Bandits, Beware! - Part B

When you steal, it's a double sin. You're sinning against God and people.

Heaven and Earth. The Lord and your neighbor. You're sinning against God because in effect, you're accusing God of not providing adequately for you. You don't give me enough.

I have to do this. In effect, you're making an accusation against God's provision. And second, you're sinning against your neighbor because you're not loving your neighbor as you're sinning. Minimalists seek to live a meaningful life with less stuff. They do that by moving out of their many mansions into tiny homes. They do their best to only have what they need and nothing extra. Why go through all that bother? One reason is to save money. And another is to leave less of an environmental footprint. And a final reason is to save time. Studies have shown that most of us spend most of our time managing our stuff, acquiring it, organizing it, sorting it, selling it, storing it.

And that's why less stuff means more time. Well, today here in Connect with Skip Weekend Edition, Skip Heitzigs continues a fresh and inspired look at the Ten Commandments with our current series, God's Top Ten. And today we'll see that God has made us stewards of the stuff we do have, and we're responsible to Him to take care of it.

And we'll have more on that here in just a moment. But first, we want to tell you how you can take a deep dive into God's Word through Calvary College. Calvary College is now open for registration. Calvary College is offering select online classes as an opportunity for individuals to take their life's calling to a whole new level with an educational emphasis in biblical studies. With our unique partnerships with Veritas International University and Calvary Chapel University, you will have the opportunity to obtain your bachelor's or master's degree with complete online programs. Whether you're looking to obtain an accredited online degree or take individual courses to become better equipped in your knowledge of God's unchangeable truth, Calvary College has you covered with a range of opportunities. For updates on classes and registration information for Calvary College, please visit calvaryabq.college. That's calvaryabq.college.

For Calvary College, calvaryabq.college. Our current series, God's Top Ten, takes us to Exodus, chapter 20, verse 15 today. So let's open our Bibles there as we join Pastor Skip. As you look at what God has entrusted to you and I, and seeing others who have a need, we could be instruments to meet that need. Paul writes in Ephesians 4, 28, He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but he must work hard, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may be able to share with those in need. So private property is rightful. It also implies, even by that last text I just read, that diligent labor is honorable. Most of you own what you own because you worked for it, hard work.

Or your parents worked hard for it and it's part of the inheritance. But nonetheless, hard labor went into it. The Bible commends labor.

You say, boy that's good because that seems like all I do. My middle name is labor, you say. I've labored before I was married, I've labored certainly after I've been married. I'm laboring for the kids, now the grandkids.

And I hope they appreciate you for that. Hard working dads and moms for your labor because the Bible would commend it. Somebody once said a dad is somebody who carries pictures where his money used to be.

No money in there anymore, he's been laboring to support, but here's pictures of the family, they're worth it. Augustine once wrote, no one had anything but praise for my father who, despite his slender resources, was ready to provide his son with all that was needed to enable him to travel so far for the purpose of study. Many of our townsmen, far richer than my father, went to no such trouble for their children's sake.

Now there's a guy who appreciated the labor of his dad and a great theologian who knew that diligent labor was honorable. Now let me throw out a caution at this point to moms and dads, but especially to dads. Men, dads, fathers, restrain yourself from giving your kids too much. I'm not going to win any points with young people at this. But restrain yourself.

I know you grew up, it was hard when you grew up, and you have the best intentions. You want to make sure they don't suffer like you suffer, so your tendency is to give them everything. Don't. Bless them, but don't bless them too much. Let them also learn the value of hard labor, of working for it, otherwise they'll never appreciate the stuff that they have. Make sure they learn that as well. So bless them, but don't bless them too much, if you know what I mean. Be careful with that.

Restrain yourself. It would also imply trading and investing is commendable. You know, the Bible is filled with Proverbs and texts and principles about how to manage your finances. And the book of Proverbs, for example, talks about lending, borrowing, investing. A classic text is even in Proverbs 31 with a virtuous woman. It says she considers a field and she buys it.

And presumably in the context of what she already owned, it's to invest in property that it might gain. And even Jesus, Matthew 25, commends wise investment. Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with a few things, now you shall be put in charge of many.

So here's how it all works. God has entrusted to you and to I certain things, incomes, we're stewards. With that, we find those who have needs, we help them, we provide for our family. We work hard, and God will bless that. And if there's any left over, you can invest it. And be wise with that investment, and the Lord can bless you and thus bless others with even more. Third and finally, it's a prohibitive commandment.

It's pretty obvious to see that. It's another one of those thou shalt not commandments. Thou shalt not steal.

So it's prohibiting certain actions from taking place. Now, though other cultures employ this commandment and would regard thou shalt not steal as a high value to be held in their society, only the Bible tells you why. And the answer is this, it's wrong to steal because whatever a person has, according to the Bible, God has entrusted that to them for whatever reason. James chapter 1 verse 17, every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation nor shadow of turning.

In Deuteronomy chapter 8, Moses said, And you shall remember the Lord, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth. So, when you steal, it's a double sin. You're sinning against God and people, heaven and earth, the Lord and your neighbor. You're sinning against God because, in effect, you're accusing God of not providing adequately for you. You don't give me enough.

I have to do this. In effect, you're making an accusation against God's provision. And second, you're sinning against your neighbor because you're not loving your neighbor as yourself. So the prohibition, the negative commandment, you shall not steal.

Now, what actions could this commandment be applying to? Let me give you a few categories. Number one, stealing from your employer. I'll give you a scenario. You get a job, you love it for a day. Okay, a week. You love it for a week.

You're into it. You agreed to work for a certain wage, to do a certain amount of work, and you love it. But after a while, you start becoming dissatisfied with that job.

And you start rationalizing. Why should they have more than I have? They don't pay me enough for what I do. They don't recognize me.

So a number of activities could take place at that point. For instance, calling in sick when you're not sick. But you've rationalized it. They give me seven sick days a year. I've only taken two.

I've got five left. I'm taken today. But you're not sick. Well, I'm sick of work.

But I think the term applies to being physically infirmed. And if you're not, you just stole a day from your employer. Or taking items from the office.

They won't miss it. It's just a copy machine. They've got more.

I don't have any. No, seriously, it usually begins with paper clips, pads of paper, pens. And it's a big deal. Super D Drugstore, a chain down in the southeast, knew that it was a big deal. They started a program. They called it Integrity Testing. Based upon their research of employees stealing things from the company, the vice president said we've already saved $400,000 with this integrity testing. From the stolen goods of employee to employer. Here's another example. Making phone calls with the company phone that you're not authorized to make. Well, I'm just going to call my dad.

He lives in Tokyo, but have you been authorized to make that? Or checking in late, leaving early, taking longer breaks than you should. It's interesting that workers in America admit to spending 20% of their time at work goofing off. That's just what they admit to.

That's a whole day. Now, think of that and compare that to what the Bible tells us about handling our employers. Ephesians chapter 5, Paul says, Servants, you could translate that workers or employees, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart as to Christ, not with eye service, not as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. A heartfelt giving for what they're paying you. So that's stealing from your employer.

Let me now reverse that. It's only fair. What about employers stealing from their employees? Like not paying them what they said they'd pay them. Not paying them on time.

Leviticus 19 tells us, Do not cheat or rob anyone. Always pay your hired workers promptly. Now, I'm going to tag something onto that one. What about paying credit, giving credit to a worker who's done a good job? Well, I hired him. Yeah, but he did it.

Make sure that he or she gets the credit for that job and you don't take the, don't steal that credit from that person. So stealing from your employer, employees. And what about this one, stealing from the government? You know, the T word, taxes.

We don't like that word. We bristle every time it's tax season. Oh, they're, they're government.

They're such ripoffs. Well, in the New Testament, they came to Jesus about paying taxes, the temple tax. Jesus said, Peter, go down to the Sea of Galilee and go fishing. Isn't that great a tax season for God to say, go fishing. But he said the first fish that you draw out will have a coin in its mouth that'll be just enough money to pay the temple tax.

Jesus is handy to have around at tax time. When he was questioned about this on another time, he took a coin and he said, whose image and inscription is on this coin? He said, it's Caesar's. He said, then render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God. So whose face, whose inscription is on that dollar bill in your pocket?

Who is it? Washington. Give to Washington.

What's Washington's? Give to God what belongs to God. Romans 13, we read, therefore, you must be subject for conscience sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes. For they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing, render therefore to all their due taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs are due. Now I know you might be thinking, boy, Paul's really stretching this because he calls the IRS tax agents God's ministers. Wow. In the same verse, he says you do it for conscience sake.

In other words, as you honor the government that you're a part of and you do it to honor God, you're going to have an easy conscience. You're going to rest well. True story, a true letter. The IRS even published it some years back. It seems that a fellow wrote a letter to the IRS, and in the envelope he put five $100 bills with a letter. Dear Sirs, I haven't had a good night's sleep since 1970. He said I've been cheating on my income tax since then. Hopefully now I'll sleep better.

Five $100 bills. At the end he said, if I still can't sleep, I'll send the rest. I guess he's not that guilty in his conscience. One source that I read noted if every American paid what they owed in back taxes, the national debt could be retired in a single year.

So big they report is the problem. So stealing from your employer, from your employees, from the government, all of this could be applied to you shall not steal. And I'm going to end with this one. Stealing from God. You go, stealing from God?

That's not even possible. God owns everything. How is it possible to steal from God? That's exactly what the people of Israel asked the prophet Malachi when he accused them of stealing from God. In Malachi chapter 3 verses 8 through 10, will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me.

But you say, in what way have we robbed you? The Lord answers in tithes and in offerings. 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 a blessing that there will not even be room enough to receive it. By the way, it's the only time in the Bible God says, I want you to test me on this thing. We're told not to test the Lord except in this area. Try me, test me in this area, tithes and offerings. Now I'll admit, this is one of those overdone issues, especially by organizations and clergymen. We all hate it. I hate it when I hear somebody on television or on the radio, if you don't give this week, God's program is going under.

Oh, please spare me. Don't poor mouth God. God owns a cattle on a thousand hills. We depend on Him, He doesn't depend on us. I hate it when people poor mouth the Lord and give Him that kind of a reputation.

And so do a lot of other people. There was a couple of women, they went to hear the new preacher at the church that they had attended for years. One said, I hear he's really good. They went the first week and his sermon was against drinking and they loved it. She said, what a good preacher. That's preaching. Amen.

Second week they went and they loved it. He was speaking against smoking. I love this preacher.

Amen. He didn't like smoking. Next week he was preaching against gambling or womanizing or something. They were amen-ing the whole sermon.

The fourth week, he preached on tithing. And that did it. One of those gals went right up to that preacher and said, young man, now you've done it.

You've left preaching and you've gone to meddling. That's how a lot of people feel whenever you mention money. In fact, people are sort of used to this and keyed to it.

It's like, oh, I'm just kind of waiting for them. Oh, there they are, they mention money. All these preachers mention money. And that's true. It's been overdone.

But you know what? If Christians would tithe, I don't think anybody would ever have to mention money again. It would be like the Old Testament in the tabernacle when they took an offering for the temple for the tabernacle. Moses and the elders had to restrain them from giving.

They gave too much. So, when I tithe, and that's the first check that I write every pay period, right to the church, to the Lord's work, what I do, I'm acknowledging God's ownership, God's priority in my life. So, the tithe and the offering. If you made a dollar this week, and that's all, ten cents is the Lord's. If you made ten dollars, one dollar is the Lord's. If you made a hundred dollars, ten dollars. If you made a thousand dollars, a hundred dollars is his. If you made a million dollars, come see me afterwards. No, I'm just kidding.

No, no, listen. One person said, money is like manure. If you stack it up, it stinks.

But if you spread it around, it makes things grow. So, it's not that ninety percent is mine and ten percent is the Lord's. It's all His. It's all His. He's asking you to acknowledge your trust in Him by using that for His purposes. I think it makes sense that if a person can rob from God, he's apt to rob from anybody. So, don't stick them down.

Stick them up. Lord, everything is Yours. My life is Yours. Now, could it be that you've been robbing from God by not giving Him your life? God cares a lot more about your life than your money.

You know the old saying, your money or your life. God just wants you, your life. He wants you to give Him yourself, to surrender your life to Him. And some of you may have withheld that. You've never made a decision yet to follow Jesus Christ. You've never surrendered your life to the mastery of God. That ought to change. That needs to change. It certainly needs to change before your death, which could happen at any time for all of us. Are you sure? Do you know that if you were to die this week, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt you'd be in heaven?

The Bible wants us to live with that assurance. So I want to give you that opportunity, not to give the Lord a dollar or a million dollars, but to give Him your life today. Well, if you've been listening to Skip's invitation to know God personally, and if that's something you want to do today, we'd love to encourage you in that.

And connectwithskip.com is a good place to begin. There's a tab there called Know God, and it tells you everything you need to know about how to have a relationship with Jesus. This is Connect with Skip Weekend Edition, and the teaching you heard today was part two of Bandits Beware, just one part of an in-depth study of the Ten Commandments. Skip has titled this series God's Top Ten. All 17 messages are available as an audio CD package for only $39 plus shipping.

You can find out more and order today at connectwithskip.com. Now here is Skip Heitzig to tell you about his brand-new book. Someone once said that if you want to know about Michelangelo, you need to study what he said, what he did, and what he created. Well, the same is true if you want to know God. You must devote yourself to his words, actions, and what he created.

That is one of the reasons I wrote the book The Biography of God. It's available now, and I hope you'll join me on this noble, demanding, and even rewarding journey. Here's how to get your copy of my newest book, The Biography of God. Skip's new book is our thanks when you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry on the air.

Call 800-922-1888 or give online securely at connectwithskip.com slash offer. What is truth and why does telling the truth matter? We'll find out next time here in Connect with Skip weekend division as Skip begins a new teaching, The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth. Connect with Skip weekend division is a presentation of Connection Communications. Make a connection, make a connection at the foot of the cross and cast all burdens on his word. Make a connection, a connection, a connection. Connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever changing times.