Dumb Crooks
I admit it. I
enjoy dumb crooks stories. I have shared
several with you in the past. I have some
new ones for you today. By the way, these
actually happened.
·
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a
record shop nervously waving revolvers. The
first one shouted, "Nobody
move!" When his partner moved,
the startled first bandit, shot him.
·
A police officer in Georgia
pulled over an extremely intoxicated
driver. After this guy failed all of the
field sobriety tests, he was told to stand
by his car for minute. Instead of
doing this, the guy opened the car door
and got in the car. He then rolled
down the window and called the officer
over and said in a serious but slurred
speech, "Officer, I would like to
report a crime... Someone stole my
steering wheel". The officer
told the drunk that nobody stole his
steering wheel because they do not have
steering wheels in the back seat.
The confused drunk then took a ride to
jail in the back seat of the officer's
car.
·
A man wanted to rob a local
branch of a bank. After putting on
his mask, he walked around the place
"casing the joint." Several
people called the police. He could
clearly be seen in security cameras. He
was arrested a short time later with the
mask and holdup note in his possession.
All the while he was shouting,
"it wasn't me, it wasn't me."
While
the folly of these crooks is apparent to
us, so it is that the folly of our sins is
no doubt equally apparent to God. He
therefore tells us not to give in to
temptation. Rather He commands that we put
off certain evil things and put on the
character and nature of Jesus Christ. That
is what this series of messages is all
about.
Turn
with me again to the writings of Paul the
Apostle in Ephesians 4.
We will again read verses 22-28, “You
were taught, with regard to your former
way of life, to put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; to be made new in the attitude of
your minds; and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness. Therefore each
of you must put off falsehood and speak
truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all
members of one body. ‘In your anger do
not sin’: Do not let the sun go down
while you are still angry, and do not give
the devil a foothold. He who has been
stealing must steal no longer, but must
work, doing something useful with his own
hands, that he may have something to share
with those in need.”
today we will look at the biblical command – put off
stealing
Jesus,
in Matthew 19:18, likewise says, “Do
not steal.”
Then
too, I need not remind you that The
Eighth Commandment declares: “You
shall not steal.” When God gave this
commandment, He instituted the right of
private ownership of property. He set in
force certain laws that are still in force
today in every free and civil nation on
the face of the Earth. Simply put, civil
people, Christian people do not steal.
Let
me now expand on this commandment a little
bit:
·
The
Book of Romans warns against stealing the
glory that is God’s and giving it to
man.
·
Numerous
other verses warn against stealing
someone’s reputation or good name by way
of slander.
·
The
Seventh Commandment prohibits stealing the
affection of someone else’s spouse. “Do
not commit adultery”, in other
words.
·
We
are not to steal from a store, as with
shoplifting;
·
We
are not to steal an undeserved grade at
school, as with cheating;
·
We
are not to steal tools or other goods from
an employer;
·
We
are not to steal money from an employer;
·
We
are not to steal time from an employer, as
with laziness;
·
We
are not to steal from the government by
not paying one’s taxes;
·
We are not to steal money from God by not giving our tithe.
Along
this line, please notice:
·
Approximately
23 million people -- ten percent of
customers -- steal from retail stores each
year. Shoplifters account for the number
one reason small stores fail.
·
According
to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, employee
theft in its various forms accounts for
fully one third of all business failures. Having said that, it's a known fact that retail employees steal four
times more than does the public through
shoplifting.
·
In
addition, every year approximately 500,000
grocery carts disappear from supermarkets.
These can range in price from a couple of
hundred dollars to nearly a thousand
dollars each!
·
On
the other side of the coin, it is
estimated that in excess of half of the
businesses overcharge their customers.
Let’s
look at cheating -- stealing a grade that
one has not earned nor deserved. The
latest reports that I have notes
that 87 percent of students surveyed
admitted to cheating on written work and
70 percent cheated on a test at least
once. As I was working on this part of the
message, I came across a web site on the
Internet called LazyStudents.com. It
advertised: “Term
paper due? Research paper due? Can't find
the research you need? Don't type so well?
So much to do yet so little time? Have no
fear, LazyStudents.com is here!” Another
web site that peddled similar wares calls
itself: “Cheathouse.com The evil house of cheat.”
Larceny
is being practiced in our country, not
only in practically every profession, but
also by every kind of person. Not just the
poor, but middle class and rich people
steal. Not just the ignorant, but
literate, intelligent people steal.
But
pastor, is such a topic relevant for a
group of God-fearing, law abiding,
born-again Christians? Remember,
the New Testament was primarily written to
the followers of Jesus Christ. When Paul
was writing his letter to the Ephesians,
he was writing to the Church at Ephesus.
Evidently both Jesus and Paul felt that
the believers needed to be reminded of
this commandment on occasion.
In
fact, I heard of a pastor, I won't give
the denomination, that was caught
shoplifting a while back. As should be the
case, the man lost his church over the
situation.
It is a sad truth, though, he went
across town, started up another work, and
the majority of his former church went
with him! Yes, the topic is relevant!
Someone
has thus noted that the essential question
is not, "DO YOU TRUST GOD?"
The basic issue is, "CAN GOD
TRUST YOU?" The answer had better be
YES, if we intend to serve Him.
Just
as lying is the language of the devil,
stealing is one of the main areas of his
evil job description. John 10:10 says that
“The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy.”
Therefore,
the Bible says, put off stealing!
Lets now look at several reasons why people steal
1.
GREED
Greed
cries out that what is mine is mine and
what is yours is mine -- if I have
half-a-mind to take it.
In fact, not only is it mine, God
was not fair in having given it to you in
the first place. I should have had it!
This is the logic behind many
extra-marital affairs.
·
Greed
cries out that what we have is not enough.
We need more of this and more of that. It
places a person, money or things ahead of
God thus it violates the First of the Ten
Commandments by establishing another god
ahead of the One True God.
·
Greed
is wrong for it is a violation of the
Second Commandment, for greed is idolatry.
Jesus warned that
“No-one can serve two masters. Either he
will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.”
·
Greed
is wrong for it brings disrepute upon the
name of the Lord in violation of the Third
Commandment.
Exodus 20:7 notes, “You
shall not misuse the name of the LORD your
God, for the LORD will not hold anyone
guiltless who misuses his name.”
·
Greed
is wrong in that it brings disgrace
instead of honor upon one's father and
mother in violation of the Fifth
Commandment.
·
Greed
is wrong in that it provides the
foundation for many a murder in violation
of the Sixth Commandment – “You
must not murder.”
·
Greed
is wrong, as already noted, in that it is
oftentimes tied to a violation of the
Seventh Commandment – “You
must not commit adultery.”
·
Greed
is wrong because it violates the Eight
Commandment – “You shall not steal.”
·
Greed
is wrong in that it is cloaked,
oftentimes, in a lie in violation of the
Ninth Commandment -- “You
shall not lie.”
·
And
greed is wrong in that it desires that
which belongs to another person in direct
violation of the Tenth Commandment – “You
shall not covet….”
Jesus
therefore
in Luke 12:15 warned, “Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of
greed….”
The
world says that greed is good. God says,
greed is sin. Who are you going to
believe?
2.
DISCONTENT
Hear
me, we live in a world of things:
·
We
drive fast things;
·
We
sleep in comfortable things;
·
We
reside in expensive things;
·
We
listen to loud things;
·
We
have things for the winter; and things for
the summer;
·
We
have big things; as well as little things;
·
Electrical
things as well as wind-up things;
·
We
love things. We surround ourselves with
things!
It
is not so hard then to see how one's love
for things -- even the things that belong
to someone else -- can take root in a
person.
A
recent study by MasterCard International
found that shopping was second only to
dining out as the primary way that people
reward themselves. Adding things to things
is fun, rewarding!
Discontent,
though, was the sin that led to Eve's
downfall in the Garden of Eden.
She wasn't content with all that
God had given her; she had to have more.
She had to have that which belonged
to God Himself!
If
we were to ask juveniles caught
shoplifting, "Why did you do
it"? The most frequent reply would be
"I don't know". Facts show
though, that like adults, these young
people simply were not content with all
that they had. They had to have more and
nicer things therefore they turned to
stealing.
Jesus
warned, “A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he
possesseth.”
Then
in Matthew 6:19-21 we read, “Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But
store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.”
Look
around you now at the blessings of the
Lord.
·
Has
He not been faithful?
·
Has
He not blessed us even more than we
deserve?
·
Has
He not promised to supply our needs
according to His riches in glory?
Fret not for want
of earthly things,
They'll never satisfy;
The secret of contentment is
To let the Lord supply
Someone
has noted that discontentment makes rich
men poor while contentment makes poor men
rich.
Hebrews
13:7 therefore commands, “Be
content with such things as you have.” Paul
adds in Philippians 4:11, “I
am not saying this because I am in need,
for I have learned to be content whatever
the circumstances.”
Contented
people do not steal.
3.
IMPATIENCE
Impatience
cries NOW! Don't wait! Go
get it!
If
Eve's sin was due to her lack of
contentment, the Prodigal Son's sin flowed
out of his impatience. GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!
Someone
has noted that "all good things come
to those who wait."
The thief can't wait.
He must go for the thing,
·
the
grade,
·
the
money,
·
the
whatever NOW!
The
saint has learned that he can trust God
for what is best for him; the thief moves
without faith.
He
believes that he must take in order to
get.
·
He
is vain.
·
He
is intolerant of tomorrow.
·
He
is, in a word, impatient.
One day a biology teacher made his class
watch him feed a live white mouse to his
pet four-foot boa constrictor he kept in a
cage in the classroom. When the students
gathered around the cage, the shiny
emerald green serpent was lying casually
in somewhat beautiful folds in one corner
of the cage.
The
teacher dropped a five-inch mouse into the
cage. Totally unafraid, the mouse ran all
around the cage, up over the snake, over
the folds, and right in front of his face.
It seemed to be having a grand old time.
Then slowly but surely, the serpent began
to move. It moved so slowly that the only
way you could tell it was moving was to
watch the lines of print on the newspapers
at the bottom of the cage disappear
beneath its head. The mouse noticed the
movement, but it didn't seem to bother
him.
Then,
as the snake got closer, the mouse became
fascinated. And as the snake moved
stealthily, the mouse came to attention.
Its tail wasn't stirring; it was totally
engrossed in this moving green thing. It
even sat up on its hind legs, holding its
little paws in front of it like human
hands. With its whiskers still twitching,
the mouse sat there watching the snake
come closer. Suddenly, there was a blur of
green, and before anyone knew it, the
snake had wrapped itself around the little
mouse. The mouse quickly became history
rather than biology.
That's
the way sin works. Its power lies in its
ability to
fascinate and mesmerize.
I
doubt that many people plan to leave the
straight and narrow for that crooked and
wide path that leads to destruction. Yet,
the truth of the matter is, many do.
·
They
compromise their character,
·
they
loosen up on their morals,
·
they
put their integrity at risk.
·
Maybe
they lie.
·
It
could be that they lose their temper.
·
Possibly
they resort to stealing in one of its many
forms.
But
slowly, surely, the serpent called evil
fascinates and mesmerizes its prey until
it is too late. The Bible knowing the
wiles of sin says to put these things off.
Die to them.
Do not let them get a foot-hold in
your life.
Other
reasons people steal include:
4.
They like to feel as if they are
able to get “something for
nothing."
5.
It is a payback for all
that they have given to others, the
government or whatever. They are simply
taking that which they feel they justly
deserve in the first place.
6.
Next, many thieves don’t see
themselves as stealing. They
convince them-selves that they are merely
borrowing something. If caught, they would
only admit to taking something with the
intension of returning it later. Sadly,
though, they don’t return it unless
caught.
7.
Finally,
for some, stealing is a "relief
mechanism" for anxiety, frustration, boredom or depression. For example, several
studies have found diagnosed depression to
exist in approximately one-third of the
shoplifters studied. Depression was the
most frequently found psychological
problem. This helps to explain why so many
shoplifters steal from stores on their
birthday and around holiday times.
Regardless, of the reasons, Paul says work,
don’t steal
Again
Ephesians 4:28 declares, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing
something useful with his own hands, that
he may have something to share with those
in need.”
Paul
himself was an example of a hard worker,
for while he was establishing local
churches, he labored as a tentmaker.
The
men that God called in the Scriptures were
busy working when their call came.
- Moses
was caring for sheep;
- Gideon
was threshing wheat;
- David
was a shepherd boy;
- and
the first four disciples were either
casting nets or mending them.
- Jesus
Himself was a carpenter.
You will not find a
lazy godly man or woman in the Bible.
The
Jewish rabbis used to say, "If you do
not teach your son a trade, you teach him
to be a thief."
Unlike the greedy,
discontent, impatient person, Paul notes
that the Christian works not to get but in
order that he or she might have something
to give to others who are in need.
the answer is integrity
No
doubt many of you recognize the name of
Richard Dortch. Dortch was at one time the
President of PTL under Jim and Tammy
Bakker.
Due to his role in that tragic
situation, he was sentenced to eight years
in a federal penitentiary. He served
eighteen months during which time he not
only battled his own guilt, but
life-threatening kidney cancer as well.
Dortch
is now a free man.
He has been reinstated to the
ministry with the Assemblies of God and
currently serves as president and founder
of Life Challenge.
This is an agency that serves and
cares for professionals in crisis.
In
his book, Losing It All & Finding
Yourself, Dortch notes:
“Almost every person that I can think of who has fallen -- whether
layman or minister -- did so because they
believed they were the exception. They
thought they could pick and choose when
and how to sin. They could sin -- even if
only occasionally and for a good cause --
and it would make no difference. Their
public persona portrayed what they wanted
everyone to believe was true about them.
They convinced themselves that no one
would ever see the other side of their
life.”
I
find his observations frightening. He
fingers the tragic deceptions of sin.
·
Richard
Dortch simply believed a lie.
·
Jim
and Tammy Bakker did too.
·
Jimmy
Swaggart, Robert Tilton, Bill Clinton and
numerous others likewise bought the same
line.
Let me be honest, maybe we all have
to some extent!
·
I
won't get caught.
·
I
am too smart.
·
I
am too important.
·
I
am different.
·
No
one would believe anything evil about me.
·
God
will understand; look at all of the good
that I am doing.
Friends,
these are lies, all lies!
With
many people, the question is no longer,
"Is it wrong?" (that
doesn't seem to matter), the question is
"can I get away with it?" and in
some strange way, they convince themselves
that they can.
Yet,
the Bible is quick to point out in Numbers
32:23, “...you
may be sure that your sin will find you
out.”
Sadly,
many don't realize what is going on in
their own personal lives -- until it is
too late; until the hook is set.
·
They
don't sense how deep they have sunk.
·
They
don't realize the truth until the lie has
brought them to the very brink of
disaster.
Let
me just add James 1:14-16 here, “But
each one is tempted when, by his own evil
desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be
deceived, my dear brothers.”
·
Dortch
did not think he would or could get
caught-up in a national scandal -- but he
did.
·
He
certainly did not imagine that he would
serve time in a federal prison -- but he
did.
·
He
never dreamed that his name would be
smeared and mocked by every demented comic
in print and on screen -- but it was.
·
He
thought that Richard W. Dortch was the
exception -- but he wasn't! Oh that we
would be wise and learn from the tragic
mistakes of others!
I
am not wanting to imply that Richard
Dortch was a dumb crook. But, just to be
honest, the devil did play him for a fool.
He will do the same to each and everyone
of us, if we let him.
Don’t
give him any place, any ground, in your
life. Put off every sin – including
stealing. Put it off now.
