How To Build A Life – Keep “Things” In Perspective

//How To Build A Life – Keep “Things” In Perspective

How To Build A Life – Keep “Things” In Perspective

How to Build a Life:
Keep “Things” in Perspective

(Exodus 20:16)

Keep “Things” in Perspective

  1. This is the Principle Behind the Eighth Command.
  2. Sometimes our Things Own Us.
  3. Why do People Steal?
  4. A Sense of Entitlement — I Deserve it

THREE CASE STUDIES…
I. Ahab & Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-7)

  1. God has Established the Right of Personal Ownership.
  2. This is Why it is Wrong to Steal.
  3. It was Equally Right for Ahab to Offer to Buy the Land for a Fair Price and for Naboth to Refuse.
  4. Ahab had a Sense of Entitlement—I am King; I Deserve it!

II.  Jesus & the Disgruntled Brother (Luke 12:13-21)

  1. The Man was Pursuing a “Me” Agenda.
  2. Life is More than Possessions.
  3. The Rich Man Had a Selfish Sense of Entitlement (Rich Toward Self, not God)
  4. Did he Steal? (cf., James 5:1-6; also, Malachi 3:8-10).

III.  Israel and Tithing (Malachi 3:8-10)

CONCLUSIONS FROM OUR THREE STORIES…

  1. We Steal when we Take things from Others.
  2. We “Steal” when we See our Blessings as only Belonging to Us.
  3. We “Steal” When we Don’t Give God his Due Share.
  4. All of this Expresses a Sense of Entitlement.

Three Practices to Keep Things in Perspective

  1. Give Thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
  2. Share with Others (Ephesians 4:28)
  3. Trust God (Matthew 6:25-33).

Have You Kept “Things” in Perspective?

 

We skipped a week in our series for “Friends and Family Day.” Sunday, we will get back on track.  We will examine the eighth command, Keep Keep “Things” in Perspective or as the text reads…

Exodus 20:15  You shall not steal.

The prohibition of stealing underscores that God has established the right of personal ownership and we should respect what belongs to others.  However, it also prohibits the selfish sense of entitlement that motivates theft.  This same entitlement is condemned across the board when we see it expressed in our own materialism.  It leads to ingratitude, unwillingness to share, and even defrauding God of his due (giving, tithing, etc.).  Unfortunately, sometimes our “things” own us.  I’ll say more in my lesson.

Joey

By | 2022-11-19T10:01:07-07:00 November 19th, 2022|Uncategorized|0 Comments

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