In the sermon 'Mortifying Covetousness', Mike Davenport delves into the Tenth Commandment, emphasizing the need to suppress covetousness, which he describes as a form of idolatry. He begins by highlighting the insatiable nature of human desires, comparing them to children's behavior when they covet toys. Davenport discusses biblical examples of covetousness, including Aiken, King Ahab, Gehazi, David, Ananias, and Judas, illustrating how this vice can lead to destructive outcomes like lies, theft, and murder. He references Charles Bridges' commentary on Proverbs 27:20 to highlight humanity's perpetual dissatisfaction with earthly possessions. Davenport emphasizes that covetousness must not only be controlled but eradicated, urging listeners to 'set their minds on things above' as stated in Colossians 3. He outlines a three-fold attachment to Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension as reasons to mortify covetousness, encouraging believers to focus on heavenly treasures over worldly ones. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to live with a heavenly mindset, reminiscent of the saints who sought a better, heavenly country.

Well, I hope to continue in our study on the Ten Commandments, the Tenth Commandment specifically, and the title of this message is Mortifying Covetousness. Mortifying Covetousness. Mortifying covetousness. And if you would just turn in Proverbs 27, Proverbs 27 and verse 20. Proverbs 27 20.

Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied. Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied When children are playing together Which one toy is it from the toy box that every child wants to play with? Now that the children all say oh, I know which one it is It's that specific one and the other child says no, it's that specific one, but as parents we know it's the last toy that the other child just picked up, right? It never fails. And our children they get smart about it.

Rather than setting down what they had and then taking that one, they hold that one and grab the other one and then the child turns and sees they picked up another one. And pretty soon they're holding more things than an octopus could hold. In fact if our children worked with us moms could go to the grocery stores and they wouldn't even need a shopping cart. The kids could just carry it all. But you know we laugh because it's so common, right?

It hits so true, it hits home to where, to where what we've seen as parents. Rare is the child that is content with the one toy he is playing with regardless of what others may be enjoying. And yet what this truth conveys about a child's heart, Is it not true of our own hearts, dear ones? You see, I'm afraid that as we age that our outward actions and responses, they undergo the great transformation. We don't tend to respond quite like we did as children, at least outwardly.

Yet our hearts still stand in need of great transformation when it comes to these things. If your heart's like mine it does. Now maybe we would never take something from someone else but stop and think about how often the mere sight, the mere sight of someone else enjoying something. It sets our want her to wanting. Okay?

Someone walks by with something to eat or drink. We're all of a sudden hungry or thirsty? That looks good. Our neighbor hops on his new mower or drives up in his new vehicle and we suddenly begin contemplating just how old our mower is, just how many problems we've had recently with our vehicle having to take it to the shop. We see someone at church with a new this or a new that, and the next thing you know, we're looking online for that particular thing or something similar.

Or maybe our covetousness takes another route. Perhaps we begin thinking of how covetous they must be because of this new this or that. Or maybe we somehow come to the conclusion that They're not worthy of such a thing. How can they afford that? They they they should have gotten us something a little less elegant than that You know This also is is most often a manifestation of a coitus heart, because at the bottom of it all is the thought that we should be the ones enjoying that.

That's what it boils down to. We should be the ones enjoying that, not them. Enjoying that, not them. And this could happen in other realms as I pointed out in the last sermon. Property, possessions, success, esteem, status, fame, popularity, position, and personal appearance.

Charles Bridges commenting on Proverbs 27 20 writes, "'Man is always seeking for what he can never find, satisfaction in earthly things. He toils after his object and when he has grasped it he toils still the possession of abundance not of happiness. His best efforts only bring him a meager enjoyment Not deserving of the name enjoyment the summit of ambition when reached It's not his resting place Only the point whence he stretches out after something higher. All the affections of fallen man are filled with unquenched thirst. He may fancy his desires to be moderate.

He may set bounds to them and flatter himself that he shall never overpass them, but give him a world and like the far-famed conqueror He will weep for another and sink at last into a wretched eternity of unsatisfied desires Were brothers and sisters the Bible is full of examples of people driven by covetousness greed jealousy They wanted what had not been granted to them by God's providence. The eyes of man are never satisfied." And I think I mentioned it last week that one commentator had mentioned covetousness is not something that you could have tagged one of the saints in Scripture with. It's not that they didn't deal with it on some level, but it was never to such a point where somebody could say, that's a covetous man, that's a covetous woman. And so as I go through some of these examples and you may think of others and I've dealt with a few others last week. Think about is this the group you want to be in?

Think of Aiken. Aiken in Joshua 7, 2021. There was sin in the camp. They had failed to take AI. The casting of lots made it fall on Aiken.

And there before all of Israel, Joshua says, tell me my son, what did you do? And he said, when we went in, when we went in to take Jericho, I found among the things there a Babylonian garment, some talons of silver, and a wedge of gold I coveted them and took them and he knew he had sinned he buried it he buried it so he wanted to do it our covetousness right we want to bury it we don't want it seen we don't want it known he buried it What happened? It cost not only his life, but his wife, his children, and everything he owned, even his animals. They took them out, they stoned and burned. It affected not only him.

Think about King Ahab. King Ahab, first Kings 21. Here's a man that had anything he wanted, he was king, and he happened to look as it were over the wall and see a vineyard that looked awful beautiful. The vineyard, as we would say, the grass looked greener on the other side. And so he comes to Naboth, says, give me your vineyard.

Give it to me. I want it. Well, I, okay, okay, I know I shouldn't really like one. I'll pay for it or I'll give you a better one." And he said, no, you shall not have it. It's been in my family.

And you know what God has said about the land and the possessions that go down and kept in the... And we know what happened. That covetousness led to murder. Murder. Which murder had to be brought about only because of lies.

And they killed him and he took that vineyard. Think about Gehazi. Gehazi in 2 Kings 5, the servant of Elisha, Naaman has just been healed of all his leprosy and this man that Gehazi saw walk off leprous comes back again to Elisha clean head to toe And he comes and he wants to give gifts to Elisha The Heisha says keep your gifts keep your gifts go and serve God And he goes And go hey Zio's I can't believe he didn't take any of that. What's wrong with Elisha? I'm gonna go chase that guy down and I'm gonna come away with something And so he makes up a lie the two Prophets have come traveling and they have need of things and Elisha has nothing to give them and so he comes back and The load is so much that servants have to come and help him with it Servants of Naaman and they get it back and when they got to town he's like I'll take it from here don't want to see you guys and he takes it and he goes and he puts it away and he shows up like nothing ever happened what happens Elisha says this is not a time for gathering and gaining things on this earth.

We're about ministry. It's not about these things, but because of that covetous heart, you and your descendants after you will be leprous for life. David, 2nd Samuel 11, David was to be out doing battle. It's what Kings did in that time frame. He's up on the roof, not where he belonged, and his gazing eyes went elsewhere.

What does he do? He says find out tell me who is that woman and they told her and we read in Verse 4 of 2nd Samuel 11 then David sent messengers and took her That's the language took her Think about the governors and satraps of the Medo-Persia Empire and Daniel 6 Daniel had been elevated God had blessed him They were envious they coveted that position They had to go and report to this Hebrew. We got to come up with some plan. We got to get this guy down so that we can have what he has And we all know what unfolded the the Taking the king aside and feeding his ego to get this law in place. That would be the end of Daniel But what happened in the end?

They threw those men and their wives and their children to the lions because of their covetous heart for that position. Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5. Yes, they lied to the Holy Spirit and it was more the lying to the Holy Spirit that resulted I think in their death but what led to the lying spirit why did they feel the need to lie it was their covetous hearts You could say they wanted that portion of the money that they held back for themselves or they coveted a name among the people of God. That they were just as holy as everybody else that had sold to give to the better good of everyone whether it was the the the gains that they got or the name that they wanted they wanted something and they were willing to lie about it in order to have it. Judas, we all know of Judas who had been with Jesus for three years, witnessed everything, And yet this man was willing to go to the chief priest and ask, what are you willing to give me for me to betray him to you?

I want something. Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8, who had evidently come to Christ under the preaching of the apostles and he wanted that power that was evident in these men's lives that the Spirit had given them these miracles the ability to I want that give it to me what do I have to do to get it I'll pay for it Peter said your money perish with you diatrophies We don't read that he was a covetous man concerning the things of this world but but John writes in his third epistle in verse 9 he says I wrote to the church but diatrophes who loves to have the preeminence among them does not receive us he coveted preeminence even among the people of God. Well dear ones what do we do with this covetous heart? What do we do with it? Well turn with me to Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians chapter 3. I believe we have here a recipe for how we are to deal with covetousness You see, not only must covetousness not rule and reign, it must not Remain. It must not remain. Not only must it not have preeminence in our heart, it must not have a place in our heart. And Paul tells us right here in Colossians three verse five, therefore put to death your members, which are on the earth fornication.

We're like, yes, that's right. Uncleanness. Oh, yeah, it's got to go. Passion, evil desire, yeah. Amen, Paul.

And covetousness, and covetousness, which is idolatry. And covetousness which is idolatry. We need to put it to death. We need to put it to death And it won't be a once-for-all job putting at the death. No sin is.

As John Owen has said, he does not truly hate the fruit who delights in the root. Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work be always at it whilst you live cease not a day from this work be? Killing sin or sin will be killing you it will be killing you Thus Thomas Manson adds to the urgency of our duty by warning us of the dangerous progression of sin He writes a stone at the top of the hill when it begins to roll down Ceases not till it comes to the bottom Thou thinkest thou thinkest it is but yielding a little and So by degrees are carried on till thou has send away all thy profession and all principles of conscience by the witchery of Satan's temptations And you know once that stone starts rolling this is if it were heavier, the further progression it makes. So that is Paul's exhortation.

Kill covetousness. Kill it. But he doesn't stop with simply the exhortation. He also gives us in this passage the means whereby we can put it to death. You may be asking, how do I do that?

Paul tells you. It's found in the opening four verses. There's two very closely related things. We see it here. Set your mind, seek those things which are above and set your mind on things above.

Seek those things which are above and set your mind on things above. Seek those things which are above and set your mind on those things, on those heavenly things. You may have heard the phrase of said of someone, oh they're so heavenly minded, they're of no earthly good. Dear ones, if we're not heavenly minded, we are of no earthly good. If we want to be of earthly good, we have to be filled with heaven in our minds.

So Paul not only gives us the exhortation, along with it he gives us the way to do it. Seek those things that are above. Set your mind on those things. Before Christ's baptism, John the Baptist came preaching, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And then we read of Christ's baptism, and then what did Christ begin to do?

He began to preach the kingdom of heaven is at hand and Then when Christ sent out the disciples to go preach, what did he tell him to preach the kingdom of heaven is at hand? Jesus declared a pilot my kingdom It's not of this world has nothing to do with what you see what you touch To his disciples. He said do not fear little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom sell what you have and give alms provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old a treasure In the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Dear ones, if we are busy seeking heavenly and eternal things, we will have no interest and no time for the things of this world. Is this not the conclusion that Solomon comes to at the end of Ecclesiastes? His conclusion was, remember your creator.

And don't wait, do it early. He says remember your creator in the days of your youth. In the days of your youth, that's when you get started. Focusing your attention on God. Second, he says live constantly before him in godly fear.

Fear him. Fear him who sees the heart who knows what you want And also search out the ways of his commandments, the beauty of them, how to do them, how to please them. In other words, busy yourselves in the commerce of heavenly things not earthly things. So exhortations the way to carry out this exhortation of killing sin and he doesn't stop there He doesn't stop there. To these things, he also tells us why.

Why should we even do this? Why should we be about the business of putting covetousness to death by means of seeking and setting our hearts upon heavenly things. He tells us, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is. Sitting at the right hand of God set your mind on things above not on things in the on the earth Why for you died and your life is hidden with christ in god When Christ who is our life appears then you also will appear with him in glory So three three reasons why you should mortify covetousness Number one your attachment to jesus christ in his death and resurrection That's why you should mortify covetousness because of your attachment to Jesus Christ in his death and in his resurrection. Your life, you died.

You died to self. Your life is no longer yours. You were raised with Christ to newness of life See your attachment to him and his death and resurrection You're not your own Even bought at a price All that you are in body and spirit belongs to God. Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead in deed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in its lusts.

So that's reason number one, your attachment to Christ and His death and resurrection. Reason number two, for mortifying covetousness, your attachment to Jesus Christ and His ascension. In His ascension, Your life is hidden with Christ who has ascended into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God. That's where your life is. Why should we be concerned with this down here?

When our life, like Jesus said, it doesn't consist in the things of this world. It's hidden with Him at the right hand of God. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And He died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new, even what we want. The third reason for more defined covetousness, the third reason, your attachment to Jesus Christ in his glorious return. Your attachment to Christ in his glorious return. When Christ appears, we will appear with him in glory.

He has said, in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. He has prayed to his father, to our father, father I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which you have given me." Dear ones, if we would only consider who we are in Christ, The contemplation of those realities, the meditation upon what that really means. These things would so mortify all appetites for the things of this world, these mere trinkets of this world.

There's a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. We read of them in our Bibles. They're not in that list that we looked at earlier. These are the saints of God who are in heaven now. To them were given great and precious promises, things they never saw with their own eyes, things that happened that we now hold in our hands as history, looking back, the fulfilling of all of these promises.

They didn't have them, but these all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off were assured of them embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things, that would be us. If we say such things, declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mine that country from which they had come out they would have had opportunity to return but now now they desire a better country, that is a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

So, dear ones, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Praise God. Praise God.

Let us pray. Oh Father, we thank you for the gloriousness of the hope that you've given us in Christ. Lord, may that assurance of faith that we heard about today so fill our hearts that all we want is Christ and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and His grace. Make it to be so, in Christ's name, amen.