Envy Rots

Welcome to Sharper Sword, the publication ministry of White House Baptist Church in Let Grove, California.

White House believes that individuals can reach their potential for the Lord as they grow in Christ.

We want to hear our Lord say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Let's join Pastor Doug Fisher as he preaches another important biblical message from the Word of God.

I want you to turn to Proverbs.

Amen.

I'm glad somebody said amen right there.

Because you can't get into the Proverbs without getting something solid from God.

You say, what one?

I don't know.

Pick whatever Proverbs you want.

I'm saying, I'm just kidding.

Proverbs 14, would you turn there?

Proverbs chapter 14.

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

The wonderful thing about Proverbs is it sometimes it encourages you, sometimes it challenges you, sometimes uh it chastens us with love, but it's corrective, instructive, and praise the Lord for the book of Proverbs, chapter number 14, please.

This particular scripture uh we're gonna spend just a few minutes on today.

Proverbs chapter 14, notice verse number 30.

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

Verse number 30, please, says this a sound heart is the life of the flesh.

But envy, the say the word rottenness.

Would you say it one more time?

Rottenness.

But envy the rottenness of the bones.

What a word to use in association with envy.

So if the first part of the scripture is, if you would, the positive, and the last part of the scripture is the contrary.

So it says a sound heart.

If you look up the definition of sound, it means uh non-diseased.

Sound like stable, sound like non-decayed.

When I looked up that word, it said not being decayed or deteriorated.

Then it says this, but enviness or envy is the rottenness of the bones.

So in the first part of the scripture, it talks about a sound heart.

You would understand the last contrary to that is talking about a heart that's not sound, uh, but uh a heart that's uh, if you would, uh, uh thinking wrong, a heart that's uh deteriorating, a heart that has envy involved, and it associates envy with rot, like decay, like deterioration, like lessening the quality of.

So what he says is we want to have a sound heart, because that's life, that's energy, that's the right thing.

But what we want to be careful of is allowing envy to creep in because it can rot our hearts and our minds.

It can decay and deteriorate.

Now, just so we all make sure that we understand what envy is.

Envy is when uh when someone is being prospered, that we're grieved over their prosperity.

Envy is uh when we see someone being blessed or something good is going on for them, that we think ill thoughts and grievous thoughts in our minds about their being blessed.

Envy is looking at someone else's uh rejoicing and not rejoicing with them, just the opposite, being, if you would, in a state of malcontent over the fact that they're rejoicing.

What a way to live life! Brethren, we want to stay as far away from envy and that rotted, that rot, that that ROT, that rotting, that decaying, that deterioration.

We want to stay as far away from envy as we possibly can.

Envy says, Oh, I see you're doing well.

I hate that.

What a way to live life.

What a degradation in the way of a mind.

What an imprisonment.

Now, the lead-in to envy, when you say envy, a word that comes up a lot in our mind is jealous.

Jealous and envy.

Or jealous and jealously and envy.

Uh jealous is when uh when we have suspicion about someone.

Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

I'm suspicious about you.

Okay, you might not be jealous, but jealous always has suspicion.

Jealousy takes away the benefit of the doubt.

Jealous starts thinking ill of them even when we're not sure.

What do you mean?

Uh suspicion, like uh the concept of jealousy, would be uh that uh uh full of uh non-friendly competition.

Somebody says, Well, we're in competition and it's friendly.

When friendly competitions turns into unfriendly competition, then you're into jealousy.

A jealousy says, I want to do better than you, even at your expense.

As long as I win and you don't, that's all that matters.

Brethren, we don't want to get even around jealous because jealousy can lead to envy.

It's kind of like uh jealous is when uh we'll do anything necessary to beat someone else out, even if it's unfair, even if it's at their expense.

Because whatever happens, we don't want them to win.

Brethren, it's okay for someone else to win once in a while.

It's okay to help them win.

It's okay to rejoice when they win.

If it gets to the place where your competition or my competitive spirit in life, it gets to the place where we uh are suspicious and do not want somebody else to do well, even to the fact of where it makes us insecure.

Because, brethren, please listen, jealousy has a certain fear to it.

Now, just so we know the scriptures, look at 1 Samuel 18 real quick.

1 Samuel 18.

Stay right with me today.

1 Samuel chapter 18.

1 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

And you say you're you're you're giving us a lesson.

What we're getting a lesson on today is rottenness.

Rot.

Something rotten, something decaying, something deteriorating, something that would lessen the quality of our minds.

Uh, some aspect of how we view something that would cause us not to be what God wants us to be.

Because God does not want rot, he does not want decay in a child of God's mind.

May I say that again, please listen.

God does not want decay or rottenness up in our hearts and our minds.

He doesn't want us to operate on jealousies and envies.

I'm talking about jealousies like doubts and suspicions and and uh I know we all we all get uh uh taken once in a while when we give people the benefit of the doubt.

Well, you know, you'll just get used if you do that.

Brother, I want to tell you something.

We're supposed to operate in a non-jealous state.

We're supposed to operate in a non-envious state of mind.

A sound mind brings life.

A sound mind, other people want to be around that.

I don't know about you, but if I hear jealousy going on and envying going on, I don't necessarily want to be around that.

Especially when you know the definition.

Now, look, we've all been guilty.

I haven't been guilty.

Yes, you have.

Everybody's been guilty once in a while of the definition of jealous a little bit, where we're suspicious and sometimes our suspicions are not correct.

Look at the Bible example, stay with me.

Look at 1 Samuel 18.

1 Samuel 18.

This is just after David has killed Goliath.

And notice verse number 7, 1 Samuel 18, 7.

The women, they they were all singing, they were all rejoicing.

Why?

Uh Goliath and the Philistines had been oppressing them, and now Goliath was dead, and and Israel had just gotten a great victory over the Philistines.

The women, verse 7, they answered one another as they played and said, Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.

Brethren, that song in verse number seven that they're singing about Saul and David, it's all positive.

And they're ascribing to David thousands, I'm sorry, tens of thousands, and they're ascribing to Paul thousands, or Saul thousands.

Listen to me.

The ladies are singing about a victory.

The ladies are singing about something that was oppressive to them and their children, and now it's not oppressive anymore.

The ladies are singing about the great victory that God has given.

But Saul is not looking at it like the women are singing about.

Because Saul already has jealousy.

Why?

Watch what happens.

Stay with me, you're doing great.

Verse 8.

And Saul was very wroth.

He was very angry.

And the saying displeased him, and he said, They have ascribed un David ten thousands.

To me, they have ascribed but thousands.

What can he have more but the kingdom?

Write it down.

It's the making of jealousy.

In fact, this jealousy is going to turn into envy.

Please listen.

Jealous is when you see something and you're not rejoicing over what is about ready to take place for somebody else's life.

And in this case, the envy is already beginning to set in because they're singing about a great victory.

Does it matter who gets the credit?

Brethren, if the church has a victory, does it matter who gets acknowledged?

If the family has a victory, if a business has a victory, brethren, as long as God gets a knowledge, we should not worry about what they say about us or not.

If we're in competition, it's like, why didn't they mention me?

Why didn't they acknowledge me?

Careful, careful.

We are unprofitable servants, just that we get to participate ought to be enough.

I mean, God does something wonderful in our church.

Brethren, it doesn't have to be ascribed to anybody, it could just be ascribed to God.

He gave the increase.

But somebody might be sitting and go, Well, they never mentioned me.

Brethren, you'll get mentioned.

The most important time to get mentioned is when God says, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

If we don't get mentioned down here, I gotta tell you, we're unprofitable servants.

I'd rather save it all up to get up there and just hear, well done from him.

We don't operate for acknowledgement.

We don't operate for popularity.

Now, is it nice when someone encourages us?

Yes.

Is it nice when someone says thank you?

Yes.

We ought to say thank you and good job to our children, shouldn't we?

Yesterday we had graduation, we said thank you, great job, and we recognized them and gave the valedictorian and all the different sales and all the different acknowledgements and everything like that.

And there was nothing wrong with that.

Nothing wrong with graduation acknowledgments.

But may I say, we don't live for that.

If you live for that, jealousy will come.

If you have to have that, jealousy's gonna creep in.

And when jealousy creeps in, envy's not too far behind it.

Because in this situation, they have ascribed to David ten thousands.

To me, they've ascribed but thousands.

What can he have more of the kingdom?

Wait, wait, wait, look at verse 9.

And Saul eyed David from that day forward.

Now, please, uh, so you understand, I'm gonna do something, it's gonna be silly.

That doesn't mean that that Saul.

I know that's silly.

Let me do it one more time.

That's for the kids.

But may I say, in Saul's mind, he went and he got suspicious.

And David just did what God told him to do.

What do you mean?

David was all practice up with the lion and the bear, and he went out and took down Goliath because he was the only one not in fear.

Saul was in fear, Jonathan was in fear.

Come on, is that right?

Everybody else was in fear.

The only one God empowered to go down there was David.

And God blessed David.

And by the way, Jonathan later says to Saul, You were there that day, Dad, and when you saw that, you rejoiced.

He's not rejoicing now.

Now he's eyeing David.

He's suspicious of him, he's jealous of him, and he's heading towards envy that he's not going to rejoice over David's success anymore.

Everybody's still all right?

Down at your workplace, I hope you're still enjoying somebody else's success.

Somebody should say amen right there.

Why?

Because their success is your success.

If you're part of the company and they're successful, doesn't that help you in some way, shape, or form?

Brother, may I say to you, when the church is successful, everybody benefits.

When God is doing something and getting glory, we all rejoice.

The concept is when one wins, we all win.

And we should rejoice over someone's great prosperity and great victory.

But Saul is eyeing David with suspicion.

In fact, it's to the place the envy is setting in.

Look at verse 11.

Verse 11, and Saul cast the javelin.

He threw the javelin at David.

Now, let's remind ourselves David is his armor bearer.

David is going to be his son-in-law.

David is his harp player.

David has done nothing but trying to encourage Saul.

Come on, is that right?

Yes or no?

Isn't it amazing when sometimes you try to encourage somebody, they turn around and get suspicious of you?

All I did was try to help.

But what was your motive?

Uh trying to help?

No, no, what was your motive?

Trying to assist you.

No, no, what was your motive?

Obeying God?

Is this a multiple choice question?

Because I didn't have the wrong motive.

Did you ever do something for somebody and they got suspicious of you?

Come on, you still with me?

And it doesn't matter what you say, when they eye you, E Y-E, when they eye you and they doubt you, it doesn't matter.

When suspicious, when suspicion rules, they're gonna think you're guilty of something.

When suspicion rules, but I want to say this to you, please listen.

If you ever get eyed EYE by somebody and they're at you, you know what the Bible says we're supposed to do?

We're supposed to pray for them.

We're supposed to pray for them that despitefully use us.

Despiteful, malicious intent, despiteful, uh, despiteful, has hatred in it, despiteful.

When somebody does something towards us, we're supposed to pray for them because when we realize what's going on, they're the ones in prison.

Mentally, that sound mind is gone.

Mentally that rottenness has crept in.

Brethren, we don't want rottenness, rot, to creep into our families.

We don't want our children to have rotten minds.

Now wait a minute.

No, no, no.

My children, they're not gonna know about that sexual stuff.

Rottenness in this is jealousy and envy.

I think it's wrong for them to know sexual perversion stuff too.

Come on.

But there's another kind of decay, there's another type of deterioration.

We can teach our children how to have rotten minds by our jealousy, insecurity.

Come on, are you still with me?

By our envying.

Hey dad, dad, did you hear so-and-so got this?

Oh, God never gave us that.

Yeah, but God bless them.

I know, I don't know why God doesn't bless us.

We just taught them something.

How to not rejoice at somebody else's success.

Brother, we should be saying that's wonderful.

That's a blessing.

That's wonderful.

Let's rejoice with them.

If we're not careful, we teach our children rot, decay, deterioration, envy, jealousy.

Is that okay to say that?

And I'm talking about myself too.

I'm I'm being careful because not only are my children listening to me, but my grandchildren are listening to me.

And they're watching my spirit.

Man, if I'm if I'm coming back and roasting the church, you know what roast church is?

Do y'all know what roast church is?

Roast is is roasting the church is like when you when you come back and you're negative about the church and you're negative about people and you find wrong with people and you're jealous of people and envious of people and suspicious about people to where they might believe in God, but they don't believe in Christianity.

They might believe there's a God, but they don't believe Christians get along.

Brother, I want to tell you something, Christians do get along.

Because Christians, when they're filled with the Spirit of God, are full of charity.

And charity fights off jealousy.

And charity fights off envying.

Come on, is that right?

When we're filled with the Spirit of God, we submit ourselves one to the other.

And it fights off chair, it fights off envy and jealousy.

Look at Acts chapter 7 real quick.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

In Acts chapter 7, follow along.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

I'm watching your time.

In Acts chapter number 7, this concept of envy is in a few places.

Acts chapter 7.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

And notice it gives a motive here.

Acts chapter 7, notice verse 9.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Verse number 9.

And the patriarchs.

Now we ought to stop right there.

If you're kind of new to the Bible, the the patriarchs, uh, they're the uh they're Joseph's brothers.

They're who the 12 tribes are going to be named after.

The patriarchs.

Uh there's uh there's uh, if you would, uh Judah, uh Simeon.

We can just kind of name their names.

They're they're called patriarchs.

But the problem with these patriarchs and the patriarchs moved with envy.

So the motive was envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him.

Now, why did these patriarchs, why did these brothers sell Joseph?

Please listen.

Joseph was given a dream by God.

A vision.

In fact, he was given two visions by God, and he came back and told.

His mother and his father and his brothers, the patriarchs, to be.

And the Bible says they envied him.

Brethren, God gave him something to tell about the future, and it came from God.

And the patriarchs moved with envy.

Envy, what does that mean?

They were not glad that God had given him that.

In fact, just the opposite, they were malicious towards him.

They were jealous towards him.

They wanted to hurt him.

They wanted to harm him.

Moved with envy.

Moved with a malicious hatred sense, even though God had gave him something.

Now, it goes farther than that because Joseph was the son of a woman named Rachel.

And Rachel was loved by the dad, the husband.

And Joseph was given this coat of many colors.

Instead of rejoicing in that, they were envious of that.

They were jealous of that.

They were with hatred, malicious, and they had doubt about this.

And may I say to you, they acted upon it, took Joseph, and put him in a pit.

You know what happened after that, but may I remind you, God was in all that.

God moved all that.

The point of it being is they envied.

They were jealous.

For years and years and years and years, the patriarchs were in prison.

Yes, sir.

Please listen to me.

What do you mean, the patriarchs?

Those young men that were having families.

They remembered what they did to Joseph.

How they had come back and lied to their father.

They came back and said some evil beast has devoured him.

No, they sold him.

And for years and years and years they were in mental prison.

Jealousy is not worth it.

Envy is not worth it.

Competition to put somebody else down and make it sure that they don't win so we can win is not worth it.

Why?

It'll put us into a moody M-O-O-D mood.

Mood swings.

It'll put us into mood swings.

Why?

Jealousy does that.

Envy does that.

It puts people in mood swings.

What do you mean?

They're one way one day and another way the other day.

Are you still with me or not?

You say, brother, what are we talking about?

Psychology here?

If psychology is studying the mind, this Bible studies the mind.

It tells us things about ourselves.

It says that that sound mind is life to the flesh.

But envy, it's rottenness to the bones.

It doesn't provide health.

Physiologically, envy takes away good mental health.

Why?

Because when we're envious, that person is on our mind way too much.

In a negative way.

Let me say it again.

If we got jealous, that turns into envy, that person is on our minds way too much in a negative way.

And we're thinking about them way too much.

Come on, are you still with me?

Well, how would I know?

That person just won't go away.

Well, don't you know what they did to me?

That's what charity's for.

Charity suffereth long and is kind.

Charity is what took Jesus to the cross and he died without being bitter, without being envious.

It was for envy that the Pharisees delivered him.

Pilate said that.

Pontius Pilate, you've heard that name.

Pontius Pilate knew why they they had delivered Jesus.

He said it in his, in it's in the scriptures, Matthew 27, for envy they did that.

To destroy him with malicious intent.

Why?

Because the whole world was following after him.

What do you mean the whole world was following after him?

Take your Bible and look at something real quick.

Look at John, the Gospel of John.

You're doing great this morning.

Stay with me.

The Gospel of John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

Preacher, I come to church today, and if I would have known you were going to talk about envy and jealousy, I wouldn't have come.

You're turning to John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

Pastor, if I would have known you were going to talk about jealousy and envy, I would have not come.

That's why we didn't tell you.

It's nice to walk into church and get something we didn't expect.

Because as of three o'clock yesterday afternoon, I didn't expect this.

You say, what was three o'clock yesterday afternoon?

I was preaching graduation.

I had another message I was studying for this morning.

I went home and was studying that message until about six or seven at night.

I sometimes go to bed early on Saturday night.

So by nine o'clock, I was in bed.

I woke up at one in the morning with scriptures on my mind.

What'd you do?

I started writing them down.

Well, what scriptures were that?

Proverbs.

About jealousy and envy.

Well, don't you think the Lord was talking to you, Brother Fisher?

I think he was.

No, no, no, that's not what I'm saying.

Don't you think he was talking to you about you?

Yes, I do.

Yes, I do.

I won't deny it.

Oh, so you got jealous and envy.

I hope not.

But I want to stay completely away from it.

Well, why are you telling us this if it was for you?

It was for me, but it just didn't go away.

And kept at it and kept at it.

And about 3:30 this morning, the Lord said, Now, change the message you prepared and preach this one.

So here we are.

Learning something about a healthy mind.

Because a sound mind and a healthy mind stays away from jealousy.

And when we sense that jealousy is there, what's that definition of jealousy again?

Where we're suspicious all the time of someone.

The benefit of doubt is gone with them.

Now you say, but they deserve that.

Okay, okay, I get that.

I understand.

But it's even more than that.

It's like a competitive thing where you want to outdo them to their detriment.

Brethren, now, the Bible says very clearly about the brethren, we're supposed to rejoice when they rejoice.

We're supposed to prefer them, prefer them above ourselves.

We're supposed to not seek our own, but their wealth.

Now, that's a scripture you've got to be careful about.

When it says to seek their wealth, it means to help them to get their own prosperity.

We're not trying to get something that's not ours.

We're trying to help them get theirs.

We want to honor and esteem them.

We want to prefer them.

We want to not seek our own wealth, but their wealth in the way of that they are prosperous.

And when we have that spirit and that attitude, then there's not jealous, then there's not envy.

Would you agree with that?

So I didn't know I was going to preach on this this morning either, until about 3:30 this morning.

And then it's just been mauling over in there and mauling over, and you say, Preacher, this isn't the right message.

Oh, yes, it is.

Yes, it is.

For someone it is.

For me, maybe for you, maybe.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Preacher, that's for someone I know.

When you're thinking about that someone you know, make sure you glance in the mirror.

Not like the rear view mirror where you're looking at somebody else.

Oh, yeah, I glanced in the mirror and they were back there.

That was them.

No, no.

Focus the mirror on yourself and go, is there jealousy creeping in with me and somebody?

Is there envy?

Am I getting in prison with someone?

Where I think about them way too much and I think negatively about them all the time.

And I'm not rejoicing when they rejoice.

And I'm suspicious, and and and yeah, but they deserve it.

I want to tell you something, brother, and I hope this doesn't sound wrong.

We are living in a country that is programming us to jealousy and envy.

Now, please let me say this.

It doesn't matter what you believe about politics.

All you hear is a bunch of jealous, envying comments, commentaries, talk shows, news media, and we get so used to it we start thinking like that.

I'm saying if you analyze what's being said, all the commentaries and news and the talk shows and all that, there is so much jealousy and envy.

Please listen.

And it's like lifted up as the right thing.

Some of those talk shows, they almost like put jealousy and envy on a monument.

And when they say something jealous and envious, everybody goes, that's right.

Yes or no?

Look at me, yes or no?

And you're saying, I'm not saying nothing.

I don't watch those things.

Yes, you do.

And we're getting programmed where we should be getting a little convicted about listening too much.

Like we don't want to be around that all the time.

Is it in the book?

Yeah.

Let me tell you, the one probably is the most in prison with jealousy and envy.

It's Satan.

The one most in prison with jealousy and envy is Satan.

Would you agree with that, those of you know the Bible?

He said, I will be like the Most High God.

No, he won't be.

But he's made himself out to be.

He's convinced himself that he is.

And it's jealousy and envy, and he doesn't want any Christian to be happy because he doesn't like Christians worshiping God.

He does not like Christians worshiping the true God.

He's envious of that worship.

He's jealous of that worship.

He tried his best to get Jesus to sin and failed miserably.

He convinced angels to leave their first estate.

Must have propaganda them with some jealousy and envy.

Somehow he persuaded them to leave.

They left their first habitation they wish they never would have.

Satan is imprisoned with jealousy, envy, division, discord, and he's so saturated with it.

May I say to you, we need to stay away from that.

That's why we're told over and over and over again that the carnal mind, be careful about giving ourselves too much to the carnal mind.

Because the carnal mind thinks jealousy.

It can think envy.

It can think, well, did you hear what happened to them?

And you go, ha ha ha ha ha.

And it's negative.

Brother, we gotta be careful when we hear about a brother or sister, and something happened to them, and we go, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

God is judging them, and I knew he would.

Careful, Miss Human.

Careful, Mr.

Human.

You don't know what God is doing.

He allowed the patriarchs to be moved with envy to get Joseph where he wanted to get him.

God was in the whole thing.

Did God allow it?

Yes.

Does God cause people to sin?

No.

So I don't go, ha ha ha ha.

If we get in our minds that we're rejoicing over someone else's tragedy, thinking that's God judging them, be careful.

You say, wait a minute, but I'm right.

Even if you're right, be careful.

Even if you think you're right, be careful.

Because that can turn into something that can rot ROT, the mind, decay it, deteriorate, take away joy and life.

The sound mind.

It's a mind that has life, life, energy, life, positive, life.

It has life to the flesh.

But envy is rottenness to the bones.

Envy, jealousy ought to be something that God shows us and says, stay away from it.

It's not something you want to get involved with.

It's not something you can handle.

It will take over and control you.

Please listen.

Saul spiraled downward.

Spiraled downward.

He lost his following.

He was losing his kingdom.

And please listen to me.

Saul began to lose his mind.

Come on, is that right?

He ended up going to council with a witch.

A true witch.

And she said, What are you doing here?

He said, Well, I went to inquire and God won't speak to me.

His mind went further and further down.

Please look.

And it started when he eyed David.

Lord, deliver me from jealousy.

Don't let me get to be envious.

Don't let me get anywhere near wanting someone's destruction.

And then rejoicing over it.

I don't know what you're doing, Lord, but I don't want to go there.

I'm not God.

I'm not you.

I don't know what you're doing.

Help me to stay away from jealousy.

Help me to stay away from envy.

And help me to stay away from that which promotes it.

I gotta tell you, if you're watching the news and the media and the television eight or nine hours a day, unless you're watching about the hummingbirds, or you know, some animal show.

You need to be real careful.

Especially if we get away from this book, and our mind is not in this book, our carnal mind will take us to envy, gelling, jell uh envy, jealousies, suspicions, and it'll put us in a type of prison where we'll see people in a tainted view, and it won't be true.

There'll be a beam up here that won't be able to see the moat anymore.

It'll hide it.

I just say to you today, let's be careful about rottenness.

Huh?

Look at one more time, and we'll close.

And I will close with this.

Go back to Proverbs real quick.

Please.

Go back to Proverbs.

Proverbs 14, where we started.

I just want you to see this again so it's in your mind.

If you have, if you didn't underline it the first time, you might underline it this time.

Please, Proverbs, Proverbs.

Proverbs chapter 14, Proverbs chapter 14.

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

Would you mind?

And I'm not trying to be uh elementary, but the reading of the Word of God, uh, the repetitious reading of the Word of God.

It does something, it it puts us in it, puts it in our hearts.

Would you read with me, please?

Proverbs chapter 14.

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

We're gonna read verse 30 together.

Verse 30.

Ready?

Let's begin.

A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Can we read that one more time?

You say, what are we, grade school?

No, no.

Do you know in the Old Testament, the book of Ezra, they stood up and read the word of God?

In fact, the people repeated the word of God being read.

Let's read verse 30 one more time.

A sound heart is the life of the flesh, but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Could I ask you to say one more word with me?

Would you repeat after me?

The word is rottenness.

Ready?

Rottenness.

I want you to go out of here today and somebody says, What was the message about?

Rottenness.

What?

Yeah, the preacher preached on rottenness.

You mean like being rotten?

Yep.

How was it?

Rotten.

Decaying.

Deteriorating.

Exhortation.

Warning.

Careful.

Let's not put our minds in the gutter of jealousy and envy.

Rottenness.

May I say this to you today?

If you get saved this morning, it's all God.

What do you mean?

What'd you get?

What was the day you got saved?

Well, I got saved when the preacher was preaching on rottenness.

Really?

How did that happen?

I don't know.

It was a God thing.

God drew me to Himself, and I received Christ as Savior that day.

Why?

Because I saw something inside myself that I didn't want to live with anymore.

And he said God could take that out of me through salvation.

And God can.

If you haven't received Christ as Savior today, today could be the day of your salvation.

May I say this to you, please listen?

There's a heaven and there's a hell.

There's a heaven and there's a lake of fire.

What they're speaking about in hell is rottenness.

What they're remembering in hell is rottenness.

Where their worm dieth not, and they keep thinking about it.

And keep thinking about it.

I don't want to spend eternity in a place where it's filled with jealousy and envy.

With God in heaven, there's no jealousy.

With God in heaven, there's no envy.

There's no imprisonment.

But in a lake of fire, later.

Thank you for listening to this message by Pastor Doug Fisher of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lemon Grove, California.

To learn more about Lighthouse Baptist Church, visit our website at www.lighthousebaptist.com or call 619 461 5561.