You Shall Not Steal

Introduction

Greetings…

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Stealing Is Sin

This Is Without Dispute.

The reality is, no one thinks stealing is not wrong.

Even those that believe we should “rob from the rich and give to the poor” think stealing is wrong if you steal what they stole.

The bible really doesn’t mince words on this issue either.

It has always been sin whether in the O.T. or N.T.

Exodus 20:15 (ESV)

15 You shall not steal.

Leviticus 19:11 (ESV)

11 You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.

Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)

28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (ESV)

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

The reason for this is simple, when we steal from others what we are saying is two fold.

First, we are saying we don’t understand that God has made us stewards of that which is his.

1 Chronicles 29:14 (ESV)

14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.

1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV

2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Second, we are saying God has not blessed us enough to be content.

1 Timothy 6:6–7 (ESV)

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Summary

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Ways We Steal From God

Our Giving.

When the Israelites were not tithing as they should God said this in Malachi 3:8-9…

Malachi 3:8–9 ESV

8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

Often we give God out of our left overs and instead of from the top which is our best.

Malachi 1:8 ESV

8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.

We can, if not careful rob our God of what is owed to him from what he has made us stewards of.

We can also steal from God with…

Our Time.

One of the easiest ways we can steal from God is to get so busy in this life with “our wants and desires” that we leave little time for our God.

It is easy to get so busy that we don’t study God’s word each day like we should.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

It is easy to get so busy that we don’t pray to God like we should.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV)

17 pray without ceasing

It is easy to get so busy that we don’t teach others the gospel like we should.

Mark 16:15 (ESV)

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Summary

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Conclusion

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Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 ESV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Acts 17:30 ESV

30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Matthew 10:32–33 NKJV

32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Romans 6:3–5 ESV

3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

1 John 1:7 ESV

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.