We're going to say two questions and answers tonight on page 249 in the back of your little forms and prayers book. This is Lord's Day 42. We're returning after a few weeks to our study of the Ten Commandments. And tonight we come to the Eighth Commandment, Lord's Day 42. So I'll ask the two questions here and please respond with the answers. Lord's Day 42, page 249, where we have question and answer 110. What does God forbid in the Eighth Commandment? He forbids not only outright theft and robbery, which governing authorities punish, but in God's sight, theft also includes all evil tricks and schemes designed to get our neighbor's goods for ourselves, whether by force or by means that appear legitimate, such as inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume, fraudulent merchandising, counterfeit money, excessive interest, or any other means forbidden by God. In addition, God forbids all greed and pointless squandering of His gifts. What does God require of you in this commandment? that I do whatever I can and may for my neighbor's good and treat others as I would like them to treat me and that I work faithfully so that I may help the needy in their hardship. The text tonight is one verse from Ephesians 4, 28. And I'll read that verse. It's a very short verse. Let the thief no longer steal. but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. And that's the Lord's word tonight to us. As we press on in our study of the Ten Commandments, we come tonight to the Eighth Commandment, you shall not steal. And stealing is, of course, taking very simply, boys and girls, what is not yours, which God has given and all of his good gifts that he gives to us and that he gives to you, taking that which is not yours and stealing to have something into your possession. It is not, of course, it is a form of not being content with all of God's good provisions and rejecting his provisions, but then in turn, notice that as we looked at in the Heidelberg, It has this effect of harming your neighbor by taking from him what God gave him in this life. So it's a real simple commandment in that regard, but is very, obviously has many implications in society and in the world. I remember when I was in, I still remember this this day, if I can give one little story here. I remember in second grade, first grade, I learned a lesson. I remember my little friend had a squirt gun. And the teacher took that squirt gun. And that squirt gun sat right on the desk next to me. And I remember eyeing that squirt gun. And I remember taking that squirt gun. And you guys wouldn't believe this, but at the Christian school, they used to spank. And I got a good one in first grade. And you know, that taught me a very important lesson. I don't really take things anymore, I don't think. Well, we'll look a little more deep than that. I think we have to get at what is behind the sin of stealing tonight to understand it so that we can appreciate the great call in our lives to pursue a radically different ethic that the gospel motivates. And so with that in mind, what I want to do tonight is look at what is behind this desire to steal a little bit and why this is such a problem, what stealing then looks like, And really what the Bible calls to replace that temptation to take what is not ours with the desire to give. There's a real positive dimension to this commandment you'll notice tonight. And we're going to explore that tonight. I want to begin with this desire that comes about, this desire to steal and to take. And hopefully this will help us tonight have a good appreciation of what the Eighth Commandment is all about. I remember years ago when I was sitting here in seminary, and it still sticks with me. I think it's been used everywhere, but I've used it here before. But I remember Pastor Voss saying that life is like the game of Monopoly and all in this life are trying to get ahead. It's what we're all trying to do. And we use all of our energies to get ahead, to gain money, to gain park place, to gain all of these things. And in the end, it still stuck with me. it all goes back into the box. Your own bodies go back into the box. Really a remarkable truth, isn't it? To kind of stop and think about how temporary this all is. And we go into this world with nothing, come into this world with nothing, and we go out of this world with nothing. So we want to look at this. It's helpful tonight with considering the Eighth Commandment where the Lord says this to us that really all that we have as putting it in economic terms is kind of borrowed capital isn't it that the lord gives to us in this life but the drive in us this drive that we have and what really motivates theft and you see how tied together the commandments are how in harmony they are how closely related the eighth commandment is to the tenth commandment because when the lord says you shall not covet there is that desire that is set on something the act of taking it is going the full route in stealing which really is something that gives birth in the heart when we set our desires on things that we shouldn't and it's really a desire in our lives to find and something that will make us happy we think i mean we all remember rockefeller saying you know how much is enough and he said a little more the desire to have in this life is an insatiable desire sometimes we'll put on the old television shows and we watched one the other day the Jeffersons anybody remember that? we're moving on up says the intro song we're moving on up we finally have a piece of the pie I think that describes a lot of the current challenges that we face in light of what Dr. Godfrey's been talking about in his reflections on the end of Christendom, that really in this life, there are the haves and the have-nots, and that's defined by material gain in this life, isn't it? That's how we look at life. That's how we think about life. That really life, there are the haves and the have-nots, and it all has to do with money and gain. There's a reason, James says, in the Christian ethic and sanctification. Don't give the best seats to the rich. Give them to the poor. We live in a time, however, where we believe that those distinctions should not exist. To have everybody absolutely equal with a piece of the pie is how people want to live in this day. And that's what drives people. That's what motivates people. but it's not the way the Bible presents life or Christianity or how we are to live as those who are followers of Jesus. Think of Hannah's prayer for a minute. There's a little more. You realize that sometimes they say, well, why don't you do topical preaching? Tonight's really a topical sermon. Catechism preaching is the Reformed way of topical preaching. So if anyone says we don't do that, that's what we're doing tonight. Think of Hannah's prayer. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. But those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has born seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and exalts. He raises the poor from the dust. he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor it's really a remarkable passage assigning to the Lord the sole prerogative for positions and status and wealth and gain people wouldn't like that today because it says somebody is above them who's distributing as he will. And however he distributes, if he gives more to somebody, it doesn't make them better than anyone else. They have responsibilities, just like the poor have responsibilities. Think of Ecclesiastes 5. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil, This is a gift of God. That's a remarkable verse. Wealth and property and gain in this life belongs to who? The Lord. Belongs to Him. And He has a right to distribute it as He sees fit. It's free to understand that. As the scriptures say, it's freeing to understand life this way. I think this sets us free in so many ways. To look at life this way. To understand life this way. That God distributes wealth. That God has determined what he's going to give you in this life. And to increase. That belongs to him. And that we don't have to live for that. It's his to give to us. And that we can be satisfied in whatever way he's provided for us. I've met a poor man who had nothing in life. And who was totally fulfilled as a couple because they had happiness in the Lord. But the point is, this is freeing to look at life this way. This is how the scriptures want the believers to understand life and to think about life. Governments are not really in charge of this. That's another important statement. Governments are not ultimately in charge of this. Sure, they care, they can give and help the poor and help the needy, but they're not in charge of really, think about this, what people have in this life, God is. It's the way the scriptures look at it. And he may use governments in certain ways and these sort of things, but everything today is so out of whack, if you will. There are responsibilities, I want to say, with having, and there are responsibilities, what we would think, with not having. But when we don't understand this, life just seems to become, and I think that's what it's become in the times in which we live, life just becomes getting a piece of the pie. Life just becomes fulfilling the American dream. And that is what is behind, I think, the breaking often of the Eighth Commandment. This is really what we say the American dream is all about. Finally making it, finally arriving, finally getting to a point where I don't have to worry. Who said you don't have to pray to the Lord? And trust Him for your provisions. He taught you in the Lord's Prayer every single day to say, Lord, would you provide my daily bread? The absence of that prayer often reflects in our lives that we're not so dependent on Him because we have so much. This is what we're considering tonight in light of the Eighth Commandment that really it's much more damaging than we realize in society and sad when it comes to, as we look at the Ten Commandments, This is the sort of, this is the commandment that gets the last treatment. Yet its damage is really incalculable in a society and in the world and in life. You realize how much this commandment is broken? What I do in my spare time is read the annual retail theft survey reports. Did you know that? It's really interesting to look at these actually. Every year they do an annual retail theft survey report. The 33rd came out and, listen to this, 22 large retail companies with 18,594 stores and over 500 billion in retail sales in 2020, this is 2020s, apprehension. Participants apprehended 184,621 shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2020. That's just what they apprehended. It's just what they caught. recovery dollars participants recovered over 81 million from apprehended shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2020 158 000 150 um 158 shoplifters were apprehended 49 million recovered from the shoplifters the survey just goes on and on dishonest employees 26 um the participants were 26,000 and notice the dollars recovered from dishonest employee apprehensions totaled over 32 million. The average dishonest employee case value in 2020 was 1,219 dollars. I think you get the point. We're now living in a time where this is just everywhere. People just take whatever they want and it's a huge problem in our country it's not just a problem so much for the poor it's an acceptable sin also for the rich how so well I was thinking of some of the scripture passages that talk about this and one of the great problems in Israel was greed and this is something that's mentioned in in the catechism that's so important listen to Isaiah 5 woe to those who join house to house who add field to field until there's no more room and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land the lord of hosts has sworn in my hearing saying surely many houses shall be desolate large and beautiful houses without inhabitant for 10 acres of a vineyard shall yield but one bath and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephath who in other words Who do you think holds the economies of this world in his hand? And when the rich are squelching out the poor and taking and buying house and house and house and doing all this, do you think it's going to go well in a society? The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people. It is you who've devoured the vineyard. The spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the face of the poor? Declares the Lord God of hosts. the lord said because the daughters of zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks glancing wantonly with their eyes mincing along as they go tingling with their feet therefore the lord will strike with a scab the heads of the daughters of zion the lord will lay bare their secret parts in that day the lord will take away listen to this the finery of the anklets the headbands the crescents the pendants the bracelets the scars the headdresses the armlets the sashes the perfume boxes the amulets the signet rings and nose rings the festal robes the mantles the cloaks the handbags the mirrors the linen garments the turbans and the veils instead of perfume there will be rottenness instead of a belt a rope instead of a well-set hair baldness instead of a rich robe a skirt of sackcloth and branding instead of beauty i think it's fair to say that throughout history one of the great judgments of the Lord for theft and greed was that he took away all the excess of a society notice how that's happening right now you can't even buy good clothes it's just really weird time behold Ezekiel I will strike at the dishonest gain destroying lives of those to get dishonest gain and i say all that tonight and rehearse that to say i think that's what's behind often theft theft has many motivations but it's a desire to have in this present it's a it's a desire to hold on to the present and and jesus was constantly going after this jesus was um was was talking a lot about this when he said um that of the man who thought to himself i will build bigger barns to store up more goods and he was a fool because this life this night his life would be required of it and then what about all his stuff remember the story of achan maybe boys and girls you remember the story the children of israel committed trespass against the accursed things for achan the son of carmi of the tribe of Judah took of the accursed things, so the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He had stolen something. And what had he stolen? Well, when they asked Achan about it, Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed, I've sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I've done. When I saw the spoils of a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels. I coveted them first and then I took them. And they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent with the silver under it. Interesting, when you steal, you don't even get to enjoy it. You've got to hide it. He saw the Babylonian garment. He lusted after it. And then Achan said, his heart on it, and then Achan took it. And the reason that was so wrong in Israel, now listen, this is such an important point, I think, for the eighth commandment. The reason that was so wrong is because God was giving them everything, and the imagery of stealing and that what was in his heart was stealing was a way of holding on to Babylon, was a way of holding on to this world john owen said the lust of the eyes enters the soul forcing the imagination to portray its intentions john speaks of this as the lust of the eyes because it constantly represents these images to the mind and to the soul just as our natural eyes present images for outward objects to the brain The actual sight of the eyes often occasions these imaginations. Achan declared how sin had prevailed over him. First he saw the gold and the Babylonian garments. Then he coveted them. Seeing them, he imagined their value to him. And then he fixed them in his desiring heart. enticement of sin is heightened when the imagination dominates over the mind it plants implants vain thoughts within the mind you see it's setting your heart on something that the lord has not given you and then taking and i think that moves us to hear what um actual theft is when we look at it in our lives you see the motivations of it but it's living for gain in this life isn't it it's living for gain dishonest gain and there's a lot of scripture that talks about how much the lord hates this that's why the bible says not money is the root of all evil it's the love of money isn't it it's that desire that rises to want to have more than what he has assigned to you in life and that's what drives theft and it may not be actually taking the object but you'll see how powerful the tenth commandment is with coveting what is stealing well heidelberg outlines it very well doesn't it stealing god not only forbids outright theft and robbery but also such wicked schemes and devices such as false weights and measures somebody comes to you and it's weighed wrong I just we just purchased with somebody else a steer for meat and I have no idea when I paid the money for that if that was put on the scale properly you've got to have some measure of trust in a society for it to work right how easy it would have been for the one selling the steer it's only 200 pounds more see this is what he's talking about here counterfeit money i doubt any of you have counterfeiting systems in your home usury the old puritans wrote about usury everywhere it's amazing how much usury was written on in the reformed tradition lending money at an unreasonably high rate of interest sad isn't it we must not defraud our neighbor in any way whether by force or by show of right in addition notice the heart of this god forbids really what's behind all this all greed and all abuse and squandering of his good gifts i think that's why paul says in the new life right up front in Ephesians 4, 28, that this would become a big focal point. Let the thief no longer steal. Every good and perfect gift we have in this life comes from God, and he has specifically measured out to you what he wants you to enjoy in this life. And having more will never make you more happy. That's the reality of the matter. Stealing says, I will get ahead myself apart from the lord that's what it says to him and i always think in the psalms how wonderful it portrays god's gracious giving hand you make springs gush forth in the valleys they flow between the hills you give drink to every beast of the field the wild donkeys quench their thirst beside them the birds of the heavens dwell they sing among the branches from your lofty abode you water the mountains the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work you cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart the trees of the lord are watered abundantly the cedars of lebanon that he planted in them the birds build their nests the stork has her home in the fir trees the high mountains are for the wild goats and rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers he made the moon to mark the seasons the sun knows it's time for setting you mark darkness and it's night when all the beasts of the forest creep about man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening think about the rock badgers you know god has given them a home god feeds them god gives to them Don't you think this was behind Jesus saying, don't be anxious and don't worry? Because if he does that for the little creatures of the earth, how much more is he not going to feed you and care for you? And you know, the truth be told, it was James Boyce who once said, God, I've said this before, but I always found it such a profound statement. God would give you everything now if you could handle it. But he gives you what you can handle. And he gives you good gifts to enjoy. And to be content with that is at the heart of this, isn't it? Certainly we enter this world with nothing and we take nothing out. And that's the issue before. Theft speaks volumes to where the heart is. Who likes tax season? It's easy to avoid. It's easy to lie. No one knows. Oh, somebody knows. Somebody knows. That's the Lord. God has loaded us with good gifts. Have we ever gone without? And how much more is awaiting us in glory? Theft says to the Lord, not enough. Not enough. I don't want what you give. I will do it through the work of getting it myself. And theft is a way of denying the gospel. We'll look at that. there's a positive dimension to this commandment isn't there tonight what does god require of us in this commandment well isn't this a much better way this is that i promote my neighbor's good whenever i can and may deal with him as i would like others to deal with me and work faithfully so that he may be able to give so that i may be able to give to those in need. Imagine if society functioned this way right now. Everyone's about getting a piece of the pie, haves and have-nots, and all of society is really built on this great problem of a desire for gain and money. That's what drives this whole problem we're in right now in many respects. That's what's driving all of the cultural challenges that we're facing. Imagine this, a redeemed life says, somebody who's the Lord's, this is his calling for us. Rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands. For what purpose? So that he may have something to share with those in need. The point is, when you think of the scriptures Paul gave when he talked about giving, Listen to the language of how Paul described giving in 2 Corinthians. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he's decided in his heart. Not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. I think the author of the Heidelberg, I think Ersinus was looking at this when he wrote this. As it is written, he has distributed freely, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but it's also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. He quotes there Psalm 112. I want you to hear it. When it says, He has distributed freely. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. Psalm 112 says it this way. Wealth and riches are in his house. And his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright. He is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends. Who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved. He will be remembered forever. He's talking about the righteous character of God's people. For the righteous, notice what he says, he is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady. He will not be afraid until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He's distributed freely. He's given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is angry. He gnashes his teeth and melts away. The desire of the wicked will perish. See, our righteous Lord loves righteousness in his people. It's beautiful, isn't it? And the world doesn't see this, except from us. Our Lord calls us to be good stewards of what he's given to us and to be content. You don't have to worry about these things. Isn't that free? You don't have to worry about it. We can do with whatever we are given to have the mindset of, I'm given this so that I can help somebody else. That's what the Lord loves. Whoever is generous to the poor, listen to this, lends to the Lord. And he will repay him for his deed. Proverbs 19, 17. That's a great verse. This is the witness of the Christian community in many ways, isn't it? You know, when I was preaching yesterday and the room was full of unbelievers and we had, it was quite a surprising day. I didn't know what to expect and this place was fairly full. Some of these people had never heard and I thought, what is the perspective of Christianity? Well, we often just assume that everyone assumes that we're, well, maybe take the Mark statement that this is just the opiate of the people or that we're goofy or that we hold to a ridiculous religion or that we're this and that. It's interesting as I was reading the other day somebody describing Christians that was entirely different from how I thought Christians are often perceived. This non-believer said, one of the things that I can't get over about Christians is the way they love and care for the needy. What a positive dimension of honoring the Eighth Commandment. It's justice. There's where justice is shown. And the Lord's care for the needy and the poor. Wouldn't this lead to a much more harmonious life in society if people thought this way? Obviously, there's some form of common grace and we see people giving care for people in need. But this is the kind of care that's motivated for the glory of God. It's an opportunity for those to see what salvation is all about in many respects. Isn't it interesting to close tonight that Jesus was dying. He could have chosen many sinners to sit beside Him on the cross. Who did He choose? Two thieves. Two breakers of the Eighth Commandment. He hung next to two thieves. The single great sin when Jesus was dying was a thief on the cross next to him whose whole life had been a lie. Isn't that something? Whole life had been a lie. And he got caught. He got caught. Now he was to die for his sins in Israel. And that night he looked to Jesus and he asked that he be remembered. And right then and there, Jesus forgave all of that debt. Isn't that remarkable? Forgave all of his theft and made the payment himself on the cross. That's what that parable was all about. That man that night entered the land forgiven. But notice what Jesus did for that thief. He gave him instead eternal life. instead of judgment for all of his thefts, he gave him eternal life. We're not nailed to a cross right now. Beloved, he's given you eternal life. And your hands are free. And you've been given a lot. And what does that mean for us? Probably a lot now like the attitude of Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus stood and said, Lord, behold, half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. That's the kind of heart that honors the intention of the Eighth Commandment. Life is not just about storing up, building bigger, passing it all on. It is also about loving those in need. And you see how important this is for when the scriptures say, set your mind on heavenly things where Christ is. Not on the things on the earth. You've got everything given to you in him. You're already rich. You're already full. Everything's yours. Let me come back to the Monopoly game, right? Everything we have on this life goes back into the box materially. It's all God's anyway. It's all borrowed capital. So make use of the good gifts that he's given you. in love for him and in love for your neighbor. And in doing that, we'll honor the intention of the eighth commandment. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word tonight and thank you for helping us and instructing us in what's good and right. We failed in many ways. And we realize, Lord, that at the heart of this is greed and a desire to hold on to what we have in this life when all of it's passing away. Thank you for giving us everything in Christ, eternal life. Thank you for forgiving our sins and help us, Lord, to be more of those who care for those in need. And by that witness, when the world sees our love for one another, may they glorify our Father who is in heaven. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.