Denying Grace

Denying Grace Exodus 20:15 Context • We return to Mount Sinai where God is thundering His Ten Commands to his gathered people. • Let us remember God is abundantly supplying the Israelites’ every material need. • “You shall not steal.” 1. Another two-word command beginning with “No.” 2. Singular command –God is speaking to you individually. 3. Steal is a generic word for taking anything that doesn’t belong to you. Stealing in the Bible 1. Types of Stealing • • • • • • • • • Stealing People – Genesis 40:15 Stealing Objects – Genesis 44:8 Withholding Wages – Leviticus 19:3 Bribery – Isaiah 1:23 Tax Evasion – Romans 13:7 Deceptive Weights (Fraud) – Leviticus 19:35-26 Defaulting on a Loan – Exodus 22:14 Half-hearted Work – Colossians 3:22 Gambling – Habakkuk 2:5-6; Proverbs 13:11 Stealing in the Bible 2. Punishment for Stealing • • • 5/4 to 1 if the stolen item is missing – Exodus 22:1 2 to 1 if the stolen item is recovered – Exodus 22:4 Death for stealing a person – Exodus 21:16 Stealing and the Character of God 1. God is a Great Provider • • Genesis 2:16 – literally “from every tree of the garden, eating you must eat!” Psalm 111:5 – “He provides food for those who fear Him” 2. God is the Great Redeemer • • Leviticus 19:36 – “You shall have just balances … I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Hebrews 9:15 – “He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” Life in the Grace of God • Turn to Titus 2:9-14 • Definition of Grace – Ill-Deserved Favor (see 2:14) • Work of Grace – Saving (v. 11), Instructing (v. 12), Motivating (v. 14) • Result of Grace – Heirs of Eternal Life (Titus 3:3-8)