Each week, these sermon discussion guides are made available to help you engage the sermon text more fully. For those in a small group, this is what your group will use as its jumping-off point. You are also encouraged to use this in the context of your own home, whether personally or as a family, as you seek to apply the message to your life.
Sermon Summary: Exodus 20:15
Main Ideas
I. Everything we interact with ultimately belongs to its Creator, God.
II. We acknowledge God’s ownership of all things by working willingly, giving generously, and storing spiritually.
Application Points
I. Understanding God as the owner of all things is the ultimate starting point to refusing to steal.
II. Working for God allows us to use our gifts to glorify Him.
III. Giving generously for God reflects a heart content in Him.
IV. Storing spiritually gains us an eternity of grace, which can be realized in the here and now and shared with our neighbors.
Quotes
“Labor replaces theft as a means of sustenance.
And more than that: it turns the thief into a benefactor.” — John Frame
"Our first parents stole from the forbidden tree, and all of their progeny have been thieves ever since. Thieves and all other violators of God’s law must be washed, sanctified, and justified by divine intervention. However, living as forgiven sinners who have been washed in the blood of Christ does not render us exempt from the temptation to steal. We must closely and constantly guard our hearts and maintain a sensitivity to the subtleties of sin and the cleverness of the tempter.”
— Robert Carver
Questions for Personal Response
Where is our work trying to “get us to the top?” Where are we not seeing our work or chores as doing labor for God’s glory?
Where are we laboring for ourselves and not for others? What is our heart's desire in giving to others?
How are you comforted and possibly challenged by Jesus’ desire to give everything up to claim you as his treasure?
Which one of the commandments has been the most challenging in terms of pointing you back to the supremacy of God in every aspect of your life?
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