Text: Exo.20:17, 1Tim.6:6-11
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
Merriam-webster 11th collegiate Dictionary
A selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed. It can be for food, money, cars, phones e.t.c
Oxford Talking Dictonary
Intense or inordinate longing,esp for wealth or food avarice, etc.
Encarta Dictionary
An overwhelming desire to have more of something such as money more than is actually needed.
In IJn.2:15-17 – We see the 3 centers of Greed.
The lust of the eye – Sight
The lust of the flesh – cravings/self indulgence
Ikgs.11:1-9 -Solomon
The pride of life – Self projection/desire to be seen and acknowledged as the one. Isa.14:12-15
I will ascend – Naked & Uncontrolled ambition. No barriers, No price is too high, No rules!
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
Competition.
The spirit of rivalry starts with the pride of life.
They look into other people’s lives and begin to compare.
Compete only against yourself to improve.
Greedy people are extremely competitive.
I will also sit…..
Coveteounesss. i.e wanting what the other person has.
Always comparing.
I will be like the most high i.e.
Imitation and loss of uniqueness and personal identity.
Carbon copy people.
Take a look at the following men:
King Ahab – Ikings 21:1-25
Gehazi – 2Kings 5:20-27
Judas – John 12:3-6, Lu.22:3
Ananias/Sapphira – Acts 5:1-10
Cain/Balaam – Jude 1:11
Pls note:
Greed has no respect for status – both the poor and the rich can be greedy.
Greedy people do not value their position. They can stoop so low to get that extra desired.
All died in shame and lost their dignity
Greedy people transfer generational curses and waste their glorious future.
Greed starts with desire
Greed create a wrong way of life – Isa.56:11
The way of greed leads to sin, unfulfilment and heartache. – Prov.15:27, 1:19, Eph.4:19
Greedy people are characterized by the following:
Cynism – fault finding & self interest and the believe that people are not sincere only acting according to self interest.
Materialism
Defiance of God and man
Despisers of Man
Without true love for God and Man
Without true faith – Demas – 2Tim.4:10
1 Tim 6:9-10- AMP
9 But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.
10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.
James 1:14-15 – AMP
14 But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). 15 Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.
Case Study 1
Achan – The Lust of the eye – Josh.7:19-23
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 to yourself. His confession gives us the process.
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: – Grapping 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 of 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 looked 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.
From the example of Cain and Balaam mentioned above, we see that:
Greed produces the wrong motivation for life
A. Jude hear uses the example of the error of Balaam.
Balaam’s motivation for life was personal gain through the misuse of God’s provision.
Balaam was not interested in service to God or man.(Proverbs 21:26)
According to the Strong’s Concordance, the words “ran greedily after” means a “reckless, abandoned devotion to the engergies,” In other words, Balaam’s motivation was misplaced.
B. The error of Balaam is seen in the wrong motivations we can have for life.
1. “Satisfaction of self must be priority #1.”
2. “I can find this satisfaction through accumulation of more and more things.”
Greed establishes the wrong authority in life
A. Jude finally uses the Old Testament account of the gainsaying of Core.
1. The Sons of Korah were guilty of refusing to submit to God’s authority.
2. They were greedy for themselves, wanting their own authority. Unfortunately, this is a false and faulty system that finds its origins in Satan.
3. Greed undermines God’s authority. (Ezekiel 22:12)
Conclusion
When we allow greed for money or possessions to get a hold on us, we rob God, our families, and ourselves.
We rob God of resources that could extend His Kingdom and benefit His people.
We rob our fellow man of resources God expects us to use to help others in need.
We rob our families of our presence and attention because we spend excessive time and energy amassing wealth.
Let’s strive for godliness with contentment. There’s great gain to be had in doing so.
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