NO PLACE FOR COVETOUSNESS 	
Colossians 3:5
D. L. Lowrie

Money is news everyday. Just as regularly as they make their weather predictions, the news programs are telling us about what has happened to the American dollar in the world market place. Almost daily we are also being reminded that inflation is eating away at the heart of America ‑‑‑ not that we need much reminder of this. Yet there seems to be a basic unwillingness for anyone to really look at the root of the problem. According to the Bible, the root to the problem is found in the heart of man. Our money problem is basically a heart problem.

The disease of the heart that has produced our money problems is called "covetousness." By definition this word means greed, the desire to have more, the itch for things. It is to have a strong desire for the possession of things, and especially things that belong to another. This condition of the heart is as old as the family of man, and has produced all kinds of evil. But the Apostle Paul strongly declares that there is no place for such a strong desire for things in the life of the Christian. In the letter to the Colossians, he includes "covetousness" with a list of other things that are to be put to death. They are to be banned from the heart of the Christian. Included in the list are sexual uncleanness, and wrong sexual desires. We have not been inclined to include "covetousness" in such bad company, but if anything Paul takes it more seriously than he does the other.

Why should covetousness be put to death? Why is it out of place in the life of the Christian? Two primary reasons are set forth by the Apostle.

I. THERE SHOULD BE NO PLACE FOR COVETOUSNESS BECAUSE IT IS IDOLATRY.

That this was not just a passing impression of Paul becomes clear when you find the same insight addressed to the Ephesians (5:5). God wants us to know that to allow material things to be dominant in your heart is serious ‑‑‑ indeed it is idolatry. It is then making a "god" out of money or material things. Obviously there is room in the heart of man for only one god. But why is this making a god out of money or things?

First, covetousness is idolatry because it renders devotion and gives love to money and things that belongs only to God. Only the living and eternal God is to be the object of man's supreme devotion. Jesus Himself warned of this often. He declared, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24) Paul warned Timothy about the "love of money". An evidence that money or things have replaced God in the life will be the sacrifices made to them. Many men sacrifice their health to money and things. Some sacrifice their families. Others sacrifice their honor. Almost anything will be given up if it will bring him more. Can you not see the folly of this? We are guilty of rendering to the creation worship that belongs to the Creator. We are treating a creating thing as though it were the Creator. This is idolatry of the worst kind.

Second, covetousness is idolatry because it places trust in money and things that belong to God alone. The covetous man is looking to the material things for what he needs. They will provide him with safety and security. Give him the choice between a million dollars and the privilege of prayer, he would take the million every time. He knows what money can do, but he is not too sure about prayer.

Edward Ziegler expressed this in his "Materialist Version of the Twenty Third Psalm.''

Science is my Shepherd, I shall not want;
He maketh me to lie down on foam rubber mattresses;
He leadeth me beside six‑lane highways.
He rejuvenated my thyroid glands;
He leadeth me in the paths of psychoanalysis for peace of mind's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the iron curtain,
I will fear no communist;
For thou art with me; thy radar screen and thy hydrogen bomb, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a banquet before me in the presence of the world's billion hungry people.
Thou anointest my head with home permanents.
My beer glass foameth over.
Surely prosperity and pleasure shall follow me all of the days of my life:
and I shall dwell in Shangri‑la forever.

Where is your trust today? It is so easy to place your trust in money, things, and material possessions. You can look to them to bring to you happiness and to meet the deepest needs of your life. But when you do this, you are guilty of sinful idolatry ‑‑‑ you have made a god out of things. This is called "covetousness.''

Is there anyway you can tell if a person is guilty of making a god out of things? You might check on the priorities of life. What gets the first attention of life. A careful browse through the checkbook might help. Make a determination of what people spend their money for and you will soon know what is first in their lives. Or observe to find out what really excites or depresses them?

Would you not agree that this ip the basic religion of America in our day? Whatever our professions of faith may be, the truth is that our country has placed its trust in the almighty dollar and what it can buy. We are depending on it to buy us happiness, security, and fullness of life. This is idolatry! There is no place for such idolatry in the life that is committed to Jesus Christ.

II. THERE SHOULD BE NO PLACE FOR COVETOUSNESS BECAUSE IT IS DESTRUCTIVE.

"For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience." Whenever place is given to "covetousness" in the heart, the person has put himself under the terrible wrath of God. This statement is not a promise that judgment will come some day upon the lovers of money, the truth is that it is coming right now. Even in the present they are experiencing the disfavor and wrath of God. Nothing can be right in life until your relationship with God is right.

In light of this it is obvious that "covetousness" will destroy your relationship with God. One will not be a follower of Jesus Christ long if he tolerates a love for money in his heart. He will soon begin to follow afar off, and will forsake after a while. It will be written of him as it was of Demas, "Demas hath forsaken me having loved this present world". If you are serious about a relationship with God, you must be serious about keeping greed out of your heart.

Such covetousness also destroys your family relationships. You cannot find a truly happy family where the love of things has been made the center of the family. It is of interest to me that the troubled man who came to Jesus about the inheritance problems prompted the Lord to give a long discourse about "covetousness." The "love of money" is a destroyer of family life. It creates squabbles between husbands and wives. It steals the time that belongs to the family. Almost all family counselors are agreed that finances are the number one problem in families today. I may be wrong, but I believe that this has been on the increase in recent years. Since the advent of television, Madison Avenue has been successful in creating in us an inordinate desire for things. Consequently young couples get married fully believing that their happiness together will be dependent upon the presence of certain things. This motivates them to put themselves under an impossible indebtedness in an attempt to secure these things. It is a vicious cycle. If you young couples would consult with some of the older pilgrims among us, they would tell you of some years of happiness when they had almost nothing. My childhood memories are filled with almost nothing but happiness, but my family would by today’s standards have been considered very poor. The idolatry of things is destroying some things that we prize very much.

Such covetousness is a destroyer of all good human relations, People soon cease to be persons, and begin to become things. The !over of money will coon walk over people, use people, abuse people, lie to people, do almost anything to secure more of the things that he wants. How many bad human relationships do you know about that goes back directly to a squabble over money or things? Do you remember that Old Testament story about Mr. Naboth and his vineyard? This good citizen of Jezreel fell under the bloody hand of Jezebel simply so she could get his vineyard to give to her covetous husband, King Ahab. In spite of all the land and wealth the king had, he thought he could not be happy without the vineyards of Naboth. Because of their connection with his family heritage, Naboth would not sell to the king. Before you come down too hard on Jezebel, look around us. What about the man who gets involved in a business venture simply because it is profitable, but gives no regard to what the venture is doing to others. Greed ip a terrible destroyer. it blinds men to the worth and value of human life.

Such covetousness is a destroyer of inner contentment. Covetousness will create more discontent than any other sin one can allow into the heart. This Is the reason that almost every time worry and anxiety are discussed in the scriptures, it is in the context of material values, and man's relationship to his money. Some years ago a sermon by Foul McKay appeared in Readers Digest on modern life. In the sermon he said that modern life can be summed up in three symbols. The first is a neon sign. He sees the glittering neon sign as a symbol of the modern search for happiness in things. The second is a can opener. This little gadget symbolizes a whole way of life that is involved with things., The third is an aspirin bottle. Modern man takes them by the tons. His search for happiness in things is constantly leaving him with a headache. Surely Foul was right when he wrote, "Contentment with godliness is great gain."

Are you afraid that covetousness might be finding a place in your heart? Friend, the counsel of our text is that you put it to death. The truth is that you will put it to death, or it will put you to death. The wrath of God is upon covetousness.

CONCLUSION:

You may be wanting to know how to get this out of your heart. Let me make a suggestion to you. Bring your problem to the Lord Jesus. Let me warn you that if you bring it to the Lord Jesus, he may present a radical solution. His counsel to the rich young ruler was that he sell everything that he had and give it to the poor, and then come follow him. The young man loved what he had too much to do it. Really the problem was not what he had,‑but what had him. He could not do it. Jesus might just demand a radical response from you. But know this, whatever he does, it will be for your good.

My own experience is that nothing helps keep covetousness out of my heart like giving. Generosity and covetousness are opposites. One will destroy the other. Allow God to develop within you a giving heart. Let me challenge you to do something this week. Let me challenge you to sincerely ask the Lord how much he want3you to give next year, Make it a matter just between the two of you. Remove from it all business language, and make it just a personal matter. Allow him to tell you, and then do it. You will be surprised what this could mean in your life. It will surely help you get rid of covetousness.