755 - The 10 Commandments-No Theft

October 26, 2008

Sermon # .

The 10 Commandments-No Theft

Exodus 20:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

I. Who is the Owner?

Psalms 24:1 - 2 (NKJV) ¹ The earth is the Lord’S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. ² For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.

Psalms 50:9 - 12 (NKJV) ⁹ I will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds. ¹⁰ For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. ¹¹ I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. ¹² “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

Haggai 2:8 (NKJV) ⁸‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.

A. We are possessors

Genesis 1:26 - 28 (NKJV) ²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over ^£all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

B. First purchase of property in the Bible

Genesis 33:18 - 20 (NKJV) ¹⁸Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. ¹⁹And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. ²⁰Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.^£

II. Why people steal

A. For food

Proverbs 6:30 - 31 (NKJV) ³⁰ People do not despise a thief If he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. ³¹ Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of his house.

Deuteronomy 23:24 - 25 (NKJV) ²⁴“When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. ²⁵When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.

ILL: In other words, you can satisfy your hunger – here – but you cannot carry supplies away with you! When a person asks you for money for food, offer to buy him a meal now, but when he just wants your money –watch out!

B. Sheer laziness

Proverbs 6:6 - 14 (NKJV) ⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, ⁷ Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, ⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— ¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man. ¹² A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth; ¹³ He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers; ¹⁴ Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.

Proverbs 13:4 (NKJV) ⁴ The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

C. Love of display – greed

1 Kings 21:1 - 16 (NKJV) ¹And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ²So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.” ³But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” ⁴So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food. ⁵But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?” ⁶He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷Then Jezebel his wife said to him, “You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” ⁸And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. ⁹She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; ¹⁰and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die. ¹¹So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. ¹²They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. ¹³And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. ¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.” ¹⁵And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

ILL: Ahab was king – he had everything he wanted but he wanted Naboth’s vineyard. And had him falsely accused and stoned to death so that he could steal the vineyard – greed! Even if it is legal it is still theft! Greed in wall street and in congress has made a reck out of America’s economy!

D. Lack of Faith

Malachi 3:8 - 15 (NKJV) ⁸ “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. ¹⁰ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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 such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. ¹¹ “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; ¹² And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. ¹³ “Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ ¹⁴ You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵ So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’”

III. Kinds of thieves

A. Robbers

· They hold you up, and take what they find

· Petty robbers – hold up the filling station of local store

· Bank robbers

B. Burglars

· They break into your home at night or when you are away

C. Pickpockets

D. Shoplifters

More than $10 billion worth of goods are stolen from retailers each year.
That's more than $25 million per day. There are approximately 23 million shoplifters (or 1 in 11 people) in our nation today. More than 10 million people have been caught shoplifting in the last five years. Shoplifting affects more than the offender. It overburdens the police and the courts, adds to a store's security expenses, costs consumers more for goods, costs communities lost dollars in sales taxes and hurts children and families. Shoplifters steal from all types of stores including department stores, specialty shops, supermarkets, drug stores, discounters, music stores, convenience stores and thrift shops. There is no profile of a typical shoplifter. Men and women shoplift about equally as often.

Approximately
25 % of shoplifters are kids,
75 % are adults
55 % of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens.

Many shoplifters buy and steal merchandise in the same visit.
Shoplifters commonly steal from $2 to $200 per incident depending upon the type of store and item(s) chosen. Shoplifting is often not a premeditated crime. 73 % of adult and 72 % of juvenile shoplifters don't plan to steal in advance. 86 % of kids say they know other kids who shoplift. 66 percent say they hang out with those kids. Shoplifters say they are caught an average of only once in every 48 times they steal.
They are turned over to the police 50 % of the time. Approximately 3 % of shoplifters are "professionals" who steal solely for resale or profit as a business. These include drug addicts who steal to feed their habit, hardened professionals who steal as a life-style and international shoplifting gangs who steal for profit as a business. "Professional" shoplifters are responsible for 10 percent of the total dollar losses. The vast majority of shoplifters are "non-professionals" who steal, not out of financial need or greed but as a response to social and personal pressures in their life. The excitement generated from "getting away with it" produces a chemical reaction resulting in what shoplifters describe as an incredible "rush" or "high" feeling. Many shoplifters will tell you that this high is their "true reward," rather than the merchandise itself.

E. Forger – identity theft

F. Swindler

ILL: I had a couple of close relatives that were con men. It was not that they needed the money – they saw it like a chess game and taking someone else’s money was their way of winning the game. Even in swindling their own family. Movies like “The Sting” make hero’s out of the con man.

G. Embezzlement – to use money for a purpose that was not intended

H. Official Thieves – call it “entitlement”, “pork” or what ever - it is still stealing!

ILL: Titles have been changed in the present economic condition:

a CEO is a “Chief Embezzlement Officer,

a CFO is a Corporate Fraud Officer.

I. “Robin Hood’s” – you know “take from the rich and give to the poor (poor me) is still theft!

Now called a politician

ILL: Hitler got elected chancier of Germany on the platform “Take from the rich Jews and give to the German people”

J. Church thieves – Not only robbing church property, the poor box, the offering plate but also the tithe!

Conclusion: The penalty

Leviticus 6:1 - 5 (NKJV) ¹And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“If a person sins and commits a trespass against the Lord by lying to his neighbor about what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or about a pledge, or about a robbery, or if he has extorted from his neighbor, ³or if he has found what was lost and lies concerning it, and swears falsely—in any one of these things that a man may do in which he sins: ⁴then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, ⁵or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering.

Pay it back and add 1/5 to your payment!

ILL: I have a friend that when he became a Christian called his employer and told him, “I have been stealing tools from your company but I have become a Christian and I must give them back.” “Well” the employer said, “just bring them over and all will be forgiven.” “No!” said my friend, “you will have to send an eighteen wheel truck!” The employer made him head of his security.

Always the 10 commandments – no stealing!