment lists specific things, like your neighbor's house, your neighbor's spouse, servants, livestock, but ultimately it covers everything because it says, or anything that is your neighbor's. The very Bible notes for this verse say this, quote, the other commandments basically concern actions, but this one deals with thoughts. Sin usually originates from a wrong desire, and they refer to James chapter 1 verse 13, which we'll be looking at in a few minutes. I'd like to read the comments for this verse from the Believer's Study Bible.

I think this is very powerful. It says, quote, the term covet is used here of a strong desire for personal benefit at the expense of others. Man is to be content with God and what God provides. This was the only commandment whose violation was purely internal. This fact, together with the commentaries on the law by Jesus, and they refer to Matthew 5 and Romans 7, shows that God's true intent was not just to limit unrighteousness nor to encourage external righteousness.

His desire was for the true righteousness that is produced by a heart committed to him. I'm going to read that again. His desire was for the true righteousness that is produced by a heart committed to him. This is only made possible, however, through Christ, end of quote. Jesus came, as we know, to restore the original intent of the Ten Commandments from physical actions, which is what the Jews of his day focused on, to the spiritual motives. And dealing with coveting in various important ways.

So here are some key reasons this commandment is different than the other nine commandments. Number one, key difference, is a difference on the focus of internal attitude. Again, a difference on the focus of internal attitude. You can begin turning to Matthew chapter 5. The Tenth Commandment targets thoughts and motivations, not just outward behaviors.

And this shift makes it unique among the commandments as it addresses the root cause of sinful actions. The other commandments talk about the sinful actions. This deals with the root cause of those sinful actions, such as theft, or adultery, or idol worship, which often begin with a wrong desire and lead to sin. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 28. Jesus said, you have heard that it was said of old, going back to the way that the law was given in the book of Exodus and how it was interpreted by rabbis, you shall not commit adultery. Verse 28, But I say unto you, whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

That was not being taught by the scribes and the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus' day. He's reinforcing the original intent of God's law from the beginning of time. As Mr. Boucher correctly emphasized in the last Bible study, it's spiritual.

The commandments that God is interested in are the spiritual intent or application to those commandments, not just the physical. It's the inward that goes beyond the action or the letter of the law. It's the motive that leads to a wrong action. And this is what Jesus was interested in exploring and talking about. Okay, here is the second key reason that this is different. It reveals our inwardness and moral depth.

Again, it reveals our inwardness and moral depth. By prohibiting even internal cravings, the commandment demonstrates that God's standards include not just what people do, but also what they think and they feel. Wow, that's a lot stronger judgment than just an action, a physical action, doing something.

It's going all the way to the core of who and what we are, how we think, how we feel about things. This sets a deeper moral expectation and shows that God searches the heart. You're already in Matthew 5. Let's drop down to verse 21. Jesus says, It's dealing with how we think. It's dealing with how we feel. Anger, hatred is a feeling.

And if that feeling isn't muted, if it isn't intercepted, it will lead literally to the act of murder. So Jesus wants to emphasize here the importance of looking at our hearts, of looking inside and examining ourselves and realizing that how we think and how we feel is important to God. Here's the third key reason why this commandment is different than the others.

It seeks prevention of further sin. You can begin turning to James chapter 1 if you would like it this time. Again, number three, it seeks prevention of further sin. Coveting is portrayed as a forerunner of other sins. Unchecked desire can lead to actions like theft, adultery, or violence. The commandment seeks to stop sin at its source, not just its outward manifestation.

Here's what James says, James chapter 14. I'm sorry, chapter 1 and verse 14. James says that each one is tempted when he's drawn away by his own desires and enticed, then when desire has conceived, when how we think and how we feel in dwelling on it, and either dwelling on that temptation or dwelling on that negative emotion, when it's conceived, then it gives birth to sin, as James says, and sin when full-grown brings forth death.

Something that we all need to understand and appreciate. Here is the fourth key reason why the Tenth Commandment is unique. It highlights the significance of contentment and community. The commandment reinforces the value of contentment and trusting in God's provision.

It's also safeguarding social harmony. In the ancient world, respecting other people's property and relationships was vital for communities' stability. Let's turn to Luke chapter 3 and verse 10. So it was important to respect other relationships and a community's stability. Let me give you a brief, quick example. Many of you may have heard of a little video that's going viral, and it's a couple who was at a Coldplay concert. And it so happens that the man in this video is the CEO of a company, married, and the woman is the director of human resources at the same company, and comes, is revealed that she's also married to another executive CEO of another company.

They're at a Coldplay concert. The camera focuses on them. They immediately duck, turn away. And the lead singer of Coldplay, I think his name is Chris Martin, says, well, he says, they're either, they're either, I'm trying to think of his phrase, he said, they are either in an illicit relationship or they're shy. And sure enough, they were canoodling. And so that goes on the internet. Pretty soon people, hey, I know that guy. Hey, he's the president of Untouch and Say, and she's the HR manager of that company. The latest I heard this morning is his board of directors is considering terminating him for his action.

But think about that. We talk about here social, the community stability. Their lives are a mess. His wife and children, what are they thinking? Her husband and children, what are they thinking? The employees of that company who know that they'd be terminated if they had a relationship with another, many companies forbid it. I've worked for corporate companies that did not allow office romances or relationships among people employed at the company. So think about what the other employees are thinking. Think about what this has done to their so-called integrity and leadership in their conduct.

So these things still happen today. To have a stable community is important, and that's why these commandments were reinforced. Let's go now to Luke chapter 3 and verse 10. These are the words of John the Baptist, who in the original Greek was called John the Immerser, because he didn't sprinkle people when he baptized them. He dipped them into water. They were immersed. So the people asked him, saying, people who were coming to him for baptism, What shall we do then? And he answered and said to them, He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none.

You can't wear two tunics. You have two tunics? Give one to someone who needs one. And he who has food? Let him do likewise. Then tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, collect no more than what is appointed for you. Don't be greedy. Don't covet someone's wealth. Make sure that the amount you determine that they have to pay in taxes is fair.

Don't gouge them. Take advantage of them. Likewise, the soldiers asked him, saying, and what shall we do? So he said to them, do not intimidate anyone. Don't go on a power trip. Just because you wear a uniform doesn't make you superior to everyone else. Doesn't mean you should bully or intimidate people because you're wearing a uniform. Nor accuse anyone falsely and be content with your wages. Don't covet something that someone else has. They make more money than you. Their wife's prettier than yours. They live in a bigger home than you do. They drive nicer cars than you do. Their bank accounts bigger than yours.

Don't have that attitude. Be content with what you have in your life. We should not covet our own material possessions. We certainly shouldn't covet other people's possessions. We should not covet the power to control or intimidate others. The point here is that we should be thankful and content for what we have. And that doesn't mean we shouldn't have goals like financial security or seeking a comfortable lifestyle. But what it does mean is that we certainly should not desire to attain the things that we have by seizing them from others.

It certainly does not mean we should place our possessions or worldly influence above God. And it certainly also means we should not covet the things we presently have. But if need be, we should be willing to let them go. Now, that may sound rather hard, but we're going to see in a few minutes when we see the example of Jesus in Matthew 15 with the young rich ruler where Jesus was asking him to do just that.

And that's leading us here to our fifth and final reason that this is different than the other nine commandments, this tenth commandment. It's a theological capstone. The tenth commandment is a capstone or summary of bringing together the deeper intentions behind all the other commandments. It clarifies that God's expectations encompass both deeds and desires, pointing to a comprehensive standard for holy living. Now, let's go to Matthew 15 and verse 18.

The complaints from others, that His disciples didn't wash their hands. Jesus said, Jesus said, Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, theft, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man. The tenth commandment here is so very different because it prohibits not just the wrong actions, but even the inward longing for those actions, making it a profound command about the state of the human desire.

Do you know that the Jewish leaders in general did not really get the tenth commandment? Looking back on the teachings of the ancient rabbis, many of them taught that desire in the mind or the heart only becomes coveting when a person acted on it. So it wasn't the desire that was the problem. The coveting only occurred when they acted on that desire, either through scheming or pressuring or taking steps to acquire that which is not rightfully theirs. But Jesus taught that coveting becomes a sin before one acts on it, and this is one reason why Christ stated. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 24, I say unto you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. For most of them, they were great with the letter of the law. They wouldn't physically commit adultery, but they thought about doing very dastardly things to other people all day long in their minds and in their hearts. They might not literally murder someone, but it was very common for them to hate others, the desire of the possessions of others, the desire of the influence or power that others had that they did not have themselves. So let's see a situation where an individual, it's referred to if you put the three gospels together that related this account as a rich young ruler, came to Christ who was righteous according to the letter of the law. This man, we have to say according to the letter of the law, was righteous because he tells Jesus that he kept all the commandments and Jesus, who can read his heart enough to tell him what his hidden flaw in sin is, does not correct him and say, no, you're wrong or you're lying or you're a hypocrite. Jesus accepts his statement. So in a worldly sense, this was a pretty righteous individual.

Matthew 19, verse 16. Just a few verses back from where we were. Jesus said, why do you call me good? No one is good but one and that is God. So Jesus begins by challenging the ruler's understanding of what goodness is. He's implying, are you saying I'm God? Are you saying I'm a direct representative of God? How do you define goodness? Jesus is planting the seed because he's going to point out to this young man that according to the outward letter of the law, he's a pretty righteous individual. But he had a fatal flaw. Let's continue. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.

And he said to him, which ones? And Jesus said, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your mother and your father, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. The young man said to him, all these things I have kept from my youth, what do I still lack?

Do you notice one that Jesus doesn't mention? Coveting? And I want you to notice again, Jesus does not challenge, Jesus doesn't say, hypocrite, sinner! He accepts what the young man said was true. Jesus said to him, if you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. Jesus says, respond to the gospel message right now. I'm offering you an opportunity for discipleship. Right now, this very moment, this is your chance.

Verse 22, but when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. See, he coveted what he had. He coveted his wealth, his material possessions, more than he loved God, more than he was willing to respond to the gospel, more than he's willing to accept discipleship from Jesus Christ.

Verse 23, when Jesus said to his disciples, shortly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the Ivanetal and for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And when his disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, who can be saved? But Jesus looked at them and said to them, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

Because Jesus knew that human beings can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and they can become converted, and their lives can be transformed. Again, Jesus looked at the spiritual application of the commandments, while others missed it completely. The man coveted the things he had because they provided worldly security and control and independence, with some of the things that wealth provides you, but he loved these things more than he loved God, more than he was willing to give up to accept his calling. And here's where Jesus expands on the original instruction. The original command was coveting something that belonged to your neighbor.

But drawing on the spiritual intent of the law, Jesus states that strongly desiring anything above our God is unrighteous. Coveting anything beyond our love for God and our desire to be in his family and walk his way of life, and to develop the mind of Jesus Christ his sin. Anything that gets in the way of that is coveting.

So how can we avoid the sin of coveting in our lives? There are a number of things that we can do. First of all, we can allow God's Spirit to transform our minds. Let's go to Romans 12 and verse 2. Romans 12 and verse 2. Paul wrote, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. Again, that very beautiful word from the original Greek metamorphi. The same thing that we were all taught as young children. A caterpillar does is it literally morphs into a whole new being, a beautiful butterfly. As I've experienced in a sermon in the past, they have discovered that when that cocoon is made and it hardens, the process of transformation, every cell in that creature, is repurposed to be used as a butterfly.

Every cell inside that former caterpillar is transformed and repurposed to become a new creation, a new creature. And this is exactly what Paul's telling us here. That can happen to us spiritually. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and that's only possible through the gift of God's Holy Spirit. That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So that's the first thing we can do. We can allow God's Spirit to transform our minds.

And if that Spirit has been quenched by us, if it's been weakened, if it's been neglected, then we can do something about it. If God hasn't given up on us, we certainly shouldn't give up on the calling that God has given us. The second thing we can do, or another thing we can do, is practice contentment. Something that amazes me, something that we Americans truly struggle with, the most blessed people on Earth, who have every reason to be content with the material blessings and opportunities and freedoms that we have.

Yet so many people are not content. Practice contentment. Pray for the things that you desire, rather than coveting them. Ask God for those things. Be willing to wait for the good things in life. And some good things you will never attain in this lifetime, and that's okay, because you will attain them for all eternity, upon the return of Jesus Christ. Work hard for the things that you have, instead of finding some grasping away to get it out of someone else, to get it away from someone else.

Work hard for the things that you have, and I can assure you that you will appreciate them more. And please God, if you work for everything that you have in life, rather than expecting or desiring to get it from someone or something else.

The third thing we can do is to be thankful and daily count our blessings. Stop every day and count your blessings. Most people on earth would change places with you, and I mean everyone in this room, they would change places with you in a heartbeat. You know that there are 47.8 million immigrants in the United States, if you include legal and illegal, 48, 47.8 million immigrants today in the United States. You know why they're here? Because they want what you've got. They want a piece of the kind of life that you're living right now.

The freedoms, the opportunities, the comforts. That's what they want. So each and every day we should be thankful and daily count our blessings. And if we're doing that, we'll have less of a tendency to desire something that doesn't belong to us. And then the fourth thing is to guard your thoughts.

We've had sermons before on controlling our self-talk. Our self-talk is primarily negative, as psychologists say, up to 80% of it is negative and works against us. And it can easily switch and become very negative. It can easily become very selfish.

It can easily become demanding, angry, bitter. And when this happens, change the channel. Find a positive distraction. That's enough of that. I'm not going to dwell on this. Go do something. Change the channel. Do something different and better than focusing on the negative, on the hurtful, on the destructive. Let's take a look at our final scripture today, Hebrews 13 and verse 5. Hebrews 13 and verse 5. Author of Hebrews, whom I believe was the Apostle Paul, said this.

It ties in so well with our message today. It ties in so well with contentment. Let your conduct be without covetousness, strongly desiring something that someone else has, or strongly desiring what we have and placing it before God.

Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. Again, if you feel there's something lacking, pray about it. And not all of our prayers are going to be answered in a positive and less lifetime. If I received one tenth of the things that I prayed for in my lifetime, I would have destroyed myself 40, 50 years ago, probably. God knows what's good for us, and He knows what we can handle and what we can take and what is good for us. So be patient and wait patiently for those kinds of things that we pray for.

Be content with such things as you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and He'll help us with any need that we have. He'll give us anything that's truly good and right for us, and then maybe some of the candy we're going to have to wait for to a later date, at a later time. The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me? So, brethren, let's use God's Holy Spirit to help us to understand that God's true intent on this tenth commandment was not just a limit on righteousness.

He wants more than external righteousness. He wants more than just right actions. His desire is for the true righteousness that is produced by a heart that is committed to Him. Let's all of us have that heart. I wish you a wonderful and fulfilling Sabbath day.