For a CD of over 100 of sermons by Darrell Stetler II (most complete with handouts), please e-mail darrellstetler2@sbcglobal.net.
EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
“You shall not steal.” (Ex. 20:15).
“Jesus is watching you.” A burglar broke into a house and began to steal all of the valuables. At that moment he heard a voice that said “Jesus is watching you.” He was so scared he froze for a second. He regained his composure and started stealing again, when the voice came louder, “Jesus is watching you.” He just about lost it right there. After regaining his composure he began to steal again this time watching very intent around him when he heard the voice again this time he recognized a shape in the corner as he approached he realized it was a bird cage. He removed the cover to find a parrot. He almost laughed. “What is your name?”
The parrot replied "Moses". The thief then said what kind of person would name a parrot Moses? The parrot replied the same kind of person that named a Rottweiler "Jesus".
A Sunday school teacher was teaching her class about the difference between right and wrong. "All right children, let’s take another example," she said. "If I were to get into a man’s pocket and take his billfold with all his money, what would I be?" Little Johnny raises his hand, and with a confident smile,
he blurts out, "You’d be his wife!"
Everybody needs stuff. Let’s name some basic needs:
Here’s what this commandment is all about:
Everybody needs stuff. Everybody has to get stuff. This commandment says, “Don’t get stuff any way but God’s way.”
People continually are trying to get stuff any way but God’s way. The problem is the unnecessary pain that it will bring into your life every time!
A London taxi driver used to wrap up his garbage each day and leave it in the backseat of his cab. Always by the end of the day, it was gone. Someone had taken it and gotten a big surprise. -- Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).
One woman decided to start her own business disposing of pets in New York City. (It’s difficult to find burial ground in New York, which is mostly concrete. . .) So she charged only $25 while the city charged $50 to dispose of a pet. How did she do it? She’d go and buy an old briefcase, put the dead pet inside, and go to the subway or bus. She’d sit down, turn her back on the suitcase, and read a magazine. Sure enough, in a few minutes, the briefcase would be gone – and someone was getting a nice suprise!
A thief decided to siphon gas from Dennis Quiggley’s motor home in Seattle. When Dennis, inside the motor home, heard the noises outside he investigated [and] discovered the thief curled upon the ground violently vomiting. Intending to suck up the contents of the gas tank the thief had put his hose into the wrong hole--and had sucked up the contents of the sewage tank instead. The thief, a boy 14 will not be prosecuted, Dennis and the police agree that he has suffered enough.” --Associated Press.
A. INTRODUCTION: HOW DOES GOD WANT US TO GET STUFF?
1. Work hard for it.
“Let him that stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something good”
Ephesians 4:28 (NKJV)
Many years ago, a wise old king called his wise men together and gave them a commission. "I want you to compile for me the wisdom of the ages. Put it in book form so we might leave it to posterity." The wise men left the king and worked for a long period of time. They finally returned with twelve volumes and proudly proclaimed that this truly was "the wisdom of the ages." The king looked at the twelve volumes and said, "Gentlemen, I’m certain this is the wisdom of the ages and that it contains the knowledge we should leave to mankind. However, it is too long and I fear that people will not read it. Condense it!" Again the wise men worked long and hard before they returned with only one volume. The king, However, knew that it was still too lengthy so he commanded them to further condense their work. The wise men reduced the volume to a chapter, then to a page, then to a paragraph, and finally to a sentence. When they wise old king saw the sentence he was absolutely elated. "Gentlemen," he said, "This is truly the wisdom of the ages, and as soon as all men everywhere learn this truth, then most of our problems will be solved." The sentence simply said, "There ain’t no free lunch." - Zig Ziglar
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