10th Commandment — Law Homily

Now, this week, for those keeping track, this is our 10th week, and the easy way to do it is to know which commandment we're on.

This week, we come to the 10th commandment as we do come before the law of God. And that 10th commandment we find in Exodus chapter 20, at verse 17.

It says, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Now, this final commandment strikes at the heart, literally. Right, where the first nine commandments deal with outward actions, primarily, though they do have, obviously, inward elements to them, which we've discussed, this one goes straight to our inner life.

Thou shalt not covet. Don't desire what isn't yours. Don't let your heart burn with envy for your neighbor's possessions, position, or blessings.

And this is where the law, I think, becomes truly terrifying, because we can sometimes manage our actions, right?

We can keep our hands from stealing, our mouths from lying, our bodies from adultery, but our hearts, our desires, those are far more difficult to control.

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter seven that it was this very commandment, thou shalt not covet, that showed him the depth of his sin.

He writes, I had not known sin, but by the law, for I had not known lust, except the law had said that thou shalt not covet.

This commandment exposed what all the others had hidden, that sin isn't just about what we do, but about what we want.

So how does this apply to us today as everyday Christians? Right, first, we recognize that coveting is not merely wanting something.

It's wanting something that belongs to another. It's looking at what God has given your neighbor and saying that that should be mine.

It's discontent with God's provision for you, combined with resentment toward his provision for others.

And this shows up everywhere in our lives, right? In marriage, when we look at someone else's spouse and think, why couldn't

I have married someone like that? In parenting, when we resent our children's limitations while envying the accomplishment of others' children.

In our careers, when we're bitter about our position while coveting our colleagues' promotion. Or in our churches, when we're jealous of another's gifts or recognition or the size of this church or that church or their service time.

Social media has turned us into a culture of covetousness. Right, we scroll through carefully curated lives, the vacations, the possessions, the achievements, the families, and our hearts burn with discontent.

Why not me? And what's more, we say, why them? But here's what we must understand.

That coveting is not just a feeling, it's a sin against God's sovereignty and goodness.

When we covet, we're essentially telling God, you've distributed your blessings wrongly,

God. You've given too much to them and too little to me. I know better than you what I need.

And so the 10th commandment teaches us that God cares about our hearts, not just our hands. He's not satisfied with outward conformity.

He wants inward transformation. And that transformation comes only through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And so this day, as we do confess our sin, we must confess to God where we've fallen short here, where we've been dissatisfied with what he has given, where we've resented our neighbor even for not only having more, but for having different than us.

So if you're able, would you please join me in kneeling as we would confess our sin before our

Holy God. Father, we do thank you that as we are confronted with this law, or that as the

Apostle Paul said, that we come to grips with the reality that we are sinful, that we do fall short,

Lord, and that even if in the other commandments, if we could say that we haven't followed through with the heart that's behind each of those,

Lord, it is here that surely we cannot say that we have not sinned against you.

Lord, our hearts are prone to covetousness. Our hearts are prone to compare ourselves with others. We're to see in which ways we think that we deserve more.

Lord, to always be seeking for that which doesn't belong to us. Lord, we ask that you would heal us of this,

Lord. You would protect us and preserve us from hearts like this, that you would, instead of leaving us,

Lord, to stew in our covetousness and our wants, that you would replace that within us,

Lord, by your spirit with hearts of thankfulness that rejoice at what you've given, where no matter what it may be, but that we would rejoice in it and be thankful for it, be glad for what our

God has given to us, where because you know, above all, you know better than us what it is that we need, where we ask that you would, again, give us hearts that rejoice in that, that we wouldn't question you or doubt you, but that we would give thanks for what it is that you've given to us.

Lord, protect us, preserve us from these sins. Lord, may you assure us even now the pardon that we have in our

Lord Jesus Christ that as we confess our sins before you, Lord, that you are faithful and righteous to forgive us, help us,

Lord, to know this, to believe this, and to walk in that power of forgiveness this day. And we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. If you would, please stand with me. The beautiful truth of it is that Jesus never coveted.

He who was rich became poor. He who deserved all honor took the form of a servant. He who owned the cattle on a thousand hills had nowhere to lay his head.

He was perfectly content in his father's will, even when that will led to the cross. And now in Christ, we have everything as well.

Paul writes in Romans 8 that he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

In Christ, we lack nothing that we truly need. Every good gift has been secured for us in him.

So there is no room for covetousness. So the answer to that coveting isn't just to stop wanting things, it's to start treasuring what you have in Christ.

It's learning to say with Paul in Philippians 4 that I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.

And so we close with this, that when you're tempted to covet, when you look at someone else's life and feel that burning envy, ask yourself questions like this.

Do I trust that God is good? Do I trust that he knows what I need better than I do? Do I believe that he works all things together for my good?

And do I treasure Christ more than the things of this world? And if we can answer yes to those questions, then we can face our covetous hearts with the truth of the gospel.

And slowly by God's grace, our desires will be transformed. We'll learn to rejoice with those who rejoice rather than resent them.

We'll learn to be content with what God has given us and we'll learn to treasure Christ above all else. Amen. So hear the word of God this day, assuring you of your pardon in him from 1

Corinthians 1, verses 26 through 31. For you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

And God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised, hath

God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to naught things that are. That no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

That according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. May we find our peace and assurance and full contentment in our