TEXT : LK 12:15
INTRODUCTION:
we all see today the literary cause of sin and the form’s at which it is carried out, you will all agree with me that the main reason why people sin is because of covetousness [greed].
Now before we go further lets look at the meaning of terms.
BEWARE: this simply means to be on one's guard; be cautious, be alert to, and to be watchful.
COVETOUSNESS: an envious eagerness to possess something,
Extreme greed for material wealth. “personified as one of the deadly sin”
In the ten commandment God clearly warned ⚠️ that thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, nor his farm, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his! Exodus 20:17
Without wasting time lets quickly look at the story of Gehazi in 2kings 5:1-19
This story of Gehazi is a sad story, but it is one which happens thousands of times every day, and in the lives of believers to one degree or another. It is a story that stands in strong contrast with the preceding passage where we saw Naaman healed of leprosy as he turned to God in simple faith. But here we see Gehazi struck with leprosy because he turned away from God to blur the truth of the free nature of salvation.
In one story, leprosy portrays sin in its universal scope as it falls upon all men. But in the story of Gehazi we see the specific sin of greed (covetousness and materialism) and the way it destroys the ministries of men and their capacity to serve the Lord.
We can see several important principles of warning and instruction from this passage
BASIC TRUTH
Opportunity and privilege are no guarantee of success. We must take advantage of the opportunities God gives us or we loose the blessings and impact of those opportunities. Just being around the Word and godly examples never guarantee the communication of biblical truth, spiritual growth, and personal godliness. The disciples were with the Lord. They heard His words. They saw His works. Yet they often gained no insight from these events and their hearts became more and more hardened (Mark 6:46-52). Likewise many sit in a Bible-teaching ministry; they hear the Word taught Sunday after Sunday, but because of their own self-centered desires and commitments, they never allow the Word to get in. They are like a barrel in the midst of the sea with both ends tightly sealed. There is plenty of water all around, but nothing gets in.
CONCLUSION
Opportunity and privilege must be pursued diligently. (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet 2:1-3) “desire earnestly”. Failure to be diligent will result in the forfeiture of blessings and opportunities. Many Christian have access to all they need for growth and fruitfulness—the Word, solid teaching ministries, the Holy Spirit, etc., but they fail to make use of those resources.
I will end this lesson by saying we should “make hay while the sun shines ”.
