Let Him That Stole Steal No More

LET HIM THAT STOLE STEAL NO MORE

John 10:10 KJV The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Eph 4:27-28 KJV “Neither give place to the devil. (NIV and do not give the devil a foothold.) 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”

Verse 27 Speaks of the Devil. What is the Subject of the Sentence? It is the “Understood You.” God’s Direction is to the Christian, “You - Don’t give the Devil Place in your life. Along with Verse 28, The Direct Application os to the Conduct of a Christian. God says, “Don’t Steal!!! Perform Honest Work to take care of Your Needs and to Have Some Extra to Give Unto Others.” For our message this morning, I want to take verse 27 and couple it with the first part of 28 and with John 10:10 and develop a different Line of thought. You see, THE DEVIL IS A THIEF AND A ROBBER. HE IS THE GREATEST THIEF THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. Jesus was Talking about the Devil when He said, John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

So, To Paraphrase vs 27,28: “Don’t give the Devil any place in you, Let him that stole, the Devil, Steal No More From You! STOP HIM!!! Resist Him! Don’t give the Devil an Opportunity. Put a Stop to the Devil’s Acts of Thievery in the affairs of your life. God wants you to Start Defending Yourself and Stop being a Pushover for the Devil. 2 Cor 2:11 KJV Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Satan Gets Advantage Over Many Christians because they are Ignorant of what the Bible says about How He Steals From People.

“we are not ignorant of his devices.” What are Some of the Devil’s Devices? How Does he Steal from Christians?

I. THE DEVIL IS A THIEF WHO STEALS WORSHIP THAT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS TO GOD.

He seeks to Divert worship Away from the True and Living God to Anything Else. When I was in the Mountains, I remember looking at a Totem Pole that had the faces of spirits painted all over it. Indians used these images for protection from the spirit world. Indians and other primitive people worshipped these images. Nearly all ancient cultures through-out history had Idols they worshipped. Today, most people in our culture the Twin Idols of Hedonism and Materialism, ie they Worship Pleasure and they Worship Possessions.

It is Sad that in many churches The Devil has Led People to Substitute Liturgy, Form, and Ritual for the True Worship of God. Baptists need to learn that True worship of God is an attitude of Heart. It is not just sitting in a pew and staring at the back of someone’s head, while you mumble through the words of a hymn. We must Draw Nigh unto God and Commune with Him Heart to Heart. In John 4:23, Jesus said the Father is Seeking True Worshippers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Don’t let the Devil steal your worship. Be a True Worshipper of God through Christ.

II. THE DEVIL IS A THIEF THAT STEALS GOD’S BLESSINGS FROM PEOPLE.

Sin is his Greatest Tool. Ignorance, Laziness, and Rebellion Follow Close behind. Sin Kills. Rom 6:23 “he Wages of Sin is Death”

Sin, Rebellion, Disobedience Open the Door to the Devil and Gives him opportunity to Steal, Kill, and Destroy. There is a Spiritual Law of Sin and Death. There is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Sow to the Flesh and of the Flesh you will Reap Corruption. Sin Cripples your Faith and Hinders God’s Blessings from coming on you. Bible says, Put off the old man and his deeds, and Put on the New man, and Walk in Holiness, without which no man will see the Lord. Col. 3:5-10 NLT 5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.6God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things.7You used to do them when your life was still part of this world.8But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.9Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.10In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.