Sunday, February 25, 2024 PM

Father, we thank you for the evening that you have afforded us, the fellowship that we have together in Christ by your Spirit. We thank you for the truth of your Word that nourishes us and changes us and directs us and gives us hope.

We pray that you would help us to rejoice in your truth tonight. We pray these things for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen. We've been talking about the Ten Commandments, not as the epitome of righteousness, but as the synopsis, the effective, though not exhaustive, summary of God's covenant with Israel.

They are true because they touch on what it means to be made in the image of God. Our relationship with God, our relationship with others, our relationship with the created order. As God made his covenant with Israel at Sinai, he was telling them something about what it means for them to be his creatures, made in his image.

The same type of communication God gave to Noah and to Abram and to David as he dealt with them in covenant relationships and covenant language. But long before the law was given, it was still wrong to murder.

Long before the law was given, it was still wrong to steal. Long before the law was given, it was wrong to covet. And that is the word we're thinking on tonight. The tenth word, do not covet. These are words about Christ.

Jesus told the scribes, the Pharisees, the experts in the law that they searched the scriptures because in them they thought they had eternal life. He said, but it is these that testify of me. And we find in Romans chapter 10 verse 4 that Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness for all who believe.

So we must read this passage for the wisdom that is there, for the principles that are there, but ultimately for Christ who was revealed here. So we've been thinking about this last word, this last commandment, do not covet.

And the word itself for covet simply means to desire, to crave. We talked about that desire in and of itself is not wrong. Craving in and of itself is not wrong. But there are things that are not ours to crave.

There are things which do not belong to us that are not ours to set our passion and desire upon. Who gets to say? Who draws the boundaries? Who has established the borders? Well, that's God. We talked about the trees in the garden.

God made beautiful trees, every one of them perfect and good. They were a delight to the eyes. The fruit on the tree was tasty and nourishing. That was true of every single tree that God made, including the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

This was no gnarled tree with deformed looking fruit. This was a beautiful tree that God said was good and the fruit hanging on the tree was good for nourishment. It was a delight to look at just like the other trees.

But that one, God said to Adam and Eve, you shall not eat. God set a boundary. God set a border, said that one doesn't belong to you. The other ones do, but not that one. God is the one who determines those borders and boundaries so that we may rightly order our affections with God being the first and foremost.

To love God supremely is the only way that we may then love others rightly and thereby steward the created order responsibly. Well, we've thought about this principle being on display throughout the scriptures, and now let's think about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and how it is that he was tempted to covet, to set his desire on things that in other situations might be just fine, but in this situation was not.

Christ's Temptation in the Wilderness

So, Matthew chapter 4, then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward he was hungry. Now, of course, we remember when Israel was led into the wilderness, it didn't take them 40 days and 40 nights to start complaining about the food.

They complained pretty fast. And, of course, Moses told the second generation in Deuteronomy, God, let you be hungry. God, let you be thirsty. He says, God did that on purpose. He deprived you of food and water.

What a mean God. But the reason he deprived them was to demonstrate to them who would provide for them. And so God gave them manna from heaven and water from a rock, declaring to them that not only is he their provider in these necessities, bread and water, but the bread from heaven and the water from the rock we discover in the New Testament is none other than Jesus Christ himself.

God had a purpose and a plan in that. Well, now Jesus has come and he is going into the wilderness and he's tempted and he's hungry. But this son, this son brought up out of Egypt will be faithful. Verse three, now, when the tempter came to him, he said, if you are the son of God, command that these stones become bread.

So two things there. One, the devil gives an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate that indeed he is the son of God. Oh, isn't that great? I mean, doesn't Jesus want people to know that he's the son of God?

Doesn't he come with the gospel that God gave his only begotten son? What a great opportunity to prove that he is indeed God's son. And aren't you hungry? Why don't you turn some of these stones into bread?

We're going to find not so long after this passage that Jesus does indeed create extra food for people who are hungry. It's a very good thing. But what's wrong with Jesus being declared the son of God?

Not a thing. What's wrong with Jesus eating bread to satisfy his hunger? Not a thing. But only in this particular case, the timing is wrong on both. Jesus has been led out into the wilderness to fast.

There is a progression of revelation of the gospel. There are certain moments in which Jesus is supposed to declare who he is to the people. And as Jesus walked through his earthly life, he only did that which pleased the father.

According to the father's agenda. Whatever that was, he was faithful. And so it is desirous for Jesus to declare his sonship. It is desirous for Jesus to eat bread. But the timing's wrong. That's the only thing that's wrong.

It's that God has told his son, not yet. That's the situation he's in. Therefore, for Christ to set his affection on these things that otherwise would be just fine, the timing's all wrong. And so he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

We see what the issue is. What's the will of God in this case? What's the will of God in this matter? We can think of a lot of good things to desire. We can think of some good things to pursue. But if the timing is wrong, if the situation isn't developed according to the word of God, it would be wrong for us to set our affections and crave those things.

We can think of a variety of situations in which that would be evident. So the gift of marriage is a wonderful thing. But for a young man to put his lustful affections upon a woman outside of marriage would be wrong.

But he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. What's the difference? Timing. And God determines the timing. God declares in his word what the difference is. How much in our life just simply depends upon what the word of God says?

What God declares in his word and our trusting in that. Verse 5 says, Well, okay. Here's an opportunity for Jesus to be exalted. Here's an opportunity for the angels of heaven to come to the aid of the Lord Jesus Christ and demonstrate and declare to everyone who he is.

What's wrong with that? Right? What's wrong with that? That's not the timing, nor the pattern, nor the direction that the Father had declared. So, Jesus responds. Well, he points back to that situation in Meribah and Massah.

In the complaining about the bread and the water that Moses talks about in Deuteronomy 6. Or pushing God on something, saying, well, if you were really God, then you would provide X, Y, and Z. And if you don't pull it off, then I don't believe in God anymore.

How many atheists today mark that as their story? Their deconversion story? Well, I prayed for X and God could have done it and he didn't do it, therefore I don't believe in him anymore. Tell me more about this God that you hate, that doesn't exist.

The two tenets of atheism, God doesn't exist and I hate him so very much. God doesn't believe in atheists, right? Testing God. No, you shall not test the Lord your God. Verse 8, again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

And he said to him, all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Well, we looked at Psalm 2 this morning and indeed all the nations of the earth are given as an inheritance to Jesus Christ, who is God's son.

But the way toward it was all wrong. The devil says, I'm going to give all these to you if you just fall down and worship me. In other words, here's a way for you to receive the inheritance of all the nations without you having to go to the cross.

Without you having to suffer. Then Jesus said to him, away with you Satan, for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. Then the devil left him and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

In this case we have several examples of Satan tempting Jesus with things that would ostensibly be just fine. What's wrong with bread? What's wrong with Jesus Christ being glorified as God's son? What's wrong with Jesus being declared the Messiah?

What's wrong with him having the kingdoms of the earth? All these things are good. They're very much good. But the situation was wrong. The timing was wrong. God had set barriers that should not have been crossed.

Satan's temptation of Adam and Eve was very similar, if we remember. What's wrong with fruit? Fruit's nourishing and fruit is good. What's wrong with something that God made? There it is, just hanging on the tree.

And what's wrong with wanting to be like God? Isn't that the temptation? Don't you want to be like God? They were already made in God's image. He said, why not be a little bit more like God and determine for yourself good and evil?

He was presenting things that in another light might be just fine, but there was a barrier that God had set. And as those made in the image of God, we must not transgress the word of God. And now Christ Jesus himself is the image of the invisible God, the word of God made flesh.

So everything we think about in our lives must be done so in the light of Jesus Christ. We're in orbit around him. What he says matters. What his values are should be our values. And so we ought to be in our lives the amen of Christ.

So we see here an example given to us and we see how focused Jesus was on God's word rather than his own personal desires. Now let's think about how that connects in our own lives. In Ephesians chapter 5, and we'll look especially at verse 3, and we'll begin in verse 1.

Walking in Love, Holiness, and Thanksgiving

Here we are exhorted to walk in the grace of Christ. And this first way of walking is in love. 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 for a sweet-smelling aroma.

All our hope for all that is to come and the whole scope of what God is up to is all in Christ. Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering, sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. You know, when we first read about that sacrifice and a sweet-smelling aroma offered up to God, to which God responds, it's the offering that Noah makes.

It's the offering that Noah makes after the flood. And that when God smelled that sweet-smelling aroma, he declares an intention to not destroy the whole earth again with this flood, and that he would put his sign in the sky, a rainbow in the sky, assuring that the seasons would persist, day and night would persist, and that he would continue to be for those made in his image, and he would be for them in good.

Well, Christ is our peace. He is our example. We're looking to him for our acceptance with God, and we're only the dear children of God by the merits of Christ, our elder brother, and he's the one we're to imitate and follow after.

Therefore, verse 3, but fornication, in contrast to imitating God as dear children, in contrast, but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints or holy ones, those who are set apart.

Don't let it even be named among you. In other words, don't let anyone get the idea that this stuff is what's characteristic of Christians. Don't let that be part of your reputation. Do what you can to erase that from the reputation of Christians.

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks, which is a great antidote to covetousness, isn't it? For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, again, covetous, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

In other words, don't let these things be named among you, for those who are named by these things have no share in the kingdom of heaven. In other words, those who identify themselves by their sins, rather than identifying themselves by Christ, aren't in the kingdom.

Do we see that? And we can identify ourselves by sins in more ways than Pride Month allows. We all can immediately think about that example, but there are other ways that we can name ourselves by our sins.

We can chalk it up to, oh, that's just my personality, or that's just my upbringing, or that's just my reputation. And rather than, no, I want to be named by Christ. I don't want these other things to name me.

And one of the things that's listed is covetousness. Paul mentions in Romans chapter 7 that he was covetousness, or coveting is sin even without the law being given. But once the law comes around, then the law puts this big spotlight on covetousness, or puts it under the microscope, if you will, and then you understand what it actually is.

Law makes sin exceedingly sinful. Covetousness was wrong before the law was given, but with the law, using that to examine the sin, you just see how sinful sin really is. And so in highlighting what covetousness is, the law shows us what it really is, and he says, verse 5,.

Covetousness, Idolatry, and Contentment

Now isn't that interesting that the bookends of the Ten Words, or the Ten Commandments, are brought into focus simultaneously? They are brought together at the same time. In the first two commandments, we have, you shall have no other gods before you, and the second commandment is very closely tied to it, you shall not make for yourself a graven image to worship.

Those two hang together, and the last commandment is spoken in two parts. Do not covet your neighbor's household, and then do not covet your neighbor's wife, or anybody else or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

So Paul connects those together, both in Ephesians 5 and also in Colossians 3, 5, when he says that covetousness is idolatry. Why is that? How is it that covetousness and idolatry are so closely connected, do you think?

So we're setting our affections and seeking satisfaction in something or someone else other than God, but it's a little more subtle, perhaps, because it is good for a wife to desire her husband, a husband desire his wife.

It is good for parents to desire children to raise up. It is good for us to desire Christian fellowship. There are all kinds of desires that are good, but in what way do they become covetous desires so that they are equated with idolatry?

What makes the difference? The barriers, that's right. It's the barriers that God sets up. God is the one who determines those barriers and what they look like. It's interesting to me that the folks in Christendom these days who downplay the barriers God has set about what legitimate desires are, who would say that you can have same-sex desires and so on and so forth, and this is perfectly legitimate for any Christian, and it could be considered holy even when you have those things.

They also are the ones who are accusing the church of being idolatrous in their desire for families. What were the barriers God has set? Did he say it was he who finds a wife finds a bad thing and obtains a curse from the Lord?

Is that how it goes? Children are curses from the Lord. How sad is the man whose quiver is full of them? Is that how it goes? What are the things that God rejoices in? What are the things that God values and celebrates?

What are the ways in which he says these things are good, and in what fashion does he afford them to us? And we are, in desiring the good that God has given to us, we're not replacing God, but we are affirming God, these are the blessings from him.

But there are desires that we are not to have, and that's according to the barriers that God has placed that he has declared in his word. He's not given us a hard-to-understand word, an unclear word, an obtuse word, a word that nobody can understand.

He's given us a clear word, a true word, an everlasting word. So one last thought on this is in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5, where we can see a different way of making that connection between covetousness and idolatry, but really putting it the other way, having right affections, having right desires, given our love of God supremely.

So in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 5 says, Let your conduct, in other words, your lifestyle, be without covetousness. In other words, don't let your life be governed by illegitimate passions, about desiring and craving things that God has said no about.

Let your conduct be without covetousness. But notice the positive side of this. Be content with such things as you have. Be content with such things as you have. The first step of faithfulness when it comes to stewardship is contentment with what God has entrusted to us.

It doesn't mean that the story is done. It's not a contentment that has a complacency or a contentment that has no hope or a contentment that says there's no more chapters in the story. But consider Jesus' parable about those who were given the various talents.

The man who was given five talents took those talents. That was step one. The man who was given two talents took those talents. The man who was given one talent hid his talent. He was not content with what was given to him.

He looked at the man who gave him and said, I don't think that this is right. He wasn't content. Contentment with such things as we have is step one for proper stewardship of it. I take it, yes, this is what God has given to me.

I am content with it. This is my lot. And now I will make something of it. I will do something with it. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Do you see how quickly we go from don't be covetous, trust in this.

He says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, this is how we can be content with such as we have because he himself says, I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to forsake you. And then we may boldly say what?

The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? Right? So the word, the tenth word about this is do not covet. But rather, what is the answer to the covetousness which becomes idolatry?

It is being content with what God himself has given to us, recognizing who he is and being in abiding worship with him by Christ. So in the law, first do no harm. It's don't covet what your neighbor has.

It's a negative thing. In Christ, that is turned all the way to the positive of saying, set your affections on the one who has given you these things and rest in him. Well, there's the tenth word. I think we've been talking about the Ten Commandments for more than a year now.

Start reading in Isaiah. That's where we're going next. So we're going to study Isaiah. And so if you want to read ahead, I encourage you to do so. But for now, let's go ahead and close by seeing the doxology together.