God's Boundaries for Abundant Living - Don't Take It, Part 1

I have a confession. I love to get something for nothing. I like to find golf balls more than play golf. I like to find a dollar bill in the parking lot. I like to buy things I don't need if I can get them on sale. I just want to get something for nothing. Could it be that this innocent attraction is hiding a much more devious route issue in my heart and yours, stay with me today as we explore real meaning behind welcome to this Wednesday vision of living on the truth. Shipping services are Bible teacher of his daily international discipleship program for most of us stealing isn't a big issue if you're like me, you kind of dismiss the well I got news for you. We all have reason to listen up.

This trip reveals the truth behind the commandment thou shalt not speak.

It's a message you may want to hear again find it, along with all the previous messages in our current series LivingontheEdge.org now here's trip with today's talk from Exodus chapter 20 verse 15 when you've been to the 12 step program. I mean, it is a very very interesting experience because what they understand is they start the meetings like this. If I was going to 12 step program back. I wrote my now is I would be sitting in small group of people and you don't say hi what's your name hi what's your name I would introduce. I would say hello my name is Chip on the spiritual kleptomania. I admit that I'm powerless to stop my compulsive desires that I have, to take other people's stuff left to myself I'm driven in almost every circumstance in life to get something for nothing.

I have this burning desire in small little ways to try and get something for nothing. It's called kleptomania. My name is Chip.

Now that's what I would say if I were introducing myself in a 12 step program know others might introduce themselves and say hello. My name is June and I'm an alcoholic or I my name is Bob and I I've had a sexual addiction and the reason they do that is because the number one issue in change is admitting you have a need the number one issue in any change is admitting you have a problem and the human mind and the human heart can come up with almost unlimited creative ways to not only go into denial but to rationalize and to blame and figure out how not to face the real issues in our life. And so I read what I would introduce myself as an and sometimes my kleptomania has been in very harmless ways. I taught this once our church and people were kind of laughing and thought it's this is obviously just an introduction to a message and I said when I play golf a great golf game for me is like two or three maybe four pars out of the 18 and finding 10 or 12 or 15 gospels. I think there's something in the I'm an old baseball player. So if you swing really hard, you can slice most of them I just aim for the left fairway and hope it as it slices across it stays into the right and what I know is there's many people who play exactly like this. I think subconsciously I do that because when I slice out of bounds. I sometimes come back with both pockets filled with golf balls and I've gotten so happy finding golf balls at times that I waved to my friends and said go on ahead on me to the next call you give me a double bogey give me a triple bogey I got seven in my pockets and I know there's got to be more out here.

It's like Easter egg hunting for adults and then so you know they thought I was kidding, and so I have this airline bag that I got up to you later how I got it. If I remember, but it was one of those places where you know to listen for a presentation for you know an hour and 1/2 was what I get again a free lunch issue getting something for nothing. I was again when a car $25,000 in cash or exclusive luggage. I got all four pieces of the exclusive luggage inside a piece of plastic about that thin and it unfolds in the only good thing I could find is a put all the golf balls. I found it, so I held up this big bag of golf balls and the people laughed and they thought it was kidding so I went behind the podium and I had a box. It's about this big and I can hardly lift it and it was full of golf balls and I thought this guy really does have a problem with and I said no no no, I am a kleptomania. Then I had another bag and we had two missionaries in town and I find good golf balls. I mean II's.

I just have a gift for finding not just balls but good balls and I had another big bag that I gave to missionary from New Zealand and the Philippines is are so expensive there and it turned into a ministry giving golf balls Commissioner so you can rationalize it just takes a little time you can steal stuff and you can think about getting something for nothing. Now that's a humorous kleptomania and now you know everyone who plays golf doesn't have this problem but I do. That's why we came to twist 1212 step program I would share these deep issues in my life, one that wasn't so humorous that happened as I was actually studying the 10 Commandments for the first time an in-depth level and I took every time that the Greek or Hebrew word for stealing pops up any place. It happened old or New Testament. I did a survey and for weeks and weeks I studied because I thought that basically stealing was like for armed robbers, you know, diamond you know people who you know steel jewelry out of Penn houses embezzlers fraud.

I just thought it was enough muggers down in Central Park. I thought stealing was for people who bought people over the head or are people who cooked the books any those are people that have kleptomania but I thought you know these these commands are tough to take. I thought when I got to number eight.

I would skate free, but I was wrong as I was studying this passage idea. I learned that the meaning of the word steel is much broader.

In fact, some of the uses are in Genesis 30 it's to take from another to snatch away where Jacob is ripped off by Laban or it can mean to take advantage of someone unjustly called throughout the Old Testament stealing means to rob the poor or the widow or the orphan, you can steal by on lawful laws or by unjust decisions that exploit them.

Stealing isn't just grabbing or taking it's cheating, bribing, extorting, or even grafting. It means at times there were you don't take something you can steal by withholding what is due to another in Proverbs 3 and Malachi 3 is when you don't pay people. The fair wage that they deserve it when you owe someone something, and you have it and you don't deliver it stealing it literally can be. You can steal by breathing another choose literally of a bear who is robbed or bereaved of her cubs. It's also used of Absalom, and he didn't steal money he stole people's hearts. He stole the heart of the people from his father stealing can involve not just tangible but intangible things like loyalty and affection and stuff that belongs to others and finally stealing can mean defrauding trickery you can you can never actually take something, but you can actually deceive another's heart or mind to get unfair advantage and you steel and behind all the stealing is you want to get something for nothing. That's the heart of it, you want to get something for nothing, and so I was studying this in and of praying and and sometimes you don't how it works. But what might my system as I get up real early in the morning. I study for a few hours and then every Wednesday. I take all day and study and then my goal was by Thursday afternoon. My outline is done I give to my system by 2 o'clock. She comes up with all the notes that I can sorta cook on it. Take Friday off, don't have to think about it. My mind is free get up early for a couple three hours look over those notes decide on the final illustrations really feel good, spend the day with my family going to Saturn I church a couple three hours early and then get my heart ready. Pray through the message and go through my mind. Will that system works really well unless you get stuck on like Wednesday and I'm studying and I am stuck mean, I've got all these verses.

All these books all these commentaries all these notes and it won't come together because there's a there's a process where God bursts the message and in a in a teacher or pastor and eyes like on there's a stillbirth I can't get it out and so when this happens, at times, I began to get anxious and I'll wake up at 111 and I wake up at 217 and then I wake up at 315 and then you get thinking on the can sleep much. So if you not can sleep my will pray. So I got up, got my briefcase open and I start going over and over it and I'm just stuck. And then I said, Lord, I am a it's Wednesday.

Do you understand it's Wednesday Lord and I know you made the days and by the way, tomorrow at 2 o'clock I get to turn this outline and I don't put junk coming. This is mean all Scripture is important, but I got a feeling like doing these commands is like really important. You put them in stone. I like at least get like on paper in a pretty good and I can't get through. And so I remember saying, Lord, if there's anything in my life or my heart is keeping me from hearing your voice on this message. Would you show me I'm a neurologist I'll just deal with it not been up at 111. I've been up to 17 this world around three so it's not I'm getting more noble and getting more tired and I realize you know I don't fight God and I sat quietly and I like to say it took hours for anything to come to my mind.

It took minutes H if you know that trip he took to Phoenix several months ago when were you followed your son took him to college. Member how you arrange the big meeting with the pastor of the big church and you did some interviewing and yeah great.

Remember that you and of the mileage you know when you fill out your taxes here just recently that the mileage for that you counted as a business trip is the way I did business there and spent a couple days work with that guy and out here. This is an audible voice.

This is how God speaks using so would you have gone and met with that pastor at this particular time. If your son wasn't going to that particular college. Maybe just getting Lord no. So you really arrange that time because this is just like finding golf balls is an you're trying to get something for nothing. You're trying to figure a way to, you know, kill three birds with one stone tool is never good enough for you so you went there. In fact, it didn't even know put a couple hotel bills as a possible tax deduction.

We can really picking hours you learn and I just my conscience. I thought you know.if that's the problem. I'm sorry I'm wrong and you know I just thought you know I'd killed two birds with one stone and I wanted to meet with that guy anyway and it was really good meeting and it really helped me in would've been 100%, you know, and it's not like I was reimbursed I was just saying that it was on what it way unreimbursed business expense and it's a small percentage and I just can't really be that big a deal as it Lord yet is called stealing what you been, but what human study and so I said I'm sorry okay I repent. I confess, I'll make it right tomorrow morning which you speak to me.

I need to face this message and he didn't outline came together, and there was peace restored my soul and so the CPA there in San Jose will does it for a number of Christian organizations and he did. Our church a number big organizations and so I called them and they day that you doing is a great ship and you know he starts to do. They good to see you and I said no Davison like social I said this is confession. I said if you turned in my taxes yet and he said no. 15th, we sent them all at one time I said, well, I've got one kind of deduction unreimbursed business expense and you know might be a technicality. I'm still trying to fudge a little bit and I'm not sure if it really counts, but Mike God showed me last night.

I don't want okay and I explained to them what I did and why in the primary purpose of the trip in my heart was this and he said you know what is an interesting your conscience is lining up very accurately with IRS protocol and rules. So it's so it is sin. He said yeah you got it. I said will Dave forgive me for the poor testimony and I like you Marco's office about.

By the way Chip he said here's how we calculated just for your information, you write that and if it's not over X amount of dollars he went through all this formula and when he got to the end and showed me how much money I saved.

It was like, what is it about the human heart that is so dark I what is it about the human heart that is always trying to get something for nothing. What is it about the human heart that is always trying to fudge what is it about the human heart here on the pastor or church and am trying to figure somehow someway to write off a few miles on a trip and a couple you know, $39-$59 annual get a certain small percentage of that and I sacrifice the peace of God, a full night sleep and alienation from my father to try and cut a little corner. Is anyone else ever done that.

See that's what it means to be a kleptomania. Klepto is the Greek word for to steal, and what I would like to do with you.

You can see in your hand out here we've given you the meaning of the eighth command. The purpose of the eighth command. It is this the purpose is that God wants you to know that he values people and their right to own and possess personal property so highly that he put a divine boundary around what belongs to others.

Now as much as we are warned about materialism as much as we are warned about not letting our life become revolving around work when we burn and when we come up with ideas and when we trust God and when we step out and that results in personal property, or personal ideas or patents, and we have earned them and worked for them and they become our property because we have work by the grace of God to produce something God takes a big border boundary around that property and he says that belongs to you and I'm to tell other people they can't mess with what rightly belongs to you and I'm going to say to you, you can't mess with what rightly belongs to them. So much so that the eighth command is to act as a flashing light on the dashboard of our conscience, saying don't take it. Don't take it. That's the that's the theme, don't take it if it doesn't belong to you, respect others property respect others ideas respect the laws that protect them.

Don't steal them. Don't receive them. Don't plagiarize them.

Don't defraud them. The idea stealing. Don't take and don't receive anything that rightly belongs to another and if you're still thinking that on the only klepto maniac in the room. That would mean don't take their money don't take their product don't take their copyrights don't take illegal discounts don't take another's reputation. Don't take their ideas don't take supplies from work. Don't use phone lines that don't belong to you.

Don't use copy machines that don't belong to you. Don't use time that don't belong to you. Don't use or take anything without permission. That doesn't along to you if your employer paid for the pencils there. His pencils if he paying for the phone line. It's his phone line. If he pays you for X amount of hours and you've X amount of time for lunch. The beginning of that time and the end of that time is your time in the five minutes before or the 10 or 15 minutes you come late, you are stealing from your employer, when Bill Gates, who we all know, has lots of money makes little copyrights about software that he created and you say he's got billions of dollars and my buddy has it and I take it and I put it on my machine because Bill will never know the difference.

I am stealing when I download music off my computer that someone else has worked and created a song because I now have the technology to do it and I don't pay the copyrights to the people who made the song who eroded. I am stealing when I take software from our company that works on my company computer and you know what it would be so nice and by the way, I could do some work at home and I downloaded on my personal computer, and I even do some work at home.

I'm stealing now if you want to ask your employer can I use that can I do that I could do a little bit more work at home when you take or when you receive any thing that belongs to another person, you steal in your faces are telling me what probably is accurate. I'm mildly relieved but discouraged for you there's other kleptomaniacs and I probably this probably there is probably not a you know what I think were in a room of these. You see, as long as we make stealing people who wear ski mask in break-in homes and people that are you doing devious things like snatching purses that were pretty clean. On the eighth command, but when you study Scripture what you find is the heart of the eighth command is not simply about taking it involves taking receiving not just things. Anything that belongs to another person on the bottom of your notes. It says the roots of kleptomania why we do it in order to face it and I'm gonna give you some biblical material about how it works but why we do it only give you three reasons. The first one is greed. It's the insatiable desire to get something for nothing and and I will not ask you because you only have to go about once to get this but you know why in the world have almost everyone in this room and sometimes driven an hour and 1/2 or two hours or three hours and heard a very boring one and half hour presentation to get something that when we got it. We thought this is a joke. But what was it in you that really thought that you were so special that someone sent you little envelope act now call them the next three days and they were really good to give you $10,000.

A new car or a high fidelity stereo system and then when the little person comes out with the little plastic bag. The high fidelity stereo system before Japanese used to make good products member that and the little speakers that didn't work and the hand uses little box in your thinking human. You can cut at least twice because you got luggage and a radio system what what was behind that, what, why, why do I have to try and figure out how to line up a ministry opportunity when I'm taking my son to college.

Why can I say I love my son. It's a great college.

It cost money.

Why don't I put gas in the car water I just except there's so many miles to get there. Is God provided for my needs. He provides for my niece. What is it about me that's trying to figure out a loophole called greed and it's in your spiritual veins and it's in my the second reason that we steal his laziness its inherent desire to take a shortcut to cut a corner to get the product without the process. It started for many of you in elementary school member. The PE teacher when they had PE for some of you member the PE teacher was okay with a warm up. Here's a gymnasium I want everyone to run around the outside of the basketball court. I need to walk down to the office make sure we do at least 10 laps and he stands there with a whistle in his mouth and everyone very carefully runs around will be very careful with that hero you know and you go right around the edge right and then pretty soon as he doesn't look you cut just a little bit of the corner. Then he walks out of the room right and he goes down the principal's office. Three laps later we got everyone doing a circle inside of the box and his few people we get got full blown born again Bible believing I love God, I want to raise a Christian family. Evangelical Christians doing circles inside the box when it comes to integrity when it comes to being honest when it comes to stealing when it comes to telling the truth. We are lazy inherent in the fall. We are lazy and I'm looking for a shortcut and you're looking for a shortcut and I know we have all kind of really nifty words that rationalize it, but I steal because I'm greedy I steal because I'm lazy and fine.

I still because of pride.

There's an adrenaline pumping adventure. There's there's there's a power that comes to just see if you can pull off and offer some of you came from. Really really good homes in this never entered your mind and for you. I'm very thankful but I decided when I was teaching this very first time we had a staff and was a church that grew very rapidly and there's about 1/4 of us.

We ended up about 10 or 12 pastors.

We did about a 10 year run and then we add another 10 or 12 pastors or so after that and so I went to the guys I knew him and we been together for a long time.

Is it guys Stephanie anybody here ever steal anything is like were all converted thing yeah yeah everyone in the room it's so noticeable at this point F North Carolina said I member when my brother and I did it. We wanted to. This hardware store, and you know the ax handles the in a big long ax handles. He said we didn't even know what was is it what you do is as we took ask Hannah when we put down our pants leg and we walked out like this and I said why did you do that since the if we could isolate you with ax handle is that we do know is ax handle weed through the creek. What is it about the thrill of just seeing if you can get away with it at another guy came from a very difficult home in an abusive situation that he had more stories than I can ever use. He said that we played again my brothers and sisters and I and people I ran with we would see the winner of the game was who can get the biggest object out of the minimart without being caught just out how big of object.

Could you get out of the minimart when the guy was watching. I mean, you know, like a pack of gum coming. You didn't get in the running Festival. What did you do with the stuff easily through the dumpster and you what that sounds so crude and how could anyone do that you know something a lot of stealing occurs sheerly out of the can.

I get away with it. In ancient cult cultures.

For example, in Sparta.

In Sparta it was never considered, even stealing unless you got caught.

In fact, in the in the country of Sparta. If you stole and you didn't get caught then you can brag and you were steamed for how nifty and smart you were in pulling the thing off the Canaanite gods that the actual gods that they worship stole they would steal here still hearsay and was applauded.

So when this comes into God's people's minds and heart and he says don't take don't receive anything. Any idea the belongs to someone else. It was a revolutionary concept. We ask yourself like I do. How do we overcome this. How do we change how do you overcome being a kleptomaniacs and I understand that Lisa pray that most everybody listen to my voice is saying you know what it is not like I'm taking big stuff and I know I'm not doing are you ready for this.

I know I'm not doing anything worse than anybody else. Everybody at work does it. Everyone leaves early, but I work really really hard and sometimes I do things at home.

I'm sure I make up for prime sure balances save save before dinner break this in eternal pulsating desire to get something for nothing, whether rooted in greed, laziness or pride. Number one, we had a face how we steal number two. We've got a break down the defense mechanisms that we have gotten very good at. Even as believers and then number three. We need to follow God's divine prescription and what I like to do in the remainder of our time is okay. Step one.

Let's face the facts, then step two. Let's what Scott's prescription way it out and let's walk out of here is people who in every way, say were to be honest were knocking the steel so let's face up to the facts.

Let me give you about three different ways specifically that we steal. These were drawn right from Scripture, we steal first bite seizure. It's called taking notice.

Ephesians 428 let him who steals steel no longer, but rather let him labor with his hands performing a bullet with his own hands, what is good in order that he may have something to share with him who has need we seal but we still bite seizure we just take stuff. 1.2 million times a year. Mother's robbers and bandits take by force from fellow Americans, leaving 1/3 of them injured less dramatically. Employees help themselves to company supplies without permission auto parts, tools, staplers, postage meters, pens, pencils, notebooks, gasoline, oil, food, and patting expense accounts. We take by seizure retailers lose an estimated and this is a little older statistic now 10 billion a year in theft. 60% by employees. We take stealing by seizure copyrights.

With regard to software how many people written is a term paper, and someone else did. 90% of the research and all you need to do is pull a footnote to say who really wrote it, but that little footnote doesn't get on the paper and you act like you wrote called steel are common among Christians is what I call long term borrowing I wonder I went. When I did this I actually did this because I knew it was coming up. I wonder how many garden tools in your garage belong to someone else. I wonder if you opened your cupboards, how many punch bowls or serving platters belong to someone else. I imagine if you went through your library meticulously. How many books or how many takes or how many cassettes or how many CDs would belong to someone else.

I imagine if you went to your closet. How many sweatshirts or where we were wet suits or ladders or wheelbarrows or pieces of sports equipment are in your house belong to someone else. But where were bore born again believer so we just borrowed but when you borrow it and it's been seven years, three years. I actually know what I was so convicted I went out to my garage and I started inspecting and then I went to my library and I just started looking through books and thought I found I found a set of tapes.

The heavens will note on.

I have even listen to them and a guy about out I was about three years ago had loaned me these tapes I really need to hear these either. I needed to say thank you. I don't hunt the tapes and they were real precious.

You have someone say now I want to give these to you but mean a lot to me and and if you listen to them and down deeper. Think I will listen those right now, but instead say to someone you know I really appreciate it. Got a stack of stuff. I'm listening to you know all pray. Think about it get back to you. We take it you know thinking.

I don't like the guy feel that minutes on my shelf for three years, long term borrowing I'm going to suggest steel just is not yours. You seized I don't mean it's been a willful, malicious PCs that I've seized back if you're just joining us, you're listening to living on the with Chip Ingram chips message. Don't take it is from his series God's boundaries for abundant living. As Chip explained, rather than a harsh bunch of rules. The commandments are actually lifesaving instructions from a father who loves his children.

God's boundaries for abundant living provides a high view of God that will give you a new appreciation of your relationship with them, creating a solid foundation for every aspect of your life. That's something you'd like to learn more about. We want to help for limited time, the CDs for God's boundaries are discounted and the MP3s are absolutely free.

You'll find God's boundaries resources on our website LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 will trip I gotta tell you these messages on the 10 Commandments are rough. Every single one of them is a direct hit. Will Dave I got agree with you. You know I I'm glad this one is a little bit funny and I kept waiting when I taught this originally in Alexa months I was kept waiting for the command that I didn't break you know and then when I truly understood it, you unpacked it will. This is what Jesus really meant it was like I yeah yeah yeah yeah you know I'm I'm trapped from all sides, and I would just remind people that was the purpose of these commands commands don't save you a commands don't justify you commands don't make you right with God. The whole point of all these commands were to help us see that we fall short to help us see that we actually do worship other gods that that our heart is precious and were to watch over our heart with all diligence, because from it flow the issues of life and Jesus is the answer of the gospel is the answer graces the answer, but we don't know we need grace until we see this bar of righteousness in this holy God, and I will tell you one thing he's jealous me. He loves you so much. He's jealous and in his jealousy.

He's created these boundaries so that we would get the highest and the best and behind these commands and boundaries are this absolute desire that goes back to the very first command no other gods. None but me. No idols, no graven images even if you may come in your mind even if you call him fancy stuff like successor family, your kids, or work or ministry. No other gods and our hearts desire is to get to the root cause and help you be delivered from the false gods that you and I worship so that you could live the life that's really life opening strip. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling the burn from these messages, but as you said, that's really the purpose of them show us where we need work and Linda draws closer to Jesus with the hope and the strength we need to live in peace and freedom of your sensing that this is a series you could use as a refresher from time to time, head on over to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at 1-888-333-6003 to order your copy today. You'll find it's temporarily discounted when out here. Strip with a final thought. I don't know about you but this whole thing of stealing. It blindsided me and I gotta tell you, I cleaned out my garage and my friends and my buddies and the people. When I taught this, you know, we went did the same thing.

Here's the application for the day. Go start a revolution go find the books the tapes the CDs and the junk in your garage that belongs to someone else and return it and then explained to them what the eighth commandment really means know what will start the revolution today, go for it.

Living on the Edge were happy to let you know about a new way to listen to or extended teaching podcast your trip anytime on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.simply say Alexa enabled the Chip Ingram podcast once Alexa is enabled without skill. All you need to say is Alexa played the Chip Ingram podcast you'll hear that these extended teaching anytime you want will tomorrow. I'm Living on the Edge. Chip continues his series God's boundaries for abundant living. To be sure to make plans to join us for Chip and the entire staff. This is the brewery.

Thanks for listening.

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