Loving Our Neighbor With Our Desires

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Romans 7; Lord's Day 44
Psalters: 257, 97, 204, 7
  1. The sin.
    1. To "covet" is to judge something to be desirable, and then to long for it in order to possess it.
      1. Before the fall coveting was good.
      2. After the fall into sin, coveting is often a sin.
    2. Coveting is wrong and sinful when ...
      1. the good thing we desire belongs to my neighbor: a talent, a possession, an inheritance, a vacation, etc.
      2. my coveting of a good thing is immoderate (too much so we are not content) - called a ?lust.?
    3. Covetousness is powerfully addictive.
  2. God condemns sin that takes place deep within.
    1. God condemns the very first motions of sin deep within our wills.
    2. The seriousness of this sin is evidenced in a variety of ways.
      1. Scripture calls it ?idolatry? (Eph. 5:5) and says it leads to hell (I Tim. 6:9).
      2. It is a mother sin, giving rise to many other evils within and without (a ?root of evil? I Tim. 6:10).
      3. Sinful coveting leads to lead to instability and disloyalty.
    3. This sin is very offensive to God.
      1. Covetousness damages love for God.
      2. The things of God are not desired (Matt. 13:22).
      3. Covetousness destroys relationships with jealousy, so we cannot love our neighbor.
  3. Our calling is to do all we can to avoid this sin?
    1. Crucify ?the flesh with the affections and the lusts? (Gal. 5:24).
    2. Be grateful for what God has given and for what He has not given.
    3. Seek the things above, cultivating your interest in God?s Word and in the hope of eternal glory.