Stop Stealing

Exodus chapter 20, verse number 15, gives us the eighth commandment. Four words, you shall not steal. You shall not steal. And tonight we want to look at just three points.

The distinctives of a thief is number one. The dangers of thievery is number two. And the decisions for the thief is number three.

Number one, the distinctives of a thief. Turn with me to John, chapter 12. I want to give you four distinctives this evening of a thief. John chapter 12. It's when the time before Christ's death, the week before his death, and Mary is anointing Christ feet with oil. And it says in verse number four, but Judas is scarier, and one of his, disciples who was intending to betray him, said, why was this perfume not sold for 300 dinari and given to poor people? Sounds like a really good statement, doesn't it?

Well, gee, Mary, here you are, breaking this wonderful perfume over the feet, the dirty feet of Jesus, and we could have sold that money for 300 dinari and given it to poor people. And then it goes on to say, now he said that, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a what, a thief. And as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. That was Judas. The first characteristic, or the first distinctive of a thief, is that he lacks contentment.

He lacks contentment. There's a great desire to be rich. Number two, distinctive is that they lack commitment.

They lack commitment over in Matthew 21. Matthew 21, after Christ had come into the city of Jerusalem for the triumphal entry, he came into the temple in verse number 12, and it says, And Jesus entered the temple and cast out all those who are buying and selling in the temple and overturn the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who are selling doves. and he said to them, it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, and you are making it a robber's den. These people lacked commitment to their God.

And they used that house of worship, that house of prayer, that place that was set aside to honor God and to quietly meditate upon the truce of God. They used it for something else. They used it for their own ends. They used it for their own benefit. They used it to extort money from people who came and had to offer sacrifices, and they charged over and above that to gain money for themselves, and they were robbing from God's people. And Christ said that you have made my house a robbers den. This is a house of prayer.

It's a house of devotion, where people are to come and get close to me, and you have used it to take from them. Why? Because they lacked commitment to their God. Turn with me over to the book of Malachi, last book in the Old Testament.

Malachi chapter three, God asks a question. In verse number eight, will a man rob God? He asked that question. And we have to come back and ask ourselves a question, will we rob God? Do we steal from God? And the way you have to answer that is, have you given your life to God? If the answer is yes, then anything that you take that belongs to him without consecrating it to him is thievery, is theft, because you're robbing from God what is already his. And you can't do. that and so God asks a question will a man rob God first Corinthians 6 19 and 20 tells us that we've been bought with a price we are no longer our own God owns us he owns us by creation and he owns us by recreation because we've been recreated in his image he bought us back therefore we are his and if what we have is not totally consecrated to him and given back to him then we are robbing from God.

That's very important to understand. When you live for self and self alone, you steal from God because your commitment is to yourself and not to God. And so a distinctive characteristic of a thief is that he lacks commitment. Psalm 24, verse 1 says, the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. In other words, everything belongs to God. Your house, the land in which your house sits on, the money you have, the clothes in that house, the car you drive, the earth is the Lord's, the fullest thereof.

Everything in the earth is God's. And if it's not given back to God for his purposes and use for his glory, it's theft. Let me explain it even further.

Malachi chapter 3, verse 8, will a man rob God? Malachi ministered to the the nation of Israel after their exile, about 100 years after Haggai. The temple had been finished, but the people had backslidden into a terrible carnal condition, and God had called his people a bunch of thieves. He says, will a man rob God? Yet, you are robbing me. But you say, how have we robbed thee? Well, Lord, we haven't robbed you. We haven't stolen from you, God. We're your people. And it goes on to say, you are cursed with a curse.

For you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. All of you are robbing me, he says. What we do with our money reveals our true commitment. to God. Malachi will go on to say in Malachi 3, verse 10, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house and test me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing until it overflows. There was a curse upon the nation of Israel, and I want to let you know that there is a curse upon the church of Jesus Christ today because the people of God have withheld from God what is rightfully is.

And God says, you test me. He challenges you. God says, you come and you give because I'm waiting to open up the heavens and I'm waiting for the blessings to begin to pour out of heaven upon you.

So you test me, you come, you recommit your life to me, you give back to me, and I'll show you what I'll do. You will overflow with abundance. Yet there are people all the time who say, I never have enough. I can't make ends meet. And my friends, God comes back to you and says, will you rob me? Will you steal for me what is rightfully mine? Will you keep for yourself because you won't trust me to provide for your needs? And I'm your Heavenly Father who longs to do so. God invites you to test him.

God invites you to challenge you. People lack commitment. People lack contentment. A third distinctive of a thief is that they lack compassion.

They lack compassion. John 1010 says that the thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Turn with me over to Luke chapter 10.

10. Very familiar story. I want to give you just a little twist on it this evening. The parable of the Good Samaritan. Proverbs 2824 says he who robs his father or his mother and says it is not a transgression. It is the companion of a man who destroys. A thief is someone who lacks compassion. A thief is not concerned about you. they're not concerned about your welfare they're not concerned about your health they're not concerned about your future they have no compassion for you why they're out for themselves Luke chapter 10 certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers and they stripped him and beat him and went off leaving him half dead and by chance a certain priest was going down on the road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

And likewise, the Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him. When he saw him, he felt compassion. He came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own beast and brought him to an end and took care of him. And on the next day he took out to Denari and them to the innkeeper and said take care of him and whatever more you spend when I return I will repay you says the Lord here's a man who was going down to Jerusalem or from Jerusalem to Jericho and some thieves came some robbers came and beat them up people didn't care about this man they didn't care what he was going to go do all they wanted was his clothes his food his money so they left them in the ditch half dead because they were thieves but I won't let you know something those weren't the real thieves the next two guys were the real robbers it says by chance a certain priest a certain priest was going down on that road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

That priest robbed that man of compassion. He robbed him because he would not give him what he needed in his time of need. And likewise, the Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side, There was only one man, one man who had compassion. There was only one man that day that was not a thief, and that was the Samaritan, the half-breed, because he did not lack compassion. He wanted to make sure that that man's needs were met. Refusing to do what is right is thievery.

is stealing. How many times have we robbed another individual of their reputation because of the words we've used to destroy them? Because we've lacked compassion on other people. Matthew 2239 says, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And when you don't, then you lack compassion. And if you lack compassion for your neighbor, you inevitably will steal something from your neighbor, either tangible or intangible. And lastly, not only do they lack contentment, commitment, and compassion, but they also lack character.

that is they operate with deceit. Your character is what you are in the dark when no one else is around. Proverbs 29, 24, says he who is a partner with a thief hates his own life. The bottom line is that a man who steals lacks character. They lack the integrity, the honesty, the truthfulness of living what they say they are. Kent Hughes in his book, the disciplines of grace. says these words. As the 1990s began, James Patterson and Peter Kim conducted the largest survey of morals ever taken anywhere and published the results in the 1991 bestseller, the day America told the truth.

This is their conclusion about workers in America. The so-called protested ethic is long gone from today's American workplace. Workers' around America frankly admit that they spend more than 20% of their time at work totally goofing off. That amounts to a four-day work week across the nation. Almost half of us admit to chronic malingering, calling in sick when we are not sick, and doing it regularly. One in six Americans regularly drink or use drugs on the job. Only one in four in four give work their best effort.

Only one in four work to realize there are human potential rather than merely to keep the wolf from the door. Hughes would go on to say, employee theft has many faces, time theft, coming in late and leaving early. And while they're taking extended breaks and loafing whenever possible, there's work theft, doing shoddy, substandard work. There's phone theft, using the company phone for personal, personal calls, expense account theft, taking friends to lunch and reported it as, quote, business, or using company funds to make personal purchases.

Their supply pilfering, filtering, filching, envelopes, copy machine, and other company products, et cetera. How many times do employees steal from their bosses thinking that it's okay because they have put so much time in in earlier days. And if you're an employer, I got to let you know it goes both ways. Because if you don't pay your employee, what is properly do him, then you rob him as well. Colossians 4.1 says, Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a master in heaven.

So what are some of the dangers of thievery? Real quickly, Proverbs chapter 6, verse number 30, says this, men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, but when he is found he must repay sevenfold. He must give all the substance of his house. The first danger of thievery is restitution.

restitution. Kent Hughes says this. Stealing was severely penalized in the Old Testament, primarily through restitution. If one stole and disposed of a sheep or an ox, the required restitution was four sheep or five oxen. If the original animal was recovered, the restitution was double. Exodus 22, one to four. Fraud required full restitution plus one fifth, of the full value of what was taken, number five, verse number seven. If one stole another human being, restitution was to be made with the kidnapper's life.

Exodus 2116, Deuteronomy 24-7. The purpose behind the Eighth Commandment was readily apparent, a well-regulated society that respected and protected one another's property. You see, this was what this commandment sent us around. You've got to respect other people, and you've got to respect what other people have. Therefore, if you steal from them, you've got to pay them back. What did Zakiya say? After he had stolen from all those people, he was a tax gatherer. He says, I'm going to pay him back fourfold.

I'm going to give half of what I got to the Lord, and I'm going to pay him back fourfold. I'm going to do what needs to be done. If you rob another person of compassion, if you rob God, you will find yourself humiliated as well. Because humiliation is one of the dangers of thievery. It's going to come your way. It's one of the end products of those who long to steal. It can land you in jail. And thirdly, the greatest danger of thievery is condemnation.

First Corinthians 6.10 says these words. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse number 10 Do not be deceived Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God If you're a thief If you're one if you're one who habitually practices thievery. The Bible says that you will never inherit the kingdom of God.

Because condemnation comes to those who seek to rob others of what God wants them to have. Which brings us to our third point, what's the decision for a thief?

Well, number one, you've got to seek salvation. Because 1 Corinthians 6 goes on to say, And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God. Seek salvation is number one.

Number two, stop stealing. Turn with me over to Ephesians chapter four. Verse number 28, Paul says this, let him who steals steal no longer. It's time to stop. If you have stolen from your brother, if you've taken something that's not yours, if you have refused to give that compassionate concern towards your brother, stop it, Paul says. You've got to stop doing those things. If you've stolen from God, you've got to stop. Today's the day you've got to stop. Today's the day you've got to turn things around.

Peter said this way in 1 Peter 4, 1st number 15, let none of you suffer as a murderer and let none of you suffer as a thief. Today is the day to stop. And God wants to help you to do that. Does he have you? All you got to ask yourself is, what are you withholding from it? For anything that you have that you cannot give away, you don't own it. it owns you and the only answer for the Christian is I can't give God away the reason of me is because he owns you but anything else outside of God if it owns you he doesn't have all of you and you will rob God stop stealing Paul says today is the day to stop.

And he says, start sharing. He says, let him who steal, steal no longer, but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Now, did you get that? You work. You labor. You work hard. He's referring to manual labor. Listen, man, work is honorable. Work is not a result of the curse. It's not. Work is a good thing. Adam worked before the curse ever came. And the Bible says that six days manned to work.

Not five, not four, not three, six days, man is to work. Seventh, he used to rest. He used to rest that one day. In 2, Thessalonian 3, 10 to 11 says that if you don't work, you don't eat. if you don't work, you don't eat. You got to work because work's a good thing. It's an honorable thing. And why do you work? The Bible tells you. You work not so you can get more, not so you can have a better car, not so you can have more clothes, not so you can have a bigger house. That's not why you work. You work so you can give more to people who are in need.

That's why you work. That's what it says. A Christian works hard so that you have enough to give to those who are in need, not so that you will have more of what you don't need. The world says you work to get. You work to build the bigger barns. You work to tear down the old barns to build bigger ones. The Bible says you work, you work hard so you can give it away.

See the difference? big difference you can never undo the act of what you've done but if you steal you can make restitution Zachias did and it was an evidence of true conversion on his part that he was willing to give back more than he had taken because he realized what God had given to him. And see, that's the crux of the matter. He realized that what Jesus did for him and wanted to do in him was more valuable than any of the money he had taken from anybody else. And God says, look, if you're not saved, you come to me.

You seek salvation, and those who diligently seek me will find me. And I'll transform your life. And you stop stealing. You stop. And the way you stop it is you start sharing all you got with as many people as you can who cannot repay you. And then you will not break the commandment. Let's pray. You shall not steal. And tonight we want to look at just three points.

The distinctives of a thief is number one. The dangers of thievery is number two, and the decisions for the thief is number three.

Number one, the distinctives of a thief. Turn with me to John, Chapter 12. I want to give you four distinctives this evening of a thief. John, chapter 12. It's when the time before Christ's death, the week before his death, and Mary is anointing Christ feet with oil. And it says in verse number four, But Judas Iskary, one of his disciples, who was intending to betray him, said, why was this perfume not sold for 300 dinari and given to poor people? Sounds like a really good statement, doesn't it? Well, gee, Mary, here you are, breaking the, this wonderful perfume over the feet, the dirty feet of Jesus, and we could have sold that money for 300 dinari and giving it to poor people.

And then it goes on to say, now he said that, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a, what, a thief? And as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. That was Judas. The first characteristic or the first distinctive of a thief is that he lacks contentment.

He lacks contentment. There's a great desire to be rich. Number two, distinctive is that they lack commitment.

They lack commitment over in Matthew 21. Matthew 21, after Christ had come into the city of Jerusalem, for the triumphal entry. He came into the temple in verse number 12, and it says, And Jesus entered the temple and cast out all those who are buying and selling in the temple and overturn the tables of the money changers, and the seats of those who are selling doves. And he said to them, it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, and you are making it a robber's den. These people lacked commitment to their God.

And they used that house of worship, that house of prayer, that place that was set aside to honor God and to quietly meditate upon the truths of God. They used it for something else. They used it for their own ends. They used it for their own benefit. They used it to extort money from people who came and had to offer sacrifices, and they charged over and above that to gain money for themselves, and they were robbing from God's people. And Christ said that you have made my house a robbers den. This is a house of prayer.

It's a house of devotion where people are to come and get close to me, and you have used it to take from them. Why? Because they lacked commitment to their God. Turn with me over to the book of Malachi, last book in the Old Testament.

Malachi chapter three, God asks questions. question. In verse number eight, will a man rob God? He asked that question. And we have to come back and ask ourselves a question, will we rob God? Do we steal from God? And the way you have to answer that is, have you given your life to God? If the answer is yes, then anything that you take that belongs to him without consecrating it to him is thievery is theft because you're robbing from God what is already his and you can't do that and so God asks a question will a man rob God 1st Corinthians 6, 19 and 20 tells us that we've been bought with a price we are no longer our own God owns us he owns us by creation and he owns us by recreation because we've been recreated in his image.

He bought us back, therefore we are his. And if what we have is not totally consecrated to him and given back to him, then we are robbing from God. That's very important to understand. When you live for self and self alone, you steal from God because your commitment is to yourself and not to God. And so a distinctive characteristic of a thief is that he lacks commitment. Psalm 24, verse 1 says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. In other words, everything belongs to God. Your house, the land in which your house sits on, the money you have, the clothes in that house, the car you drive, the earth is the Lord's, the fullness thereof.

Everything in the earth is God's. And if it's not given back to God for his purposes and use for his glory, It's theft. Let me explain it even further.

Malachi chapter 3, verse 8, will a man rob God? Malachi ministered to the nation of Israel after their exile, about 100 years after Haggai. The temple had been finished, but the people had backslidden into a terrible carnal condition and God had called his people a bunch of thieves. He says, will a man rob God? Yet, you are robbing me. But you say, how have we robbed thee? Well, Lord, we haven't robbed you. We haven't stolen from you, God. We're your people. And it goes on to say, you are cursed with a curse for you are robbing me the whole nation of you all of you are robbing me he says what we do with our money reveals our true commitment to God Malachi will go on to say in Malachi 3 verse 10 bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house and test me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing until it overflows.

There was a curse upon the nation of Israel, and I want to let you know that there is a curse upon the church of Jesus Christ today, because the people of God have withheld from God what is rightfully his. And God says, you test me.

He challenges you. God says, you come and you give because I'm waiting to open up the heavens, and I'm waiting for the blessings to begin to pour out of heaven upon you.

So you test me, you come, you recommit your life to me, you give back to me, and I'll show you what I'll do. You will overflow with abundance. Yet there are people all the time who say, I never have enough. I can't make ends meet. And my friends, God comes back to you and says, will you rob me? Will you steal for me what is rightfully mine? Will you keep for yourself because you won't trust me to provide for your needs? And I'm your Heavenly Father who longs to do so. God invites you to test him.

God invites you to challenge you. People lack commitment. People lack contentment. A third distinctive of a thief is that they lack compassion.

They lack compassion. John 1010 says that the thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Turn with me over to Luke chapter 10.

Very familiar story. I want to give you just a little twist on it this evening. The parable of the Good Samaritan. Proverbs 2824 says he who robs his father or his mother and says, it is not a transgression. It is the companion of a man who destroys. A thief is someone who lacks compassion. A thief is not concerned about you. They're not concerned about your welfare. They're not concerned about your health. They're not concerned about your future. They have no compassion for you. why they're out for themselves Luke chapter 10 a certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers and they stripped him and beat him and went off leaving him half dead and by chance a certain priest was going down on the road and when he saw him he passed by on the other side and likewise the Levite also when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side but a certain Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him when he saw him he felt compassion and came to him and bandaged up his wounds pouring oil and wine on them and he put him on his own beast and brought him to an end and took care of him and on the next day he took out to Donari and gave them to the innkeeper and said take care of him and whatever more you spend when I return I will repay you says the Lord here's a man who was going down to Jerusalem or from Jerusalem to Jericho and some thieves came, some robbers came and beat them up.

People didn't care about this man. They didn't care what he was going to go do. All they wanted was his clothes, his food, his money. So they left them in the ditch half dead because they were thieves. But I won't let you know something. Those weren't the real thieves. The next two guys were the real robbers. It says, by chance, a certain priest. A certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. That priest robbed that man of compassion. He robbed him because he would not give him what he needed in his type of need.

And likewise, the Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him pass by on the other side, there was only one man, one man who had compassion. There was only one man that day that was not a thief, and that was a Samaritan. and the half-breed, because he did not lack compassion. He wanted to make sure that that man's needs were met. Refusing to do what is right is thievery, is stealing. How many times have we robbed another individual of their reputation? because of the words we've used to destroy them, because we've lacked compassion on other people.

Matthew 2239 says, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And when you don't, then you lack compassion. And if you lack compassion for your neighbor, you inevitably will steal something from your neighbor, either tangible or intangible. And lastly, not only do they lack contentment, commitment, and compassion, but they also lack character. That is, they operate with deceit. Your character is what you are in the dark when no one else is around. Proverbs 29, 24, says he who is a partner with a thief, hates his own life.

The bottom line is that a man who steals lacks character. They lack the integrity, the honesty, the truthfulness of living what they say they are. Kent Hughes in his book, The Disciplines of Grace, says these words. As the 1990s began, James Patterson and Peter Kim conducted the largest survey of morals ever taken anywhere. and published the results in the 1991 bestseller, the day America told the truth. This is their conclusion about workers in America. The so-called Protestant ethic is long gone from today's American workplace.

Workers around America frankly admit that they spend more than 20% of their time at work totally goofing off. That amounts to a four-day work week across the nation. Almost half of us admit to chronic malingering, calling in sick when we are not sick, and doing it regularly. One in six Americans regularly drink or use drugs on the job. Only one in four give work their best effort. Only one in four work to realize their human potential rather than merely to keep the wolf from the door. Hughes would go on to say, employee theft has many faces, time theft, coming in late and leaving early.

And while they're taking extended breaks and loafing whenever possible. There's work theft, doing shoddy, substandard work. There's phone theft, using the company phone for personal calls, expense account theft, taking friends to lunch and reporting it as, quote, business, or using company funds to make personal purchases. They're supply pilfering, filching stamps, envelopes, copy machine, and other company products, etc. How many times do employees steal from their bosses thinking that it's okay?

Because they have put so much time in earlier days. And if you're an employer, I got to let you know it goes both ways. Because if you don't pay your employee, what is properly do him, then you rob him as well. Colossians 4.1 says, masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a master in heaven. So what are some of the dangers of thievery? Real quickly, Proverbs chapter 6, verse number 30, says this, men do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, but when he is found he must repay sevenfold.

He must give all the substance of his house. The first danger of thievery is restitution. Restitution. Kent Hughes says this. Stealing was severely penalized in the Old Testament, primarily through restitution. If one stole and disposed of a sheep or an ox, the required restitution was four sheep or five oxen. If the original animal was recovered, the restitution was double. Exodus 22, one to four. Fraud required full restitution plus one-fifth of the full value of what was taken. Number five, verse number seven.

If one stole another human being, restitution was to be. be made with the kidnapper's life. Exodus 2116, Deuteronomy 24-7. The purpose behind the Eighth Commandment was readily apparent, a well-regulated society that respected and protected one another's property. You see, this was what this commandment centers around. You've got to respect other people, and you've got to respect what other people have. Therefore, if you steal from them, you've got to pay them back. What did Zechias say? After he had stolen from all those people, he was a tax gatherer.

He says, I'm going to pay him back fourfold. I'm going to give half of what I got to the Lord, and I'm going to pay him back fourfold. I'm going to do what needs to be done. Zachias knew that he had broken the law of God, and he had to make restitution to those people in whom he had stolen from. Number two, humiliation.

Humiliation. Jeremiah chapter 2, verse number 26 says, the thief is shamed when he is discovered. Folks, if you do the crime, you've got to pay the time. You're going to find yourself in jail. A lot of people do who steal. But if you rob another person of compassion, if you rob God, you will find yourself humiliated as well. Because humiliation is one of the dangers of thievery. It's going to come your way. It's one of the end products of those who longed to steal. It can land you in jail. And thirdly, the greatest danger of thievery is condemnation.

First Corinthians 6, 10 says these words. First Corinthians 6, verse number 10, Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. If you're a thief, if you're one who habitually practices thievery, the Bible says that you will never inherit the kingdom of God.

because condemnation comes to those who seek to rob others of what God wants them to have. Which brings us to our third point, what's the decision for a thief?

Well, number one, you've got to seek salvation. Because 1 Corinthians 6 goes on to say, And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the spirit of our God. Seek salvation is number one.

Number two, stop stealing. Turn with me over to Ephesians chapter four. Verse number 28. Paul says this, let him who steals steal no longer. It's time to stop. If you have stolen from your brother, if you've taken something that's not yours, If you have refused to give that compassionate concern towards your brother, stop it, Paul says. You've got to stop doing those things. If you've stolen from God, you've got to stop. Today's the day you've got to stop. Today's the day you've got to turn things around.

Peter said this way in 1 Peter 4, 1st number 15, let none of you suffer as a murderer and let none of you suffer as a thief. today is the day to stop and God wants to help you to do that does he have you all you got to ask yourself is what are you withholding from him for anything that you have that you cannot give away you don't own it it owns you and the only answer for is I can't give God away. The reason being is because he owns you. But anything else outside of God, if it owns you, he doesn't have all of you.

And you will rob God. Stop stealing, Paul says. Today's the day to stop. And they says, start sharing. He says, let him who steal steal no longer, but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Now, did you get that? You work. You labor. You work hard. He's referring to manual labor. Listen, man, work is honorable. Work is not a result of the curse. It's not. Work is a good thing. Adam worked before the curse ever came.

and the Bible says that six days man's to work not five not four not three six days managed to work seventh he's to rest he used to rest that one day and second test only is three 10 to 11 says that if you don't work you don't eat if you don't work you don't eat you got to work because work's a good thing it's an honorable thing and why do you work.

The Bible tells you. You work, not so you can get more, not so you can have a better car, not so you can have more clothes, not so you can have a bigger house. That's not why you work. You work so you can give more to people who are in need. That's why you work. That's what says. Isn't that what it says? Let me read it again just occasion you can get it the first time.

Let him who steal still no longer, but rather let him labor, performing with you. with his own hands and what is good, in order that he may have a bigger house. That's not what it says. That he may have something to share with him who has a need. That's why you work hard. And that's how you know you're not stealing from your brother. A Christian works hard so that you have enough to give to those who are in need, not so that you will have more of what you don't need. the world says you work to get you work to build the bigger barns you work to tear down the old barns to build bigger ones the Bible says you work you work hard so you can give it away see the difference big difference you can never undo the act of what you've done but if you steal you can make restitution Zakias did and it was an evidence of true conversion on his part that he was willing to give back more than he had taken because he realized what God had given to him and see that's the crux of the matter he realized that what Jesus did for him and wanted to do in him was more valuable than any of the money he had taken from anybody else.

And God says, look, if you're not saved, you come to me. You seek salvation, and those who diligently seek me will find me. And I'll transform your life. And you stop stealing. You stop. And the way you stop it is you start sharing all you got with as many people as you're, you can who cannot repay you and then you will not break the commandment let's pray the commandment let's pray