1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,320 Our scripture today is taken from the book of Exodus, the Gospels, and Acts chapter 5. 2 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:16,800 I invite you to join me in reading it as it is found printed in our worship folder. 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:22,280 Then God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out 4 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,180 of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 5 00:00:26,180 --> 00:00:42,960 You shall not steal. 6 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:50,320 Jesus said, Truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold 7 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:57,480 of the sheep, but climbs in some other way, he is a thief and a robber, but he who enters 8 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:12,160 by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 9 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:17,720 Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 10 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:30,800 I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly. 11 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:36,640 But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property and 12 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:42,240 kept back some of the price for himself with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a 13 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:58,200 portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 14 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:04,280 Then Peter said to Sapphira, Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit 15 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,120 of the LORD to the test? 16 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,200 Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall 17 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,560 carry you out as well. 18 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:33,400 And she fell immediately and breathed her last. 19 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,840 I read this past week of a way to get rid of one's garbage without having to pay for 20 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,920 it. 21 00:02:40,920 --> 00:02:47,920 During the Refuse Workers' Strike in New York City a few years ago, one desperate 22 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:51,720 householder discovered this method. 23 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:57,560 He gift-wrapped his garbage and left it on the front seat of his unlocked car all day 24 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:59,160 long. 25 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,140 By evening, it was gone. 26 00:03:03,140 --> 00:03:09,800 We smile at his ingenuity, but we must also confess the tragedy of it. 27 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,600 Stealing has become that predictable. 28 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:21,080 From shoplifting to credit card misuse, and burglaries to computer crimes, stealing has 29 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,920 become a way of life for many in our society. 30 00:03:25,920 --> 00:03:28,760 And we all pay for it. 31 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:35,480 Its cost is built into the prices that we pay and the taxes that we complain about. 32 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:41,640 Some kinds of stealing have been considered acceptable. 33 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,960 Not so bad. 34 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:51,080 It is said about them, quote, if no one in particular is hurt, then what's wrong, close 35 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,600 quote. 36 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,680 And so there are some people who wouldn't steal a car but who don't feel guilty about 37 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:02,240 padding their expense accounts. 38 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:07,560 There are those who would never mug somebody in a park, but they wouldn't think twice 39 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:13,320 about stealing time from their employers. 40 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:21,160 In whatever form stealing takes place, God says in Exodus 20, verse 15, you shall not 41 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,940 steal. 42 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:30,040 That very command is a recognition of the God-given right to possess property. 43 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,520 It is a blow against communism. 44 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:38,600 Ultimately, all things belong to God. 45 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:46,240 He then gives the privilege of stewardship possession to mankind. 46 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:53,440 He may at any point that he chooses interfere with that possession, as he did with Job, 47 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:55,840 for example. 48 00:04:55,840 --> 00:05:01,600 But God absolutely forbids another person from interfering with the right to possess 49 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,200 property. 50 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:08,920 Stealing is sin in the eyes of God. 51 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:09,920 What is stealing? 52 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,400 How is it defined? 53 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,840 Webster puts it this way. 54 00:05:14,840 --> 00:05:23,480 Stealing is to take or appropriate without permission, dishonestly or unlawfully, especially 55 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:28,920 in a secret or surreptitious manner. 56 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:35,240 Two or three years ago now, our family went to bed in one hot August evening. 57 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:40,820 The fan was blowing upstairs to cover up the night sounds so that we might go to sleep 58 00:05:40,820 --> 00:05:43,320 more quickly. 59 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:48,120 About one o'clock in the morning, I thought I heard the doorbell. 60 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:55,400 I wasn't sure if it was in my dream or if it was the nightmare of reality. 61 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,440 I tried to ignore it, and then I heard it again. 62 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:03,880 I got up and went down to the door to see who might be there. 63 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,680 A little frightened. 64 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,480 When I got there, I looked through the glass and saw red lights flashing out in front of 65 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:12,760 our house. 66 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:20,480 And so I quickly awakened from my stupor and opened the door to find a police officer there. 67 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,680 He said, we've been trying to wake you for the last 10 minutes. 68 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,000 I said, I'm sorry, and I explained the situation. 69 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:32,800 He said, we caught these people coming out of your house, and we want you to identify 70 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:37,840 the things that they have in the bag. 71 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:42,740 What had happened was one of our neighbors up the street got up about 1230 to get a drink 72 00:06:42,740 --> 00:06:45,680 of water and looked out his window. 73 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:51,940 And it just so happened that as he did, he saw a car come down our street slowly. 74 00:06:51,940 --> 00:06:52,940 He watched it. 75 00:06:52,940 --> 00:06:55,920 Two men got out, another man drove on. 76 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,920 The two walked into a garage about a half a block away. 77 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:05,000 And so he called the police, and they came quietly and staked out our street. 78 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:10,280 It wasn't too long until the two men came out of that garage, tried another one, it 79 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:12,040 was locked, and then came to ours. 80 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,080 I had carelessly left the door unlocked. 81 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:16,680 And so they watched them go into our garage. 82 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:21,640 In a few minutes later, they came out down our driveway, and they arrested them that 83 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:22,640 fast. 84 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:28,440 One of them tried to get away, but there was an officer of the K-9 unit there, and he got 85 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,840 his partner on that person. 86 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:35,040 And it wasn't long before all three of them were rounded up. 87 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,280 So I went out and looked in the bag, and sure enough, here was some food from our freezer 88 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:42,560 as well as some other assorted items from our garage, all worth at least a total of 89 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:47,160 49 or 50 cents. 90 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:53,440 Burglary struck home to me on that particular evening, and I understood the invasion of 91 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:57,280 privacy that it is. 92 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,360 None of us condones that kind of stealing. 93 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,640 We rightly condemn it. 94 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:08,760 But before we condemn it too vociferously, perhaps we should think again regarding the 95 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:16,440 question of Romans 2, 21, where it says, You who preach that one should not steal, do you 96 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:17,440 steal? 97 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:22,080 Well, we would quickly avow that we do not steal. 98 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:26,840 And perhaps we don't in the blatant sense that I've described in my illustration from 99 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:27,840 home. 100 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:33,880 But I'd like for you to think with me this morning regarding the fact that stealing may 101 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:41,680 be a little more broadly practiced than we usually think. 102 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:46,480 I believe that stealing includes a number of activities, some of which are deemed acceptable 103 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:48,240 in our society. 104 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:57,200 For example, number one, I believe that excessive profits and excessive professional fees are 105 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:01,000 a form of thievery. 106 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:09,600 In other words, charging more than a fair price for product or service, and thus taking 107 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:17,240 from another's goods without an equitable return, is a form of thievery, whether it 108 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:26,920 is practiced by oil companies, banks, retailers, or a professional to charge excessively above 109 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:35,880 what is reasonable is a form, however subtly, of stealing. 110 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:41,520 You and I are often not in a position to be able to say for certain whether this corporation 111 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:46,160 or that company or this person may be stealing in this sense. 112 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:53,160 We don't know all the facts that are involved in why the fee is what it is. 113 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:59,800 A person who's involved in giving that service or producing that product has to answer before 114 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,480 God really as to whether it is stealing or not. 115 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:08,120 But I submit to you that it can be stealing to charge excessively in these matters. 116 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,480 You say, well, that's just good old-fashioned capitalism. 117 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:17,320 Listen, I believe in capitalism, but capitalism has a problem. 118 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,200 The problem with capitalism is not the system. 119 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:24,360 It's the sinners who use it. 120 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:30,800 The problem with capitalism is the greed of the human heart. 121 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:35,920 I believe that nations can be guilty in a similar way of taking advantage of weaker 122 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:42,800 nations, perhaps charging them excessively or exporting their raw materials, refusing 123 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:50,080 to allow them to export their manufactured goods, and then returning to them that nation's 124 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,440 own manufactured goods at an exorbitant price. 125 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:59,160 I think the United States can be guilty and has been guilty of this, of in effect robbing 126 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,280 third world countries. 127 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:07,320 And there are many nations that practice this kind of imperialism or colonialism, take advantage 128 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:13,640 of others by charging excessively or taking advantage. 129 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:15,960 That is a form of thievery. 130 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:24,080 Furthermore, I believe that the failure to pay a fair wage is stealing. 131 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:33,080 Or to put in the time for which one is paid, or to do adequate work during one's hours 132 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,680 is a form of stealing. 133 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:42,480 James puts it this way in his book, come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries 134 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:44,720 which are coming upon you. 135 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:51,480 The pay of the laborers who mowed your fields and which has been withheld by you cries out 136 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,320 against you. 137 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:59,740 And the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, 138 00:11:59,740 --> 00:12:02,560 the Lord of hosts. 139 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:10,640 Failure to pay what is due to one's employees, or for an employee not to give his employer 140 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:16,880 fair work for the pay is thievery. 141 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:23,000 A third form of subtle stealing is that of failure to pay one's debts. 142 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:29,080 The careless spending of more than one earns often results in debt. 143 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:33,040 Let me say that I think Christians should show compassion to those who legitimately 144 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,720 cannot pay their bills. 145 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:42,440 In Matthew 18, 21 the verse is following, Jesus gave a parable that was designed to 146 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:47,000 emphasize the importance of forgiveness. 147 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,880 But there is a second lesson in that parable in the fact that we are to be compassionate 148 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:56,980 and forgiving to those who legitimately cannot pay their bills. 149 00:12:56,980 --> 00:13:03,080 The problem is that there are those who do this by design in our day, who deliberately 150 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:09,080 charge up their accounts and never plan to pay them. 151 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,240 That is a breaking of the eighth commandment. 152 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,700 Extortion likewise is stealing. 153 00:13:16,700 --> 00:13:28,280 Extortion is the use or the threat of force to wrest from another person money. 154 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:34,240 The soldiers and tax gatherers in Jesus' day were famous for this. 155 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:38,760 Some of them listened to John the Baptist preach his message of repentance and inquired 156 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:42,120 what the fruits of repentance might be for them. 157 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:49,080 He replied, do not take money from anyone by force. 158 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:54,040 Extortion is a way of stealing. 159 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:58,000 Likewise business fraud is a form of thievery. 160 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:05,600 In Proverbs 11, 1 the Lord says a false balance is an abomination to him. 161 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:12,840 In other words a commercial scale, a balance that has been altered or tampered with in 162 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:19,060 order to give extra money to the seller. 163 00:14:19,060 --> 00:14:25,360 That false balance is an abomination to God because it is fraudulent. 164 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:30,800 Whether it is investment schemes or false travel agencies or as happened notably in 165 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:36,400 our community a few months ago, attorneys who take their clients money for personal 166 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:37,840 use. 167 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,640 These things are all forms of fraud. 168 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:45,840 Not only are they illegal, they are sin in the eyes of God. 169 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:52,120 I think likewise that the sales tactic of bait and switch is fraud. 170 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,240 You know the tactic? 171 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,320 Come in and buy this piano for $295. 172 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,480 It's a great deal. 173 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,520 And you go in and look at it, it's a piece of junk. 174 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,160 But you're in the store now and so the salesman takes you from that piano to the one that 175 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,440 costs $995 and tries to sell you that one. 176 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:11,200 It's called the old bait and switch tactic. 177 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:15,600 That's fraud and it's sin. 178 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:24,920 We are today seeing a lot of television advertisements, mail orders that are misleading. 179 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:33,720 I remember seeing one for a personal clothes dryer that could be used in your home or apartment. 180 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:40,120 Did not require installation of electricity or gas or vents. 181 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:45,800 That was yours for only what, $19.95? 182 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:46,800 And what was it? 183 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:50,640 A 10 foot piece of clothes line and some clothes pins? 184 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,420 That was your personal clothes dryer? 185 00:15:54,420 --> 00:16:01,400 You see that kind of fraud is stealing from people and God condemns it. 186 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,680 Likewise bribery is included as stealing. 187 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:12,760 In Exodus 23, 8 God says, you shall not take a bribe for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted 188 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:17,600 and subverts the cause of the just. 189 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,120 Whether it be for a traffic ticket or a political vote. 190 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:23,120 Bribery is wrong. 191 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:24,540 It is stealing. 192 00:16:24,540 --> 00:16:30,080 If it is not stealing money, it is stealing influence. 193 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:35,040 And then we get these brochures that come to our offices that say, order this product 194 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:40,600 for your office and receive this personal free gift. 195 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,680 What is that if not a subtle form of bribery? 196 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:44,960 It's not a free gift. 197 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:46,240 Don't kid yourself. 198 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,540 The office is going to pay for that free gift that you get. 199 00:16:50,540 --> 00:16:52,760 That is stealing. 200 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:57,800 We don't like to think of it that way perhaps, but it is nonetheless. 201 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:06,480 A seventh form of stealing that we see too frequently, even in churches, is the duplicating 202 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,880 of copyrighted materials without permission of the copyright holder. 203 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:18,360 I recognize that the laws can be difficult to interpret in this area, but we must be 204 00:17:18,360 --> 00:17:21,600 very careful about that. 205 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,200 I know of one local church here in the Twin Cities area that thought they had appropriate 206 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:33,640 permission to copy choruses, but last year they were nonetheless fined by one publisher 207 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,000 nearly $30,000. 208 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:43,880 The Archdiocese of Chicago paid over a million dollars in fines to a publisher for this same 209 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:45,800 reason. 210 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,040 You may feel, well listen, I've paid enough for that. 211 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:52,720 I think I should have the right to copy it and use it freely as I want to. 212 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:58,120 Well, I understand the sentiments that are involved there, but we have to realize that 213 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:03,040 what has been printed or what has been composed and copyrighted is the living of the person 214 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,760 who did the work. 215 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:12,460 And for us to abuse that work is to steal from their livelihood. 216 00:18:12,460 --> 00:18:18,320 It is a breaking of the Eighth Commandment. 217 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,000 Stealing that all of us face is that of inflation. 218 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,400 Inflation robs us of our wages and our goods. 219 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:30,920 It's usually due to the government spending out of control and borrowing vast amounts 220 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:31,920 of money. 221 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:36,120 At the present time, inflation is low. 222 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:39,360 How would you like somebody to come and steal three and a half cents out of every dollar 223 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:40,640 that you earn this year? 224 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:43,900 Well, it's going to happen. 225 00:18:43,900 --> 00:18:48,240 Inflation may be low, but it's a thief. 226 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:53,560 God also tells us that stealing is to take advantage of the poor. 227 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:59,240 You look a little too sedate there, so would you open your Bibles please to Proverbs 22 228 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:04,640 and look at a couple of verses with me. 229 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:10,680 Proverbs 22, verses 22 and 23. 230 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:19,400 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord 231 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:25,000 will plead their case and take the life of those who rob them. 232 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,520 Who is the avenger of the poor and the oppressed? 233 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:32,320 Well, I'll tell you one thing, it's not the Communist Party. 234 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,320 It's not the leftist groups. 235 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:41,600 The avenger of the poor and the oppressed is God Himself. 236 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:43,880 Look back in verse 16. 237 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:51,080 He who oppresses the poor to make much for himself, or who gives to the rich, and the 238 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:58,480 idea there is to give them a bride to gain advantage, will only come to poverty. 239 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,920 To take advantage of the poor is to steal. 240 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:07,760 And I think one of the ways that that is being done increasingly in our society is by gambling 241 00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,600 and by the lottery. 242 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:16,640 However you cut the cake, through the lottery there is a disproportionate amount of so-called 243 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,820 revenue that will come from the poor. 244 00:20:20,820 --> 00:20:26,640 I think one news commentator put it well this last week when he said that it is taking from 245 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:31,400 the poor to give to the desperate. 246 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,040 That's about all that it amounts to. 247 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:40,360 A disproportionate amount of that which is raised comes from those who can least afford 248 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:43,680 it. 249 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:53,360 G. Campbell Morgan writes these scathing words that need to be heard today in our state. 250 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:59,240 The whole habit of gambling is of the essence of theft. 251 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:05,160 A man who gambles, whether by play or betting, puts into his pocket money for which he has 252 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,360 done no honest work. 253 00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:14,120 And by the very act he robs the man from whom he receives and violates the law of love. 254 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:19,640 There is no more insidious evil sapping away the integrity and uprightness of the nations 255 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:26,440 of the earth today than this lust for possession without toil which lies at the root of all 256 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:27,680 gambling. 257 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:33,720 It behooves all lovers of God and men, resolutely and without apology, to thunder the words 258 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:39,520 of the Eighth Commandment in the ears of all gamblers, whether their practices are gilded 259 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:44,480 by the glory of a court or tarnished by the vulgarity of a slum. 260 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:49,800 And may I add or propose by the state of Minnesota. 261 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:53,040 Gambling is sin and it's wrong in the eyes of God. 262 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:58,120 God has provided for mankind three ways in which to increase wealth. 263 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:04,560 Industry, that is work, toil, labor. 264 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:09,600 Inheritance, by which we are given money. 265 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:14,180 And thirdly by wise investment of our money. 266 00:22:14,180 --> 00:22:19,680 Those are three honorable ways for us to increase our wealth. 267 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:24,800 Gambling is a desire to get something for nothing. 268 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:26,760 Gambling is a vice. 269 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:30,160 It is not honorable. 270 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:34,960 It is reprehensible that the morality of our state leaders has gone to the point that it 271 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:42,700 has that we think that we have to use this device of vice in order to help fund our state 272 00:22:42,700 --> 00:22:49,080 government in any form. 273 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,200 It is taking advantage of the poor. 274 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,560 It is dishonorable in the eyes of God. 275 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:02,640 Stealing also, number ten, is to take advantage of another's compassion or to take advantage 276 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,520 of the welfare system. 277 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:09,560 Illegitimate advantage of the welfare system, I should say. 278 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:15,880 In 2 Thessalonians 3 verses 7 to 12, we have a statement in the New Testament of the work 279 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:22,720 ethic, and I want you to know that from Genesis right on through the Bible, God exalts the 280 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:24,640 work ethic. 281 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:31,600 It is His plan for people to work, to earn for themselves. 282 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:37,400 Essentially what it boils down to in that text is that if a person will not work, he 283 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:42,360 should not eat off of others either. 284 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:47,880 Basically what was happening was that there were some people who for whatever reasons 285 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:52,280 were leeches off of other believers. 286 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,240 That is not an honorable way to live. 287 00:23:55,240 --> 00:24:01,760 I want to quickly say that I believe that there is a place for us to assist those who 288 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:04,780 have genuine needs. 289 00:24:04,780 --> 00:24:07,800 We need to assist them. 290 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,560 That is not the problem with our welfare system today. 291 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:17,280 The problem with our welfare system today is that it is overloaded by people who do 292 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,280 not have legitimate needs. 293 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:26,000 And consequently it is crushing society in general. 294 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,880 And there is quite a reaction to it, and rightly so. 295 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,680 Stealing is to take advantage of another's compassion when it is not really needed, or 296 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:42,480 to take advantage of a welfare system, just genuinely. 297 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:50,560 Stealing also can be found in another context. 298 00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:54,040 Thus far we have looked basically at a social context. 299 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,920 We have looked horizontally at our relationships with other people. 300 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,080 But turn with me to the book of Malachi. 301 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,840 If you are not sure where that is, go to Matthew and put it in reverse. 302 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,080 You will come to it. 303 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:17,960 In Malachi the third chapter, verses 8 and 9, God speaks through His prophet and says 304 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:23,200 this to Israel, will a man rob God? 305 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:29,560 Yet you are robbing me, but you say how have we robbed thee? 306 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:34,200 God's response is in tithes and offerings. 307 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:40,680 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 308 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:45,600 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. 309 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:50,660 And test me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows 310 00:25:50,660 --> 00:25:55,120 of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 311 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:57,560 You see I did not know we taught tithing in our church. 312 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:58,560 Well we don't. 313 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:02,480 There are people who have convictions about tithing and that's fine. 314 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,160 But we do not teach tithing as a New Testament principle for giving. 315 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:07,840 There is a higher principle. 316 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,880 It is the principle of proportionate giving. 317 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:16,200 The tithe is merely the basis, it's merely the starting point. 318 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:20,600 The basis of giving in the New Testament is that of grace. 319 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:25,280 We give back to God out of gratitude for the gracious blessings that He pours into our 320 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:26,280 lives. 321 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:32,440 And so there is not a direct interpretation of this passage to us, but there is an application 322 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:35,200 that is here. 323 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:43,900 If I selfishly withhold my giving to the Lord, I am robbing God of what is due to Him. 324 00:26:43,900 --> 00:26:46,280 God says so Himself. 325 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:52,680 This is stealing in another context, in a spiritual context, in a vertical relationship 326 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:54,120 with God. 327 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:55,740 And brother it applies. 328 00:26:55,740 --> 00:26:56,740 It applies. 329 00:26:56,740 --> 00:27:03,680 Failure to give God what is rightfully His in my giving to the Lord's work is to be 330 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,640 a thief. 331 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,920 And it's serious. 332 00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,040 There's another way in which one can steal. 333 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:19,440 We find this in the Old Testament as well, illustrated in 2 Samuel 15, 6, where it says 334 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:27,000 Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel, thus far we have talked about goods, 335 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:28,000 property and money. 336 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,680 But now we talk about loyalty. 337 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:38,880 God says regarding Absalom, David's son, that he stole the hearts or the loyalty of 338 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,240 the followers of his father. 339 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:48,960 And he nearly pulled off a coup because he was a thief. 340 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:54,600 A thief of loyalty of the followers of the leader. 341 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:59,960 That too is a breaking of the 8th commandment. 342 00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:06,840 And so perhaps you can see that the sin of stealing is much more common than we might 343 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,000 initially think it is. 344 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:17,400 In fact, even some of us who are here today may in effect be stealing and not be aware 345 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,200 of the fact that we've been stealing. 346 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:27,520 What does the Bible say to us New Testament Christians regarding this matter of stealing? 347 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:33,640 Well, the first thing the Bible says in the New Testament is this, that we need to recognize 348 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:40,680 that thieves, all thieves, need to be saved and can be by the grace of God. 349 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:51,320 Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and look at these hopeful verses with me. 350 00:28:51,320 --> 00:29:00,480 Beginning in verse 9, or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom 351 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:02,880 of God? 352 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,640 Now he begins to break down what unrighteous means. 353 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:08,360 He says, do not be deceived about this. 354 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:20,200 Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, 355 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:28,000 nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of 356 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,000 God. 357 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:35,680 I mean, it could not be more clear in the Bible that those who practice these sins have 358 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,200 no place in heaven. 359 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:40,080 The gates of heaven are barred to them. 360 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,720 The kingdom of God will never be their experience. 361 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,680 They will not inherit it. 362 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:49,600 It includes thieves, those who have stolen. 363 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:57,400 I care not if it be a piece of candy from the corner grocery store or a million dollars 364 00:29:57,400 --> 00:30:01,680 from a bank. 365 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:07,280 Now there is difference in degree of what the hurt was to those who suffered the loss, 366 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:12,600 but in the eyes of God the offense is sin. 367 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:16,760 It is stealing in either case. 368 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:20,440 God says that thieves shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 369 00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:26,560 To thank God, it goes on to say in verse 11, and such were some of you. 370 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:33,000 And he says, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name 371 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:37,640 of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. 372 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:42,880 You see, thieves can be saved and need to be saved. 373 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:45,480 They can be washed from their sin. 374 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:52,480 They can be sanctified and set apart from that kind of life, made clean. 375 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,680 They can be justified, that is declared right in the eyes of God. 376 00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:57,680 Why? 377 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:03,720 Because the Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and there suffered in the place 378 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:04,720 of thieves. 379 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:12,240 Indeed, he died with two of them, one of whom was forgiven. 380 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:18,760 The Lord Jesus Christ in his sacrifice at Calvary paid the price for our sin, including 381 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:22,360 all the stealing that we've done. 382 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:27,560 When we come to him and receive him as Savior, we are justified in the eyes of God. 383 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,000 It doesn't mean that our stealing was right, it means it was terribly wrong, it was sin, 384 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:38,040 but God forgives it for Jesus' sake because he paid the price for that sin. 385 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:43,720 We need to recognize that thieves need to be saved and can be saved by the grace of 386 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:46,240 God. 387 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,640 But there's more to be said to thieves in the New Testament than that. 388 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:52,880 Turn with me to Ephesians. 389 00:31:52,880 --> 00:32:01,760 The fourth chapter, verse 28, Paul seems to be addressing some believers who may have 390 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:08,560 backslidden, believers who may have reverted to some of their old ways. 391 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:18,320 He says to believers in verse 28 of the fourth chapter, let him who steals, steal no longer, 392 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:23,080 but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that 393 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:28,280 he may have something to share with him who has need. 394 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:34,800 We need to understand that dishonesty, thievery, and stealing of any sort is not allowed for 395 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:37,340 a child of God. 396 00:32:37,340 --> 00:32:40,720 We are to be an upright and honest people. 397 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:46,360 We are to work with our own hands, earn an honest living, and not just for ourselves 398 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:52,760 but so that we may have to give to those who have need. 399 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:59,480 God says, let him who steals, steal no more. 400 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:05,520 What does one do when the conscience is guilty about this matter of stealing? 401 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:11,400 When the Holy Spirit has convicted of this sin and there is pressure within, just as 402 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,140 some of you may be experiencing right at this moment. 403 00:33:15,140 --> 00:33:17,520 What is one to do in a case like that? 404 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:22,400 It seems to me that there are two things that must be done. 405 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:28,560 First of all, we have to honestly admit to God what we have been doing. 406 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:33,840 It may be that we have not even recognized our sin before this, but now we do. 407 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:37,160 We have to recognize it and admit it to God. 408 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:38,160 That is confession. 409 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:44,840 1 John 1-9 assures us that if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and He is just. 410 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:51,360 He has the right to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 411 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:52,360 That is the first step. 412 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:56,240 That is where we have to begin. 413 00:33:56,240 --> 00:34:02,720 So if you are this morning distressed because of some episode in your life, that is where 414 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:04,920 it starts. 415 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:09,240 It may have happened years ago and you have tried to bury that thing over and over again, 416 00:34:09,240 --> 00:34:13,560 but just like a balloon that is under water, it keeps popping back to the surface. 417 00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:18,400 You push it down again, you try to suppress it and pop it and it comes up again. 418 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,680 How do you get rid of something like that? 419 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:23,760 Well, it begins here. 420 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:28,200 By an honest confession to God, what we have done. 421 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:29,200 That is the starting point. 422 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:31,960 Have you done that? 423 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:37,280 It may be in your tax returns. 424 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:45,240 It may be something that happened in your office last year or years ago that no one 425 00:34:45,240 --> 00:34:49,480 knows about but you. 426 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:51,080 It starts with a confession to God. 427 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,240 But there is a second step. 428 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:57,200 That is the step of restitution. 429 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:03,680 What this means is that we must be willing to go back to those people that we can and 430 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:08,720 make right what we can. 431 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:12,760 You say, won't God forgive me unless I do that? 432 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:20,120 The point is that your conscience will not be clear unless you are willing to do that. 433 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:22,880 Maybe that is the reason that it keeps coming to the surface. 434 00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:28,260 You have confessed it to God but you haven't made it right with people. 435 00:35:28,260 --> 00:35:34,240 You see, stealing is the kind of a sin that involves that dimension. 436 00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:39,120 We confess it to God to be forgiven of it but for our consciences to be cleared, we 437 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:45,120 have to go to the people that we have offended. 438 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:49,800 It may be writing the IRS a dear IRS letter. 439 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:53,360 You say, wait a minute, there are going to be fines and there is going to be interest. 440 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,100 That is right. 441 00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:57,640 It may be costly. 442 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:03,280 How serious are you about cleansing your conscience of the guilt? 443 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,280 It may be that you are going to have to write a manager of an office you worked in at one 444 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:17,520 time and say to him or to her, here is what I did and I am sorry and here is something 445 00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,240 to try to make that up. 446 00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:25,220 Or if you can't make it up, at least apologize and ask forgiveness. 447 00:36:25,220 --> 00:36:33,800 It may be that you need to go to work and say to your boss, I am a Christian but I have 448 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:40,680 been stealing from this company and this is what I have done. 449 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:42,440 You say, I am putting my job on the line. 450 00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:43,440 That is right. 451 00:36:43,440 --> 00:36:49,560 But I have got a hunch that your company would rather have an honest employee than to get 452 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:55,000 rid of you and hire somebody they don't know. 453 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,320 So your job may be on the line. 454 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,640 At least your conscience is going to be clear. 455 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:06,200 Restitution involves going back and making right as much as we possibly can those that 456 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,880 we have offended. 457 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:11,280 Remember that short little guy down there at Jericho? 458 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,280 What was his name? 459 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:18,360 Oh yeah, Zach Keyes, the wee little fellow. 460 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,160 Remember what happened after he was converted? 461 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:24,760 He came out and announced to the crowd and he said, if I have wronged any of you, if 462 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,600 I have stolen anything, I will return it fourfold. 463 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:29,960 What happened to Zach Keyes? 464 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:36,600 He got saved and he knew in order to get his conscience clear, he needed to make it right 465 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:42,400 with people and he offered to repay fourfold what he had taken. 466 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:45,400 That is restitution. 467 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:53,000 You say, that is going to hurt my reputation. 468 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:59,040 It may help your reputation, but it may hurt it. 469 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,360 Let God take care of your reputation, my friend. 470 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:05,760 You look after your character. 471 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:10,040 Your reputation will catch up with you. 472 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:14,560 I don't know what the cost may be for you. 473 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,920 You may even risk a jail term. 474 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:25,680 But it will be worth it, because you will be able to deal with that thing that has plagued 475 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:31,000 you and burdened you all this time. 476 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,440 I challenge you to do it in obedience to God. 477 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:39,400 Undoubtedly, the most serious kind of stealing is that which is done directly against God 478 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:40,400 himself. 479 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:47,840 There is no way that we can make up to God what we may have owed him. 480 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:52,520 We can begin to take steps of obedience. 481 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:57,320 God says, you shall not steal. 482 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:01,800 And let him who steals, steal no more. 483 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:06,280 Let's pray. 484 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:13,880 With our heads bowed, our eyes closed, as the Spirit of God does that work which only 485 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:23,440 he can do in convicting us, exposing us, loving us. 486 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:30,800 My friend, will you let him have his way in your life this morning? 487 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:41,640 Will you say to the Lord in words of honest confession what you've done? 488 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:46,280 Will you commit to the Lord that you will take whatever steps are necessary to clear 489 00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:50,640 your conscience, to make restitution? 490 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:58,480 Are you willing to write letters, to go see some person, make a telephone call, to take 491 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:04,440 whatever steps you can reasonably take to make it right? 492 00:40:04,440 --> 00:40:12,040 Will you tell the Lord right now that you will do that? 493 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:19,320 Father I thank you this morning for the piercing of your word. 494 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:32,400 Sometimes it makes us angry at first, at the preacher, or at you, or at ourselves. 495 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:41,720 But thank you nonetheless that you do pierce our hearts so that we can be healthy, children 496 00:40:41,720 --> 00:40:44,720 of yours. 497 00:40:44,720 --> 00:40:50,360 This morning there are some brothers and sisters here who are struggling with weighty matters. 498 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:56,040 Some of them have been burdened with guilt for years. 499 00:40:56,040 --> 00:41:04,920 I pray that right now today or tomorrow they will take whatever steps are necessary in 500 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:08,040 order to be free from that load. 501 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:18,440 Thank you for providing that possibility for us to be free and cleansed and sanctified. 502 00:41:18,440 --> 00:41:23,440 Thank you that we can be whiter than snow. 503 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:28,360 Yes, whiter than snow. 504 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:45,200 Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. 505 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:53,320 Lord thank you for making that possible through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 506 00:41:53,320 --> 00:42:01,760 Today we come to you in humility and repentance to avail ourselves of that cleansing. 507 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:23,920 In Jesus name, Amen.