Every society has a definition of theft.
But not every society has God’s definition.
In a culture that has become skilled at glamorizing theft, excusing dishonesty, and normalizing what God forbids, the sermon Stolen Images by Bishop Omar Thibeaux brings the church back to the foundation of the moral law: “Thou shalt not steal.”
The message begins in the Book of Jasher with Rachel stealing her father’s images. At first glance, it may appear like a small detail in the larger story of Jacob leaving Laban. But Bishop slows the moment down and shows that Rachel’s act carries spiritual, moral, and practical weight.
She took what did not belong to her.
That is where the sermon begins.
The Story Behind the Stolen Images
Rachel did not steal ordinary pictures.
Bishop explains that the images were idols, false gods, and instruments of divination. Rachel feared that Laban might use them to discover where Jacob and his household were going, so she took them.
But even though the images were wrong, they still did not belong to her.
That distinction matters.
It is possible to take something from a wrong person, a wrong system, or a wrong environment and still be wrong for taking it. God’s law does not excuse theft simply because the object stolen was problematic.
This is why the sermon is not only about what Rachel took. It is about the principle beneath the action.
What Is Stealing?
Bishop defines stealing as taking anything of value from another without permission, with the intent of depriving the owner of its use or value.
That definition is broader than most people realize.
It includes more than robbery.
It includes more than breaking into houses.
It includes more than shoplifting.
It includes anything we take, keep, use, withhold, misrepresent, or enjoy that does not rightfully belong to us.
That definition immediately turns the sermon from a message about “those people out there” into a mirror for everyone listening.
How Culture Normalizes Theft
One of the most compelling parts of the sermon is Bishop’s analysis of culture.
He argues that the world has sensationalized, dramatized, glamorized, and normalized stealing. Movies and shows often make theft look clever, exciting, strategic, and even noble. The audience ends up rooting for the thief because the story is designed to make rebellion feel righteous.
This is not accidental.
Bishop explains that the enemy uses entertainment to desensitize people. The same system that normalizes stealing also normalizes fornication, adultery, perversion, rebellion, and lawlessness.
The goal is not merely entertainment.
The goal is conformity.
The world slowly raises the temperature until people no longer recognize how far they have drifted from God’s standard.
The Frog in the Water
Bishop uses a familiar image: a frog placed in boiling water will jump out, but a frog placed in warm water that gradually heats up may not notice the danger.
That is how moral decline often works.
It does not always happen suddenly. It happens gradually. The conscience is softened. The standard is lowered. The forbidden becomes funny. The sinful becomes cinematic. The wrong becomes normal.
This is why believers must stay awake.
The issue is not that Christians can never watch a movie or enjoy a story. The issue is discernment. Adults may recognize fiction, but younger generations are still forming their conscience. Parents must be willing to explain, correct, teach, and compare culture’s message with God’s Word.
God’s View of Theft
God’s command is clear:
Thou shalt not steal.
Bishop teaches that stealing offends the justice of God because justice gives each person what is due. The thief takes what they did not work for, while the rightful owner is deprived of what they earned, built, saved, or stewarded.
That is unjust.
This is why biblical law required restitution. The thief was not simply told to feel bad. They had to repair the damage. Sometimes repayment was double. Sometimes it was fourfold, fivefold, or sevenfold.
God’s law teaches that theft creates debt.
And wherever possible, debt requires restoration.
Taking the Devil to the Court of Heaven
In one of the most hopeful turns of the sermon, Bishop applies the principle of restitution spiritually.
If God’s law required a thief to repay, then believers can appeal to God concerning what the enemy has stolen. The devil has stolen years, health, relationships, peace, family, opportunities, and purpose from many people. But God is a God of restoration.
Bishop reminds the church that Job received double after his trouble.
That means the message is not only convicting. It is also restorative.
God exposes theft in us, but He also restores what theft has taken from us.
Why People Steal
Bishop identifies several reasons people steal.
First, theft can come from a lack of faith. When a person steals, they are often saying through their actions, “God, I do not trust You to provide.” They may believe they must survive by their own methods, even if those methods violate God’s law.
Second, theft can come from greed. Some people are not stealing because they lack. They are stealing because they want more. They already have enough, but covetousness drives them to take what is not theirs.
Third, theft can come from satanic influence. The devil was a thief from the beginning. He tried to take what belonged to God, and he continues to shape people into his image when they take, kill, steal, and destroy.
Stealing From God
Before Bishop deals with stealing from people, he deals with stealing from God.
This is where the sermon becomes deeply personal.
People steal from God when they withhold tithes. Scripture says the tithe belongs to the Lord. To keep what belongs to Him is to rob Him.
People also steal from God when they take His glory. Every gift, talent, ability, opportunity, and success comes from Him. When He works through us and we act like we made it happen by ourselves, we take glory that belongs to Him.
But Bishop goes even deeper.
People steal from God when they withhold themselves.
The believer has been bought with a price. Jesus purchased us with His blood. Therefore, our lives are not our own. Our gifts, bodies, voices, talents, businesses, and influence are meant to glorify Him.
If Christ purchased us, then our lives should become the reward of His suffering.
The Many Forms of Everyday Theft
Bishop then exposes how theft shows up in everyday life.
Some forms are obvious: shoplifting, stealing cars, identity theft, scams, phishing, embezzlement, home invasion, and possession of stolen goods.
Other forms are more subtle: taking supplies from work, being paid for time you did not work, refusing to pay someone who worked for you, using illegal cable or streaming, pirating music, borrowing and not returning, selling fake products, stealing credit, or taking advantage of vulnerable people through predatory lending.
He also touches relationships: taking someone else’s spouse is a form of people-stealing.
This broad list makes one thing clear: theft is more common than people think.
The Law Leads Us to Christ
At this point, the sermon becomes less about theft and more about grace.
If we examine even one commandment deeply enough, we discover guilt.
That is the purpose of the law.
The law reveals sin. It removes self-righteousness. It shows us that we cannot stand before God by our own goodness.
Bishop makes it clear: by the works of the law, no flesh is justified.
We need Jesus.
Christ fulfilled the righteousness we could not fulfill. He shed His blood for sinners. He makes the guilty clean. He transforms thieves into workers and givers.
From Takers to Givers
The remedy for stealing begins with salvation.
A sinner needs a new heart, not just better behavior.
But for the believer who still has remnants of old ways, Bishop points to the biblical remedy: stop stealing, work with your hands, and have something to give to those in need.
That is the transformation.
The thief becomes a worker.
The worker becomes a giver.
The taker becomes a blessing.
This is not merely behavior change. It is kingdom transformation.
Love and Contentment
Bishop also teaches that love and contentment help cure theft.
If you love someone, you will not take from them.
Love fulfills the law.
Contentment also protects the soul. When a person trusts that God will never leave nor forsake them, they do not need to take what belongs to someone else. They can rest in God’s provision.
Contentment says, “God is enough.”
Correct the First Apple
The sermon closes with a powerful story about a boy who stole apples. His mother saw it but did not correct him. Over time, he stole greater things, committed greater crimes, and eventually faced execution. His final words to his mother were that if she had stopped him at the first apple, he would not have ended that way.
The lesson is simple:
Small thefts unchecked can grow into great destruction.
Parents must correct dishonesty early. Leaders must address small compromises. Believers must not excuse little thefts as harmless.
What is small today can become destructive tomorrow if left uncorrected.
Final Thought: What Are We Holding That Belongs to Another?
Stolen Images is not only about Rachel.
It is about all of us.
What have we taken that does not belong to us?
What have we kept that should be returned?
What glory have we touched that belongs to God?
What time, wages, credit, resources, people, or opportunities have we mishandled?
And most importantly, have we allowed Jesus to transform us from takers into givers?
The good news is that Christ does not only expose sin.
He forgives it.
He cleanses it.
He changes the heart.
And through Him, what was once stolen can become restored.
