For All Intents and Purposes [31mb]

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This is the twelfth sermon in a series of messages on the Ten Commandments. This message deals with the tenth commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Covet."

Written Excerpts:

Exodus 20:17   Thou shalt not covet... anything that is thy neighbor’s.

Introduction:

As I pondered what might be an appropriate title for today’s message, I was thinking how this command addresses the intentions and motives of our hearts rather than mere actions or behaviors. The common phrase that we have heard and perhaps used a good bit in personal conversations came to my mind: “For all intents and purposes.”

What is the meaning of the phrase? I looked it up online and discovered that the most common meaning expressed is, “In all practical situations” or “in every practical sense.” “The first recorded use was in an Act of Parliament under Henry VIII, in 1546: "to all intents, constructions, and purposes." http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/all-intents-and-purposes.html

My obvious intent and purpose for using this title was not because of its actual meaning, but because of the play on words and how these words relate to the meaning of the tenth commandment. As you might notice, the tenth commandment does not pertain to any wrong behavior or conduct. Instead, it speaks about the initial desires and plotting that take place before the wrong behavior.

Walter Kaiser, Jr. in his book, Toward O.T. Ethics, has pointed out that the O.T. is as concerned with the internal response to morality as it is with outward acts. He also references the work of another author by the name of Gemser when he states that there are 36 occurrences in the OT where the Hebrew words for “thought,” “plan,” “counsel,” “intent,” or “deliberation” are linked with ethical judgments or behaviors.

Let us examine the last commandment to see what lessons we can learn that will benefit our quest for living a life of holiness before God.

X.        Thou Shalt Not Covet…

A. The Negative Meaning: Do not even desire anything that belongs to another person.

The word “covet” in Ex. 20:17 means “to desire earnestly, to long after, or covet” while the parallel passage in Deut. 5:21 uses a different Hebrew word that has a similar meaning, “to set one’s desire on something.” (Kaiser, Toward O.T. Ethics)

Some have concluded that there is a distinction between the two words. They insist that the word found in Exodus emphasizes the plotting and scheming that must go on in the heart before the actual deed is carried out, while the word in Deuteronomy emphasizes the desire that comes even before the plotting or scheming. (See Laura Schlessinger, The Ten Commandments, p.300.)

Others do not really see a distinction, but simply view the two words as synonyms,—the only difference between them being, that “the former denotes the desire as founded upon the perception of beauty, and therefore excited from without, the latter, desire originating at the very outset in the person himself, and arising from his own want or inclination” (Schultz in O.T. Commentary by Keil & Delitzsch).

In any case, the prohibition is against the desire and plotting within one’s heart that leads to overt action against one’s neighbor.

B. The Positive Principle: Motives and passions are sacred.

During our study of the Ten Commandments I have been providing a positive principle for each commandment to guide us while we live out a life of holiness.

 (By the way, I need to mention that the idea of finding a positive principle behind each of the commandments is borrowed from the author that I mentioned a moment ago, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. in his book, Toward Old Testament Ethics. However, I have slightly modified the wording of each principle for the purposes of our study.)

It would appear that the positive principle behind the Tenth Commandment has to do with the motives, desires and passions of our heart.

C. Exposition: How does this commandment relate to life?

1. This commandment emphasizes the root problem of sin.

Jer. 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Matt. 12:35 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”

Matt. 15:18-19 “¹⁸But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. ¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

James 1:14-15 “¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

All of these passages I have quoted, and many others we could have referenced, instruct us about the problem of sin in our lives that originates in the heart. We are born into this world with the problem of a heart that is tainted with sin. We are born with an inclination toward evil and away from God. Our sinful, wicked, deceitful hearts lead us to want that which is forbidden.

The lesson we need to learn early and thoroughly is that our real problem is not environment, not poverty, not lack of education or any of those things that we tend to use as excuses for our wrong behaviors. OUR REAL PROBLEM IS A WICKED, SINFUL, DECEPTIVE, SCHEMING, SELFISH HEART!

2. This commandment emphasizes the need for heart purity.

If the root problem of sinful and wicked conduct is a wicked, sinful heart, then the solution is for us to let God do His purifying work in our hearts; to cleanse our motives and desires, so that we want what He wants.

Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; ²⁴and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Acts 15:8-9 “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, ⁹and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

These passages of scripture provide hope and good news to the person who seeks a remedy for the wickedness of his heart. God’s wonderful plan of redemption is as complete and thorough as necessary to remedy the problem brought upon us by sin. There are no defects with God’s plan of redemption. It has done and will do all that God intended.

We just recently finished a series of Bible studies on Wednesday nights regarding the topic of redemption. One of the segments in that study was about the different actions that God does for us once we make a decision to accept His provisions. We talked about how God forgives us, and pardons us by removing the condemnation that we deserve. He expunges our record and adopts us into His family and makes us one of His children. We also talked about the language used in Scripture that describes God’s action in our lives and our hearts to cleanse us from all impurity and sanctify us for His purposes.

That sanctifying/cleansing work of God’s grace is the solution to the problem we described a moment ago – a wicked, deceptive, and sinful heart that seeks to satisfy its own passions and desires.

3. This commandment emphasizes the need to guard one’s heart.

Finally, dear friends, I’m convinced that even after we allow God to perform His cleansing work in our hearts, there continues to be a need for diligence on our part to protect our hearts from illicit desires and passions.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

If the desires, passions and affections of our hearts determine what our actions will be, then it is vitally important to guard our hearts and protect them from ungodly and spiritually detrimental influences.

James 4:4 “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Romans 8:5-7 “⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. ⁸So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This conflict between the flesh and the spirit, or the spirit and the world that James and Paul are talking about is a vivid reminder of why we need to carefully guard what we feed our minds on and what we consume for entertainment. I don’t think there would be any dispute to the fact that whatever we watch, read, and participate in generally affects the direction of our ambitions, desires and motivations.

The reason some people are not very spiritually motivated is because they have done very little to feed the spiritual appetite within the soul. On the other hand, they have regularly fed the fleshly appetites by the entertainment activities and media that they consume.

I trust that all of us can understand the importance of protecting our minds and hearts from evil influences in order to avoid violating the tenth commandment.

Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Conclusion:

By giving us the tenth commandment, God has reminded each of us that the motives, desires and passions within our hearts are just as important as any behaviors or actions we might perform.

Let us remember that:

·        Our real problem is a heart that is inclined toward sin; that

·        God offers cleansing and purity as a remedy; and

·        The life of faith includes guarding our minds and hearts against all evil influences that would eventually lead us back into sinful behaviors.

Next sermon in this series is: Who Speaks for God? (link available in blog archive on right)