BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES
PRESENRS: B525  Thou Shalt Not
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Steal BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC
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PB:  Speaking of the Word,
let's stand to read the Word.
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Exodus chapter 20. We
know the first four of
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God's love letters
deal with our love for God.
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The final six love
letters deal with our love
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for our fellow man.
And so let's read love
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letter Scripture 5,
6, 7 and 8, which will
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then constitute
Exodus 20, verses 12, 13, 14,
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and 15. Together:  "Honour
thy father and thy mother:
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that thy days may be
long upon the land which
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the LORD thy God
giveth thee." Verse 13,
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"Thou shalt not kill." Verse 14:
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"Thou shalt not
commit adultery."
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And tonight's text,
"Thou shalt not steal."
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Father, bless us
now as we come to
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love letter number
8, Thou shalt not steal.
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We pray, God,
that You would speak to
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Your people
tonight. So often, Lord,
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we feel that
messages from You are for
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everyone else but
us. Tonight I pray that
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by the power of
Your Holy Spirit,
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You would
penetrate everyone's heart
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who's here tonight
as well as those who
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are watching.
And God in advance we
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thank You for what
You're going to do.
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It's in Jesus'
name we pray, amen.
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You may be
seated. Commandment or
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love letter number
8, Thou shalt not steal.
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A woman was
waiting in an airport one
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night for a
plane and because there
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were several
long hours for her to
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wait for her
flight, she looked then
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for a book to
read and found one in
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the airport gift
shop. The lady bought
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the book but
also bought a big bag
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of cookies. She sat
down with her purse,
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sat down with her
book, sat down with
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her cookie bag,
sat down also with her
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carry-on luggage,
sat down at the gate
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waiting for her
plane to come so she
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could go when it
got there. The woman,
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while waiting, was
engrossed in her book.
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But she happened to
see a man out of her
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peripheral vision
who was sitting right
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next to her, also
waiting for a flight.
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The man sat next to
her as bold as can be
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and grabbed a cookie
from the bag in between
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the two of them
where they were sitting,
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which she tried to
ignore. She tried not
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to make a big
scene, so she just munched
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on her cookies and
glanced at the clock,
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hoping time would
go by as this masculine
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cookie thief
diminished her bag of cookies.
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She was getting more
irritated as the minutes
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ticked by. She was
thinking, if I weren't a lady,
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I would give him a black
eye. But because I'm a lady,
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I'm not going to do that.
But with each cookie she took,
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the man took one or
two. With only one cookie
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left in the bag, she
watched what he was going to do.
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Kinda like when I
have pizza in my house and
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there's one slice of
pizza left in the pizza box.
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And everybody's looking
at who's going to take it.
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With a grin on his face and
a nervous laugh that he had,
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he took the last
cookie, broke it in half.
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He offered her a half
as he munched on the other.
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She snatched the
half-cookie from the man's
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hand and murmured,
"Oh my goodness, you have
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some nerve! You are rude
and you're a thief, too!"
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She had never known
in her life when she had
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been quite so
galled. All of a sudden,
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the gate attendant
said that flight number
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so-and-so was about
to leave, and with relief
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she stood up,
gathered her stuff, marched to
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the gate with not even a
glance at the thieving man.
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The woman boarded the
plane, sat down in her seat,
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then got her book
out of her bag, which she
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was almost done
with, and as she reached in
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her bag she gasped
with surprise. Her bag of
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cookies was right
in front of her eyes.
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She said, If
mine are right here,
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then the others were his, and he
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was trying to share
with me! Aud. reaction]
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PB:  Too late to
apologize, the woman realized
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with grief that
she was the rude one.
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She was the
villain. She was the thief.
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Stealing. Tell the
truth, shame the devil.
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All of us have done
it. You're saying no,
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no, no. Well, maybe
it wasn't theft per se,
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maybe it wasn't
robbery, embezzlement,
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larceny or grand
larceny, but maybe it
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was just you took some
cookies that weren't yours.
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Maybe it was in
your office that you
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borrowed a ream of
paper that wasn't yours.
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Maybe you helped
yourself to a pack of black
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ink pens that
belonged to your company,
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or maybe your family
member has a Netflix account,
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and you, your mama,
your daddy, your sister,
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your brother, your
cousin, your granny,
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your auntie, and
them--everybody is watching
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movies and television
on your family members'
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Netflix account, and
nobody's paying but them.
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The command
tonight is still the same:
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Thou shalt not--what,
everybody? Aud.:  Steal.
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PB:  Now when this
commandment was given,
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the children of
Israel were only 90 days
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into their freedom.
The children of Israel
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didn't have much
property, so you would
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almost assume there
was no need for this
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kind of love letter for
God to give to His people.
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But while they didn't
have a lot of property,
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they have some
property. They had some silver
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and gold; they had
some personal things;
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they had some
items. And even with a few
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things there was still
this uncanny temptation
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on the part of a
neighbor to take from a neighbor
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that which did
not belong to them.
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There's something
about thievery that not
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only robs the one that
is being robbed of dignity,
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but it also robs
you of your dignity.
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It takes
something out of your being.
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It takes something
away from your character.
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And that's why I believe
this commandment was given:
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Thou shalt not
steal. Thou shalt not take
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what doesn't belong to you.
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But why do we steal,
anyway? What makes us steal?
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Well, some of us are
borrowers. You have borrowed
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something, but you
borrowed it with no intention
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of giving it back. Do I
have a witness in this place?
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Can I borrow that
shirt? Can I borrow that tie?
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Can I borrow that skirt?
Can I borrow those shoes,
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and you just assume
that if enough time,
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enough distance
and enough space go by,
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you can claim it
to be yours and that
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the person that you
borrowed it from will forget,
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and they can just
claim it to be yours, too.
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You borrow with no
intention to return.
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Thou shalt not
steal.  Well, what about
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borrowing with no
intention to repay?
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Late on the bills. I
need to pay my car note.
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I need to pay my house note.
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I need to pay my light bill.
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Can I borrow
some money from you?
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I'll pay you back
as soon as I get paid.
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Weeks go by.
Months go by. Years go by,
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because you're borrowing with no
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Intention to repay.
Thou shalt not steal.
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Or better yet, you
fall in this category.
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You use a credit
card to make a purchase,
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and you have
that purchase now in
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your possession.
In fact, some of you
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may be wearing
that purchase right now,
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and you haven't paid for it yet.
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Thou shalt not
steal. Or maybe you're
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living somewhere
and you won't pay
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the mortgage,
but you figure if you
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stay long enough,
by squatters' rights
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law you can just
continue to stay where
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you've been staying.
Thou shalt not steal.
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All of us have
been guilty of it.
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Now we are aware
tonight that there are
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some people who
will live life with less
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than what others
live with. There are
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some people who
will get more than what
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other people get in
life. There are some
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people who have
the propensity to make
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money and there are
other people who just
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barely make it past
the minimum of life.
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Yet all of what we
have is enough to live
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for us on this
earth, at least in the
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parameters to
which we have been called
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to live, because we
serve a God who says
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I will supply all of your needs.
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Jesus seems to
explain this when He
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talks about how
much He distributes
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talents to some
people. You will remember,
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He gave some five
talents, to some two talents,
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and to others one
talent. The reality is,
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Jesus gives to all
people what they are
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able and capable of
handling. If you had
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a million dollars,
could you handle it?
00:11:01.36\00:11:03.93
Some people
couldn't manage five talents
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with a one-talent
mentality. It would
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destroy them, so
they have to live within
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the limitations
of their existence.
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Many of us begin
to wonder, why don't
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we have certain
things that we wish we had.
00:11:17.64\00:11:20.91
And it might be
that we're trying to
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overload our
capacity to manage things
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that we can't
handle. If we're honest
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with this, then we
begin to really appreciate,
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friends of mine, that
whatever we have in life,
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it's truly enough.
And for those where
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it's not enough,
greed then usually
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becomes the
motivation for thieving.
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We look, we see,
we want, we must have.
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What's yours is mine,
is our philosophy of life.
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You do remember the
Old Testament, a king
00:11:55.48\00:11:57.45
by the name of Ahab.
He had a wife who was
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a tough wife, by
the name of Jezebel.
00:12:00.45\00:12:03.32
They looked out one
day from their palace
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and they saw this
beautiful, lush vineyard,
00:12:06.79\00:12:09.52
the Bible says, that
they wanted to possess,
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but it belonged to a
man by the name of Naaman.
00:12:12.36\00:12:14.96
The Bible says they
killed Naaman to take
00:12:15.00\00:12:17.13
his property. What
would they want with
00:12:17.17\00:12:20.00
his property
when they are in this
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palatial palace? We
look, we see, we want,
00:12:21.70\00:12:28.94
and we must have. But not just
00:12:28.98\00:12:30.51
Ahab and Jezebel.
Do you also remember
00:12:30.55\00:12:31.98
that King David
was looking off his
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balcony and he saw
a woman by the name
00:12:33.55\00:12:35.95
of Bathsheba.
David wanted Bathsheba
00:12:35.98\00:12:39.22
for himself. He
ordered Bathsheba's
00:12:39.25\00:12:42.32
husband to be
killed. Rumors were
00:12:42.36\00:12:44.69
circulating around the kingdom,
00:12:44.73\00:12:46.16
the place was in an uproar,
00:12:46.19\00:12:48.10
and then this prophet by the
00:12:48.13\00:12:49.46
name of Nathan. He walked up to
00:12:49.50\00:12:52.80
King David, and
he knew that he was
00:12:52.83\00:12:54.94
not supposed to
speak out of turn
00:12:54.97\00:12:56.50
because the
king had the position
00:12:56.54\00:12:58.11
to take his
life if he wanted to.
00:12:58.14\00:13:01.68
So, he says to the king, King,
00:13:01.71\00:13:03.48
we've got a
problem in the kingdom.
00:13:03.51\00:13:05.35
David said, well, talk, Prophet.
00:13:05.38\00:13:06.75
What's the
problem? King, there's
00:13:06.78\00:13:09.02
a man in your kingdom who has a
00:13:09.05\00:13:11.15
thousand sheep. The other day a
00:13:11.19\00:13:13.92
stranger was coming
to town and was hungry.
00:13:13.96\00:13:16.29
This wealthy man
prepared a meal but
00:13:16.32\00:13:19.23
the only problem
is, he didn't take it
00:13:19.26\00:13:21.16
out of his
livestock. But he took a
00:13:21.20\00:13:23.93
lamb from this
poor man in the valley.
00:13:23.97\00:13:27.24
He cooked the
lamb, prepared the lamb,
00:13:27.27\00:13:30.47
served the lamb
and so they ate and
00:13:30.51\00:13:32.61
feasted on it,
and then he went to
00:13:32.64\00:13:34.38
bed and rested
that night? What do
00:13:34.41\00:13:36.44
you think we
ought to do with him,
00:13:36.48\00:13:38.18
O King? David said,
we ought to kill him!
00:13:38.21\00:13:41.22
Kill that man! The prophet,
00:13:41.25\00:13:43.89
with trembling lips, then said:
00:13:43.92\00:13:45.19
Thou art the man! You stole when
00:13:45.22\00:13:50.03
you already
had, because we look,
00:13:50.06\00:13:52.49
we see, and we must have.
00:13:52.53\00:13:55.26
But this type of
stealing: property,
00:13:55.30\00:13:59.03
human
possessions, is not limited
00:13:59.07\00:14:02.54
to the Old
Testament. Jesus Himself
00:14:02.57\00:14:05.07
speaks of this
issue of stealing.
00:14:05.11\00:14:06.88
The Bible is
very clear in the book
00:14:06.91\00:14:08.54
of Luke, chapter
19, that we're told
00:14:08.58\00:14:10.28
the story of a man who was about
00:14:10.31\00:14:12.18
four feet tall, by
the name of Zacchaeus.
00:14:12.21\00:14:13.88
Zacchaeus worked
on the inside of the
00:14:13.92\00:14:15.68
Roman IRS
against his own people.
00:14:15.72\00:14:18.59
The IRS always
needs to find somebody
00:14:18.62\00:14:21.09
who would fight
against their own,
00:14:21.12\00:14:22.92
and they found
Zacchaeus was a big man,
00:14:22.96\00:14:35.07
making big deals.
But he had heard that
00:14:35.10\00:14:42.21
there was one
who was going to come
00:14:42.24\00:14:44.25
by and rearrange life's order.
00:14:44.28\00:14:46.68
And for some
reason Zacchaeus got
00:14:46.72\00:14:48.78
impressed with this one man,
00:14:48.82\00:14:50.85
because they came
from the same lineage.
00:14:50.89\00:14:53.19
He wants to run
and see this man,
00:14:53.22\00:14:55.62
but his stature
prohibits him from
00:14:55.66\00:14:57.99
seeing him
clearly. So the Bible says
00:14:58.03\00:15:00.46
that he climbs
into a sycamore tree.
00:15:00.50\00:15:03.20
He wants to take
a panoramic view.
00:15:03.23\00:15:05.63
He sees the crowd
of people pressing
00:15:05.67\00:15:07.87
against this
man. He looks out and
00:15:07.90\00:15:11.44
sees the One
coming. He sees all the
00:15:11.47\00:15:13.91
folk who have surrounded Him;
00:15:13.94\00:15:15.51
they're crying
"Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna."
00:15:15.54\00:15:18.05
They're giving
homage to Him, and while
00:15:18.08\00:15:20.02
they're giving
homage to Him, the One
00:15:20.05\00:15:22.42
who's being
honored looks up and says
00:15:22.45\00:15:24.22
"Wait a minute."
Zacchaeus, come down.
00:15:24.25\00:15:28.06
When he comes
down out of the three,
00:15:28.09\00:15:31.56
He simply tells
him, "Today salvation
00:15:31.59\00:15:35.53
has come to your
house." Zacchaeus's
00:15:35.56\00:15:38.50
life is turned
around. Once he was lost,
00:15:38.53\00:15:43.81
but now he's
found because salvation
00:15:43.84\00:15:46.91
has come to his
house. I wish I had
00:15:46.94\00:15:50.05
time to preach
that sometimes salvation
00:15:50.08\00:15:52.85
comes to our
homes and we don't even
00:15:52.88\00:15:55.08
know salvation has
come.   [Aud. reaction]
00:15:55.12\00:15:57.59
PB:  At no time
do you become more
00:15:57.62\00:15:59.42
generous then
when you give of what
00:15:59.45\00:16:01.09
you have to
somebody else. A whole
00:16:01.12\00:16:03.39
lot of preaching is
going on around today.
00:16:03.43\00:16:05.19
I know I'm a
television preacher,
00:16:05.23\00:16:06.49
but there's a whole lot of stuff
00:16:06.53\00:16:07.96
on television that's not right.
00:16:07.96\00:16:09.33
A whole lot of
preaching going on
00:16:09.36\00:16:10.63
talking about get, get, and get.
00:16:10.67\00:16:12.13
But if you want
to get, you've got
00:16:12.17\00:16:14.20
to learn how to
give more. Because
00:16:14.24\00:16:15.87
the more you give, the more the
00:16:15.90\00:16:17.44
Lord will give back to you.
00:16:17.47\00:16:19.17
Give and it shall be given you.
00:16:19.21\00:16:20.94
Pressed down, shaken together,
00:16:20.98\00:16:23.04
running over.
Thou shalt not steal.
00:16:23.08\00:16:25.75
And so it is in the
Christian community,
00:16:25.78\00:16:28.22
there's a whole lot
of thievery going on.
00:16:28.25\00:16:30.49
And then, when we
wonder why our lives,
00:16:30.52\00:16:32.82
why are they so
empty, why are they
00:16:32.85\00:16:35.29
so meaningless?
Because there's a lot
00:16:35.32\00:16:37.13
of thievery going
on. Folk riding around
00:16:37.16\00:16:39.96
in a new Mercedes
Benz but miserable.
00:16:40.00\00:16:42.60
Living in a
10,000 square foot house,
00:16:42.63\00:16:45.10
but miserable.
Got custom clothes
00:16:45.13\00:16:48.17
on your back, but miserable.
00:16:48.20\00:16:50.61
Because thievery
is the way you live.
00:16:50.64\00:16:53.21
But the Bible says
thou shalt not steal.
00:16:53.24\00:16:56.75
It could be that
we are just as guilty
00:16:56.78\00:16:58.78
of thievery
when we withhold what
00:16:58.81\00:17:01.15
we have and
refuse to give what we
00:17:01.18\00:17:03.28
have to somebody
else.  [Aud. reaction]
00:17:03.32\00:17:05.69
PB:  And so what do
we do? We rob others;
00:17:05.72\00:17:08.86
We rob ourselves, and
we sure enough rob God.
00:17:08.89\00:17:14.46
But I can read the Word of God,
00:17:14.50\00:17:17.27
in Malachi
chapter 3, verse number 8,
00:17:17.30\00:17:20.84
where God says
"Will a man rob God?
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.14
But ye say, wherein
have we robbed thee?
00:17:23.17\00:17:25.74
In tithes, and
in"--what, everybody?
00:17:25.77\00:17:27.94
Aud.:  Offerings. 
 PB:  "Ye are cursed
00:17:27.98\00:17:29.54
with a curse, for
ye have robbed me,
00:17:29.58\00:17:31.91
even this whole
nation. Bring ye all
00:17:31.95\00:17:34.68
the tithes into the storehouse,
00:17:34.72\00:17:36.82
that there may be
meat in mine house,
00:17:36.85\00:17:38.89
and prove me now herewith,
00:17:38.92\00:17:40.46
saith the LORD of hosts,
00:17:40.49\00:17:41.59
if I will not
open you the windows
00:17:41.62\00:17:43.02
of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing,
00:17:43.06\00:17:44.59
that there shall
not be room enough"
00:17:44.63\00:17:46.56
hallelujah! "to
receive it." Bring ye
00:17:46.59\00:17:49.10
all the tithes. God
says Thou shalt not steal.
00:17:49.13\00:17:52.83
Don't steal
against your brother,
00:17:52.87\00:17:54.54
don't steal against your sister,
00:17:54.57\00:17:55.80
and don't you steal against me.
00:17:55.84\00:17:57.27
Bring ye all
the tithes. Bring 10
00:17:57.31\00:17:58.54
percent of your
increase, 10 percent
00:17:58.57\00:18:00.31
of your earnings, 10 percent of
00:18:00.34\00:18:03.51
your retirement,
10 percent of your
00:18:03.55\00:18:05.91
Social Security. Well, Pastor,
00:18:05.95\00:18:07.48
I already paid
into Social Security.
00:18:07.52\00:18:09.28
But you didn't
pay into it as much as
00:18:09.32\00:18:11.55
you're getting
back. There were some
00:18:11.59\00:18:13.25
matching funds. And
believe me, I've learned:
00:18:13.29\00:18:16.12
If you give God too
much, God will always
00:18:16.16\00:18:18.89
give you back change.
I wish I had a witness
00:18:18.93\00:18:20.53
in this place.
Bring ye all the tithes.
00:18:20.56\00:18:23.47
Thou shalt not
steal. And the only way
00:18:23.50\00:18:25.87
you're going to
give your tithe of 10
00:18:25.90\00:18:28.07
percent plus an
offering, is you've got
00:18:28.10\00:18:30.37
to recognize that all
100 percent came from God.
00:18:30.41\00:18:33.71
I wish I had a
church tonight. That all
00:18:33.74\00:18:37.51
100 percent came
from God. Sometimes you
00:18:37.55\00:18:40.38
give folk a dollar
and they say, okay,
00:18:40.42\00:18:42.32
10 cents of this
dollar is God's but
00:18:42.35\00:18:44.89
the remaining 90
cents is mine. NO it's not-
00:18:44.92\00:18:46.45
-all of it is the
Lord's. All of it.
00:18:46.49\00:18:48.16
God's money is all of
it. That's the problem.
00:18:48.19\00:18:53.43
You think it's
yours. You go, I work hard
00:18:53.46\00:18:57.03
for this money. It's
my job, and it's my money.
00:18:57.07\00:19:01.00
I'm going to spend
this money the way I
00:19:01.04\00:19:03.30
want to spend my
money. Well, whether
00:19:03.34\00:19:05.84
you know it or
not, the job you have,
00:19:05.87\00:19:08.28
God gave it to
you. The money you have,
00:19:08.31\00:19:11.78
you wouldn't have
in the first place
00:19:11.81\00:19:13.65
unless God gave
it to you. So don't
00:19:13.68\00:19:16.38
you walk around
here with a big head
00:19:16.42\00:19:18.49
talking about what
you've got, because
00:19:18.52\00:19:20.12
just as soon as you
get it, you can lose it,
00:19:20.16\00:19:23.06
because the
Lord giveth, the Lord
00:19:23.09\00:19:25.19
taketh away.
Blessed be the name of
00:19:25.23\00:19:27.60
the Lord. What
shall it profit a man
00:19:27.60\00:19:29.53
to gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?
00:19:29.56\00:19:32.30
Everything I've
got belongs to God.
00:19:32.33\00:19:35.00
But what I love
about the Lord is this:
00:19:35.04\00:19:38.47
God is so
merciful. Yes, He tells us
00:19:38.51\00:19:40.81
Thou shalt not
steal, but He's so merciful.
00:19:40.84\00:19:42.44
God says, I didn't
ask you for 50 percent.
00:19:42.48\00:19:44.85
I didn't ask you
for 75 percent. I didn't
00:19:44.88\00:19:48.35
ask you for 90
percent--I could if I wanted to.
00:19:48.38\00:19:51.99
But I didn't ask
you for all of that.
00:19:52.02\00:19:53.59
All I asked you for
was 10 percent tithe
00:19:53.62\00:19:56.06
plus an offering.
Thou shalt not steal.
00:19:56.09\00:20:00.70
Can we be honest
tonight? Can we be real tonight?
00:20:00.73\00:20:03.97
We've been in
church all weekend, let's
00:20:04.00\00:20:05.83
just let it out
tonight. What do you say,
00:20:05.87\00:20:07.40
everybody? Tell the
truth, shame the devil:
00:20:07.44\00:20:09.30
we give for what we
want. Clothes, we give.
00:20:09.34\00:20:13.71
Shoes, we give.
Going out to eat, we give.
00:20:13.74\00:20:18.45
Cars, we give.
Houses, we give. When you're
00:20:18.48\00:20:22.85
getting ready to go
to that basketball game
00:20:22.88\00:20:24.52
or that football game,
no problem. Ticket charge,
00:20:24.55\00:20:28.29
no problem.
Parking charge, no problem.
00:20:28.32\00:20:32.59
You don't care,
friends, if you have to
00:20:32.63\00:20:34.86
stand in line to
get in. You don't even
00:20:34.93\00:20:37.77
care if you have
to get there an hour
00:20:37.80\00:20:39.63
or two early. You
don't care if you have
00:20:39.67\00:20:41.84
to walk far to the
gate; you just want in.
00:20:41.87\00:20:44.57
Let's tell the truth: you order
00:20:44.61\00:20:48.04
nachos and cheese.
You pay $7.00 for that.
00:20:48.08\00:20:51.91
You order pizza, you
pay $5.00 a slice for that.
00:20:51.95\00:20:55.72
You pay $3.50 for
a soda when you could
00:20:55.75\00:20:58.42
have gone to Matco
and gotten a large soda
00:20:58.45\00:21:00.76
for 99 cents. Do I have
a witness in this place?
00:21:00.79\00:21:02.69
BuT you just want
in. You don't say,
00:21:02.72\00:21:06.66
Man that's a lot
of money. No, you
00:21:06.70\00:21:09.13
don't say all
that, because money
00:21:09.16\00:21:10.47
is not an issue
until it comes to God.
00:21:10.50\00:21:12.77
[Aud. reaction]  
PB:  But if you want
00:21:12.80\00:21:15.37
to be blessed,
I'm a living witness
00:21:15.40\00:21:18.64
that you've got to give to God.
00:21:18.67\00:21:20.71
Thou shalt not
steal, because the
00:21:20.74\00:21:24.01
earth is the Lord's,
the fullness thereof.
00:21:24.05\00:21:27.48
The world and all
them that dwell therein.
00:21:27.52\00:21:30.89
I once was
young but now I'm old,
00:21:30.92\00:21:33.36
but I've never
seen the righteous
00:21:33.39\00:21:36.16
forsaken nor his
seed begging bread.
00:21:36.19\00:21:38.73
The Word says,
Bring ye all the tithes.
00:21:38.76\00:21:41.16
But that's not
all the Word says.
00:21:41.20\00:21:45.20
The Word says
bring ye all the tithes
00:21:45.23\00:21:47.04
into the storehouse.
Everybody say storehouse.
00:21:47.07\00:21:49.20
Aud.:  Storehouse.
 PB:  You've got to
00:21:49.24\00:21:50.61
bring it to the storehouse.
00:21:50.64\00:21:51.97
Thou shalt not steal.
00:21:52.01\00:21:53.41
Thou shalt not what, everybody?
00:21:53.44\00:21:54.54
Aud.:  Steal.   PB: 
So somebody asks what's
00:21:54.58\00:21:56.01
the storehouse? The
storehouse is God's house.
00:21:56.04\00:21:58.98
It's the place where
you're fed the Word of God.
00:21:59.01\00:22:02.28
It's the place
where you can fall on your
00:22:02.32\00:22:04.82
knees and pray
among fellow believers.
00:22:04.85\00:22:07.06
It's the place
where you stand up every
00:22:07.09\00:22:09.66
week and
receive the Word of God.
00:22:09.69\00:22:11.53
In the Old
Testament, the storehouse was
00:22:11.56\00:22:14.23
the reference to the
Old Testament temple.
00:22:14.30\00:22:16.46
People back in the
day remember it was
00:22:16.50\00:22:18.63
an agricultural society.
When the people harvested,
00:22:18.67\00:22:22.30
they brought the
first tenth of their wheat,
00:22:22.34\00:22:24.14
their corn, their
barley and they put it
00:22:24.17\00:22:26.07
in the storehouse.
When their herds gave birth,
00:22:26.11\00:22:28.48
they took one out of 10
and took it to the storehouse.
00:22:28.51\00:22:31.68
The tithe was a medium
of exchange to continue
00:22:31.71\00:22:34.98
to the work of God.
The tithe was brought
00:22:35.02\00:22:37.42
to the place where
the people worshipped.
00:22:37.45\00:22:39.95
Now, too many of us
think we've got a side
00:22:39.99\00:22:43.73
deal with God; that
God has told them to
00:22:43.76\00:22:48.20
put the tithe
somewhere else. But the text
00:22:48.23\00:22:51.10
says bring ye all the
tithe into the storehouse.
00:22:51.13\00:22:55.94
That's the place where
you're fed spiritually.
00:22:55.97\00:22:59.24
I've said it
once, I'll say it again:
00:22:59.27\00:23:01.21
You wouldn't eat
in McDonald's and say
00:23:01.24\00:23:03.91
I have a burden
for Burger King so I'll
00:23:03.95\00:23:07.08
send them my money.
No, if you're fed in
00:23:07.12\00:23:09.75
McDonald's, you're
going to give to McDonald's.
00:23:09.78\00:23:12.52
Are you hearing what I'm saying?
00:23:12.55\00:23:14.69
Thou shalt not
steal. Quit trying to keep
00:23:14.72\00:23:18.29
up with the
Joneses. Quit trying to fake
00:23:18.33\00:23:21.20
it to make it. Quit
trying to impress folk
00:23:21.23\00:23:24.57
you don't know to
keep up with folk you don't
00:23:24.60\00:23:26.74
like with money you don't have.
00:23:26.77\00:23:29.14
Invest in God's
kingdom. Invest in God's house.
00:23:29.17\00:23:33.61
Lay up not for
yourselves treasures upon earth,
00:23:33.64\00:23:36.75
where moth and
rust doth corrupt,
00:23:36.78\00:23:39.28
where thieves
break through and steal.
00:23:39.31\00:23:40.82
But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven.
00:23:40.85\00:23:43.28
For where your
treasure is, there shall
00:23:43.32\00:23:46.22
your heart be
also. You see, there are
00:23:46.25\00:23:49.26
only two places on
this earth where we
00:23:49.29\00:23:51.46
can place our
treasures. Either in God's
00:23:51.49\00:23:54.10
storehouse or in
Satan's storehouse.
00:23:54.13\00:23:57.27
And anything that
is not devoted to God's
00:23:57.30\00:23:59.67
service is
counted on Satan's side.
00:23:59.70\00:24:02.44
But thou shalt not
steal. Bring ye all the
00:24:02.47\00:24:06.44
tithe into the
storehouse. And friends,
00:24:06.47\00:24:08.81
let me throw this
in free of charge:
00:24:08.84\00:24:10.25
Don't think that
because you bring your
00:24:10.28\00:24:12.01
tithe and
offering to the church,
00:24:12.05\00:24:13.28
that the church
owes you something.
00:24:13.31\00:24:15.78
[Aud. reaction]  
PB:  We give the tithe
00:24:15.82\00:24:19.39
out of obedience,
and we give the offering
00:24:19.42\00:24:22.29
out of love. Are you
hearing what I'm saying?
00:24:22.32\00:24:25.23
Well, I pay my
tithe, so I should be
00:24:25.26\00:24:28.20
able to do this. I
pay tithe, so I'm having
00:24:28.23\00:24:31.80
a cookout at my
house--I should be able to
00:24:31.83\00:24:34.24
borrow the tables
and chairs at the church.
00:24:34.27\00:24:36.97
I pay my tithe,
so I'm running low on
00:24:37.01\00:24:40.44
toilet paper, so
somebody should give me
00:24:40.48\00:24:43.01
some toilet paper
from the church that
00:24:43.04\00:24:44.75
I can take home.
First of all, you're wrong.
00:24:44.78\00:24:47.32
You don't pay
tithe--nobody pays tithe.
00:24:47.35\00:24:50.19
We return tithe. To pay tithe is
00:24:50.22\00:24:53.42
theologically wrong.
How can we pay something
00:24:53.46\00:24:56.32
when God has given it
to us in the first place?
00:24:56.36\00:25:00.30
How can we pay something
when Jesus paid it all?
00:25:00.33\00:25:03.06
All to Him I owe. Sin
had left a crimson stain,
00:25:03.10\00:25:06.70
He washed it white as
snow. We don't pay tithe.
00:25:06.74\00:25:11.21
We return tithe.  
Number two, we return tithe
00:25:11.24\00:25:13.98
and give offering to
the church because that's
00:25:14.01\00:25:16.01
what God told us to do.
Give God what God asks for.
00:25:16.04\00:25:20.28
Love God the way God
wants to be loved, and don't
00:25:20.32\00:25:23.62
expect anything in
return. Don't expect
00:25:23.65\00:25:28.99
anything in
return but His blessings.
00:25:29.02\00:25:31.69
It's like the guy
who acts like a nice,
00:25:31.73\00:25:33.19
cool gentleman.
He's loving, he's kind,
00:25:33.23\00:25:35.50
he's suave. Taking
a lady out to a nice
00:25:35.53\00:25:37.43
dinner for a
romantic evening only so
00:25:37.47\00:25:39.23
he can get
something out of the deal.
00:25:39.27\00:25:41.87
Instead of doing
all the things out of
00:25:41.90\00:25:43.71
the sincerity of
his heart, really and
00:25:43.74\00:25:45.54
truthfully the man
is just putting out
00:25:45.57\00:25:47.18
some money so he
can get what he wants.
00:25:47.21\00:25:49.18
And then the gets
mad, throws a temper
00:25:49.21\00:25:51.58
tantrum when he
doesn't get what he wants.
00:25:51.61\00:25:53.72
He's trying to pay
for services rendered,
00:25:53.75\00:25:55.98
which in this case is
equivalent to prostitution.
00:25:56.02\00:25:59.19
And when it comes to
the church, when it comes
00:25:59.22\00:26:03.12
to God's storehouse,
are we trying to prostitute
00:26:03.16\00:26:06.53
our worship?
Prostitute our prayers,
00:26:06.56\00:26:09.70
prostitute our
time and fellowship,
00:26:09.73\00:26:12.13
prostitute out
participation in church
00:26:12.17\00:26:15.10
or even our tithe
and offering, paying
00:26:15.14\00:26:17.31
for services with
our tithe, with our time,
00:26:17.34\00:26:20.41
our talent and our
treasures just to get
00:26:20.44\00:26:23.01
something back. Let
me be clear tonight:
00:26:23.04\00:26:27.48
If the Lord does
nothing else for Carlton Byrd,
00:26:27.52\00:26:29.28
God has already
done enough. Two thousand
00:26:29.32\00:26:31.72
years ago He went
to Calvary's cross and
00:26:31.75\00:26:35.56
He died for me so
that I might live.
00:26:35.59\00:26:38.49
Let me tell you
something: God is not
00:26:38.53\00:26:41.16
the lottery. God is
not a pyramid scheme.
00:26:41.20\00:26:44.43
God is not multilevel
marketing. God is God.
00:26:44.47\00:26:48.87
Creator of the
universe, Redeemer on Calvary,
00:26:48.90\00:26:53.07
Savior of the world
and soon-coming King.
00:26:53.11\00:26:57.11
Don't expect to
give God something so God
00:26:57.15\00:27:02.02
will double your
earnings.  What I love
00:27:02.05\00:27:06.49
about my God: He's
not just the God of "
00:27:06.52\00:27:08.49
just enough," but
He's Jehovah Jireh,
00:27:08.52\00:27:11.86
my Provider.
He's more than enough.
00:27:11.89\00:27:15.83
I wish I had time
to talk about verse
00:27:15.86\00:27:17.83
number 11 in Malachi, chapter 3.
00:27:17.87\00:27:19.83
I wish I had
time, but I've got to
00:27:19.87\00:27:21.20
get you out. I've
been getting you out late,
00:27:21.24\00:27:22.64
but I like
that. It says: "I will
00:27:22.67\00:27:23.97
rebuke the
devourer for your sakes."
00:27:24.01\00:27:26.44
Oo-woo!! "And he
shall not destroy the
00:27:26.47\00:27:29.84
fruits of your
ground. Neither shall
00:27:29.88\00:27:32.38
your vine cast her
fruit before the time
00:27:32.41\00:27:34.68
in the field,
saith the LORD of hosts."
00:27:34.72\00:27:37.32
God says I will
rebuke the devourer.
00:27:37.35\00:27:41.06
Satan can't get to
me. Satan can't get
00:27:41.09\00:27:44.56
to me because God
says I will rebuke!!
00:27:44.59\00:27:47.76
Ha-ha,
hey-hey-hey, the devourer!
00:27:47.76\00:27:51.30
For your sake.   But
then I like verse number 12.
00:27:51.33\00:27:54.87
I've got to get you
out. "And all nations
00:27:54.90\00:27:58.07
shall call you
blessed." Oo-woo!!
00:27:58.11\00:28:04.38
All nations!
Shall call you blessed.
00:28:04.41\00:28:08.68
For ye shall be
a delightsome land,
00:28:08.72\00:28:11.39
saith the Lord of hosts.
00:28:11.42\00:28:13.66
A: Thank you for
joining us for another exciting
00:28:13.69\00:28:15.76
Breath of Life
television broadcast.
00:28:15.79\00:28:18.13
Tune in next week at
the same time as Dr. Byrd
00:28:18.16\00:28:21.06
will deliver
another dynamic message
00:28:21.10\00:28:23.13
from the Lord just for you.
00:28:23.16\00:28:25.07
Until next time,
may God bless you.
00:28:25.10\00:28:27.47
END
00:28:27.50\00:28:42.52