Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20100124.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Exodus: God's Forming The Nation Israel For His Abrahamic Covenant
Part II: God's Forming Israel To Heed Him, Exodus 15:22-40:38
F. God's Giving His People Their Moral And Civil Law, Exodus 20:1-17
2. The Latter Six Commandments: Loving Mankind, Exodus 20:12-17
f. Commandment Ten: Upolding The Sanctity Of Private Ownership
(Exodus 20:17)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Exodus 20:17 calls us not to covet another's goods, but abuses and confusion on this issue abound throughout our very competitive world, making it hard for Christians to know how they are expected to earn a living without getting caught up in the world's covetousness:

    (1) A record $145 billion in bonuses will be paid to Wall Street executives this year though 10 % of America's workers have lost their jobs. (Aaron Task, "'Shocking . . . Unbelievable': Wall Street to Pay Record $145 B in Bonuses, WSJ Says," finance.yahoo.com, 1/15/10)

    (2) Socialists and communists critique such capitalist greed, but the Communist Manifesto asserts, "The theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single phrase: Abolition of private property," (page 82, cited in learn-usa.com/transformation_process/hdn003.htm), so, socialism and communism assert their own ruinous brand of greed:

    (a) A bumper sticker advertised on the web cites former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher as saying, "The Problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

    (b) T. Coleman Andrews, U. S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, noted in the 5/23/56 U. S. News & World Report, "I don't like the income tax. Every time we talk about these taxes we get around to the idea of 'from each according to his capacity and to each according to his needs'. That's socialism. Maybe we ought to see that every person who gets a tax return receives a copy of the Communist Manifesto . . . so he can see what's happening to him." (liberty-tree.ca)

    (c) In Russia following the Bolshevik revolution, only an "elite" few, the members of the Communist party, ended up with the bulk of the nation's wealth and power versus seeing it spread around to form a single-class society like the Communist Manifesto directs. (cf. Edward McNall Burns, Western Civilizations, 6th ed., 1963, p. 901)

    (3) However, some try to sanction the brand of covetousness in socialism and communism by appealing to the Early Church: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, s. v. "communism," mentions "the communism of the early church groups", for Acts 4:32 KJV reports of the Church that "neither said any of then that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common."

    We may thus ask, "What does the Exodus 20:17 prohibition on covetousness mean, and how does God expect us to heed it and still earn a living in our highly covetous, competitive world?!"

    Need: "What does the Exodus 20:17 call against coveting mean, and how can we apply it in today's highly covetous, competitive world?!"

  1. In forbidding the lust for any of the possessions of one's neighbor, Exodus 20:17 upheld the sanctity of the private ownership of property, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Exodus 20:17.
  2. This verse also safeguards one's heeding God's commands to avoid murder, adultery, stealing and lying (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 140), realms affecting the social order, and events in Genesis alone show a huge need to counter covetousness to keep the social order:
    1. Coveting God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice above his own led Cain to kill his brother (Gen. 4:3-8). This event in turn led Cain to fear revenge from others (Gen. 4:14), a fear that continued down through Cain's line and led to violence in Lamech (Gen. 4:23-24). Lamech's violent example led to a worldwide explosion of violence that ended in the judgment of the worldwide Genesis Flood, Genesis 6:1-3, 13.
    2. Lot coveted the plain of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:10-11), but it led to his wife's early death and family dysfunction, Genesis 19:22-38.
    3. Jacob coveted his brother's birthright, leading to long animosity between his offspring and Esau's seed, Gen. 27:1-35; Obadiah. 9-10.
    4. Laban was greedy regarding Jacob's labor, but that led to a great rift between Laban and Jacob's family, Genesis 29:15-31:18; 31:38-55.
  3. Some support the covetousness in socialism and communism, saying the Early Church used such ideology, but Scripture counters this:
    1. In contrast to socialism and communism, Early Church believers were not forced by other covetous folk to see their goods distributed, but they freely gave to the needy, Acts 5:4; Bib. Kno. Com., N. T., p. 360.
    2. In contrast to socialism and communism, Early Church believers did not see all they owned dispersed by other covetous folk to form one common class, but they gave to specific needs, Ibid.; Acts 2:45; 4:35.
    3. Thus, the Early Church did not heed socialism or communism, nor were they covetous (Col. 3:5), but they were capitalistic as modified by the selflessness produced by the Holy Spirit! (Acts 2:1-4, 44-45)
  4. Indeed, SCRIPTURE presents a REFRESHING ALTERNATIVE to ALL COVETOUSNESS in SPITE of the ECONOMIC SYSTEM of the SECULAR STATE in which ANY CHRISTIAN LIVES:
    1. Anywhere the world, under any kind of economic system, when one trusts in Christ as his personal Savior, he is given a new nature from God that, by his reliance on the Holy Spirit, motivates and equips him to do good works, John 3:16; Rom. 8:9b; Gal. 5:16; Phil. 2:12-13.
    2. One such motivation is that the believer work to earn a living instead of living off of others, 2 Thessalonians 3:9-11. [Exceptions are the infirmed who need charitable support (like the widows in Acts 6:1) and the dependents of a head of household (1 Timothy 5:8).]
    3. The Holy Spirit also leads the believer to be concerned for the needy that he might materially help them, Acts 2:1-4, 44-45; Gal. 2:9b-10.
    4. Thus equipped, the believer is directed by Scripture into the following program for productive victory over covetousness:
      1. As the believer works as independently of others as he can in his God-given job to insure its productivity, he protects his testimony and suffers no income lack (1 Thess. 4:11-12), for God rewards him for his good workmanship, Psalm 62:11-12; Col. 3:22-25.
      2. Now, (1) when this believer begins to earn his income, and (2) God spurs him to feel compassion for the needy and concern for the God's ministries, if he (3) gives of his income (4) as he determines in his heart, (5) God reimburses him with more than he originally earned that (6) he might first care for his own (family's) livelihood needs and (7) have even more to give again, 2 Corinthians 9:6-11!
      3. The more this process is repeated, the more God's income blessing to the believer increases, 2 Corinthians 9:10-11!
      4. In time, the growing visibility of the example of this believer's blessed interaction with God motivates other onlooking believers to apply the same 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 program in their lives!
      5. As more folk are thus discipled and also blessed of the Lord, covetousness in the Church and in turn eventually in the onlooking world around it can only be diffused!
Application: To overcome covetousness, (1) may we trust in Christ as Savior to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, John 3:16; Romans 8:9. (2) Then, may we (a) rely on the Spirit for the power to (d) obey Scripture and (e) see God reimburse to equip us to do more works!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 The sermon notes claim that the example of a believer enjoying God's livelihood blessing by heeding His 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 directive encourages other believers to follow his lead. This happened to me in the realm of livelihood income and giving, and I share it with you in hope that you might follow that example along with me.

Decades ago, a Christian man named Don, whom I later met in the northern California Sierra Nevada foothills, went bankrupt. Distraught, he and his wife, Audrey, attended a nearby Church.

In the worship service, when the time came for the offering plate to be passed, Audrey told her husband, "We need to start giving!"

Don was astonished. The only money he had to his name was the loose change of ten dimes in his pocket! When he explained that to her, Audrey replied, "Then we should give one of those dimes!"

Don struggled over her suggestion, but finally went ahead and warily put one of his last dimes in the offering plate.

Later that week, he got an opportunity to earn some money, so, believing God was behind it, the following Sunday, he put some of that income into the offering. In time, Don's income kept on improving to where he regained his business, and he never stopped giving!

When I met them, Don and Audrey owned a comfortable home, and he even hired me as a college student to pull up weeds along his miniature railroad track that ran close by his house!

The last time I saw him, Don was the head usher in his Church, the one who marched toward the front with the filled offering plates while the Church sang the Doxology. I would see him discreetly place his own folded check in the offering plate when he thought no one else was looking! The expression of joy on his face as he made that trek told of a deeply fulfilling relationship with God regarding his income.

I was motivated in part to give to the Lord by Don and Audrey's example, and I too have found God's promised blessings to be true and plentiful! I would hope you might join me in following that couple's example for God's joyful blessing amid a world of gross covetousness!

May we trust in Christ for salvation, and rely on His gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit for the WILL and POWER to THINK and ACT above COVETOUSNESS. Then, we will yield PRODUCTIVE lives that HELP OTHERS in our WORLD ABOVE the FAILURE of SELFISH COVETOUSNESS!