In this week's sermon, Cody referenced the picture of grace we see even in the account of Christ's crucifixion in Luke's gospel narrative.  As Jesus hangs on the cross, he is flanked on both sides by convicted criminals.  The gospel writers tell us these men were thieves.  One thief joins the crowd in mocking Jesus, while the other rebukes his counterpart and seeks forgiveness from the man whom he rightly recognizes as the promised Suffering Servant.  Jesus responds to the man's penitent response with a grace-filled promise, "Today you will be with me in paradise."

     The story of Jesus' life, ministry, and even his death are fraught with irony.  While all of the religious elite of the day missed the signs and rejected their Messiah, this humble sinner, a convicted thief, rightly perceives his true identity.  As the Roman soldiers and officials mocked Jesus as the "KIng of the Jews," in his crucifixion, they played an important part in the enthronement ceremony that would serve to coronate him as the King of kings.  You see, in Jesus' upside down kingdom where the first become last and the last become first, it only make sense that one would ascend to the throne, not by pomp and fanfare, but rather by descending into death.  The ministry of Jesus is nothing if not counter-cultural.  It turns everything over on its head!

     Nowhere is this more evident than in the biblical teaching on money.  The scriptural imperatives for stewarding our time, talents, and treasures flies in the face of our sinful inclinations.  History testifies to our innate desire for more...we want what we don't have (this is next week's lesson) and we want more of what we do have; and we will beg, borrow, and steal to get it.

     The Bible speaks to four distinct attitudes in regards to our treasures.  I call them the four S's:

1. Save

     Surprisingly, one common piece of bad teaching that exists in Christian circles is what we might call, the Poverty Gospel.  This teaching suggests that God is vehemently against you having "stuff."  To be clear, nowhere in scripture are we condemned for having things, or even for attaining wealth.  In fact, we are given several examples of godly men and women who were quite wealthy: the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), Job, David, Joseph of Arimathea, Tabitha, and Lydia to name a few.  IN the story of King Solomon, God rewards his humble request for wisdom by also blessing him with vast wealth, such that he is the wealthiest man the world has ever known (1 Kings 3:1-15).  So, we see time and again that thriftiness and financial responsibility commended (Deuteronomy 8:18, Proverbs 6:6-8, 10:4-5, 13:11, 13:22, 21:20, Luke 14:28, Matthew 25:14-28, etc.).

     To be fair, some people are called specifically to forsake wealth for the sake of the gospel, but this is not a universal calling.  However, all are indeed called to work diligently, using the talents and abilities we have been given by God to provide for ourselves, our families, those in need, and to accomplish the work of ministers of the gospel for the glory of Christ's kingdom...and to receive with thanksgiving the blessings God has graciously entrusted into our care.  God is less concerned about our stuff than he is about the attitudes of our hearts and minds towards it.

2. Spend

     Perhaps the greatest window into the heart and mind of a man is his spending habits.  How we steward our time and money says a lot about our priorities and what is most important to us.  Again, it is not a sin to have possessions, nor is it sinful to devote time and energy towards hobbies and leisure.  We already studied God's commandment that we devote ourselves to regular rest.  God has richly blessed us with many things for us to enjoy.

     Where we depart from obedience in this area is when our priorities get out of whack.  The old adage proves true, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing."  As Cody mentioned in his sermon, the clear expectation from scripture is that we would prioritize God in the way we spend what he has given to us.  We have to rightly see everything as belonging to him if we are to develop a clear perspective and healthy habits for spending.  Think of it this way.  Few of us would recklessly spend the resources of our employer and expect to receive commendation.  All that you have, even your very life, belongs to God.  You were bought with a great price believer (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Steward well what has been entrusted to you for the glory of your Lord and Savior.

3. Share

     The Bible commends our prudence in saving and spending, but in the area of sharing, we are commended and commanded to "outdo one another" in our love and concern for others (Romans 12:9-21).  In other words, we are to be abundantly generous.  More than anything else, with regards to the topic of earthly treasures, the biblical counsel is that we should long to share what we have, be it a lot or a little, and in so doing, we honor God, the giver of all things.

     Like our spending habits, our sharing habits too serve as a window into our hearts.  Do you hold tightly to what you have?  Is your strongest desire to keep rather than to give?  Do you prioritize your own comforts and hold back from caring for the needs of others?  Are you a reluctant or gloomy giver?  These questions serve as a simple spiritual check-up when it comes to your attitude towards money.

     All over scripture we are called to give.  We are to give back to God from what he has given to us.  We are called to give to, provide, and care for the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans, the stranger, and the sojourner among us.  And yet, it is in this area, if we are honest with ourselves, that we most often try to rationalize our sinful attitudes.  More often than not, our thoughts begin with all of the reasons we can't or we shouldn't respond in obedience.  "I can't do that because..."

     The irony is, in almost every instance I can think of from scripture, the call to give generously is followed by a promise of blessing for obedience.  Therefore, when we believe the lies we tell ourselves to excuse ourselves from giving, we are actually robbing ourselves and others from the blessings that God desires for us.  The reality is that God doesn't need your money, but he longs for your heart.  You can't serve two masters, and where your treasure is, so also do we find your affection, loyalty, and devotion.

4. Steal

     Last, but surely not least, do we come to the onus of the Eight Commandment.  As Cody mentioned in his sermon, we often glance past this command in scripture because we don't think it really applies to us.  Most of us learned at an early age that it is wrong to take something that doesn't belong to us.  We wouldn't even think about, for example, walking into a store and taking merchandise without paying for it.  But the inference of the command goes beyond shoplifting and robbery.

     When we take what doesn't belong to us, we know it is wrong.  But what about when we keep what doesn't belong to us?  Or gain something through dishonest means?  That may hit a bit closer to home.

     Additionally, we often think of stealing in the material sense, but what about the immaterial.  I recently read a book that discussed forgiveness through the illustration of the judicial process.  The first step, said the author, was to define the charges.  What that means, he said, was that in every instance of sin that is committed against us, or we commit against another, something is taken.  Until we identify what that is, we can't move forward with forgiveness, because we can't rightly address the problem.

     I had never thought of it that way, but I believe he is right.  In some way, all sin is an act of thievery.  We are taking something from someone.  But it may not be something so clearly seen with our eyes.  Maybe we are taking their dignity, trust, or honor.  Maybe we are stealing their love.  And since all sin is at its root an affront to God himself, we are always guilty of stealing his glory, because all sin is a declaration that we know a better way.

     At the end of the day, the Eight Commandment probably applies in our lives in so many ways that we rarely take the time to reflect upon.  I think that has been the most fruitful part of this study over God's commands.  It has forced us to look more deeply at these 10 simple "rules" that we likely know by heart, but more often than we dare admit, fail to live out in our daily lives.  But the result of this reflection need not leave us feeling beat down and defeated, rather it should point us to Christ who has paid the debt for all of our many failings, and in their place given us his perfect righteousness so that we may enter boldly into the presence of God.  This should lead us to great hope and joy that then enables us to seek repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.

In Grace,
Chris Morris

If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.

Part 8 - The Eighth Commandment

Questions discussed in this sermon:

1. What does it mean when a Christian steals?
2. Can we rob God?
3. What does Christian generosity look like?

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