不可贪恋 You Shall Not Covet
出埃及记 Exo 20:17
Remember these points
I put these points at the top of my sermon-prep template to remind myself every week:
- Show that main point of passage relates to Jesus and his saving work
- (1 Cor 1:18) A truly gospel-centred message will not be acceptable in a synagogue or mosque
- Did I proclaim the gospel as the headline news of the sermon, rather than as a “by the way…”?
- Unbelievers are called to repent, believe, and be saved
- Believers are encouraged to abandon their old self, renew their minds, put on the new self in Christ
- Preach simple sermons, so that God’s people can see Christ more clearly and love him more dearly
News
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Hook
Subject here
Passage
Contents here
Nearly all modern English translations kept the 7 items.
Nearly all Chinese translations hide this.
The “you” is second-person singular, so God is addressing every single Israelite.
The use of masculine for “you” doesn’t mean it applies only to men.
Any Israelite women hearing this would automatically substitute “neighbour’s husband” when she hears “neighbour’s wife.”
The ultimate point is: We are not to covet anything!
The words “house” and “servants” appear together here, as well as at the start of Exo 20.
This inclusio shows that the entire passage (Exo 20:1–17) is one unit.
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Differences between desire and covet.
We can have desires, either good or bad.
We can also covet, which is always bad. Don’t fall for the marketing and advertisements you see every day!
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Examples from the Bible of coveting, and the consequences.
Achan,
Nabal, Ahab and Jezebel
King David. David broke pretty much the entire set of commandments, starting with his coveting.
First instance of coveting in the Bible: Eve!
And from that coveting, sin came into the world. Things were never the same again.
Several NT passages about coveting.
Even Paul, who thought he can be righteous through keeping the law,
finally realised that he’s can never get past coveting.
This shows how much we need a saviour.
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与我有什么关系? So What?
- We have to be content with the things that God gave us,
and not to covet things we don’t have. - Be careful of “spiritual” desires or coveting:
My talents, my ministry, etc. - We have to confess our sins and repent (don’t think that Christians don’t sin):
- We have to be content with the things that God gave us,
and not to covet things we don’t have. - Be careful of “spiritual” desires or coveting:
My talents, my ministry, etc. - We have to confess our sins and repent (don’t think that Christians don’t sin):
- The problem is not external, but in our hearts.
Even if we got what we coveted, or have more of what we already head, we won’t be satisfied.
We must replace this covetousness with contentment. - The secret of a happy life and contentment is not getting what you want,
but living with contentment with what you already have. (TEV2)
When we believed in Jesus, we already have our sins forgiven.
God promised us eternal life.
All of God’s creation will be ours.
What more do we want?