Grace Bible Chapel

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“Take heed, and beware of covetousness.” (Lu. 12:15)

Covetousness is the excessive desire for wealth or possessions. It is a mania that grips people, causing them to grasp for more and
more. It is a fever that drives them to crave things they don’t actually need.

We see covetousness in the business man who is never satisfied. He says he will stop when he has accumulated a certain amount, but
when that time comes, he is greedy for more.

We see it in the housewife whose life is one unending shopping spree. She squirrels away tons of miscellany till her attic, garage and
storage area bulge with the loot.

We see it in the tradition of Christmas gifts and birthday gifts. Young and old alike judge the success of the occasion by the amount of
booty they are able to accumulate.

We see it in the disposition of an estate. When someone dies, his relatives and friends shed a ritual tear, then descend like vultures to
divide the prey, often starting a civil war in the process.

Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). It puts self-will in the place of God’s will. It expresses dissatisfaction with what God has
given, and is determined to get more, no matter what the cost may be.

Covetousness is a lie, creating the impression that happiness is found in the possession of material things. The story is told of a man
who could have anything he wanted by merely wishing for it. He wished for a mansion, servants, a Cadillac, a yacht and presto! they
were there instantly. At first it was exhilarating, but then as he began to run out of new ideas, he became dissatisfied. Finally he said, “I
want to get out of here. I want to create something, to suffer something. I’d rather be in hell than here.” The attendant answered, “Where
do you think you are?”

Covetousness tempts people to compromise, to cheat, to sin in order to get what they want.

It unfits a man for leadership in the church (1 Tim. 3:3). Ronald Sider asks, “Would it not be more biblical to apply church discipline to
people whose greedy acquisitiveness has led to ‘financial success’ than to elect them to the board of elders?”

When greed leads to embezzlement, extortion or other public scandals, it calls for excommunication (1 Cor. 5:11).

And if covetousness is not confessed and forsaken, it leads to exclusion from the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10).

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WWW.SPRINGFIELDGRACEBIBLECHAPEL.COMGrace Bible Chapel of Springfield, Illinois

BUD MORRIS will be our speaker on Sunday, November
28, 2010 at our 11 a.m. Family Bible Hour service. Bud
served as a medical missionary in Zambia, Africa, along
with his wife Shirley. They have eight children, six of
them adults and five grandchildren. Bud serves as an
elder at Grace Bible Chapel and is one of the teachers at
an adult elective Sunday School Class. He retired from
medical practice and is now visiting and preaching in
various cities across the Midwest. He also has an