Envy Hatred and Jealousy Evil works Define Envy

Envy, Hatred and Jealousy Evil works

Define Envy • An emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it • Source of great unhappiness • Self-destructive • Low self-esteem

Harmful • Songs of Solomon 8: 6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. • Proverbs 14: 30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Jealousy is a sign of immaturity and being like the world • 1 Corinthians 3: 1 -3 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Paul lists it as a work of the flesh • Gal 5: 19 -21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, (jealousy)wrath, strife, seditions, (rivalries) heresies, (dissension)Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

No way for a Christian to think or act • Rom 13: 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

No place with people of God • Gal 5: 24 -26 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Starts in our heart and is evil • James 3 14 -16 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Destructive • Acts 13: 45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

God’s blessing withheld because of unrest • James 4: 1 -3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Can lead to violence and strife • • Cain and Abel Samuel and David Joseph and his brothers Laborers in Matthew 20 (began to murmur)

The Answer • Trust in God • Psalm 121: 1 -3 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

David’s Psalm 73 • • • • God is good to the righteous- but I am about to fall I was jealous of the wicked They are so strong – they have no problems – they are so prosperous Look at how proud they are – so wicked – they even curse God and prosper still They say God can’t see our evil – they oppress the righteous – they prosper yet again What good does it do for me to be righteous? I have problems all the time It pained me even to think about it Then I went to the Sanctuary of the Lord Then I saw they were on a slick hill ready to fall – God hates their very image I was so foolish to think as before the God didn’t know He will guide me – I will attain Glory I want only to please God – though my body and all else fail on this earth, He is my strength The wicked shall perish I will trust in the Lord God.