Text: Exo.20:17,1John 2:15-17
INTRODUCTION
In life, some people don’t know how to say enough – so we always end up doing things in excess – but if we must live our lives to please and honour God, we must be careful of Greed.
WHY?
Because greed makes you do things in excess.
Definition
Oxford Eng. Dic. – A strong desire for more wealth, possession, power than a person needs.
A selfish and excessive desire of more of something than is needed. It can be for food, money, cars, phones e.t.c
In IJn.2:15-17 – We see the 3 centers of Greed.
The lust of the eye – Achan -Josh.7:19-21
The lust of the flesh – Fleshing desire / emotional fixation – I King 11:1-8 – Solomon
The pride of life – Competiveness/imitation. – Isa.14:12-15 – Lucifer
Achan – The Lust of the eye.
Jericho was the 1st city the gold, silver other precious things be dedicated to God.
AI was a smaller city and it was meant to be a walk over for Israel.
Israel was greatly humiliated – so they sought God and the Lot fell on Achan.
Jos.7:19-21 – commission of enquiry
Why did Achan get greedy?
He disregarded God’s will and command. God says don’t do it and you decide to do it – you are no longer under God’s authority. You are now a God’s to yourself. His confession gives us the process.
THE LUST OF THE EYES
I SAW:- What are you seeing? Here we see the seduction of what he saw
Now out of God’s will, he is ruled by his senses.
The kinds of problems we get ourselves into by what we see – it pushes you to go for things you don’t have the power to have.
He was seduced by what he saw – what he saw was talking to him (come and get me).
I COVETED: – The craving for riches. He developed an extreme desire for what he was seeing – That which he saw could not leave him. He wanted it even though he knew they were accursed.
What does Jesus teach about covetousness – Mk 7:20-23.
What comes out of the man that defiles a man?
What is the condition of your heart – Prov.4:23
Your life does not consist in the abundance of the things you possess.
Greed turns people to poverty – people buying things they don’t have the capacity to buy.
I TOOK: – Grabbing for things –Once covetousness rules your life, all you need is to begin to plot e.g making false claims – it is called greed. – It is a product if insecurity.
You don’t know who you are.
You think things will make you somebody
Even with your nice clothes, cars, shoes, phone e.t.c. if you don’t know who you are, you are still a nobody.
He had to plan and look around to divert people – Lust of the eyes.
I HIDE IT: – Greedy people often times horde things. Greed makes it difficult for you to share. For all his great effort he was brought before the camp and stoned.
What a pathetic end
You might not be stoned but how would you like handcuffs to be put in your hands.
So when those clothes, money start calling to you remember Achan.
You cannot start wrong and end right.
Ex 20:17
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
1 John 2:15-17
. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Josh 7:19-25
19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.
Prov 21:25
25 The desire of the lazy man kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor.
Mark 7:20-23
And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Prov 4:23
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. NKJV
- PRISCA : It Is Well – Her Faith - February 28, 2010
- The Ten Commandments – Worship of God - February 21, 2010
- BAITS OF SATAN – LAZINESS - February 14, 2010