WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.100 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:03.100 --> 00:00:13.300 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:20.500 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at Christchurcheastbay.org. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:27.000 Good morning. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:31.100 I'm Melissa Arseniega, and I'm part of the Burke Community Group. 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:41.259 Today's scripture reading is from Exodus chapter 20, Deuteronomy chapter 6, and 1 Corinthians chapter 4, as printed in your liturgy. 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:43.280 Exodus. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:45.900 And God spoke all these words. 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:51.039 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:54.539 You shall have no other gods before me. 00:00:54.539 --> 00:01:04.120 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:13.319 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:16.920 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:24.500 Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 00:01:25.260 --> 00:01:26.700 You shall not murder. 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:29.180 You shall not commit adultery. 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:31.040 You shall not steal. 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:34.900 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:38.560 You shall not covet your neighbor's house. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:47.560 You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:56.359 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.700 They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:03.780 Speak to us yourself and we will listen. 00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:07.740 But do not have God speak to us or we will die. 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:09.979 Deuteronomy. 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:17.219 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:22.780 to give you a land with large flourishing cities you did not build, 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:27.780 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:30.439 wells you did not dig, 00:02:30.979 --> 00:02:33.680 and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. 00:02:34.340 --> 00:02:36.800 Then, when you eat and are satisfied, 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:44.000 be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:46.219 1 Corinthians. 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.300 For who makes you different from anyone else? 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:52.819 What do you have that you did not receive? 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:54.939 And if you did receive it, 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:57.680 why do you boast as though you did not? 00:02:58.740 --> 00:03:01.199 The grass withers and the flowers fall. 00:03:01.900 --> 00:03:04.140 The Lord our God is in the sky. 00:03:05.780 --> 00:03:08.819 Thank you, Adeline, for telling me to turn my microphone on. 00:03:08.920 --> 00:03:09.620 Very important. 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:10.599 Appreciate that. 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:15.000 Let's go to the Lord in prayer as we look to what he has to say to us. 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.000 Father, we want to hear from you this morning. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.599 If you are not here with us, if your presence is not here, then we do not want to be here. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:30.020 But Lord, you have promised your presence to us in your word. 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:33.419 So we want to experience all of who you are. 00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:36.639 Your love, your grace, your holiness, 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:42.899 and all the things, Lord, that you would speak to us this morning. 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:46.780 So be present to us. 00:03:47.580 --> 00:03:49.219 Use your word in the way that you do. 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:51.240 And we pray this in your son's name. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:52.000 Amen. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:52.080 Amen. 00:03:53.960 --> 00:03:58.479 So you know, this sermon cost me 850 bucks. 00:03:59.060 --> 00:03:59.340 All right. 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:03.659 And after last time I preached about my parking ticket, I'm down a thousand bucks in this sermon 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:04.159 series. 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:07.460 But this, again, this sermon cost me 850 bucks. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.340 We're talking about thou shalt not steal today. 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:14.659 What happened was on Wednesday, okay, I opened up my computer. 00:04:15.140 --> 00:04:16.519 It's time to get started on the sermon. 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:19.800 And, you know, I'd done my studying. 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:21.019 I'd done my reflecting. 00:04:22.100 --> 00:04:25.100 But as soon as I asked God, like I often do, 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:29.699 God, please do your work through your word on your people and start with me. 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:33.360 And opened my eyes, looked up at that blank screen. 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:35.139 I couldn't. 00:04:35.139 --> 00:04:39.479 I couldn't start writing this sermon on thou shalt not steal. 00:04:39.899 --> 00:04:43.479 Which, by the way, it's the eighth commandment, thou shalt not steal. 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:44.240 All right. 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:47.419 Because there was something in my life that I hadn't dealt with. 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:50.300 See, last spring, my family of four, we went skiing. 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:51.879 Me and the girls are learning how to ski. 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:57.419 But before we even headed out to Tahoe, we'd recently made friends with this other family 00:04:57.419 --> 00:04:58.039 of four. 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:01.180 And this family had these things called icon passes. 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:03.779 Basically, season passes to ski unlimited. 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:09.019 And because there wasn't much snow last year, and because they hadn't been able to use their 00:05:09.019 --> 00:05:13.679 passes as much as they'd liked, and because, you know, we're a Chinese family like them, 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:18.139 and they have two girls just like us, and because the high schoolers running the ski lift, 00:05:18.239 --> 00:05:23.519 never check photo IDs, could care less really who they're scanning through, this other family 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:28.239 insisted that we should take their passes and get some extra value out of them. 00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:30.299 It felt like a win-win for everybody. 00:05:30.300 --> 00:05:34.319 So we went, and we skied for free, and it was awesome, all right? 00:05:34.980 --> 00:05:43.620 And, you know, I've been living guilt-free, happily ever since until, unthinkingly, I volunteered, 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:45.560 yo, Jonathan, I'll preach the Eighth Commandment. 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:48.220 Not a good idea. 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:50.800 Thou shalt not steal. 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:56.639 And so as I studied and reflected this week, as God's law did what it's supposed to do, 00:05:56.840 --> 00:06:03.960 it pierced me, it examined me, it convicted me, it searched me, I realized I had a choice. 00:06:04.080 --> 00:06:07.379 I could either preach this like a hypocrite, or I could do the right thing. 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:13.240 So before I started writing the sermon, I went and calculated, okay, how much, like, 00:06:13.300 --> 00:06:15.460 would it have cost me at that resort? 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:20.519 And then in the spirit of Moses' law, you know, Leviticus chapter 6 verse 5 says that 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:24.000 even if you're repenting of something that you've stolen from someone, you've got to add 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.199 a fifth to that and give, you know, the whole thing plus a fifth to the owner. 00:06:28.620 --> 00:06:29.319 So that's what I did. 00:06:29.379 --> 00:06:31.299 I added that painful 20%. 00:06:31.299 --> 00:06:32.959 I sent the money. 00:06:33.479 --> 00:06:35.339 I moped about it to Chelsea through text. 00:06:36.299 --> 00:06:39.199 And then I got started writing this sermon, all right? 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:42.399 And I don't share this with you just to get a laugh. 00:06:42.659 --> 00:06:43.599 Seriously, what I did was wrong. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:46.240 We shouldn't downplay, minimize the breaking of God's law. 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.740 And I also don't share this with you as if the point of this sermon or the point of the 00:06:50.740 --> 00:06:55.760 Eighth Commandment is for all of us to do, like, a scrupulous, exhaustive audit of our lives. 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:58.760 And I share this with you because thou shalt not steal. 00:06:58.860 --> 00:07:03.439 You know, it sounds like one of the simplest, like, kindergarten commands to understand and 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:04.020 live by, right? 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:11.140 And yet, isn't it remarkable how easy it is to justify and downplay breaking it when we 00:07:11.139 --> 00:07:13.979 take a real honest look at our own lives? 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:18.919 And in case you're unconvinced that you have a problem with this, we're going to dive deeper 00:07:18.919 --> 00:07:22.399 to understand what God really intended in giving us this command. 00:07:23.599 --> 00:07:28.560 If you think the Eighth Commandment is simply about not taking what doesn't belong to you, 00:07:29.099 --> 00:07:32.019 you've really only begun to understand it. 00:07:32.159 --> 00:07:36.399 See, the Eighth Commandment, it reveals so much more about God's heart for our neighbors, 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:42.399 about justice and generosity, about how we're supposed to relate to our possessions and our 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:43.079 neighbor's possessions. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:47.620 And ultimately, like we've been seeing throughout all these commandments, this is a commandment 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:50.979 that reveals to us something extraordinary about God himself. 00:07:52.159 --> 00:07:57.779 So, what did God mean when he told his people at Mount Sinai, thou shalt not steal? 00:07:57.859 --> 00:07:59.719 Well, let's start with the obvious. 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:03.379 It means no robbing, no burglary, no shoplifting, petty theft. 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:05.800 Basically, don't take things that don't belong to you. 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:07.360 No fraud, no cheating people. 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:11.399 It means that Snickers bar that you stole as a child from the grocery store, that was wrong. 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:16.540 It means that that Boyz II Men album that you downloaded illegally off of Napster and 00:08:16.540 --> 00:08:20.180 then burned a CD to give to your high school crush, that was wrong. 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:25.699 It means quiet quitting, being dishonest about how much you're working, claiming company time 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:29.139 as work time when you know you're not working, that's wrong. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:30.540 The list goes on. 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:34.519 According to the official doctrinal statement of our church, the Westminster Larger Catechism, 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:38.960 it mentions things like oppression, extortion, bribery, usury, and quote, 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:42.580 all other unjust or sinful ways of taking. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:44.519 So, here's the basic principle. 00:08:45.320 --> 00:08:49.220 We mustn't take what isn't ours because our neighbors have a right to their own possessions. 00:08:49.920 --> 00:08:53.740 And God, he expects us to respect what's rightfully theirs. 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:55.000 Simple principle, right? 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.960 But then why, you know, where does it come from? 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:01.580 Why does God care so much about protecting people's possessions? 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:02.559 Well, think about it. 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:06.620 Imagine someone stealing a package right off your front porch. 00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:11.539 And honestly, under normal circumstances, you wouldn't care so much if you lost a cheap 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:13.279 pair of socks from Amazon, right? 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:16.580 Or like a little package of hair ties from Timu, right? 00:09:16.580 --> 00:09:22.660 But let's say your ring doorbell captures the moment that this package was stolen. 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:28.900 And no matter how little value that package contains, it's still infuriating, right? 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:30.160 Why? 00:09:30.800 --> 00:09:36.340 Because it's not about the money you lost so much as how disrespected, how violated you feel. 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:41.360 Because while you spent your own time, your own money, ordering this thing, reasonably 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:46.000 expecting it to finally arrive safely at your doorstep, to be brought into your house at 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:51.940 your own convenience, someone else came along, took advantage of that trust, and didn't give 00:09:51.940 --> 00:09:57.160 a second thought to you or what their actions might cost you in time, money, and trouble. 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:01.680 See, stealing isn't just about disregarding someone's possessions. 00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:06.220 It's about disregarding the person those possessions belong to. 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:11.740 And once you understand that, you begin to realize that the Eighth Commandment is about 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:16.060 so much more than simply not taking things from people. 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:20.560 In the Eighth Commandment, God's not just saying, keep your hands to yourself and leave 00:10:20.560 --> 00:10:21.879 other people's stuff alone. 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:29.480 No, he's shaping our hearts and lives after his heart, calling us to actively seek our neighbor's 00:10:29.480 --> 00:10:32.379 good, whether concerning their possessions or even our own. 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:36.040 And again, I love how our church's Westminster Larger Catechism puts this. 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:41.980 It starts by saying, the Eighth Commandment requires us to act truthfully, faithfully, 00:10:42.079 --> 00:10:47.719 and justly with our fellow human beings so that we give to all what they deserve. 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:54.139 And then it wraps up by saying, we must do our best by all just and lawful means to acquire, 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:59.919 preserve, and increase our own and others' money and possessions. 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:00.740 Did you catch that? 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:04.680 Not just our own, but others'. 00:11:04.680 --> 00:11:07.580 In other words, it's not enough for me to say, well, at least I haven't taken anything 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:08.220 from you. 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:13.659 No, God actually calls me to care about your material well-being and to do what I reasonably 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:18.919 can with my material well-being to protect and promote both of ours. 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:24.120 And you see this all throughout the law that God gives to his people Israel. 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:31.080 For example, Deuteronomy 22, Exodus 23, Moses' law commanded that if the people ever saw their 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:37.340 neighbors, even their enemies, ox, donkey, a sheep going astray, falling over in need of 00:11:37.340 --> 00:11:40.860 rescue, maybe they're caught in a pit, maybe they're caught tangled in some branches. 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:45.539 These people were obligated to return the animal to their owners. 00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:50.159 We're to honor, care for, and protect our neighbor's property, even our enemies. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:55.480 So, like, not just not taking your neighbor's package from their front porch, but maybe holding 00:11:55.480 --> 00:11:59.579 onto it until they get home to keep it safe for them, maybe making it less visible than 00:11:59.579 --> 00:12:02.819 that Amazon worker who left it way out wide in the open, right? 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:05.539 That's what's implied here in the Eighth Commandment. 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:08.939 But listen, it goes far, it goes a lot further, all right? 00:12:09.179 --> 00:12:14.500 In Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 24, God, what he does is he forbids withholding a worker's 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:17.500 wages, taking advantage of vulnerable laborers. 00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:21.679 He says, this too, excuse me, this too is breaking the Eighth Commandment. 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:27.059 You don't have to physically take someone's possessions to steal from them, God's saying 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:27.320 here. 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:32.039 You can also use your power, your position, or your business practices to enrich yourself 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:33.799 at their expense, then you're guilty. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:40.179 For me, this has meant humanizing my gardener, our cleaners, my barber, increasing the tip, 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:40.500 right? 00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:44.179 Giving my gardener, our cleaners, raises without them asking. 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:49.979 Basically, not just asking how cheaply can I get their services, but whether I'm treating 00:12:49.979 --> 00:12:52.299 them fairly and generously. 00:12:53.219 --> 00:12:58.359 Or if you're an employer and you have, you know, great influence over other people's wages 00:12:58.359 --> 00:13:02.439 and livelihoods, have you considered what the Eighth Commandment has to say to you about 00:13:02.439 --> 00:13:02.699 that? 00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:04.679 Or are you like Pharaoh, right? 00:13:04.739 --> 00:13:10.459 Always looking to squeeze as many bricks as you can out of your staff without giving them 00:13:10.459 --> 00:13:10.919 straw? 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:14.819 How do you conduct your business practices, your financial affairs? 00:13:14.939 --> 00:13:15.579 Are you honest? 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:20.279 Are you slow or negligent to repay what you've borrowed and still owe? 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:26.079 Deuteronomy 25 calls all dishonest financial dealings an abomination to the Lord. 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:30.879 Are our financial practices, our investments, are they humanizing? 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:32.699 Are they worthy of the kingdom of God? 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:37.339 Or are they manipulative and seeking unjust gain at the expense of others? 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:39.139 I have another confession. 00:13:39.280 --> 00:13:43.200 You know, a little over eight years ago, I was starting to do a little bit more investing 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:47.360 of my own, looking for good companies to grow my brokerage account, right? 00:13:47.920 --> 00:13:51.920 And I initially invested in Philip Morris, all right? 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:52.639 Big tobacco. 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:55.540 I felt like the valuation was good. 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:56.800 The dividend was juicy. 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:01.540 And based on my international travels, I've been, man, people, a lot of people still smoke. 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:03.580 It's probably a hard habit to kick. 00:14:03.580 --> 00:14:04.960 Good recurring revenue. 00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:09.980 But shortly after I made that investment, it occurred to me that the goal of investing 00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:13.620 can't simply be just number go up, right? 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:18.080 So I sold my shares because I realized that I'd been investing in a business that was profiting, 00:14:18.400 --> 00:14:20.940 not off of human flourishing, right? 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:23.300 But off of human vice and addiction. 00:14:24.400 --> 00:14:28.300 Now, I hope you're starting to catch the breadth and depth of the Eighth Commandment. 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:32.680 And perhaps you've begun to recognize ways that you've failed to love your neighbor as well, 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:37.319 failed to honor what they were owed, failed to honor what rightfully belonged to them. 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.799 But another thing you need to understand is that the Eighth Commandment also calls us 00:14:41.799 --> 00:14:47.299 to right our wrongs, talking about restitution here, to restore what we've wrongfully taken, 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:50.779 to repair the harm we've caused, to make genuine restitution. 00:14:51.719 --> 00:14:57.599 In Exodus 22, God commanded that if you stole a sheep and sold it, you owe that person four. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.740 Five if you stole an ox. 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:05.060 Because repentance isn't just a cheap apology and a promise not to do it again. 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:08.820 It's taking responsibility for what our neighbor has lost. 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:10.399 You see this in Zacchaeus, right? 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:13.779 The wealthy tax collector in the Gospel of Luke chapter 19. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:20.480 After encountering Jesus, Zacchaeus promises to repay four times whatever he defrauded people of. 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.659 Now again, I'm not telling you to go home and pull out your calculator, 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:30.139 start applying ancient Israel's restitution laws word for word. 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:38.560 But I do want us to recognize how seriously God takes our responsibility to make things right. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:43.420 And listen, this isn't just about individual personal wrongdoing either. 00:15:43.560 --> 00:15:48.519 This has major implications for social justice in our communities, in our nation. 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.360 Like right here in the Bay Area where many of us own homes, 00:15:51.799 --> 00:15:55.740 think about the Ohlone peoples whose ancestral lands were taken from them. 00:15:56.319 --> 00:15:58.259 Think about our nation's history of slavery, 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:02.579 how so much of America's agricultural economic prosperity was built 00:16:02.579 --> 00:16:05.639 through the unpaid labor of enslaved African Americans 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:10.220 and how the injustices didn't simply end when slavery was abolished. 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.860 We corporately, not just as individuals, 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:18.759 need to consider what would meaningful restitution, 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.580 meaningful reparations, meaningful justice look like today. 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.519 We need to be willing to have those kinds of uncomfortable and complicated, 00:16:26.620 --> 00:16:28.700 admittedly complicated conversations. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:32.680 Even if, you know, we weren't personally responsible for those injustices, 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:36.200 many of us live, right, with the benefits that have come, 00:16:36.340 --> 00:16:40.000 at least in part, through the suffering and losses of others. 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:43.799 So at the very least, shouldn't we be willing to listen 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:49.480 and expose ourselves to the gravity of these, like, incalculable losses? 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:52.720 And listen, I'm not pretending to have all the answers. 00:16:52.899 --> 00:16:56.679 Many of us would probably disagree about what policies are wise 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:59.539 or what the next concrete steps ought to be toward justice. 00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:02.980 But we can't simply dismiss these questions 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:06.180 just because they seem too impossible to answer 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:08.259 or because the math is too difficult 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:12.360 or because we'll never be able to deliver complete and perfect justice. 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:19.519 The point of restitution is not to arrive at some perfectly calculated repayment 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.759 that will forever silence all the grievances of the Ohlone people 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:24.560 or our African American neighbors. 00:17:24.900 --> 00:17:30.820 The truth is, restitution can never fully make the past unhappen, right? 00:17:30.819 --> 00:17:33.859 Even when we calculate what was taken, 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:36.700 we can't calculate everything that was lost, 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:40.439 the generational trauma, the internalized racism, 00:17:40.659 --> 00:17:43.519 and all the immeasurable opportunity costs, right? 00:17:44.179 --> 00:17:47.259 Even when there's genuine repentance, even when there's forgiveness, 00:17:47.879 --> 00:17:51.259 the painful cost of injustice doesn't just vanish into thin air. 00:17:52.139 --> 00:17:53.799 Someone has borne that cost. 00:17:53.899 --> 00:17:55.200 Someone has suffered that loss. 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:56.899 Many of them long gone. 00:17:56.900 --> 00:18:01.040 And no amount of money or policy can turn back the clock 00:18:01.040 --> 00:18:02.180 and make it all unhappen. 00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:03.860 But here's the thing. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:06.400 Just because we can't make everything right 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:09.620 doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to make anything right. 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:13.280 Imperfect justice isn't meaningless justice. 00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:17.560 And that's why, again, restitution isn't merely about calculating what we owe. 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:19.920 It's about conviction and confession, 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:23.100 taking responsibility and learning to love our neighbors 00:18:23.100 --> 00:18:25.940 enough to take their losses seriously. 00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:29.660 Even when we cannot fully restore what was lost. 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:32.279 And listen, in case you thought, 00:18:32.500 --> 00:18:35.440 okay, we've now exhausted the implications of the Eighth Commandment, 00:18:35.660 --> 00:18:36.380 there's still more. 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:40.519 God doesn't merely call us to justice, but to generosity. 00:18:41.299 --> 00:18:45.059 To use what rightfully belongs to us for the good of others. 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:48.380 Leviticus chapter 19, God commands His people 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:50.620 that when they harvest their fields, 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:52.920 they're not to harvest all the way out to the edges 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:56.440 or go back and pick up every bit of grain that they left behind. 00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:58.300 They're to leave some for the poor 00:18:58.300 --> 00:19:01.600 and for the foreigners living among them, like Ruth. 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:03.300 And think about that. 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:04.100 It's their land. 00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:04.779 It's their crops. 00:19:04.840 --> 00:19:05.519 They worked for it. 00:19:05.539 --> 00:19:08.120 But God says, it's not all yours to keep. 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:10.019 It's not all yours to keep. 00:19:11.019 --> 00:19:12.720 In fact, we're supposed to work for the good of others. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:14.200 In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul says, 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:16.160 let the thief no longer steal, 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.019 but rather let them labor, 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:20.180 doing honest work with his own hands, 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:23.779 so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:24.220 Do you hear that? 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:27.100 So that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:28.920 He's not merely trying to turn thieves 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:30.559 into people who no longer steal. 00:19:31.120 --> 00:19:35.059 No, he's far more interested in transforming takers into givers. 00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:38.620 And that's the full vision of the Eighth Commandment. 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:42.839 It's not merely about protecting our possessions from our neighbors. 00:19:43.739 --> 00:19:46.799 It's about using our possessions to love them. 00:19:47.699 --> 00:19:49.699 Because sure, while there is a sense 00:19:49.699 --> 00:19:51.599 in which the Eighth Commandment recognizes 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:55.199 and upholds the concept of personal and private property, 00:19:55.879 --> 00:19:58.399 in another real and more central sense, 00:19:58.939 --> 00:20:01.139 the Eighth Commandment, similar to the Second Commandment 00:20:01.139 --> 00:20:03.779 that said, God's not yours to be wielded however you want. 00:20:04.159 --> 00:20:05.859 And similar to the Fourth and Six Commandments, 00:20:06.059 --> 00:20:07.119 your time is not your own. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:10.000 Your life, your neighbor's lives are not your own, but God's. 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:11.519 The Eighth Commandment teaches us 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:14.859 that our stuff is not our own, but God's. 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:19.500 So while we can genuinely, truly talk about property rights, 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:22.199 your house, your money, your car are truly yours, 00:20:22.979 --> 00:20:25.259 but never in an absolute sense. 00:20:25.979 --> 00:20:27.419 Because, to quote the psalmist, 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:30.259 the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 00:20:30.679 --> 00:20:32.179 And honestly, to quote Apostle Paul, 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:35.079 what do you have that you have not received? 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:36.759 Your life? 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.740 Did you conceive yourself, give birth to yourself, 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:41.019 your abilities and talents? 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:43.439 Did you endow yourself with these gifts? 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:46.779 Was it just by hard work and good luck 00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:49.059 that you received the opportunities that you did? 00:20:49.379 --> 00:20:51.659 And even if you insist that it was by hard work, 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:53.079 it's not even your work ethic, 00:20:53.439 --> 00:20:55.099 your diligence, your grit, 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:56.500 the way you're wired and conditioned, 00:20:57.220 --> 00:20:59.240 how you've been taught to challenge yourself 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:00.240 and to be resilient. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:02.500 Are those not also gifts from God, 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:03.380 the God who wired you, 00:21:03.620 --> 00:21:05.240 gifts from the God who put you in that family, 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.200 put you in that culture to shape you? 00:21:08.259 --> 00:21:10.859 Even while acknowledging personal responsibility 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.680 and agency and human will and effort, 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:16.339 the fact is that God is sovereign. 00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:19.900 And the fact that none of us is self-made 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:22.759 nor self-sufficient should give us pause 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:25.319 when we're tempted to treat all that we have 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:28.119 as simply our own and not God's 00:21:28.119 --> 00:21:31.419 for us to manage and to steward appropriately 00:21:31.419 --> 00:21:34.799 and for his purposes above our own purposes. 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.000 That God is God and we are not 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:43.619 relativizes any sense of ownership that we can claim. 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:46.839 And God impressed this into the conscience 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:48.500 of his people throughout his law, 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:50.220 throughout the law that he gave them 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:52.500 as they were entering into the promised land. 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:54.559 In Leviticus chapter 25, 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:56.779 God forbids that any of their land 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:59.480 be permanently sold because ultimately, 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:01.799 quote, the land is mine. 00:22:02.179 --> 00:22:03.379 He says to them, the land is mine. 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:06.740 In Deuteronomy 6, we heard Melissa read that earlier. 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:08.200 He reminds them again that everything 00:22:08.200 --> 00:22:09.859 they are about to have in the promised land 00:22:09.859 --> 00:22:11.859 is a gift they've not earned, 00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:13.480 but they've received from him. 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:14.980 It says again, when the Lord your God 00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:15.960 brings you into the land, 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:17.740 he swore to your fathers to give you 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:20.279 a land with large flourishing cities 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:21.200 you did not build, 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:23.200 houses filled with all kinds of good things 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:24.299 you did not provide, 00:22:24.620 --> 00:22:25.799 wells you did not dig, 00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:27.160 and vineyards and olive groves 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:27.960 you did not plant. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:30.160 Then when you eat and are satisfied, 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:32.200 be careful that you do not forget the Lord 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.819 who brought you out of Egypt, 00:22:34.100 --> 00:22:35.519 out of the land of slavery. 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:37.920 Two chapters later, Deuteronomy 8, 00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:38.460 he says again, 00:22:38.680 --> 00:22:40.259 when you have eaten and are satisfied, 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:41.740 praise the Lord your God 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:43.759 for the good land he has given you. 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:46.799 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:48.039 when you build fine houses 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:49.259 and settle down, 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:51.319 and when your herds and flocks grow large 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:52.960 and your silver and gold increase 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:54.140 and all you have is multiplied, 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:55.980 then your heart will become proud 00:22:55.980 --> 00:22:58.019 and you will forget the Lord your God 00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:59.339 who brought you out of Egypt, 00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:01.819 led you through the dreadful wilderness, 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:04.180 brought you water out of hard rock 00:23:04.180 --> 00:23:05.279 and gave you manna. 00:23:05.819 --> 00:23:07.119 You may say to yourself, 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:09.400 my power and the strength of my hands 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:11.339 have produced this wealth for me, 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:13.940 but remember the Lord your God 00:23:13.940 --> 00:23:16.539 for it is he who gives you the ability 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:18.500 to produce wealth. 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:21.680 In order for us to understand 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:23.899 and honor the Eighth Commandment, 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:26.159 we have to get it through our heads 00:23:26.159 --> 00:23:26.879 and our hearts 00:23:26.879 --> 00:23:29.180 that our stuff is not our own, 00:23:29.980 --> 00:23:31.680 that everything we have, 00:23:32.019 --> 00:23:34.480 we've received as a gift from God. 00:23:35.639 --> 00:23:36.680 And this is essential 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:38.940 because as Harvard political philosopher 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:40.779 Michael Sendell writes in his book, 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:41.619 The Tyranny of Merit, 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:42.139 he writes, 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:43.659 the more we think of ourselves 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:46.120 as self-made and self-sufficient, 00:23:46.840 --> 00:23:48.040 the harder it is 00:23:48.040 --> 00:23:50.480 to learn gratitude and humility 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.400 and to care for the common good. 00:23:54.680 --> 00:23:56.200 See, from the very beginning, 00:23:56.720 --> 00:23:58.600 we were made not to see ourselves 00:23:58.600 --> 00:23:59.400 as self-made, 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:01.060 we were made in God's image, 00:24:01.500 --> 00:24:03.600 creatures created by a creator. 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:05.420 Our very existence 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:07.080 and our every accomplishment 00:24:07.080 --> 00:24:09.500 always at bottom a gift, 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:10.940 always contingent, 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:12.060 always derivative. 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:14.519 We were made to depend. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:16.259 We were made to ask 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:17.179 and to receive 00:24:17.179 --> 00:24:18.539 and not to take and seize. 00:24:18.599 --> 00:24:19.500 We were made for gratitude, 00:24:19.720 --> 00:24:20.519 not grasping. 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:23.700 There's this pastor that I follow. 00:24:23.879 --> 00:24:24.599 I read his substack. 00:24:24.659 --> 00:24:25.339 He's out in Oakland. 00:24:25.419 --> 00:24:26.159 His name's Kyle Brooks. 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:26.980 He was actually the first 00:24:26.980 --> 00:24:28.139 pastoral resident here 00:24:28.139 --> 00:24:28.960 at Christ Church. 00:24:29.399 --> 00:24:30.559 Our church has supported them. 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:31.759 We're good friends with them. 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:33.799 And Kyle's been writing 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:34.460 this substack 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:36.019 on the Lord's Prayer recently. 00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:37.619 And something he said 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:38.419 about this line, 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:39.379 give us this day 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:40.420 our daily bread, 00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:42.280 has really stuck with me. 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:44.320 He was reflecting on fatherhood 00:24:44.320 --> 00:24:45.460 and his toddlers 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:47.080 and how he's finding himself 00:24:47.080 --> 00:24:47.880 again and again 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:49.080 teaching his toddlers, 00:24:49.760 --> 00:24:50.560 we don't take, 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:51.800 we ask. 00:24:52.600 --> 00:24:53.800 We do not take, 00:24:54.060 --> 00:24:55.620 we ask and receive. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:57.680 And isn't that precisely 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:58.380 the posture 00:24:58.380 --> 00:24:59.820 Jesus is commending to us 00:24:59.820 --> 00:25:00.640 when he's teaching us 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:01.000 to pray, 00:25:01.340 --> 00:25:02.200 give us this day 00:25:02.200 --> 00:25:03.280 our daily bread. 00:25:04.020 --> 00:25:04.860 And in fact, 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:06.180 isn't that how God created us 00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:07.200 to live from the very beginning? 00:25:07.320 --> 00:25:08.340 Think about Adam and Eve. 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:09.480 God had given them 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:11.039 everything they needed. 00:25:11.439 --> 00:25:12.339 An entire garden 00:25:12.339 --> 00:25:13.639 full of good gifts 00:25:13.639 --> 00:25:14.899 to enjoy. 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:16.500 They didn't need 00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:17.220 to take what God 00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:17.980 had forbidden them. 00:25:18.379 --> 00:25:19.959 They could simply receive 00:25:19.959 --> 00:25:20.959 and enjoy 00:25:20.959 --> 00:25:22.879 what he had generously provided. 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:23.220 And yet, 00:25:23.299 --> 00:25:23.859 what did they do? 00:25:23.959 --> 00:25:24.779 They took, 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:25.639 they reached, 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:26.359 they grasped 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:27.480 for the one thing 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:29.119 God hadn't given them. 00:25:29.459 --> 00:25:30.259 The one thing 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:31.500 that was not theirs 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:32.319 to take. 00:25:33.379 --> 00:25:33.980 And look where 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:34.919 that's gotten us. 00:25:35.619 --> 00:25:36.019 Because, 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:37.319 isn't that what 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:38.240 we're all still doing? 00:25:38.339 --> 00:25:39.419 Even though 00:25:39.419 --> 00:25:40.379 God's given us 00:25:40.379 --> 00:25:41.659 all so much, 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.379 we're still always 00:25:43.379 --> 00:25:44.819 grasping for more. 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:46.339 Why? 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:48.779 Because we're not just 00:25:48.779 --> 00:25:50.319 after more stuff. 00:25:50.939 --> 00:25:52.379 We're after the things 00:25:52.379 --> 00:25:53.199 we think this stuff 00:25:53.199 --> 00:25:54.259 will deliver us, right? 00:25:54.879 --> 00:25:55.480 Security, 00:25:56.319 --> 00:25:56.740 independence, 00:25:57.159 --> 00:25:57.579 control, 00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:58.399 the assurance 00:25:58.399 --> 00:25:59.459 that we're gonna be okay, 00:25:59.919 --> 00:26:00.919 that we're not gonna miss out, 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:01.899 that we're gonna have enough, 00:26:02.099 --> 00:26:02.659 be enough. 00:26:03.139 --> 00:26:04.679 And those aren't necessarily 00:26:04.679 --> 00:26:05.879 bad things to want. 00:26:06.580 --> 00:26:07.940 But when these good things 00:26:07.940 --> 00:26:08.600 become things 00:26:08.600 --> 00:26:10.000 we feel we must 00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:11.560 or that we deserve 00:26:11.560 --> 00:26:12.780 to have, 00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:14.800 it's amazing, right, 00:26:14.800 --> 00:26:15.520 how easily 00:26:15.520 --> 00:26:16.640 we can justify 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:17.500 taking advantage 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:18.300 of others 00:26:18.300 --> 00:26:19.380 to seize them. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:20.420 Again, 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:21.880 take that icon pass story 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:22.500 for example. 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:23.380 Man, 00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:24.160 the justifications 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:24.840 I could make 00:26:24.840 --> 00:26:25.980 for why using those ski passes 00:26:25.980 --> 00:26:27.040 was actually a good thing 00:26:27.040 --> 00:26:28.080 are endless, 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:28.800 all right? 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:29.779 Again, 00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:30.940 our friends insisted 00:26:30.940 --> 00:26:31.980 we could use their passes. 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:33.259 They already paid for them. 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:35.579 It was for unlimited skiing anyways. 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:36.579 They could have used them 00:26:36.579 --> 00:26:37.240 every single day 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:37.879 of the season, right? 00:26:37.919 --> 00:26:38.859 So what was the difference 00:26:38.859 --> 00:26:39.519 for us going 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:40.339 some of those days? 00:26:41.059 --> 00:26:42.539 And it was a lousy snow season. 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:43.579 Those passes 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:45.039 weren't going to waste. 00:26:45.619 --> 00:26:46.139 And then also, 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:46.419 you know, 00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:47.379 this ski resort 00:26:47.379 --> 00:26:48.359 was not one 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:49.159 we'd ordinarily 00:26:49.159 --> 00:26:50.319 be able to afford 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:51.019 and pay for. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:52.200 So what an opportunity 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:52.960 for our girls 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:54.059 to experience something, 00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:54.599 right? 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:55.559 And man, 00:26:55.639 --> 00:26:56.859 skiing is ridiculously 00:26:56.859 --> 00:26:58.299 expensive these days. 00:26:58.799 --> 00:26:59.779 Why should skiing 00:26:59.779 --> 00:27:00.500 be reserved only 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:00.960 for people 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:01.960 who can afford 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:03.180 these outrageous prices? 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:03.940 And besides, 00:27:04.099 --> 00:27:04.680 the employees, 00:27:04.899 --> 00:27:05.799 they barely checked. 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:06.659 If they weren't going 00:27:06.659 --> 00:27:07.759 to enforce their own rules, 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:08.819 isn't that on them? 00:27:09.639 --> 00:27:10.220 And honestly, 00:27:10.359 --> 00:27:10.720 the slopes, 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:11.259 I got more, 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:11.759 I got more. 00:27:11.940 --> 00:27:12.159 Honestly, 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:12.740 the slopes 00:27:12.740 --> 00:27:14.680 were practically empty, 00:27:14.859 --> 00:27:15.079 okay? 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:16.099 Our presence there 00:27:16.099 --> 00:27:16.779 wasn't adding 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:17.859 to a super long line 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.159 or anything. 00:27:18.299 --> 00:27:19.079 What was the harm? 00:27:19.740 --> 00:27:20.180 Actually, 00:27:20.639 --> 00:27:21.639 we bought food 00:27:21.639 --> 00:27:22.379 when we were there. 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:24.200 So they were net positive. 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:25.639 And we brought friends too 00:27:25.639 --> 00:27:26.379 and they bought food 00:27:26.379 --> 00:27:27.440 and gear too. 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:28.579 So you could argue 00:27:28.579 --> 00:27:29.119 that the resort 00:27:29.119 --> 00:27:29.759 made money 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.099 because we stole 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:31.599 from them. 00:27:35.139 --> 00:27:35.980 Maybe I should go 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:37.199 get my $850 back. 00:27:39.439 --> 00:27:40.119 But you hear 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:40.579 what's happening. 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:43.139 I wanted to come out 00:27:43.139 --> 00:27:43.639 ahead. 00:27:44.199 --> 00:27:45.199 I wanted to get 00:27:45.199 --> 00:27:45.859 the most out 00:27:45.859 --> 00:27:46.559 of an opportunity 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:47.480 and the more 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:48.179 I wanted that, 00:27:48.299 --> 00:27:49.099 the more persuasive 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:50.259 all my reasons 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:51.439 started sounding. 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:53.960 And it's not just skiing. 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:55.419 An employee 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:56.440 fudges their hours 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:56.900 and thinks, 00:27:57.019 --> 00:27:58.360 they underpay me anyway. 00:27:58.960 --> 00:27:59.580 An employer 00:27:59.580 --> 00:28:00.460 withholds wages 00:28:00.460 --> 00:28:01.039 and thinks, 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:02.000 costs are through the roof. 00:28:02.060 --> 00:28:03.060 I got to keep this business 00:28:03.060 --> 00:28:04.100 afloat for everybody. 00:28:05.120 --> 00:28:06.360 A customer takes advantage 00:28:06.360 --> 00:28:06.920 of a business 00:28:06.920 --> 00:28:07.360 and thinks, 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:07.700 man, 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:08.820 these guys practically 00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:09.759 have a monopoly, 00:28:10.140 --> 00:28:10.320 right? 00:28:10.360 --> 00:28:11.000 They're charging 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:12.460 an arm and a leg. 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:12.840 And they're such 00:28:12.840 --> 00:28:13.820 a huge corporation, 00:28:13.820 --> 00:28:14.500 this is a drop 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:15.060 in the bucket. 00:28:15.320 --> 00:28:16.259 They won't miss it. 00:28:16.759 --> 00:28:17.220 And sometimes, 00:28:17.300 --> 00:28:17.700 oftentimes, 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:18.600 these complaints 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:19.819 have a ton of truth 00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:20.240 to them. 00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:23.359 But a real grievance 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:24.719 doesn't automatically 00:28:24.719 --> 00:28:26.639 justify wronging 00:28:26.639 --> 00:28:27.419 someone else. 00:28:28.179 --> 00:28:29.119 Our ability 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:30.459 to explain our behavior 00:28:30.459 --> 00:28:31.879 is not the same 00:28:31.879 --> 00:28:32.599 as our ability 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:34.000 to justify it. 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.240 And notice, 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.279 whose perspective 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:36.980 is missing 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:38.099 from all these 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:38.959 explanations? 00:28:40.059 --> 00:28:40.779 Our neighbors. 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:42.240 See, 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:43.319 when we're determined 00:28:43.319 --> 00:28:44.079 to get more 00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:44.980 for ourselves, 00:28:45.719 --> 00:28:46.679 the interests of others 00:28:46.679 --> 00:28:47.099 have a way 00:28:47.099 --> 00:28:48.219 of just disappearing 00:28:48.219 --> 00:28:49.219 from view. 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:50.459 And it's not just 00:28:50.459 --> 00:28:51.000 that we have 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:51.699 a diminished view 00:28:51.699 --> 00:28:52.379 of our neighbor, 00:28:53.019 --> 00:28:54.279 but also of God. 00:28:55.419 --> 00:28:56.519 We don't trust 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:57.199 that what God 00:28:57.199 --> 00:28:57.959 has given us 00:28:57.959 --> 00:28:59.119 is enough. 00:29:00.139 --> 00:29:00.939 The Bible scholar 00:29:00.939 --> 00:29:01.539 Tim Mackey 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:02.379 makes this observation. 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:02.779 He said, 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:03.959 when we take something 00:29:03.959 --> 00:29:04.659 God's given 00:29:04.659 --> 00:29:05.639 to somebody else, 00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:07.679 we are essentially 00:29:07.679 --> 00:29:08.279 saying, 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:08.759 God, 00:29:08.859 --> 00:29:09.379 you gave that 00:29:09.379 --> 00:29:10.459 to the wrong person. 00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:11.859 You should have 00:29:11.859 --> 00:29:12.919 given that to me. 00:29:14.159 --> 00:29:14.639 Now think about 00:29:14.639 --> 00:29:15.399 what that implies. 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:17.140 When we take, 00:29:17.360 --> 00:29:17.960 when we grasp 00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:19.680 for what's not ours, 00:29:20.420 --> 00:29:21.400 we're acting as though 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:22.140 we know better 00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:22.820 than God. 00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.140 We know better 00:29:24.140 --> 00:29:24.600 than you 00:29:24.600 --> 00:29:25.500 what we need, 00:29:25.580 --> 00:29:26.360 what we deserve. 00:29:27.540 --> 00:29:28.300 And this is living 00:29:28.300 --> 00:29:29.280 not in faith, 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:30.100 but in fear. 00:29:30.180 --> 00:29:30.940 We're afraid 00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:32.400 we'll miss an opportunity. 00:29:32.759 --> 00:29:33.040 We're afraid 00:29:33.040 --> 00:29:33.740 we'll fall behind. 00:29:34.060 --> 00:29:34.440 We're afraid 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:35.080 we'll be deprived 00:29:35.080 --> 00:29:35.480 of something 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:36.440 we think we need 00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:37.100 or deserve. 00:29:38.320 --> 00:29:39.620 So the question is, 00:29:40.120 --> 00:29:41.880 can we actually trust 00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:42.400 this God 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:43.160 of the Eighth Commandment? 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:45.140 Do we trust Him? 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:45.920 Will we trust Him? 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:47.600 The one who said, 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:48.800 I am the Lord your God 00:29:48.800 --> 00:29:49.920 who brought you 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:50.680 out of the land 00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:51.420 of Egypt. 00:29:52.600 --> 00:29:53.000 Now, 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:54.279 for most of these sermons, 00:29:54.400 --> 00:29:55.660 we've been emphasizing 00:29:55.660 --> 00:29:57.180 this prologue 00:29:57.180 --> 00:29:57.759 to the Decalogue. 00:29:57.820 --> 00:29:58.700 I am the Lord your God 00:29:58.700 --> 00:29:59.500 who brought you 00:29:59.500 --> 00:29:59.980 out of slavery, 00:30:00.080 --> 00:30:00.840 out of the land of Egypt. 00:30:01.360 --> 00:30:01.940 And we've been saying, 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:02.779 God delivered you, 00:30:03.019 --> 00:30:03.779 God ransomed you, 00:30:03.860 --> 00:30:04.500 God saved you, 00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:06.000 therefore you belong to Him. 00:30:06.440 --> 00:30:06.800 Therefore, 00:30:07.180 --> 00:30:08.160 have no other gods 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:08.779 before Him. 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:10.180 Don't make any images, 00:30:10.340 --> 00:30:11.040 respect His name, 00:30:11.120 --> 00:30:11.880 remember the Sabbath, 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:13.440 honor your parents, 00:30:13.720 --> 00:30:14.600 don't kill, 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:16.100 don't commit adultery, 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:17.580 and don't steal. 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:19.920 And in a perfect world, 00:30:20.060 --> 00:30:21.060 those prohibitions 00:30:21.060 --> 00:30:21.920 should have been enough 00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:22.880 for all of us 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:23.780 to live justly 00:30:23.780 --> 00:30:24.740 and righteously 00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:25.740 and ethically. 00:30:27.580 --> 00:30:28.680 But it's still hard, 00:30:28.760 --> 00:30:29.100 isn't it? 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:31.080 We still fall short, 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:31.580 don't we? 00:30:32.060 --> 00:30:33.320 Even when we know 00:30:33.320 --> 00:30:33.900 and confess 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:35.200 that we are not our own 00:30:35.200 --> 00:30:36.040 and our stuff 00:30:36.040 --> 00:30:37.020 is not our own, 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:37.980 nor our neighbor's 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:38.680 stuff our own, 00:30:38.940 --> 00:30:39.340 why? 00:30:39.339 --> 00:30:41.879 You know what I've realized 00:30:41.879 --> 00:30:42.659 as I was reflecting 00:30:42.659 --> 00:30:43.639 on the Eighth Commandment 00:30:43.639 --> 00:30:44.179 this week? 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:45.639 There's another side 00:30:45.639 --> 00:30:46.220 to that coin, 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:47.419 to the you are not 00:30:47.419 --> 00:30:48.099 your own coin. 00:30:48.959 --> 00:30:49.119 See, 00:30:49.259 --> 00:30:50.199 the reason the Hebrews 00:30:50.199 --> 00:30:51.319 were to obey 00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:51.899 the Eighth Commandment 00:30:51.899 --> 00:30:52.980 wasn't just because 00:30:52.980 --> 00:30:53.980 they were not their own 00:30:53.980 --> 00:30:55.000 and belonged to God, 00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:56.419 but also, 00:30:56.619 --> 00:30:57.839 and perhaps more importantly, 00:30:59.000 --> 00:31:00.159 because God 00:31:00.159 --> 00:31:01.699 belonged to them. 00:31:03.019 --> 00:31:03.819 I am, 00:31:03.899 --> 00:31:04.419 he says, 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:05.539 the Lord, 00:31:05.899 --> 00:31:06.819 your God. 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:09.579 It's incredible. 00:31:10.359 --> 00:31:11.159 This is the heart 00:31:11.159 --> 00:31:11.740 of the covenant, 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:13.659 that we are his 00:31:13.659 --> 00:31:16.659 and that he is ours, 00:31:17.299 --> 00:31:18.839 that the eternally free, 00:31:18.939 --> 00:31:19.599 the rich one, 00:31:19.679 --> 00:31:20.159 the holy, 00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:21.019 holy God 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:21.980 of the universe, 00:31:22.099 --> 00:31:23.000 whom the heavens 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:23.839 cannot contain, 00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:25.000 who is himself 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:25.919 life abundant, 00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:28.179 has given himself 00:31:28.179 --> 00:31:29.839 to his people, 00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:31.399 to us. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:33.279 And this should blow 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:34.220 our minds, 00:31:34.839 --> 00:31:35.779 especially when you 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:37.119 factor in who we are 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:38.079 and what we've done. 00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:39.740 Because think about 00:31:39.740 --> 00:31:40.339 what we've done 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:40.839 with everything 00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:41.639 he's given us. 00:31:42.019 --> 00:31:43.599 In our sinful waywardness, 00:31:43.660 --> 00:31:44.920 like prodigal children, 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:45.920 we've taken his gifts, 00:31:46.180 --> 00:31:46.720 our lives, 00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:47.379 our talents, 00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:48.039 our time, 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:48.680 our possessions 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:49.759 into our own hands, 00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:51.460 and we've treated them 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:52.200 as though they were 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:53.379 entirely our own, 00:31:53.639 --> 00:31:54.740 as though we could take 00:31:54.740 --> 00:31:55.779 what he's given us 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:57.279 and use it however we wanted, 00:31:57.399 --> 00:31:58.460 for our own purposes, 00:31:58.619 --> 00:31:59.639 with little regard 00:31:59.639 --> 00:32:01.180 for him or our neighbors. 00:32:02.379 --> 00:32:03.579 And when you think about 00:32:03.579 --> 00:32:04.420 all that we've taken, 00:32:04.420 --> 00:32:05.519 all we've withheld, 00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.120 all the people we've wronged, 00:32:07.820 --> 00:32:09.519 how could we possibly 00:32:09.519 --> 00:32:10.240 make it right? 00:32:11.000 --> 00:32:11.660 Remember what we said 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:12.620 about restitution earlier, 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:13.539 the cost of wrongdoing 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:14.539 doesn't just disappear, 00:32:15.080 --> 00:32:16.759 someone bears the cost. 00:32:18.060 --> 00:32:18.340 But see, 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:19.700 the good news of the gospel 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:21.259 is that when we had 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:22.140 broken God's law, 00:32:22.580 --> 00:32:24.200 when we had taken his gifts 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:25.279 and squandered them, 00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:26.860 when we owed a debt 00:32:26.860 --> 00:32:28.100 we could never repay, 00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:31.080 God gave again. 00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:32.919 But this time, 00:32:33.139 --> 00:32:33.799 he gave himself. 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:36.199 He gave us his only son 00:32:36.199 --> 00:32:38.079 to pay the debt we owed, 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:40.199 to die the death of a thief 00:32:40.199 --> 00:32:40.799 on a cross, 00:32:40.899 --> 00:32:42.679 crucified between two thieves. 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:45.259 The one who had never 00:32:45.259 --> 00:32:46.039 stolen a thing, 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:48.079 who had never wronged 00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:48.419 a neighbor, 00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:49.720 who had perfectly loved 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:50.919 God and neighbor, 00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:52.699 the one to whom 00:32:52.699 --> 00:32:54.079 everything belonged, 00:32:55.179 --> 00:32:56.179 he emptied himself. 00:32:57.259 --> 00:32:58.199 He gave it all. 00:32:58.200 --> 00:33:01.620 So, do you realize 00:33:01.620 --> 00:33:02.600 what this means 00:33:02.600 --> 00:33:03.559 for those of us 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:04.680 who belong to the crucified 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:05.799 and now risen Christ? 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:07.620 We're rich. 00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:10.080 He's given us everything 00:33:10.080 --> 00:33:12.319 by giving us himself. 00:33:13.779 --> 00:33:15.240 As Paul says in Romans 8, 00:33:15.340 --> 00:33:16.240 he who did not spare 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:17.039 his own son, 00:33:17.559 --> 00:33:19.080 but gave him up for us all, 00:33:19.740 --> 00:33:20.920 how will he not also 00:33:20.920 --> 00:33:21.840 along with him 00:33:21.840 --> 00:33:23.140 graciously give us 00:33:23.140 --> 00:33:24.080 all things? 00:33:24.299 --> 00:33:25.400 He is our shepherd, 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:26.779 we shall not want. 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:27.899 The shepherd who laid down 00:33:27.899 --> 00:33:29.139 his life for his sheep, 00:33:29.240 --> 00:33:30.220 who poured out his blood 00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:31.059 so that our cups 00:33:31.059 --> 00:33:32.019 could overflow. 00:33:32.779 --> 00:33:33.599 And this should change 00:33:33.599 --> 00:33:34.379 everything 00:33:34.379 --> 00:33:36.539 about how a Christian lives. 00:33:38.299 --> 00:33:38.519 You know, 00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:39.759 recently someone in my life 00:33:39.759 --> 00:33:40.599 sat down with 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:41.460 their parents 00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:43.339 and their financial advisor. 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:45.579 And he came away 00:33:45.579 --> 00:33:46.200 realizing 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:47.359 that his parents 00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:48.579 were in a much stronger 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:49.639 financial position 00:33:49.639 --> 00:33:50.619 than he'd ever imagined 00:33:50.619 --> 00:33:51.980 and that the inheritance 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:52.819 that he and his siblings 00:33:52.819 --> 00:33:54.019 might one day receive 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:55.599 was far more substantial 00:33:55.599 --> 00:33:56.980 than he'd expected. 00:33:57.959 --> 00:33:58.899 And what's been fascinating 00:33:58.899 --> 00:33:59.740 to me is just 00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:01.759 how just knowing 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:03.559 that has begun 00:34:03.559 --> 00:34:04.219 to change the way 00:34:04.219 --> 00:34:05.059 he thinks about money. 00:34:05.859 --> 00:34:07.199 See, for a long time, 00:34:07.240 --> 00:34:08.000 as long as I've known him, 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:09.099 he's been really interested 00:34:09.099 --> 00:34:10.460 in personal finance 00:34:10.460 --> 00:34:11.059 and saving 00:34:11.059 --> 00:34:11.659 and investing 00:34:11.659 --> 00:34:12.679 and maximizing 00:34:12.679 --> 00:34:13.199 every dollar, 00:34:13.319 --> 00:34:14.559 every financial advantage 00:34:14.559 --> 00:34:15.659 he could possibly find. 00:34:16.559 --> 00:34:17.619 But now his questions 00:34:17.619 --> 00:34:18.420 have begun to change. 00:34:18.519 --> 00:34:19.319 It's no longer just 00:34:19.319 --> 00:34:20.299 how can I reduce 00:34:20.299 --> 00:34:20.839 my spending, 00:34:21.159 --> 00:34:22.000 how can I save more, 00:34:22.059 --> 00:34:22.779 how can I accelerate 00:34:22.779 --> 00:34:23.299 accumulation, 00:34:23.300 --> 00:34:24.920 how can I invest wisely 00:34:24.920 --> 00:34:26.080 to grow my nest egg, 00:34:26.920 --> 00:34:29.320 but how should I steward 00:34:29.320 --> 00:34:31.160 everything that's been 00:34:31.160 --> 00:34:32.660 and that's going to be 00:34:32.660 --> 00:34:33.600 entrusted to me? 00:34:33.980 --> 00:34:34.820 Who can I bless? 00:34:35.080 --> 00:34:36.039 How can I give more? 00:34:36.300 --> 00:34:37.440 How can I teach my children 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:38.060 to be generous 00:34:38.060 --> 00:34:39.240 with what we've been given 00:34:39.240 --> 00:34:40.440 and how can I maximize 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:41.240 the impact 00:34:41.240 --> 00:34:42.280 of my generosity? 00:34:43.519 --> 00:34:44.240 And so there's now 00:34:44.240 --> 00:34:45.080 a greater sense 00:34:45.080 --> 00:34:45.900 of responsibility, 00:34:46.100 --> 00:34:48.180 but it's a joyful responsibility. 00:34:49.260 --> 00:34:50.180 There's a new freedom, 00:34:50.300 --> 00:34:51.840 even an excitement in him 00:34:51.840 --> 00:34:52.720 about all the good 00:34:52.720 --> 00:34:53.460 that might be done 00:34:53.460 --> 00:34:54.940 with what he's been given 00:34:54.940 --> 00:34:56.519 and what's coming to him. 00:34:56.539 --> 00:34:56.900 Here's the thing, 00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:57.760 he hasn't even received 00:34:57.760 --> 00:34:58.680 that inheritance yet 00:34:58.680 --> 00:34:59.900 and who knows 00:34:59.900 --> 00:35:00.840 what the future holds, 00:35:01.160 --> 00:35:02.240 but just the prospect 00:35:02.240 --> 00:35:04.000 of that inheritance 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:05.539 has begun to loosen 00:35:05.539 --> 00:35:06.460 his grip 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:08.280 on what he already owns. 00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:10.480 So man, 00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:11.420 how much more 00:35:11.420 --> 00:35:12.539 should knowing 00:35:12.539 --> 00:35:13.200 what we have 00:35:13.200 --> 00:35:13.980 in the risen, 00:35:14.420 --> 00:35:15.780 death-defeating Christ 00:35:15.780 --> 00:35:16.940 change the way 00:35:16.940 --> 00:35:17.720 we all live? 00:35:18.680 --> 00:35:19.620 Because in Christ, 00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:20.659 we have something 00:35:20.659 --> 00:35:22.059 infinitely greater 00:35:22.059 --> 00:35:23.380 than financial security. 00:35:23.900 --> 00:35:25.940 We have God ourself. 00:35:26.980 --> 00:35:28.119 We can sing with the psalmist, 00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:28.920 whom have I 00:35:28.920 --> 00:35:29.759 in heaven but you? 00:35:30.339 --> 00:35:30.900 And on earth 00:35:30.900 --> 00:35:32.239 there's nothing I desire 00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:33.259 besides you. 00:35:33.619 --> 00:35:34.880 My heart and my flesh 00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:35.599 may fail, 00:35:35.779 --> 00:35:36.380 but the Lord 00:35:36.380 --> 00:35:37.119 is the strength 00:35:37.119 --> 00:35:37.799 of my heart 00:35:37.799 --> 00:35:39.239 and my portion 00:35:39.239 --> 00:35:40.159 forever. 00:35:41.880 --> 00:35:42.880 Is God your portion? 00:35:43.699 --> 00:35:45.039 Is God your forever portion? 00:35:45.039 --> 00:35:47.159 the treasure 00:35:47.159 --> 00:35:48.579 that neither death 00:35:48.579 --> 00:35:49.099 nor anything 00:35:49.099 --> 00:35:49.900 in all creation 00:35:49.900 --> 00:35:51.719 could take away from you. 00:35:52.199 --> 00:35:52.320 See, 00:35:52.400 --> 00:35:53.539 we don't have to live 00:35:53.539 --> 00:35:54.320 grasping, 00:35:54.739 --> 00:35:55.079 seizing, 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:55.800 stealing, 00:35:56.179 --> 00:35:57.920 desperately flailing around 00:35:57.920 --> 00:35:59.019 afraid that we're not 00:35:59.019 --> 00:35:59.980 going to have enough 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:00.719 or be enough. 00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:02.239 We can work honestly. 00:36:02.380 --> 00:36:03.420 We can make things right 00:36:03.420 --> 00:36:04.199 when we've wronged people. 00:36:04.279 --> 00:36:05.199 We can care about 00:36:05.199 --> 00:36:06.139 our neighbor's well-being 00:36:06.139 --> 00:36:07.139 as much as our own. 00:36:07.480 --> 00:36:08.579 We can open our hands 00:36:08.579 --> 00:36:09.279 and give 00:36:09.279 --> 00:36:10.179 because of Jesus. 00:36:10.980 --> 00:36:11.420 Freely, 00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:12.539 joyfully, 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:13.440 generously. 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:15.820 Not because generosity 00:36:15.820 --> 00:36:17.019 won't cost us anything, 00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:18.440 but because generosity 00:36:18.440 --> 00:36:20.079 can never cost us 00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:21.679 our greatest treasure 00:36:21.679 --> 00:36:22.559 in Christ. 00:36:23.700 --> 00:36:24.139 So like, 00:36:24.720 --> 00:36:25.360 what if 00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:26.920 the people of God 00:36:26.920 --> 00:36:28.619 actually lived 00:36:28.619 --> 00:36:30.000 as if this were true? 00:36:30.920 --> 00:36:32.099 Like people who know 00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:34.000 how rich we are. 00:36:35.440 --> 00:36:36.539 Receiving with gratitude, 00:36:37.159 --> 00:36:37.960 giving with joy, 00:36:38.559 --> 00:36:39.360 using what God 00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:40.380 has entrusted to us 00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:41.639 to love our neighbors. 00:36:41.639 --> 00:36:43.639 because the God 00:36:43.639 --> 00:36:44.440 who commands us 00:36:44.440 --> 00:36:45.339 not to take 00:36:45.339 --> 00:36:47.199 has liberated us 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:48.719 to receive instead 00:36:48.719 --> 00:36:50.139 and he's already 00:36:50.139 --> 00:36:51.639 given us himself 00:36:51.639 --> 00:36:52.799 in Christ. 00:36:53.299 --> 00:36:54.219 Let's pray. 00:36:59.019 --> 00:37:00.179 Lord, would you pierce 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:00.639 our hearts 00:37:00.639 --> 00:37:01.779 with the eighth commandment, 00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:05.400 the ways that we have 00:37:05.400 --> 00:37:06.159 fallen short, 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:08.899 with our selfishness, 00:37:09.019 --> 00:37:09.599 our greed, 00:37:10.599 --> 00:37:11.659 our insecurity, 00:37:11.859 --> 00:37:12.579 our lack of faith 00:37:12.579 --> 00:37:13.440 and trust in you. 00:37:15.839 --> 00:37:16.639 And would you lift 00:37:16.639 --> 00:37:17.639 our eyes to Jesus? 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:22.619 God 00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:23.699 giving himself 00:37:23.699 --> 00:37:24.399 to us. 00:37:25.659 --> 00:37:26.039 Lord, 00:37:26.099 --> 00:37:26.699 blow our minds 00:37:26.699 --> 00:37:27.539 with that reality 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:29.599 and change the way 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:30.099 we live 00:37:30.099 --> 00:37:32.079 because of the generous 00:37:32.079 --> 00:37:33.039 God who's given himself 00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:34.119 to us in Christ. 00:37:34.119 --> 00:37:34.199 Christ, 00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:35.900 in Jesus' name, 00:37:36.420 --> 00:37:36.659 amen.