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[0:00] Please take your Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 19.! Because of the crowd.

[0:32] So he ran ahead and he climbed a sycamore fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way. And when Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.

[0:48] So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter. However, he's gone to be the guest of a sinner.

[1:01] But Zacchaeus stood up and he said to the Lord, Look, Lord, here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.

[1:16] And Jesus said to him, Today, salvation has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost.

[1:31] There are some places in the world today where people live who are missing one of their hands.

[1:45] No, they weren't born that way. And no, it wasn't due to a car accident or an accident at work. They were caught stealing. And the punishment where they live is to cut off the hand at the wrist.

[1:59] I just wonder how many of us would be missing a hand if that's what happened every time we lied. I'm not going to ask for a show of hands this morning.

[2:10] But the eighth commandment, you shall not steal, is the eighth of the ten commandments that God has given us to rule our lives in this world that is his.

[2:22] And with these few words, the Lord stretches a wall around the possessions of each person. And he forbids anyone to trespass and to go in and to get those possessions for themselves.

[2:38] God protects the personal property of each person, be they rich or poor. And so we see the goodness of God.

[2:48] Yes, he protects marriage. And so he says no adultery. Now we see he's protecting our possessions. And so he says no stealing. Now, this means I can never steal from you without first sinning against God.

[3:05] Before I can take your things, I must trample over God's protective wall that he's erected around your possessions. I must first dismiss God and his commands.

[3:19] There's nothing to stop me from climbing over the wall to get what I want. And only then do I take something. From you. John Calvin reminds us that what each individual possesses has not fallen to him by chance, but by the distribution of the sovereign Lord of all.

[3:41] You have what you have. I have what I have. Because God is the wealth distributor who in his providence is so ruled that that you would be in a certain family and inherit certain things or that you should have a certain mind and body and have a certain job and and be able to make money.

[4:01] We're all in the realm of wealth. What we have not by chance, but by the sovereign distribution of God himself. And he's given more to some and less to others as pleases him and for his purposes.

[4:17] So for you to take what he's given to another is to fight against him. And again, we see that your issue is with God who might well say to you, what are you doing with that?

[4:30] I gave that to her. I meant for him to have it. I meant for them to have it. It's God himself who distributes wealth as he pleases and then puts a wall around it saying, stay out.

[4:45] Well, God often complained of the sin in Israel. Well, you remember the rich young ruler that came to Jesus wanting eternal life. And Jesus said, well, you know, the commandments and he quoted several of them, including the eighth.

[5:00] You shall not steal. And the rich young ruler says, all these I have kept since I was a youth. Well, you see, that's because he never robbed a bank. He never held up a convenience store.

[5:11] And so he thought I'm good with the eighth commandment. I, I, I've not broken that commandment. But thieves are like birds.

[5:22] There's more than one kind. There's over 10,000 different species of birds. And I suppose there are just that many species of thieves as well. We don't have time to look into all of them.

[5:35] But let me just survey a sampling of the different ways that the eighth commandment is broken. Besides the out and out thief and robbery. The news last night, U.S.

[5:48] 20, another robbery. Probably in the news every, every night. That's a very common form of stealing.

[5:58] But besides that, breaking and entering and taking things. There's shoplifting. I was floored when I heard that there are 27 million shoplifters in our nation.

[6:10] That's one out of 11 people who have taken things in stores that weren't theirs and not paid for them. 25% of them are kids.

[6:20] Shoplifters say that for, that they're only caught once out of 50 times. So they're, they're getting away with a lot, aren't they?

[6:32] A footnote to that, that's only until the day of judgment when what has been done in secret will be brought out into the light. And then there's pickpockets in busy malls and airports, just snitching wallets and, and purses and cell phones.

[6:50] Even children getting into their mother's purses and taking some money that doesn't belong to them or into dad's wallet. Little kids stealing candy that's off limits to them in their home.

[7:03] Proverbs 28 says he who robs his father or mother and says, it's not wrong. He's partner to him who destroys. We, we saw earlier how the Pharisees robbed their parents, their elderly parents.

[7:17] When they should have, they, they owed money to take care of their parents. They just said, well, it's Corbin. It's a gift to God. And they didn't have to spend it on their parents. That's robbing.

[7:28] Their elderly parents. Finding, but not returning lost items. Or, or money to its rightful owner.

[7:41] Finders, keepers, losers, weepers. That's really fine as long as we're finding, but we don't like it when we're the weepers, do we? So do to others as you would have them do to you.

[7:52] The Lord says that if you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it. It's lost to your neighbor. Don't just ignore it, but be sure to take it back to him.

[8:05] And then there's insurance fraud. Making false claims on losses that didn't really happen. Again, I was shocked to read that as many as one in three claims on auto insurance include some element of fraud.

[8:21] Someone's getting more than what they were really owed by the insurance company. Not counting medical claims. False claims milks 400 billion dollars each year out of the insurance companies.

[8:35] And of course, that just means that that your insurance has to go up four to seven hundred dollars per person for the year. So you've lost your wedding ring and you turn it in and and you get a check from the insurance company.

[8:53] And then you find your ring. What do you do with the money? Well, I've already spent it. You shall not steal.

[9:04] You add in the fraudulent claims on medical insurance and that's another hundred billion. Nearly one out of four claims on food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid are fraudulent.

[9:17] What it all adds up to is a whole lot of people are trampling over the wall that God has put up saying, do not steal. And they're crawling right over the wall and taking what belongs to others.

[9:30] And they figured out easier ways to steal than robbing banks or convenience stores or breaking and entering into homes.

[9:41] They can now do it in the comfort of their homes with a laptop, computer, can't they? Identity theft, growing problem in our nation, costing billions and billions of dollars each year.

[9:55] As people invent new ways of stealing. There are unjust lawsuits wrongfully taking money from another in a lawsuit.

[10:06] And just because the judge ruled in their favor doesn't mean the judge of heaven has forgotten the eighth commandment. And sometimes people think, well, it's a big corporation, lots of money.

[10:18] That doesn't make it any more right. If it's not yours, it's wrong to take it. All sorts of business transactions that amount to stealing.

[10:29] The Proverbs and the Bible is full of the Lord's disgust with dishonest scales. The Lord abhors dishonest scales. But accurate weights are his delight.

[10:41] The prophet Amos was charging the merchants of Israel for the dishonest way they sold their grain. Quote, skimping the measure, boosting the price, and cheating with dishonest scales.

[10:56] Buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals. Selling even the sweepings with the wheat. Here you thought it was 100% wheat and it has the sweepings added in.

[11:08] And you've bought that. But it's a form of stealing. A form of overcharging. Giving people less than what they have paid for. Charging people for work that they did not do.

[11:19] Service businesses. Charging you for work they didn't do. Not paying workers a fair wage. Proverbs says, do not withhold good from them to whom it's due.

[11:31] When it's in your power to do it. That includes giving a fair wage to those who work for you. Or charging too much for a product. Taking advantage of people in need.

[11:44] With all the hurricanes and storms, I've heard of generators being sold at three times the price. And the plywood the same way. That's just people taking advantage of the sad situation that people find themselves in.

[11:57] And so taking their money because of their sad situation. And getting whatever the market will pay. And God says, you shall not steal.

[12:09] They're stealing by customers. Isn't there? Not paying a fair price for a product. But falsely talking down the value of a product that you're buying.

[12:20] Proverbs talks about that too in 2014. It's no good. It's no good, says the buyer as he's haggling to get the price down. And then he goes off and boasts about his purchase. You shall not steal.

[12:33] Not returning too much change given to you by the checkout. You would ask for it if it was the other way around and she short changed you.

[12:44] And so you should give back when she mistakenly gives you too much. Not paying your bills on time. Is stealing.

[12:55] It's robbing that person of the use of their money. It's not yours anymore. At certain date they were to have that money in their pocket. It was to be theirs to use.

[13:06] And you are stealing the use of that money to that person. By not paying your bills on time. You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him.

[13:17] The wages of a hired man are to remain. Are not to remain with you all night until morning. You're to keep the terms of your contract. James says look the wages you failed to pay the workmen.

[13:29] Who mowed your fields. Are crying out against you. And the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. He hears when you don't pay your bills.

[13:40] He hears those people crying out for justice. Or borrowing money and not paying it back. That's another scheme.

[13:51] Bankruptcy schemes that allow people to buy all kinds of things on credit. Use them. Spend it. And then just to cancel their obligation of debt. By some bankruptcy proceeding.

[14:04] You know. Not everything that's legal. In our courts. Is legal in the court of heaven. You shall not steal. God says the wicked borrow.

[14:16] And do not repay. It's the wicked that do that. A Christian will pay what he owes. Regardless of what the laws of the land allow. And it's coming closer to April 15th.

[14:33] And the Bible identifies. Not paying all of the taxes that you owe. As stealing. Romans 13. 7 says. Give everyone what you owe him.

[14:43] If you owe taxes. Pay taxes. If revenue. Pay revenue. If respect. Then respect. If honor. Then honor. So when I owe a certain amount of tax.

[14:55] And don't pay it. I'm not giving. What is their due. I'm taking from them. What they should have. Tax fraud costs. Our nation. 450 billion dollars a year.

[15:08] And of course. That's money stolen. Not just from some. Quote government. It's stolen from the other people around us. Isn't it? Because they must make up the difference. Then. For what one steals.

[15:20] The other. Must pay for it. That's stealing. And it's also stealing. For politicians. To unfairly overtax the people. To enter into redistribution. Of wealth plans.

[15:31] When they've not been given. That authority by God. And so our nation's. Run away spending habits. Running up the national debt. What is it? It's stealing from our children.

[15:42] And our grandchildren. Who will have the bill in their hands. In another generation. And it will be drawn out of their. Pocket books. You shall not steal.

[15:55] Sadly. The Bible is not silent on this form of stealing. It's that of using religion. To take advantage of others.

[16:06] And to weasel money. Out of them. Jesus called out the religious leaders. Who were shamelessly. Doing this in his day.

[16:17] Luke 20. 47. They devour widows houses. And for a show. Make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished. Most severely. Oh let me pray with you.

[16:30] And they make these flowery prayers. And oh yes. Yes. I'll take that offering. They take devouring widows houses. Paul warned against it.

[16:41] Many religious hucksters. Who use the Bible. Who use religion. As a means to financial gain. First Timothy 6. Tell evangelists today. Devouring widows houses.

[16:52] Calling on seniors. With fixed incomes. To send in their seed money. And God promises to give you back. Ten times more. Paul said to the Jewish leaders of his day.

[17:05] You who preach against stealing. Do you steal? You see there's more than one way to steal. Isn't there? Remember what Jesus said. When he came into the temple. And found them buying and selling in the temple.

[17:18] You have made my house. Of prayer. A den of robbers. You're stealing in church. You're stealing in the temple. By the way you're operating your sacrifices.

[17:30] And selling and buying. To make profit on the religious worshippers. The eighth commandment forbids. More than stealing money.

[17:43] It just says you shall not steal. And that applies to anything. So copyrighted property may be stolen. Plagiarism. Steal someone else's words.

[17:53] Or ideas. And even sadly preachers. Have lifted large portions. Of someone else's sermon. And just used it. Without recognizing it as someone else's.

[18:05] As if it was their own. Thoughts. And words. Or have written books. Without noting their sources. They're stealing the praise.

[18:16] They're taking the credit. You see. That is not theirs. It belongs to someone else. Gossip. Gossip. Steals the good name. The reputation.

[18:27] Of another. It's possible to break. The seventh. The eighth commandment. By gossiping. Did you hear? Did you know? And you drag down. That person's name.

[18:40] Shakespeare. And Othello says. He who steals my purse. Steals trash. But he that fetches from me. My good name. Robs me of that.

[18:51] Which enriches him not. And makes me poor. Indeed. We can steal. By cheating in sports. And games. In tennis.

[19:01] You can steal points. From the other guy. When you tell. You call his good shots out. All sorts of. Stealing. That's done. In sports.

[19:11] And games. Stealing time. From employers. Starting late. Quitting early. Stretching breaks. Wasting time. One of the most common forms. Of theft.

[19:22] That of course. Drives up the goods and services. And takes money out of other people's pockets. I saw. A survey. Where most workers.

[19:33] Confessed to goofing around. 20% of their time. On the clock. Online games. Just. Goofing off.

[19:44] Not doing. What they're being paid to do. Stealing. One day. A week. From their employers. And so. Upon the first hearing.

[19:54] Of this command. If we thought. Here. Here's one. That I can. Say. I've never broken. I can stand. With that. That ruler. That said. Yes. All these. I've kept. From my youth.

[20:05] Perhaps. We need to think again. As we see. Just how exceedingly. Broad. Is this command. And it reaches. Into all areas. Of our lives. Yes. Our finances. But other areas.

[20:16] As well. You can steal people. The Bible. Talks about. People. Stealers. Kidnappers. Traffickers. You can steal. People's rights.

[20:26] You can withhold. Their rights. You can. Woe to those. Who make unjust. Laws. And oppressive decrees. That deprive. The poor. Of their rights. And withhold. Justice. That's stealing. Justice.

[20:37] Stealing. Rights. From people. You can steal. Someone's virginity. And virtue. You can steal. Someone's wife. Or husband. As we saw. With David. It's wrongfully.

[20:48] Taking anything. That doesn't belong. To you. And yes. You can even. Rob. God. Malachi 3. Says. Will a man. Rob God. Yet. You rob me. But you ask.

[20:58] How do we rob you? In tithes. And offerings. You're under a curse. The whole nation. Of you. Because you're robbing me. Bring the whole tithe. Into the storehouse. That there may be. Food in my house.

[21:09] So God means. For a proportion. Of our income. To be. Invested. And given. To his kingdom. And to withhold it.

[21:20] From him. Is to. Rob God. Of that. Which he claims. Makes a claim to. Alistair Begg. Talks about. A parishioner.

[21:32] Who. Who called. His pastor. For spiritual counsel. And set up. To set up. An appointment. On the phone. And before hanging up. The pastor said. Well be sure. To bring your checkbook. When you come. And the man said.

[21:44] Well I didn't know. I had to pay. To see you. And. The minister said. Oh you don't. I simply want to see. Where your priorities are. You see. Your checkbook.

[21:54] Will show. If you're robbing God. Robbing God. Of his day. He claims. This day. As his own. We can rob him. Of his day. When we don't. Keep it holy. We can rob God.

[22:04] Of his glory. Can't we? When. When he's the one. That deserves the praise. And we can suck it up. As if we've just. Performed something. Ourselves. We can rob him. Of our thanks. Of our love.

[22:15] Of our. Loyalty. Our trust. Of our. Anything that we owe God. If we don't. Give it. We're. We're robbing. We're. We're. Keeping for ourselves. What we're supposed to give to him.

[22:26] And so. Romans 13. Seven says. Give everyone. What you owe him.

[22:37] And just as when you don't give to the government. What you owe them. You're robbing. So. When you don't give to God. What you owe God. You're robbing. When you spend your life.

[22:51] As if you're the center. And it all. Revolves around you. Rather than living for God. You're robbing him. You. You're to give to God.

[23:02] The things that are God's. All that you are. All that you have. Will a man rob God? Bold move indeed. Isn't it? Yet some of you are doing it every day. As you live for yourselves.

[23:14] And not for God. Another day in which you took from him. Without giving him the thanks. That he requires. Others. Give me your heart.

[23:24] He says. And then we can steal by withholding gifts to the poor. Again. We can steal by not doing something. I'm supposed to have my eyes out for people who are less fortunate than I am.

[23:36] And. And I'm stealing. I'm. I'm keeping money for myself. That God meant. For that poor beggar at my door to have. If I don't. Do something about it.

[23:47] It's false religion. James says. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food. And if one of you says. Go. I wish you well. Keep warm and well fed. But does nothing.

[23:58] About his physical needs. What good is it? In the same way. Faith by itself. If it's not accompanied by action. Is dead. We're not to be tight fisted.

[24:09] When we see a brother in need. But we're to be open hearted. And open handed. Ephesians 4 verse 28. Has a word. For those who have been stealing.

[24:22] He who has been stealing. Must steal no longer. But it's not a period. It's a comma. And it goes on. Must steal no longer. But must work.

[24:32] Doing something useful with his hands. Why? So that he might have something. To share with those in need. So we must never think. That money that falls into my hands.

[24:43] Is money that God means. For me and mine. Rather he brings money to us. In part. That we might have something. To share. With others. And when we don't.

[24:55] We're taking. What God means. To be passed on. To someone else. It's not enough. That we stop taking. What is not ours. We've not fully repented.

[25:06] Until we've started. Giving. What is ours. To others. There's only two kinds of people. In the world. There are the takers. And the givers. And we're.

[25:18] To be givers. That's the rich man. And poor Lazarus. The rich man died. And went to hell. Not because he had great wealth.

[25:29] There's no sin involved in that. He died. And went to hell. Because of what he failed. To do with that wealth. He failed to share it. With the poor man at his door. He withheld.

[25:42] That which God wanted to go to him. He kept it for himself. That was stealing. Ezekiel 18. 7. Says of the righteous man.

[25:53] He does not commit robbery. But gives his food to the hungry. And provides clothing for the naked. There's the negative. And there's the positive. And that's true of every one of the 10 commandments.

[26:05] There's not only that which is forbidden. He does not steal. But the 8th commandment requires. A positive duty. That of giving. Of sharing.

[26:15] With those. Who are in need. Giving according to our ability. And according to the necessity of others. Less fortunate than us. It's caring for the property.

[26:26] And the physical state of our neighbor. As well as our own. And that's what Jesus taught in the parable of the good Samaritan. Others. Withheld.

[26:38] Their love. And their stuff. As they walk by. The beaten. Naked man. But the good Samaritan stopped. And he shared.

[26:50] His love. And his money. And his donkey. And his time. That's what it means. To love your neighbor. And all of these commandments.

[27:02] Are the fulfillment of love. So there's a lot of. A whole lot of trampling. Going on. Over God. And over his 8th commandment.

[27:12] To get what belongs to others. Or is due to others. And we stand before this commandment. As we do. Every other commandment. And we cannot say. With the. The rich young ruler.

[27:23] I have kept this one. Since I. Was a. A youth. And God's attitude. Towards what we have done. Is no secret. Isaiah 61.

[27:34] And verse 8. God says. I love justice. And I hate robbery. You see. He can't. That's his nature. He loves justice. Wherever he sees it. And he hates robbery. Wherever he sees it.

[27:46] It's a violation of his law. It's a violation of who he is. As the just one. The right one. His very nature. Recoils against stealing. In all of its forms. And we need to hear this.

[28:00] Because we live in a world. That. Is deceived. At this very point. That people think. Everybody does it. It's no big thing. At all. Such.

[28:12] Such thinking. Such people. Need a bucket of cold water. In the face. To wake up. To reality. What does God's law say. And what does he think about. What we're doing. That's what Paul does.

[28:24] In. First Corinthians 6. 9 and 10. Do you not know. That the wicked. Will not inherit. The kingdom of God. I suppose there were those. In Corinth. That thought. Well I'm safe. I'm not one of those guys. The wicked.

[28:35] Will not inherit. The kingdom of God. But Paul doesn't stop. Don't be deceived. A lot of you are. Don't be deceived. Paul's saying. Neither the sexually immoral.

[28:46] Of all kinds. And he lists several. Nor thieves. Of all kinds. Nor the greedy. Nor the drunkard. Nor the slanderer. Nor the swindlers.

[28:57] That's another way. Of stealing. None of them. Will inherit. The kingdom of God. So don't anyone. Here be deceived. Into thinking. That what the world. Thinks about. Stealing.

[29:08] Is true. Of our God. He has bolted. His kingdom. Shut. Against those. Who steal. Judas. Was a thief. And he helped himself. To the bag.

[29:18] As he was treasurer. Of the twelve. And he went. To his place. And his place. Was hell. Where it would be better. For him. Never to have been born. Better to live. Your whole life.

[29:28] Here. In poverty. And to go to heaven. At last. And to be rich. Forever. Than to live here. With ill. Well gotten. Gain. And to end up. In hell forever.

[29:41] God is holy. And this is his holy law. But he's not only holy. He's also gracious. And generous.

[29:52] So gracious. And generous. That he gave his one. And only son. That greedy thieves. Like us. Could be saved. From his judgment.

[30:04] So that Paul can go on. In that passage. In verse 11. And say. And that's what some of you were. Some of you were thieves. You know it. He's saying. But. You were washed.

[30:16] You were sanctified. You were justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus. And by the spirit of our God. You see the blood of Jesus. God's son. Does cleanse from. All sin.

[30:27] Stealing included. So. As we. As we can. Go on. Let's. Let's consider then. Jesus. Jesus.

[30:37] And the eighth commandment. Jesus was born. And raised. In a. Poor carpenter's home. And you know. That the poor. Have their own peculiar.

[30:48] Temptations. To steal. We see that. In the prayer. That Edgar. Offers. In Proverbs 30. Give me neither poverty. Nor riches. But give me only. My daily bread.

[30:59] Why. Agar. Well. Otherwise. I may have too much. And disown you. And say. Who is the Lord. Don't need him. Or I may become. Poor. And steal.

[31:11] And so dishonor. The name of my God. Being poor. Has its own. Peculiar. Temptations. To steal.

[31:23] Jesus. Was tempted. To steal. Living in a poor. Family. But he never did. He's the only one. Who could say in truth.

[31:34] All these. Have I kept. From my youth up. Kids. He never went into. His dad's billfold. Never went into. His mom's purse. And took something. Never stole something.

[31:44] From one of the neighbor kids. Not Jesus. Even though being poor. Exposed him. To greater temptations. And then.

[31:56] He taught us. Where this problem. Of stealing. Comes from. For from within. Out of men's hearts. Come evil thoughts. Sexual immorality.

[32:07] Theft. Theft. Where. Where's theft come from? Comes. From within. Out of the heart. And that's why none of us. Had to be taught to steal.

[32:18] That's why you never had to teach. Your children to steal. It just came naturally to us. Because our hearts. Are naturally. Greedy. And want something. And even though it belongs. To another. We take it. For ourselves.

[32:30] And so Jesus is. Kind enough. As he was on the earth. To teach us. Where the problem of stealing. Has its roots. In our hearts. And that's why Jesus also tells us.

[32:40] That's why you must be born again. Or you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven. You've got to get rid of that. Feeding heart. You need to. You need a new heart. That doesn't. That doesn't want.

[32:51] What is not yours. And then it's not willing to. And that is not willing. Then to take what's not. You need a heart. That. That. Respects. The property of another. Out of honor to God.

[33:03] God. You've given that to her. I. I will not take it. I think. It. It should go without saying. We need a new heart.

[33:14] Why? Because out of this heart. That we're born with. We. We steal. You. And. Obeying God's commandments. Is. Summed up. In the command.

[33:24] To love them. And if you love your neighbor. You won't take his life. The sixth commandment. You won't take his wife. The seventh commandment. And you won't take.

[33:35] His possessions. The eighth commandment. You need a heart. That loves. Your neighbor. As yourself. So Jesus. Holy heart.

[33:45] Was not only set against stealing. It was also set on making others rich. Wasn't it? He. He made others rich. At the cost. Of.

[33:56] A great cost. To himself. For you know. The grace. Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. That though. He was rich. In heaven. Yet. For your sakes. He became poor. Why? So that you.

[34:07] Through his poverty. Might become. Rich. Rich. With. Everlasting. Salvation. It's come to you.

[34:17] Brothers and sisters. Because Jesus. Was willing. To become poor. For you. He impoverished himself. When he. He left heaven. And came to earth. He impoverished himself. When. When he took up. Your nature.

[34:28] A human nature. He impoverished himself. By being brought up. In the home. Of a poor carpenter. And. Being so poor. That he had no place. To lay his head.

[34:38] As a 30 year old man. Whose possessions. At death. Amounted to the clothes. He was wearing. Oh. But. He became poor. Yet. When he took.

[34:49] Your sin. Debts. And mine. Upon himself. And paid them. Himself. On the cross. He became poor. That we might become rich.

[34:59] Rich toward God. Rich in righteousness. Rich in. Relationship. With God. Rich in forgiveness. Rich forever. A co-heir. With Jesus.

[35:11] That's the spirit. Of the eighth commandment. It's becoming poor. To enrich. Others. It's to give. And to not take. We're forbidden. From taking. What's not ours. And we're told. To give.

[35:21] What is ours. To others. And both. Find themselves. In this eighth commandment. And so. Jesus is the ultimate. Of that. Isn't he? The thief comes to what?

[35:32] To steal. I have come. To what? To give. Life. More abundant. Eternal. Life. Life. And so.

[35:45] It's no surprise. That we see the Lord Jesus. Eating and drinking. With thieves. Tax collectors. He saved Levi. The tax collector. And made him one of his disciples.

[35:56] The Lord Jesus. Loved to save thieves. And to remake them. From greedy. To generous. Even like. Himself. And that's why he went after Zacchaeus.

[36:08] Chief tax collector. And if the truth were known. Chief thief. And the truth was known. And that's why everybody hated him. Because he was cooking the books.

[36:20] And he was saying. You owe me more than they really did owe. And he pocketed the difference. And got rich on their. Hard earned money. And everybody knew what a sinner he was.

[36:31] And grumbled to see Jesus going to his house. But this lost sinner was one that Jesus came to seek. And to save. We're told. And this day was his day.

[36:41] I must stay at your house today. And salvation came to this house. That day. As he trusted in the Lord Jesus. Do you want proof that Zacchaeus was saved that day?

[36:54] It wasn't just that he stopped stealing. He started giving. And returning. What he had stolen. You see that's both sides of the eight commandment.

[37:06] That's always. There's two sides to the repentance. To stop the stealing. But then to return. What was stolen. And to become a giver. Instead of a taker. The greedy getter became a generous giver.

[37:21] And that's what the wonderful grace of Jesus. You can't know Jesus. The ultimate giver. Without becoming a giver yourself. You can't know him who was rich and became poor.

[37:31] To enrich us. Without wanting to enrich others. As well. It's the proof. Look Lord. Here and now. I give half of my possessions to the poor.

[37:43] And if I have cheated anybody out of anything. I will pay back four times the amount. He didn't wake up that way. He woke up a greedy getter. But he goes to bed. A generous giver.

[37:55] What happened? He met Jesus. Salvation came to that house that day. He was saved. And oh please be sure. He was not saved because he was giving to the poor.

[38:08] That never saved anybody. He's giving because he's been saved freely. By God's mercy and Jesus Christ. And his giving is just the fruit.

[38:20] Of having been saved. Freely he is received. That's why he freely gives. Freely he has been saved. He didn't deserve being saved. He's a low. Scum of the earth thief.

[38:31] And Jesus saves him. Because he came just as he was. Doesn't clean up his act first. And say okay I'm going to do all this. Paying back. And then maybe Jesus will have me.

[38:43] No. Salvation comes to his house. And the result of grace. And saving grace. Is the outflow of. Giving. And. Returning.

[38:54] What he had stolen. This is the radical repentance and faith. That Jesus both commands. And enables. In his people. And so Zacchaeus was a camel.

[39:08] He was the camel. Of the previous chapter. That went through the eye of a needle. To let go. Because Jesus says. That's how hard it is. For a rich man.

[39:19] To enter into heaven. And we saw that the rich. Young ruler. Would not. Enter into heaven. Because of his love for money. But now. In the very next chapter. We see Zacchaeus.

[39:30] The camel. Going through the eye of the needle. Doing what's impossible for men. To let go. To let go. Of their grasping. Greedy hands.

[39:40] Of money. And possessions. And to give it away. Even as the Lord. Has freely. Given forgiveness. To them. Can you imagine.

[39:53] The story. That spread. From those. That Zacchaeus. Visited. As he was returning. The money. You know. That bum. Zacchaeus. He's a different man now.

[40:06] Oh yeah. What happened. Well. He not only gave me back. The money extorted from. He gave me four times. The amount. Wow. What happened to Zac? Well. He says.

[40:16] Jesus saved him. And forgave him. All of his sin. All of his thieving. And he's following Jesus now. And he's keeping. His commandments. And he's no longer.

[40:27] Using people. And loving money. He's now using money. To love people. And Christian. You adorn the gospel.

[40:38] Of Jesus Christ. By strictly. Obeying. The eighth commandment. When you are strict. About not taking. What is yours. But rather giving.

[40:49] What is yours. To others. You make the gospel. Attractive. In this world. Titus. Two. Nine. And ten. Titus. Is to tell. The Christian slaves.

[41:00] This would be. Like. The employees. Of today. Not to steal. From their masters. But to show. That they can be. Fully trusted. Did why. So that in. Every way.

[41:11] They will make. The teaching. About God. Our savior. Attractive. You slaves. When you don't. Steal. But show. You can be trusted. With your master's. Things. And his money. You make the gospel.

[41:22] Attractive. Why so. Because most men. Still have hearts. That if they see. The master's not watching. Will filch something. For themselves. But here's a different.

[41:35] Man or woman. Here's a different. Boy or girl. Why doesn't he take it? Well he says. Jesus has. Has saved him. And changed his heart. And he no longer.

[41:46] Wants to take. What's not his. Because Jesus. Gave him. What he didn't deserve. He's become. An eighth. Commandment keeper. The glory of God.

[41:59] Our saviors. At stake. Brothers and sisters. In our keeping. Of the. Eighth. Commandment. Belfast. Northern Ireland. Experienced. A revival. Of religion.

[42:10] Earlier. In the last century. 1922. And 23. And rough. And tumble. Shipyard. Workers. Were. Were. Converted. By the. The saving grace. Of Jesus.

[42:22] And. The fruit. Of that. Conversion. Was. That they. Returned. To their. Employers. All the tools. And equipment. That they. Had ripped off. And indeed.

[42:32] One company. Received back. So much. That they. Had to build. New storage. Shed. Just to. House it. All. That's. Real. Religion. That's.

[42:43] Real. Conversion. That is. The fruit. Of saving. Repentance. And faith. And it makes. The teaching. About God. Our savior. Attractive. Doesn't it? It says. This is real. He is real.

[42:56] He makes. People. Really. New creatures. When they're united. To Jesus Christ. You shall not steal. Is his command. Oh.

[43:07] But everybody's doing it. Oh. No. Not Jesus. And not his people. And when they do. They repent.

[43:17] And they return. What they've stolen. And God is glorified. Dwight L. Moody. Gives the account. Of a student. At. His Bible. Institute. In Chicago. And this.

[43:28] This young man. Was taking a streetcar. To get to school. At the Bible. Institute. And he arrived. At the. Street of the school. That school was on. Before the conductor.

[43:39] Had come by. And collected the fare. So he hopped off. Without pain. And thought. Wow. What a break. But God thought differently. And he would give no rest. To that student.

[43:51] In his conscience. The man. Knew. It's not right. I had my ride. I owe. The fare. And it's stealing.

[44:01] Not to pay it. Well he had remembered. The conductor's face. So later. He went to the place. Where all these. Streetcars go. And he found him. And he paid him. The five cent fare.

[44:15] You're a fool. Not to keep it. The conductor said. No. I had my ride. And owed you the fare. But it was my business.

[44:26] To collect it. No. It was my business. To pay it. The conductor said. Well then you must belong. To that Bible Institute. He recognized.

[44:41] The rarity. Of biblical morality. You must belong. To. To that Bible Institute. You see how God. Is glorified. When we keep.

[44:52] The eight commandment. Sometimes. Sometimes. Sometime later. That conductor. Visited the Bible Institute. And asked for this young student. And the upshot of it.

[45:03] Was that. A Bible study. Was started. In that conductor's home. And he and others. Were converted. Not stealing. But showing. That you can be fully trusted.

[45:14] Makes the teaching. About God. Our Savior. Attractive. You give her. Or a taker. Are there things.

[45:24] That need to be returned. A generous man. An honest man. A man who returns. Things. Commends the gospel. The gospel.

[45:34] About a Savior. Who impoverished himself. To make us. Everlastingly rich. It seems. Only fitting. That our study of Jesus.

[45:45] And the eighth commandment. Commandment. Should end. Where Jesus life. Ended. On a cross. Between. That's right.

[45:56] Two thieves. Two thieves. Getting. What they deserved. The death penalty. One on his right. The other on his left. Both deserving hell.

[46:08] And that's where one went. Though he was just feet away. From the one. Who could have saved him. But the other thief. Repented of his sin. In his dying hours.

[46:19] And threw himself. By faith upon. The mercy of Jesus Christ. Remember me. When you come into your kingdom. And it was a thief.

[46:31] That received. The sweetest words. That any dying man. Has ever heard. Today. You will be with me. In paradise. The dying thief.

[46:43] Rejoice. To see that fountain. In his day. And there have I. As vile as he. Washed all my sins away. You got sins. That have been exposed. This morning.

[46:55] Why is the Bible. So intent. On putting the spotlight. Into our lives. And our heart. Why is it so. So searching. Why does it just. Keep coming at us.

[47:05] Why doesn't it just. Come on. I haven't robbed the bank. Come on. I've not. I'm not stolen. From my neighbor's shed. Why doesn't it leave us. Why does it keep pressing. Because only when we see.

[47:16] We don't have a leg. To stand on. Do we fall. Into the arms of Jesus. To save us. It's only when we see. We have no righteousness. Of our own. To present. To God. That we.

[47:27] That we look away. From self. And we say. Lord Jesus. Save me. We look. Outside of ourselves. And entirely. Upon the Savior. That's why he's so kind.

[47:38] To keep shoving the knife in. To keep bringing the light. To us. He wants us to come. Even as we sang earlier. I am lamb.

[47:48] It is that precious blood. That we have. Run to. And have found. Cleansing. From the sin of stealing. As well as every other sin. And we thank you.

[48:00] That none. Who come. And plunge by faith. In Jesus Christ. Will go away. Filthy. But they go away. Clean. And wider than snow. So we rejoice.

[48:10] In that cleansing. But Lord. You know. There's still sin. And you know. The times. That we still steal. And so if there's. Things that need to be. Returned. We pray that you would work.

[48:21] And you would work. In our hearts. Such a. A reverence. Toward you. And toward the fence. You've put up. Around our neighbors. Things. That we would respect.

[48:31] Their private. Private property. As much as we do. Our own. And that we would be. Givers at heart. Rather than takers. And that in this way. We might make the gospel.

[48:42] That saved us. Attractive to others. Hear us. And have mercy on us. And thank you. That this blood. Of Jesus. Will one day. Save us. To sin.

[48:53] No more. And will be in a new heavens. And a new earth. The home of righteousness. And never again. Have a twinge of greed. And desire to take. What's not ours. But be content.

[49:04] With Christ. And the new heavens. The new earth. That he has created. Thank you for the way. You've enriched us. By your poverty. Lord Jesus. And we praise you.

[49:15]  In your name. Amen. Amen. Amen.