Yesterday’s message in The Ten Commandments for Today series was on the eighth commandment. The message was called You Shall Not Steal, taken from Exodus 20:15.

Exodus 20:15 – “You shall not steal.” (NIV)

Here is the outline that the message followed:

I. The meaning of the commandment
    A. Property and ownership (Psalm 24:1; Luke 16:10-13)
    B. Respect for another person’s property (Isaiah 61:8)

II. The different ways that we steal
    A. Theft, robbery and extortion (Ex 20:15; Deut 5:19; Ezek 22:29)
    B. Kidnapping; selling a person into slavery (Exodus 21:16)
    C. Stealing from employers (Titus 2:9-10)
    D. Stealing from employees (Jeremiah 22:13; James 5:4)
    E. Refusing to work for a living (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)
    F. Rip-offs and false measures (Job 24:2; Prov 11:1; Amos 8:5)
    G. Failure to pay debts (Romans 13:8; Psalm 37:21; Prov 3:28)
    H. Tax evasion (Mark 12:13-17; Romans 13:6-7)
    I. Fraud of any kind (Leviticus 19:13)
    J. Charging excessive interest (Exodus 22:25; Proverbs 28:8)
    K. Malicious gossip and rumor (Proverbs 22:1)

III. Robbing God
    A. Failing to pay tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:7-8)
    B. Living a hypocritical life (Jeremiah 7:9-11; 1 Cor 6:19-20)
    C. Living for self instead of for God (Romans 12:1-2)

IV. Consequences of stealing
    A. It angers God and provokes his wrath (Joshua 7:10-12)
    B. It deprives another of his due (Leviticus 19:13)
    C. It brings shame and disgrace to thief (Jeremiah 2:26)
    D. It leads to deception, lies and greater sins (John 12:4-6)
    E. You must face the penalty of the law (Romans 13:3-4)
    F. Your family may suffer economic hardship (Proverbs 6:30-31)
    G. You will lose what you gained (Psalm 62:10; Proverbs 13:11)

V. Repentance and full restitution
    A. Full restitution goes above and beyond (Ex 22:1-4; Lev 6:1-7)
    B. True repentance results in full restitution (Luke 19:8)

VI. Positive corollary: Work for the things you obtain! (Eph 4:28)
    A. Do honest work for an honest wage.
    B. Do something useful.
    C. Work so that you may be able to share with others in need.

Note: To read the complete message, go to the Sermons tab at the top of the blog.