Campus Community – Evan Wickham
Overview
In this week’s message, Pastor Evan Wickham spoke on how Jesus breaks the addiction to envy in our hearts. Jesus cuts right into the motivations of our hearts. He sees us completely; we cannot hide from Him. In our daily lives, we are constantly tempted to be prideful. We want to be the most successful. We want to be the most popular. We want to have the most money or status. We want to be the most attractive. We even compete in spirituality; being prideful in our spiritual gifts or wisdom. However, when envy rules our lives, roots of bitterness grow in our hearts. These roots of bitterness actually keep us from the personal relationship God intends for us.
Our spiritual sickness is envy and to remedy this poison, we need Jesus to redefine our reality so that envy would lose its power. Envy is ironic because we assume that we have the same knowledge, attitude, and perspective of God. It is God that gets to decide how he wants to bless and use each of our lives. God wants to give us His vision for the world, but envy will steal our perspective. It will steal our joy, good from others, and glory from God.
Verses
Matthew 20:1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
2 Peter 3:5
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
Hebrews 11:3
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
1 Corinthians 12:20-21
20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”
John 21:20-22
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
John 14:3
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Quotes
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Teddy Roosevelt
“We are addicted to comparison.”
“Unhealthy comparison will keep you from experiencing the face to face love that God wants you to experience with Him.”
“Complaining blinds us and everyone around us because it changes perceptions.”
“Envy steals our joy, steals good from other people, and steals glory from God.”
“We have to see each other through Christ’s lens and not through a cultural lens.”
“God calls us to live in His reality, not our lives.”
“The inability to celebrate other peoples’ victories is a huge sign that you are living in envy.”
“God needs your beautiful, unique, contribution to His Kingdom.”
Questions
1) Where are you comparing yourself to others?
2) Do you find it difficult to rejoice over the good that comes to other people?
3) Have you ever stopped to think about the power of your words? How are your words shaping your reality? Are they bringing chaos into order?
4) How is envy robbing you of stepping into your beautiful, unique, spirit empowered life?
5) Will you let God break your addiction to envy and unhealthy comparison? Practically, what are the ways we can turn away from envy and stand on truth?