And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
Church For All Nations
The final commission of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ before He ascended into heaven
Reaching every Nation with the Love of Christ Jesus
Image of
Jesus Christ
The Ten Commandments
Commandment No 8
Commandment No 8
Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
The justice of God sets him against rapine (the violent seizure of someone's property) and robbery in this particular command, ' thou shall not steal'. The thing prohibited in this command is to meddle with another person's property, thus laying hands unjustly on which is not yours, or invading another's right.
I) The causes of theft
a) The internal causes are;
- Unbelief. Man does not trust so much on God's providence reserved for him. Psalm 23, God can not prepare a table before your enemies with stolen property.
- Covetousness. This immoderate desire of getting, which is the root cause of theft. Alan covets more than his own. Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
b) The external cause of theft is Satan's solicitation. Judas was a thief John 12:6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
II) The kinds of theft
1. Stealing from God. Robbing God any part of His day.
2. Stealing from others. Robbing men of their truth ie heretics. Lev. 19:13, Mark 10:19. How? High way thief, church thief, shop thief, borrower who does not pay back, and a receiver of stolen goods.
3. Stealing from yourself. How? Wasting your wealth, idleness.
III) Usefulness of this law;
- For reproof of stealing life. Instead of living by faith you live by your shifts. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with.
- For exhortation to all to take heed of the sin of thieving, which is against the light of nature.
- To dissuade all from this horrid sin, consider-
a) Thieves are caterpillars of the earth, enemies of civil society.
b) God hates them.
c) The chief is a terror to himself, always in fear
IV) What is to be done to avoid stealing?
- Live in a calling. Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- Be content with whatever God has given you. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Theft is a daughter of avarice. Study contentment. Believe in the best which God has carved out to you. Hecan bless the littl meal in the barrel. We shall not need these things long, we shall carry nothing out of the world with us but our winding sheet. If we have but enough to bear out charges to heaven, it is sufficient.