In our first exposition, we considered the fact that the Eighth Commandment
presupposes the right to private property. We also saw that the Eighth Commandment
implies the principle of stewardship as a profound reminder that we own nothing, but
that everything has been entrusted to us by God as a gracious gift of His love. And then
we also saw that the Eighth Commandment explains very clearly why it is wrong to steal.
I seek therefore to build upon that today by specifically considering the vast spectrum
that is covered by the scope of this command, by asking in which ways it is possible for
us to violate the prohibition contained in the Eighth Commandment.
We come to a commandment that consists merely of four words – “You shall not steal” –
and yet in it we will see that God has a way of packing into the shortest, clearest little
phrase so much profound truth in which He draws out of them the depths of the riches
with which He has loaded them.
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One of the key things we need to grasp as we bring this study of the Seventh
Commandment to an end this morning is that adultery does not just happen. Adultery is
always planned. This, sadly, is not only true amongst unbelievers, but also among
believers. The common excuse, “We could not help it!”, is nothing but false. Animals
can’t help it. Beasts cannot – for them it just happens – but not for humans. And the
moment we start reasoning like this, then as we saw last Lord’s Day, we have become
just like beasts in each of our faculties.
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We live in a sex-crazed society. Lust sweeps past logical reason into all forms of insidious
perversion. The list of deviant sexual sins as found in Leviticus 18:1-30 shows us that mankind
very quickly distorted God’s gift of sexuality, making sexual lust into an idol that steals
the hearts of men away from their God.
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