The 8th Commandment
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In May 2001, English evangelist J. John spoke in Liverpool, England, on one of the Ten Commandments: You shall not steal. The results of the preaching were dramatic. Cedric Pulford writes:
Conscience-stricken people have handed in large quantities of stolen goods, including hotel towels, a bathrobe, and cash, after attending a church rally at which a preacher urged them to repent.
The inventory of pilfered items included hospital crutches, library books, CDs, videotapes—and about $560 [U.S.]. There were also several letters of confession.
The items were left in large special containers at the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool, northern England, after May 15 when a congregation of 3,000 heard renowned preacher J. John speak at the cathedral on the Eighth Commandment: "Thou shalt not steal."
John, 43, has been preaching on the Ten Commandments in a series of meetings in Liverpool.
John said goods are commonly handed in after his meetings, with stolen items ranging from computers to shovels.
"Stealing any item, however small, is wrong. The commandment doesn't say, 'Don't steal over one pound [sterling] at a time," John said.
"A man who is now a vicar took towels from the Wimbledon tennis championships years ago when he was working there. He kept them all these years and has now returned them."
As we continue our series on the 10 commandments… many of us might have thought or are even thinking… Ok so this is where I’m ok. So I have failed on everyone so far, but here I’m totally good here. I have not stolen anything… I don’t steal. I’m not a thief. I am not a robber. I’m sure there are others that are and this will be a good sermon for them to hear, but as for me… I got this one. I’m good. I do not steal things. I do not take what is not mine. I do not have light fingers. I do not linger in the shadows. I am not an opportunist. I do not loot. I don’t pillage. So preach away Shane and wake me up when it is all done.
I used to think that too. In a survey taken by the Barna group several years ago, 86% of adults claimed that they completely satisfied God’s requirement of abstinence from stealing. Not withstanding Barna’s research… here we go again. Remember the 10 commandments are first and foremost reflection or picture of the character of God Himself and are category heads for all types of sins that are related. Essentially they serve as the genus and all subcategories of commands of the species of stealing come under it. It is our tendency to understand the 8th commandment, simply, as not taking something that does not belong to you, but as we will see it is so much more than that and we will once again see how much we have actually broken this command probably on more than one occasion. But as we have since time and time again, the Lord gives us hope and we will find our why today. Lets take a look...
“You must not steal.
The grass withers the flower fades but the word of our God stands forever.
What Does God Forbid?
What Does God Require?
What the Lord has Given!
The first thing we will look at today are the prohibitions of the 8th commandment, this is what we are not supposed to do. The second thing we will explore are the requirements of the 8th commandment. This is what we are supposed to do. Finally, we will see the greatest gesture of generosity found in the gospel, when God had given us His Son to save us from our transgressions.
Thesis: Thou sin and the pattern of this world may cause us to take what is not ours, to be greedy, to even squander the gifts that the Lord has given, it is the truth of the scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit that will set us free into abundant life, with the generous sacrifice given between two thieves.
I. What Does God Forbid?
- God forbids so much more than just theft and robbery.
A. So once again I will be using the ever so helpful guide of the Heidelberg Catechism here. My family and I will go through it on pretty much a yearly basis. It is so helpful. Lets look at it real quick...
Answer - He forbids not only outright theft and robbery, punishable by law. But in God’s sight theft also includes cheating and swindling our neighbor by schemes made to appear legitimate, such as: inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God. In addition he forbids all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts.
B. So we have the prohibition of stealing, scheming, selfishness, and squandering. Stealing is essentially taking what does not belong to you. We saw the horrible story in the scriptures about Acan’s stealing what did not belong to him from Jericho. We saw Micha who stole money from his mom. Ahab and Jezebel stole Naboth’s vineyard and the sad sad good samaritan story of the man who was beaten and robbed. All of this is seen in negative light.
C. It is clear in the scriptures… No no to breaking and entering, to larceny, embezzlement, looting, shoplifting, ransom, extortion, and any kind of unlawful taking of property or person place thing or idea. I remember as a young recoding artist to make sure my songs are copy-written cause people will steal it. This why plagiarism is wrong. Ok if used by permission of course. Did you know that it is possible these days for someone to steal your house? No matter how little it may be … if you take what is not yours it is stealing and the breaking of the 8th commandment.
D. Oh come on Shane… they will never miss it. They wont even notice. One hotel even reported in its first year of business having to replace 38,000 spoons, 18,000 tiles, and 355 coffee pots. Lots of theft in the workplace as well… helping themselves to office supplies, pad expense reports, surfing the net and watching youtube videos on the clock, not giving our best. It is claimed that these acts is costing American business two hundred billion dollars a year. One economist claims that 1/3 of a products cost goes to cover the cost of stealing… so we are all paying for all that is being stolen. All the looting we have been seeing… we are all gonna pay for it in one way or another.
E. Corporations steal as well from their employees with uncompensated time and unfair demands to line the pockets of stock holders. Lie to the general public about losses that are hiding in offshore accounts. Manipulate securities and provide false information… remember Enron, WorldCom, and Rite-Aid… cheating or stealing from the public.
F. We steal from the government by underpaying taxes, lying about deductions and disabilities. The government steals from its citizens by wasting money, corruption, and robbing from the future generation of citizens with the continuing of the National debt that our generation has no intention of paying back.
G. There is stealing a persons identity. And we talked about it a some length last week of people actually stealing people… human trafficking. Stealing a person is a serious offense to God… You are stealing an image bearer of the Most High. How serious?
“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
D. But it is not just stealing… there is to be no scheming. There is to be be no cheating and swindling our neighbor by schemes made to appear legitimate, such as: inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God. Do not scheme against your neighbor or swindle. The Bible is clear about this.
“You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise, and you must use full and honest measures. Yes, always use honest weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the Lord your God.
E. It was common practice in the ancient world and even today to cheat on merchandise. False weights and scales were ways people would try to get more to the loss of another. The Norman Rockwell picture.
F. Price gouging, false advertising, the superman pill that you take that will make you super strong and get the girl that does not work, posing as the social security office that needs to update their data base and need your social security number, deceptive packaging (Potato-chip bags), the mirrors in clothing department stores, exaggeration of value, this is the best and most reliable car ever made and then when the deal is done now lets talk about the service contract for all the repairs it will need done that you need to pay for in advance....errrg. Some of the best salesmen I know at the worse violators of the 8th commandment.
G. Lending money at super high interest rates. Counterfeit money … why the 20 dollar bill changes all the time. Insurance fraud. Money pits. Check fraud and institutions that charge membership fees for services that they are banking on you never using.
The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.
H. The Lord condemns all forms of greed. Any kind of selfishness is a violation of the 8th commandment.
Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
I. Any kind of greed, any kind of selfishness and any moment in our lives at any time in our lives… we have broken the 8th commandment.
J. Any squandering of any of the gifts that the Lord has given and provided for us. To do this is Kesil … a criminally stupid fool.
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.
K. Sometime we are so concerned about what it is that we have not received from the Lord that we forget all about the many wonderful gifts that the Lord has given us already. These are blessings of His wonderful grace upon grace. The land, the trees, the fish of the sea, the birds, the wonders of the world that the Lord had given to us, mankind, to have dominion not to devour.
L. One of my most embarrassing and regretful things that I did once with the gift I received from the Lord. The Lord blessed me through a friend one hundred dollars and I actually used it to buy coins for a game I was playing on the phone. I repented profusely after it was done.
II. What the Lord Has Given
- Do what I can for my neighbors good.
A. This is one of the main characteristics of Christianity and the law that is given to us by the Lord. There is always two aspects to fulfilling the law. Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God. Want of conformity is not being or doing what God requires. Transgression is doing what God forbids. Jesus’ golden rule has a positive aspect. All others say do not do bad things to people, but Jesus’ golden rule requires us to good good.
B. A Christian is not called just to keep ourselves from harming, we have to do good to our neighbor or we are failing to keep the Lord’s commands. As we can see there is so much more to it.
C. But today we gotta get this… The eighth commandment is not simply about keeping ourselves from stealing. You may say to yourself, “All I’ve got to do is just not take stuff that don’t belong to me. I’ll try to work on my heart, so that I’m not so greedy. Then I’m good. I’m not a negative stain.” We are commanded by the Lord to not just take things, but we are to give things. We are commanded not to be greedy, but to be generous.
You humble yourselves
by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
Do you really think this will please the Lord?
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.
D. So you see it does not stop with just the simple quit stealing… but the imperative implores us to give generously especially to those who have need. What are we supposed to give? What is the standard? The Lord gives us the standard. What ever you would want someone to do for you when you are in need… that is what you are to do for others.
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
E. So as you can see it is not enough for us to refrain from doing bad. We are doing bad if we are not doing good. It is not enough not to steal, we have to give. It is not enough not to be greedy, we have to be generous.
F. There is a story told about a homeless woman who lived under a bridge in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. After providing Tammy with some basic hygiene supplies, he didn't hear from her for a few weeks—until she called and said that she had been raped. After Borger brought her to the hospital, Tammy started attending Borger's church. The church also started providing vouchers so she could buy food and other items.
But Borger said that created a problem: Tammy kept giving the vouchers to other people. Borger told her, "Tammy, you need to keep this for yourself. Otherwise you'll run out of food." But living under the bridge meant living with other needy people, and it was unthinkable for her to receive a gift and then not share it with others. So with an incredulous stare she asked Borger, "Why can't I give some too?"
G. How can we be the recipients of such wonderful gifts from the Lord and not share it with others. As Christians it should be abundantly clear. The Lord did not intend for us to simply be recipients of His wonderful grace. He desires us to also be deliverers of the grace of God to others.
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
H. The context is different but the idea is the same. God has give us so much. So many things that money cannot buy. Peace, faith, grace, hope, love, power from the spirit, the fruit of the spirit, so much meaning, so much treasure, so much that is precious. We are called to give generously. Called to give it away. Especially money especially in our culture.
R. Kent Hughes writes, “Every time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.”
I. Let us not allow our money and our possessions rob God of any glory that is due Him and Him alone. Money and possessions do not deserve any of our praise or commitment. Show money and our possessions that they do not control us nor have any value more than Christ. Give and Give cheerfully.
III. What the Lord has Given!
- The wonderful gift given between two thieves.
A. So as we can see, many of us have come up pretty short when it comes to the keeping of the 8th commandment. How far we have fallen. Times we have taken what is not ours whether large or small. How many times we have robbed God with our lack of generosity? Times we have fallen to the temptations motivated by greed and faithlessness. How many times we have squandered the many many gifts the Lord has already given to us? How many times have we not done what was best and good for our neighbor? Have we failed in doing good and giving generously to my neighbor all that I would want done for me? Have we given money and our possessions the glory that only the living God deserves?
B. Our great reformer Martin Luther wrote, “If we look at mankind in all its conditions, it is nothing but a vast, wide stable full of great theives.”
C. Many of us today can now see that we have failed here. We may think now that we have stolen much, robbed in different ways, failed to give generously, fallen short of keeping the 8th commandment. Rememebr even if it was just a small thing, that is all it takes.
D. We do not compare our righteousness to other people. We cannot think we are ok because we are not as bad as the tax fraud people or the insurance fraud people or bank robbers or really really selffish and greedy people. We must always compare ourselves not to others but to the law of God and when we do this we see what is real. And what is real?
For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
E. Our theft big or small, our robbery bug or small, our greed, our failure to give generously really is an abomination to the Lord. And what is the price?
or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
F. Some of us may now feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Can there be hope for us? Can there be hope for all who have fallen short here. Is there hope for a thief? You better believe it. And we have a beautiful picture of this happening.
G. Our hope is found in something that was given. Not stolen, but something given. Something precious. Something wonderful. God the father gave us his beloved one and only Son as a sacrifice to bring us salvation. Salvation is here and we don’t get it because of something we have done, but because of something He has given. He gave us Christ so that we could have life.
H. This gift lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures and He was buried and He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
I. The gift keeps on giving. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
J. And for the thief… well the gift of the sacrifice of Christ was given on the cross between two thieves. And we did see and will always have as a reminder for those who do indeed break the 8th commandment. Is there hope for us. Is there hope for thieves. Absolutely Yes, right there on the cross our Lord Jesus looked at one of the thieves one of the transgressors of the 8th commandment and said… today you will be with me in paradise.
