I invite you to turn to Exodus 20. We begin by once again reviewing the 10th commandment, verse 17. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Now, in the Old Testament, we also want to turn to 1 Kings chapter 21. This is found on page 378 in our Pew Bibles. Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place. If you like, I will give you the price of it in money. But Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my father's. So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him. For he said, I will not give you the inheritance of my father's. And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food? So he said to her, Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place. But he said, I will not give you my vineyard. Jezebel his wife said to him, Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal and sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. Now she wrote in the letters saying, Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people, and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, You cursed God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death." So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him. And the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, Naboth cursed God and the king. So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is dead. When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead. When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who is in Samaria. Behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, Have you murdered and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours. Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free, in Israel. And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Bashar, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. Of Jezebel also the Lord has spoken, saying, The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel. The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat. And the one who dies in the field, the birds of heaven will eat. Surely there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols according to all that the Amorites had done whom the Lord had cast out before the sons of Israel. Then finally in the New Testament we turn over to Romans chapter 7. Romans 7, I will read verses 7 through 12. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it never be. On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the law. For I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, You shall not covet. But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. And this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me. For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it, killed me. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Let's pray and ask God's blessing. O Lord, thank you for your holy commandment. We thank you that your word is powerful. And we ask now that by your spirit you would teach our hearts that we might live in your presence. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. There is an unwritten rule among preachers that says, never say too much about yourself in preaching. And there is some wisdom in following that rule. A preacher should never thrust himself into the center of the message he proclaims. Knowing what a wonderful person your pastor claims to be certainly will not save you from hell. We preach Christ and Him crucified, not ourselves. But this wise rule can go awry if it is understood to mean pastors should never admit their own weaknesses, failures, or sins. A pastor who can never acknowledge that he himself sins will project a view of a superman, and the people will tend to view him that way. Well, the Apostle Paul knew how to strike the balance between saying too little and too much. Here in Romans chapter 7, he uses himself as the perfect illustration of the truth he was conveying. Repeatedly, he gives autobiographical insights into his own heart and life, specifically related to the Tenth Commandment. Now I realize full well that Paul's logic is tightly woven and that he is making a much bigger argument here in Romans 6, 7, and 8. But I want to extract out the verses where he talks about the Tenth Commandment. Because this provides for us an inspired commentary on the Tenth Commandment. And it shows us how the commandment works in real life situations. So this morning we want to begin by looking at the roots of sin. Then we want to consider a case study. And we'll finish with words for the wise. As Paul reflects on his own experience relative to the law, He sees a progressive aspect and it begins with him learning about sin. There in verse 7 he states, I would not have come to know sin except through the law. Earlier in Romans he had affirmed the same thing, that through the law comes knowledge of sin. Even more specifically, he says here that he would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, you shall not covet. And so there is an educational aspect to the commandment. It defines sin as sin, and it instructs us to avoid that behavior. Imagine seeing a sign that reads, do not touch wet paint. Well, that sign informs you that there is wet paint on that wall. And it commands you not to touch the wet paint. And you can easily understand why. Because if you touch the wet paint, it's going to come off on your hands, and it'll be on your clothes, and in your hair, and it'll be everywhere. Wisdom says obey the instruction, there's wet paint there, avoid the wet paint. Well if this instructional function were all that happened, we would have no problems at all in the world. But that is not all that happens. Paul hastens on in verse 8 to say, but sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind. He then repeats the idea in verse 11. For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. And so sin lies dormant in the human heart. lurking in dark corners, unnoticed and inactive. But when the commandment speaks forth, it awakens sin from its drowsy slumber and it provides an opportunity for sin to exercise itself. As soon as you post a warning, do not walk on the grass. What do people do? They just trample down that grass. You say, we put up a sign. That's the point. The commandment excites rebellion in the hearts. And a person sees the requirement, they see the restriction and they say, oh yeah, I'm going to do exactly what you're saying I can't do. And so sin sees the prohibition and it will purposefully act contrary to the command. This is why reverse psychology actually works. If you tell someone to not do this or that, well, you know what? They're going to do that. Because they hear the command, rebellion springs up, and they want to do what they are told they can't do. And so, this is kind of the inner psychology of the sinful heart. As the command comes, sin springs to life. Well, as sin took the opportunity, it awakened every covetous desire in Paul. And he began to see what a terrible problem he really had with coveting. But sin did something else with the opportunity. It deceived him. and it killed him. And so sin deceives the victim in order to kill the victim. As a result of this lively activity of sin within, men act according to their covetous desires and they commit iniquities. Because they want to transgress, they do transgress. And when they commit the sins that they have lusted after, they will then find that they are guilty and they will begin to feel guilty. Even more, consequences will justly come upon sinful men who yield to their covetous desires and do evil deeds. The sinner begins to suffer as a result of his choice to yield to that inward desire that was all provoked by the simple commandment, Thou shalt not covet. This passage in Romans teaches us a broad principle that is active in many different respects. The principle is this, the holy, righteous and good commandments of God predictably excite evil desires in the hearts of men. Sin uses the opportunity afforded by the commandment to act as an alien and hostile force within man, leading man into self-destructive choices and actions, and the results are guilt, shame, and punishment. Very specifically, the Tenth Commandment serves as a root for many other sins. The command excites desires to covet, and covetous desires lead to ruinous choices. Men pierce themselves through with many griefs and eventual destruction. William Hendrickson, commenting on this passage says, it is not surprising that it is especially this 10th commandment that stopped Paul in his tracks. The other commandments, superficially interpreted, forbid transgressions that are, or seem to be, of more or less external character. But the 10th commandment strikes directly at the very root of sin, namely, man's sinful heart, his evil desire. It might be too much to say that the 10th commandment is the root of every single sin, but I do believe it is the root of the majority of sins that we commit. It all starts with that desire in the heart, which then leads us down a road to break other commandments. And so you can see this in various ways. A man covets his neighbor's wife. He begins to lust after her, and then he commits adultery with her. A man covets his neighbor's field. And he begins to desire that field, and then he tries to steal that field. A man covets something that his neighbor has, and he wants to get it, but he can't get it through straight and honest dealings. So he begins to construct lies in order to get what he desires. And so the Tenth Commandment really serves as a trigger for other violations of the law. And if you look at other violations of the law, and if you dig deep enough, you'll find Tenth Commandment issues at play. And so this commandment, though it's at the tail end of the Ten, is really very central and core to the whole of the Ten Commandments and to the whole of human behavior. I would imagine if you began to study the people around you, your co-workers, your neighbors, even your family, you would find that there is a whole lot of coveting going on in a whole lot of people. And that many of their choices and decisions are driven by desires of their hearts for things that don't belong to them. This is really a huge issue. And Paul is speaking in a sense for everybody. When he says, the tenth commandment was the bugaboo for me. Because when I heard it, it went to work on me. And it stirred up something in me with an evil force. And it drove me to wicked actions. Paul was not the only person in history ever to follow this progression. We turn next to a case study in covetousness. We turn to Ahab in Naboth's vineyard. This whole situation in 1 Kings 21 began with a germ of an idea. King Ahab looked over his palace wall at the vineyard of his next door neighbor, a man named Naboth. Wouldn't that spot make an excellent place for a vegetable garden, Ahab thought. It's so close, it's so convenient, and that soil looks good. I could have some cabbages and some beans. It'd be the perfect spot for a vegetable garden. Well, this led to a simple offer. In apparent good faith, Ahab proposed an exchange. Give me your vineyard and I'll give you a better vineyard. Or, if you prefer, money. What came back was a principled refusal. Naboth said, the Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers. That specific spot had been God's gift to Naboth's family. And Naboth wouldn't give it away or even sell it. Now the sin really begins to build. Ahab couldn't let it go. In fact, rather than rejoicing in his neighbor's righteousness, Ahab was rebellious, angry, and sullen. He went into his house, vexed to the core. He refused to eat, and he went to pout on his bed. The king of Israel was acting the spoiled child. Into the bedroom of the brat king of Israel walked his wicked wife Jezebel. And Jezebel notices the pout and begins to ask questions. At this point, Ahab's covetous heart began infecting his wicked, wise heart. On her side, she was all too willing to do mischief. She would even incite Ahab. And so this wicked helper begins plotting revenge. She makes an evil promise to secure the property that her husband coveted. And then she puts into motion a plan to mollify her spoiled husband. The scheme relies on deception as she writes letters in Ahab's name and seals them with the king's seal. She sends these letters to the elders and nobles living in Naboth's city, ensnaring them too in this wicked design. She proposes a foul scheme that would ensure Naboth's downfall. She instructs these leaders in the community to suborn false witnesses in order to make a ludicrous charge. And that she proclaims a fast for the occasion only increases her guilt. The witnesses arranged and the fast proclaimed. The plot went off exactly as anticipated. The false accusation was leveled. The condemnation was swift. And the execution was bloody. Naboth laid dead. Ahab's covetous desire for a vegetable garden now ensnared the men of the city, its elders and its nobles, as they all had a hand in murdering righteous Naboth. But no sooner did the word come of the success of the plan Then Jezebel urged Ahab to seize the property that he had yearned for. And while Ahab was standing there in Naboth's vineyard gloating over his prize, Elijah appeared out of nowhere and declared God's just sentence on their heinous crimes. Ahab had sold himself to do evil in God's sight, and so God would bring evil upon Ahab and his household. Ahab, Jezebel, and their entire family line were indicted, convicted, and sentenced to destruction. That wicked man and his evil wife did die, just as God had proclaimed. And so you can see from this case study how a very small and simple matter can turn into a great evil. Covetous desire for a vegetable garden drew all sorts of people into a web of iniquity and poisoned them with the guilt of sin so that they would stand eternally condemned before a holy God. Covetousness is a root sin which produces terrible and horrible fruits. From Paul's words in Romans 7 and from Ahab's example in 1 Kings 21 come warnings to the wise. heed what I am about to say and it could save you a lot of trouble and heartache. Ignore these warnings and you might find yourself in Ahab's boat. The first warning is of a general nature. Guard your heart. For out of your heart flow all sorts of evil things. Jesus told his disciples That which proceeds out of the man is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within. and defile the man. You see, our problem is not with what's out there, environment. It's not external factors and forces that is the issue. It's our own hearts. We have enough wickedness in our hearts to live horrible lives of unbridled sin. And yet each one of us is called upon to guard our own hearts. That means that we stand as a sentry, as a soldier on guard duty at a gate, letting nothing wicked in and letting nothing evil out. Guard your heart. Don't just throw open the gates and let anything come in and go out at will. Do your duty to yourself by guarding that gate so that undue influences cannot come in and excite wicked purposes in your own heart and then issue forth in strength to do mischief. It would have been best for Ahab to say, it is an evil thing for me to ask Naboth to give up his God-given inheritance. Naboth is right, and I was wrong to ask for his vineyard. This is God's gift to him. And I should rejoice that he is a man of integrity and won't sell his inheritance just because I want a vegetable garden. That's what Ahab should have done. But instead Ahab just lets the envy and the greed and the pride and the malice grow within him and then issue forth. Guard your heart. Keep a close watch on it. More specifically, be especially watchful of covetous desires. As you monitor your own thoughts, and as you pay attention to the motives of your own heart, do you ever find yourself yearning after and longing for things that don't properly and rightly belong to you? Now that's not saying that we can never want anything and we can never make efforts to obtain things. There's lawful things that we can desire and lawful means of obtaining those desires. But you see, when you start to yearn for things that don't belong to you, they're your neighbors, not yours. And when that covetous fire begins to burn, you need to be very careful because those desires easily become the roots of all sorts of other sin and produce deeds of wickedness and coveting. It is a slippery slope that men go down when they allow themselves to harbor covetous desires. You have the capacity as a Christian to say, you know, that doesn't belong to me, it belongs to my neighbor, it's his, it's not mine, I have mine, I need to be content with mine, and I will not give in to the desire for his. And so, we have to be especially watchful in this regard. Many people think that there is no harm done in having an inward yearning for something that doesn't belong to them. But harm comes of it, they say. But soon it grows upon them until it begins to overpower them and they find themselves committing heinous acts that are guilty of wrath and punishment. Another great example is David. As David's looking out over the city, he sees beautiful Bathsheba, Uriah's wife. And it's at that point that he says in his heart, I want her for myself. And you know what happened to him. All of the heartache and hardship that came to David through that one covetous desire for another man's wife. And so we have to guard and watch for this particular sin as it rears its head. Instead of allowing covetous desires to grow unchecked in our hearts, we need to cultivate contentment as a good root. On Friday, I had a little free time, and I got out into my garden. And there's this one part of my garden where there's blackberries. And in the midst of the blackberries are all these weeds starting to grow up. And I know that if I don't fight this battle now, it's going to become impossible in the weeks ahead. So down there on my hands and knees, I went through and I pulled the weeds and I protected the blackberry shoots coming up out of the ground. Weeds are not going to do me any good. If I make a nice batch of weed jam or a weed pie, are you going to eat it? But blackberries are very nice. I like blackberries. I love blackberry jam. I'll enjoy a blackberry pie with ice cream. But weeds? Get rid of them! So as I am getting rid of the weeds, I am cultivating the good roots that will produce the desired good fruit. If you're serious about this, you need to get rid of the covetousness, but you need to also cultivate contentment. How do you do that? You come back next Sunday. I had to recant this morning to the session, because on Tuesday night at our session meeting, I said, I think I'm just about done with the Tenth Commandment. But as I studied more, I thought, you know, I think there's one more sermon here. How do you get contentment? How do you cultivate it? We're going to come back and look at that in some detail in a very practical way. Do you struggle with contentment? I do. I do. And I think you do too. But how do you get it? How do you grow it in your life? You know, my blackberry plants did not just happen. I didn't sit in my house one day thinking, I'd like blackberries to just spring up spontaneously in my garden. You know what I did? I went looking at various nurseries and I didn't find blackberries here. So on a trip over to Michigan, this was probably seven years ago, I went to a nursery in Michigan that had blackberry plants, and I bought myself blackberry plants, and I brought them across the border into Wisconsin, and I planted them, and I cultivated them, and I've grown them, and I'm getting blackberries. If you want contentment, it's not just going to come because you think, well, that would be a good thing to have. It comes through hard work. It comes through diligence. It comes through seeking the Lord. And we're going to explore that more next week. Finally, watch out not only for yourself in these things, but be mindful of others. You know, if you see a brother or a sister in Christ who is slipping into discontentment, envy, pride, or covetousness. You have a duty and responsibility to go to your spiritual sibling and lovingly and directly confront them about their sin and urge them to get rid of the discontentment and the covetousness and to seek after contentment. This is something which we can do for each other. This is a way we can serve each other. Sometimes when we're talking, we don't hear ourselves talking and we don't know how bad it sounds. But an objective third party can say, you know, I'm hearing you say this and this and this and this. Are you struggling with covetousness? Are you struggling with discontentment? And then we can confess our sins. Yes, I am. Would you pray for me? I will pray for you. And then you kneel together before the throne of grace and you pray for each other. And the prayers of righteous men for their struggling brothers and sisters in Christ are powerful and effective. You know, you might have a ministry to help someone else who is mired in covetousness, who is being dragged down by discontentment. You might be God's agent to help that person. Maybe it's a spouse. Maybe it's a good friend. Maybe it's a sibling. Maybe it's a child or maybe it's your parent. There might be someone around you that's really floundering in this. Would you come to their rescue? Would you reach out a hand and help them in their need? Would you be a true brother or a true sister? Let's pray. Oh Lord, help us. Oh, we are so weak and frail, so prone to covetous desires, so prone to rebelliousness and sin. Oh, Lord, help us. Reach out your hand and lift us out. We are sinking. As you lifted Peter out of the waves and took him into the boat, lift us and set us in a sure and certain place. Hear us, for we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.