A Thief in the Light

Is Spirit of the Lord of the test is your husband are at the door, and they shall kill you out as well.

She fell immediately at his feet to bring the last young men came in and found her dead and they carried around beside her husband. Verse 11 and great fear came upon the church. I got so these things.

I had a quick decided it was in our best interest to be honest, what was doing.

He is telling the early church to say they want to talk today, dishonesty is not in the light will come to this broadcast system for the heart with Stephen. If you're one of our regular listeners you've noticed that Stephen sounds a bit different in this series that's because he taught these lessons back in 1990 currently working through a series from Exodus entitled down from Sinai were looking at each of the 10 Commandments today were commanded to not steal, but is Stevens going to show us.

There are more ways to violate this command than we sometimes consider staying with us for this lesson that Stephen called a thief in the light man saw an ad in the newspaper and the Mercedes was being sold for $25 and he couldn't believe it. He knew that it was some sort of hoax, but he decided to go ahead and calling. I was there week after week, and so he finally called and got the lady on the phone and he said lady. This is this is some kind of trick are you selling a current year model of Mercedes-Benz $25 and she said absolutely and he said ma'am. What was the trick and she said no, no trick, I'm really selling this brand-new I just hardly six months old Mercedes for $25 and he said lucky.

He said how many people have called you and she said no one would just call me. I guess no one believes in any so I can understand why she said look, just come on over and see for yourself. So he said Melissa it'll be worth the trip.

Even though I lose 25 bucks just to find out what your schemas, and so he got his car and he drove over there and that she wouldn't tell anything to follies are your $25.

She handed him the keys of the garden and carting it out a receipt and he said Nola. Now it's mine. I'm about to drive off and you tell me what is going on here and she said will, nothing really.

She said that it's not a single but you see, my husband left me and he and his girlfriend are in the Bahamas and he asked that I sell his Mercedes and send him the cash interesting interesting story of theft is about this actually happened or the gentleman wrote the IRS.

They had this sent to them. I read where this gentleman said.

Dear Sirs, I've enclosed a check for hundred and $50. I cheated on my income tax last year and I haven't been able to sleep since I still can't sleep. I'll send you the rest of the money we look at those and and the funny but yet they are forms of the seat. They are symptoms of left and we come to the Scriptures, as we have been doing now going to the book of Exodus and we read the eighth commandment. If you have your Bibles turn to Exodus chapter 20 and read with me that command is found in verse 15, a command that I hope by the grace of God will discover that we are threatened with committing by his grace.

Avoid verse 15 of of Exodus chapter 20 says you shall not steal again. Not? But a simple statement to be exercised to be believed, then because it comes from the authority of Scripture.

Now for you and me. We probably feel like this is not really our sin. You know I haven't stolen anything other than a piece a gone way back in elementary school. When we think of the most common ways that people still like the IRS and we know we been honest on her income tax returns.

As I discovered this past week throughout the Bible is precise and accurate descriptions of what we have failed to observe as stealing. They are synonyms throughout Scripture that I think you'll find so accurate and I hope by God's grace will discover them in our lives and exercise them by his spirit. There are three words that are found throughout Scripture that all synonyms of this violation of the eighth command deceit is the first one let's turn in our Bibles to Romans chapter 1 and I'm going to unmask it for you. As we look at characteristics of deceit. Romans chapter 1 verse 29. The first is this the deceit is typical among unbelievers and that's really where an honest day. The Bible tells us in no short terms deceit as part of the unbelieving crowd.

It is part of the society that is violating the authority of God. Romans chapter 1 tells us about a society that violates his authority by the time you come to verse 29 he begins listing all of the sand. Look at verse 28 just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper being with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, and there is the word deceit that is a misrepresentation of someone or something for the purpose of unjust gain and then characteristic ladies and gentlemen is part and parcel of a society that violates the authority of God. We also assume that the society will be deceitful as they follow Jesus Christ. There's a second characteristic turned over to second Corinthians chapter 11 second Corinthians chapter 11. It is characteristic of false teachers verse 1 to 4. Look with me. I wish you would bear me just a little foolishness, but indeed you are bearing with me, for I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin, but I'm afraid lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your mind should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received or a different gospel which would not accept that you bear this beautifully. I consider myself not in the least inferior to most eminent apostles. What what the apostle Paul is saying here is that one of the characteristics of those that will take from you all that I delivered to you by the revelation of God. All that I've given you by God's inspiration for his Scripture that I gave you by his inspiration in my own life.

There will be false teachers who will come along to sap this out of your your church, your personal life and I want you to know that the characteristic whereby you can know these false teachers is given in verse three you will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ that is their teaching will focus your attention on something other than in purity and simplicity being devoted to Jesus Christ they will focus your attention on other things turn the Jeremiah chapter 23 and I want to show you one of the simplest ways of discerning false teachers. According to the prophets of old and in the Old Testament days.

These guys were doing the same thing then and they do this same thing today I want to take note, Jeremiah chapter 23 on a read just a few verses hurriedly to follow along all skip around Jeremiah chapter 23 verse nine. As for the profits that is false prophet. My heart is broken within me all my bones tremble. Verse 11 for both profit and priest are polluted, even in my house.

I have found that wickedness, declares the Lord, for 16 says the Lord of hosts. Do not listen to the words of the prophets were prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility of this they speak of vision of their own imagination. Verse 21. I did not send these profits, but they ran.

I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. Verse 25 I have heard what the prophets of said who prophesy falsely in my name they say this I had a dream I had a dream. Verse 28, the prophet who has a dream may relate his dream brought let him who has my word speak my word. In truth, what the straw have in common with green, declares the Lord is not my word like fire is not it like a hammer, which shatters a rock therefore hold. I am against the prophet declares the Lord. This steals my words from each other.

I'll explain in a moment. Verse 31 behold, I am against the prophet declares the Lord, who use their tongues note this and declare the Lord declares that I am against those who have prophesied false dreams and related them and let my people astray by their falsehoods and reckless posting yet I did not send them or command them.

Note this one of the characteristics that is common among false teachers not only in that day. But today is they, in a sense represent the authority of God and somewhere in their ministry. They will tell you they will tell me that they represent the voice of God apart from the word of God.

So the next time someone on the television or someone you're listening to closes their eyes and says I'm hearing from God. There's someone out there starting a business there. So we hear that sick this summer.

We here that needs advice God is telling me right now that's unfamiliar spring.

I missed my calling off they are declaring a vision from their own imagination. They are declaring something apart from the word of God and anyone who says I have received revelation from God, apart from the word of God.

No matter how slick, no matter how conservative, no matter how flamboyant is a false teacher. None of the last part of that verse, verse 32. I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit power. You know why I just said back in my chair and I tried to understand the prophet who said by revelation. They don't benefit the people in the slightest. I think it's because of this, because the false teacher leads us to believe that God is as interested in us receiving his blessings than he is and is receiving his character.

They turn our focus away from the person of God to the blessings the gifts the things God and in reality they do not benefit you are I least there was stealing going on, there were thieves in the light third deceit is essential to the strategy of Satan and would follow. Obviously, logically, the false teachers have as their middle name deceit that Satan would be engineering from Genesis chapter 3 to Revelation chapter 20.

Satan is called the master, and a sense of deception. He is a deceiver.

Fourth, deception is a dangerous thing in the life of a disobedient believer, you know, it is difficult to discern the counterfeit if it were easy men and women.

Satan would not be Satan. In fact, out there in our society and our world are 12 of Mona Lisa's all supposedly signed by Leonardo da Vinci. All the owners claiming to have the original is no way any of us could really tell them apart. That's why Satan is so dangerous. That's why his counterfeiting and his deceit is so wicked and a believer who becomes disobedient falls into a form of deception called self deception. James chapter 1 verse 22 says be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding are deceiving your own self.

I can become a thief robbing myself of character and end integrity and in worship and in obedience. If I get to the point where I read the Bible and I hear it I see and I walk away on chain.

I become a thief. It's dangerous example of deception in the early church, and I want you to know this is a new leader turn acts chapter 5 quickly acts chapter 5 the first account of deception in the light is acts chapter 5, you know the story Ananias and Sapphire. They had they had seen the Barnabas soundtrack of land and give the money to the apostles and boy they saw the celebration.

People pat him on the back all your wonderful as people would often do this is fantastic what you've done for this early church to Ananias and Sapphire evidently saw that the first verse of chapter 5 says they sold a piece of property.they kept back some of the price for himself or themselves. With his wife's full knowledge. Men and women. This is pre-meditated deceit and they brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles feet. Now it wasn't wrong that they give some of the money. What was wrong with they were coming in effect saying this is all it is what we got for the entire piece together were lying there were deceiving, Peter says in verse three.

Ananias, why has Satan, the deceiver filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and the key back some of the price of the land while remained unsold did not remain your own and after it was sold was not under control.

Why is it that you've conceived this deed in your heart you not lied to men but to God as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last.

And great fear came upon all those who heard of it, young men arose and covered them up after carrying him out. They buried him now collapsed in an interval of about three hours. His wife comes. Imagine your part of the congregation or she walks in, not knowing what happened in peer response to her Sapphire tell me whether you serve the land for such and such a price and all of us would sit on the edge of our seats and say say no St. Joseph Ira.

They just buried your husband before you can get that out of your mouth. She looks peer back in the eye and she says yes that was the price. Peter said to her, why is it you have agreed together to put the spirit of the Lord of the test below the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out as well. She fell immediately at his feet and brings her last, and the young men came in and found her dead in the carrying around buried her beside her husband.

Verse 11 and great fear came upon the whole church. I guess so these things, they had a quick auto. They decided it was in our best interest to be honest in the early church.

What was doing. He is telling the early church to say they want to tell us today. Dishonesty is not to be part of people walk in the light. It is not to be a characteristic of those who walk after Jesus Christ not dishonesty but honesty, not deception, but truth, there's another word. The fraud is to withhold something from someone to whom it is rightfully due. There were four ways. One of uncover this for you. First of all, withholding honest, pay from honest work. Leviticus chapter 19 says an interesting thing if you're an employer don't you go to bed don't you go to sleep at night with the wages of that employee in your hand. You give it to them. Let's do another words what he saying is don't put it in the bank or don't draw interest on it for the next 12 hours given away right away is not your defrauding second withholding support from parents, your member Mark chapter 10 it says don't steal. Don't fraud, honor your mother and your father. The word honor is a word that talks about getting respect, giving financial support you with financial support from a mom or dad who needs support, you are guilty of the fraud New Testament were there used in the context sort withholding physical intimacy from a spouse restricting chapter 7 verse five uses the word to fraud there making it very clear physical intimacy is not a reward is not a favor is not a weapon. It is something that belongs to someone else spouse. In fact, he says this is the foundation that may help avoid immorality to fraud forth.

This is interesting withholding a spiritual settlement from believers turn to first Corinthians chapter 6, just write a little bit first Corinthians chapter 6, if I told you this. You wouldn't believe it's going to read it to chapter 6, verse one. This is an interesting way that the fraud is used in interesting context. Does any of you when he has a case against his neighbor dared him to go to lab for the unrighteous, not for the saints. I want you to put your thinking cap on. I think of the implications of this text do not know that the saints will judge the world and if the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law court.

Do you not know that we shall judge angels how much more matters of this life. Life then you have lab coats dealing with matters of this life. Do you appoint them as judges who have no account in the church. I say this to your shame is that so that there is not among you one wise man will be able to decide that is that the legal term that could be translated make judgment between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother and that before unbelievers. Actually, then it is already in the feet for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wrong to be defrauded. On the contrary, you yourself wrong and the fraud and that your brother not listen to this, saying that if a believer in the church has something against another believer that is a legal right has been violated saying to take them to court take them to church because back to the Old Testament economy where the spiritual leader that was the king often make judgments saying the same thing to exist today where there is civil disagreement where there have been laws violated between believers. This is a family matter taken to the church and allow the leadership of the church to reach a settlement fascinating application convention. We actually it would be a fantastic testimony to our society to settle differences even in civil matters in the church.

There is another work. Theft is the third category.

This is to take something for yourself the rightfully belongs to someone else and this is the common way the eighth commandment is understood forgotten all of the other those applications that we just made.

We think of the Ivan Belsky you know the guy who in 1985, said the little greed is not that everybody should be a little greedy in 1984 he had made $115 million from two deals in a 1988.

He was sentenced to three years for his grief. We think of people like that. I talked to two people in our congregation that have become victims of theft.

One guy had his car stolen. Another an investment.

The people spent. We often think of theft in these terms in and rightly so, that does include that world.

I want you to consider biblically, because were talking about people who live in the light theft that occurs we may not even really be aware of and we need to be confronted with want to give you one that's stealing from God.

Our worship stealing from God worship that is declaring worth an honor to him and only him. The only way to explain this is to give you three illustrations of people who worship him correctly. I think of Abraham, who gave him the worship of devotion a man who would not allow even his son. His most prized possession to stand between him and obedience and he worship by way of devotion to God. Think of David who worshiped by way of repentance.

A man who would commit sin. The Scriptures tell us in second Samuel chapter 12 I believe it is verse 20 that after God confronted him through the prophet Nathan and his son eventually or baby was eventually taken by the Lord that been born out of wedlock. It says that he he put on new clothes, and he shaved and he went in with a repentant heart and worship God, you know, whenever we are unrepentant we are stealing from God worship to him whenever we are devoted to something else more than him.

We steal from God. Devotion to only him.

I think of lot the worship of submission. A man who lost it all, and in chapter 1, the latter part of that chapter. It says he fell down on his face and he worship God, but stealing from our families, our time every consider that theft is a startling view that the average five-year-old spends less than 25 minutes a week with his father doesn't shake you up that school-age children spend less than 60 seconds day communicating with mom and that is other than passive butter go to bed to your Georgia Christian kids were surveyed nearly 70% of them spent less than 15 minutes a week with mom and dad.

You can sit in a room and watch television as a family and never spend time together because the focus of your attention is something other than the family member that spouses did you know that the average spouse spends less than seven minutes only communicating other than Wednesday. Have a good day at work, pick up the dry cleaners. What's for supper so we haven't stealing from church are gifts financial we can camp on that one I have in my prerogative and Karen this for two weeks waiting for a good time to tell you this is fantastic. See these little Hershey kisses some kid over children's church.

The offering plate was passed, he made the ultimate sacrifice. I wish I could've been there to see the struggle all sure I charge cycle.

I don't want to do it on their collected dust on my desk. Acts chapter 4 talks about a church were not just kids but adults that kind of sacrificial reality among themselves, read it sometime.

It's fascinating. There are needs that arise in the church so he says no problem.

So my house. Imagine, as those who had knee. They were all together and alive.

Is it any wonder that kind of attitude. The upturn Jerusalem talk to you for just a few was about something more devastating than stealing financial gifts not becoming involved financially but stealing spiritual gifts, you know, I view the church as a disabled body, and more and more I am becoming vocal with those who come into our church fellowship and that Canada's class we spend 30 minutes to an hour on the subject of virtual gifts because if we fill our church up with people who are spectators and not people exercising their gifts.

We become a body without legs without arms. If you have the gift of teaching is your gift beneficial to the body.

If you have the gift of giving, helping, hospitality does the child's benefit from it. First Corinthians chapter 12 makes it very clear that together we as a local body universal make up the body. We coordinated together you can answer the question on the basis of where you sit.

Are you utilizing what God has given you, and contributing it to the body stealing from God. Worship stealing from family time stealing from church gifts forms of theft money tied up with two thoughts violating the eighth commandment does a lot of things.

Let me just give you two first blockades communion that's obvious. I'm not without it being before Jesus Christ, worshiping him from the devoted to him. If I'm not involved with the saints and serving him. Then there is going to be a loss is going to be a blockading of communion and fellowship.

Secondly, we blockades communion, but it destroys credibility in the world because the world notes world notice we lose our credibility. The old English couplet referring to the deception of Judas was supposedly a follower of Jesus Christ says this still as of old man by himself is price for 30 pieces of silver.

Judas sold himself not Christ dear, we have credibility in the society. It is determined by our worship devotion by our honest and our integrity are there thieves in the light may it never be the solution. Ephesians chapter 4, the apostle Paul wrote that early church and he said look, those among you that stole steal no more, but work with the labor of your hand so that you may share with those who have, in other words, what he is saying is that when Jesus Christ invades a person's life and when there is submission to him.

Take that person will take us and turn us from people who steal from him and the people who share share worship sure devotion share loss. May that be the case of this body must we give God we are stealing and may that never be set up us. Thanks for joining us today here on wisdom for the hearts. This is a message from our vintage wisdom series through Exodus Stephen called it a fief in the light.

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