Let us then turn in our catechisms, in the back of our hymnals, rising to read together our Confession of Faith. Lord's Day 42 in the catechism as we continue to consider what it means to keep God's commandments. And specifically this morning we look at the 8th commandment, thou shalt not steal. And so let us read together our Confession of Faith, questions and answers 110 and 111. What does God forbid in the Eighth Commandment? God forbids not only such theft and robbery as are punished by the government But God views as theft also all wicked tricks and devices whereby we seek to get our neighbor's goods, whether by force or by deceit, such as unjust weights, lengths, measures, goods, coins, usury, or by any means forbidden of God, also all covetousness and the misuse and waste of his gifts. But what does God require of you in this commandment? That I further my neighbor's good where I can and may, deal with him as I would have others deal with me, and labor faithfully so that I may be able to help the poor in their need. And so as we consider God's command not to steal, we have to understand that God doesn't just consider theft and robbery such as we might charge in a court system. But we have to understand that God cares about how we do business, how we seek to get our neighbor's goods, whether by force or by deceit. We have to understand, God does not condone the covetous nature of our culture today that says, I should have what you have. And by the way, one of the ways in which our culture has deemed to steal is even to use the government to take from one and give to another. This is theft. God requires Personal property. If everything is everybody's, as in a socialist or a communist system, there is no private property. It's all community of goods. So we have to understand that. God requires me to take care of the things God has given me. And God requires you to take care of the things that God has given you. And guess what? What happens? When I have something and you have something to yourself, we take care of it. We do our best with it. What happens when it's just everybody's? It falls apart. It gets wasted. God calls us to take care of the things that He has given to us, that we are not to misuse and waste the gifts God has given to us. We are rather to use them for His glory and for His honor. And so we have to realize that that is theft from God, because who owns everything? God finally does. And He entrusts it to you and to I. And so we have to be careful that we use the things God has given to us for an eternal purpose. Not just for me. I get me, me, me. No, but rather to use the blessings God has given to us to glorify the God who truly owns them. I love in our directory of worship, when it talks about the office of deacon, it reminds us that while this office is set apart by God about temporal things. And I'm paraphrasing. We must not forget that it is about a much more important and eternal benefit to the souls of the people who are being helped. And brothers and sisters, the things on this world will melt with fervent heat, God says. God will end this world and destroy it. We don't know exactly what that means. There are places in Scripture that talk like God is going to melt it and remake it. There's also places that talk about it like it's going to be entirely new creation. But what we do know is how do we live on this earth? We ask that question. How do we use the things God has given to us on this earth for an eternal purpose, because they're going to fall apart. Moth and rust destroys, thieves break in and steal, as we're talking about here. How do we use the goods that God has given to us? What is the requirement of this commandment? That I further my neighbor's good where I can and may. Instead of taking from him, instead of envying him, We're told that if you see the ox of your enemy in the ditch and you would go by without helping them, you shall help. The ox, the problem of your enemy. Not just the guy you don't like so much, but the problem of your enemy. He's in the ditch with a car or a truck or whatever it is, and you think in your heart, and how easy that is for us, right? I don't want to deal with him. God says you shall. Not you may. You shall go help him. We're called to love our neighbor and to love our enemy. You think you're going to be an enemy with that person for too long if you're the one who helped him out of the ditch with his truck? One of the best things we can do is helping people. that I deal with Him as I would have others deal with me. Instead of dealing with people the way our culture does that says, you're just something to be walked over and to be stolen from and to be as used as possible. Rather, to deal with them as I would have someone deal with me. Well, then we're going to get used as Christians, right? I mean, you hear that question. Well, guess what? You can't out-give God. God will take care of it. We need to found ourselves solidly on God, not on our own eyes, our own abilities. And labor faithfully so that I may help the poor in their need. Instead of spending our time trying to take and grab for ourselves, to labor faithfully, to be able to go out with open hands. To say to the poor, here. Dave Ramsey says, one of the best things you can do with money, one of the most fun things you can do with money, is give it away. And we live in a culture I also like what he has to say there. What do you call a stream in a pond where it has no outlet? What happens there? It stinks. It becomes septic. Who wants that? Well, the same thing is true of our lives. When it stops with me, I become septic. No. Finances are there to be used for the glory of God. Not just for what I think I need at the time to upgrade my iPhone 43,000 to 43,001. Because that's what's going to make me happy, right? I mean, I've got to have that 43,001, right? It's going to be so much better than the last one. You know me, I like electronics, but brothers and sisters, if we use our things for the glory of God to give, we will be so much more happy and blessed because that's what God created them to be. And we live in a culture that says, me, me, me, me, me. The unholy trinity, me, myself and I. No, brothers and sisters, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. First Timothy 6, 6 and 7. If I can't take it with me, what's the best thing I can do with it? Point to Jesus with it. Bring others to Christ because guess who I can bring with me? I can bring other people, believers, to heaven. Would to were that my finances were aimed that direction.