Greed

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Greed

“For the love of money is the root of all evil...”

Introduction Greed will ultimately lead a person to their spiritual downfall. It is inevitable. But why is this the case? Let’s first define the term.

Greed is the intense and selfish desire for something or someone, particularly that of wealth, power and fame, even if it means depriving others of their potential means for your own personal gain.

Introduction The material gains in this world falls in line with the blessing of Esau, if you can recall the powerpoint presentation, “The Blessings of Jacob vs the Blessings of Esau.� As we learned during the month of January, the blessings of Esau are temporary and will eventually be destroyed with the rest of this world. It is important that we pursue the blessing of Jacob which includes his holy word and the hope of salvation.

A Closer Look at Greed Greed is also known as covetousness. To covet is to transgress the 10th commandment which states,

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's,�

(Exodus 20: 17)

Greed = Covetousness We know that if a person begins to desire another individual’s property, wealth or loved one they may resort to any means necessary to obtain them even if it means using deceit or committing adultery, theft or murder. That is why God warns us of being covetous.

Poor in Spirit Greed also contradicts the testimony where it states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven.” Christ was poor in spirit. He taught us in the Matthew 8: 20, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” Also in Matthew 6: 19-20, he said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”

Poor in Spirit He told us many parables that teach us not to seek the riches of the world but to seek the righteousness of God, such as the man who was rich and built greater barns to hold his riches. Another great example was of the young rich man who came to him. Christ told him to sell what he had and give to the poor if he wanted be perfect. The young man couldn’t do it and went away sorrowful. He gave up instead the kingdom of heaven and held onto the things of this world because of the greed within his heart.

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Poor in Spirit

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Christ said that it was extremely hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. A person that is poor in spirit does not love the things of this world nor do they greatly desire or esteem them. They are not seeking to be rich because this is not their mind and heart. They do not find it difficult to give to others.

They wear this world like a loose garment. Riches and possessions are not in their heart. because of the greed within his heart. They do not value people higher because of wealth or possessions. They value the things of God.

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Poor in Spirit

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It is important to know that a person does NOT have to be rich to fail at being poor in spirit.

They simply have to love the things of this world and are of course, greedy. But even if they are not trying to be actively rich, if they are not willing to give or to share, they are not poor in spirit.

Laban A good example of a person that was filled with greed was Laban, he was Rebekah’s brother and eventually Jacob’s father and law and deceitful employer.

History teaches us that Laban and Jacob made an arrangement for employment and wages. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for 7 years, tending to his sheep and land, in exchange for Rachel’s hand in marriage.

Laban Deceives Jacob As we know, Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. After 7 years had expired, Laban instead gave Jacob his oldest daughter, Leah. Jacob did not know what Laban had done until after his marriage with Leah was consummated. Laban used the excuse that it was not tradition for the youngest daughter to be given in marriage before the oldest. And as a result, he was able to persuade Jacob to work another 7 years for him.

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Laban & Greed

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Jacob worked a total of 20 years for Laban, who became very wealthy and prosperous.

Laban even changed Jacob’s wages multiple times. All of Laban’s actions, his deceit and all, were due to his greed.

Greed & this World Despite Laban’s wickedness, there are many people in this world who will do a lot worst for the sake of greed. The use of slavery is largely because of a nations’s greed. Countries warring against each because they covet the land or the resources therein.

Governments turning their backs on the poor because they want to protect their bountiful wealth.

The list can continue. It is one’s greed and love for the mighty dollar that gets them in trouble every time.

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I Timothy 6: 10

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“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows,�

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A very well known but often misquoted scripture states the following:

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Conclusion

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One’s love and greed for money will lead to other sins.

It will cause them to completely transgress all of the commandments of God, forgetting all that pertains to heaven and placing this world at the forefront of their minds. Amen.

Special Thanks This presentation was based on the classes entitled, “Greed” by Elisabeth C. Pointer “Testimonies of Christ” (Pt. 1) by Evelyn C. Pointer

Questions?

For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308.