I SEE, I WANT, I TAKE

Mt 13: 22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man
who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of
wealth choke it, making it unfruitful
EG White
• Go make the possessors of lands and money drunk with cares of this
life. Present the world before them in its most attractive light, that
they may lay up their treasure here, and fix their affections upon
earthly things. We must do our uttermost to prevent those who labor
in God’s cause from obtaining means to use against us. Keep the
money in our own ranks. The more means they obtain, the more they
will injure our kingdom by taking from us our subjects. Make them
care more for money than the upbuilding of Christ’s kingdom and the
spread of the truth we have, and we need not fear their influence; for
we know that every selfish covetous person will fall under our power
and will finally be separated from God’s people (C S pp154, 155)
Comments
• Unfortunately this ploy seems to be working well
• Consider carefully the following dangers
• And what the word of God says to us
• So that we can avoid the spiritual trap
• Compare these two stories:
- A man who was relatively healthy, exercising regularly
- Watched what he ate & looked younger than his real age
Continued
• His wife urged him to get a professional
• Health check-up periodically
• He either did not have the time or
• Did not see the need and refused
• Did not realize that something was taking place in his body
• That would eventually kill him and
• By the time he ready to have the check-up
• Cancer was already at stage 4 & was too late to save him
Continued
• Another man with poor health
• Paid attention to his pains and aches
• And sought the doctor’s advice
• Tests revealed cancerous growth at stage 1
• Vigorous and painful treatment was applied
• In order to save the man’s life
Comments:
• How important is it that the sinful
• Diseases of materialism & worldly conformity
• Be diagnosed early before becoming deadly?
Covetousness and Greed **
• Oftentimes compromised the Christian’s witness
- And diverted resources that might otherwise
• Have been invested in God’s cause
• When these ills are allowed to flourish
• In the believers’ lives undetected
• Human energy and financial resources
• Are misused for sinful purposes and
• The saddest part is that these sins are undetected
Continued
• Murders know they have killed
• Adulterers know their sins while
• Oftentimes the covetous and greedy
- Live in “blissful ignorance” of their sinfulness
• Only careful examinations of our motives and
- Practices under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
- Can reveal our true condition
The Laodicean Church
• She thought herself rich and prosperous
- When in reality it was pitiable
- Spiritually poor and blind to its true state
The Steps of Covetousness
• Like all sins covetousness begins in the heart
• It starts inside us and then works outward
• What did Satan do to lure Eve into sin?
• How has he used the same principles
- Through the ages to deceive us ? Gen 3:6
• “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food; that it was
pleasant to the eyes, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her
husband with her, and he ate.” Gen 3:6
Comments:
• Forbidden fruit
- Always attractive and easy to share
- Devil’s concept of marketing strategy
- Created a desire for more than she already had
- Made her to think she needed something she did not have
- Eve’s fall is demonstration of the three steps
- Each of us takes when falling into covetousness
- I See, I Want, I Take
Effects of Covetousness
• It can be a quite sin like lust
- Can be hidden behind the veil of our flesh
• But when finally brings forth fruit
- Can be devastating & damage relationships
- And leave scars on loved ones
- And hit us with guilt afterward
• Once it surfaces it can override any principle
Continued
• King Ahab saw Naboth’s vineyard and desired it
- He sulked until Jezebel had Naboth killed for it 1Kgs 21
• Achan could not resist when he saw Babylonian robe & gold
- He coveted & took them for himself Det 13:16, 17; Josh 7:20-22
• Hence covetousness is another form of selfishness
• If selfishness be the prevailing form of sin
- Covetousness may be the prevailing form of selfishness
Paul’s View of ‘Covetousness’
• Talking about the “perilous times”
- Of the final apostasy 2Tim 3:1
- He focuses on selfishness as the root cause
- Of all the evils which will then prevail
• He underscores covetousness as its first fruit
- “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous 1Tim 3”1
Greed: Having Things Your Own Way
• “They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They
are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way,
each seeks his own gain.” Isa 56:11
• What sin is this text warning us about?
• For us sinners, greed can be as easy as breathing
• Paul points his audience to Christ’s selfless life
Continued
• “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His
poverty might become rich.” 2Cor 8:9
• Only God knows the damage caused by greed in history
• It led to wars and caused people to commit crimes
- That brought ruins on themselves and their families
• Greed can be like a virus that will clasp onto its host
Continued
• And consume every virtue until all
- That remains is more and more greed
• Greedy is a malady that wants everything
- Passion, power and possession (I see, I want, I take)
• What lesson from the power of greedy in this story Mt 26:24-26?
• Note Judas’ words as they reveal his character:
- “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” (Mt 26:15)
Continued

• Judas had been privileged to live with the incarnate Jesus

• He witnessed His miracles
• He heard Him preach the words of life
• Yet look at what greed & covetousness led him into
Continued

“How tenderly the Savior dealt with him who was to be His betrayer. In
his teaching Jesus dwelt on principles of benevolence that stuck at the
very root of covetousness. He presented before Judas the heinous
character of greed, and many a time the disciples realized that his
character had been portrayed, and his sin pointed out: but he would
not confess and forsake his unrighteousness.” DA p295