52 Sermon Illustrations on Envy

As flies leave the sound, and light upon the corrupted and putrefied parts of the body, and so delight in the filth that it is hard to keep them from it; so an envious man has no pleasure in good qualities, but only in that which is diseased and corrupted. Cawdray.

Envy, like the worm, never runs but to the fairest fruit: like a cunning bloodhound, it singles out the fattest deer in the flock. Abraham's riches were the Philistines' envy; and Jacob's blessing bred Esau's hatred. J. Beaumont.

Rising glory occasions the greatest envy, as kindling fires the greatest smoke. Envy is the reverse of charity; and as that is the supreme source of pleasure, so this is of pain. Envy has under its banner hatred, calumny, treachery, with the meagreness of famine, the venom of pestilence, and the rage of war. Spencer.

Joseph envied by his brothers. Envy hates those excellencies it cannot reach. Is a canker to the soul and only stops at murder

Envy allowed its way becomes murderous. Tries to get others to share in its sins. Cut the claws of envy lest it become a full grown tiger when it is too late

* * * * *

Good men are often hated for their goodness by bad men, who can not endure the contrast with themselves. An unidentified writer points out this kind of envy in the following verse:

A glowworm sat in the grass; As I passed through the wood I found it; Bright as a diamond it shone, With a halo of light around it.

A toad came up from the fen; It was ugly in every feature; Like a thief it crept to the worm, And spat on the shining creature.

“What have I done,” said the worm, “As I sat here in silence nightly?” “Nothing,” replied the toad; “But why did you shine so brightly?” (Text.)

A popular joke in Moscow has a Frenchman, an Englishman, an Italian and a Russian granted one wish each. The Frenchman says he wants to be the greatest lover, the Englishman, the greatest horseman, the Italian, the greatest singer. The Russian scratches his head and then smiles: "Above all, I want my neighbor's cow dead."

#1098

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Recently I laid a small circle of poison around a hill of stinging ants. Thinking the tiny granules of poison were food, the ants began to pick them up and carry them throughout the colony.

I returned later to see how well the poison was working. Hundreds of the stinging ants were carrying the poison down into their hill. Then I noticed a hole in the circle of poison. Some of the poison was moving the opposite way away from the hill.

Some smaller, nonstinging ants had found this “food” and were stealing it from their ant neighbors. Thinking they were getting the other ants’ treasure, they unwittingly poisoned themselves.

When we see someone with more than we have, we must beware. The hunger to beg, borrow, or steal our way into what is theirs may poison us spiritually.

#2081

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The soul cannot be healthy when one compares himself or herself to others. The soul dies a bit every time it is involved in a lifestyle that competes. It gives way to the destructive forces of rivalry, envy, and jealousy.

Oscar Wilde told this meaningful story:

The devil was once crossing the Libyan desert, and he came upon a spot where a number of small fiends were tormenting a holy hermit. The sainted man easily shook off their evil suggestions. The devil watched their failure, and then he stepped forward to give them a lesson. "What you do is too crude," he said. "Permit me for one moment." With that he whispered to the holy man, "Your brother has just been made Bishop of Alexandria." A scowl of malignant jealousy at once clouded the serene face of the hermit. "That," said the devil to his imps, "is the sort of thing which I should recommend."

[followed by a "Soul Search" survey form.]

===============

Another version:

One day the devil was crossing the African desert when he came across a group of small devils who were tempting a holy hermit. They tried him with the seductions of the flesh, all to no avail, then they began to sow doubts and fear in his mind, but the holy man stood firm. As a last resort they surrounded him with creature comforts and told him that his austerities were only a waste of time. But the hermit would not be moved.

The the devil stepped forward and drew his assistants aside. He told them their methods would never succeed. “Just watch me,” he said. Coming up to the hermit he said, “Have you heard the news? Your brother has been made Bishop of Alexandria.”

The fable says that on hearing this a scowl of malignant jealousy clouded the seren face of the holy man.

________

James A. Feehan, Story Power! (San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, Inc, 1994), 50-51

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Another version:

Oscar Wile once told the story of how the devil was crossing the Libyan Desert when he met a number of people tormenting a holy hermit. They tried to involve the hermit in sins of the flesh, tempting him in every way they knew, but to no avail. The sainted man shook off all their suggestions. The devil then whispered to his workers. “What you do is too crude. Give me a chance to show you how.” The devil told the holy man, “Your brother has been made bishop of Alexandria.” And a scowl of malignant jealousy crept across the face of the hermit. “That,” said the devil to his crew, “is the sort of thing I recommend.”

________

James R. Bjorge, “The Love Road to Calvary” Abingdon, 1982”

1. The following quiz by Tim Sanford can help you examine your personal

level of frustration (or positively, your contentment).

T F I struggle frequently with envy or jealousy toward others.

T F I'm satisfied with my marriage and family.

T F I like the way my standard of living compares with my friends'.

T F I often feel like something is missing from my life.

T F Most of my dreams and goals for my life have been fulfilled.

T F I feel good about my job.

T F My paycheck is sufficient to meet my needs and most of my wants.

T F I often struggle with disappointment about how my life has turned

out.

T F Most of the time I feel inferior to other people.

T F My present life is pretty much in line with my expectations.

T F I'm easily irritated when things don't go my way.

2. What kinds of people and circumstances are most likely to affect your

sense of contentment? How?

3. When you allow discontent to rule you, what are you saying about your

perception of God?

4. What alternatives to discontent do you find in the following verses?

Psalm 100:4-5 and Psalm 131:1-3

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copyright, Discipleship Journal, Issue 97, January 1997

#4240

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History tells of a statue that was erected to celebrate the victory of the Grecian games. It so aroused the envious hatred of the rivals that one of them sneaked out at night to topple the statue. He found it so heavy he had to put quite an effort into rocking it back and forth. When he finally got it to topple it fell the wrong way and crush him to death. This is the way of bitter envy.

Brother E. W. Martin tells of a young man who was employed by his father, a building contractor. The son was dissatisfied with his wages. One day the father came to him and said, "Son, here are some blueprints. I want you to have entire charge of this job. Do your best on this house; it is for a special friend." The son thought to himself, "This is my opportunity. I will use shoddy material and cover it up with paint; Father will never know, and I will put the difference in my pocket." This he did.

Finally the house was complete. It looked good on the surface. The young man had just been married. A few days later the father came to the home of his son and said to him and his bride, "Son, I know your wages have not been large, but I had it in mind all the time to give you this house. Here is the deed. It is yours." Then the son was ashamed. God says, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it ..... by fire." What kind of material are we using? "Gold, silver, precious stones" or "wood, hay, stubble"?

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

There is a legend of a Burmese potter, who became envious of the

prosperity of a washerman and induced the king to order him to wash a

black elephant white, that the king might become lord of the white

elephant. The washerman replied that he had no vessel large enough.

Whereupon the king ordered the potter to make the vessel. But the

first step of the elephant crushed every vessel made, and the potter

was ruined by the scheme by which he sought to ruin the washerman.

Envy always punishes itself. There is no sin that so surely leads to

soul suicide as envy.

- {The Record of Christian Work}

Many years ago Michelangelo, the sculptor, and Raphael, the painter, were commissioned to execute works of art for the beautification of the Vatican. Although each had a different job to do and both were highly respected, there arose such a bitter spirit of rivalry between them that at last they would not even speak when they met. Their jealous attitude toward one another was obvious to all who knew them. The most amazing part of it all was that both were supposed to be doing their work “for the glory of God.”

I was eating supper in a church home about an hour before I was to lead music in a revival service. The lady of the house was urging more helpings of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls on me, and I couldn’t imagine how I could breathe, much less sing. But the food was wonderful, and I didn’t want to offend her.

Several years and many such meals later, it occurred to me that we Baptists had turned gluttony, once counted a deadly sin, into a virtue. Hail to the pastor who can cut a trail of destruction down the potluck table. Shame on the one who ignores some saint’s dish.

And what of the other "deadly sins" - pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, and lust? Have we made them virtues too? Well, you have to admit they read like program notes for a week of THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW. Come to think of it, they read like the news coverage of Britain’s Royal Family. They seem endemic to our culture.

Before going on, we should clarify a few things. Protestants have never been keen on classifying sins as greater or lesser. All and any sin can wreck you. And by "deadly," the writers don’t mean "physically fatal." You can live a long, lustful, prideful life, and then die at a train crossing because of the non-deadly sin of worry. Worrying that you’ll miss a flight, you take a fatal risk. No, the sins are deadly in the sense that they can ruin your Christian joy, fruitfulness, and witness.

We should recognize that we attach different senses to some of these words today. For us, "sloth" means "laziness." In earlier days, "sloth" meant "spiritual slackness." Also, remember that anger in itself is not wrong. It’s what you do with it. And, as C. S. Lewis taught us in SCREWTAPE LETTERS, being finicky over food can be a form of gluttony. Both obsession with the details ("That tastes more like a twist and a half of lime than a twist of lime.") and engorgement are unholy at the table. Finally, let’s note that each of these seven can be seen as the trunk of a family tree of sin, and the branches intertwine with those of other trees. For instance, pride might make one susceptible to peer pressure toward substance abuse, and the idle mind of sloth becomes the devil’s workshop of envy.

That being said, let’s look at their status today. Have they become virtues in the popular mind? Allan Bloom suggested something like this in his THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND. He observed that traditional virtues such as chastity, industry, loyalty, honesty, and sobriety were in low regard on the college campus. And their opposites - promiscuity, laziness, betrayal, cheating, and drunkenness - were compatible with BMOC status. Only "intolerance" could ruin you.

The same certainly seems to be the case in politics and the media. Our president’s ratings seemed to improve with demonstrations of his lust. And this year’s Emmy nominations give special honor to programs which celebrate and dignify homosexual lust. The world is working hard at being the world. But the church can find plenty of slippage in its own ranks.

As professionalism grows among the clergy, you find the fruit of ambition at play. Pastors on the make ENVY their more celebrated colleagues. Their PRIDE is wounded, and they become GREEDY for more money and attention. They FUME over those who would hold them back. They fall into spiritual dryness or SLOTH. Some turn to FOOD and PORNOGRAPHY to ease their pain and fill their emptiness. And, of course, laymen have their own version of this cycle of spiritual destruction.

It’s interesting that some lost folks are leading the way in countering these tendencies. They’re making fitness tapes and touting diet plans. They’re giving up high-pressure corporate life for the relative poverty of jewelry manufacture near Taos. They’re learning meditation, taking cues from Phil Jackson and Richard Gere. They’re mellowing out in Buddhist fashion, letting go of as much envy, pride, lust, and greed they can.

Contrast this with sweaty, overweight, pugilistic Pastor Bob down at No Hope Baptist Church. Are the Buddhists the modern heirs to our spiritual tradition of attention to the humility and peace? Are they beating us at our own game?

Not really, for theirs is a counterfeit of Christian grace. It is based on killing desire and not bridling it. As G.K. Chesterton taught us in Orthodoxy, the Buddhist ideal is serenity on a lotus leaf. You rub Buddha’s belly as he placidly observes with half-closed eyes. The Christian saint, on the other hand, is passionate, stretched out in service and sacrifice.

You see, there is a tension in the Christian’s virtue. He thanks God for his passions - his desire to make a mark, to procreate, to unseat evil, to provide for his family. And he cares enough to flirt with depression when things go awry. Because he has the Holy Spirit, he is susceptible to the peculiar dryness and sorrow which come when he is not Spirit filled.

I think it is important to add that there is another counterfeit of virtue in the Christian camp. You can become a passionless smoothie, knowing that departures from Buddhist amiability can land you in conflict. It is said that when Paul came to town, he started either a revival or a riot. Smart guys know that this is counterproductive to their annuities, so they do the Buddha thing, and everyone thinks they’re nice. But Zen can be sin.

Whatever happened to the seven deadly sins? Five things come to mind. First, some of the lost have embraced them, as in the movie ANIMAL HOUSE. Second, some of the lost resist them in a fleshly way, drawing heavily on the self-help sections of their local bookstore. Third, some of the saved "baptize" them, calling envy "holy zeal," calling greed "concern for family," or slothful indifference "freedom from anger." Fourth, some of the saved merely pose as virtuous inasmuch as it gains them standing in the church. They hide their lust or simulate humility in order to gain or hold standing in the church. Fifth, some of the saved, driven by the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in these areas, cry out for God’s mercy and help. And, of course, it is only in this fifth vein that we honor the honorable tradition of concern with the "deadly sins."

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!

It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on.

William Shakespeare, Othello. Act iii. Sc. 3, quoted in John Bartlett (1820-1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919, cited on www.bartleby.com

What is TRUE LOVE? The late Father James Keller, founder of "The Christophers," put it this way:

Love delights in giving attention rather than attracting it.

Love finds the element of good and builds on it.

Love does not magnify defects.

Love is a flame that warms but never burns.

Love knows how to disagree without becoming disagreeable.

Love rejoices at the success of others instead of being envious.

*

A story is told of a watch which became dissatisfied with its little sphere in a lady's pocket. It envied Big Ben, the great tower clock in London. One day, as it passed over Westminster Bridge with its mistress, the little watch was heard to say, "I wish I could be up there. I could then serve the multitude." "You shall have your opportunity, little watch," said a voice. Magically the watch was drawn up to the tower by a slender thread. When it reached the top, its mistress said to it, "Where are you, little watch? I cannot see you." Nor could anybody else. Its elevation became its annihilation.

“Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [they are] whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:29-32 NKJV)

The Character Of God-abandoned Men

• unrighteousness — sin and injustice

• fornication [sexual immorality] — including adultery

• covetousness — 2 Pet 2:15, John 12:6, Luke 16:14 — love of money

• maliciousness — Judges 1:7 — leading to injury and revenge

• envy — Matt 27:18 — regret at another’s prosperity

• murder — sanctity of life disregarded

• debate — Isa 58:4 — strife, quarrels

• deceit — Tit 1:12 — falsehood

• malignity [evil-mindedness] — hatred concealed by a smile

• whisperers — private circulators of evil reports

• backbiters — slanderers of the absent

• despiteful [violent] — insult to injury

• boasters — vain-glorious — Proud of excellence really possessed, and boasters of what is unreal.

• inventors — plotters

• without, etc., [undiscerning] — of spiritual and moral things

• covenant, etc., [untrustworthy] — regardless of promises

• implacable, Gk., [unforgiving] — unsocial. unmerci- ful, unforgiving

• who…God — righteous requirement of God

• not…same — Ps 10:3, 31:23, 2 Tim 3:14, Rom 8:7, Deut 7:10, Prov 8:36; Jer 4:22 — themselves, in defiance of God

• but…them — approve them, lend their countenance to the evil done by others.

Men, haters of God — Rev C. Simeon

I shall

I. Establish the fact that unregenerate men are haters of God. The fact is

1. Absolutely universal;

2. Realized to inconceivable degree.

II. Account for it

1. The contrariety that exists between Him and us;

2. The consciousness we feel that He will summon us to His tribunal.

III. Make some reflections upon it:

1. How deep should be our humiliation before God;

2. What obligations we owe to God for His Gospel;

3. What a blessing the Gospel proves to all who receive it.

The Slander Book — A gentleman writes that he once saw the title Slander Book printed on the binding of a small ledger. On examining it he found that the various members of the household were charged so much apiece for each slander. The accounts were very neatly and correctly kept, credits entered, &c., as in a merchant’s office. He was informed that this plan of fining for slander originated with a good young girl, with a view to prevent evil speaking and its consequences. Youthful as she was, she observed its wretched effects on families and neighborhoods — what great fires were kindled by it, what sweet fountains were embittered by it; so she hit upon this expedient to knock it on the head. Perhaps others might take the hint

Without natural affection — Mr. Ellis, in his Missionary Tour, relates the following shocking instance of infanticide. A man and his wife, tenants of Mr. Young, who has for many years held under the king the small district of Kukuwaw, situated on the centre of Waiakea Bay, resided not far from Maaro’s house. They had one child, a fine little boy. A quarrel arose between them on one occasion respecting this child. The wife refusing to accede to the wishes of the husband, he, in revenge, caught up the child by the head and the feet, broke its back across his knee, and then threw it down in expiring agonies before her. Struck with the atrocity of the act, Mr. Young seized the man, led him before the king Tamehameha, who was then at Waiakea, and requested that he might be punished. The king inquired, “To whom did the child he has murdered belong?” Mr. Young answered, that it was his own son. “Then,” said the king, “neither you nor I have any right to interfere; I cannot say anything to him.”

Nero having fired Rome charged Christians with the crime. Caligula wished the Romans had but one neck that he might destroy them at one blow.

“Base envy withers at an ether’s joy, and hates the excellence it cannot reach.” — Thomson.

“There is no flesh in man’s obdurate heart; it does not feel for man.” – Cowper.

“When once infidelity can persuade men that they shall die like beasts, they will soon be brought to live like beasts also.” – South.

According to a poll, the British are tired of the Seven Deadly Sins (anger, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth and pride), which were first outlined by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th Century. The poll finds people want to replace most of them -- especially lust, though most are OK with greed being listed. The top replacement suggestions: adultery, bigotry, cruelty, dishonesty, hypocrisy and selfishness.

________

London Times

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Annoyed by the fact that his company had to be closed for Christmas and Easter, a certain man who was an athiest was complaining that Christians seem to have all the holidays. He mentioned Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Good Friday, and All Saints Day adding, "We who are atheists have no holidays at all!" A friend replied, "Oh yes you do . . . April Fools Day."

"The fool has said in his heart, There is no God." Psalm 53:1

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:4, “I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

The lottery in the Netherlands must have seen some inspiration in this. It came up with a variation called the "Postcode Lottery." ZIP codes specific to one street are picked randomly and everyone who lives on that street -- and who bought a lottery ticket -- splits the grand prize. Sales went way up, and for an interesting reason. It wasn’t so much because everyone expected to win, but because they would hate to have their neighbors win while they sat it out. If we can’t get ahead of them, at least we don’t want to end up BEHIND them.

________

Adapted from "Selling a fantasy," by Adam Piore, The Week magazine, September 6, 2013, page 44.

“Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; [they are] whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:29-32 NKJV)

The Character Of God-abandoned Men

• unrighteousness — sin and injustice

• fornication [sexual immorality] — including adultery

• covetousness — 2 Pet 2:15, John 12:6, Luke 16:14 — love of money

• maliciousness — Judges 1:7 — leading to injury and revenge

• envy — Matt 27:18 — regret at another’s prosperity

• murder — sanctity of life disregarded

• debate — Isa 58:4 — strife, quarrels

• deceit — Tit 1:12 — falsehood

• malignity [evil-mindedness] — hatred concealed by a smile

• whisperers — private circulators of evil reports

• backbiters — slanderers of the absent

• despiteful [violent] — insult to injury

• boasters — vain-glorious — Proud of excellence really possessed, and boasters of what is unreal.

• inventors — plotters

• without, etc., [undiscerning] — of spiritual and moral things

• covenant, etc., [untrustworthy] — regardless of promises

• implacable, Gk., [unforgiving] — unsocial. unmerci- ful, unforgiving

• who…God — righteous requirement of God

• not…same — Ps 10:3, 31:23, 2 Tim 3:14, Rom 8:7, Deut 7:10, Prov 8:36; Jer 4:22 — themselves, in defiance of God

• but…them — approve them, lend their countenance to the evil done by others.

Men, haters of God — Rev C. Simeon

I shall

I. Establish the fact that unregenerate men are haters of God. The fact is

1. Absolutely universal;

2. Realized to inconceivable degree.

II. Account for it

1. The contrariety that exists between Him and us;

2. The consciousness we feel that He will summon us to His tribunal.

III. Make some reflections upon it:

1. How deep should be our humiliation before God;

2. What obligations we owe to God for His Gospel;

3. What a blessing the Gospel proves to all who receive it.

The Slander Book — A gentleman writes that he once saw the title Slander Book printed on the binding of a small ledger. On examining it he found that the various members of the household were charged so much apiece for each slander. The accounts were very neatly and correctly kept, credits entered, &c., as in a merchant’s office. He was informed that this plan of fining for slander originated with a good young girl, with a view to prevent evil speaking and its consequences. Youthful as she was, she observed its wretched effects on families and neighborhoods — what great fires were kindled by it, what sweet fountains were embittered by it; so she hit upon this expedient to knock it on the head. Perhaps others might take the hint

Without natural affection — Mr. Ellis, in his Missionary Tour, relates the following shocking instance of infanticide. A man and his wife, tenants of Mr. Young, who has for many years held under the king the small district of Kukuwaw, situated on the centre of Waiakea Bay, resided not far from Maaro’s house. They had one child, a fine little boy. A quarrel arose between them on one occasion respecting this child. The wife refusing to accede to the wishes of the husband, he, in revenge, caught up the child by the head and the feet, broke its back across his knee, and then threw it down in expiring agonies before her. Struck with the atrocity of the act, Mr. Young seized the man, led him before the king Tamehameha, who was then at Waiakea, and requested that he might be punished. The king inquired, “To whom did the child he has murdered belong?” Mr. Young answered, that it was his own son. “Then,” said the king, “neither you nor I have any right to interfere; I cannot say anything to him.”

Nero having fired Rome charged Christians with the crime. Caligula wished the Romans had but one neck that he might destroy them at one blow.

“Base envy withers at an ether’s joy, and hates the excellence it cannot reach.” — Thomson.

“There is no flesh in man’s obdurate heart; it does not feel for man.” – Cowper.

“When once infidelity can persuade men that they shall die like beasts, they will soon be brought to live like beasts also.” – South.

Peter, seeing [John], said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” —John 21:21

In his book The Unchained Soul, Calvin Miller describes his own struggle with envy and pride. When he was pastoring, he and another church member listed their houses for sale at about the same time. It took Miller’s house a year to sell, while the other house sold in 3 days. When people asked the other man why his house sold so quickly, he always replied, “I just put that house in the hands of God, and the Lord sold it in 3 days.”

Miller confessed that every time he heard the man say that, he said to God, “Hey, God, what have You got against me?” He admitted to reacting defensively to this man’s boast about his 3-day sale. Miller would remind God of the depth of his own spirituality, compared with the shallowness of the other man’s. After all, he had held countless Bible studies in his home and led many people to the Lord, while the other man had done neither.

Any one of us can be selfishly interested in the way God is blessing someone else’s life, while at the same time ignoring our own responsibilities. Envy and anger can at times be the result. When the apostle Peter became curious about John’s future, Jesus said that it was none of Peter’s business. He told him, “You follow Me” (John 21:21-22). May we learn from Peter’s experience and keep our eyes on Christ. —DCE

A plan for you and a plan for me—

This is God’s choice—so let us see

That we must strive to do His will

And in our lives His plan fulfill. —Fitzhugh

It’s hard to follow Christ closely if your eyes are focused on those around you.

The Horse and the Ass, Aesop's Fables

A Horse and an donkey were travelling together, the Horse prancing along in its fine trappings, the donkey carrying with difficulty the heavy weight in its panniers. "I wish I were you," sighed the Ass; "nothing to do and well fed, and all that fine harness upon you." Next day, however, there was a great battle, and the Horse was wounded to death in the final charge of the day. His friend, the donkey, happened to pass by shortly afterwards and found him on the point of death. "I was wrong," said the donkey. Be content to be yourself!