Stop! Thief!
Pastor Jason West
September 3, 2023
Exodus 20:15 “You shall not steal.”
Proverbs 30:8-11 “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say,‘Who is the Lord?’ or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be held guilty. There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.”
I. The Crime
A. Stealing From
1. Shoplifting
2. Flash Mobs
3. Train Heists
4. Porch Pirates
5. Corporate Dishonesty (Amos 8:5b)
6. Stealing Time
7. Intellectual Property
8. Reputations Stolen Through Gossip
9. Withholding Help From Others (Proverbs 3:27-28)
10. Stealing From Parents (Proverbs 28:24)
11. Not Paying Back Debts (Romans 13:8)
B. Stealing from God
1. Adam and Eve
(Genesis 3:6)
2. Taking God’s
(Acts 12:21-23)
3. Not Tithing/Giving to God
(Malachi 3:8)
4. Jesus’ Response
(Luke 19:45-46)
II. Understanding the Law and Grace
A. God’s Law Starts With
(Exodus 20:1-2)
B. God Gives
(Exodus 22:1)
C. God’s Law Gives the Right to Private Property
D. God Wants Us to
E. God Warns Us of
• Judas was a Thief (John 12:6; John 13:27)
III. It’s Time For a Change
A. The Change of a New Heart
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
Ephesians 4:28 “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.”
B. The Change in Our Worldview About
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”
C. A Change in What We Trust in for
1 Timothy 6:17 “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
D. A Change in Being
(Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 4:11-13)
E. A Change in How We
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 19:8–10)
• Zacchaeus’ Example
IV. God’s
(Galatians 2:20; 3:13; Matthew 27:38)