The Seventh Commandment – Feel
the Spirit of Christian Living at Epiphany on July 29, 2007
Grace, mercy, and peace are
yours through God our Father who promises to show love to a thousand generations
of those who love him and keep his commandments. Amen.
Exodus
Honest to God
An old rich man had a cranky, miserable attitude. He
was generally unhappy all the time. One day his pastor went to visit him and as
the two men talked the pastor thought of a good way to illustrate to the rich man
what his problem was with life. Taking him by the hand the pastor led him over to
a window and asked him to look out the window and tell him what he saw. The old
man stood there for a moment looking out the window and said, "I see men and women
walking, children playing in the park, and the trees are beginning to change color
for the fall." "Fine," the pastor said. Once more he took the rich man by the
hand but this time he led him across the room to a big mirror. "Now look and tell
me what you see." The old man frowned and said, "Well, obviously, I see myself." “Interesting," the pastor replied. "The
window is made of glass, and the mirror is also made of glass.
But the mirror has been covered with a layer of silver.
As soon as you add the silver, you stop seeing others and instead can only
see yourself."
Like the old man, if we "cover our lives with silver"
(money, possessions, wealth) we will be unhappy because we will stop thinking of
others, and we will begin to only think of ourselves. No one is more miserable than
a vain, self-centered person. However, the way people feel joy is by loving God
and loving others more than themselves. This love is shown by desiring to give our
possessions to the glory of God.
The mirror of the seventh commandment is truly lined
with silver because it is all about money and possessions. God told Moses, “You
shall not steal.” Martin Luther explained this commandment: “We should fear and
love God that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property, or get it by dishonest
dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and means of income.”
Let’s look at this commandment realistically. Most of us here aren’t tempted to
rob a bank or break into someone’s house or steal a car. So does that mean we are
done studying this commandment? No. This commandment is all about honesty.
Each one of us, no matter our age or position in life,
faces choices of honesty. If it’s the only way to win a contract, do you lie about
the ability to meet a deadline? If the commission is bigger, do you steer a customer
toward a product or service that might not be the best one for him? Even if everyone
else is doing it, is it really OK to make personal long distance calls on the company
phone or read through your personal emails on company time? We have to make real
world choices about how we help others protect what belongs to them. Those choices
shape our character, influence our careers, determine how others view us, and they
also affect our relationship with God.
What is honesty? A philosopher might say, “It’s reflected
in the things you do when no one else is watching.” A business leader might reply,
“It’s giving your word and keeping it.” The writer of Proverbs equates honesty with
truth: “Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth.”
(Proverbs 16:13) Honesty means blending your faith and your life. Honesty means
there are no discrepancies in your life. What you believe is how you will act. What
you say is what you do.
That sounds good, but it’s not that easy, is it? A
Married, 2.5 kids, two cars, a big house, and a well-paying
job. That's the "American Dream", right? Dream
on. A recent survey indicates that Americans with household incomes of $25,000
say that it would take at least $54,000 a year for them to fulfill the "American
Dream". Those who make $50,000 a year say that it would take at least $96,000 per
year for them to fulfill the "American Dream". Those who make $100,000 a year say
that it would take $192,000 per year for them to fulfill the "American Dream." In
other words, the "American Dream" usually lies nearly twice the distance away from
no matter where we are. Why is that?
It’s because we are selfish people! We are never totally
content with what we have. And that makes us unhappy in our lives. When money and
possessions (silver) become the determining factor for happiness in our lives, we
have no chance of ever being happy, we will never have enough. We’ll always want
more, and what we want and cannot get, our sinful human nature tells us to take.
That's why it is necessary for God to tell us
"Do not steal".
The gifts that God gives to us are valuable and important.
Yet our love of the gifts should never become greater than our love for the Giver.
Still, money often comes between people and God. It’s what Jesus meant when he said,
“You cannot serve two masters, both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)
God doesn’t want us to horde our wealth, possessions,
and talents. He wants us to use them to spread his Word in our world. But, let’s
face it, often we don’t like to give things away. We feel that we’ve worked hard
for what we own, and by golly, it’s ours. We think that God has no right to urge
us to help others or give things back to him.
Sometimes we don’t give to God and to others because
we barely bring in enough for ourselves. Each month we have a mountain of bills:
water, electric, rent or mortgage, car payments, insurance, diapers for newborns,
food for teenagers. Plus, we need our cell phone, laptop, high speed Internet, cable
or dish. Plus, we’d like to save some for a vacation, a new vehicle, a larger home,
and retirement. We think that we just don’t have enough money to spare right now
to give back to the Lord in the offering plate or the time to help in the church
or the wealth to help our neighbor who is in need.
God says, "Nobody should seek his own good, but the
good of others" (1 Corinthians
There are benefits for giving of our possessions to
the glory of God. There are personal benefits – like a clear conscience. Proverbs
10:9 tells us: “The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths
will be found out.” Honesty to God means you can give a resume and not worry about
what they check out. It means that you can give your money to God for use in the
church and not feel guilty that you didn’t give enough.
There are family benefits. It’s like the father who
received a call from school. He went in and the teacher said, “We can’t figure it
out. Little Johnny takes the other kids’ paper, pencils, rulers and glue. We don’t
know what to do about it.” “I don’t understand it, either,” the father says. “Why
should he do that? He knows I can get him all those supplies from work!” Proverbs
20:7 tells us: “The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children
after him.” If we send our children mixed signals, we end up with mixed-up children.
Honesty benefits the family.
There is a business benefit, too. In the long haul,
God’s way works best, even in business. Look at successful businesses run by Christians,
run the right way like Chick-fil-A or Hobby Lobby.
The greatest benefit of honesty is spiritual. We are
able to see what our giving is able to accomplish. We are able to see lives restored
and souls saved!
Did you ever stop to consider how closely thieves were
involved with Jesus' crucifixion? Judas betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver.
Barabbas was set free while Christ was condemned. It was between two thieves that
Christ was crucified - one who berated him and one who believed. Quite simply: Christ
died for the sins of thieves – and that includes you and me. He died for our selfish
greed, our failing to provide for our families, our failing to give to the needy,
our failing to support the spread of the Gospel. Christ selflessly died for sins
of the selfish! Peter writes, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous
for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (I Peter
We are nothing when compared with the Giver of life.
We really have nothing to give to God that he can’t make on his own. Yet, we are
something. We are the precious, redeemed, blood-bought, children of God. We are
the workmen in his kingdom. We are the stewards of the gifts he has given us. We
share the Word of Christ crucified and risen through which the Holy Spirit does
his work. Let’s face it, God could do his work without us. He chose not to. He chose
to allow us the opportunity to express our appreciation for his amazing grace by
giving back to him and to give to his other children. It is a privilege to see all
that God has given us and use those possessions to tell everyone around us how wonderful
our Savior God is and what he has graciously done for us. Thank God for allowing
us to share in his work by giving glory to him through our possessions.
Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the
piano, a mother took her boy to a piano concert. After they were seated, the mother
spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing
the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose
and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the
house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her
seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway
piano on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard,
innocently playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano
master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's
ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, the maestro reached down with
his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around
to the other side of the child and he added notes, chords and runs. The audience
couldn’t believe they were hearing a beautiful piano duiet. Together, the old master
and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative
experience. The audience was mesmerized.
That's the way it is with our Heavenly Father. What
we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results
aren't exactly graceful, flowing music. We don’t always give God our firstfruits.
We don’t always share the best of our wealth with those in need. Our giving is far
from sacrificial, regular, or perfect. God knows what you can do. He created you
with gifts and talents. He has given you whatever wealth and possessions you have.
Sure, compared with what others have, your wealth and your talents may seem like
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” – not very much and not very spectacular. But God
says, “Keep on playing – and make some room for me.” Feel God’s loving arms around
you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts
into true masterpieces. Realize the power that is in the blood of Jesus that has
saved you from your selfish giving. Experience the strength of the Holy Spirit who
works through the Gospel in Word and sacraments. Remember that God doesn't call
the equipped. He equips the called. And He'll always be there to love and guide
you on to great things.
As we look in the mirror of the seventh commandment
we see our selfishness and our dishonesty to God. Thank God that through faith we
can look beyond our selfishness and see Christ's selflessness on the cross. In the
end that's where true happiness and joy really exists – in Jesus. Look past the
possessions and see the Giver. He gives you money and possessions, but more than
that, he gives you Life and Salvation. Be honest to God. Desire to give your possessions
to the glory of God. Amen.