Sermon Follow-Up
In this past Sunday’s sermon on the 8th Commandment, “Do not steal”.
If you missed the sermon, you can view it here - https://www.northandersonbaptist.com/media/5bcc8yt/do-not-steal
We dove into what it means to steal, how violating this command is a sin against the providence of God, the image of God in man, and against the community in general and why this matters so much.
If you remember, as we looked into the application of the text, I highlighted that though this command, like the rest of them, includes a “do not”, it also implies a do.
As a blood bought child of God, our hearts have been changed and our lives transformed. In regard this, the Apostle Paul writing to believers in Ephesians 4:28 said “Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need”
Tim Keller once wonderfully said, “You have not stopped being a thief (biblically speaking), when you have stopped taking. You have stopped being a thief when you start giving.”
That’s really the heart of our application of Exodus 20:15.
By all mean, the text forbids us from taking, receiving, obtaining, or keeping that which does not belong to us but when seen through the lens of the Gospel that has transformed us, it implies that we’re commanded to be a generous people.
There’s a familiar story in the New Testament that captures the essence of this, beautifully.
I am sure you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan
“Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”
“You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
“The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.” – Luke 10:25-37 (CSB)
In this parable of Jesus, we find a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and falling prey to thieves. They took his goods, beat him and stripped him of his clothing. A priest passed by without helping him. A Levite also passed by without aiding him. But a Samaritan stopped and helped the man. He took him to an inn and paid for his room.
In this text, we see three examples of violating the 8th Commandment.
The thieves do so by taking and the Priest and Levite by what they fail to give.
The view of the thieves was: "What is yours is mine, and I will take it."
The view of the Priest and Levite was: "What is mine is mine, and I will keep it."
The view of the Samaritan was: "What is mine is God's, and I will give it."
We all view possessions in a certain way. Our view is not so much found in what we say about things, money and possessions as it is expressed by what we do with things, money and possessions.
May we gladly and without reservation submit our hearts, minds, wills and possessions to God and be a people who live in accordance with this 8th commandment in our not taking what doesn’t belong to us as well as our generosity in what, by God’s grace and blessing, does.
In Christ alone,
Pastor DK
If you missed the sermon, you can view it here - https://www.northandersonbaptist.com/media/5bcc8yt/do-not-steal
We dove into what it means to steal, how violating this command is a sin against the providence of God, the image of God in man, and against the community in general and why this matters so much.
If you remember, as we looked into the application of the text, I highlighted that though this command, like the rest of them, includes a “do not”, it also implies a do.
As a blood bought child of God, our hearts have been changed and our lives transformed. In regard this, the Apostle Paul writing to believers in Ephesians 4:28 said “Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need”
Tim Keller once wonderfully said, “You have not stopped being a thief (biblically speaking), when you have stopped taking. You have stopped being a thief when you start giving.”
That’s really the heart of our application of Exodus 20:15.
By all mean, the text forbids us from taking, receiving, obtaining, or keeping that which does not belong to us but when seen through the lens of the Gospel that has transformed us, it implies that we’re commanded to be a generous people.
There’s a familiar story in the New Testament that captures the essence of this, beautifully.
I am sure you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan
“Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”
“You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus took up the question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
“The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.” – Luke 10:25-37 (CSB)
In this parable of Jesus, we find a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and falling prey to thieves. They took his goods, beat him and stripped him of his clothing. A priest passed by without helping him. A Levite also passed by without aiding him. But a Samaritan stopped and helped the man. He took him to an inn and paid for his room.
In this text, we see three examples of violating the 8th Commandment.
The thieves do so by taking and the Priest and Levite by what they fail to give.
The view of the thieves was: "What is yours is mine, and I will take it."
The view of the Priest and Levite was: "What is mine is mine, and I will keep it."
The view of the Samaritan was: "What is mine is God's, and I will give it."
We all view possessions in a certain way. Our view is not so much found in what we say about things, money and possessions as it is expressed by what we do with things, money and possessions.
May we gladly and without reservation submit our hearts, minds, wills and possessions to God and be a people who live in accordance with this 8th commandment in our not taking what doesn’t belong to us as well as our generosity in what, by God’s grace and blessing, does.
In Christ alone,
Pastor DK
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