The Seven Deadly Sins: Envy Matthew 2:1-12 December 23, 2012

I. The sin that is no fun A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy ____________________________. ~ Prov.14:20 II. Envy and King Herod This story reminds us why we need to study the Seven Deadly Sins. Its not because theyre the worst sins out there. Why are they so lethal? (Exhibit A Newtown)

C. Envy, the hurt and ___________ we feel against someone else who has something we desire.
Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies. ~ Gore Vidal

1. What are the two necessary ingredients for envy to be conceived in me? ________________________ with my own life. ________________________ my life with anothers. 2. Be honest. What envy have I felt?

3. Intuitively we know envy is wrong, so what do we do with it?

4. What are ways we hate our neighbor with envy?

III. Envy is part of a family of sins A. Jealousy, the hurt we feel when we _________________ something to someone else. 1. Is this feeling of hurt necessarily sinful? 2. Who in the Bible feels jealousy over and over again?

IV. The Way To Freedom A. Admit that the one Im really angry with is not my neighbor but ____________________. B. Learn to rest in Gods radical ______________________ of me. My ____________________ is in him.

3. When does jealousy lead to sin?

B. Coveting, the hurt we feel when we _________________ something that someone else has. 1. Its not just the stuff weve got to have that makes this wrong. What else are we obsessed with?

C. Learn to love your _______________________ the way _____________________ loves them. 1. I cant just ignore my neighbor. Theyre everywhere! So what can I do?

D. And never forget that this life is a prelude to ____________. Meaning what?

The Seven Deadly Sins: Envy Matthew 2:1-12 December 23, 2012
I. The sin that is no fun A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots. ~ Prov.14:20 II. Envy and King Herod This story reminds us why we need to study the Seven Deadly Sins. Its not because theyre the worst sins out there. Why are they so lethal? (Exhibit A Newtown) The point of the seven is to prompt us to explore the roots and causes of sin. Jesus warned us that we cannot understand adultery if we do not address the lust that circulates under cover in the heart. Murder is worthy of judgment, but equally damning is the hidden anger that surges inside our souls that leads to murder. James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Dont they come from your desires that battle within you? The Seven Deadly sins on paper dont seem so bad. But they are the captains of armies said an ancient Christian writer. If we do not fight them, if we do not defeat them, then bondage and ruin is sure to come. III. Envy is part of a family of sins A. Jealousy, the hurt we feel when we lose something to someone else. 1. Is this feeling of hurt necessarily sinful? The feeling of hurt is not in and of itself sinful. Its natural to feel disappointed when something you desire is lost. The hurt you feel is understandable, is human and actually is proof of your love. If you didnt love them, it wouldnt hurt. 2. Who in the Bible feels jealousy over and over again? God! He loves us and doesnt want to lose us.

3. When does jealousy lead to sin? Its what you do with that disappointment that dictates whether it leads you into evil. Cains jealousy of Abel led to murder. The gospel writers tell us that the religious leaders in Jesus time were jealous of him, and its one of the reasons they orchestrated his death. B. Coveting, the hurt we feel when we want something that someone else has. 1. Its not just the stuff weve got to have that makes this wrong. What else are we obsessed with? Im obsessed with my neighbor and how I look in front of them. In a book on the Seven Deadly Sins called Glittering Vices, author Rebecca DeYoung writes these insightful thoughts: If the envious do desire an external thing, it is because that object symbolizes or signifies its owners high position or greatness. There is a difference between wanting a BMW because we are car aficionados and love the driving performance of a particular model, and wanting a BMW because it will make us feel superior to our neighbor who just bought a new CamryWe envy not the car but the superiority, the classiness, of the person driving itNot to have the car is not just to lack that thing, but to be less of a person, to be deficient or defective. C. Envy, the hurt and hate we feel against someone else who has something we desire.
Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies. ~ Gore Vidal

1. What are the two necessary ingredients for envy to be conceived in me? Dissatisfaction with my own life. Comparing my life with anothers. 2. Be honest. What envy have I felt? I have envied pastors with more vibrant and significant ministries than my own. I have envied people the houses theyve owned. I have envied people who could take vacations that I wasnt able to take. Envied those who have larger families.

3. Intuitively we know envy is wrong, so what do we do with it? Thats another thing about envy. Intuitively we know it is wrong to feel it, so we cloak it. We disguise it. We dress it up. Like Herod. Seek out the child for me, and when you find him, let me know where he is at so that I too might come and worship him. 4. What are ways we hate our neighbor with envy? Have you ever felt a little bit of happiness when the person you envy fails in some way? Like a little chocolate covered cherry a tiny burst of joy at the defeat of another. Thats the hatred of envy at work. Have you ever belittled the one you envy? Parceled out a little bit of slander? A tiny morsel of gossip. Not enough to bring them down, just enough to demean them. Knock them down a notch. Thats hatred. Theres a story of a genie who appears to an envious man and offers to give him anything he wants provided that the person he is envious of receives a double-portion. Then make me blind in one eye! the envious man shouts. IV. The Way To Freedom A. Admit that the one Im really angry with is not my neighbor but God. B. Learn to rest in Gods radical acceptance of me. My worth is in him. C. Learn to love your neighbor the way God loves them. 1. I cant just ignore my neighbor. Theyre everywhere! So what can I do? Our neighbor is in front of us, beside us, all around us. We live with other humans. We cant help but look. The path to freedom is changing how we look at them. And so one simple lesson I can teach myself is when I see that my neighbor is blessed, be happy for him. Rejoice with them. Thank God for their happiness. Applaud their success. And mean it.

D. And never forget that this life is a prelude to eternity. Meaning what? Every pleasure we are denied, every opportunity we lose, every sacrifice we make, every commitment we give in the service of Gods kingdom will be fully restored, repaid, rewarded in the life to come. Nothing in the end is lost. Because God sees it all.