Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Stealing is on the rise as people say, What's yours is mine. It's more than burglary. People steal from their employers with hardly a second thought. We forget that stealing any kind of private property violates one of the Ten Commandments.
From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, stealing is an art form in government, as we're learning. Once any official crosses the line into theft, they have little issue with public corruption.
Well, Dave, what you said is true, but of course I don't want to limit theft to the government. I'm thinking, for example, of a man I knew who would fill his private car with a credit card from his company. That was theft. And when the Holy Spirit of God revealed his theft, he was in deep repentance. Thievery in one way or another exists everywhere.
So this commandment that God has given to us has a much broader application. I want to thank the many of you who support the ministry of running to win. Would you consider becoming what we like to call an endurance partner, so that we run the race together with endurance? Here's what you can do to find out some info. Go to rtwoffer.com.
That's rtwoffer.com. And when you're there, by the way, you can click on the Endurance Partner button or you can call us at 1-888-218-1. ninety three thirty seven May it always be said, that we are honest stewards of all that God has given to us.
Okay. Karl Marx was born on the Rhineland of Germany. Baptized as a Christian at the age of six. though born into a Jewish home. As a teenager, he said some very beautiful things about Jesus Christ, and then later in life met Engels and wrote the Communist Manifesto there on the continent.
And then Marx went over to Great Britain and spent a great deal of time in the British Museum, and it is there that he wrote Kapital, or in German Das Kapital. Today, he rules more than one half of the world from his grave. But it was Marx who believed that the root of all evil was ownership, the possession of property. He believed that if there was ever a time when people would give all their property and all that they possessed to the state, Why, then, indeed, the state would be in a position to bring about equality and justice and equity in a world that seemed to be so diverse economically. Marx, of course, was quite right in saying that economics plays a great part in the history of nations.
He was wrong in believing that it was actually the pivotal point upon which all nations and class struggles are built. And he was very naive to think that somehow, once property was in the hands of the state, that from then on, justice and equity and utopia would be brought about. But Karl Marx believed that the possession of private property was indeed the root of all evil. But it's interesting that the Bible says in the words of God, thou shalt not steal. By implication, God is giving His sanction.
to private property. As a matter of fact, in Exodus chapter 22, the Lord is talking about if someone steals your ox or steals your sheep. This is what should happen. Because God is not opposed to people owning something. And of course, Marx didn't see that when ownership was in the hands of the state, the repression that would follow.
And the seizure of land forcibly, the revolution that would bring it about, would be bloody and awful. and would eventually destroy the very fabric of society and whole countries. But it is God that says, thou shalt not steal.
Now there are four ways that you can legitimately get rich on. You can get rich by work. That incidentally is the best way. The Bible says: he who doesn't work, don't let him eat. One of the greatest blessings that you can have is to work, and if you can work, do it.
Try it. You'll like it. Second, you can also receive money by a gift. If you have someone who loves you enough to give you money, why then indeed consider yourself fortunate, receive it with gratitude, and give half of it to the Lord's work. Because it is legitimate to receive money.
By a gift, and all of us sometimes wish that we had wealthy friends who would remember us. in times of need. Thirdly, inheritance. There may be some problems there regarding those who inherit an awful lot of money. It is a curse that comes upon children who are born into wealthy families where they never have to do any work, where everything is simply given to them.
That is not a healthy situation. But it is legitimate to receive money by inheritance. And then, fourthly, by investment. If you know what to do with your money in such a way that you can legitimately put it into a bank, put it into some kind of an investment that will give you money, that too is a way to acquire property. acquire money.
But one way that is illegitimate is: thou shalt not steal. Stealing. is not a way to get rich.
Now what I'd like to do today is to delineate for us the various ways that this commandment can be broken. And incidentally, you might like to turn to it there in Exodus chapter 20. Even though my message today will be topical, I'll be asking you to turn to a few passages of Scripture. But in Exodus chapter 20, where God is giving the ten commandments, he says in verse 15, Enlisting them that is the eighth in order, thou shalt not steal, God says there in Exodus chapter 20, verse 15. What are the various ways that we can break this commandment?
How can this commandment be broken? First of all, it can be broken by what you take. By what you take. Here we're thinking of someone who has the intention of actually taking something that belongs to somebody else and just going ahead and being a burglar and doing whatever is necessary to get it in his own possession. There is such a thing as grand theft.
That's where you steal a lot of money, perhaps a burglary or embezzlement. As you know, Wall Street has been shaken by a man who was high up in its organization who embezzled $12 million, and if he had not been found out, he would have gone for more. Because there's something in the human heart that is incurably greedy, and the more you get, the more you want. Grand theft. That's one way to do it.
Another way, of course, is petty theft. This is what takes place in offices. If you work in a garage, it means taking oil home that belongs to the service station. Or if you're in an office, it means using the Xerox machine without paying for it, or doing other things on company time. If you work in a factory, perhaps taking some things home with you that don't belong to you that you're going to use for a few weeks, but then you never return.
That, of course, also comes under the prohibition here of what you take: theft. A hotel in New York City said that in one year's time it lost 38,000 spoons, 355 silver coffee pots, 15,000 finger bowls, and 100 Bibles. Wouldn't you know it? all in one single year. Seventy five percent of all insurance claims.
are at least in some way fraudulent. When it comes time to fill out one of those forms, there's something within people that just snaps and says, This is my chance to make a buck. Everybody ought to have at least one opportunity in life to get something, and this is mine.
So 75% of all claims may not be totally fraudulent, but at least in some sense they are. The damage or whatever is overdrawn because everybody wants to make money on insurance companies. As some of you know, for many years I attended a local university here in the Chicago area. And here, of course, this is the best of the nation, right? Attending university, becoming responsible members of society.
You wouldn't believe the problem that we had, or that the university had, with books that were being stolen from the library. They had to figure out all kinds of ways because an honor student Who was one who studied philosophy in the morning, in the evening, and all the time during the day? Who was one of the brightest students they had, stole more than 70 books. They found the books on a shelf. Isn't it interesting that education is supposed to make you better?
Listen, unless education is also combined by the regeneration of the heart, it only makes you more crafty. It makes you to be a smarter devil. That's all that education really does: it makes you to be brilliant in your ability. You don't get caught as easily after you're educated.
So, one way that you can, of course, break the commandment is by what you take. It means taking that which belongs to someone else. And there are numerous ways that that can be done. But there's a second way that this commandment can be broken, and that is by what you do. by what you do.
I'm thinking, for example, of employers here who do not pay an adequate wage to their employees. They are misusing labor. Turn with me in your Bibles to James. James chapter 5. He has a very harsh word to say to those who get people to work for them and then don't pay.
James chapter five. And if it seems as if I'm giving you lots of time to turn to it, it's because I can't seem to find it in my own Bible. James chapter 5, you'll notice what he says in verse 4. He's speaking to the rich now. Don't think that stealing just pertains to the poor.
It also pertains to the rich. He says in chapter 5, verse 1: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. And he says, Your gold and your silver are rotting. It's a figure of speech to show that even though those things that seemingly last forever, such as gold and silver, God is causing these to become decayed. But notice verse 4: Behold the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields and which has been withheld by you.
Some translations say defrauded really. Cries out against you, and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. Here are some rich people who hire others to work in the field for them, and then when evening comes, they don't pay them. And God says, I'm taking note of that, I'm keeping record. The cry of those that did the mowing and the harvesting has reached my ears.
But you find today that employers are sometimes interested in making a lot of money, and we should be thankful for the labor movement in the United States, which has helped laborers get a fair hearing in terms of the responsibility of employers to pay employees well.
Now, I know having said that, somebody's going to come up to me afterwards and say, Don't you listen to the news? Aren't you acquainted with what's happening to the Teamsters these days? Yes, I listen to the news, but the point still is that laborers, have a right to a decent wage. And so God says that if you're an employer and you withhold money and you don't pay adequately, God says I'm taking note of that because that basically is theft.
Now, those of you who are employees, you are about to shout amen.
Now it's your turn. You employees, you can steal from your boss. Not only because of what you take home at night. But you can steal from your boss because you are not giving a good day's work for what you expect at the end of the day, namely, a good day's pay. That's stealing too.
You know, it is said that you're supposed to work eight hours and you're supposed to sleep eight hours. The problem is, for some people, it's the same eight hours. That's the difficulty. You say, Well, I'm not being paid adequately. That does not justify it.
It does not justify you to cheat your employer simply because he isn't fair with you. Because actually, you are working for Jesus Christ, who is going to give an account, to whom you're going to give an account for all of the hours that you have worked. He is your employer. And if your employer, who is paying you on earth, is being dishonest with you, God is going to have to rectify that in the day of judgment. The text says in James that he is taking note of it, and the outcry of those who have been misused has reached his ears.
James chapter 5, verse 4. There's so much that could be said, I must hurry on. You can steal by what you do, employer-employee relations, and while I'm in it, Into this, let me also say a word about customers, the way you treat customers. I think, for example, of going into a garage these days. If you're from outside of the state of Illinois, I suggest that you try to get home with a car that you've got rather than have it fixed here in this state.
Because I'm told that when you drive into a garage, one of the first things they do is look at the license. If you're from out of state, it's a great opportunity to fleece the person who comes in. And we all have stories to tell. About how we took our car to the garage for one minor thing and discovered that there was so much wrong for it and ended up with bills of $500 or $600. That's stealing.
That's stealing. That's literally highway robbery. Oh well, I'll try better next time, but Can you imagine what would happen here in the United States if God simply took the lid off and all of the cheating and the stealing in business across the line and all of the aspects of larceny, whether it has to do with payoffs or whatever, were suddenly all exposed? would be incredible.
Okay, you can break this commandment by what you take, you can break the commandment by what you do, and now hang on to your seatbelts. You can also break the commandment by what you win, by what you win. And here I'm speaking about the lottery. and other forms of gambling. Shall I quickly go on to number four?
It's a fourth way. My dear folks, once our society has come to the point where they must sustain their educational programs by a state lottery. The people that are bearing the burden of that expense are the least able people. to do so. Has to do with poor people somehow thinking that by buying these tickets they're going to get rich quick and that this is going to be their hope.
And you have people taking money that should be spent for clothing and for children and for food, and they are giving it to the lottery, hoping that they will be able to win someone else's money. That's thievery. That's the barrier. And furthermore, seldom of course do they win someone else's money, but that money even though legalized, even though protected by the law, is not yours and it is not mine. It is a legal means by which people are trying to take someone else's money.
And of course it has state sanction.
Now, of course, I know someone is going to say to me, Well, all of life is a gamble.
Well, there's a certain way in which we can say that certain risks are involved in all investments. But the problem with gambling, the problem with the lottery, is it is totally dependent upon blind chance. Blind chance. Has nothing to do with sensible investments or the possibility of receiving a return based. on what we might call reasonable risk.
And incidentally, if you read the newspapers, you notice that there are some churches here in the Chicago area that make their money by gambling. And that's a reminder of the fact that sometimes Christendom can actually sink to the point where people are so desperate to prop up what is called God's work that they must have these kinds of forms of fundraising, even within the confines of a church.
Well, I told you I should hurry on, so I will. You can break it by what you take, by what you do, by what you win, but also by what you keep. by what you keep. Here, I want to speak about three areas in which we may keep money that legitimately belongs to someone else, and God would say that is stealing. For example, your relationship to friends.
Money that you borrow from them, but you don't give the money back. The Bible says in Psalm 37, verse 21: The wicked borrows, but does not return again. The wicked is the person who says, I need the money, you give it to him, you lend it to him, and even after he has money whereby he could pay the debt, he still doesn't do it because he thinks he needs it worse than his neighbor, his friend. The Bible says that if you do that, you are wicked. You are withholding that which belongs to someone else, and that is stealing.
And don't tell me about the fact that it happened twenty years ago. Just because a debt is 20 years old, that doesn't mean it isn't still a debt. It doesn't make it right just because a lot of time has passed. Nor does it make it right because the person to whom you owe the money has more than you do. That has absolutely nothing to do with it.
The Bible says, thou shalt not steal, and it is the wicked that borrow and do not return.
So you can Keep that which belongs to a friend. And that's stealing too. You can keep that which belongs to the government. to the government. I guess it's true to say that none of us enjoys paying taxes.
You've seen the little sign that says they told me to pay taxes with a smile and I tried it, but they wanted my money anyway. It's very difficult sometimes. I said to my wife one time: after you fill out your income tax form, you have a good feeling as to what. You know, then, how a cow must feel after she's been milked. And uh we know that we don't necessarily delight in paying money to our government.
But I want to say this to you. If you are dishonest, on your income tax form. You are being dishonest in the presence of God who says, thou shalt not. Steel. Thou shalt not steal.
And God holds us accountable for our accuracy and our honesty when it comes to the government. If not, we're thieves. But you know, you can steal from a friend, you can steal from the government, but also you can steal from God. steal from God. Yeah.
Well, my friend, this is Pastor Lutzer, and of course, the commandment that I've been speaking about. goes to the very heart oftentimes of who we are. I want to thank the many of you who support this ministry. I have in my hand a testimony from someone. Who's written to us?
Thanking us for the Bible teaching. and then this person says you've been helpful to me in my daily walk with the Lord, my decisions, my interactions. My friend, to day, that testimony is your testimony. You have heard me say it before the ministry of running to win is not the ministry of a man, of a church, or of an organization it is God's ministry but of course it is supported by God's people. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner?
Would you pray about that possibility? At least investigate what an endurance partner is. I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy because I'd like to give you some info. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com.
When you're there, you'll click on the Endurance Partner button. And by the way, I'm going to be giving you this contact info again. Or you can call us at 1-888-218-8. ninety three thirty seven. Because of people just like you running to win as heard now in fifty different countries, in seven different languages.
would you at least, as I've mentioned before, consider becoming an endurance partner? Right now you can go to your computer, type in RTW offer. Of course that's all one word. rtwoffer.com click on the endurance partner button. Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
keeping relationships in their proper place. That's Deb's concern to day, she asks. Is it possible to be too close of a friend with your pastor?
Well the short answer, Deb, is yes. The question is, why is a particular person a close friend of the pastor?
Now, a pastor needs close friends. but he also needs to be very careful in terms of his relationship with the opposite sex.
So these friendships that are wrong, that perhaps are upon a wrong foundation, can eventually lead to something that is disastrous. Obviously I don't know the details that lie behind your question, but I would simply say that what we need to do is to be very cautious, It's not just pastors oftentimes who have been wrongly befriended, but other Christian leaders, or any Christian. and therefore the whole business of who is our friend and how close they are to us in terms of that friendship, we need a great deal of discernment. Thank you, Deb, and thank you, Dr. Lutzer.
If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer dot com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer, or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. That's one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. Uh You can write to us at Running2Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. To be victorious in life's race, we need to lose the baggage of guilt we carry from thefts, both large and small. That's how far we've come in our study of the Eighth Commandment.
Next time on Running to Win, some closing thoughts on stealing and the many ways people steal almost without thinking. Also, we'll look at why the Eighth Commandment underlines God's view of the sanctity of private property. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister.
Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
