Doctrine

Bitter Envy

VBC Albuquerque · Sep 14, 2025

James 3:13-18Acts 8:12Proverbs 1:7Proverbs 9:10Proverbs 15:33Proverbs 14:30Genesis 3:6Genesis 4:4-6Ecclesiastes 4:4Exodus 20:3-6Romans 1:28-31Titus 3:3Galatians 5:25-261 Peter 2:11 Timothy 6:3-5Philippians 1:15-17Psalm 73:1-26Psalm 62:8Psalm 63:1-2Psalm 23:4Ecclesiastes 12:1-8Luke 15:25-32Matthew 20:1-16Matthew 27:461 Corinthians 3:3-42 Corinthians 11:2Numbers 12Numbers 16:1-35Daniel 6Esther 3-7Luke 16:19-23Lamentations 2:19

This sermon analyzes envy as one of the most dangerous character flaws of the human heart, distinct from God's jealousy. Envy is not merely desiring what others have but becomes bitter, resentful, and even hateful when they prosper. The sermon presents three steps to healing: acknowledging sin, entering God's sanctuary to understand life's brevity, and making God the sole foundation of one's life.

The sermon begins by distinguishing wisdom from God and wisdom from the world. Wisdom is not merely knowledge but the skillful application of knowledge in a timely and appropriate manner. Wisdom in God begins with the fear of the Lord, combined with knowledge, understanding, discernment, and prudence. However, worldly wisdom originates from bitter envy and selfish ambition, leading to disorder and every evil practice.

Envy is described as a cancer afflicting all people, from the wealthiest to those in hardship, from children to the elderly. The sermon clearly differentiates between God's jealousy (rooted in genuine love and faithfulness) and human envy (a desire for what others possess, accompanied by bitterness, resentment, and even malicious joy at others' misfortune). Envy is not merely a natural emotion but a dangerous character flaw documented throughout Scripture: Cain killing Abel, Joseph's brothers selling him into slavery, King Saul pursuing David, and the scribes and Pharisees seeking to kill Jesus.

The sermon analyzes the deadly consequences of envy through the story of Asaph in Psalm 73. Asaph confesses that upon seeing the wicked prosper, his envy was so intense that his feet nearly slipped and his steps almost gave way. Envy drains vitality and joy from life, like a punctured tire losing all its air. It also destroys gratitude, causing the envious person to constantly compare and never be satisfied with what they possess. The sermon notes that envy is the only one of the seven deadly sins that brings no satisfaction to the person committing it.

The sermon proposes three steps to healing the disease of envy. The first step is honest acknowledgment—not deceiving oneself but pouring out one's heart to God about envy. The second step is entering God's sanctuary, meaning experiencing God's presence, power, and glory, and understanding the brevity and transience of earthly life and the inevitable end of all people. The third step is making God the sole foundation of one's life, because all other foundations (wealth, fame, beauty, talent) will eventually be lost. The sermon concludes with a striking contrast: Asaph was envious yet God held his hand, while the sinless Christ was forsaken by the Father on the cross so that we will never be forsaken.