Exodus chapter 20 and verse 15. Hear the word of the living and unchanging God. You shall not steal. Please be seated and let's pray. Lord, we pray in the reading and in the proclaiming of these four simple words, that in our hearing you would cause the law to remind us again of our need for Christ, and also to give us, as we rise again and again in gospel obedience, a clear path ahead that we may see through the pages of Scripture how we might glorify you, how we might avoid sin as believers, and how we might see Christ as our only hope of salvation. We pray this now in Jesus' name. Amen. With each of the Ten Commandments, we are walking through the pages of Scripture to see how the Law of God is unfolded. I know this is review for many of you, but just to be clear, the Law of God was written on the hearts of Adam and Eve, pre-Fall. It was this law that was broken in their hearts when they broke God's positive command of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is this law that we see working its way through the pages of Scripture until we get to Mount Sinai in Exodus 20 or in Deuteronomy 5, where God gives a summary of His moral law, His unchanging abiding law for His creatures, a reflection of His character. It's this very law that Jesus teaches on, that the apostles teach on. And so, we as believers are not required to keep this law for justification. Christ is our only hope of justification. We are not declared righteous because we keep this law, try to keep this law, or keep it better once we're saved. We are justified because Christ kept it fully and completely. But this law, this summary, if you will, of God's moral law, the ten words, is given to us as believers, all ten, as a complete unit, for us to know how to glorify Him. None of these laws has been abrogated in the sense that they don't matter. So when we get to the 8th commandment, you shall not steal. We, as Christians, as believers, are no longer condemned for our thievery. We are no longer condemned because we have stolen. Because Christ has never stolen. We are declared righteous. But we are called to look at the law of God, to understand how we might Obey this God who has saved us. The eighth commandment, you shall not steal, like all of the other commandments, has a, this is what you do, this is what you don't do. Now, boys and girls, if you're like me, you read the Ten Commandments and many of them say, this is what you don't do. Our commandment tonight is four simple words. You shall not steal. But if you trace this law of God throughout the pages of Scripture, God is concerned that you don't take the property of others, that you don't work against the property of others. But He's also concerned that you work for the good of others as it relates to property, to wealth. You can see that on the back page of your bulletin in the Catechism Questions. What is required and what is forbidden? This is a good lesson, a good reminder for us that all of these commandments, what are the requirements? And what is forbidden? But to understand stealing, the eighth commandment, let's look through the pages of Scripture. I want us to see three simple things tonight. Three simple things. Number one, stealing Breaking the eighth commandment is forgetting God. Stealing is forgetting God. Let me say it this way. Stealing is taking for yourself what the Lord has allowed another person to have, or not valuing the property of others. That's stealing. Stealing is taking for yourself what the Lord has allowed another person to have, or not valuing the property of others. So number one, stealing is forgetting God. How is this the case? How is it that the breaking of the eighth commandment is really about God and not simply the property of others? We begin with Psalm 50 verse 10, the idea that the Lord owns all things. Psalm 50 verse 10, For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. So we begin with the understanding that all things that exist belong to God. Your property ultimately belongs to God. Your family ultimately belongs to God. Your home, your bank account, your food, your food pantry, your soul and body, it all belongs to God. to God. So to rightly understand the four simple words, you shall not steal, you need to begin with an understanding that the Lord owns all things. Thus it shouldn't surprise us when we see Jesus and when we see Paul speaking to the Eighth Commandment. Turn over to Mark's Gospel. Mark's account of the life of our Savior, Mark chapter 10. Jesus teaches the rich young ruler. Mark 10 verse 17, now as he was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before him and asked him, good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but one, that is God. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. And he answered him and said to him, teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, one thing you lack, Go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' But he was sad at His word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." If we had time, we'd spend moments in Mark chapter 10. Jesus is not encouraging the rich young ruler to earn his salvation by keeping the Ten Commandments. Jesus is using the very law of God to draw someone, to point someone to Him. But notice, when Jesus is asked, what is the requirement? The law of God, including the eighth commandment, is there. We'll turn over to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13 and verse seven. Romans chapter 13 and verse seven. Render therefore to all their due, to whom taxes are due, custom to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. If it belongs to them, render it." See the eighth commandment like all of the other commandments are worked out in the pages of Scripture in a whole host of ways. But ultimately it is a heart level issue for us to break the 8th commandment. Proverbs 30 verses 7-9 gives us really the heart of stealing. Proverbs 30 verses 7-9, two things I ask of you. Deny them not to me before I die. Remove far from me falsehood and lying. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Stealing is ultimately profaning the name of God. It's a heart level issue. The eighth commandment upholds property. It assumes that God owns all things and gives property to others and to steal it or to seek to diminish it is to assume that God is wrong. And that you, the creature, must be right. Let me say that again. Because we quickly read, you shall not steal, when we hear the Ten Commandments read in Lord's Day worship and we talk about them in family worship perhaps. When we read Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5 in our daily Bible reading plans, we quickly glance over those four words. But think about this, beloved. Stealing assumes that God is wrong and that you must be right as it relates to property. And isn't this really our heart since the fall? Remember Adam and Eve. God doesn't want us to have this tree because he is holding out on us. God doesn't want us to have this tree because he's holding out on us. We know better. Sometimes we look at our lack of property, we look at our lack seemingly of provision, and we ask heart-level questions. Do we ever reverse them? What if you don't have something because God is keeping you from something that will corrupt your heart? Stealing is a form of taking the forbidden fruit from the tree with a heart that says, God is not giving me what I need. So number one, as we trace the Eighth Commandment through the pages of Scripture, stealing is forgetting God. But secondly, as we walk through the pages of Scripture, stealing takes on many forms. I just want to walk through the various parts of Scripture for just a few moments to see where the Eighth Commandment, these four simple words in English, really are everywhere in the Scriptures. Firstly, Parents. Turn over to Proverbs 28. Proverbs 28. Our brother is beginning a series in Proverbs. And we find great wisdom here in the fear of the Lord. But Proverbs 28.24. One example of breaking the 8th commandment. Whoever robs his father or his mother and says it is no transgression, The same is companion to a destroyer. Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, it is no transgression, it's not wrong, it's not a sin. The same, that same person is companion to a destroyer. We see echoes of the 8th commandment here in Proverbs. Or what about employers? Turn over to Luke's gospel. Luke chapter 16 and verse 1. Luke chapter 16 verse 1. There the word of the Lord reads this way in the form of a parable. Jesus is teaching. A series of parables in Luke's Gospel. Luke 16 verse 1. He also said to his disciples, there was a certain rich man who had a steward. And an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, what is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward. The parable continues. But here we see, implicit in this text is the understanding that stealing from an employer, stealing from a boss is just that. Stealing, it's breaking the 8th commandment. Brothers and sisters, how many of us are tempted to steal from employers? How many of us have the attitude of Adam and Eve? They're holding out on us. And really what we're saying is God is holding out on us because my employer won't give me what I want. This is different than saying, my employer is unjust and this must be righted. There's a difference. You see, honoring the 8th commandment is not always saying that sinful fallen human beings are correct all of the time in what they do with their property. But it is to look to God as the one who will right wrongs, who will get vengeance, who will give us wisdom when we must pursue justice. We can break the 8th commandment as it relates to parents, as it relates to employers. Or how about stolen goods? Proverbs 29, 24. The partner of a thief hates his own life. He hears the curse, but discloses nothing. Debts. Proverbs 37, 21. The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. We live in a country where increasingly debt is an assumed thing. And I think when we read the pages of scripture, we understand that borrowing in every instance is not wrong. But we have, as a people, gotten too accustomed to borrowing what we know that we ultimately cannot pay back. And in some cases, not all cases, but in some cases, we then go to bankruptcy. Because in bankruptcy, we just don't have to pay debts back. Don't mishear me. I'm not saying that all bankruptcy is sinful. But we in our country have gotten to the point where debts are just assumed. Proverbs 37.21 gives us wisdom. The wicked borrows but does not pay back. I would encourage you, if you've borrowed money, pay back. Offer to pay back. Try to pay back. Or what about honesty? Turn to Leviticus chapter 6. I know we as a church walked through Leviticus months ago, but listen to Leviticus chapter 6. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 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 is extorted from his neighbor, or 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, then it shall be because he has sinned and is guilty that he shall restore what is stolen. Did you hear all of those cases? If property is found and it's lied about and not returned, it's stealing. Yes, it's literally lying. It's a breaking of the 9th commandment, but it's a breaking of the 8th commandment. This speaks, this 8th commandment speaks to other things as well then. Plagiarism. You write words, I will take them and overtly, or in some cases, lazily, adopt them as my own and call them mine. It's plagiarism. It's a breaking of the Eighth Commandment. Or defaming others, the fame that they deserve. You now are rightly receiving praise by others. You're rightly receiving encouragement by others. You're rightly receiving words by others. And I want them. So I'll defame you. I will try to get it. I'll try to work my way in so that I get praised too. Trickery. False balances. Micah 6.11 You see brothers and sisters, the 8th commandment no longer condemns us. Because we're in Christ. But it still educates us as to how we sin And what we need to repent of day by day and how we need to live lives of obedience. Another example of stealing is quite stark. It's quite bold in the language. But turn to Malachi. Malachi chapter 3. Malachi chapter 3 and verse 6. For I am the Lord, I do not change. Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and not kept them. Return to Me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you said, in what way shall we return? Will a man rob God? Will a man thieve God? Will a man steal from God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. Now I give this example to you tonight, brothers and sisters, not because we have a giving problem here at Grace, not because we're trying to raise money for anything, but because we're talking about the 8th commandment and one of the boldest descriptions of robbery is Malachi 3 verse 8 and 9. Now, however you view your requirement to give, whether it's to give 10%, whether it's to give sacrificially unto the Lord, whether it's to give more than 10%, these are certainly things worth digging into. But if you are not giving to God at all, the Scriptures call this stealing. We already looked at this example in Romans chapter 13, didn't we? Brothers and sisters, I can look at you and speak as clearly as possible. I'm not sure any of us like taxes. I'm not sure any of us wouldn't love to reorganize politically the IRS topic for another day. But the Scriptures speak to paying what we owe. Let me just be clear. If you're cheating on your taxes, if you're not paying your taxes, you are in sin. You're breaking the 8th commandment. I'm not talking about taking all the benefits that are legally allowed to you. I'm not talking about hiring a better CPA to see how you can reduce your tax burden. What I'm talking about is if you owe and you don't pay, Paul equates that with not giving or rendering to those to whom something is owed. Stealing. Or lawsuits. How about 1 Corinthians 6, turn there with me. We won't spend much time there, but 1 Corinthians 6, verses one through eight. Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers." If you remember our series in 1 Corinthians months ago, to be clear, the context here in Corinth is matters that should be settled relationally within the church are taken to law courts. taken to law courts. But look what Paul says in verse seven. Now, therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat. And you do these things to your brethren. A form of cheating, your brethren, is to going to law. Going to outside judges over matters that should be able, in the wisdom of Christ, to be handled in the church. Now, unfortunately, we need to say this by way of context. 1 Corinthians 6 is not talking about matters of justice that God rightly gives to the governor. So, one of your brothers commits murder. Commits sinful abuse. It is right to go to the governing authorities. This text, this text is about things clearly that we should be able to solve within the body. Somehow in Corinth they were cheating one another. Which is a form of breaking the 8th commandment. Rather than handling it themselves. These are some examples We could add more, but brothers and sisters, when you know that the Lord owns all things, that He gives you what you need, and He protects you from what you don't need, you are free to serve Him with your possessions, and to work for the good of others with your possessions. The Reformers, our brothers and sisters of the 15 and 1600s, saw the Eighth Commandment not simply as a taking of other people's things, a prohibition against it, but a call to work for the property and benefit of others. Just two examples from the Scriptures. Leviticus chapter 25 and 1 Timothy 6. Leviticus chapter 25. Leviticus 25 and verse 35, if one of your brethren becomes poor and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him like a stranger or a sojourner that he may live with you. No mention of stealing, no mention of the eighth commandment. But from Genesis to Revelation, what do you see? Don't take. Don't work against the property of others. Use what you have to benefit, to build up the property of others. Just one example among many. Or how about 1 Timothy chapter 6? 1 Timothy chapter 6. And verse 18, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good that they may be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share. You know, when you take what God has given you and share it with others, whether they deserve it or not, This is an honoring and an upholding of the Eighth Commandment. Stealing is forgetting God, and stealing takes on many forms. Let's close with one final passage. Turn with me once more to 1 Corinthians. We've turned to this passage a lot over the last few weeks. Because it seems in 1 Corinthians 6, that when Paul wants to proclaim the gospel, he takes just about every one of the Ten Commandments and says, if you've broken it, the gospel is for you. If you've broken it, the gospel is for you. So the third thing and final thing that we'll see tonight is that stealing too can be forgiven in Christ. Look at 1 Corinthians 6 verse 9. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. And here's the familiar list. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, Nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Once again, brothers and sisters, breakers of the eighth commandment do not deserve the kingdom of God." What does Paul say in verse 11? And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Paul is basically laying bare breakers of the law. And notice what he's doing. These are breakers of the law who are in the body of Christ, who formerly were doing heinous, sinful things. He can look out at the church at Corinth by way of letter. He can say to them, this is what you were like. Some of you were thieves. Some of you were fornicators. Some of you were covetous. The list goes on. But you were washed. You were sanctified. Brothers and sisters, we have been washed from stealing. We have been set apart as people whose record is seen as not stealing because of Jesus. God has looked at us and declared us righteous. Thieves that we are, in action or in heart or both. And because of His look to the second Adam, we're declared righteous. So stealing can be forgiven. And when we understand this, the law of God no longer is something that we fear. that we cannot look at. But the law of God becomes something that we can say with David and the other psalmists, I love your law. Because in it, I see what glorifies you. I see what truth is. I see what rightness is. And I see what my Christ kept in my stead. So some of you are thieves, but you've been washed. Now, take up with gospel hands the eighth commandment and seek by God's grace to grow more and more and more in what honors God. And in this case, it's working for the property of others and trusting that what God has given you and what God has given them is not a mistake. Let's pray. Father, we pray with each of these commandments that you would cause us to see the heart behind it. Lord, we wrestle with all of the various ways that we sin against you, that we break your good and righteous law. We pray that you would call us to an increasing level of gospel obedience as it relates to the eighth commandment. Help us to work for the property of others. Help us to honor the property of others. Help us not to defame others, to plagiarize from others, to cheat. Help us not to hold back what we owe. Help us not to fail to render to those what is owed. And we pray that even more deeply we would remember that all Property is yours. And we trust you as we look to Christ. In Jesus name. Amen.