Guardrails - Do Not Steal
No Other Gods.
Do Not Have Idols
Do not misuse God’s name.
Rest on the Sabbath.
Honor your Father and Mother.
Do not Murder.
Do not Commit Adultery.
Do Not Steal.
Do Not Lie.
Do Not Covet.
Today, we look at the eighth commandment, “Do not Steal.”
The first time I stole something was in a grocery store. I was around seven years old, and I had gone down the candy aisle with my mom. I begged her for one of the candy bars. She said, “No.” But they looked so good! I whined. I begged.
Then, we went to another aisle…and somehow became separated. I wandered back to that candy aisle…I couldn’t keep my eyes off the candy bar.
I passed by the candy bar once…and had this overwhelming impulse to reach out and take it. My heart raced. My face felt flushed. I passed it one more time…grabbed the candy bar, and shoved it under my clothes. I couldn’t believe I had it…and nobody saw me take it!
Then, as I walked out of the aisle to catch up with my mom, a man in a green shirt with thick, curly hair walked past me and said: “Better put it back…”
Shocked, I walked quickly back to the candy bar section, put the candy bar back, and went to find my mom.
Exodus 20:15 (NLT2)
15 “You must not steal.”
The first thing I want to say about “stealing” is this:
If we trust God to provide, this command is easy!
Throughout scripture, we are repeatedly shown that God wants to provide for us. He is our heavenly father and wants to deliver what we need. And, if we trust that God will provide for our needs, this command is easy.
The only reason I have a life insurance policy is so that my death will be a financial blessing to my family when I die. God is your heavenly Father, and He also wants to provide for you. He wants you to trust that He will provide for you.
Psalm 24:1 (NLT2)
1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
If everything belongs to God, then we can reasonably make the connection that God gave you your possessions. Your stuff, our car, our house, our toys, our boats, our family, our jobs: everything is provided to us by God. You do not need to be anxious or worried about whether or not you have the right stuff; God wants you to trust in Him and trust that He will provide for whatever you need.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:
Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT2)
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
If you are a follower of Jesus…by that, I mean if you believe that God created you, but you chose to sin… there is a penalty for that sin. But as God, Jesus came to this earth and paid the price for your sin on the cross. You believe that he died, rose from the dead, and will one day return. And, because you believed, you surrendered your life to Jesus and committed to follow him, then as a follower of Jesus, you prioritize the mission of Jesus to lead people to Jesus.
Our mission at Beach Church is to “Lead People to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.” We are committed to Jesus' mission, and as we stay focused on it, He continues to provide for us and change lives. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” This is a promise from God.
Notice that the promise is what we NEED…not what we WANT. I want many things, but what I want is not what I need. Jesus promised to provide us with food, water, and clothing—which is all we need. I know that does not sound appealing. We want the mansion on the hill, we want a big pool, we want a big checking account, we want the outdoor toys…
But your perspective might change if you go on a mission trip to a third-world country. Several years ago, I went on a mission trip to Haiti. The Haitian people live in small, crumbling shacks, and the average person only eats three meals a week. As a follower of Jesus, God has promised to provide for all your NEEDS.
Philippians 4:19 (NLT2)
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
So, if I begin to compare my house, car, or checking account to others and think I need what they have, I call God a liar for not providing those things to me. If I steal to get what I want, I am telling God that I know better than him, that he really doesn’t keep his word, and that if he does, he doesn’t really understand what I need.
That’s why, if we trust God, this commandment is easy to follow.
The second thing I would like to say about this commandment is:
God created us to contribute
Each of us was created to add and contribute to the world around us in some way. You were created to make a difference and contribute to others.
At the very beginning of creation, God gave Adam a JOB.
Genesis 2:15 (NLT2)
15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
Before Adam and Eve chose to sin, God gave ADAM a job! He was to contribute and make a difference in the world. “Working” is part of God’s plan for me!
Now, think about that in connection to Matt 6:33…
Part of putting God’s Kingdom first is working to contribute to the world around us. As you work, you are paid. God is providing for you! If you are curious about how you can work to put God’s Kingdom first, I want to challenge you to consider volunteering in some capacity here at Beach Church.
Now, you might be thinking:
“You don’t want me to contribute.”
“If you knew my past, you would know that you would never ask me to contribute. You would never allow me to wear the Beach Church hoodie.”
Your past does not disqualify you from contributing to God’s Kingdom and participating in the mission of Beach Church. When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, he said:
Ephesians 4:28 (NLT2)
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work and give generously to others in need.
This letter was written to people who had already been born again and were following Jesus. That means stealing did not disqualify people from serving in the Kingdom of God. There is genuine life-changing power in the GOOD NEWS that Jesus gives us a second chance through FORGIVENESS!
God does not hold the sins of your past over your head. God shows grace, kindness, and forgiveness! In this passage, Paul tells the thief to stop stealing, go to work, earn money, and give generously to those who need it. That is the opposite of stealing! And, if God calls the thief to stop stealing and be generous, then that means…
God calls us to be generous
It is just like our life-changing God to use a former thief to provide for other people! A former thief is now working hard—not for himself but so that he can GENEROUSLY GIVE to others in need! The thief should no longer steal but work so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. What a beautiful picture of how followers of Jesus trust and serve God by blessing others with generosity.
In Matthew 6:33, God promised to meet our needs. He keeps this promise by calling us to be generous. When we are generous, we reflect God's character. God wants his followers to live generous lives. The more generous we become, the more we experience his peace and trust in him.
A couple of years ago, I noticed I had grown callused enough to justify my stinginess. At almost every intersection, I would stare straight down the street instead of making eye contact with the homeless person with the cardboard sign asking for money.
I justified my stinginess by saying things like:
“They are probably just running a scam…”
“They probably have a nice car…”
“They should go get a job…”
“If I give them money, they will probably buy booze.”
But God tells us the poor will always be among us.
Mark 14:7 (NLT2)
7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.
Deuteronomy 15:11 (NLT2)11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
So, I began to carry cash in my car…I began to make eye contact with them. I now roll down my window and ask them their name. If I have time, I will ask them their story. I will ask them if they have a place to get warm…
Why did I begin to do that?
Because I want to be generous like God.
Have you ever felt bad about being stingy?
Have you ever felt good about being generous?
That’s because followers of Jesus WANT to be generous to others.
If you are interested in being generous with your time and money, New Directions is a non-profit ministry in Myrtle Beach. It provides for the basic needs of those without, connects them to resources to overcome barriers they may experience, and provides training and guidance.
If you go to HelpNewDirections.org, you can get involved with their ministry by submitting your information to their website. It feels “right” when we put God’s Kingdom first when we trust God to provide, when we contribute, and when we are generous. It feels right because we are becoming more like our Heavenly Father.