8th Commandment
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
This week once again we are in the 10 commandments
Over the last few weeks we have called everyone a murderer, and an adulterer
That is tough and difficult to swallow sometimes
Praise the Lord there’s grace and forgiveness at the Cross but we’re not to remain in them.
God gives us grace God gives us mercy. God gives us forgiveness
church our response to that is to flee from the sin that we’re in.
So before we get into calling everyone a thief
We need to understand that we are not to be convicted of sin, recognize sin in our life and do nothing about it
we must do something about it
Our response is to repent
That is an action word which requires action in our life
I understand if you have been here for all 8 weeks of this series thus far you will know most of this but you can listen anyway
When we think of the 10 commandments we think of Moses on the mountain with 2 stone tables with Gods hand writing on them
Picture of Moses
We may have learned them while in Sunday School
Maybe as an adult you remember them a little
Few of us know the order of them
Remember the order of the 10 commandments are important
The first 4 come first because without them nothing else works
It sets the tone for the rest of the law
It is summed up by Jesus
37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
with in Jesus’s words here we see that you and
I are to have no other Gods before Him
We are to have no idols at all
We are to not take the Lords name in vain
We are to keep the sabbath
Those are the first 4 of the 10 commandments
See how those set the standards
Then we move on to the 2nd tablet
the first 4 deal with our relationship with God the Father
That is our most important relationship then come those relationships with others
Those 2nd 6 are summed up with Jesus’s words
39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Thus far we have talked how we are to honor our father and mother
How we are to not murder
How we are to not commit adultery
This morning brings us to commandment number 8
Do you see how if we love others as we love ourself we begin to fulfill these remaining 6 commands
and by obey these commands it draws us into a closer relationship with Christ
So we are on to commandment number 8
15 “You shall not steal.
No 2 ways about it
You are not to take anything that is not yours
There is some thought to the purpose of this commandment that you are not to take what is not yours
That is has something to do with kidnapping either
It is sort of theft right, you are not to take someone who is not yours
Think of Joseph and the basically kidnapping by his brothers and sold into slavery
Church either way you are not to take someone or something that is not yours
It is as little as a pen from work, or time during work, or maybe you go out and steal things
Which is the taking of The practice of taking another person's property without their consent
As I began this sermon, I struggled with thou shalt not steal.
Theres not a lot that needs to be said other than don’t do that
If you are doing it, stop
Picture of Barney
So I wanted to give you some background info on my
I worked for Walmart and one of the jobs I had at Walmart, actually the job I had the longest was to catch shoplifters
I was that guy who walked around Walmart and watched people and then if I saw them shoplifting, as they would go to leave I would jump out in front of them and stop them
I think I only stopped one person stealing food, but it wasn’t the essentials. It was a high dollar food, the high dollar stuff
See thats what we say when we get into the weeds on theft
See all those people I was involved in stopping for stealing were trying to cheat their way to get something without working for it
Thieves try to take something that is not theirs, that they did not work for or earn
They are cheating their way to get something and church that is wrong
28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
From Pauls words to the church as Ephesus
Inspired by God to the church
we are to not steal just like in the OT they were commanded to not steal we are also told to not steal and if we are currently doing it that we are to stop
They are not to be lazy and cheat to get what they want
They are to work with their own hands
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
Now this seems weird when we are talking about stealing
But if we understand that you and I are not be stealing
That we are not to take things that are not ours or we are not to take things without permission
And when we do that we are cheating and we are probably doing it because we are lazy
We are not to cheat or church we are not to be lazy in our lives
Those sluggards in proverbs
Those who are lazy and try and cheat there way to get things
Eventually they get nothing
But church
Those who are diligent who walk in righteousness
Those who run after Jesus church they are supplied with what they need
Do you start to see how laziness and stealing go together
How we are not to steal
How we are not to be lazy
Now some of you might ask how does Jesus fulfill this command
How does he make it a heart issue when stealing seem so much like a physical thing
Can I steal in my heart?
Yes but God deals with that in another commandment
Ray Comfort a street evangelist who created way of the master and living water ministries
Often times asks people in the know The 10 Commandments
Then he asks them if they have every stolen anything thing
Yes
Have they ever lusted after someone
Yes
Have they every hated anyone
What do you call someone who murders someone
What do you call someone who commits adultery
What do you call someone who steals
So by your own account you are a thieve, adulterer, and murder
And church we know that if you have broken one law you are guilty of the entire law
Because you are guilty of the entire law you should receive death and separation from God
But
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God dealt with your death sentence and my death sentence on the cross
Jesus died in my place and your place
This is why knowing the 10 commandments points us to a relationship with Christ
because it shows us that we are guilty of breaking the law
Because it shows us that we are in need of a savior
We need Jesus
So church this morning as we move to our time of invitation
It is just that
it is an invitation to respond to God this morning
Maybe you are here this morning and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus
I would invite you to the front to speak with someone
Or maybe you are here this morning you have a personal relationship with Christ but this morning you understand you are guilty of sin in your life
I would invite you to the front to spend sometime at the altar in prayer
Or maybe you simply need to spend sometime at the altar in prayer
The altar is open
