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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - The Tenth Commandment - Control Yourself and Be Content | June 19, 2026
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- From the pulpit
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- Of the first baptist church of dallas texas,
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- This is pathway to victory with dr. robert jeffress.
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- Hi, i'm robert jeffress,
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- And welcome again to pathway to victory.
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- You've likely heard the saying
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- The grass is always greener on the other side.
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- It's a familiar feeling, right?
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- We can't seem to suppress our occasional bouts with envy,
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- But comparison rarely yields a healthy outcome.
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- Today, i'm going to show you
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- How to replace jealousy with peace.
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- My message is titled
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- The 10th commandment: control yourself and be content.
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- On today's edition of pathway to victory.
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- Before today's program begins,
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- I want to invite you to join me
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- For a special message about america's future.
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- Our nation is celebrating 250 years,
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- But can we survive 250 more?
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- Mark your calendar for june 21st and june 28th
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- To hear this timely message,
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- America at the crossroads: can we survive another 250 years?
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- On pathway to victory.
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- ♪ music ♪
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- As our nation marks 250 years,
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- America stands at a crossroads.
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- Will we return to the god who blessed us
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- Or continue down a path that leads to ruin?
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- Through the in god we trust matching challenge,
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- Your gift today will be doubled in ministry impact.
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- For 30 years, pathway to victory has pierced
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- The darkness of our nation with the light of god's word
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- By sharing biblical truth that transforms hearts.
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- Join us in this critical hour by giving toward
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- The in god we trust matching challenge today.
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- ♪ music ♪
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- Who is it that is truly rich?
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- Benjamin franklin, when asked,
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- He answered his own question by saying, who is rich?
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- He that is content.
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- And who is that?
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- No one, franklin said.
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- I think he's right.
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- But discontent, a desire for something more
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- Or different than what we have, isn't always bad.
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- I mean, dissatisfaction has been the impetus
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- For some great discoveries like america.
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- It's been the impetus for great inventions
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- Like the microchip.
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- It's been the motivation for great social movements
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- Like the abolition of slavery.
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- All of that happened because people
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- Were dissatisfied with the status quo.
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- But dissatisfaction can also be the foundation for sin.
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- In fact, it's a foundation of just about every sin
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- We've looked at in this series on the 10 commandments,
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- And i think that's why god saved this commandment
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- For last in exodus 20:17.
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- You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
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- You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
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- Or his male servant or his female servant
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- Or his ox or his donkey
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- Or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
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- It's interesting, this commandment was given
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- To people who possessed little to none of the things
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- Mentioned in that commandment.
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- They were nomads wandering in the wilderness,
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- Headed to the promised land,
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- But they didn't have houses, they didn't have servants.
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- But god was preparing them for the future land.
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- And he said, when you get into this land of prosperity,
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- Understand that the greatest enemy to your happiness
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- Is going to be a discontent with your circumstances.
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- What is a does it mean to covet?
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- What are we talking about when we say we are not the covet?
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- As i just mentioned, it's not the same as desire.
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- Desire can lead us to godly pursuits.
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- Our desire for food motivates us to work.
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- Our desire for protection leads us to seek shelter.
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- Our desire for companionship leads us
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- To the relationships we need in life.
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- But covetousness is desire that has gone awry.
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- It is an obsessive or compulsive focus
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- On what doesn't belong to you.
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- It's a form of envy, of greed,
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- That can lead to taking from another person
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- What doesn't belong to you.
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- My friend, the jewish talk show host, dennis prager,
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- Wrote a book a few years ago on the 10 commandments
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- From the jewish point of view,
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- And he writes that to covet is much more than to want.
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- The hebrew verb 'lachmod' means to want something
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- To the point of seeking to take away
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- And own something that belongs to another person.
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- And i think this is why god saved this commandment for last.
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- Now, had i been giving the 10 commandments,
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- I wouldn't have closed with this one.
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- At first reading, i thought god had made a mistake.
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- He should have closed with something really big.
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- You know, no murder, no adultery, no stealing.
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- But covetousness? that seems kind of a minor offense.
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- And yet when you look through the scripture,
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- You see it was the motivation
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- For some of the most well-known sins recorded in scripture.
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- I just jotted down just off the top of my head
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- Some of these that come to mind immediately.
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- Genesis 3, it was because adam and eve coveted divinity
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- And immortality that belonged to god,
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- They ate the forbidden fruit.
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- And then think about poor old king david.
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- He always is remembered for that one night with bathsheba.
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- But just think of all the commandments he broke that night
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- And subsequently in the coverup.
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- He took something that wasn't his own,
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- Violating the 8th commandment.
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- In this case it was bathsheba.
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- He slept with her, committing adultery,
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- Breaking the 7th commandment.
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- He ended up murdering her husband, uriah,
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- Breaking the 6th commandment,
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- And it was all because of covetousness,
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- Breaking the 10th commandment.
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- Over and over again,
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- You find god condemning this burning desire
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- For what we don't yet have.
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- In fact, in micah 2:1-2,
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- There is a woe, you find that in scripture.
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- W-o-e. woe, woe, woe.
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- That's a divine damnation
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- And he pronounces covetousness with a divine damnation.
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- Look at micah 2:1-2.
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- Woe to those who scheme iniquity,
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- Who work out evil on their beds.
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- When mourning comes, they do it,
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- For it's in the power of their hands.
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- They covet fields and then seize them,
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- And houses and then take them away.
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- They rob a man of his house
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- And a man of his inheritance.
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- Well, where did covetousness come from?
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- I think, again, this is one reason god hates it so much.
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- Let's look at the origin of covetousness.
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- We find it in isaiah 14,
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- A record of the very first sin committed.
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- Do you know where the first sin was committed?
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- Wasn't in the garden of eden.
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- No, it happened long before that.
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- And it wasn't in eden,
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- It was in a galaxy far, far away.
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- It took place in heaven.
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- And remember the story, lucifer,
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- Who was satan's original name,
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- Lucifer was the chief angel.
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- God had given him charge over all the other angels,
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- But he wasn't content with that great position.
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- He wanted a different position.
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- He wanted god's job. he wanted to be like god.
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- In john milton's "paradise lost"
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- He imagined satan saying
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- It's better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.
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- And we find in isaiah 14
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- God pronounces a fivefold indictment against lucifer.
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- Indictments are real popular today,
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- But let's look at the original indictment.
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- It was against lucifer and he said
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- This is why i'm casting you out of heaven.
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- Verse 13, for you said in your heart,
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- I will ascend to heaven.
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- I will raise my throne above the stars of god.
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- I will sit on the mount of the assembly
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- And the resources of the north.
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- I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
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- I will make myself like the most high.
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- And because of that, lucifer was cast from heaven.
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- Now, we have all inherited that proclivity to covetousness,
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- Desire gone awry, a burning greed
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- For what doesn't belong to us and belongs to other people.
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- Now, we all have that simmering in our heart,
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- But there are three catalysts that fuel that covetousness
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- Until it turns into a raging fire.
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- And a fire needs fuel to keep on and to grow brighter.
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- So does covetousness.
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- What is it that fuels covetousness?
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- First of all, our culture.
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- The culture in which we live breeds covetousness.
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- Peter kreeft, the catholic theologian,
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- Said the world's oldest profession is advertising.
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- It all began in the evening when satan said
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- Eat this piece of fruit and you will be like god,
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- And that's the basis of all advertising.
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- This is what you really need to be happy.
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- Buy this and your life will be fulfilled.
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- You know, i noticed something friday night.
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- I was ordering something from amazon prime
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- And i've never noticed this before.
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- Now, we love amazon at first baptist dallas.
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- They carry our ministry products. thank you, amazon.
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- But i noticed this, maybe you've already seen it,
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- But have you noticed in the logo for amazon,
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- There's a curve underneath the name amazon.
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- It's a smile.
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- And the left-hand part of that smile
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- Is under the letter a of amazon
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- And it goes all the way over to z,
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- The other end of the smile,
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- And the message isn't that subtle,
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- It's saying we have everything from a to z
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- You need to make you smile, to make you happy.
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- One click away from true happiness in life.
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- That's just part of the culture of our age
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- And that culture leads to dissatisfaction.
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- Here is what you need and since you don't have it,
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- This is why you're miserable.
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- Dissatisfaction.
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- By the way, my wife amy was pointing out
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- How much social media fuels that dissatisfaction.
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- People clicking about their luxurious vacation
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- Or their clothes and their house and all of this
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- And other people look at it and they say,
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- Boy, if only i had that house.
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- If only i drove that car, if only i wore those clothes,
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- If only i had that person who's my life partner,
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- I could truly be happy.
- 00:11:27.877 --> 00:11:29.712
- Why hasn't god given me those things?
- 00:11:29.712 --> 00:11:32.782
- God has shortchanged me.
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- You know, somebody once said,
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- All sin is contempt for god
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- And at the root of covetousness is a hatred,
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- A content for god.
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- God hasn't given me what i really need.
- 00:11:45.027 --> 00:11:49.131
- How does that make god feel when we accuse him explicitly
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- Or implicitly with short-changing us?
- 00:11:54.103 --> 00:11:57.206
- Just imagine for a moment,
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- Your kids are off at school one day, your young kids,
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- And there's a knock at your door and you open the door
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- And a stranger is standing there
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- And he introduces himself as a worker
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- From child protective services.
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- He said we're here to investigate a complaint.
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- You say, a complaint?
- 00:12:15.758 --> 00:12:17.426
- Yes, a complaint from your children.
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- They say they don't have anything to eat.
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- So, you take them in. you're just surprised.
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- And you show them a pantry filled with food.
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- Well, your kids say they don't have anything to wear,
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- No clothes, and so you go
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- And show them their closet filled with clothes.
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- They say they're freezing to death in the house.
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- There's no warmth in the house.
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- You show the worker the thermostat that's at 72 degrees.
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- How do you feel toward your child?
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- The same way god feels toward us
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- When we accuse him of not giving us
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- What we really need in life.
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- In 1 timothy 6:8, paul says if we have food
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- And covering with these things, we should be content.
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- Do you remember the old aesop fable about the couple
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- That had the goose that laid a golden egg every day
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- And they were thrilled with that for a while,
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- But then they thought, you know, this is going too slow.
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- We want to accumulate wealth faster
- 00:13:18.721 --> 00:13:21.190
- So we'll just kill the goose, open it up,
- 00:13:21.190 --> 00:13:24.159
- And take the gold from its inside.
- 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:26.996
- So, they killed their goose.
- 00:13:26.996 --> 00:13:28.631
- They opened it up and there was nothing there.
- 00:13:28.631 --> 00:13:31.800
- They had killed the goose that laid the golden eggs
- 00:13:31.800 --> 00:13:35.638
- And aesop gave this moral of the story.
- 00:13:35.638 --> 00:13:38.140
- He said, much wants more and loses all.
- 00:13:38.140 --> 00:13:44.246
- That's the danger of covetousness.
- 00:13:45.014 --> 00:13:47.917
- And that's why solomon in proverbs 30:7-9 said
- 00:13:47.917 --> 00:13:52.688
- What should be the prayer of every christian.
- 00:13:52.688 --> 00:13:56.358
- Give me neither poverty nor riches.
- 00:13:56.358 --> 00:13:59.495
- Proverbs 30:8. give me poverty nor riches.
- 00:13:59.495 --> 00:14:03.232
- Just feed me with the food that is my portion.
- 00:14:03.232 --> 00:14:06.635
- In other words, just give me enough, lord.
- 00:14:06.635 --> 00:14:09.538
- Don't make me rich. don't make me poor.
- 00:14:09.538 --> 00:14:12.274
- Give me what i need every day. why?
- 00:14:12.274 --> 00:14:16.078
- If i have too much, i might get full and deny you,
- 00:14:16.078 --> 00:14:19.715
- Saying, who is the lord?
- 00:14:19.715 --> 00:14:21.817
- But if i have to little, i may be in want and steal
- 00:14:21.817 --> 00:14:25.754
- And profane the name of my god.
- 00:14:25.754 --> 00:14:28.824
- Culture leads to dissatisfaction.
- 00:14:28.824 --> 00:14:32.194
- The opposite of contentment.
- 00:14:32.194 --> 00:14:35.097
- And dissatisfaction can lead to the third catalyst
- 00:14:35.097 --> 00:14:38.334
- For covetousness, and that is idolatry.
- 00:14:38.334 --> 00:14:42.071
- You may think i'm never guilty of idolatry.
- 00:14:42.972 --> 00:14:44.907
- Idolatry is simply loving something or someone
- 00:14:44.907 --> 00:14:50.179
- More than we love god.
- 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:52.781
- Is there anything in your life you are pursuing
- 00:14:53.782 --> 00:14:55.884
- More than you're pursuing your relationship with god?
- 00:14:55.884 --> 00:14:59.021
- By the way, an idol isn't only something
- 00:14:59.021 --> 00:15:03.392
- That you may have already.
- 00:15:03.392 --> 00:15:05.427
- Many times, an idol can be something you don't yet have.
- 00:15:05.427 --> 00:15:09.164
- You think in your mind, if only i had that position.
- 00:15:09.164 --> 00:15:12.601
- If only i had that position,
- 00:15:12.601 --> 00:15:14.670
- If only i had a relationship with that person,
- 00:15:14.670 --> 00:15:17.840
- I could be truly fulfilled.
- 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:19.808
- And so we make an idol in our mind
- 00:15:19.808 --> 00:15:22.478
- Of what is it other than god
- 00:15:22.478 --> 00:15:24.313
- That could bring us real satisfaction.
- 00:15:24.313 --> 00:15:26.982
- What is the cure for covetousness?
- 00:15:26.982 --> 00:15:28.884
- We all have a spark of it inside of us.
- 00:15:28.884 --> 00:15:31.353
- What quenches covetousness?
- 00:15:31.353 --> 00:15:33.355
- One word, contentment.
- 00:15:33.355 --> 00:15:36.959
- Contentment is the cure for covetousness.
- 00:15:36.959 --> 00:15:41.296
- What is contentment?
- 00:15:41.296 --> 00:15:42.731
- That word contentment literally means containment.
- 00:15:42.731 --> 00:15:46.835
- It's a person who is self-contained.
- 00:15:46.835 --> 00:15:49.505
- That is, he doesn't look to external things
- 00:15:49.505 --> 00:15:52.608
- For his satisfaction in life.
- 00:15:52.608 --> 00:15:55.177
- He doesn't tie his joy to the square footage of his house,
- 00:15:55.177 --> 00:15:58.814
- The model of automobile he drives,
- 00:15:58.814 --> 00:16:01.183
- The outcome of friday's game,
- 00:16:01.183 --> 00:16:03.318
- The dow jones industrial average.
- 00:16:03.318 --> 00:16:05.954
- No, it's internally that he finds happiness and joy
- 00:16:05.954 --> 00:16:10.125
- And for a christian that is his relationship
- 00:16:10.125 --> 00:16:13.162
- With jesus christ.
- 00:16:13.162 --> 00:16:14.797
- Listen to philippians 4:11-13.
- 00:16:14.797 --> 00:16:18.300
- Not that i speak from want, for i have learned,
- 00:16:18.300 --> 00:16:22.237
- Underline that, to be content
- 00:16:22.237 --> 00:16:24.440
- In whatever circumstances i am.
- 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:27.176
- I know how to get along with humble means
- 00:16:27.176 --> 00:16:29.745
- And how to live in prosperity.
- 00:16:29.745 --> 00:16:31.847
- In each and every circumstance, i have learned,
- 00:16:31.847 --> 00:16:34.783
- Underline that, the secret of being filled and going hungry,
- 00:16:34.783 --> 00:16:38.620
- Both of having abundance and suffering need.
- 00:16:38.620 --> 00:16:41.657
- I can do all things through christ who strengthens me.
- 00:16:41.657 --> 00:16:45.394
- Why did paul say i learned to be content?
- 00:16:45.394 --> 00:16:50.065
- Because contentment isn't natural.
- 00:16:50.065 --> 00:16:52.234
- It's not a part of our dna.
- 00:16:52.234 --> 00:16:54.636
- It's something we have to learn.
- 00:16:54.636 --> 00:16:56.605
- Paul had to learn it.
- 00:16:56.605 --> 00:16:58.407
- How did he learn it?
- 00:16:58.407 --> 00:17:00.042
- I want you to jot down paul's three secrets for contentment.
- 00:17:00.042 --> 00:17:03.579
- They're all found in this little letter we call philippians.
- 00:17:03.579 --> 00:17:07.783
- First of all, contentment is based on a life
- 00:17:07.783 --> 00:17:11.820
- That is ministry-focused.
- 00:17:11.820 --> 00:17:14.923
- It's ministry-focused. look at verse 12 of philippians 1.
- 00:17:14.923 --> 00:17:19.194
- Now, i want you to know, brethren,
- 00:17:19.194 --> 00:17:20.662
- That my circumstances have turned out
- 00:17:20.662 --> 00:17:23.565
- For the greater progress of the gospel.
- 00:17:23.565 --> 00:17:25.634
- What were paul's circumstances?
- 00:17:25.634 --> 00:17:28.003
- As my old teacher howard hendricks used to say,
- 00:17:28.003 --> 00:17:30.305
- When paul wrote this letter,
- 00:17:30.305 --> 00:17:32.274
- He wasn't sitting on the french riviera
- 00:17:32.274 --> 00:17:34.977
- Sipping a piña colada.
- 00:17:34.977 --> 00:17:37.412
- He was in prison.
- 00:17:37.846 --> 00:17:40.048
- He was facing what could have been his execution.
- 00:17:40.048 --> 00:17:42.484
- He was waiting to hear the final verdict,
- 00:17:42.484 --> 00:17:44.953
- And yet he said,
- 00:17:44.953 --> 00:17:46.355
- I want you to know i'm happy about my circumstances,
- 00:17:46.355 --> 00:17:49.791
- For they have turned out for the progress of the gospel.
- 00:17:49.791 --> 00:17:53.595
- He says the imprisonment, my imprisonment,
- 00:17:53.595 --> 00:17:56.398
- And the cause of christ has become well-known
- 00:17:56.398 --> 00:17:59.535
- Throughout all the praetorian guard,
- 00:17:59.535 --> 00:18:01.570
- Even caesar's guards are hearing the gospel.
- 00:18:01.570 --> 00:18:04.806
- And not only that, most of my brethren now
- 00:18:04.806 --> 00:18:07.009
- Have far more courage to speak the word of god without fear.
- 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:10.979
- In other words, all of my circumstances
- 00:18:10.979 --> 00:18:14.750
- Are turning out to help me meet my life goal,
- 00:18:14.750 --> 00:18:18.120
- To share christ with as many people as possible.
- 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:22.191
- You see, as my friend bob beal says,
- 00:18:22.191 --> 00:18:25.294
- Every life, every one of our lives,
- 00:18:25.294 --> 00:18:28.096
- Exists for one of two purposes.
- 00:18:28.096 --> 00:18:30.432
- Our life is focused on either filling greed
- 00:18:30.432 --> 00:18:35.070
- Or meeting a need.
- 00:18:35.070 --> 00:18:37.606
- Our lives are either self-focused or others-focused.
- 00:18:37.606 --> 00:18:41.944
- Do you know what the goal of most christians is?
- 00:18:41.944 --> 00:18:44.012
- What their real focus is in life?
- 00:18:44.012 --> 00:18:46.281
- Peace, prosperity, pleasure.
- 00:18:46.281 --> 00:18:48.917
- The avoidance of any kind of pain.
- 00:18:48.917 --> 00:18:51.086
- It's self-focused.
- 00:18:51.086 --> 00:18:52.854
- And that's why adversity like imprisonment
- 00:18:52.854 --> 00:18:55.591
- Or bankruptcy or sickness,
- 00:18:55.591 --> 00:18:57.793
- Those are tragedies because they are detours
- 00:18:57.793 --> 00:19:01.563
- For most christians' focus in life.
- 00:19:01.563 --> 00:19:05.067
- Had paul had that focus,
- 00:19:05.067 --> 00:19:06.568
- Peace, prosperity, pleasure, the avoidance of pain,
- 00:19:06.568 --> 00:19:09.371
- Then his imprisonment would've been a great tragedy.
- 00:19:09.371 --> 00:19:13.242
- It got him off the road to what he wanted in life.
- 00:19:13.242 --> 00:19:16.278
- But paul had another's focus in his life.
- 00:19:16.278 --> 00:19:19.781
- It was to share the gospel of christ
- 00:19:19.781 --> 00:19:22.718
- With as many people as possible.
- 00:19:22.718 --> 00:19:24.686
- And because of that focus, he was able to see
- 00:19:24.686 --> 00:19:27.656
- How this temporary tragedy
- 00:19:27.656 --> 00:19:29.291
- Was really being used by god for good.
- 00:19:29.291 --> 00:19:33.061
- Your focus in life is the filter through which
- 00:19:33.061 --> 00:19:36.498
- You view the circumstances of your life.
- 00:19:36.498 --> 00:19:39.901
- Somebody has written, if for me to live is money,
- 00:19:39.901 --> 00:19:43.038
- Then to die is to leave it all behind.
- 00:19:43.038 --> 00:19:46.041
- If for me to live is fame, then to die is to be forgotten.
- 00:19:46.041 --> 00:19:50.512
- If for me to live is power and influence,
- 00:19:50.512 --> 00:19:52.881
- Then to die is to lose both.
- 00:19:52.881 --> 00:19:55.517
- But if for me to live is christ, then to die is gain.
- 00:19:55.517 --> 00:20:00.055
- Paul said a key to contentment is, first of all,
- 00:20:00.055 --> 00:20:03.091
- A life that is ministry-focused.
- 00:20:03.091 --> 00:20:05.127
- Second, a gratitude that is regularly expressed.
- 00:20:05.127 --> 00:20:09.231
- A gratitude that is regularly expressed.
- 00:20:09.231 --> 00:20:11.933
- Philippians 4:4, paul wrote,
- 00:20:11.933 --> 00:20:13.835
- Rejoice in the lord always.
- 00:20:13.835 --> 00:20:16.605
- Again, i say rejoice.
- 00:20:16.605 --> 00:20:18.940
- In fact, did you know in philippians,
- 00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:20.809
- Paul talks about rejoicing or joy
- 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:23.979
- 19 different times in the four chapters of this letter.
- 00:20:23.979 --> 00:20:27.883
- Why does he talk about rejoicing,
- 00:20:27.883 --> 00:20:30.052
- Rejoicing, rejoicing so many times?
- 00:20:30.052 --> 00:20:32.788
- Because paul understood a simple truth.
- 00:20:32.788 --> 00:20:35.524
- It is impossible to be grateful
- 00:20:36.158 --> 00:20:39.995
- And discontent at the same time.
- 00:20:39.995 --> 00:20:42.998
- You know, when i think about that truth,
- 00:20:42.998 --> 00:20:45.233
- I think about my grandfather, he's in heaven now,
- 00:20:45.233 --> 00:20:48.570
- But later in his life, my grandfather
- 00:20:49.338 --> 00:20:52.174
- Went through a tragedy.
- 00:20:52.174 --> 00:20:53.909
- In a three-month period of time,
- 00:20:54.543 --> 00:20:56.311
- He lost both his wife of 58 years, my grandmother,
- 00:20:56.311 --> 00:21:00.549
- Then three months later, his only daughter died, my mom.
- 00:21:00.549 --> 00:21:04.986
- You know, that would be enough to crush most people,
- 00:21:04.986 --> 00:21:08.223
- To lose your maid and your child in a three-month period.
- 00:21:08.223 --> 00:21:13.495
- He was grieving, no doubt about it,
- 00:21:14.229 --> 00:21:16.598
- But every time we went to see him after that,
- 00:21:16.598 --> 00:21:19.234
- My brother and sister and i,
- 00:21:19.234 --> 00:21:21.536
- He would take us to the cemetery
- 00:21:21.536 --> 00:21:24.239
- And we would get out of the car
- 00:21:24.239 --> 00:21:25.907
- And we would stand around those graves
- 00:21:25.907 --> 00:21:29.144
- And he would just thank god for the time he had
- 00:21:29.144 --> 00:21:32.080
- With his wife and daughter.
- 00:21:32.080 --> 00:21:34.583
- And then he would lead us in a prayer
- 00:21:34.583 --> 00:21:36.818
- And we would pray together holding hands around the grave
- 00:21:36.818 --> 00:21:39.654
- And then he would always close by leading us in this song.
- 00:21:39.654 --> 00:21:43.759
- When upon life's billows, you are tempest tossed.
- 00:21:44.760 --> 00:21:49.064
- When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost.
- 00:21:49.064 --> 00:21:53.268
- Count your many blessings. name them one by one.
- 00:21:53.268 --> 00:21:58.140
- Count your many blessings. see what god has done.
- 00:21:58.140 --> 00:22:02.944
- Regularly express gratitude to god for what he has done,
- 00:22:02.944 --> 00:22:07.582
- Not for what he hasn't done yet.
- 00:22:07.582 --> 00:22:10.185
- Finally, paul had contentment
- 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:14.256
- Because his life was built upon a faith
- 00:22:14.256 --> 00:22:17.058
- That was based on the sovereignty of god.
- 00:22:17.058 --> 00:22:19.728
- He had a faith that was based on the sovereignty of god.
- 00:22:19.728 --> 00:22:23.131
- Remember, when paul is writing this letter,
- 00:22:23.131 --> 00:22:26.134
- He's awaiting the verdict of his trial,
- 00:22:26.134 --> 00:22:28.837
- Whether he would live or die.
- 00:22:28.837 --> 00:22:30.672
- But notice what he said in verse 19 of chapter 1.
- 00:22:30.672 --> 00:22:34.242
- Yes, and i will rejoice,
- 00:22:34.242 --> 00:22:35.877
- For i know that this will turn out
- 00:22:35.877 --> 00:22:38.680
- For my deliverance through your prayers
- 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.749
- And the provision of the spirit of jesus christ.
- 00:22:40.749 --> 00:22:43.485
- What did he mean
- 00:22:43.485 --> 00:22:44.853
- He knew this would result in his deliverance?
- 00:22:44.853 --> 00:22:47.022
- He said, look, one of two things is going to happen.
- 00:22:47.022 --> 00:22:50.392
- Either because of your prayers,
- 00:22:50.392 --> 00:22:51.726
- I'm going to be delivered from prison.
- 00:22:51.726 --> 00:22:53.829
- If i'm not delivered from prison and i'm executed,
- 00:22:54.863 --> 00:22:57.466
- I'm going to be delivered from this world
- 00:22:57.466 --> 00:22:59.768
- Into the presence of jesus christ.
- 00:22:59.768 --> 00:23:01.503
- Either way, i win.
- 00:23:01.503 --> 00:23:03.839
- I'm going to leave the outcome to god.
- 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:06.141
- Believing that god's plan, whatever it is, is a good plan.
- 00:23:06.141 --> 00:23:10.545
- Let me ask you this morning, do you have that assurance?
- 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:14.983
- Do you have the assurance of psalm 84:11
- 00:23:14.983 --> 00:23:17.586
- That god will withhold no good thing
- 00:23:17.586 --> 00:23:20.388
- From those who walk uprightly?
- 00:23:20.388 --> 00:23:22.891
- Do you have the assurance that every aspect of your life,
- 00:23:22.891 --> 00:23:27.295
- Your job, your mate, your children, your grandchildren,
- 00:23:28.430 --> 00:23:32.501
- Are all a part of god's sovereign plan?
- 00:23:32.501 --> 00:23:36.771
- A plan, as jeremiah 29:11 says,
- 00:23:36.771 --> 00:23:39.207
- Was planned not for calamity, but for your welfare.
- 00:23:39.207 --> 00:23:44.045
- A plan that will give you a future and a hope.
- 00:23:44.045 --> 00:23:47.682
- It's that rock solid belief
- 00:23:48.283 --> 00:23:50.619
- In the sovereignty of god in your life
- 00:23:50.619 --> 00:23:54.055
- That is the foundation for contentment,
- 00:23:54.856 --> 00:23:58.059
- Which in turn is the only real cure for covetousness.
- 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:03.765
- ♪ music ♪
- 00:24:04.099 --> 00:24:08.403
- Yes, we can be content in any circumstance knowing
- 00:24:08.403 --> 00:24:12.307
- That in the end we will experience god's sovereign plan.
- 00:24:12.307 --> 00:24:17.012
- Well, without a doubt,
- 00:24:17.012 --> 00:24:18.413
- America is headed in the wrong direction spiritually,
- 00:24:18.413 --> 00:24:21.816
- Morally, and as a society.
- 00:24:21.816 --> 00:24:24.486
- But i want to be clear, no political party
- 00:24:24.486 --> 00:24:27.155
- And no government policy
- 00:24:27.155 --> 00:24:29.024
- Is going to turn this nation around.
- 00:24:29.024 --> 00:24:31.459
- Only the gospel of jesus christ can do that.
- 00:24:31.459 --> 00:24:34.596
- And right now,
- 00:24:34.596 --> 00:24:35.997
- Through the in god we trust matching challenge,
- 00:24:35.997 --> 00:24:38.466
- Your gift between now and july 5th will be matched
- 00:24:38.466 --> 00:24:42.237
- And therefore doubled in impact, up to $1.5 million.
- 00:24:42.237 --> 00:24:47.008
- Your generosity during this pivotal moment
- 00:24:47.909 --> 00:24:50.011
- In american history will help pathway to victory
- 00:24:50.011 --> 00:24:52.914
- Reach more people than ever before
- 00:24:52.914 --> 00:24:55.283
- With the truth of god's word.
- 00:24:55.283 --> 00:24:57.953
- Now, please stay right there.
- 00:24:57.953 --> 00:24:59.654
- I'll be back with more in just a moment.
- 00:24:59.654 --> 00:25:02.524
- Most of us grew up seeing the 10 commandments
- 00:25:03.491 --> 00:25:05.493
- Posted in our schools and courthouses.
- 00:25:05.493 --> 00:25:07.996
- So, why don't we seem to follow
- 00:25:07.996 --> 00:25:09.731
- Those 10 commandments anymore?
- 00:25:09.731 --> 00:25:12.000
- In the 10, dr. robert jeffress shows us
- 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:14.903
- These ancient truths were not given to us
- 00:25:14.903 --> 00:25:17.238
- To take away our freedom,
- 00:25:17.238 --> 00:25:19.007
- They were given to enhance our happiness
- 00:25:19.007 --> 00:25:21.576
- And to invite us into a deeper love relationship with god.
- 00:25:21.576 --> 00:25:25.180
- In a culture where moral confusion reigns
- 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:28.249
- For what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right,
- 00:25:28.249 --> 00:25:31.353
- We desperately need to get back to the basics of morality.
- 00:25:31.353 --> 00:25:35.090
- And that's exactly what the 10 commandments help us do.
- 00:25:35.090 --> 00:25:38.860
- The 10 by dr. robert jeffress.
- 00:25:38.860 --> 00:25:41.563
- A copy is yours today when you give a generous gift
- 00:25:41.563 --> 00:25:44.332
- To pathway to victory.
- 00:25:44.332 --> 00:25:45.867
- And when your ministry gift is $125 or more,
- 00:25:45.867 --> 00:25:49.404
- You'll receive not only the book,
- 00:25:49.404 --> 00:25:51.272
- But a personal and group study guide,
- 00:25:51.272 --> 00:25:53.508
- The 10 encouragement cards,
- 00:25:53.508 --> 00:25:55.243
- A colorful children's book
- 00:25:55.243 --> 00:25:56.711
- Called the 10 commandments for kids,
- 00:25:56.711 --> 00:25:59.214
- And the complete series on dvd video and audio disc.
- 00:25:59.214 --> 00:26:03.151
- You will never make it to heaven
- 00:26:03.151 --> 00:26:05.153
- By keeping the 10 commandments,
- 00:26:05.153 --> 00:26:07.489
- But you will have a much better life
- 00:26:07.489 --> 00:26:09.791
- Here on earth if you do.
- 00:26:09.791 --> 00:26:11.259
- That is the promise that god is making.
- 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:14.162
- For 30 years, pathway to victory
- 00:26:14.162 --> 00:26:16.464
- Has been sharing god's truth
- 00:26:16.464 --> 00:26:18.133
- With a world that needs it now more than ever.
- 00:26:18.133 --> 00:26:21.002
- And when you give today,
- 00:26:21.002 --> 00:26:22.570
- Your gift will be doubled in impact
- 00:26:22.570 --> 00:26:24.706
- Through the in god we trust matching challenge.
- 00:26:24.706 --> 00:26:27.909
- Thank you for helping us pierce the darkness
- 00:26:27.909 --> 00:26:30.578
- With the light of god's word.
- 00:26:30.578 --> 00:26:33.915
- Contentment comes when we embrace this truth.
- 00:26:34.849 --> 00:26:38.319
- There is no possession, no position, and no person
- 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:42.323
- That can satisfy your deepest need other than god himself.
- 00:26:42.323 --> 00:26:47.595
- Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next
- 00:26:48.530 --> 00:26:50.265
- On pathway to victory.
- 00:26:50.265 --> 00:26:52.567
- Can i know for sure that i'm really saved?
- 00:26:53.468 --> 00:26:56.905
- A lot of people say today,
- 00:26:56.905 --> 00:26:58.173
- Well, i think i'm saved, or i hope i'm saved,
- 00:26:58.173 --> 00:27:01.009
- But nobody can really know for sure they're saved.
- 00:27:01.009 --> 00:27:04.879
- The bible doesn't want us to have that kind of doubt.
- 00:27:04.879 --> 00:27:08.383
- Set your dvr and join us next time
- 00:27:08.383 --> 00:27:10.485
- For the message eternally secure,
- 00:27:10.485 --> 00:27:13.054
- Here on pathway to victory.
- 00:27:13.054 --> 00:27:13.054
