The Eighth Commandment - Protecting Private Property

The Bridge

Exodus 20:15

The Eighth Commandment - You Shall Not Steal

In this evening’s message, Pastor Ramey teaches on the Eighth Commandment - You shall not steal. When we consider what God’s Words says about stealing, we realize that there are many reasons why we steal and many ways in which we do it.

1. WHY DO WE STEAL?
Keeping the eighth commandment is a testament to our trust in God’s provision. In general, there are four motives for why we steal. These include laziness (Proverbs 13:4; James 4:17), selfishness (Philippians 2:3-4), covetousness (Romans 13:9; 1 Timothy 6:5-11), and faithlessness (Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 6:30). So how do we avoid the temptation to steal? We do this buy putting off sinful habits and putting on hard work for the things that we want. We should also consider others more important than ourselves and be content with God’s provision, for it is important to trust that God will provide abundantly for your needs.

2. HOW DO WE STEAL?
We can steal in a myriad of ways. For example, shoplifting, stealing from your employer, withholding wages and commissions (Deuteronomy 24:15; James 5:4), failing to pay back debts (Psalm 37:21; Proverbs 3:27; Romans 13:7), borrowing without returning, dishonest business dealings (Proverbs 11:1, 20:10), false advertising, overcharging, plagiarism, cheating on exams, pirating cable or internet service, stealing another’s spouse, etc., etc.

Most of us are stealers in one way or another. But the good news is that Jesus Christ can transform us from being selfish takers to generous givers. This comes from having a personal relationship with Him and from the great sacrifice He made so that salvation would be possible for us. We can start being better givers by first returning things that we know we have stolen from others. May we be able to stand in front of Jesus one day and say that we owe no man anything!