Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20061018.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Amid Humanly Helpless Trials
I. Aligning With God's Moral Order: The Ten Commandments
2. The Last Five Commandments: Loving Our Neighbors As Ourselves
e. Commandment Ten: Loving Others By Keeping Our Desires From Harming Them
(Exodus 20:17)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Apostle Paul revealed that covetousness, the errant, excessive desire for what tangible or intangible earthly asset belongs to someone else, is actually a form of idolatry, cf. Colossians 3:5. This is because such a desire shows its author depends on having that asset as necessary for his fulfillment in place of properly looking to God for that fulfillment.
    2. J. Vernon McGee noted in his Thru The Bible work (vol. I, p. 268) that covetousness "is one of the great sins of the present hour," for the world is full of materialism, the expression of covetousness.
    3. We thus view this sin from God's Scriptural perspective for edifying insight on overcoming it (as follows):
  2. Commandment Ten: Loving Others By Keeping Our Desires From Harming Them, Exodus 20:17.
    1. In studying the Ten Commandments, we Christians recall we are no longer under the jurisdiction of the Mosaic Law, for we are dead to the Law in our spiritual position in Jesus Christ, Romans 7:14a.
    2. Nevertheless, that Law is intrinsically holy, just and good (Romans 7:12), so the believer will live up to the righteous standard of that Law as he is filled with the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:3-4! Thus, we view the Ten Commandments to note the standard of righteousness we will attain in life as Spirit-filled believers.
    3. Thus, we view Commandment Ten: Loving Others By Keeping Our Desires From Harming Them.
      1. In Exodus 20:17, God called Israel not to covet any object that belonged to one's neighbor, be it his house, wife, male or female servant, ox, donkey or anything else that belonged to his neighbor!
      2. This command, unlike the other nine in the Ten Commandments, addresses the thoughts of the heart that spring from uncontrolled desires, which thoughts are behind all sins (cf. James 1:13-15; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., footnote to Exodus 20:17). As such, this tenth commandment acts to guard one against violating the other nine commands of the Ten Commandments (as follows):
        1. Since covetousness is idolatry, the sin of replacing God with other false gods like materialism (cf. Colossians 3:5), and we previously learned that the first five commands deal with loving God with all one's heart, soul and mind, this tenth command safeguards one from violating the first five.
        2. This tenth command against covetousness also acts as "a general safeguard against . . . commandments six through nine" that we found refer to loving one's neighbor as one's self, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament , p. 140.
      3. Well, victory over such thoughts of ungodly lusts for the assets of one's neighbor spring from successfully handling one's sin nature; after all, as revealed in Galatians 5:19-21a and James 1:13-15, the sin nature spawns such errant thinking with its resulting errant actions.
      4. Victory over the sinful nature, and hence over covetousness, is then revealed in Scripture as follows:
        1. When one trusts in Christ as his personal Savior from sin and hell, he becomes a Christian, and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, Rom. 8:9b with Ephesians 1:13-14.
        2. If he then mentally depends upon the Holy Spirit to function, in place of such lusts as covetousness, his thinking and actions change to where he has love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness and faith toward God and other people, Galatians 5:16, 22-23.
        3. A believer who has sinned and functions by his sin nature must confess his sin to the Lord to find forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and return to rely upon the Holy Spirit for godly living.
        4. If he then continues to rely upon the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit makes the believer will to do what is right, and then empowers him to act out what is right in his life, Philippians 2:12-13.
Lesson: The sin of covetousness, the sole sin of the MIND in the Ten Commandments, leads to sins against God and man enumerated elsewhere in those commandments; for victory over it, one must believe in Christ to become indwelt by the Holy Spirit and then live by the Spirit's control in his life.

Application: May we trust in Christ as Savior and live by the Holy Spirit's power to avoid covetousness.