Stolen Treasure

Last week, we began a series entitled THE THIEF. Jesus said…

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Satan is a thief. In fact, the greatest thief of all time is the devil. For millennia he has been on an unabated crime spree in which he not only steals, but also kills and destroys. All thieves have their tools that the use in order to pray upon unsuspecting victims. Last week we looked at THE TOOLS OF THE THIEF. In that sermon we examined the three tools that the devil utilizes to steal from us. He uses:
IMAGINATION (Matthew 15:19, 20)
INTIMIDATION (Revelation 21:7, 8)
ISOLATION (Genesis 2:18)
The fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BC is one of the most important moments in history. Nebuchadnezzar and the mighty Babylonian Empire decimated the nation of Judah. The king of Judah, Zedekiah, watched as his sons were killed before his eyes, then his eyes were gouged out, and he was carried in chains to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7). The inhabitants of the land, except for the poorest were also taken captive into Babylon (2 Kings 25:11, 12).
Long before Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem, the spiritual decline had robbed a once godly people of their place of honor among the nations. The priests had polluted God’s house with idols and encouraged the people to break the covenant with God (2 Chronicles 36:14; Lamentations 4:13; Ezekiel 8, 9). The leaders of the nation had refused to listen to God’s servants, so God sent judgment (2 Chronicles 36:15, 16). There was “no remedy” the day of judgment had arrived (Proverbs 29:1; 2 Chronicles 36:16).
Our text deals with the things that the Babylonians looted from the Temple. These were things that played an important role in the spiritual life of God’s people. The title of my message is STOLEN TREASURES. Never forget that the Bible teaches that believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Just as the Temple in Jerusalem had many important items in it, so too, our lives must be marked by these things as well. The enemy was able to steal these things because of neglect by the people. The writer of Hebrews warned:

1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? Hebrews 2:1-4

If we neglect these spiritual treasures, the enemy will eventually come in a take them from us.