Thanksgiving Service

Order of Service

• Choir Anthem
• Call to Worship — Psalm 131
• Hymn — For the Beauty of the Earth
• Prayer of Invocation
• Responsive Reading — Psalm 136
• Hymn — Now Thank We All Our God
• Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:25-34
• Thanksgiving Prayer
• Hymn — Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
• Sermon
• Hymn — Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
• Prayer for the Meal
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

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Sermon Title: The Destructive Power of Covetousness and Its Remedies

Scripture: James 4:1-10

I. The Destructive Power of Covetousness

A. Definition of covetousness

1. A consuming desire to possess in a wrong way something that belongs to another, stimulated by the perceived beauty of the coveted thing
2. Not the mere having of possessions, but the sinful desire for them — cf. 1 Timothy 6:9-10: it is the love of money, not money itself, that plunges people into ruin
3. Covetousness has no desire to receive from God as a gift with thanksgiving; it seeks only to consume and move on

B. Covetousness is the fountainhead of many sins

1. Many scholars see the 10th commandment as the basis for commandments 5–9
2. Adultery, theft, murder, abuse of authority, and deception all flow from covetous desire

C. Covetousness reveals our sinful hearts — James 4:1-3

1. James turns our accusatory fingers back at ourselves: quarrels and fights are symptoms of passions at war within us
2. We don't have what we want because we don't ask God for it — sinful independence seeks worldly things by worldly means
3. When we do ask, we ask wrongly — God cares about our motives; he will not grant requests meant only to fuel fleshly desires
4. Illustration: the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) — envious of the fatted calf, willing to sacrifice his father's fellowship for it
5. Illustration: Esau trading his birthright for a bowl of soup — despising the eternally valuable for the immediately gratifying

D. Covetousness destroys the covenant community — James 4:4-5

1. It destroys fellowship with one another: dissatisfaction with God is projected onto relationships; there is no humility, no concern for others, no love
2. It destroys communion with God: James charges the church with spiritual adultery — friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4)
3. God himself is jealous for our hearts; he is discontent with our discontentment — our hearts are made to belong to him

II. Three Precious Remedies for Covetous Hearts

A. Humble yourself before the Lord — James 4:6-10

1. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble — humility works because of who God is, not as a formula
2. Submit yourself to God: relinquish self-righteous plans, give up demands for the thing coveted, say "Lord, if you will"
3. Resist the devil: by the Spirit, recognize his schemes, turn from the broad path to the path of life — active fighting, not passive surrender
4. Draw near to God through prayer and repentance: cleanse hands, purify hearts, cast off double-mindedness
5. Assured outcomes for the humble: God gives grace, the devil flees, and God will exalt you in due time — James 4:6-10

B. Love your neighbor — Romans 13:8-10

1. The one who loves another has fulfilled the law; love is the fulfilling of every commandment including "you shall not covet"
2. Focus not on what you are owed but on what you owe your brothers and sisters — love
3. Hands extended to a neighbor cannot be clenched around idols; mouths filled with blessing cannot be filled with envy; hearts pouring out compassion cannot be filled with malice

C. Be strengthened in Christ — Philippians 4:11-13

1. Paul learned the secret of contentment in every circumstance — plenty and hunger, abundance and need
2. The secret: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" — Christ is enough
3. The problem is never the catalog or the possessions others have; the problem is our hearts
4. Seek satisfaction and strength in Christ alone; then contentment will flow, and with it, true Thanksgiving