Keeping Ourselves Unspotted from the World (Lesson 05)
Introduction:
1. According to James 1:27, "keeping ourselves unspotted from the world" is an important part of "pure and undefiled religion before God." 2. One key to keeping ourselves unspotted from the world is "controlling covetousness." 3. As a basis for our lesson, let us consider the warning that Jesus gave in Luke 12:15. Discussion: I. LET US FIRST DEFINE "COVETOUSNESS"
A. "Covetousness" may be defined as: 1. a greedy desire for more and more of what the world has to offer 2. the love of money or possessions. B. To help us better understand what "covetousness" is, the Lord gave an illustration of it in His "parable of the rich fool" (Luke 12:16-21). C. Now that we know what "covetousness" is, we need to understand that . . . II. THE SCRIPTURES CLEARLY TEACH CHRISTIANS TO AVOID "COVETOUSNESS"
A. (Ephesians 5:3) "Covetousness" is a sin that is not to be once named among God's people. B. (Colossians 3:5) "Covetousness" is a sin that is to be mortified. C. (Hebrews 13:5) "Let your conversation be without covetousness." D. In addition to teaching us to avoid "covetousness," . . . III. THE SCRIPTURES TEACH US WHY "COVETOUSNESS" MUST BE AVOIDED (Let us consider 3 reasons)
A. First, "covetousness" will keep a person out of God's kingdom. 1. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Covetous people will be among those who do not inherit the kingdom of God. 2. (Ephesians 5:5) A covetous person will have no inheritance in the Lord's kingdom. 3. The rich young ruler shows how "covetousness" will keep a person out of God's kingdom (Luke 18:18-25). B. Second, "covetousness" leads to evil. 1. (1 Timothy 6:10) "The love of money" is the "root" [cause] of all kinds of evil [stealing, physical abuse, killing, etc.]. a. "Covetousness" has caused some: 1) to err from the faith 2) to pierce themselves through with many sorrows. b. Judas Iscariot provided a vivid illustration of this point (Matthew 26:14-16; 27:3-5). 2. "Covetousness" can lead to other forms of evil that may not be quite so drastic. a. "Covetousness" can lead a person to neglect his health by overworking himself. b. "Covetousness" can lead a person to neglect his family [working excessively instead of being a father]. c. "Covetousness" can lead a person to neglect the Lord [working so much that there is no time to give to His service -- Matthew 6:32a]. C. Third, the Lord wants us to learn "contentment" (1 Timothy 6:6; Philippians 4:11).
