3-15-09 The Thief

Big Idea: There’s a war going on between God and Satan; earth is the battleground. Have you chosen a side? Are you fighting?

Have you ever had anything stolen from you? Several months ago, my daughter took our camera to a high school dance, because she wanted to take pictures of she and her friends having fun. She didn’t have any pockets, so after taking some pictures, she laid the camera next to her coat, but later, when the dance ended, she found that the camera was gone. A thief had taken it.

I don’t know about you, but I get angry when people take my things. I worked hard for the money that purchased those things, and even more than that, it feel like that person has violated me and those that I love. There’s something else that I want you to consider. Maybe you’ve heard it said, “Some of the most important things in life are not things.”

I would like to suggest that there is a thief that is stealing from us some of the things that we value the most and we don’t even know it. The Thief deceives us into believing that we are in control of everything that we value, while he quietly takes them from us. 

Jesus said this about the Thief:

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. John 10:1-2 (NIV)

But then in Verse 10 Jesus makes it real clear what the thief does.

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come so that you might have life, life abundant. John 10:10

This is a key verse, because God reveals who the thief is.

In the Old Testament, the devil or Satan is not very pronounced.  Evil is always understood as another nation like Babylon or Persia or Egypt, but we don’t see evil as we know it. Isaiah and some others prophesy about the devil, but you never really have a clear distinction between God and Satan in the Old Testament.

But in the New Testament Jesus makes it very clear that evil is real and that it is the opposite of God and that it opposes the work of God. Jesus comes in and he brings the reality of the kingdom of God. They live in this time period where there are lots of kings and lots of kingdoms, but Jesus makes it very clear; there is really only one King and one kingdom, and every other king and kingdom is counter to God and his kingdom. Every other king and kingdom is at odds with the real King.

The old adage is true for God. If you are not for us, then you are against us. Either you are all about fighting for God and his goodness or you are not. There are only two sides to this discussion.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy – that’s one side; but (Jesus says) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full – that’s the other side. John 10:10 (NIV)

I don’t see very many things in black or white terms, but this – this is black and white.

So if there is any stealing . . . killing . . . or destroying going on, then it’s the devil, and he doesn’t come except to do those things.

The New Testament was originally written in Greek.  The word that’s been translated, “Steal” is the Greek word “klepto”.  Does anyone recognize where that comes from? What does it mean to be a klepto.  I once knew a person who was a kleptomaniac.  Anything that wasn’t nailed down, he would take it.  One time, he was talking about stealing some Christmas bulbs off a Christmas tree in the park. Someone asked him why he stole things?  And he said, “If it isn’t nailed down.  I feel an obligation to take it.”  If it isn’t protected, I feel it’s my duty to take it.

That’s what the thief does.  That’s what Satan does.  If it isn’t protected, if there isn’t a hedge around it, he feels an obligation to take it. If you are not protected, the thief will klepto you.  He will klepto your marriage. He will klepto your finances. He will klepto your kids.  The thief steals, kills, and destroys, anything that’s unprotected. A kleptomaniac steals for no reason at all.  They go into your bathroom and they steal your toothpaste and a toothbrush just because. Why? Because it’s there, and nobody’s looking, and it’s unprotected.

You know what kill means. It’s to take the life out of something. You can kill a marriage, but the poeple still live together. You can kill a church, but people still come. It can kill your kids by breaking the spirit that God gave them. He can kill your work by taking the joy and pleasure out of it. When Satan kills you, he kills the purpose that God put in you. He kill the joy, and peace and love that God created you for. The thief exists to kill dreams, hopes, passions, goodness, relationships and the love that drives them.

The devil can take you out. He can physically kill you, but Satan would rather use you to do his work than to physically kill you, because then you’re doing his work for him. Have you ever run into people who seem to be dream squashers. Have you ever run into people who seen to have a knack for putting a knife in your heart and turning it. These are people that Satan is using to do his work. What is his work? It’s to kill the purpose that God created you for. Satan is into killing purpose, killing dreams, killing marriages, killing all the goodness that God created you for.

Jesus says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV)

I want this to be one of your favorite sections of scripture, because it opens your eyes to some things that are really important. I don’t have many verses of scripture memorized word for word. Don’t get me wrong; I know a lot of scripture, but I don’t memorize it word for word very often, but in this verse I take an exception. I’ve got this one memorized word for word, because I do not want to forget it. If I forget it, then I leave all that I am and all that I love open to a stealing, killing, destroying kleptomaniac called the devil. If it ain’t protected, if it ain’t nailed down – it’s gone – it’s dead – it’s worthless.

I was uncertain, at first why Jesus would use all three words – to steal, kill, and destroy, because if you if you steal what I got and you kill what I got, then I’m destroyed. But the word, “destroy” means “to cause to parish”. This is the same word that is used in  John 3:16 (NIV) where Jesus said,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and this only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

To parish does not mean to cease to exist, but rather a means to be ruined to your purpose.  It’s like putting a steak – a t-bone steak out on the counter at room temperature in the summertime, what’s going to happen to it?  It’s going to spoil!  It’s still there, but its purpose has been ruined.  That’s what the devil wants to do you.  That’s why you’ve had so many hits, so many hurts, and so much rejection. The devil is trying to ruin you to your purpose.

 The Father retains the right to name you his son or his daughter, but the world wants to name you “looser”. – can’t do nothing right! But even successful people, people with a lot of money, their success is an attempt to name themselves. People can have a huge amount of money, but at the root is poverty, because they can’t get enough. What they have, what they earn still doesn’t make them feel different about themselves. They look like they have it together on the outside, but on the inside they are empty, dry, and dead.

 The thief is working in their lives. He has stolen, killed, and destroyed the purpose that God put in their life. Their purpose is not about money, but about love – love for God and love for those around them.

God wants you to prosper, yes, but he wants you to first prosper from the inside, and that can only happen with his Spirit on the inside – the thief has come to steal and kill and destroy, but I, Jesus says, I have come to give you life, life abundant.

A person’s life does not consist in the things that he or she has. There is no life in those things – it’s a lie. I live in a nice house and drive a nice truck, but I can tell you that if I had not found Jesus, I would be suffering a mid life crisis right now. I had all the things that the American Dream promises. Great wife, great children, great job, great money, and great toys, but in the end it’s empty, meaningless, dead, unless God is at the center of it all. It’s all special at the beginning, but with time it all does the slow fade; it becomes just normal or even dull, because there’s no life in it apart from God.

The thief wants to ruin you. And some of you are angry at the people that he’s used. And as long as you still hold something against that person, and you walk in hurt, and you walk in bitterness, then the thief is succeeding, because as long as you are living apart from God and his love, and his will, the thief has you tied up. He’s kept you from your purpose. He’s keeping you from becoming all that God created you to be. He’s keeping from the goodness of his purpose; he’s keeping you from life, life abundant; The Thief is keeping you from being filled with God’s great love, his joy, and his peace.

As long as you got your guns pointed at flesh and blood, the devils going to take you out! Paul tells us that we don’t wrestle with flesh and blood.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:10-12 (NIV)  

We’ll be talking about that more next week.

This is how Eugune Peterson and the message translates the same passage:

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Ephesians 6:10-12 (MSG)

That’s another couple of verses in your Bible that you need to underline and know, because it lets you know who you’re wrestling with.

When people do things to you, you need to know who you’re wrestling with. You’re not wrestling with them; you’re wrestling with the one who is stealing, killing, and destroying them, and Satan is using them in an attempt to steal and kill and destroy you. We’re called to pray for them and forgive them. Jesus is on the cross with a 12 inch spike in each of his legs and arms, and he knows he’s dying and he says, forgive them because they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re conspiring with the devil to kill and steal and destroy and they don’t even know it.

Satan was using them to kill God’s purpose of redemption – pop bottle – redeem for deposit.

Here’s the great news! What Satan wants for evil, God redeems for good. In Jesus’ death, the people who put him to death meant it for evil, but God redeemed it and made it good. What others do to us as evil, when we seek to forgive them we will be blessed. This doesn’t mean that we forget about the evil that they have done to us and it doesn’t mean that we trust them again right away, but what it does mean is that we are to strive to pray for them and love them, because the thief is sucking the life and purpose that God created them for, right out of them. Satan is killing and stealing and destroying everything that God created them for and apart from God, there is no hope for them, so we’re called to pray for them.

The thief cannot do anything to me when I’m filled with God’s love. Someone can come up to me and put a gun to my head and pull the trigger and I do not need to fear, because I will be in the arms of Jesus before he takes his next breath.

When people do something evil to me, I have to deal with the consequences, but they have to deal with God. Because it’s those people who leave everything unprotected – these are the people who get their very purpose kepto’ed – these are the people who will stand before the judgment seat of God and they will be asked what they have done with all that God has given them? God will look at them and he will see that they don’t have any love, no peace, no joy, no patience, no kindness – he will see that everything within them is completely selfish and he will say away from me you evil doer – you who have sided with the thief.

I’ve had people who have sent me emails and who have said very unkind things to me and I immediately begin to pray for them, because I realize that Satan is trying to kill and steal and destroy them. I say, “Father, forgive them for what they have done and I want to cover them right now with a blanket of your truth and life and grace. I want your blessing to fill them, Father.

The thief will try and get you to mess with innocent people – people who have never done anything to you, so he can get a case against you. The word Satan means to speak evil of. When you speak evil against someone or gossip about someone, you are joining in with the thief – you are conspiring with Satan and you are fighting against God. You are stealing and killing and destroying the purpose that God has for that person. You cannot build God’s kingdom out of Satan’s bricks.

Has someone wronged you or hurt you? Pray for them, don’t talk about them behind their back, because you are either working for God and his kingdom – for his goodness, or you are collaborating with the thief. There is no middle ground. When you talk about someone, you are either stealing or killing or destroying their God given purpose OR you are helping them achieve their God given purpose. I am either building them up or I’m tearing them down.

Maybe you’re thinking that you haven’t chosen a side. Maybe you have not yet chosen to be on God’s side; maybe you’re thinking you’re just sitting on the fence, but I’m going to tell you that the thief owns the fence.

The thief has come to steal – klepto – take your stuff, take your kids, take your dreams, take your identity, so that you don’t know who you are; so that you don’t know that you are a son or daughter of God ; so that you don’t know that you are created in his image.

The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy, but I, Jesus says, I have come . . . to give you – what does the Father want you to have? Life, life abundant.

How many of you have ever had anything of yours stolen? How many of you have had your heart stolen – your love stolen away? How about your virtue? How many of you have had your peace or your joy stolen away?

How many of you are angry because your marriage is being stolen away day by day and piece by piece? You think it’s your spouse that’s doing the stealing, but it’s the thief. You’ve been fighting him or you’ve been fighting her, because you thought they were stealing away what you made a promise to protect, but you’ve been fighting the wrong person, and the real thief is laughing at you. He believes he’s got you tricked. He’s the master of lies and he’s a master deceiver – he’s the thief.

What’s he stealing, or what has he stolen from you.

It wasn’t your spouse, it wasn’t your boss, it wasn’t your mom or your dad or that black man or white woman, it wasn’t a co-worker, it wasn’t the pastor or the congregation, it wasn’t someone from your family that took that from you, it was the Thief ; it was the Devil – the Devil stole it from you.

Do you know that you don’t have power or authority over any of those people who hurt you, but you do have power over the thief; you do have power over the Devil!

 

God attached consequences to every choice to help you and I make the right one. When I’m not tithing, the devil says, “Thanks for allowing me to rob you of the joy of giving”. Complacency. God gives me an idea and I don’t act on it, and I say, “Maybe next time or next year”. The thief says thank you!

God has ordained that dumb stuff not be eternal.

There are physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences to ways that are not God’s. When we allow the devil in, he robs us of all the goodness of heaven and he gives us hell. We have all made bad choices and the thief came in. why, because God can’t bless a wrong choice. Why? Because there is no lesson in that.

The Bible says not to judge people, but we do. What does it mean to judge people? It means that we fill in the blanks. Somebody looked at you funny, but you know why. When you judge someone, you are determination the motive, value, and intent for their future. When you say or thought, “They’ll never amount to anything” you’ve made a judgment, but the deal is, you don’t know. You just became a fortuneteller and you’ve left God out of the equation. You’ve sided with the thief, and not only that, you’re doing his work; he’s using you to do his work! So stop judging. Stop filling in the blanks. Stop taking God out of the equation.

Authority works this way. In the natural world, we know that the police have the authority and when the thief steal something from someone, the police have the authority to go after them and lock up the thief. We don’t have the authority.

But in the kingdom of God you have been given authority by the King of Kings. You are sons and daughters of the king and he has given you authority over the thief

Mark 6:7 (NIV)
Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits – He gave them authority over the thief.

If you’ve been hurt; if something’s been stolen from you, let it go. Stop wrestling with flesh and blood and begin fighting in the Spirit. Forgive the person, but fight the thief. He’s the one who’s stealing your joy, your peace, and your love.

If you’ve has something stolen – go to God, because he’s the judge; he’s the police; he’s the one with authority; he’s the one who will apprehend the thief, and he’s the one who can redeem or refund that which has been taken.

Don’t walk in hurt and anger anymore; don’t look at others through your wounds. Those people who gave you your wounds are being used by the thief and they don’t even know what they’re doing. Go after the one who is trying to steal from you AND them. Go after the thief; take him to the authority; take him before God and apprehend him. Apprehend the one doing who is doing all the damage in your life. If the thief is in your life, get him out. Arrest him. Don’t let him have a foothold in your life. Don’t let him steal from you any longer.

Jesus came to uncover the real thief and to give you the authority over him through the power of God. God came down in the person of Jesus to show us what it means to live as Sons and Daughters of the King. Jesus came down to show us, that when we believe in God and when we say, “God, I’m not perfect and I haven’t always done your will. Forgive me, and fill me with your love and your Spirit, and together lets kick butt. Let’s apprehend the thief, because God, I want to become all that you created me to be. I don’t want the thief to steal my birthright any longer.

You are Sons and Daughters of the King. Know it. Live it. Apprehend the thief.