Greed (covetousness):
An excessive desire for material possessions or wealth, often elevating those things above God.
Proverbs 28:25
The greedy stir up conflict,
but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.
Proverbs 15:27
The greedy bring ruin to their households,
but the one who hates bribes will live.
Isaiah 57:17
I was enraged by their sinful greed;
I punished them, and hid my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.
“Greed” and “Greedy” show up about 50 times across the Bible.
Genesis 3:1,4-5
1 He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
…
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Adam and Eve had everything that God wanted them to have, but they just had to have a little more.
We see story after story of Greed in Genesis and Exodus:
- Cain was Greedy for more of God’s favor and killed Abel for it
- Lot’s Greed caused him to choose to settle in an unGodly place because he wanted the best land for himself.
- Joseph’s brothers were Greedy for attention and sold Joseph into slavery for it.
- Pharaoh was so Greedy for money and power that he enslaved the Israelites to put them to work.
The 10 Commandments:
- You shall have no other gods before me
- You shall not bow down to (idols) or worship them
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, servant, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
So much of what makes us fall, and the motivation behind our sin, is GREED - An excessive desire for MORE…
What is Greed, Really?
Colossians 3:5
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
So, Paul tells us that Greed is actually the action that comes from idolatry. Idolatry is worshipping something that doesn’t deserve to be worshipped.
When we are always for more stuff, we’re so caught up and focused on earthly things, that we miss God, and we worship the mundane.
Colossians 3:1-5
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
When you are Greedy for ANYTHING, your worship is misplaced. You are worshipping the desires of your flesh, and not worshipping God. The opposite of Greed is Worship, and Contentedness.
John 3:30
He must become greater; I must become less.
What does it look like for us? What is Greed NOT?
Greed is BAKED IN to our culture. Of all of these deadly sins, I think Greed is the one we deal with the most, and also simultaneously the one we least see in ourselves. It is so a part of American life, and our capitalistic society that you don’t even smell the sin!
A lot of the material things in our lives really help us to do the work of ministry better, and they're great things. But what if they all went away? Where would our hearts be if we didn't have them? Are they idols in our lives?
Greed is NOT just having stuff, or having money. It’s making it an idol in your life, and being willing to worship stuff over God. Money is not evil in and of itself, but it often shows where our hearts are evil.
1 Timothy 6:9-10
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
How do we defeat Greed in our lives?
Being content and focusing on the Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 13:5
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
You’ll stay away from the love of money and stuff when you learn to be content with that you have.
Philippians 4:12-19
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
It’s a bit of a different sentiment when you realize that Paul is talking about being content when he has no food to eat, when he’s chained up in his own house, and when he’s headed towards his death.
