Intro:
Is all theft wrong? Consider a father stealing
bread for his starving family, is that wrong? Consider a
politician campaigning to raise taxes on the top 1% of
Americans in order to redistribute that wealth to people
who really need it? Is that really wrong? Consider a
teenager who borrows clothes from a friend and fails to
take them back afterwards, is that really stealing?
When we consider the eight commandment there
may seem to be a few grey areas, but overall stealing is
pretty much universally recognized as bad. I think it’s
safe to say every industrialized nation has laws on theft.
Even the person who says, “There is no absolute right or
wrong” steal their wallet and see what they say then!
Except for a few difficult scenarios, stealing is pretty
much considered by all people as wrong.
The question I would like to answer this morning
is, “Why is stealing wrong?” This is the question that
goes unanswered by society. Think about it, High School
science books teaches teenagers that we are all a result of
billions of years of evolution and we are simply evolved
animals with higher intellects. So, if we are simply
evolved animals, then why is stealing wrong? I mean,
does the bear ask the bees before he takes their honey?
Does the wolf ask if he can take the chicken’s egg? Does
a dog ask before stealing your sock? Mine doesn’t! No,
of course not; their animals, they steal! All animals steal.
If we are simply evolved animals then why is stealing
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wrong? I mean, if we are evolved primates then we
should steal if it helps us! Right?
Why is stealing wrong?
Turn with me to Ex. 20
CPT: God commanded Israel to trust in His
provision
Pray
For the Israelites, they had never had owned
property. These were Egyptian slaves. They had never
owned their own house, their own donkey, or anything
for that matter. Everything was ultimately owned by
Pharaoh. The eighth commandment gave Israel the right
to own private property. Theft of someone else’s
belongings was a costly sin. For example, if someone
was caught stealing they would have to repay the person
double. Stealing was more work than it was worth!
At the heart of this commandment, God wanted
his people to trust in his provision over them. He wanted
them to look to Him as the supplier of all their needs. He
wanted them to be content with what He gave them. He
wanted Israel to trust Him. Stealing was wrong for Israel
because it showed a distrust of God.
Do you trust God to meet your needs?
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You know…
CPS: God commands us to trust in His provision too
Stealing is wrong because when we steal we are
admitting to God we don’t trust Him to meet our needs.
At the very core of theft is an unwillingness to trust God.
We have plenty of verses encouraging us to trust God.
Phil. 4:19 says, “My God will supply all your needs.”
Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want.” Gen. 22 calls God’s name Jehovah-Jireh which
means, “The Lord provider.” There are countless other
verses in the Bible that all say the same thing, “God
provides for His people.” Do you believe that? Do you
trust God to get you through the tough times?
PSS: This morning, if I accomplish one thing I hope
it’s that I would persuade you to trust God to meet all
your needs. God hasn’t left you. He is fully aware of all
your needs. God is faithful. He cannot deny His own
character.
EL: This commandment truly is an expression of love,
because if we love God we will trust in his provision
and not resort to stealing. In other words, the more you
love God the more you trust Him and the more you trust
Him the more you will love Him. Love and trust go hand
in hand.
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Q: Do you trust God to meet all your needs? Is there
any shred of doubt in your mind that God will take care
of you into old age; that God will provide you work; that
God will satisfy your desires? Is there any way that you
may be guilty of not trusting God?
Stealing is wrong because God commands us to trust
Him for our needs.
“But Bro. Jared I don’t steal!”
-Have you ever cheated the government on your taxes?
-Have you ever short changed God in your tithes?
-Have you ever borrowed something and not return it?
-Have you ever stolen time from your boss while you
were on the clock?
-Have you ever purchased a counterfeit item?
-Have you ever just taken something that wasn’t yours?
At some point in time we have all been guilty of
not trusting God to meet our needs. Therefore, we stole
to meet our own perceived needs. Church, this is not a
minor commandment. The punishment for breaking the
seventh commandment is eternal separation from God.
The Bible says the wages of sin is death, including the
sin of theft. Not only that, but when we fail to trust God
we miss out on the joy we have in child-like trust.
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TS: Let me give you some characteristics of a Christian
who trusts God and see if these describe you…
#1 A Christian who trusts God is content to live
without (Phil. 4:10-13)
E:
The Apostle Paul told the Philippian Church that
he had learned the secret of living without and living
with plenty. That secret was trust in Christ. Christ was
all Paul needed.
For years Paul traveled the ancient world
planting churches, and for all that time God was right
there with Him. Never once did Paul steal food to feed
himself or someone else. God always provided for His
servant.
A:
What about you? What about me? Are we
content to live without that new car? Are we content to
live without that new___________. Paul is not
condemning riches at all. In fact at times Paul was
extremely wealthy! Having wealth or not having wealth
is not what Paul is talking about. What Paul is talking
about is the insatiable desire we have at times for more
stuff we feel we can’t live without.
When a man or a woman is controlled by a desire
for more this or more that they may resort to stealing it
or at the very least coveting. Maybe you are not guilty of
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stealing right out of a store in broad daylight, but maybe
you are guilty of stealing by robbing money from the
families’ budget in order to pay for it, maybe taking a
large loan out that’s not necessary that puts the family in
financial trouble.
I:
This reminds me of a story I once heard… There
once was a man who became envious of his friends
because they had larger and more luxurious homes. So
he had a realtor list his house in the paper, planning to
sell it and to purchase a more impressive home. Shortly
afterward, as he was reading the classified section of the
newspaper, he saw an ad for a house that seemed just
right. He called the realtor and said, "A house described
in today's paper is exactly what I'm looking for. I would
like to go through it as soon as possible!" The agent
asked him several questions about it and then replied,
"But sir, that's your house your describing."
A:
Are we content people? Do we trust in God’s
provision whether we have a little or have plenty? Can
we live without?
#2 A Christian who trusts God would rather work for
what he has (Col. 3:23)
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E:
The Apostle Paul urged the Colossians to
work for what they have. Here are a couple other verses
about work…
Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while
the slothful will be put to forced labor. Ecc. 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,
Trusting in God does not mean that you sit by
and expect blessings to fall out of the sky. Trusting God
means you apply yourself to the work God gives you to
do and through that he will bless you. Christian should
be the hardest working people there on earth.
A:
You know one of the main reasons people steal is
because it’s easier than working for it. Sometimes theft
is simply a result of being lazy.
I:
It reminds me of a news paper article I came
across this week. It read, “It was a sunny March day in
Omaha, Nebraska, Melissa Peters was getting ready to
take her son to school. She was heading for her car when
she found a gun pointing at her face, courtesy of 17year-old. He had little interest in the mother or her child,
who fled quickly. Instead, he simply entered the vehicle
to steal it. There was only one problem—the car had a
manual transmission, something with which the teenager
was unfamiliar.
The boy turned on the lights and the windshield
wipers trying to make his escape. A neighbor called the
police. It took them about eight minutes to arrive and
find an empty car sliding gently into the neighbor’s yard,
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knocking over the fence. He was quickly picked up by
police.”
It would have been easier for the boy to get a job and
buy the car he wanted; now he’s doing time.
A:
The Christian man or woman would rather have
the satisfaction of working hard for what they have while
still giving God the glory. Christian man/woman trusts
God to meet all their needs through their hard work.
#3 A Christian who trusts God is patient with God’s
timing (Ecc.3:1-8,11)
E:
King Solomon writes in this short book insight
for living. In verses one Solomon says this, “There is an
appointed time for everything.” In verse eleven Solomon
says, “God has made everything beautiful in its time.”
A:
Sometimes, we feel we know better than God
does about what we need. Have you ever been convinced
that you needed something right then and there only to
later regret purchasing it? Retailers call it “Buyer’s
Remorse.”
I:
One on-line consumer website that gauges
consumer spending habit concluded that the average
person will make 40,000 impulse purchases in their
lifetime. The top three reasons were: confusing “wants”
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with “needs,” Falling for advertising tricks and
gimmicks, and believing in quick-fixes.
This is a common problem for all of us. We are
constantly pressured to keep up with the latest fashion,
latest technology, and latest vehicle style! This leads to
poor decisions on our part that jeopardizes our budgets.
But someone may say, “Well it’s my money I
have plenty of it. I can buy whatever I want to!” I wish I
had your problem! At the heart of that sentiment is an
erroneous view that your money is yours. Every cent the
Christian has in his bank is God’s! Not just 10%. Every
purchase we make needs to be within a reasonable
budget that honors God.
Money manager Dave Ramsey encourages
couples to have a “fun money” line item to keep from
hurting the rest of your budget. That’s a good idea. Do
your best to trust God’s timing. He will provide.
#4 A Christian who trusts God is grateful for what he
has
E:
1 Thess. 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you Psalm 107:1 Oh
give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast
love endures forever! Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks
always and for everything to God the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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A:
A Christian man or woman who loves God trust
God. A Christian man or woman who trusts God is
always grateful for what he has.
Gratitude is a sign of a believer in rightfellowship with God. Discontentment with life,
discontentment with house, car, clothing, and material
items in the Christian’s life is a sign of a spirit of
entitlement.
When we feel entitled we can easily rationalize
stealing, but being grateful causes us to give more to
others and it causes us to have more joy. Feeling we
deserve more then what God has given us will put us on
the road to stealing, one way or another.
Church, be faithful where you are, with what you
have, and I promise you God will give you the increase
according to his will.
I:
Take the prayer of Jabez for example. Scripture
says, “Jabez was a more honorable person than His
brothers. He cried out to the God of Israel saying, "Oh,
that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let
your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I
will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
Jabez didn’t feel entitled. Scripture says He was
an honorable man. Praying for prosperity isn’t wrong. It
is though if you feel entitled to it. It is wrong if you are
not grateful for what you already have. Pray with Jabez,
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but pray with the Lord too when he said, “Not my will
Lord, but thine be done.”
#5 A Christian who trusts God lives by God’s
standards (Ex. 20:15)
E:
Period. End of sentence. God said not to steal, so
we don’t. Stealing is wrong because God told us not to.
A:
But what about victimless theft? Sometimes we
rationalize theft with these words, “Well, I’m not hurting
anyone by taking it or it’s not stealing he can afford it.”
I:
In 2007 WALMART recorded 348 billion dollars
in revenue. In that same year Walmart had 3 billion
dollars stolen from them by people walking out the front
door with hidden merchandise. To many shoplifters they
may rationalize their decision by saying, “Ah! They can
afford it!” Maybe they can afford it, but it’s still theft.
A Christian Man or woman lives by God’s
absolute standards at all times because they trust God to
meet their needs.
#6 A Christian who trusts God is always aware of
God’s presence (Psalm 139:7)
E:
David is comforted by God’s presence in His life.
But this verse also reminds us that God is always aware
of what we are doing. No sin is hidden from God.
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A:
Sometimes we steal from the government
because we feel we can get away with it. “They won’t
audit me!” They may not audit you, but God will.
We are guilty of rationalizing our sin because we
often wrongly think, “No one will know!” After giving
Israel the Ten Commandments Moses said in the book of
Numbers 32:23, "But if you fail to do this, you will be
sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that
your sin will find you out.”
A Christian who steals because “no one will
know” is not trusting God to meet their needs and they
don’t fear God, but a Christian who is constantly aware
of God presence is keenly aware that God knows what I
need and He will provide.
Conclusion,
Why is stealing wrong?-Many reasons, but
fundamentally stealing is a sin because it shows a lack of
trust in God.
Do those six characteristics describe you as a Christian?
Content with life?
Rather work for what you have?
Patient with God’s timing?
Grateful?
God’s standards are your standards?
Perfectly aware of God’s watchful gaze?
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If you scoreid high in those areas then you are a
Christian who trusts God to provide for you. However, I
think we all scored low in some area.
It all boils down to this…do you trust God to
provide for you and your family 100% of the time?
And think about this…If God provides a way for
us to be forgiven of all our sin, through the shed blood of
Christ, why wouldn’t He provide for all our physical
needs?
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