Chapel Speech (October 4, 2012)

Exodus 20:15, "You shall not steal."

Today I want to ask you a question.  Are you a good person?  

Many people think that I am a good person, but I have a secret: I am a thief!

A few months ago, I came home from work. I was hungry so I went to the kitchen to find a snack.  There was a package of Oreo cookies on the table.  

I really like Oreos, so I thought, "If I eat only one, no one will know."  So I ate one, then 2, then 5, until I ate them all. 

At the time, I lived at home with my father, mother, and younger sister. The Oreos belonged to my sister. When she came home and saw that the cookies were gone she was very angry.

Taking something that doesn't belong to you is called stealing. In the Bible God says, "Do not steal."  

This means to NEVER steal, not once!  

It is a sin to steal. When you sin, you have broken God’s Law. 

When people die, God judges them.  If they are found guilty they must receive punishment unless they can pay the fine. 

The only payment God accepts is the blood of Jesus Christ.  Only people who accept Jesus’ offer to pay the fine will go to Heaven.

Since I am a thief, I must pay for my sin, too.  

However, I cannot pay for it with good deeds or apologies.  The price is too high! 

The only solution is to accept Jesus' blood payment.  

Many years ago, I accepted Jesus' offer for Him to pay for my sins.  I know that I will go to Heaven because I have asked Jesus to cover the payment of my sins. 

Now I am not called a "thief" but a "child of God."

I want to show Him my gratitude, so I read the Bible and try to do good things.  

It is very difficult and I often mess up.  

When I do something bad, this makes Jesus very sad.  I tell Him that I am sorry, then I go and tell the person I have hurt that I am sorry.  

This is the responsibility of being a Christian.  

So, on that day, when I stole the Oreos, I quickly realized that I was a thief.  

I apologized to my sister and bought her more cookies.  This made her happy and she forgave me.

Even though I was a thief, God will let me into Heaven because of what Jesus did for me.  

Being a Christian means that when I sin, I know that I have displeased God and I want His forgiveness. 

So, I tell God that I’m sorry for what I did and ask God to forgive me in Jesus’ name. 

One day, I will go to Heaven where God will give me a new body that won’t sin anymore.  What a wonderful day that will be!

So, now, I ask you, have you ever stolen anything? 

Have you ever lied? 

Have you ever disobeyed your parents? 

Have you ever hurt anyone? 

Please think honestly about these questions.  

If your answer is "yes," then please follow Jesus and accept His free gift.

Ask God for forgiveness, and accept Jesus as your only Lord and Savior who can remove from God’s sight the bad things you’ve done, and give you a clean heart. 

Then read the book of Luke in your Bible, and learn more about Jesus!