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Please turn in your Bibles to 
Exodus chapter 22. Exodus chapter 22, as we continue 
our study in some of the ethics that the Bible sets forth, some 
of the laws concerning right and wrong, things that we have 
to take into consideration living in this world. And if you have 
been keeping track, we had started with a general overview of the 
lawful uses of God's law from 1 Timothy chapter 1. We then 
noticed the 6th commandment specifically with reference to abortion, and 
then the 7th commandment with reference specifically of homosexuality. This morning we'll look at a 
biblical view of private property. The 8th commandment, Exodus 20 
and verse 15 makes the general pronouncement, you shall not 
steal. We remember, however, that following 
Exodus 20 is Exodus 21, 22, and 23. That's just not a mathematical 
lesson, but there is a reason for that. Walter Kaiser says, 
while these judgments deal mainly with temporal matters, They, 
nevertheless, are based on one or another express commandment 
in the Decca Law, an express commandment from the Ten Commandments. So, the general statement, You 
shall not steal, is developed further in the case laws of Exodus 
21 and following. He says, it is most appropriate, 
therefore, that these judicial and political regulations given 
by God to Moses, when Moses approached the thick darkness where God 
was, should be set alongside the Decalogue. The two belong 
together in time as well as in interpretation. So we want to 
see what the Bible says generally, but we are also given the privilege 
to see what the Bible says specifically. So I'll just pick up reading 
in Exodus 22 at verse 1. If a man steals an ox or a sheep 
and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for 
an ox and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief is found breaking 
in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt 
for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, 
there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full 
restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall 
be sold for his theft. If the theft is certainly found 
alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, 
he shall restore double. If a man causes a field or vineyard 
to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another 
man's field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field 
and the best of his own vineyard. If fire breaks out in thatches 
and thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field 
is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. If a man delivers to his neighbor 
money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's 
house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief 
is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought 
to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his 
neighbor's goods. For any kind of trespass, whether 
it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for 
any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the 
cause of both parties shall come before the judges, and whomever 
the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. If a 
man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or 
any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one 
seeing it, then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both, 
that he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods, and 
the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it 
good. But if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make 
restitution to the owner of it. If it is torn to pieces by a 
beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not 
make good what was torn. And if a man borrows anything 
from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of 
it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. If its owner 
was with it, he shall not make it good. If it was hired, it 
came for its hire. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we come before you now and we confess the glory 
and the holiness of your name. We confess, Lord God, that you 
are a God of justice, a God of righteousness, a God of moral 
purity. The psalmist says the foundation 
of your throne is righteousness and justice. And we know, Father, 
you've called your children to think your thoughts after you. 
We pray that you would help us to take every thought captive 
to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Help us to understand what your 
word says to those pressing issues going on in this world today. 
Help us, Lord God, to walk in holiness and in righteousness 
and to bring glory to the Savior who died on our behalf and who 
rose again. We are to be conformed to his 
image, God, and we pray even now that your spirit would be 
at work in our hearts. that you would guide us and lead 
us into all truth, that you would forgive us for all of our sins 
and transgressions and help us, God, truly to bring honor to 
you, our great God. And we ask through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. Probably the temptation 
is, as we read this passage, to say, well, we don't have donkeys, 
or oxes, or any of the things that are listed here. How does 
this apply to me? Well, we'll see, God willing, 
that it does apply, that these principles, or these examples, 
or these illustrations, again, are a working out in society 
of that general statement, you shall not steal. Certainly we 
ought to be able to work out as well in our own context the 
principles that we find in the Bible with reference to a biblical 
view of private property. I want to do three things this 
morning. This was a reading more to frame our minds and to show 
us that this is something that God takes seriously. But I want 
to look specifically at the Eighth Commandment. And I want to look 
first of all at the prohibition of the command. What the command 
forbids. Secondly, the reason for the 
command. Why God gave it. And thirdly, 
the positive aspect of the command. If you're familiar with the Westminster 
Standards, this is how they develop the Ten Commandments. Not only 
what they forbid, but what they call us to. For example, the 
Sixth Commandment calls us not only to not go out and kill people, 
but also to do everything we can to promote life. To take 
care of our own bodies, to make sure we're getting rest, and 
we're doing those things that are necessary for the positive 
aspect of the command. Well, the Eighth Commandment 
is like that as well. There is a positive aspect. So, 
with reference, however, first of all to the prohibition of 
the commandment, the basic thrust of the law is simply the unlawful 
taking of another's property either by force or by fraud. We would all probably say, yeah, 
of course. Why do we need to spend an hour or 50 minutes looking 
at this? Well, I want to give several 
illustrations or several things that the Bible speaks to that 
I submit are rampant today. I mean, obviously, it is difficult 
for us to live in this society and never be affected by crime, 
by property theft. Many of us have had our homes 
broken into. Many of us have been subject 
to violent crime. Many of us have had to deal with 
this. And there is a wing of professing Christianity that 
sort of condemns private property, that says, well, we should all 
just love Jesus and share everything it is that we have. Well, that's 
not the whole story, according to the Bible. God has given his 
creatures private property. He owns everything, but he has 
given stuff to us so that we as stewards of those things can 
do what he calls us to do. He has called us to subdue the 
earth. He has called us to live holy. He has called us to bring 
up our children in the training and admonition of the Lord. He 
has called us to engage in the Great Commission. And you know 
what? We need stuff to be able to do 
that. We're not disembodied spirits 
just floating around. We need food. We need shelter. We need clothing. We need those 
resources necessary so that we can advance Christ's kingdom 
on this earth. And God, as Supreme King, as 
Lawgiver, has told man that they're not to steal other people's stuff. It is simply wicked, it is ungodly, 
and the fact that it is rampant today is yet another sad testimony 
on the weakness of the Church not to preach the Law of the 
Living God. So, first of all, burglary. That 
is highlighted here in chapter 22, verses 2 and 3. Burglary 
is the entering a dwelling with the intent to steal. Now, you'll 
notice in this particular instance, if the burglar enters at night, 
and in the midst of his commission of a crime, he gets killed, the 
homeowner is not responsible. But if he breaks in during the 
day, and he gets killed, the homeowner may be responsible. 
What's the difference? Well, when a man enters your 
dwelling at night, and presumably you are asleep, you have no idea 
what his intention is. So, in your defense of your home, 
you kill him, the judges will not hold you guilty. If it is 
daytime, you can better assess what it is he is trying to do. 
Now, if he physically attacks you and tries to kill you, and 
in the midst of defending yourself, you kill him, you will not be 
held guilty for that. But presumably, in the daytime, 
you can better assess what he is doing. Your neighbors are 
awake. You can make a call for help. But the law of God here 
tells us that it is wrong for a man to enter the property of 
another to steal stuff. Matthew Henry said, A man's house 
is his castle, and God's law as well as man's sets a guard 
upon it. He that assaults it does so at 
his own peril. Now Jesus presupposes this in 
Luke 12. He says that if the man knew 
when the strong man was going to come, he would wait for him 
and defend his property. Burglary is wrong. Robbery, secondly, 
is wrong. Robbery is the taking from someone 
something by use of violence or intimidation. That's what 
happens when you're down on the street and some thug comes and 
puts a gun or a knife in your face and takes your wallet. Actually 
had this happen to me several years ago. It wasn't me, but 
it was my buddy. They took his wallet, they took 
his chains, they wanted to take the watch off of another buddy. 
That's robbery. Intimidation or force was used 
so that they could deprive us of our stuff. Well, God says 
it's wrong. Proverbs 1, 10-19 gives a good 
illustration of robbery. or a third sin condemned by this 
general statement, you shall not steal, is kidnapping. Kidnapping. Again, it would be 
nice not to have to deal with this, but it's pretty common 
to read of kidnappings. You might say, wow, this is kind 
of an odd thing to study on a Lord's Day morning. Well, we live in 
a fallen world, and God understands that, and God has spoken to that, 
and Christians need to think biblically about it so that we 
can pray in an informed manner, and so that God willing, will 
be able to instruct others also in what the Scripture says concerning 
these categories. Kidnapping means to seize and 
detain unlawfully and usually for a ransom. Exodus 21, 16 stipulates 
that for kidnapping it was a capital offense. In other words, the 
death penalty was to be inflicted upon the kidnapper. Rush Dooney 
quotes Von Ratt who said, it is today regarded as certain 
that the prohibition of stealing referred originally to the kidnapping 
of a free person. You shall not steal in this context 
meant don't steal a man and sell him into slavery. Don't steal 
his freedom away from him. Kidnapping is condemned under 
this general precept. A fourth crime or a fourth sin 
covered in the scriptures is fraud. Fraud. What does fraud mean? Fraud is 
a deception deliberately practiced to secure unfair or unlawful 
gain. It's deception to get your stuff 
from you. Try to sell you the Portman Bridge. 
You want to buy that bridge? I'll be happy to sell it to you 
for the one small fee of such and such. Well, you can't own 
that bridge. Fraud. The Bible condemns the 
moving of a landmark. You ever read that and you say, 
why does God care? Because the land was central 
in Israel's theology. It was a gift given by God to 
tribes so that they could then pass it on within their tribe. And to move a landmark was tantamount 
to stealing. Well, we'll just put the property 
marker over here and we'll put the pool over there. That's wrong. That's sin. It's crime. It's 
theft. Also, unjust weights are condemned throughout Leviticus 
19, Deuteronomy 25, and several times in the book of Proverbs. 
This right here, or this right there, should show you that God 
is actually concerned about social justice. God actually does take 
to heart what goes on in the earth. And He says you're not 
to have unjust weights. You're not to have unjust measures. In the book of Isaiah, you may 
turn there for a moment, Isaiah chapter 1, one of the very things 
the nation was condemned for was debasing currency. You know, 
anything about the current economic crisis, Isaiah 1.22 ought to 
put fear in your heart. What does this have to do with 
us? Isaiah 1.22, your silver has become dross, your wine mixed 
with water. Silver was replaced with baser 
metals or heavily alloyed with them. A quart of wine was made 
into a gallon of wine by the addition of water. Speaks of 
debasing the currency. We'll just add a bit of this 
baser metal to our silver and we'll fake them out. We will commit fraud. Now why 
do I say, if you know anything about the economic crisis, this 
ought to scare you. Well brethren, if it's a sin 
to add a baser metal to your silver to make it go a bit further, 
it certainly must speak to high heaven when you create money 
out of thin air. One man said, ever since, talking 
about a day and age in which banks were places where you put 
your money and they gave you a certificate which guaranteed 
that your money was there. In other words, if you gave them 
20 ounces of gold, they would write you a certificate securing 
that 20 ounces of gold. This man says, ever since, and 
then he goes on to tell us what's going on today. Banks have habitually 
created warehouse receipts, originally banknotes and now deposits, out 
of thin air. Essentially, they are counterfeiters 
of fake warehouse receipts to cash or standard money, which 
circulate as if they were genuine, fully backed notes or checking 
accounts. Banks make money by literally 
creating money out of thin air. nowadays exclusively deposits 
rather than banknotes. This sort of swindling or counterfeiting 
is dignified by the term fractional reserve banking, which means 
that bank deposits are backed by only a small fraction of the 
cash they promise to have at hand and redeem. If I sit in 
my basement and I print phony money and I go and get caught, 
I will rightfully be thrown into jail. But for the federal government 
to print that money, that's the way it is. God, through his prophet 
Isaiah, said it is wicked to add a base metal to your silver. It is wicked to have a false 
scale. It is wrong to say you are selling 
this amount and short-changing your customer. You see, God takes 
notice of these things. When Jesus said that we are to 
pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, 
he really meant it. You know who usually loses in 
these types of scams? It's the poor. And God has a 
real heart for the poor. He's not like us. See, we could 
probably care less for the poor, but God really does care for 
them. He cares for the rich, too. He's 
good. He's gracious. He's kind. It was Murray Rothbard, 
by the way, quoting from Fractional Reserve Banking. It's also called 
credit expansion. It's making money out of thin 
air. A fifth application of the statement 
you saw last year was extortion. Extortion. What does that mean? 
Acquiring property by undue legal power or undue influence. Extortion. This was rampant in 
Jesus' day, so much so that when he pronounces his woes upon the 
scribes and the Pharisees, he nails them on this particular 
crime, this particular sin. In Matthew 23 at verse 14, Woe 
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' 
houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will 
receive greater condemnation. What does he mean you devour 
widows' houses? A widow, when her husband died, 
would seek out counsel. She would go to the ecclesiastical 
leaders. Certainly my rabbi, certainly 
the priest, certainly these men who are holy and pious and righteous 
will guide me in my investments, will help me to make sure that 
I am taken care of. They devoured. They extorted 
them. In fact, Jesus in chapter 23 
at verse 25, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for 
you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they 
are full of extortion and self-indulgence. You mean Jesus really noticed 
what was going on to the poor widows in his day? Yes. Do you 
mean that we as Christians need to take heed to this type of 
stuff and we need to give our attention to a study of God's 
law so that we are able to formulate a response? Yes. A sixth application 
is the destruction of property. We read it there in Exodus 22, 
6. That was destruction through negligence. A man sets a fire, 
and he gets out of control, and it burns down his neighbor's 
stuff. He's responsible, even through his negligence. You see 
how these are very applicable today? There's negligence today. There's fraud today. There's 
extortion today. I mean, every day we hear about 
another Ponzi scheme. This isn't just abstract. This is where we live, brothers 
and sisters. My desire is that we would know 
the Bible on these issues, not only through negligence, but 
through wickedness as well. Do you realize that in Old Covenant 
Israel, it was a law that the bystander get involved? You're 
standing there and you watch your neighbor's ox get hurt, 
or fall into a pit, and you hide yourself? You're in sin. When Jesus told the parable of 
the Good Samaritan, and He said, Go thou and do likewise, He's 
not just merely appealing to your sense of emotional rightness. He's appealing to biblical law. The priest and the Levite knew 
better. They walked the other side of 
the road. It was the Samaritan who actually did what Deuteronomy 
22 said. As a bystander, you need to be 
involved. May it never be the case that 
something happens to someone's property and you hide yourself. 
It's destruction of property through wickedness. And then 
a seventh application of the general principle is given by 
Malachi the prophet. See, all of these so far have 
been horizontal in nature. We're not to burglarize each 
other's homes. We're not to rob each other. 
We're certainly not to kidnap. We're not to engage in fraud. 
We're not to extort. We're not to destroy one another's 
property. It's the way we relate to one 
another. That's how life goes well. that 
there is a vertical aspect highlighted by the prophet Malachi in Malachi 
3, in verse 8. And I know that it wells up in 
my heart to say, oh, how bad the fractional reserve banking 
system is. Oh, how bad fraud is. Oh, how 
bad the Ponzi schemes are. How bad when the professing people 
of God won't give. I'm not here because Pastor Porter 
and Deacon Steeve said, we need money. That's not why I'm here. I'm here to highlight that this 
is a violation of the Eighth Amendment. And I heartily agree 
with Gary North when he said, men want religion, but they want 
sheep. The prophet says, will a man 
rob God? Yeah, you would rob me. But you 
say this was the pattern in Malachi's prophecy. When God, through the 
prophet, would nail them, they'd say, what, us? Who, us? I mean, that's the whole story 
of the prophet Malachi. Instead of the people hearing 
the indictment and saying, God be merciful to us and forgive 
us, they immediately, what do you mean? What are you talking 
about? God, maybe you're wrong. This 
is the same thing here. Malachi 3.8. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you 
say, in what way have we robbed you? What do you mean? What are you talking about, Lord? 
We wouldn't rob you. We haven't taken a gun to you. We haven't seen you down at the 
bowling alley and put a knife in your back and twisted your 
arm and said, give me all your money. We haven't done that, 
Lord. He says, in tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, 
for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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 blessing that there will not be room enough to receive 
it. When you look out on the horizon 
at economic crisis, the last thing you ought to do is say, 
why? We got a government adding metal 
to silver? Not even that. That's actually 
dignified compared to just saying, let's make 10 million. We as 
a church, let's mock God. He's not mocked. What a man sows, 
he reaps. When we hoard, when we neglect 
the poor, when we don't give any charity whatsoever, when 
we don't carry out those things, we ought to be the last people 
in the world scratching our heads and saying, we just can't understand 
why there's an economic crisis. I hope you understand why. God 
is not mocked. I heard a statistic recently 
in a sermon from Pastor Alan Cairns, and I think he said something 
to the effect that in North America, in America, I think specifically 
in the U.S., Christians possess like 70% of the wealth, and the 
average trend in giving is 2% a year. Please let's not scratch our 
heads and wonder why there's an economic crisis. I think James 
4 is more appropriate for us. Let's discuss this. Let's lament 
and mourn. That's probably a more appropriate 
response at this juncture. Well, what's the reason? What 
are some of the reasons for the command? We're not exhausting 
this. To exhaust each of these subjects would take us more than 
one sermon. We're giving attention, one sermon 
each, on these ethics. If you're interested in further 
study, I have some books I can recommend to you. We're just 
trying to scratch the surface, get a general overview. Yet a 
general understanding, certainly there's other prohibitions that 
fall under the general statement, you shall not steal. But let's 
look at the reason for the command. And as I've surveyed the scriptures, 
not that I'm the end-all, be-all in all of this. That's why I'm 
saying this is suggestive. These are some things to consider. 
There seems to be four things that bear on this command. The 
first is the sovereignty of God. See, it's first and foremost 
about God. God owns the earth and the fullness 
therein. God has absolute claim on every 
bit of property. So, therefore, God gets to make 
the rules. Do you follow that? God gets 
to call the shots. God gets to dictate according 
to His mind what He wants done. As Walter Kaiser says, commenting 
on the Eighth Commandment, he says, the Eighth Word recognizes 
that Jehovah owns everything in heaven and earth, and only 
He can give it or take it away. Isn't this Job's confession as 
well? Naked I came into this world, 
naked I shall return. The Lord gives, the Lord takes 
away. Job's conclusion, of course, 
is most beautiful and blessed. Blessed be the name of the Lord. A second reason for the command 
is the position of man. God made man in his own image, 
Genesis 1 and 2. God gave man a specific task, 
to multiply and to subdue the earth. If you think that's no 
longer in effect, you haven't read Matthew 28. The church is 
to go, therefore, and multiply and subdue the earth through 
preaching the gospel, preaching the word, teaching men to obey 
all that the Lord has commanded. Psalm 8 highlights the place 
that man has in God's created order. One man has said, man 
was created to exercise dominion under God and as God's appointed 
vicegerent over the earth. Dominion is thus a basic urge 
of man's nature. That's the way it is. It's not 
wrong to want private property. God has made you that way. It's not wrong to want to go 
out and work hard and make a profit. That's not wicked. It's not sin. A third reason for the command 
is that it is an attack upon man. Remember, God made man in 
his own image. That's the reason why the sixth 
commandment, the whole idea of you shall not murder. Why? Because 
we're image bearers of God. Verne Poitras is right on when 
he says the destruction or expropriation of property is an indirect attack 
on the human life supported by it. In other words, you come 
in and you steal my stuff, I may die because I don't have it. 
If I come in and steal your stuff, you may die because you don't 
have it. That's not God's will for us. 
God's will is that our stuff sustain us, that we live, that 
we carry out his law, that we carry out his will, that we preach 
his gospel. And then the fourth reason, of 
course, is that it's positively given to us in the law of God. 
You might say, well, this is a strange sermon on a Sunday 
morning. Do you know how much the Bible speaks to this issue? 
I mentioned before about the unjust weights or balances in 
the book of Proverbs. One, two, three, four, five times. In 31 chapters of the book of 
Proverbs, five times we're told that an unjust weight is an abomination 
to the Lord. Wow. I don't think homosexuality 
appears in the book of Proverbs. But five times we're told, you 
know what our temptation is? Oh, those dirty, rotten criminals 
out there. And neglect the fact that there's 
a dirty, rotten criminal right here. And that there are times 
when we will engage in an unjust rate or balance because we deserve 
it. Because we got ripped off. We 
buy the lies of the devil. Rashtuni said, God requires us 
to respect the life, marriage, and property of our neighbor 
and enemy. Not because our neighbor or enemy is not possibly evil, 
and not because our own needs are not great, but because His 
law order takes priority over the conditions of men. It's a 
theological reason for the command. Don't steal because God is on 
His throne and He orders what men do. And don't do what the 
property He entrusts them with. And then thirdly and finally, 
the positive aspect of the command. There's three things to highlight 
here. First is diligent labor. What? You shall not steal. Positively 
tells us you should work. Right? In fact, in Ephesians 
4.28, it's almost as if Paul has something of exodus in his 
mind here. In Ephesians 4.28, he says this, 
let him install, steal no longer. but rather let him labor, working 
with his hands what is good, that he may have something to 
give him who has need." Paul indicts the church in Thessalonica 
because they stopped working. Probably not everybody in the 
church, but there was a handful of people within the church that 
took eschatology and applied it unbiblically. They said, well, 
Jesus is coming, so let's just sit and wait for him. Paul says, Jesus is coming, go 
work until he comes. Oh, but it's so much more pious 
to sit on our roofs and pray. No, it's more pious to go get 
your hands dirty. or to pick up your pencil, or 
to get behind your computer, or to do whatever it is God has 
lawfully called you to do. That's what you want to be doing 
when Jesus comes, not sitting on a roof. You're sitting on 
a roof when Jesus comes. He's probably going to say, why 
are you sitting on that roof? Didn't you read Thessalonians? 
Didn't Paul make it very clear that if you don't eat or don't 
work, you shouldn't get to eat? I could just see it at the fellowship 
lunch now. The roof sitters come down and 
they're sitting in the hall and they're loading up their plates. 
And that slob that's been out in the workplace for 70, 80 hours 
a week's going, he's not the slob, he's the good guy. He's 
like, what are you doing? I'm eating. I'm hungry. You've 
been sitting on a roof. I've been out in the fields. My back hurts. I'm hungry. Oh, 
you're unpious, man. No, he's right, according to 
Paul. If you don't work, you shouldn't 
eat. The Jewish rabbi said that if a man does not teach his son 
how to work, he's taught him to be a thief. We need something 
of that ethic back in the church today. Diligent labor. Westminster larger 
catechism. Number 141. What are the duties 
required in the Eighth Commandment? One section says, and an endeavor 
by all just and lawful means to procure, preserve, and further 
the wealth and outward estate of others as well as our own. Just and lawful. Not go out and 
rob banks. Not go out and manufacture methamphetamine 
and sell it to college or high school kids. To work. To trade. To hammer. get a computer, learn 
to sell, learn to dig, learn to do whatever it is you can 
do that is a lawful calling under God, and work hard at it. Look what Thomas Watson says 
in his Godly Man's Picture. He says, the bread that tastes 
most sweet is obtained with most sweat. Isn't that beautiful? A godly man would rather fast 
than eat the bread of idleness. vain professing Christians' talk 
of living by faith, but do not live in a calling. They are like 
the lilies of the field. They toil not, neither do they 
spin. An idle person is the devil's tennis ball, which he bandies 
up and down with temptation, till at last the ball goes out 
of play." A second positive aspect of the 
command is what we've seen here in Ephesians 4.28. Charitable 
love. Charity. That means giving to others. 
Right? That was one of the reasons Paul 
wrote Ephesians 4.28. Let him who stole, steal no longer. He has stopped. The fast price 
now, that's it. No more theft. Notice what he 
doesn't do. How could they ever be a Christian? Oh, you wretched, horrible sinner. Just don't do it anymore. But here's what I want you to 
do. See, the gospel is not only about putting off, but it's about 
putting on. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill his lusts. Not 
only are you not supposed to steal, but go get a job. And 
I want you to work. I want you to do what is good, 
so much so that after you have made all you can, you've given 
all you can, you've saved all you can, then you look out around 
you and you see a brother or a sister that has a need and 
you give it to them. Why do you think the government 
is involved in charity? Because the church was too holy 
to preach on these kinds of things. Now we're not involved in charity. Do you realize that Paul says 
that this is a command? I was thinking about this little 
series of messages that we've been looking at. And I wanted 
to ask, and not for you to say, yeah, me, right here, I've done 
this. But a few weeks ago, we considered the crime, the wretched 
sin of abortion. And one of the things I said 
was, please pray about this. Have you? Well, add this to your repertoire 
of questions for examination. Do you have a category in your 
budget for charity? That's what Paul says in 1 Timothy 
6. I love Paul's proactive way. Paul says to Timothy, Timothy, 
don't be afraid of the rich people in the church. The temptation 
is to avoid them, to be afraid, you don't want to talk to them 
about money and all that sort of thing. Probably because they 
could out-think you on the whole business, for one. Secondly, 
because it may look like you're self-serving and you're trying 
to pad your own pocket. Paul says, gather up the rich 
people in your church. Get the people in Ephesus, the 
ones who are rich, and have a Bible study with them. And in your 
Bible study, here's what I want you to do. I want you to command. not suggest, not recommend, not 
just give them some food for thought, but command those who 
are rich in this present age not to be haughty. That oftentimes 
goes with riches. It's haughtiness. It's one of 
the indictments in the book of Deuteronomy. When you have eaten 
and are satisfied, give thanks to the Lord. Why? Because you're 
going to eat, you're going to be satisfied, and then you're 
going to look at yourself and say, look what we've accomplished. 
God said, no. You have been given this. So 
tell them not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, 
but in the living God. Bank balances, strong GNPs, high 
price for gold, great circulation of monies, economic stability 
ought never to be the Christian's stability. They ought to be God. And then he says this. Let them 
do good. Oh, wait, just back up. It doesn't 
condemn that God gives us good things. It says, do not trust 
in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly 
all things to enjoy. He gives us these things to enjoy. You don't have to put ashes in 
your suit. You don't have to wear a camel 
hair shirt. You don't have to be a monk. 
You don't have to take a vow of poverty. The Bible doesn't 
recognize the virtue of poverty any more than it says that all 
wealth is sin. We need to think biblically. 
He gives us these things to enjoy. In fact, in the curses of the 
covenant in Deuteronomy, one of the reasons they would be 
expelled from the land is that they would receive these good 
things and not rejoice in God. And then he says in verse 18, 
let them do good, we're in 1st Timothy 6 by the way, that they 
be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing 
up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they 
may lay hold on eternal life. You see that? Any budget that 
doesn't contain a church, her people, missions, babies, starving 
people, that's not a complete budget. We all have this pipe dream, 
once I get everything in order, then I'll give. Jesus set the basic principle 
in Matthew 6.33. And again, he's not just speaking, 
wow, I got this new development. Seek first the kingdom of God, 
and then all these other things will be added to you. It's not 
a development. It's a foundation for economic 
stability in the old covenant. Seek first the kingdom of God. Then these good things will happen 
to you. Once I'm all set, then I'll find someone who's worse 
off than me, and I'll give it to them. This is not what we're 
told to do. The third aspect, with reference 
to a positive portion of the command is biblical contentment. Back in 1 Timothy chapter 6 at 
verse 6. Notice what the apostle says. 
Now godliness, he's condemning those who come and preach and 
teach in order that they may make money. He's condemning those 
who come and engage in all of this puffery so that they can 
somehow benefit, who teach or who suppose that godliness is 
a means of gain. Well, he says in verse 6 of chapter 
6, now, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought 
nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing 
out. You may have a lot of gold in 
your bank deposit bank. When you die and the worms have 
at you, it's going to stay there. Or worse, going to probate and 
end up with the state. Right? After the worms have done 
their business, actually not even after, your body just goes 
into the grave, man. Jesus said it this way. Let's 
show it, prophet of man. He changed the whole world. Paul says, and having food and 
clothing with these we shall be content. Christian contentment. We're not called to keep up with 
the Joneses. We're not called to outperform 
in terms of stuff. I think we are called to outperform 
in work, having the right attitude, being a good employee, being 
faithful, being diligent, all those things. But because our 
neighbor buys an SUV, that doesn't mean I need to. I don't need 
to be content, man. Paul said with food and shelter, 
with food and clothing, with these we're content. That's amazing. Food and clothing. He didn't 
say shelter. Food and clothing. Paul would 
live under the bridge if he had to, in his cloak, with his food, 
and content in his God. You see, not only does the Eighth 
Commandment forbid those things we look at, but it positively 
calls us to work hard, to be charitable, and to be truthful. The leech has two daughters. 
Give, give. Not good company to identify 
with. Give me, give me, give me. Want, want, want. Gotta have, gotta have, gotta 
have. That's not a good profession 
for those who name the name of Jesus Christ. Well, in conclusion, 
some of the penalties involved in violating the command. Hopefully 
you saw the conspicuousness in Exodus 22 of a little word called 
restitution. The Bible's clear. You steal 
someone's stuff, you pay it back. What if he doesn't have it? The 
Bible's clear. He can be your servant until 
the debt is paid off. Oh, horror of horrors. No, horror 
of horrors is penalizing the victim several times because 
of the crime. And if you noted, if a sheep 
was stolen, you got four back in restitution. If an ox fought, 
why? Because it's not just present 
loss that's calculated, but it's future profit. In the case of, 
why more ox? Well, sheep don't do a lot but 
cheat, right? They eat, they grow wool. You 
have to train an ox to pull a cart. You have to train an ox to plow. 
You see, when someone gets a settlement, and they get what we think is 
an exorbitant amount, it's based on this principle. It's not just 
present loss, but it's future profit, future earnings, the 
time invested in training that ox. A lot of hours go into such 
a thing. If a man strips you of your ability 
to make money in the future, he ought to pay for it. That's 
what the Bible says. But as we noted, restitution 
today, if I go out and steal from you, they put me in a prison 
and make me pay my debt to the state. So now you the victim 
are out twice. I stole from you, and now I'm 
eating food that you're paying for. And we somehow think this 
is fair? And the Bible is barbaric? We've 
got to change. Kidnapping, as we've seen, was 
a capital offense. Gary North comments on what we 
may perceive to be the brutality of these penalties. He says, slavery may seem brutal. Indentured servitude. He says 
the lex talionis also may seem brutal. That's the eye for eye 
principle. He says judicially unregulated 
violence is more brutal. Injustice in the face of crime 
is more brutal yet. The high penalty imposed on the 
convicted criminal is intended to impress the criminal, potential 
criminals, and all ethical rebels of the majesty of God's law. and the high price God will impose 
eternally on those who break it. This has never ceased to 
amaze me. People, when we talk about what 
the Bible says, oh, that's just horrific. You mean indentured 
servitude? That's just unfair. Have you 
read about hell? I guarantee you, five seconds 
in hell, that rebel will be crying out indentured servitude in the 
life of a godly family. He says, this no doubt repels 
the sense of justice of covenant breakers. But God is not concerned 
about the ethical sensibilities of covenant breakers. He is concerned 
primarily about His own majesty, which is reflected in His law, 
including the penalties imposed on those who transgress its provisions. It ought not to be the case that 
men are robbed, men are burglarized, men are extorted or frauded, 
criminals are caught, and they're out the next day. See, as much 
as we disdain, abominate, and hate, you know, the shit of homosexuality 
or abortion, that is unjust too. It's wrong. James speaks about 
the comprehensive character of the lawgiver. Some people, you 
know, they boast. Oh, I don't murder. Ah, but you 
can indulge me. You broke the law. You get one 
slug in the salad, and the whole salad is messed up. Not many 
of us will pick the slug out and say, oh, I'll just eat around 
it. given a bit of time. If he's 
hungry, we'll probably eat the slug, too. But right now, we 
are too delicate in our sensibilities to ever do such a nasty thing 
like that, so we'll just sacrifice the entirety of the salad. We 
need to rethink what God says about these issues. Secondly, 
Christians' obedience to the command. Not just the positive 
aspects, but how can we, as Christians, set an example? You know, in 
Romans chapter 8, One of the grand designs that's behind God 
foreknowing us, God predestinating us, is so that we would be conformed 
to the image of his Son. In other words, as Christ's followers, 
we ought not to be the cheaters in the workplace. We ought not 
to be the bum that punches his time card for eight hours who's 
done four hours of work. We ought not to be the guy that 
is misrepresenting the Lord Jesus. We need to pay our taxes, lawful 
taxes, according to Romans 13. We need to pay just debts, according 
to Romans 13. We need to honor lawful contracts. Psalm 15, which is a description 
of the man who could ascend to the holy hill of Zion, says this 
of Jesus. He who swears to his own hurt, 
does not change. We need to make sure we use just 
weights and measures. There ought not to be no shaving 
off the edges. There ought not to be anything 
of an imposed vengeance. Well, I'm cheated by the government, 
so I'm going to pass that cheating on to others. No. There ought 
to be a returning of lost or erroneously credited money or 
property. If the ATM gives you $100 instead 
of $20, and you go home and find out it didn't come out of your 
account, give it back. Don't say, well, I could use 
this for so many righteous things. No, you can't. You cannot do an ethical right 
to do moral wrong. honor just claims and liabilities. Again, it kills me. Oh, the Old 
Testament. It speaks to these things and 
it tells us how we'll function with one another. Beautiful. That's why I love 
God's law. Not that He needs me to affirm 
this, but it makes such sense. The essence, of course, is due 
unto others as you would have them due unto you. On this hangs 
all the law and the prophets, making restitution for wrongfully 
acquired property. All these things, we got the 
text. If you want them, email me, let me know, send you the 
notes. You can check all these texts 
later so that you can see that there is a claim on you with 
reference to your money, with reference to your property, with 
reference to your responsibility in a society with other men and 
women. And then the final observation 
is we ought to praise God for the gospel. Right? The same Paul, in the same 1 
Corinthians 6, 10, and 11, where he condemns homosexuality, also 
says this. Nor covetous, nor drunkards, 
nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you." So 
in the church in Corinth, before they were converted, there were 
people in there that stole, there were people in there that extorted, 
there were people in there that engaged in unlawful acquiring 
of other people's stuff. Paul says, And such were some 
of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but 
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the 
Spirit of our God. There is hope for thieves. There is hope for extortioners. There is hope for revilers. There is hope for all those mentioned 
in 1 Corinthians 6. There is a real savior for real 
sinners. There is one who died and rose 
again to cleanse men from their sin, to cleanse men from their 
pollution, to cleanse men from having offended a thrice holy 
God. Brethren, let us seek refuge 
afresh, if we are guilty, in the blood of Jesus. If you do 
not know Jesus Christ, and you may be able to say, well, I'm 
not a thief, I never steal anything, there's something else. I don't 
know what it is, but God knows what it is. There is none righteous 
and none outlawed. There is none who seeks after 
God. There is none who does what is good. There is none who fears 
God. So, you may not be a thief, but 
you're guilty of something. And that's the beauty of Jesus 
Christ. He saves sinners to the uttermost. Believe on him and 
you shall be saved. God is great. Father, we thank 
you for the Holy Scriptures. We thank you for their purity 
and their comprehensiveness. And we thank you that you have 
given us Bibles, you've given us the Holy Spirit. And our heart's 
desire is that we would think biblically concerning these issues. 
And our God, we pray for the vast injustice that goes on in 
the Christian church, the vast injustice that goes on in this 
world around us. And we do pray and we cry out 
to you, Lord God, that your will would be done on earth as it 
is in heaven. We also know and confess this will never come 
apart from an outpouring of your Holy Spirit. We pray that you 
would send him in power. We pray that you would cause 
your word to run swiftly and be glorified. We pray that you 
would revive your churches and awaken those who are dead in 
their trespasses and sins, and cause there to be a genuine turning 
unto you, and cause your face to shine upon the peoples. We 
ask now that you would go with each one of us, strengthen us, 
and fill us with the Holy Spirit, so that we may be careful when 
it comes to your law. We ask through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen.