The Plague of Unsatisfiedness
Covetousness is a great and grievous sin that renders men unsatisfied, foolish, and subject to the basest evils.
Thomas Brooks warns against the sin of covetousness, emphasizing that it is a grievous and breeding sin that leads to unsatisfiedness and spiritual ruin. He illustrates how covetousness makes individuals earthly rather than celestial, robbing them of true peace and contentment. Brooks points out that a covetous person is never satisfied, always desiring more, and compares them to a swine, which is of no use while alive. He stresses that the pursuit of wealth can lead to temptation and destruction, ultimately reminding us that true fulfillment cannot be found in material possessions.
Text
"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of
covetousness; a man's life does not consist in
the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15
Covetousness is . . .
a very great and grievous sin;
a mother-sin;
a breeding sin;
a sin which has all sin in its womb;
a very vile and heinous sin;
the root of all evil.
Covetousness makes the soul earthly
--which should be celestial.
Covetousness is an evil which subjects
men to the basest and vilest evils.
Covetousness makes a man a fool! "You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded
from you. Then who will get what you have
prepared for yourself?" Luke 12:20
Covetousness robs a man of all true peace,
comfort, contentment and quiet.
Covetousness brings men into snares which
drown their souls in perdition.
Covetousness renders men unsatisfied under all
their outward enjoyments. Though a covetous
wretch has enough to sink him--yet he can never
have enough to satisfy him. First he wishes for a
bag full, and then a chest full, and then a room
full, and then a house full, etc.
The plague of unsatisfiedness--is the great
plague which covetous men are under. Certainly
you shall as soon fill a triangle with a circle, and
a chest with grace--as you shall be able to fill
and satisfy a covetous mind with money.
A covetous man is like a swine--which is good for
nothing while it lives. The horse is good to carry,
the ox is good to draw, the sheep is good for cloth,
the cow is good to give milk, and the dog is good
to guard the house--but the hog is good for nothing
while he lives! Just so, a covetous man is only
serviceable when he is dead. That scripture often
proves true, "the riches of a sinner are laid up
for the just." Job 27:17
No sin lays men under greater woes!
"People who want to get rich fall into temptation and
a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager
for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:9-10
Sermon Outline
- The Plague of Covetousness
- The Root of All Evil
- The Plague of Unsatisfiedness
- Covetousness Renders Men Unsatisfied
- The Futility of Trying to Satisfy a Covetous Mind
- Consequences of Covetousness
Key Quotes
“A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” — Thomas Brooks
“You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” — Thomas Brooks
“The riches of a sinner are laid up for the just.” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We must be on guard against all kinds of covetousness, for it is a breeding sin that can lead to ruin and destruction.
- The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and it can lead people to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs.
- We must not let our desire for wealth and possessions consume us, for it can rob us of all true peace, comfort, contentment, and quiet.