No Stealing Series

Ten Words to Live By: Do not steal

Exodus 20: 15

Patter Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

9-21-2025

Where’s the Car?!

I was ten and my brother was eight years old. We were eating breakfast when my dad left for work. He came back in a few minutes later looking completely bewildered. He then asked my brother and me a very strange question - what did you do with my car?

My dad had a 1970 baby blue Volkswagen bug and it was gone, stolen out of our front yard in the middle of the night. It was so loud when it started that the thieves probably put it in neutral and rolled it down the street before starting it and driving away. We never saw that car again.

Growing up in Memphis, having things stolen wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. We had to lock everything or it would be gone.

When we moved to Pontiac, we were able to relax a little but when Austin’s bike was stolen out of our backyard, it just proved that nowhere is safe.

Review

We continue our series called, “Ten Words to Live By.” We know them as the “The Ten Commandments” although that name is never used in the Bible.

In Hebrew, this top ten list is known as the “Ten Words,” or Decalogue, and we find them in Exodus 20.

Pastor John Miller reminds us of three reasons the ten words were given:

* God is holy

* Man is sinful and we need a Savior

* Shows us how to live

They are less rules about what to do and tell us more about who God is to us:

1. One God - God is God.

2. No idols - God is Creator.

3. Revere His Name - God is holy

4. Remember to Rest - God is Rest

5. Honor Parents - God is Father

6. No murder - God is Life

7. No adultery - God is Faithful

8. No stealing - God is a Provider

9. No lying - God is Truth

10. No coveting - God is Sufficient

The ten words are divided into two groups. The first four cover our relationship with God. The last six detail our relationship with others.

Jesus was asked by a teacher of the Law what the greatest commandment was and He responded:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

The four commandments are how we love God with all that we are.

The second six commandments are how we love our neighbor.

This morning, we come to the eighth commandment - do not steal.

According to research by George Barna, 90% of evangelical Christians claim they have never broken this commandment.

Really?

Please, turn with me to Exodus 20:15.

Prayer

Robin Hood

Nearly every culture believes that it is wrong to take something that isn’t yours. Even the Code of Hammurabi specifically prohibits stealing.

But we have a weird relationship with stealing. We love the story of Robin Hood that robs the rich to give to the poor. We love when Nick Cage stares into the camera and says, “I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence.”

The Oceans 11 movie series, “Catch Me If You Can,” “Now you See Me,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Sting,” “Les Mis,” and even the Minions movies have plots that are about theft.

Stealing isn’t always wrong. We all cheer when Pete Crow Armstrong steals second base. And 35 years ago, Maxine stole my heart.

You Shall Not Steal

The Hebrew word Moses uses is “ganab.” This means to deceive, to obtain by stealth.”

In the Old Testament, farmers would put up watchtowers to prohibit people from stealing their crops.

Another way they protected their land was to have boundary stones marking the edges of the property. Neighbors would often move each other’s boundary stones to try to steal land from each other.

In Genesis 27, we see Jacob steal his brother Esau’s birthright and blessing. The sad part about that story is that God had already promised these things to him. There was no reason to steal them.

Let’s answer this question:

* Why is it wrong to steal?

The Bible plainly teaches the right to private property.

When we take something that doesn’t belong to us, we are not just stealing from that person but we are directly breaking God’s law.

Everything we have is given as a good and perfect gift from the Father above (James 1:17) and we are merely stewards of those good gifts.

When we seek to deceive, to steal, to obtain by stealth, we sin against our fellow human beings and against God.