A few of our partners requested that we revisit our sermon on the Ten Commandments and dedicate more time to unpacking a few more commands.
There is Good News in the Ten Commands!
Blessings
Rebirth Church Sermons
The Ten Commandments Revisited_ Bevin Elliott
You may be seated. We love it. God is good and all the time. Amen and amen. So good to be in the house of the Lord. I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord. Amen. Family, we are in the book of Exodus. We are back there by popular demand. Yes. Some of our folk requested that we just revisit the Ten Commandments and while you are turning to Exodus chapter 20, just want us also to remember Pastor Clint was away with the China, Tokyo, Japan, Congo. He was a priest of the Holy Congo. Just kidding. Don't watch blood diamond. Okay. Also it was Tara's birthday I think on Wednesday. Tara's a twin guys I didn't even know that Tara is a twin. It was her birthday in the week. Also late on, late on birthday. How old now? late in six years old? Three years old. One more kid to come. One more kid to come. What? You're paying for another kid? Wow guys. Guys are brave. Are we all in Exodus chapter 20? Amen. Amen. I always admire these brave souls falling pregnant. The greens, Nicole and Brian look like they're ready to grow the church. Amen. Grow the church family. Because it was too loud of a no. Okay family, let's read from verse one. I also want to remind you that we did preach through the 10 commands before. So I'm not going to cover everything that I did previously. So I'll encourage you to reflect on the previous sermon that is catalog and pod bin. Okay. So we're reading from verse one chapter 20 and God spoke all these words saying I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves a carved image. Any likeness of anything that is in heaven above that is in the earth beneath that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God visiting iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me but showing mercy to thousands to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work. You know your son, know your daughter, know your male servant, know your female servant, know your cattle, your stranger who was in your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife nor male servant nor his female servant nor his ox nor his donkey nor anything that is your neighbor's. Verse 18 now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet and the mountains smoking. When the people saw it they trembled and stood the fowl of a man. God bless to us the reading of his word. Can we pray family? Heavenly father thank you so much for the honor and privilege that you have afforded us together in your presence in your name and around your word. I pray Lord even as we fellowship around your word it would help us to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to our hearts and we pray Lord that you will just anoint your speaker this morning and even as he speaks he will disappear and you will appear and Christ will be glorified in everything said and done in Jesus mighty name. Amen and Amen. Family I'm going to title this morning's message the good news of the law the good news of the law and so very quickly there are five reasons why God gave the law five simple reasons number one for who we are to him number two for who God is in himself number three for who God is to us number four for where we are number five for what God has done those are the five reasons why God gave the 10 commandments to the children of Israel and why they are still applicable for us today the first reason the law was given to Israel for who they were to God he had delivered him out of the house of bondage out of Egypt and now having delivered them from Egypt they enjoy a new status with him they enjoy being his children now they have been set apart as a holy nation and a royal priesthood as we saw in Exodus chapter 19 now they are a set apart people and they live under a new set of laws they are now a theocratic nation under God secondly the law was given because of who God is in himself the law was established for Israel for who God is and it also establishes for Israel why they need to obey him so verse two tells us that God reveals himself as the Lord your God Yahweh I am who I am he revealed himself to Moses in in chapter three as Yahweh I am who I am I am the almighty self-existent self-sufficient self-justifying creator I have no beginning and I have no end and so when you appear to Moses in the burning bush he revealed himself as the timeless one you know the self-sufficient one and this is his covenant name that is covenant keeping name and so when he rescued Israel out of Egypt it was because he remembered the covenant he made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and so when he reveals himself as Yahweh he's saying I am the promised keeper I am a covenant keeping God so whenever you see the name Lord or Yahweh in scripture it reflects back on this truth that God keeps his promises he keeps his promises the Lord reveals to us the character and attributes of God the ten commandments are more than just commands they teach us about who God is what God is like it was Reichen who said every one of the ten commandments are stamped with the being and attributes of the almighty God God's laws reflect his character because it reveals what he cares deeply about what he's concerned about and so he cares deeply about the way you relate to him he cares deeply about the way you relate to people when we break any one of his laws it is a personal just regard and affront to him because you insult what he cares deeply about deadly the law was given given to Israel and given to us for who God is to us verse two the god of the ten commandments is revealed not just as the lord and the god of the universe who was sovereign in power but he's revealed as the lord your god this god of absolute power and authority is not some capricious tyrant or some cranky deity detached from the personal affairs of the world no he is a personal god and engages with humanity in a personal way now i asked my wife permission to share this testament you'll know why in a few minutes and grable will find this especially funny because he knew me when i was in high school at primary school but i was this nerd looking comic book collecting weight behind the years teenager i'll be catch my old photos you'll see i hardly kept my hair cut you know i was an underdog looking guy you don't bear on me you just don't bear on me and so i was never really hit with the ladies but my brother was you know trained was the glamor boy you know and uh in in high school man i you know he was a skull a light you know baby it's located there he was a skull a light and and she was like a popular girl i'm grimble i'm not going to reveal a name can just stop there and so there was this girl i was infatuated with and she never worried about me until i started teasing her you know that's a trick up every boy in sleep and so i started this make-belifting i'm john black and she's malayna and we ran we ran with this may so rest in peace he passed away a few weeks ago and i would i would tease and and i never thought anything of it until one day a friend came up to me and said this girl likes you she really likes you she wants to hold your hand behind the prefab and you know what i was so in shock i was so in disbelief like nah i can never happen and so i told him no i traced the friend i said no go away i'm not interested in that right now just to find out a few hours later she he was serious and i was shocked that this girl actually liked me and she was so upset at me for closing the doors and gating and rejecting it and no matter what i tried i could never fix it and i'm sitting down i'm thinking family have you thought about this truth you have a god who has spoken the entire universe into existence god with all power and authority that is interested in you sure today razi found out iran's interest in that she might be wow i can never be i'm sure when both the way in nature tell the girl she could never like me this fisherman shouldn't it overwhelm us with some kind of awe and love knowing that the god who has existed before all time takes an interest in you and knows you by name man you should walk with your shoulder squared you shouldn't be walking around like nobody cares for me nobody loves me but god of all heaven and earth loves you and is deeply invested in you and takes personal concern about you this should move you this should alter the way you pray and the way you you love out your life on a day-to-day basis it's a great god of heaven who has not left the earth like a dead be dead he's interested in every single detail of your life and it's sad that some of us have ignored him like he doesn't even exist like he's not in the room and we've treated him like like like he's non-existent and we've missed out on the greatest relationship and adventure that you could have experience in a relationship i feel you sorry for three reason why god gave the law is for where israel were and for where we are ten commandments are not just instructions on how to get out of egypt these were rules and commandments given to a free people on how to stay free in other words god did not give the ten commandments to israel while they were in egypt and said okay now you prove your love for me first you obey all these commands and once you obey these commands then i'll set you free no no no god deliver them first they only told me to keep all the ten good moments he brought them out and he said okay now you're free do you want to enter into this covenant with me and i said yes we will be careful what you agreed to yeah they agreed to it they were they were grateful for what is that four hundred years of bondage now sit free and god said okay i i did this for you i'm the lord your god there is no one besides me and now since you've agreed to the terms of the of the covenant agreement of the coming here are the terms here's my law this is how you stay a three people the biblical definition of freedom is not doing whatever you want young people hear me out clearly this morning freedom is not doing whatever you want and wish to do freedom is enjoying the benefits of doing what we should be doing the ten commandments are not present bars they are traffic laws the absence of laws and and and guidelines only creates chaos and brings destruction the commandments of god are not constrains they are catalysts for freedom his restrictions bring freedom and liberation when god says no it says loving as when he says yes his nose are just as loving as his yeses god's prohibitions god's nose are blessings to us when god closes the door it's a blessing to us and and and so here is where the law now diagnosis of hot conditions because the law serves as a murder now and reveals our rebellious sinful fallen conditions because we don't like it when god says no we don't like god to tell us what we can and cannot do because we are fallen rebellious people lastly the law was given for what god has done first one and two and of excess 20 and god spoke all these words saying I am the lord your god who brought you out of the land of egypt out of the house of bondage god gave isra'u the law after he had delivered him he did not give the law first on the condition of the obedience to the law and so he gave them the law after he had saved them and they were now to show their hearts of gratitude in obedience to him salvation is not the reward of the obedience salvation is the reason for your obedience Jesus comes and he doesn't say if you will obey my commands i love you instead comes to earth and he washes the disciples feet and he says if you love me you will keep my commands and so his commandments are not burdensome when you love him when you love him there's no counting the sacrifices there's no counting the costs and so the power of the gospel rests completely on what god has accomplished in and through Christ Jesus and our salvation our repentance our obedience is only a response to what is done repentance is not the requirement or precondition for salvation repentance is a response to what is done to secure you for what is done to deliver you and save you on the cross all are doing and all we could ever do for him is only on the basis of what he's done for us he loved us first and the only reason why we love him is because he loved us first now let's look at the 10 commandments what they teach about god the god who gave him and what is required of us the first commandment you shall have no other gods before me that's verse three this command announces the unique the unique sovereignty of god who alone can say i am the lord and besides me there is no other i have no peer i have no counterpart i have no competition i am in a class all by my own i'm in a league all by my own i'm ontologically distinct from you completely infinitely distinct from you and from anyone else who will try to compare themselves with me i am the lord the only true god every other god is an imposter cheap knockoff i am the only try you and god this command calls us to exclusive devotion and commitment to Christ we learn in this command that god is a jealous god verse five tells us that i am the lord your god i am a jealous god god's jealousy is not about him being insecure his jealousy must not be mistaken for him needing us i'm jealous because i need you know he's a jealous god because it has everything to do with us needing him his jealousy has everything to do about his holy zeal and righteousness to defend his glory his jealousy also demands or also demonstrates his commitment to his people and to his covenant with us hodge tells us that the jealousy of god is a manifestation of his love and concern for his people's wealthy and god gave this particular command because israel lived in the midst of a polypeyistic culture and this short prohibition really deals with one of the greatest dangers that came along living in such a context and time it was more prone for israel and for nations back then to be given into idolatry because of the polypeyistic culture this short command dealt with the very temptation that every common is relied face in their time and it's not that god is competing with any god he has no competition it's not that he is the better version out of the selection of gods no there is only one god they are not many streams leading into one ocean there's only one way there's only one truth there's only one life there is no Allah there is no Vishnu Brahma Shiva there is no Haras or Cyrus Maduk there is no Zeus Apollo Artemis Hercules Aphrodite there is only one triune god and he has no prophet named Muhammad he has no prophet named Joseph Smith he has no prophet named Jim Jones Charles Russell soon young moon those are not his prophets this commandment is a call to exclusively worship the one triune god who revealed himself in Christ Jesus who is the only way without him there is no way of going and he is the only truth without him there is no way of knowing and he is the life without him there is no life he said I came to give life and life more abundantly no one comes to the father except he comes through me the first commandment called israel to covenantal fidelity and faithfulness with god like in a human marriage like when we exchange traditional vows god calls us to love and comfort and and keep and keep the covenant in sickness or in health in good times and bad times forsaking all others and to be faithful to him even to the death god expects his people to forsake all other gods and serve and love him exclusively now while most of us may not be tempted to worship pagan gods gods made of wood gods made of steel and god made gods made of many other objects and material we are constantly faced with the same temptation we are challenged by many false gods the gods of six the gods of power fame luxury pride self worship so the question to ask is how does a modern day Christian violate the first commandment Calvin stated that the human heart is a perpetual idol factory every single one of us from the time we were born we are experts in inventing idols idols of the heart idols of the mind we may not hold idols in our hands but we carry them around in our hearts we've produced idols and gods of materialism second Timothy Paul warns us that men will become lovers of money in the last days we have produced idols and idols out of self and never in the history of humanity or we expose more to self worship than you will see it today we have believed the lie of a modern secular culture that tells you that we are enough in ourselves follow your heart love your truth do what makes you happy be true to yourself self worship is the greatest of all idolatries and the most destructive that's why Jesus said if you're going to come after me deny yourself first deal with their god take up your cross and follow off the me there's another name for self worship it's called pride and it goes before a fall we make gods out of relationships oh Jimmy I love you Jimmy I can't live without you Jimmy I can't breathe I can't breathe you go tattoo Jimmy's name all on your back leg on your forehead Jimmy breaks up with you and there you are throwing yourself over the bridge because you made Jimmy your god somebody say amen please somebody say amen let me say this I'm not gonna linger long on this but if you make your wife or your husband or your kids or your girlfriend or your boss at work your god you're gonna be seriously disappointed because none of them are perfect whatever you make your god has got to be able to heal you when you see save your soul a lot of hell yeah come on you will never love your wife or husband more than when you love god more when you choose him more in a relationship that distracts you from your god you need to check and you need to bring into alignment as for me and my house we're gonna serve alone so in the morning if if I don't feel like going to church sometimes I have to remind myself I'm the pastor but I don't want to get up and my wife says no no no no no no we serve in the Lord we have to go to church it's always a striking enigma for me when someone who was born again tongue speaking leave the faith because of love you change your name you got some a rare big name going on and you forsook the fountain of living waters for broken systems we've made a god out of entertainment and pleasure we live in a culture that is given over to the gods of entertainment you don't need to look for to Hollywood we sit day in and day out pinch watching every series game of thrones what's out of secret will help me please don't watch TV we got we can tell you days of our lives we we sit hours upon hours upon hours consuming and worshiping this one i got never give our attention to ten minutes of reading the bible we in facebook but we don't have our face in the good book hours and hours on social media no time for god time for everything else no time for prayer time for everything else we worship personalities and celebrities and sometimes we make the labises out of creatures there was a preacher that came came to to town and there were thousands of flocks and by the time when she came up to preach she couldn't even preach because thousands were just clapping and grabbing at her heels whatever your heart clings to and confides in that really is your god that's your functional savior second commandment versus four to six you shall not make for yourself a carved image for any likeness of anything that is in heaven above there's in the earth beneath there's in the water under the earth you should bow down to them or serve them for i the lord you got him a jealous god possessing iniquities of the fathers to the children to the third and fourth generation to those who hate me but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commands this commandment condemned any images of god himself and and god condemned Israel for forming and fashioning images for a few reasons number one it is impossible to represent god in material in finite carved images made from means hands and imaginations no image can capture his glory he also condemned it because a fallen man's inclinations to idolatry they were just prone Israel was prone into drifting into idolatry and so he disregarded his worship with images and another reason why he condemned it is because we don't need to create images of god because he has already created them not for worship but to reflect his glory in the earth he formed man in his image and likeness we are his statues walking around the earth idols and images diminish who he is and who we are the first commandment was against worshiping the wrong god the second commandment is against worshiping the right god in the wrong way because you can worship the right god in the wrong way worshiping the right god in the wrong way is a form of idolatry you've broken the first commandment as well because god says the terms for his worship god says the terms for felt we don't get to set the terms on how he's worship worship is not about our preferences what our likes and dislikes worship is about what he has prescribed whenever we choose to worship god the way we want to worship god we are self idolizing and we worship god in a self idolizing way in other words it is self idolizing to worship god as we choose and not as he demands self worship the young says that Christ ultimately is the fulfillment of the second commandment because Christ is the invisible god made visible so look upon Christ was was to look upon the face of god Jesus did the seemingly impossible thing became a man and allowed human beings to see god a god that was not visible that's the mystery and majesty of the incarnation and it's a good thing we don't have a picture of him today so good thing we don't have any proper statues that really reflect what it looks like because we don't need any kind of image or icon we have Christ as the image of the invisible god and him we worship the third commandment is about honoring god's name verse seven you shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain or the lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain this commandment teaches us that god is a holy god and that his name is to be revered and respected you got to put some respect on his name what is it in the name if i mentioned to you now this morning the name of a loved one that has passed away your mind will be filled with so many emotions some of you would even come to tears right now because there's power in the mention of a name and so your name represents who you are represents your characters your reputation god is concerned about his reputation and some of us cannot understand the big deal about well about the third command we can understand the big deal about the first two but the third one feels like a gentle reminder just remember to honor my name but this commandment was so serious and such a bedrock principle that if you violated according to Leviticus 20 24 over 16 you were stoned for despondering the name of god was a big deal and so as of violating the third commandment is not a light offense because it tells us that there are there are three ways this command is commonly violated by every one of us firstly in profanity how often do we use the name of god when we're sweating when we're expressing vulgarity we throw the name of jesus in secondly guzzi tells us in frivolity you know in vain using the name of god superficially or likely when we make oats vows to god lord a vow in your name and we break the vow there's a violation of the third command when we when we prophesy and say does say the lord and the lord didn't say you're proffer lying and you're proffer lying you're violating the third commandment when you deceitfully use god's name say i'm a christian don't worry your money is safe with me and you run away with the money you violated a few commandments but you violated that commandment as well be careful how you use the name of god inclusive tells the third reason is hypocrisy claiming the name of god and acting in a way that disgraces him when we call ourselves christians and we quick to identify ourselves hey i'm a believer make sure make make sure you your jump is as high as your shout make sure you have some clout behind you behind your shout make sure it's not just lip service and it's life service god wants a so on his name because his name is majestic in all the earth says in Psalm 29 ascribe to the lord of glory do you his name Jesus taught us when we pray the our father he said hallowed be thy name because there's no name on the heaven we're by may not say but the name of Jesus the fourth commandment has to do with the Sabbath Jesus follows remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy just going to read verse eight what does this command reveal about god reveals that he is the lord of time and rest there was a lot of controversy around Jesus and keeping the Sabbath you read that throughout the gospels especially in Matthew a lot of controversy and Jesus always got into confrontations with the scribes and Pharisees over the issue of the Sabbath day and it was for two reasons number one Jesus kept the Sabbath but he did not hesitate to violate their own traditions that they built up around the Sabbath secondly Jesus reintroduced the Sabbath to us because the Sabbath was about no work no donkey no male servant but Jesus reintroduced the Sabbath as a day for doing good so he healed on the Sabbath and the Jews had a problem with it but he's trying to teach them that he is the lord of the Sabbath and this is what the Sabbath really means now there is a lot of debate in the modern day church around the application relevance of the Sabbath today and right now you're probably thinking shouldn't we be keeping the Sabbath you know and and the first thing we need to take into account that the Sabbath is a Saturday okay and so if you're going to ask the question is the Sabbath day still relevant for us to keep today these are my convictions this is my belief I'm going to tell you yes and no yes and no no in the sense that the Sabbath is a ceremonial command and law in the ten commandments and when we read Colossians 2 verse 16 to 17 you can make a note of it Paul's writing and he says these words therefore let no one pause judgment on you in questions of food and drink and with regards to a festival or a new moon or a seventh these are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to Christ notice he included the Sabbath as a shadow and something that found its fulfillment in the substance of Christ we find it in Hebrews 4 Hebrews 4 was 9 to 10 right of Hebrews here so then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God who ever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his in context he's speaking about Christ becoming our rest and we cease from the works of the law and now we found our rest in Christ and so Christ has become the fulfillment of the ceremonial aspect of the of the Sabbath including the specific requirement to rest on the seventh day and that no longer my conviction applies and it's no longer binding on the Christian to keep the Saturday free from work so yes you can clocking at work on Saturday as with much of the Old Testament the fourth the fourth commandment the commandment of the Sabbath finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Christ but there is there is a lesson for us here Christ is our spiritual race and we cease from our works and labor to please him the world and everything around it and especially in the context of our faith and our and our relationship with God we are always trying to work for our salvation we are always trying to to please God with our efforts and attempts but he is already pleased with us because of our Christ that because of his righteousness and all we do is a response everything we do is a response to what Christ has accomplished and so when we come into relationship with Christ we come into the seventh that's why I say come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden I will give you rest and so the Sabbath in the other sense is applicable in that it teaches us three things number one it teaches us to reflect on the truth that God is a creator Creator though the world in six days and in seven days the rest of God is our creator secondly it teaches us the importance of physical rest physical rest you need to take time out in the week or in the day to rest and if the corporate world will have its way or run you like a machine to the grave they don't care they'll replace you when you got you need to fight for your rest take your holidays go on leave go to the Maldives travel the world each hike somewhere you know take a break have a nothing moment you know I enjoy the wind in your hair so it's essential for us to find physical rest because with the body repairs itself when it's resting the mind is revitalized in the rest we were not designed to exist without rest thirdly it teaches us the Sabbath it teaches us the importance of making time for God in the week set a day aside for worship that's why we talk about church that's why we come to church because in a sense we are honoring our spiritual rest we need to come together and praise his name and rejoice in the rest that we have found first common moment now we turn from the topics and the commandments that address our relationship with God and now we turn to the topics that address human relationships verse 12 honor your father and your mother at your days maybe long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you this commandment reveals and highlights for us that God is a father God addressed human relationships because it is most central to the continuation of the gospel to the continuation of our faith that has passed from one generation to the next the parent child relationship so call to honor parents that call that specific call to honor parents is actually a call to honor God to honor your parents and to disrespect or to honor God and to disrespect your parents is to dishonor God can i say it again to honor God to come to church sing praise and lift up your hands cry it's not entranor on the floor 20 hours you call up into the garden and you go home and you told to do the dishes and you say no and you're rebellious that means nothing you disobey God you've dishonored God by dishonoring his delegated authority new testament Paul explicitly teaches us in Ephesians 6 he says children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right honor your father and your mother this is the commandment with the only commandment the first commandment word promise and then he says so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth that's the promise the promise of a long life on the earth but but listen here the writers of the new testament and and when God spoke these words and the Hebrews understood that we live in a real world and people die so they are not dumb to assume that if you honor your parents you're going to live till 120 years old no this means and implies that you will enjoy a quality of life that is quite distinct from others by simply listen to the advice and the wisdom of your parents now listen here what dad said i'm going to say sometimes sometimes appearance not all the time but sometimes they give instructions that are not publical like uh he says and he says and he says and he says come here my mother is invited me to go buy cigarettes i didn't know no i'm not buying cigarettes you know and i required her to respect my my faith so there are those exceptions and those moments where when it comes down to choosing God and choosing certain advice from your parents where you need to throw a line and say mom and dad please respect my faith and what i believe to be the word of God amen okay so this phrase long life has to do with abundant life and enjoying the blessings of that God has for you when you listen to your mom and dad now you may not have grown up with your mom and dad you may be living under the house of your grandmother or uncles in that same scenario the supplies this is a template to respect authority in the home the first commandment is not just about parents and children it's also a relationship template for when you wait for whatever authority is over your life whether that's in government whether it's a church whether it's at work whether it's school the template to respect and honor authority now the last four words i'm going to say about honoring parents is this the first thing you honor your parents when you say yes mom yes dad that when obedience is prompt when obedience is cheerful that's how you honor your parents second way you honor your parents is when you say thank you mom and thank you dad oh man this can be a mission to crank out the kids all the time but you teach them you teach champion you don't don't hold back the third way is kids when you are wrong say i'm sorry this is this is probably harder than the first two don't do what people are famous for doing i'm sorry but but were you offended i'm sorry if you offended i don't say i'm sorry but but what what my sister done was worse oh oh i'm sorry but ABCD learn to take accountability at a young age say i'm sorry for what i did i should have known better i promise to try and do better next time don't be a smarty pants learn to take responsibility lastly learn to reach out to your parents initiate conversation greet them first say dad how was your day mom how was your day those are four simple ways we can stop our honoring our parents and don't bring home any gangsters i'm just kidding six commandments first that's it you shall not murder this reminds us that god is the lord and giver of life he forbids the taking of innocent life because he is a life giving god now jesus expands this commandment for us he met you five twenty one to twenty two when jesus says you have heard it said to people long ago you shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment but i tell you anyone who is angry with his brother and sister will be subject to judgment again anyone who says to a brother or sister raka is answerable to the courts and anyone who says you fool will be in danger of hell fire the sixth commandment not only prohibits violent acts of murder but all violent emotions and intentions of the heart you can be 100 free from the act of murder and still face the wrath of god if you hold bitterness and anger and hatred and rage towards anyone you hold offense because hatred and unforgiveness are the seeds of murder harboring unforgiveness and bitterness and intending to harm others not by physically harming them upon harming them through slander and accusation is a form of hatred and murder it's a violation of the sixth commandment and the seventh commandment the one you will be waiting for verse 14 you shall not commit adultery what does this tell us about god tells us that god is a god of purity and faithfulness tells us that god expects us to keep our covenants as he is a covenant keeper it also tells us that god god is a god of joy because this commandment is intended to preserve what a sacred sex children block your ears i'm just kidding you need to hear this that sex is to be enjoyed in the confines and boundaries of a covenant marriage and when it is taken out of marriage it becomes a destructive force so god is giving this this commandment so that we keep our joy in the covenant of marriage adultery is a violation of the most sacred trust between two individuals child's virgin says that it's a crime that begins it begins with an unfaithful heart and it ends in the ruin of many innocent lives its pleasures are fleeting but its merceries were lost for a lifetime it affects the guilty and it affects the innocent and society at large the damaging effects of adultery or the reason why god included it in the ten commandments you break a marital covenant you destroy trust you cause emotional and mental trauma that will last a lifetime it tears down the family home it leads to sexually transmitted diseases it has financial implications the list is endless it creates wounds that only god can heal its damage extends beyond the two individuals and it takes aim at destroying children and homes Matthew Henry said adultery is a fire that burns straight down to the put of hell and will consume souls families reputations dignity and it will leave nothing in its wake the risk of adultery are too great and the consequences are too severe for you to be found with your zip down the rewards of fleeting but choose integrity choose faithfulness choose love choose god's way Satan is waging an all-out war against the marriage because the marriage is the cornerstone of civilization there's perhaps not any one of us here not affected by adultery you can tell the story you look back on your family line this is a weapon of mass destruction we owe it as men in our homes we owe it as wives in our home to protect our marriages to protect our families it just simply isn't worth it and if you've fallen and had to overcome this issue in your past and if you found yourself in a place where you were caught up in an adult source of a rejoice now in the grace you've received rejoice now in the forgiveness you have received from god because god can restore broken marriages god can leave both broken marriages god can god does not abandon the most sinful human being on the earth god does not abandon those who are sinned previously sin can bring destruction but his grace and his mercy can restore the loss can repair broken relationships and once we find repentance and once we receive his forgiveness the door opens up for reconciliation and change and so forgiveness is at the heart of marriage because it's at the heart of the gospel we forgive and his grace helps rebuild our families and homes are you so with me sir so there is hope for hopeless situations and to my young lions here this morning you men that are out there trying to hold down your home and marriage remember to make a covenant with your eyes Job said I've made a covenant with my eyes to not look upon a woman that I may not sin against you lord ladies why young lionesses please don't make it difficult for the men this is not the garden of Eden cover cover cover men are being bombarded left right and sent essentially men cannot take a walk down the road men cannot turn on a TV ad men cannot go are you selling soap the half naked woman when you when you we in the more shopping malls we are bombarded because the enemy's agenda number one is to take down the man who was the head of the home he wants to emasculate men so men Satan is out to get us we are visually engineered species it doesn't make it any easy when we're looking at naked pictures and pornography it's an overwhelming flood of sexual sexually explicit imagery and content and subliminal messages and aimed at tearing down the man from media advertising social media cultural norms that have been established it's a difficult fight for men set the boundaries men fight the good fight of faith be a Joseph remember Joseph Potipha's wife I'm sure she must have been dropped dead breath taking gorgeous he sees it there and he realize he doesn't have the strength to fight so he runs leaves his coat because a fast run is better in a weak stand that's why Paul told somebody free youthful lust don't stand there saying normal overcome this you can look at beautifully like you can be half naked I'm gonna stand here I'm just gonna run baba run run don't go there don't go to that pub don't drive down their feet take a left turn short left long right whatever get far away the leader number block the number block the second number give cage your number drop your phone tramp your phone if you must it's not worth it just not worth it the eight common the eight common before getting trouble yeah well seven common the eight common is you shall not steal vast 15 the god who gave this command is our creator and provider reveals the god is a provider to keep this command means to recognize that everything belongs to god and that we do not have a right to take what is someone else's anyone who has been stealing Paul says must steal no longer but must work doing something useful with their own hands that they may have something to share with those in need so he's saying instead of thinking of stealing try to hunt down work but you can be a blessing to others so instead of taking learn to be a giver idle bird catechism question 110 asked the question what does god for bird in the eight commandments the answer he for birds not only outright theft and robbery which is punishable by law but in god's side theft also includes cheating and swundling our neighbor by schemes made to appear legitimate such as inaccurate measurements of weights and size and volume fraudulent merchandise encountered money excessive interest any other means forbidden by god in additionally for birds all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts this is a broad commandment commandment number nine we almost their family we are almost there commandment number nine is to tell the truth verse 16 you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor this commandment comes from the god of truth who is true in all he says and in all he does and as the scripture says he is the god of israel that does not lie that's first Samuel 15 verse 28 here we see that god cares deeply about verbal justice how you manage your words you are steward of your words we like to say you know sticks and bones may break or sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me that's just a lie lies have hurt more people than you can ever imagine ruined careers ruined families this command is meant to protect the home to protect marriages to protect our property to protect our honor and our lives and our reputations we see lies scattered throughout the bible from start to finish the serpent was the first liar we saw Jacob lie we saw labor lie we saw eventually lies led to to to Jesus been crucified falsehood is the substance of the devil's kingdom and by falsehood he maintains his reign therefore we ought to hate lies with all about hearts and souls as we desire to serve god this is one of those commandments lies that is associated with every violation of the tinker moments wherever his murder adultery falsehood you will find lies god is cared about verbal justice last command last command is about contentment excels 20 verse 17 you shall not covet your neighbor's house you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his male female servant or his ox or his donkey or his VW caravale or his polo vivo anything that is neighbors you must not covet this commandment reveals that god is sufficient and that he is good and that is omniscient he has every knowledge of what you need covetous covetousness comes from a desire to possess what god has not given us covetousness can be a destructive force when you read this commandment and slow it down it starts to sound a bit different the words of the tinker moment the tinker moment are familiar but when you slow it down it begins to sound like this you shall not covet your neighbor's house they sure have a lot of nice stuff in their home i'm so tired of living in this neighborhood we live in a dump but but daily lives in a sunny side of the brow must be nice to live there some with fancy well decorated they got a ps5 why can i have a house like it why can i live like it you shall not covet your neighbor's wife wow she's beautiful why couldn't my wife age like it i wish she was she was mad i wish i was married to someone like him and type of coves and muscles i'm sure it'd be so much more happier if i had a husband like that it's bringing all the dollars my husband just comes and slaps me with three figures look at her husband he's always so friendly why can't you be as friendly as as marlin why can't you be as friendly as him do you always cranky he's so good with the kids look how he helps around in the house i'm stuck with you why am i stuck with you when when there's so many other men out there why couldn't you be more like postabev until you speak to ladies away and she's even now and again she says who are you the trust issues such a saint but do they know how impatient you are at home do they know how you shouted the kids you know you only get to see postabev and shine here for an hour she has to love with this guy and and so you begin to notice what others have and you forget to appreciate what you have and you stop being grateful there's a very thin line between ambition and cover just very thin line cross it very easily you forget to give thanks for your score or score you forget to give thanks for the roof over your head you forget to give thanks for the wife got brought into your life to chisel you and shape you and and for you to grow together appreciate what you have do we always keep the law perfectly no the law serves the purpose of a mirror to diagnose the sinful conditions of our hearts God gave the law to a free people so that they can remain free the law is meant to point us to Christ who is the fulfillment of the law we find grace and power to obey the law when we place our faith in Christ it was not possible for Israel to keep that law because of their sinful natures a family we stand on the opposite end of the cross we are not just given laws to obey we are given the power to obey and the most powerful force in the universe the presence person and power of the holy ghost when he descended and asked chapter two the greatest power in the earth came to dwell inside of us and he gives us the grace and he convicts us and he says no no no no don't go there don't do that or when we do end up violating the commands he comes in to remind us there's grace to be forgiven you can restarts you can reap all may take a bit of a while but we'll get you there and that is the love and grace that is found in Jesus Christ none of us were capable of keeping that law I mean the first time you scroll over a picture and you get to go back or driving and you look once and then you look again and your wife says what are you looking at you would have been condemned already but he gives us the grace we're not condemned by the law we find freedom in his grace and he helps us to obey his commands and he says if you love me you will keep my commands amen can we stand this morning family I'd like to think that was a shorter sermon I've preached but my I forgot to put my time on let's close our eyes and just for the next 10 minutes if there's anyone who feels the need for prayer anyone feels the need for prayer you need a breakthrough in your life you're going to some stuff at work at home you're going to some some stuff at school your workplace you're struggling with sickness you're a place where you you say preacher I felt so exposed by the commandments today I feel so helpless son has broken me down to a place where I feel I have no more dignity I want to remind you today that our God is a very personal God he's concerned about every affair of your life every detail of your life I want to pray with you this morning some of our team our elders our leaders and just call out to the Lord our God who is faithful promised keeper God who is true cannot lie God who loves us so much that he didn't just give us a law they are keepers and I'll save you no years ago that delivers us first gives us his commandments and says yeah let me help you to obey me let me put my spirit inside of you let me make it easier for you I know you don't have the strength I know you don't have the capacity I know you are fallen creature I want to help you I want to give you the grace that is available through my blood see anyone yeah this morning I'm gonna welcome you over to the front don't hesitate don't think twice just come forward I'll pray for you very quickly don't get how young you can come forward just a few steps forward guys there's forgiveness there's grace there's mercy when we stumble and fall he picks us up again he wants to remind us this morning that he cares very deeply about he gave us his word because he cares deeply about us (somber music)