IDEA: Being free from covetousness sets you free to be yourself and to do what God wants you to do. 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 realize there are benefits in being free from covetousness.

If I asked you to tell me about Jesus, who he was and how he lived his life on earth, what would you tell me?

I. Jesus’ life was characterized as one that was free of covetousness.

Jesus’ life would mark him out as poor.

What can you say about his birth and childhood?

What can you say about the profession that he learned?

What do you know about his financial statement?

How did he get support?

Do you think that Jesus chose this way of living or was it forced on him?

Why did the sovereign majesty of the universe not live on earth like the sovereign majesty of the universe?

His mission was spelled out in Luke 4:18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Wouldn’t he have been better off carrying out that mission if he had been wealthy? Look at how much good he could have done with his money.

When he associated with wealthy people, do you think he wondered if he had made a good choice by being poor?

Jesus was free from covetousness, and it enabled him to relate to all kinds of people and to speak to them directly and sympathetically.

He could confront the wealthy because he didn’t have anything to lose of gain from them.

He could talk with the poor because they could identify with his lifestyle.

II. Being free from covetousness allows you to be free to be yourself and to do what God wants you to do.