IDEA: Covetousness is uncleanness. TEXT: "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (Exodus 20:17).

PURPOSE: To help listeners see how covetousness can defile us.

Do you ever find, as you’re reading the Bible, a phrase that stops you short and makes you think? It may not be an unusual phrase, but one that you will tend to overlook until you look at it.

Paul defines "uncleanness" as covetousness: "But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints" (Ephesians 5:3).

Why would covetousness define uncleanness?

I. Covetousness will be unclean in its motive.

Seldom do you hear anyone ever say that they were motivated by covetousness.

In the film Wall Street the actor states that greed is good. The reason that statement is shocking is that it’s seldom said.

People will cover up unclean motives with righteous justifications.

II. Covetousness will be unclean in its actions.

People will lie, cheat, steal, defraud, take advantage of the weak, overlook wickedness, all for the sake of money.

The Bible says that money is the root of all kinds of evil. It sometimes seems that it’s the root of all evil. It’s not money, of course, but the desire to acquire it that leads to wrong actions.

III. It is not the acquiring of money but covetousness that is unclean.

It is possible to be frugal but not be stingy.

It can be a benefit to acquire money if through it we can benefit others.

If a driving motive of acquiring money is to benefit those who are needy, that is one of the great guards against being dirty with it.