Envy
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INTRO
The idiom of the “Green-eyed Monster” was coined by William Shakespeare in his play Othello back in 1604… Jealously / Envy
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on…”
In the English language the word envy is similar to jealousy… often interchangeable let us define them both this morning
Jealous - can be a right thing… envy never is!
a state of ill will toward someone because of some real or presumed advantage experienced by such a person
Envy, will always undermine unity in the family of God.
If we want to display God’s wisdom to the world so others might come to know him, we must interact with one another from pure hearts instead of envious ones.
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
MESSAGE
WHAT IS ENVY?
WHAT IS ENVY?
Envy is a sin that produces confusion; James 3:16.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
Envy is a sin that kills; Job 5:2.
2 Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple.
Envy is a sin that rots you from the inside out; Prov. 14:30.
30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
Illustrations of Envy:
They are married and I am not
They have a good marriage and we do not
They have children and we don’t
Our child is sick and theirs is not
I play second string while the jerks play first
They get the raise and recognition while I do not
They are better looking than myself
Their church is growing and ours is not
Their listening to other preachers and teachers than me
FROM WHERE DOES ENVY COME?
FROM WHERE DOES ENVY COME?
It comes from carnality; 1 Cor. 3:3.
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
work of the flesh
desires unfulfilled
It comes when there is unbelief; Acts 17:5.
5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.
did not believe in Jesus - jealous of loss of power and influence
we do not believe that God is good or just
we believe wrongly about ourselves
It comes from a spirit of hatred; Matt. 21.17-18
17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up.
delivered Jesus out of hatred
we cannot envy and love at the same time
It comes from our sinful hearts; Mark 7:21–23.
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Last week…
WHEN DOES ENVY BEGIN?
WHEN DOES ENVY BEGIN?
It begins when there is lust; Gal 5.16 & James 4:1-3
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James 1:14–15 “14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
Lust = Desire
note the trajectory
It begins when God is forgotten; Rom. 1:28–32.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Glasses correct your vision… God corrects our vision of self
Redeemed, renewed minds
It begins when we think more of ourselves than others. Phil 2.3-4.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Love God and Love neighbor
HOW DOES ENVY AFFECT THE INDIVIDUAL?
HOW DOES ENVY AFFECT THE INDIVIDUAL?
It caused Cain to kill Able… Gen 4.1-8.
It causes anger and depression
spiritual separation from God
It caused Joseph’s brothers to hate him; Gen. 37:4, 8
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
perceived or real wrongs are magnified
it causes disunity in the family of God’s people.
It caused Saul to desire to kill David; 1 Sam. 18:8-9
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.
it causes us to spiritually compare ourselves where we ought not to.
It steals our rejoicing for one another.
It caused the Jews to speak against Paul’s teachings and contradict scripture;
Act 13.45 “45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.”
It caused the Jews to actively seek the harm of believers.
Acts 17:5 “5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.”
It cause those who did believe to preach from wrong motives.
Philippians 1:15 “15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.”
It robs us of worship, joy, rejoicing in the things of God.
Luke 15:27–30 “27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’”
it causes us to miss-use and abuse Gods word
it temps us to focus on our differences rather than our identity in Christ
it props up the self rather than leading us to selflessness
WHY IS ENVY DANGEROUS?
WHY IS ENVY DANGEROUS?
It robs kills and destroys… the green eyed monster!
It is not in submission to the rule of God
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?
Pro 27.4 “4 Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?”
HOW CAN ENVY BE CURED?
HOW CAN ENVY BE CURED?
Accepting Christ and His salvation!!
repent
trust
By putting on the Lord Jesus Christ; Rom. 13:13,14.
13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
walk properly
make no provision
By living in the Spirit; Gal. 5:25-26.
Galatians 5:22–25 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
sober living in light of the gospel
crucify the flesh
one step at a time
Six Reasons To Have Faith Rather Than Envy
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
V2 = they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb (9-10 also)
V3 = Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. = Feed on Faithfulness / Find safe pasture
V4 = Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
V5-6 = Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
V9 = For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land
V11 = But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Illustration of Peter and John
18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
Is Jesus enough??
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ENVY IS CURED?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ENVY IS CURED?
The manifestation of love will be seen; 1 Cor. 13:4–7.
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The grudges of the past will be forgiven
The meekness toward all men will come
We will experience Christ centered contentment
CLOSE
Group Questions
What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?
According to James, what are some of the effects of envy in the family of God?
Do you struggle to be genuinely happy for someone who receives a blessing (a promotion, gift, new spouse, or child)?
How can you examine the motivations behind your ambitions?
What effect does unchecked envy have on your life and relationships?
How can we pray for you?