by Lakeshore Christian Church on Feb 19, 2024
In our ongoing series, Love Notes, we have been exploring the profound nature of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. We have discovered that love is indeed the most excellent way to live, embodying patience and kindness. Today, we delve into another attribute of love: it does not envy. Envy, the painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another, can be a destructive force in our lives. It is a sin that can lead to discontentment and a lack of gratitude for the blessings we already possess.
Envy was so significant that it was labeled by the Church Fathers as one of the seven deadly sins. It can lead to the worst kinds of evil, as evidenced by the religious leaders in Jesus' time who, out of envy, plotted against Him. We are warned against envy because it can rob us of happiness, praise, and the ability to maintain healthy relationships. It can prevent us from truly loving others as God loves us.
The antidote to envy begins with surrendering our lives to Christ, not merely as believers but as disciples who follow Him as the authoritative teacher of our lives. This surrender involves trusting God's wisdom and His provision for us as heirs of His kingdom. We are co-heirs with Christ, and as such, we have an inheritance that includes every spiritual blessing. We must recognize the value of these blessings and the futility of comparing them with temporary, worldly possessions.
To combat envy, we must first surrender our lives to Christ, allowing His will to be the best thing for us. We must count our blessings, recognizing that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We must also understand that God's love for us is equal to His love for others, as demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus. This understanding allows us to be content and to rejoice in the blessings of others.
In conclusion, envy must be crucified in our lives, replaced by a love that seeks the best for others, spurring them on toward love and good deeds. As we gather as a church family, let us encourage one another, build each other up, and pray for those in need. Let us be a community that supports the work of the kingdom through our offerings and acts of service, reflecting the love of Christ in all we do.
Key Takeaways:
- Envy is a sin that can lead to discontentment and a lack of gratitude for the blessings we already possess. It prevents us from truly loving others as God loves us. To combat envy, we must surrender our lives to Christ and trust in His provision for us as heirs of His kingdom. [49:33]
- We are co-heirs with Christ, and as such, we have an inheritance that includes every spiritual blessing. Recognizing the value of these blessings helps us to be content and to rejoice in the blessings of others, rather than falling into the trap of envy. [56:27]
- True surrender to Christ involves trusting God's wisdom and His provision for us. It means desiring His will above all else, which destroys envy and allows us to be content with what God has given us. [57:35]
- Counting our blessings is a powerful exercise that helps us to focus on what we have in Christ, rather than comparing ourselves to others. This practice fosters gratitude and contentment, which are antidotes to envy. [58:12]
- As a church family, we are called to encourage one another, build each other up, and pray for those in need. Our gatherings should be a reflection of Christ's love, as we support the work of the kingdom through our offerings and acts of service. [01:00:48]
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 1 Corinthians 13:4 - "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."
2. James 3:16 - "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
3. Proverbs 14:30 - "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."
#### Observation Questions
1. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4, what are the characteristics of love mentioned in this verse?
2. How does James 3:16 describe the consequences of envy and selfish ambition?
3. In Proverbs 14:30, what is the contrast presented between a heart at peace and envy?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Paul includes "envy" as something that love does not do in 1 Corinthians 13:4? How does this align with the overall message of love in the chapter? [21:27]
2. How does the description of envy in James 3:16 help us understand the potential impact of envy on a community or church? [26:52]
3. What does Proverbs 14:30 suggest about the internal effects of envy on a person’s well-being? How might this be observed in real life? [31:06]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt envious of someone else’s success or blessings. How did that affect your relationship with that person and your own sense of contentment? [22:48]
2. The sermon mentioned that true surrender to Christ involves trusting God's wisdom and His provision for us. What steps can you take to deepen your trust in God's provision in your life? [57:35]
3. Counting our blessings is a powerful exercise to combat envy. Can you list three specific blessings in your life that you are grateful for? How can focusing on these blessings help you overcome feelings of envy? [58:12]
4. The sermon highlighted the importance of encouraging and building each other up as a church family. How can you actively support and encourage someone in your church or community this week? [01:00:48]
5. Envy can prevent us from truly loving others as God loves us. Think of a person you have felt envious of. What is one practical way you can show love and support to that person this week? [49:33]
6. The sermon discussed the idea of being co-heirs with Christ and recognizing the value of our spiritual blessings. How does this perspective change the way you view material possessions and worldly success? [56:27]
7. Reflect on the story of the disciples asking for the chief seats in Jesus' kingdom. How can you shift your focus from seeking positions of honor to serving others in your daily life? [45:00]
Day 1: Envy's Destructive Power in Our Lives
Envy is a sin that can lead to discontentment and a lack of gratitude for the blessings we already possess. It prevents us from truly loving others as God loves us. To combat envy, we must surrender our lives to Christ and trust in His provision for us as heirs of His kingdom. [49:33]
"Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." - Galatians 5:26 ESV
Reflection: Reflect on a moment when you felt envious of someone else's success or possessions. How did that envy affect your relationship with that person and with God?
Day 2: Our Inheritance of Spiritual Blessings
We are co-heirs with Christ, and as such, we have an inheritance that includes every spiritual blessing. Recognizing the value of these blessings helps us to be content and to rejoice in the blessings of others, rather than falling into the trap of envy. [56:27]
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." - Ephesians 1:3 ESV
Reflection: What spiritual blessings have you experienced in your life? How can you celebrate and give thanks for these blessings today?
Day 3: Trusting God's Wisdom and Provision
True surrender to Christ involves trusting God's wisdom and His provision for us. It means desiring His will above all else, which destroys envy and allows us to be content with what God has given us. [57:35]
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5 ESV
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself struggling to trust God's provision? How can you practice trusting Him more in this area?
Day 4: The Practice of Counting Our Blessings
Counting our blessings is a powerful exercise that helps us to focus on what we have in Christ, rather than comparing ourselves to others. This practice fosters gratitude and contentment, which are antidotes to envy. [58:12]
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" - Psalm 107:1 ESV
Reflection: Take some time today to list at least five blessings in your life. How does acknowledging these blessings change your perspective on your current circumstances?
Day 5: Encouraging and Building Up the Church Family
As a church family, we are called to encourage one another, build each other up, and pray for those in need. Our gatherings should be a reflection of Christ's love, as we support the work of the kingdom through our offerings and acts of service. [01:00:48]
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
Reflection: Who in your church community can you encourage or support this week? What specific action will you take to do so?
Today, we're continuing a series we started a couple of weeks ago called "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love, Love."
We're continuing a series we started a couple of weeks ago called "Love Notes." So far in this Love Notes series, we've seen that love is the most excellent way to live our lives. We looked at the fact that love is patient, and last week we talked about the fact that love is kind. Today, we're going to look at another attribute of love.
Let's look at 1 Corinthians 13. Let's go back to verse 4 again in this beautiful chapter on love in scripture.
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not what? Envy.
Today, we're focusing on envy, and the message title is "Remain Content." When you are content, you're not as tempted to be envious of anyone else. Envy has been defined this way: the painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another.
There was a guy who was sitting alone in his house watching TV, and every night he would watch to see the drawing for the lottery to see who won. And when he saw somebody else who won the lottery, he said, "Oh dear God, please, I pray, let me win the lottery. I want to win the lottery."
And then next month there's another drawing; somebody else wins. He said, "God, I'm praying, really, please let me win the lottery. All these other people are winning, let me win." And somebody else won the lottery again that month. And so he prays again, "God, please let me win the lottery."
And in that drawing, somebody else won again. He can't believe it. He says, "God, please, I'm praying, please let me win the lottery." And there's this big clash of thunder, and a voice says, "Well, at least buy a ticket, buddy."
Sometimes when we're envious of others, it's because we're not doing what we ought to do. But a lot of times, even when we're doing all the things we should be doing, it seems like other people are granted favor or blessing or something that we don't have. And the temptation is to become envious of those other people.
Envy was labeled by the Church Fathers as one of the seven deadly sins. Now, they weren't speaking in authority by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but unfortunately, envy can be a very detrimental thing to our lives. And that's what we want to focus on today, is the problem of envy.
Back in the Old Testament, when God was giving his people the law, in Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 21, we have one of the commandments that says this: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
That word translated "covet" can also be translated "envious of" your neighbor's having those things, to the point that you would want to take it from them. So even if you couldn't have it, that they wouldn't have it either is kind of the idea. That's what envy will do to us. It's a dangerous thing to have in our lives.
So when we think about the problem of envy, let's think about the different categories that might make us envious. One of the most common ones is material possessions, right? You have what you have, but you see other people around you; they have more. And maybe you even know those people, and you know they don't work any harder than you work. They're not better people than you are. Why do they have more than I have? It just doesn't seem what? Fair.
See, that's when we get envious. It just doesn't seem fair that they've got more than I've got of these material possessions, especially when we think in our human way of reasoning, they don't deserve to have more than I have. It can make us envious.
Well, the second category is what about personal relationships, right? You see somebody else that seems to have a really great marriage, or a parent that has a really great relationship with their children, and maybe yours isn't what you want it to be right now. It's not at the place you would want it to be. You see other people; they seem to be doing things with their friends, co-workers, and they're going out together as friends, but you're not included, right?
It's easy to become envious of somebody else's personal relationships that they have with people that you don't seem to have in your life. Sometimes it's influential positions or popularity, right? They're really popular. Everybody likes them, but they don't seem to like me like that. So you get envious of their popularity.
Sometimes it's a skill or talent or gift that they have. "I wish I could sing like that or play an instrument like that, or I wish I was good at sports like they're good at sports." All those things, we end up comparing ourselves with others, and comparisons can lead to envy.
And what's wrong with that then? What's the real problem with envy? Leonard Bernstein was asked, he's a noted composer, a musician; he was asked, "What's the hardest, most difficult instrument to play?" You know what he said? "Second fiddle." Second fiddle is harder when you're not first chair. You're not the one that gets the greatest recognition.
Irma Baalbeck said she prayed, "Lord, if you can't make me look thin, then help my friends look fat." Might be a little envious, right, of other people that haven't put on the weight like you have or something.
The problem with that is it can, in Scripture, we have this warning of the damage that envy can do to us and to others. James 3, verse 16, he says, "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
Envy can lead to disorder, chaos, and it can cause people to do every imaginable evil practice you could think of because of envy. And history shows that that's true, that that Scripture is telling us the truth about envy and the motivating force that it is to get us to do the wrong things, to act in the wrong ways, to say things we shouldn't say about other people, to try to tear them down because we think it might make us look better.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day were becoming very envious of the fact that early in his ministry, Jesus started attracting big crowds. He was becoming more popular than they were. People were listening to Jesus more than they were listening to them and what they had to say. So they plotted; they were coming up with these plots to get rid of Jesus, and it was so obvious that even Pilate, the Roman governor, was able to see through it.
And he knew, it says in Matthew's Gospel, that it was out of self-interest or envy that they handed Jesus over to him. He read right through it. He knew that's what was causing them to want to get rid of Jesus. It was their envy of his popularity compared to theirs, and they were losing popularity; he was gaining popularity. And it so drove them to the fact that they were willing to do the worst of evils, which is to kill an innocent person out of envy.
You see how it can lead to the worst kinds of evil when you let it get out of control, when you let it begin to control your thoughts and your actions?
Well, we're usually most tempted to be envious of those who succeed in our areas of strongest ambition. In other words, if I've always wanted to do something and I haven't been able to, but somebody else has, that's the area I'm most likely to be envious in, right? Or if I so much wanted to be the popular kid at school but I never was able to do that, then you're envious of the one who is the most popular kid at work or wherever, right?
So we have to be truthful with ourselves about those areas where Satan might want to work on us and stir up this envy and get us to say and do things that we shouldn't be doing.
Well, let's look at a few of the bad consequences of envy. One is it can ruin your happiness when you let it take control of your life. It can rob you of all happiness.
How many of you remember the story of Snow White? You remember that story? I was looking back at it because I was thinking about this, how the evil queen of Snow White at the beginning is perfectly content and happy. And she would go up to this mirror, and what would she always say in the mirror?
Yeah, I thought that's what she said too, but I looked it up. That's not the exact quote. She didn't say, "Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?" In the actual original and the movie that Disney did too, she says, "Magic mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest one of all?"
Now she was perfectly content with the answer for a long time because the answer was always what? "Oh, you are, my queen." But one day the mirror came back and said, "Oh, there's one now who's fairer than you." And the magic mirror describes Snow White, and the queen immediately knows the mirror is talking about Snow White.
So immediately from that point on, it was her goal to get rid of Snow White so that she could still be the fairest one. Now that's a fairy tale. It's a story, but it rings all too true to real life. That was why that story hit so hard with so many people, and it was such a popular thing. It's because it's common to all of us.
In Proverbs 14 and verse 30, it says this: "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Does that sound pleasant? I don't want my bones to rot, do you? At least not until I'm done with them. It's okay then. Once I'm done with them, I don't mind them rotting, but while I'm having to make use of them, I don't want them to rot.
Well, envy can penetrate so deeply into our hearts and our minds and our lives and take over to the point that it rots us; it eats us up from the inside. It keeps us from having joy, happiness in our lives. You can't be happy, joyful, and envious at the same time. Those two things can never coexist. Happiness and envy never exist in the same person at the same time.
And so we have to learn the danger is it can ruin our happiness. It not only ruins our happiness; it can ruin our praise as well. We're not as able to praise God the way we should when we're envious of other people and their circumstances and their blessings and where they're at in their lives. It can ruin our praise.
And it doesn't matter how much you have. Envy can affect anybody. I'll remind you in the Old Testament there was a king named Ahab in 1 Kings 21. We see an occasion in Ahab's life. He has a palace in Samaria there. And in that palace, there was some land that bordered his land that he had with the palace. And he was looking out over the land, and he wanted some land next to his land that bordered his palace land for his vineyard.
And so he found out who wanted it. He went over to see him. And when he asked this guy, "Would you give me your land or sell me your land?" he said, "No, I will not." Now here's what it says in 1 Kings 21 and verse 4: "So Ahab went home sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, 'I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.' He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat."
This is an adult man we're talking about, sulking and refusing to eat. And it robbed him of his happiness, and it led him to the point that he just thought his life—he's acting like his life is over because he can't get that land.
Now the reason that he didn't want to give up the land is because it's part of his inheritance, his family line heritage that he had. And it was something he wanted to carry on with his family. So he didn't want to give that up.
Now this is a king living in a palace who has the finest of everything. And yet still he was envious of a little piece of property bordering his property that he wanted to take possession of. Now he had a wicked wife, and some of you will remember her name is Jezebel, and she decided that she would plot to kill this man to take his land from him.
And that's exactly what she did. When she saw that her husband, the king, was upset and couldn't get what he wanted, she felt like it made her look bad too. They couldn't get what they wanted, and she took care of it in the most evil way you can imagine.
Remember, evil rots the bones, but it can cause us—it could be the source of all kinds of evil that people do. That's exactly what's happening in that story.
Well, it ruins your happiness, and it can destroy your praise. Instead of, as a king, praising God and thanking God for all that he already had, that envy, just that time of envy caused him not to even be thankful and praise God for the blessings that he already had in his life.
And it can do that to us too. We can let envy rob us of that praise we ought to be giving to God for the blessings that we already enjoy from him, just because we're envious of someone else.
It can ruin our happiness and our praise, but it can also ruin our relationships when we have envy. When you're envious of someone, you never can really fully be a friend to them. It robs you of that element of your relationship to want what's best for the other person.
And love, the love we're reading about in Scripture does not envy. At the root of the love, agape love that's talked about here is that desire for what's best for others, what's best for them, what would most bless them. That's at the root of this kind of love.
But envy will always keep you from wanting that for somebody else, especially if you don't have what it seems like would be a blessing to them—what's best for another person, whether it's your spouse or your child or your parents or that coworker, whoever it is. You don't want them to have that because you're envious of them having that, even if it's what's best for them.
And God would want to bless them with that. Another great example of that would be Cain and Abel, right? Cain became envious of Abel's good standing with God with the offering that he gave that God accepted and was praised for doing it, and Cain didn't get that.
So Cain was so envious of his brother's good standing with God that he murdered his brother for it. That's what envy will do. It'll cause you to want to destroy the other person instead of wanting what's best for the other person.
"I just don't want them to be as blessed as I am." Well, then you don't want what's best for them, do you? That's just telling yourself, "I really don't love them in such a way that I would want them to have the best that God could have for them."
In 1 Peter 2, verse 1, Peter tells us this: "Therefore, writing to Christians, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."
I want you to notice the category grouping of all those words that he used, that envy is a part of. Deceit, malice, hypocrisy, and slander. Those all go with envy. That's why they're all in that same verse. All of those things connect to each other. That's the evil that envy can produce in our lives.
One of the biggest products of envy is slander. If you're envious of someone and somebody else is saying something good about them, if you're envious of them, what are you most likely to do? Counter that with a negative thing, right? Tear them down somehow. Make sure they don't look as good to that person anymore because you've shared something negative about that person.
You can't let them one-up you and have that kind of good comment about them. It might make them look better than you. And so you immediately kick in with wanting to make sure you say something negative about them.
You probably have seen this saying before. It's a really good one, and it goes right along with what he's saying, Peter's saying here, and this description of love is saying here, and that's this: "Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make yours shine any brighter at all."
But that's what envy makes you think you need to do. "I've got to blow out their light so that I look good. I look better."
Well, those are some of the problems with envy, and that's why we're warned against being envious, and that's why he tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that real love does not envy like that. That's not real love when you're treating people like that, when you have that attitude toward people, where you're envious of them.
It's just evidence that you don't love the way God loves you. Does God always seek what's best for us? Even when it costs Him dearly? Absolutely. He wants us to be blessed. He wants us to have what we need. He wants us to be provided for in every way, physically and spiritually. He wants that for us.
He's not envious of that in any way because He loves us that way. Even when it meant His Son Jesus had to give up His life for us to have that, He still loved us like that.
The problem with envy is it robs us from loving like God loves. It takes that ability away from us.
I want to give you an example of envy just to show us again how it can affect everybody, even those who are closest to Jesus, could deal with it. In Mark's Gospel, Mark 10, beginning of verse 35, there is this example of those closest to Jesus dealing with this idea of wanting something for themselves and maybe not so much for anybody else to have it, this example of envy.
Let's pick up in verse 35. "Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him. Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
Now, that's a lead-in kind of statement, right? No matter what we ask you for, Jesus, what do we want from you? What are we telling you right up front in advance? We want you to do whatever we say here, right? Give us whatever it is we're asking for.
It's like when a child comes up to you and says, "I got something I need to tell you, Dad, but promise you won't be mad." I can never make that promise to my kids because I knew what could possibly be coming out of their mouths next, and I knew that it might be something that I'd be angry about.
That didn't mean I was going to act out of anger, but anger is a real thing, and we're made to feel that, and certain things would make us feel anger. So I could never make that promise to my kids that I wouldn't be angry.
So I would say, "Well, I might be angry, but I still want you to tell me, and we'll work through it. We'll deal with it, even if it makes me angry."
So these disciples are saying to Jesus, "Now, Jesus, promise whatever we ask you, you're going to do what we want." Jesus didn't make that promise. He's wise, and he reacts a different way.
Let's look at it here, okay? He says, "What do you want me to do for you?" Before he says yes or no, he wants to know what they want, right? That's a smart way to answer that question.
Jesus, in his wisdom, knows that he should not commit to something that may not be what's best for them. So he says, "What do you want me to do for you?"
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
Now, in their culture, to sit at the right and the left hand of the ruler means that you have the second highest positions in the land, right behind him. So they're wanting to line this up in advance.
Jesus has been talking about this kingdom that's coming, that he's ushering in his kingdom. It's a great kingdom. It's an eternal kingdom. And they're trying to get their place secured in the kingdom. And they want the chief seats in the kingdom other than Jesus himself.
Now, at least they do not ask for Jesus' seat. We've got to give them credit for that. But if we can't have his seat, we want the two next best seats in the kingdom.
Now, these are two of 12 that have been following Jesus, serving Jesus, spending time with Jesus, learning from Jesus. There were others too, but the 12 were the closest group that he's got to him.
And within that 12, these two brothers think we should have the chief seats. So they haven't included anybody else in this. They haven't talked to any of the others about this. They're trying to do this, I think, in stealth mode where the others won't even find out about it.
They've just gone to Jesus privately to ask for this favor from Jesus because they knew full well, like any of us would know, if the others knew this, they wouldn't like it. Right?
So even among the 12, envy, wanting the chief seats, wanting to be sure we're the most recognized, we're the most respected, we've got the best places in the kingdom. They were envious of that position, and they wanted to be sure they got in their request before anybody else asked for it, hoping that Jesus would agree to what they were wanting.
So they said, "Let one of us sit at your right, the other at your left, in your glory."
In verse 38, Jesus said, "You don't know what you're asking. Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with?"
Now, Jesus is referring to not actual drink and baptism itself, but he's talking about what he's going to have to go through to usher in his kingdom, the sacrifice that it was going to require to usher in his kingdom. He's talking about the cross and all that went with that.
He said, "Can you actually—is that what you're asking for, to be a part of that? Because that's what the kingdom is going to be about."
"We can," they answered. I love how bold and naive these two guys are. Now, I'm not saying they're not smart. They're obviously smart guys, and they've been learning a lot from Jesus. But envy can cause us to think wrongly, can't it?
They said, "Oh, no big deal for us. We can handle that. Whatever you're going through, Jesus, we're with you. We'll handle it too. We can do it." Thinking pretty highly of themselves because they want those chief seats.
Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with a baptism I'm baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they've been prepared."
Jesus says, "Oh, yeah, you are going to suffer like I'm suffering, like I'm going to have to go through to bring this kingdom in."
Verse 3 reveals to us that they did indeed suffer persecution and death to follow Jesus and advance his kingdom. You see, what they were asking for and the reality of what it was going to really be were two different things.
Just like when we're envious of someone or something, we only see the outward part of it, thinking how much better that is than what I have. We assume that if we had that, our lives would be better. Everything would be great.
If I had the money they had, if I had a spouse like they have, if I had a house like they have, if I had a job like they have, if I had a bank account, then my life would just be great. And so many times you're envious of someone or something without knowing that behind the scenes there's a lot of pain and heartache and struggle.
There's loss, there's grief that you don't know about. There's struggle behind the scenes that they've not shown anyone. That marriage that looks so good on the outside can be crumbling from the inside. What looks like wealth can be debt up to your eyeballs that you're drowning in, but it looks like success for a while.
What looks like great friendships could be anything but great. What looks like a great parent-child relationship—you know, "Oh, I wish my kids were like their kids." And you don't know half the story of maybe what they've been through as a family or their kids.
See, that's what these disciples were dealing with. They didn't know the whole story. They didn't know what the kingdom was really all about. They were only thinking of earthly kingdoms and positions of power and prestige and an earthly kingdom, how much better their lives would be if they had those seats in that kingdom when that kingdom was about sacrifice and service, and that's what Jesus goes on to tell them.
Look at verse 41. More envy here, by the way. When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. They got upset with James and John. Why? Probably because James and John beat them to it. They got to Jesus with this request before they thought of doing it or had the courage to do it themselves.
They probably wanted those seats, too. That's why they're indignant with James and John. "Can't believe you think you deserve those seats more than we do. I deserve to have one of those seats just as much as James or John deserves to have one."
Envy. Rising up with the other ten. Jesus called them together. I love this. It's like, have you ever seen in some families they do this? "Let's have a family meeting, guys. We need to talk about something."
So he brings his family of the twelve together, and he says, "I need to talk to you about this. You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them."
Jesus doesn't beat around the bush. In verse 43, he says, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your what? Whoever wants to be the first must be the what? Slave of all."
"For even the Son of Man," that's a term he used for himself, "did not come to be served, but to what? Serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Boy, you talk about having that exposure of your envy just right out there for everybody. That's what Jesus did right there. He says, "Your envy is causing you to ask for exactly the opposite of what I want you to be like. My kingdom is a different kind of kingdom. It's an upside-down kind of kingdom. And if you want to be great in this kingdom, then you need to be the servant of everybody else in this kingdom."
That's the way this kingdom works. Here you are being envious of the chief seats when in fact in this kingdom those aren't the chief seats. The chief seats are the ones for the servants. Those are the chief seats in this kingdom.
It's kind of like the front row at church, right? At a concert, those would be the chief seats. Here we are at a church service, and nobody here at the Antioch campus—I don't know what the Smyrna campus, maybe you got some front row sitters. I hope so. We don't have any here at the Antioch campus for the service.
But in other places they would go, like in the synagogues, they would have chief seats. They would be the upfront seats. The important people got to sit there, right? They were envious of the people who were invited to those seats.
Jesus said, "In my kingdom, the chief seats aren't the ones that you think are traditionally the chief seats. They're the servant seats. That's what I want you to think of when you think of being influential in my kingdom because I didn't even come to be served, but to what? But to serve. So if you want to be like me, you follow me into that service."
So here's the question. Are you envious because God has been, maybe you think, generous with somebody else more than he is with you? With his blessings, with something they've got in their lives. Do you think God is playing favorites with those people and that he's not giving you the same favor that he is somebody else?
Because sometimes from the worldly point of view, from the outside looking in, that's what we start thinking. But let me ask you this. Did Jesus die for you? Did he die for them? Is that the most valuable thing Jesus could give, that the Father could give to us? And how many people did he give that to?
Why should we be envious of anybody else? He's loved us the same way that he loves everybody else. He's paid the same price for us that he's paid for anybody else. He's offered the same gift to us that he offers to everyone else.
You see, when we think about being envious of someone, here's the cure for envy. I want to spend the last few minutes just quickly hitting these things that will really be the cure for this problem of envy in our lives.
The first one is this: it starts with surrendering our lives to Christ. If we could get that down first, and when I say surrender your life to Christ, I'm not talking about praying a prayer in Jesus in your heart. That could be a beginning stage, but that does not mean your life is surrendered to Christ every time.
Surrendering your life to Christ means surrendering rule and authority of your life to Christ. Not just being a believer, but being a disciple who follows after Jesus as the authoritative teacher for your life. That's what it means to surrender your life to Jesus.
We've cheapened that in our culture and in many of our churches today to just let Jesus in your heart. And that's not a bad statement. There's nothing evil about that statement, but we've redefined that to mean I just believe, and that's it, instead of I surrender myself to him.
You see, the belief in Scripture is not just believing the information; it's surrendering life to the person you believe in. That's what it means to believe in Scripture. Surrendering authority to the one that you're now allowing to rule over you.
In Titus 3, Paul writes to Titus, beginning of verse 3: "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs, having the hope of eternal life."
I want you to focus on this word "heir" with Jesus. You see, if we're heirs with Christ, we've been renewed, given a new life, we now identify as children of God, and if we're children of God, we're co-heirs with Jesus, what is our inheritance? What are we heirs of? All that is God's, all that belongs to our Father, is reserved for us, His children.
We are heirs of the kingdom of God and all that it encompasses. How much more could God do to bless us, to value us, to provide for us than to say everything I have is yours too? All that you'll ever need, whatever it is you need, as heirs to the kingdom of God, God has it for you.
Now, it may not be what you think you need; I'm thankful for that because God's wisdom is greater than ours. I may want God to give me this, when in fact that would ruin my life; it would destroy my life if God gave me that thing I think I need to have, that relationship I think I ought to have, with that person that I think is the right one for me, but God knows better, right?
If I had that kind of money, then my life would be great, and God knows your life wouldn't be great; it would be very destructive, right? We have to trust God's love, that as heirs, that he loves, he's going to give us, he has all things, and he's going to give us the things that we really need.
He creates in us a new heart with new priorities, and here's the new priority: I want your will, Father, no matter what, in my life. I don't have to be envious of anybody else because your will is going to be the best thing for me, whatever your will is. I want your will on earth, in me, more than I want anything else.
See, envy is destroyed with that kind of surrender to the will of God. We don't ever have to be envious of anyone else.
So the first step is surrender your life to Christ. The second one is stop and count your blessings that you already do have. In Ephesians 1-3 it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
You may have been raised in church; I wasn't, but I've been in church a long time now, and I've heard this over and over again: one of the best things you can do is stop and count your blessings, and even actually maybe write them down, just start listing all the blessings that you have. It's a good exercise; it really is.
Except that sometimes we start making that list, and we already start thinking of somebody else that has some things that we think are better than our list. Now what would make us compare like that? It's because we don't understand that Jesus Christ has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing that exists; it's already ours.
It's not something we have to wait on; we possess it now: eternal life, forgiveness of sins, a place in heaven, that place where there's no more pain or suffering, no more death or dying, no sickness, no pain. We already have that; that's part of our inheritance; we already have it in Christ.
There's nothing more to give; there's nothing that's lacking of what we already have. There's nothing that compares to that that's better than that, on anybody's list, ever. That's the best list you could have, and it always will be the best list you could ever have, that anybody could ever have.
Stop comparing with the temporary worldly things and start understanding the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. Count your blessings, all of your blessings in Christ. And realize how blessed you really are.
And then, when you get that down like you need to, you can do the next step, which is to start seeking to bless others instead of worrying about comparing yourself with them. Start letting God use you to bless other people.
I want to close with this passage in Hebrews 10. I say this all the time, don't I? It's one of my favorite passages, alright? Hebrews 10, beginning with verse 24. He says, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day approaching."
So here's my question for you. That's the way we're supposed to be living in the body of Christ, encouraging other people, building up other people, spurring other people on to good things. That should be our approach.
Let me ask you this: Are you pulling for me? It's a simple question. Are you pulling for me to be blessed? Are you eager for that to happen in my life? Some of you say, "Well, yeah, we love our pastor." Some of you are thinking, "Not so much."
But what about your spouse? Are you pulling for your spouse? Are you wanting the best for your husband or for your wife? Are you their biggest cheerleader they have in their lives right now? Because that's what that passage is talking about.
What about your child? Oh, I know. Children can try you. I know that. They can sure test your patience. They can sure wear on your nerves. But are you pulling for your children? Do you really want them to have all the blessings that God could pour out into their lives?
But let's go beyond that. It's easier to do that for family and friends most of the time. What about those coworkers you're around every day? Do you really want what's best for them, too? If there's a promotion that they're up for at work, are you cheering them on hoping they get it? Really? Honestly? Do you really want them to get it?
If that's what God wants for them, if that would be best for them, for them to get it? Will that raise? Or that house they're trying to buy? You know, it's better than your house, but they want to get that house, and they're trying to buy it. Are you pulling for them?
You see, when you really crucify envy in your life, if I can do that in my life, I can honestly, sincerely say, you can't compete with me because I refuse to compete with you. I want everybody to win. I want everybody to have the blessings of God in their lives. I want everybody to have exactly the will of God that he wants for them, even if it looks different than God's will for me. That's what I want for them.
You see, when you destroy envy, you can honestly, really look at other people and say, "I want to spur them on toward love and good deeds. I want to encourage them in their lives, even if it looks on the surface maybe better than mine the way the world would measure our lives."
I'm still going to pull for them and cheer them on in theirs. You see, Jesus knew when he was pulling for us that it was going to cost him everything, but he didn't want to leave us in our sins. He didn't want to leave us in the punishment for our sins. He wants us to be children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
He wants everything he has to be yours and mine. That's what Jesus wanted more than anything. How do we know he really wanted that for us? Because he was willing to do what it was going to take for us to have it. He was willing to sacrifice himself so that we could have all those good things in our lives. He wants that for you today.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you that we've been reminded today of the dangers of envy, which can rob us of so many good things. But one of the greatest things that can rob us of is the ability to give you the praise that you deserve so fully, so completely.
And it can rob us of your ability to use us to bless others and build others up. Help us to crucify envy again in our lives, in our hearts, in our minds. By your power and the presence of your Spirit, help us to put envy to death, to rise up to new life where envy is not controlling us anymore.
Instead, our love for you lived out in our love for others will be the ruling force of our lives. Maybe there's somebody today who needs to take that step of crucifying themselves in the flesh, being buried with Christ and rising to a new life, where envy is destroyed by your love and replaced by your love for others.
I pray that if anyone needs to take that step even today, this would be the day that they would listen to your leading, your prompting, and take those next steps.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
We're going to stand and sing together. We invite you as we're singing if you have a next step of decision you need to make just to come right up front, and I will welcome you there and greet you there.
Let's stand and sing together.
Amen, amen.
Everybody have a seat, please. If you would, get this mic for me, Jason. Thanks. Just step right up there, tell everybody your prayer request today.
Yeah, Maddie and her family. They're up there, yeah. Absolutely. We want to be lifting them up in prayer. She had, like he said, come up last Sunday and asked for prayer. They knew that was near the end of the time that she was going to transition to be with the Lord. So we want to just pray for God's comfort and provision there.
Jeff, come on up. You've got one you want to share as well.
Amen, amen. I know there are many, many other prayer needs within the church family. We just want to lift all those up together right now. It's good for God's family to pray for one another. It's powerful. And people feel the effects. Even if they're a long way off somewhere else, they feel the effects of their family praying for them.
So I want you to not just say things like "I'll pray for you," but really, really actually do it. It makes all the difference.
Let's pray together.
Father, we lift up these two families that have been mentioned today, dealing with grief and loss. Father, we know you are the only one who can fully, completely comfort and bring peace during times like this.
We're thankful for family and friends that come together and support each other, but your presence and your power and your provision means more than anything else. So I pray these families would feel that more now than ever before.
And that even in these times, they would see the glory that is only yours being fulfilled through this process of these that are transitioning to their home you have prepared for them.
Father, it's made possible only through your Son Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Thank you. At this time, Walter's going to come and lead us in a time of communion around the Lord's table.
It's a joy to have you. If this is your first time with us, welcome. Stop by the information counter before you leave. We have a gift we'd love to give you there to thank you for your visit today.
If you'd like to continue worshiping through the giving of an offering, we have offering boxes, one in the back of the auditorium, one in the hallway as your exit. You can drop your offering in the top slot of those boxes. You can also give online at lakeshorechristian.com. You can scan the QR code in the bulletin shell. It'll take you to that page to give online as well.
And you can mail in your offerings to the church office. No matter how you do it, it's an act of worship, a way to honor God, and it supports the work of the kingdom. So we thank you for that.
By the way, because of your continual support of the work of the kingdom this past week, I got to have so much fun again. I always have fun doing this. This is our third time we were able to give a car to a family that really needed a car to get to work and everything.
So we're so thankful for that. See, I got to do the fun part. I get to be there and give them the keys and all that stuff. Man, I'm grateful to be your pastor, to be a pastor of a generous church like that. How much fun is that to be used by God that way?
So thank you for your support. We also want you to know that when you give, it is to support all the ministries that this church does. So don't ever underestimate. You may think it's not much or whatever, but God is putting all that together into the storehouse that he works out of to do all the great work that he does around the world.
So thank you for being a part of that.
This time I'm going to ask Jeremy if he would come on up. He's going to close us out by sharing some announcements, some things that are coming up, and then close us out with prayer.
Thanks, Jeremy.
- "Envy can lead to the worst kinds of evil when you let it get out of control, when you let it begin to control your thoughts and your actions." [28:55](Download | )
- "A heart at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bones... Envy can penetrate so deeply into our hearts and our minds and our lives and take over to the point that it rots us, it eats us up from the inside." [31:21](Download | )
- "Envy is destroyed with that kind of surrender to the will of God. We don't ever have to be envious of anyone else. So the first step is surrender your life to Christ." [57:35](Download | )
- "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ... Count your blessings, all of your blessings in Christ." [58:12](Download | )
- "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds... That's the way we're supposed to be living in the body of Christ, encouraging other people, building up other people, spurring other people on to good things." [01:00:48](Download | )
- "We are heirs of the kingdom of God and all that it encompasses. How much more could God do to bless us, to value us, to provide for us, than to say everything I have is yours too?" [56:27](Download | )
- "The problem with envy is it robs us from loving like God loves. It takes that ability away from us." [40:50](Download | )
- "Blowing out someone else's candle doesn't make yours shine any brighter at all. But that's what envy makes you think you need to do." [39:28](Download | )
- "If we're heirs with Christ, we've been renewed, given a new life, we now identify as children of God, and if we're children of God, we're co-heirs with Jesus, what is our inheritance? All that is God's." [56:27](Download | )
- "I want your will, Father, no matter what, in my life. I don't have to be envious of anybody else, because your will is going to be the best thing for me, whatever your will is." [57:35](Download | )
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