Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 438 | Phil Explains Why the Sin of Envy Is Always Here & Jase Shares a Riddle

Episode Date: March 6, 2022

Phil explains why envy is ever-present in the Bible and incredibly influential over people's lives — and how it can even lead to murder. Al shares a way to prevent envious thoughts and to fight against them returning. Jase shares a clever riddle, and Al discusses bitterness and how it can stunt growth and relationships. And Phil reduces it all down to the world having a problem with the very basics: Love God and love your neighbor. Watch the Unashamed overtime show, only on BlazeTV: https://BlazeTV.com/Unashamed Get Uncanceled by Phil Robertson, available now: https://www.amazon.com/Uncanceled-Finding-Meaning-Accusations-Condemnation/dp/1400230179 - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? On the screen. He's barely coming on. Yeah, you don't have your earphones on. He's a lot louder now. It's a lot better when you actually can hear what I'm saying, that. Yeah. Well, I had my duck stuff, my turn up the volume around my neck.

I say, normally I hear. a gnat fly by. So you, you can't turn it up, but nothing was happening. You can hear a gnat flyby. You're hearing things that I don't want to hear. Well, that's right.

This is too much. That's why I'd have about midway. Click it up or keep more clicks. And it's how do you click it up? It's like loud, loud. So what does a duck call sound in your ear when you have this? Oh, I've got to turn it down. It only gets wild.

when too much noise is either on your right or left and somebody's aiming right over your head. I didn't happen. It happened one time. It was a Yehu we took this year. If I hadn't had these, man. I had them things. I think we need a sign. No Yehuis.

I'm going to do a thing about signs at some point. He shot way too close to me. Yeah. And I said, so when that happened. your ear deals just cut off the noise? Is that what happens? They just like...

All solids. Yeah. Which is actually good. So it's the hearing aid and hearing protection. The damage decibels is a certain point. And you started having a hearing loss because you just lost some hearing. But with these things, no. But isn't it ironic that you're, if you're wearing what you're wearing,

that's putting this sound to this level, there's already been damage. The damage has been done from the past without these. That's right. Yeah. That's a spiritual. There's a sermon in there somewhere. Yep.

There's a shifting. So speaking of service, we were, we spent, how long did we spend arguing on what we were going to talk about today? Yeah, this topic I'm covering this morning. I mean, trust me what I tell you, the decibels. are deafening. No, I just pointed that out at this stage of our life, I mean, Phil, he said, I'm going to share something with you that you've never heard a sermon on.

And I didn't know how to respond to that, but I've noticed Phil, he'll say, when's the last time you heard a sermon on this? So I was asking, I guess it developed into an argument, well, what does that mean? Does that mean they don't feel it's important, or are they scared of it? I was just trying to see what does that mean. So I'm holding back on the word that we're just one little word. But it's in all the lists. It's in all the lists, all the list of don't do this.

It's in there. But nobody ever talks about it. Okay. So what I'm saying is before you tell us, what does that mean that nobody talks about it? That's what I'm trying to get. That's what. What is the sign? Is it you think they missed it?

or they don't feel it's relevant or it's uncomfortable or what? I think it's just a question of they never have thought about it seriously. Okay, well then. You know, a lot of times you read lists of sin, but some of them you just don't think. What do I wonder why that's in there. It keeps coming up, keeps coming up, keeps coming up. But nobody ever talks about it. I wonder why that is.

So I'll just give you the meat of it. Does this have anything to do with first grade? It will inspire a lot of discussions. Well, now I'm nervous. Is it from First Corinthians, Dad? Is it relevant to our study? Did this hit you in the middle of the night? Did you wake up?

When did you have the epiphany of this? He said it actually came from my notes. When the Apostle Paul, according to Al, and it's true, Paul shifts to some new issues, the Corinthians Church. They had a lot of issues. Where was the shift? This was one of the biggest issues, but we haven't just nailed it down and looked at it and said,

aha. That would have been a lot. It's in there, all right. I like aha moment. Yep. Me too. We talked about it on the last podcast. So where are we shifting?

Where is this coming from? I mean, go ahead, Al. I think we're going to take a time out for a regularly scheduled program for this aha. We're going to have an aha moment. Well, let's have it. Something that we never talk about. Where was the shifting when First Corinthians? The shifting is the text we're reading, of course.

You say when you get to this text, and I use the text so much over and over and over. So this is First Corinthians 13, one, two, three? That's right. Okay. And it comes about in verse four. When you're talking about love, and this is a quality that won't be there if you love one another. If you do what the Apostle Paul said,

love is patience. You say, I understand patience. You know, you just have to, each day has trouble of its own. Love is kind and amazingly right at the very beginning. love does not envy and there's the topic ladies and gentlemen the sermon you've never heard anybody discuss envy love does not envy how many times have you ever heard a preacher get up and said today we will talk about what love is not and what it's never ever ever love has this quality this negative quality. Love does not envy. You say what would it be, what kind of gathering would you have?

I mean, any group, if there was a lot of envy and the problem is they don't love one another. So instead of getting love from them, you get the congregation or the group of any kind. You say there's a lot of envy going on within that group, and it's causing. a lot of trouble. Do you ever read the definition of envy? I have the definition if in case you missed it somewhere. I just. I don't have a computer.

I just turn to the dictionary. What is your definition say? The dictionary says, and you have a... This is the Internet Dictionary. Father of Education, Webster, Daniel Webster, I think it was one of the Webster's. I think it was Noah. It might have been Noah Webster, but one of the Webster's said, we need us a dictionary until we find out what's going on.

And he also said, what was this famous quote? Yeah, envy. I don't know. He said, education is useless without the Bible. Yep, he did say that. But envy is to feel ill will or jealousy or discontent towards someone else. you have ill will you have jealousy

why do you they seem to have it together and I don't so therefore I don't like them anymore because I mean look what they have and they have what I want so I don't think it's right

for them to have what I want because it's not fair Yeah. I mean, I... But you're adding that. No, he didn't say it. Yeah, I'm just adding... I'm just saying you look at your fellow man.

Yeah, I agree. You're a family member, your church member, and you say, how come they seem to have it all together right here? Maybe they don't... Maybe they just don't recognize it, but they're just thinking that without stopping and saying, I mean, maybe they're just bitter. and grumpy. It's not maybe. They are bitter. Well, they're bitter and grumpy.

And they're grumpy. Look, so to feel ill will, jealousy, discontent toward someone else, because you feel you should have what they possess. Yeah. They have it. I don't. I don't like them anymore. Well, look, the Internet says. How much of that goes on in these United States of America?

What it's going on? I expanded it to any group out. Every day. So the internet said a feeling of discontent or resent aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities. Success. Or they put luck. I don't like luck. Yeah.

I don't know why they would put luck. Well, they say luck. They say he would just. Blessings. He just got lucky. I mean, it's really not him. I think the person who wrote this definition had some envy issues. Why would they put luck in there?

That's why it is such a topic that you need to look at. But we're tracking on the same definition, except mine did. So we start with this. We start with the master himself and Mark 722. So I want to know, make sure that Jesus said something about it, and he did. What did I say? Mark 722. We have a little text.

Now listen to this. and it's uh it comes to mind when you're reading about the corinthians his people the ones he died for what comes out of a man is what makes him unclean for from within out of men's hearts you say what is the where does this reside in the where is it hiding from within, out of men's hearts. Come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft. You look at all those things and you're thinking, oh, yeah, I get it. Murder.

You're like, whoa, adultery, greed, malice. It's coming out of your heart. Your mind. Deceit, lewdness, and stuck right in there with all of those horrible sins is envy. You're like, why would he say envy is on par with the worst of sins? Evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, it's in their minds. Adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy. Look, then there's slander.

He's describing what the Apostle Paul ran up on when he went down to Carinth about a year and a half and he was looking at their meetings and he was saying your meetings are causing more harm than good well what what so he's trying to get to the problem arrogance you know ain't nobody going to tell me folly you're like what are they doing so you look back at all these evils and he's got envy in the mix right there come from inside and make a man unclean. You say why would he put envy

in there? You say you're an unclean man. You need to get past that. You need to work out of that. Our text and our task today is to present the text. Which by the way, one of the... That deal with envy.

But by the way, have you ever heard a sermon on it? No. Be honest. No, I haven't. But one of the definitely... One of the definitions that love does not do also is it does not delight in evil. And Jesus just said all these evils come from inside. So he gave you a pretty good list of things that we should not delight in.

Yep. So. Bragg about, be happy about it. So in lieu of one of the problems that Carr ran, in lieu of what Jesus said about it, you say, we're getting some background information, I then turned to James, James chapter three. Who is wise and understanding among you? Verse 1513. Who's wise and understanding among you?

Let him show it by his good life, by deeds. He's going to give you two kinds of wisdom. One is good. One is not good. Let him show it by his good life. It says a lot a person's life that's good. By deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. Yeah.

But if you harbor, and the first thing he says that will knock that off the rails, good deeds, good life, wise and understanding, you say, how could that be thwarted? what would get rid of it and make it make you unfruitful and be in that way but if you harbor you say harbor in your mind is where jesus said you harbor when you pull your boat in to dock stay a while yeah so if you harbor hang on dad hang on hang on dad let's take a break you harbor and it's up and this word keeps coming up in front of envy a lot you bitter bitter envy you like bitter in envy so it's not that uh i want what they have i don't have what they possess

it's not fair to me because they have a greater gift than i have and i don't like it because i've got more qualifications i've been here long right and they'll come up with a lot of reasons you're actually resentful and bitter and grumpy and because someone else is good fortune yeah let me throw this in there because when you read that i i never realized that speak of sermons I've never heard. The N1 in that list by Jesus was Folly. Yeah. And I've never heard a sermon on Folly.

But it made me think, remember when I was, I guess, five, six, Al, you were seven, or eight. It had a beach down the way on Darbon Lake, and it was called Folly Beach. Yeah, Folly Beach. A lot of Folly going on. But never just keep. And every time we look at this, keep remembering, just keep remembering one thing. Was there any, because we're looking at the text most people never look at in 1st, Corinthians 10, 11, and 20. And about envy.

But I was just going to read. So you say at Corinth, you say, is it possible that there was a lot of folly going on, meaning. Well, I was going to read something from the, I made an adjustment since the last one said a lot. And this is the Bible definition of folly. and it said a foolishness not related to IQ but to someone who lacks respect for God

he or she is therefore prone to go in the wrong direction in life. There you go. I thought that was a pretty good definition. And now we're getting into what envy produces. Well, yeah.

At Corinth, you know, he said, hey, you know, y'all will do more harm when they get together than, I mean, what's wrong with y'all? If you don't respect God and you're bitter at other people's success, kind of like the older brother. Sounds like to me the older brother had some envy issues in the Luke 15 of the two sons that was really about the father. Yeah. Then it just, it leads to making choices that are not in line with the character of God because you don't respect him.

Allah, a la Corinthian church. And you're angry and mad at other people's. what they have. Yeah, this gets at the meat of the matter what was going on at Carrant, where you have envy and selfish ambition. Yeah, that's James 316. I knew we were going to get there.

Yeah. There you find disorder. That's what you found at Carrent, and every evil practice. That was at Corrent. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of because Jesus said the source of your problems

is the evil one and the qualities he's instilled in you anything so that you won't love God and love your neighbor. Anything gets under the way. You say, well, if I'm envious towards someone, I don't love them is what my problem is. But don't you think, in Corinth, envy was in the church where people were having these gifts, especially the miraculous gifts.

That made it worse. Well, then they're looking at them and they're envious. I mean, in the name of Jesus, they're envious because they want their gift and they're not happy with what God has given them. Running rampant in the church right there at Corrath. It was running rampant. You say, what had they forgotten? What had they had forgot? What was their problem? They didn't love each other. No, because they were envying them. He said love does not end me. I've always thought that two, there were two things that feed bitterness and they are envy. And the other one is unforgiven hurt. When you see bitterness in people, that's usually one of those two things or what's going on.

They can't forgive or they're envious. Yeah. Yeah. They want what somebody else has. Or they, they're not going to forgive a mistake. But you can't let go. If everyone makes a mistake. you're going to have guaranteed a grumpy life.

Now take that. What we've talked about so far. James is talking about what caused his fights and quarrels among you. A lot of that going on at car rent. You want something you can't have. Yep. Don't they come from the desires that battle within you? You want something, but you don't get it.

You kill and you covet. That covet is a lot like envy, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you're not have. because you do not ask God. There's the folly. When you ask, you do not receive. Because you ask with wrong motives.

You can't get past yourself and you think who you ought to be and position you're in. And these people out there seem to have greater gifts than me and it's just not fair. That you may spend what you get on your pleasure. You adulterous people. Now check this out.

Don't you know that friendship with the world, it's worldiness it's what Jesus said it was over in Mark toward God anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world as all kinds of envying going on and all these lists

you become an enemy of God or do you think scripture says without reason the reason that's written down so you could learn from it that the spirit he calls to live in us other words tends towards

envy because God gives gifts to the ones he deems necessary. But some people when they, if they miss out on the gifts, they thought they should receive, it lends toward envy because you say, I want what she has. I want what he has. But then you begin to bad by them because you don't get it. Yeah, exactly. Well, the more I'm thinking about this, the more I'm offended that they would name that beach, Folly Beach.

You wouldn't name a street, murder lane, or NVN, adultery hotel. What were they thinking? Well, you could look at the Corinthians. You say, have y'all just stepped back and looked at what you were tearing each other apart over? Yeah. The gifts that God so generously gave you, you're sitting here. Start back there when we first started in First Corinthians. and each other just out there committing sexual immor.

They're envious because someone else, they have a lot of money. Most of the times people sue somebody is because they have a lot of money and they want it. Yeah. I mean, there's some legitimate, but there's probably, if you stacked it up. How come they're blessed and I'm not. Exactly. And I'm the one that should be getting this. I mean, they don't have the qualifications.

And it's what you say. You have a fender bumper and it's, oh, my name. Oh, I'm in my check. Yeah. Where am I check? Oh. Because they want what you have. Yep.

So that was James. That was Peter. That was Jesus. So then you get... I mean, I agree with your assessment. It should be talked about more. So you get to Peter. So here's Peter.

He's the apostle. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice. Chapter 2. And all deceit, hypocrisy, and what do you know? And envy? Get rid of that. You say, it keeps coming up in any context you want to find. It keeps get rid of envy because, along with envy, slander of every kind. Well, that was going on at Carr, rent. Like newborn babies, Crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you've tasted that the Lord is good. Get rid of envy. Yeah. So I'm just showing you the different context where it keeps coming up.

You say, it's a problem. It was a problem with the Corinthians. I'm saying that within the churches across the world. world, you say envy has caused a lot of problems, unnecessary problems. You want what someone else has, and you're bitter because you think that you didn't get what, you know, I'm a son of God too. How come he didn't bless me? How come he blesses some over there and I'm sitting over here?

I don't get those blessings. I mean, it's not right. I mean, we ought to all, that's the left wing thing. everybody ought to have equal gifts worldwide. They're thinking it's not right because some people don't have what others have obtained. But didn't you notice, though, that Peter and James implied that envy goes along with immaturity and also not being wise. So it's definitely something you have. have to grow into that you weren't envious of people. I mean, there's, it seems to be that way.

Let's take another break. You're correct. So that's the different people that different letters were written to. And then you have a text that, uh, you know it's coming somewhere in there. The apostle Paul is going to make a, make a statement about things to what happens. Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind. Let's see. He gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.

They've become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full. Look what it's right beside it. They are full of envy and then murder and then strife and then deceit and then malice.

And then malice. but the envy is there. They're looking at others, and they're just basically saying, it's not fair, because that one has what I want, and I'm not able to obtain it. So it's just not right.

I don't like this church anymore. I mean, they got people up there. There's 10,000 different ways you can come across with being envious. You look at others, but the main thing is they have what you want and you don't have it and you're mad because of it. Yeah. That kind of goes in with what I was going to bring up today where they were having these signs and miracles that were the miraculous that was passed on to them through the apostles laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit distributing.

So we talked about, and we will talk about 1st, Corinthians 14, about the tongues. And they were thinking, oh, look at this sign that God has given me. And that's why when he got to chapter 14 and 22, it said tongues then are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, which gets back to love. Yeah. But, I mean, it would be like, it made me start thinking about this. It would be like the guy who created the Las Vegas sign, which is perhaps one of the most famous signs that, you know, welcome to Las Vegas.

It would be like him saying, I created, I created Vegas because I made that sign. It's even at Duck Commander. Every time I drive by, there's people taking pictures by that sign. Because that sign is telling you what this represents. sense. The duck call, all the stories we tell about, you know, coming from nothing out here in the

woods and building the duck calls. But the guy who created the sign or nailed it up, he could be thinking, well, I did all this because if they didn't have the sign, this wouldn't mean anything, which is not true. That's right. Right. So that's kind of what I was thinking. It was like, even in the case of all these signs were first.

from God, they were leading to a greater purpose, which was God showing his love through us, experiencing his love with each other, and then a love for the world to share Jesus. They got hung up on which sign each individual was possessing or manifesting in their gatherings. And so then what happened? envy and so i did a i did a little funny thing and just to interlead this this is like a commercial to your deal on envy i just looked up funny signs because i thought when you as a human think that you're creating this or it's all about you this is the road this goes down now i'm going to list you these six signs

actual signs didn't make them up I saw the picture of the sign and the first one is beware of invisible cows somebody put that on a sign

because the terrain in their mind because there was a lot of cows around there but when you read that what's that telling you beware of invisible cows the ones you can't see.

He wear up the ones you can't see. I think he maybe is either on crystal meth maybe. All right. I don't want to linger. I just want to say. This is what happens when humans think too much about the sign and not the overall big pitcher is the only point of making. So here's another one.

Now this is a good one. It says, go ahead, drink and drive. But then they have three points under it. They have an arrow pointing left that says jail, an arrow pointing right that said hospital, and then they had an arrow straight ahead with morgue. But the problem I have with it, although true and inspiring and a deterrent, what about the distraction that you just caused going 50 miles an hour trying to read your three points under the sign? That's a lot going on.

especially if you've been drinking and you got one point one point two seconds to see it only have six so the the third one is it was a sign that was high up and it said if you hit this you'll hit the bridge

I just thought that was funny if you hit this so then you got to back up and hit it again I guess was the point the fourth one squirrels have the right of way So you know where I first thought when I saw that? Do something else about the squirrel.

Start eating more squirrel mulligan, gumbos, instead of, that's going to cause a traffic nightmare of squirrels out of the right-of-way. Do you realize that many squirrels around? Oh. There's two more, two more, because this one was personal. Beware of phone zombies. Oh, yeah. Which is a good one.

And the last one, the number one, the number one. of the top six signs that missed the big picture, sign not in use. There was a sign that had the words on it. We're going to stick up something that says you don't need to see this. Sign, not in use. Not in use. It looked like a do not inner sign. It was red and white, and it said sign, not in use.

And I thought, this is the problem when you, you go all in on a sign instead of what that represents, the journey, the destination. You don't need it anymore. Why didn't you just take a little chaco or something and pull it up out of the ground? Why even make it? Why even making it? So somebody had that idea. Yep. And I'm just, I was trying to use that as an example about how we. Well, it made perfect sense to him. Well, we don't respect God and it becomes self-seeking. And that's why it's the same principle that these opposites, the things that love or not. when you're not thinking about God and you're not thinking about others in yourself last,

you're like, well, look what God has given me. Or if you don't have something you feel is noteworthy, you're like, well, how come I don't have this? I'm going to build a sign right now that says, I'm not happy. Yep. Well, and you make an interesting point. Let's take a break. Because we've talked about what Jesus said first about, envy and then we talked we looked at what james had to say and then we looked at what peter had to say and now we're

back to the apostle paul talking to the romans the acts of the sinful nature are obvious since it didn't think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of god is the statement he makes no god the acts of the sinful nature are obvious sexual immorality impurity debauchery idolatry idolatry idolatry I mean, these are heavy-duty sins. Witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions. And what do you know? And envy. You're like, why does he keep putting envy in amongst drunkenness, orgies, and the like?

He says, I warn you, as I did before, that people who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. And you look at that, you say, why all these lists, envy is always there. Be careful. Watch yourself. Don't become envious. Well, I mean, I think personally, I think it's because it's violating the fulfillment of the law, which is the you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and you love your neighbor as yourself, which that would be the opposite of envy.

Yep. I mean, I think that's why it's always in there. There is that you say the source of why this behavior keep cropping up is because you, in fact, you don't love your God. Somebody who's saying, but they have it, and I don't, the person who's saying that, Al, look, you know what he's forgotten? His sins have been removed, his past sins, not counted against him. his future sins are not being counted against him because of the mediating work of Christ. He's guaranteed he'll be raised from the dead. Why is he hollering about somebody is being blessed more than I am?

I said, well, have your sins been removed that killed you? Jesus, you were dead in your sins, and you've been raised to walk in a newness of life? you have God's spirit in you and you're sitting there singing the blues because somebody else is more blessed than you are just look at the blessings you have I mean you should be thankful that all your sins are removed and you're going to be raised from the dead that ought to cover it but you see how envy gets in the way of all that and you say it should not be that way that's the trouble with the Corinthian church so that's Paul to the Galatians if you're going to read further if you want to Philippians 115 is another place it's mentioned first Timothy 6 4 Titus 3 5 I'll just end with titus 3 5 and then y'all can

chew on it and see if we can get anything else out of it besides what we did in lieu of reading about the Corinthian church and their problems. We got Titus chapter 3, which is really good. Remind the people, this is Titus 3, about verse 3. Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable, and considerate

and to show true humility to all men. At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.

And check this out. We lived in malice. And there it is again. And envy. Being hated and hating one another. You're like, my goodness, how many times is he going to have to say the ravages an envious person what you will bring upon yourself? But what they should remember, he gave you what they were, and we all were.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, even with all those faults. not because of righteous things we had done, that certainly didn't help, but because of his mercy. I think what he's asking the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul, I think he's asking them out in a strong way. Peter would tell them the same thing.

Jesus would certainly back him up, and James would say it, and now the Apostle Paul writing the Titus is saying it, you need to be thankful for what you have, instead of looking at people and saying, I wish I had what they have. You have plenty. If your sins have been removed

and God has been merciful, you need to be thankful and you need to share that mercy with your neighbor. He saves us through the watching of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ, our Savior. Just look at what you have.

He said, I want you to stress you become heirs of the hope of eternity. eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying, I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God, instead of being envious of your neighbor, may be careful to devote themselves to doing good, doing what is good. It's profitable. It's an excellent way to roll and a profitable way to roll, and avoid all these foolish controversies and genie, all this stuff you all drag up, and you're envious of one another, get that behind you and be thankful for what you have. Your sins are gone.

Future ones not counted against you and you can be raised from the dead, and you have the Spirit of God. That's what the Corinthians were missing, in my humble opinion. That's a pretty good rant. Let's take our last break. And I agree. You know, and really it goes back to, how you think about it, it's even back as far as the Ten Commandments, The 10th commandment is do not covet your neighbor's house, which is exactly the concept you're talking about. I mean, it's looking somewhere else and saying, you know, I'm not complete without.

Coveting is about the same as being envious. Same deal. Yeah. Yeah. Good point. But how do you get out of that? I mean, I guess if you're lost in the world, you've got to be introduced to Jesus and see the reason. but to me when you read the James 316

because he had two things there and they kind of go hand in hand where you have envy and selfish ambition there you find disorder in every evil practice people will actually stoop to canceling their neighbor because they say

he has it I don't I'm out to hurt him show him that I'm saying that I'm somebody too, whether it be fame or fortune or whatever you're talking about. You think about it. You wake up every morning, what do you usually think about, how to gratify yourself? Yep. I mean, that's not going away. That's right. That's global. Every human of the age of accountability, you can either say, what's in this for me today? Or you can say, what does God want me to do? how can I help other people?

Yeah, you need to be satisfied, my man, for what you have. Instead of arguing about what you don't have, be thankful for what you do have. I think God made it that way. But somebody may say, well, I ain't got anything, Phil. Yeah, that's what they say. So what would you say to that? It boils down to this whole context that we're talking about here. obviously if if i'm not if i don't love people deeply then i can't share in their joy for their

blessings and so i mean it comes back down to that i i've got a love problem if i can't rejoice in other people's blessing whether i have that blessing or not i mean that's what it boils down to but look we all know this is i mean we've been the recipient of a lot of bitterness and jealousy uh because of success i mean i see it all the time people I know and some people are like, we're so glad for you and others are like, they don't say it to your face, but they tell other people, wow, them people, they think there's that and the other. I mean, it's a shame that that's the first impulse for people is to not rejoice when they receive blessing or have success.

But you have to use what you have and what you're blessed. I think the reason our family stayed together despite success, because to me, it's a lot harder to deal with that temptation. You know, when we were raised on the riverbank and y'all had come to the Lord and we were all finding our faith, we were a lot more content because we had each other and we were doing what we like to do with fish and hunt and work with our hands and eat good and live off the land. All these things, you know, we were thankful for what we have, which were pretty basic, like life, health, food, you know. I mean, remember, I mean, but so when you think about what envy is, it starts getting into things that you don't have that you really don't need. That's right. It's the elaborate type things that they're thinking produces happiness, which is, you know, a lot of cars and a lot of money and a lot of rings and jewelry. And, I mean, I don't know what else you can have.

Planes, trains and automobiles, I guess. But none of that really leads to happiness, because when that comes, there's a temptation to then think that that's worth something. So I think that's why we handled it well because we were content when we had very little. And you've said what the Apostle Paul ended up saying to the Corinthians in chapter 13 there.

He said, these three remain, I'll, simple faith. He doesn't say simple, I said that, faith, hope, and love. but the greatest is love. So if you train yourself with God's word to love God, love your neighbor, I beckon all of you preachers out there. I know a lot of you listen to the podcast for the ones of you're out there. Why don't you throw a sermon in from time to time on the scourge that... The scourge of envy.

Don't pre-announce that because their attendance might be down. Well, that's right. I'm going to preach next week on the scourge. scourge of envy. Well, since I, since I have preached a few sermons, I have heard one. I've actually preached more than one on envy. I'll tell you where I preach, my sermon was on envy as a generational curse going back to Jacob and Esau and their whole dust up they had, which was, I mean, envy was right

in the middle of it, both ways. And then how that carried on for Jacob, through his children, he had 12 sons. And 10 out of the 12 were the most jealous, bitter, envious people that maybe have ever lived. And this was the 12 tribes of Israel. And Joseph had a unique and special gift. And they were so jealous of him that they hatched a plan to first kill him and then to sell him into slavery. Which, of course, leads to their salvation. But so, I mean, you think about it.

I mean, it leads to things like murder. I mean, you know what I'm saying? In that case. And the idea is that it's generational. If you don't, if you don't deal with it, then it passes on to your children and your children's children. And that's true with any, you know, sinful behavior or even like this. I consider jealousy and bitter envy to be a gateway sin and all sorts of things, which is what you were describing to dad and all the list. Because you can be, anybody's capable of anything if they're living for the wrong, you know, source.

If you're living for evil instead of good. All right, so I got a riddle for you. I asked Missy this last night. She just kind of looked at me. So why did he say the greatest of these is love? Love covers over many sins. Yeah. But, I mean, it's kind of like faith and hope.

It's not like they're, I mean, they're pretty good. I think we have discussed things. that get in the way of love, and envy is one of the things. If it creeps in, you'll begin to be jealous of others because they seem to have it all, and they seem like they're way better off. How come God bless them more than it? And I think the Apostle Paul is saying, look, if you love one another, that kind of thinking will not enter your mind.

you love them too much. Well, here's what I think. I have what I believe. Faith, okay, I got faith in Jesus. So do they. But how come they're getting blessed? That's why he was saying faith, hope, we all have that. He said, but the greatest one is love because I think he was saying it's the most difficult

to put into practice day by day. I thought about this for hours. First, I didn't have a good answer, but that is a good one. But then it hit me. I thought when you read the definition, most of those things involve other people. And so, you know, faith and hope is generally something you experience for yourself. That's right. But love, you're involving other people, which is why.

They call it a lot of personal faith. Yeah. You know, it's well, exactly. Each one has his faith. So they're all important is my point. He wasn't saying the greatest that something. somehow that diminished faith and hope. Yeah, not at all.

Love actually is all about your interaction with other people and with God himself. Love is proof. It's proof a man who loves, a woman who loves, loves God, loves their neighbor. That's proof that you know God. You obey what he says. Well, yeah, and it takes courage. It takes courage. interaction, it takes some uncomfortable, because you're dealing with other people, you're

discussing, you're talking. You know, if it was just faith and hope, you would just go find an obscure place and live in a cave and pray all day. If it was just about you, is what I'm saying. You're like, I'm going to, because you see that, even in the religious world, they turn them into just a... There's been sad with some people. of faith who are unkind to their neighbor.

Right. Because if you loved them, you say your faith, it needs to be along with your obedience to God and you're a neighbor. And because you could be a man of faith and hate your neighbor and you have a love problem. That's why love is greater in faith and hope, in my opinion. So I have an answer to your riddle, but since we're out of time, I'm going to save it for our unashamed overtime as well as finishing up this text in 1st, Corinthians 13. So we'll see you in overtime.

Al with a cliffhanger. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes. And for even more content that you won't get anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV at blazed.com. Roshin. Sheen.