The Ten Commandments - Part 2
Scripture
Exodus 20:1-17
20 And God spoke all these words, saying,2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3 “You shall have no other gods before me.4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.7 “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.8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.13 “You shall not murder.14 “You shall not commit adultery.15 “You shall not steal.16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” (ESV)The week prior to Easter we looked at the first four of God’s 10 commandments. Remember the first four:
- Put God First Every Day
- Allow God to Be as Big as He Is
- Give God and the Things of God the Utmost Respect
- Keep God’s Maintenance Schedule
Now, let’s consider the next six commandments:
V. Listen to Your Parents, and Parents Be Worth Listening To
Exodus 20:1212 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (ESV)There are two dimensions to this commandment. There is a word to parents and a word to children. Parents are to protect, provide for, discipline, instruct, affirm, and spend time with their children. Children are to honor their parents by respecting them, being considerate towards them, expressing gratefulness and love to them, and listening to them. Children are to obey their parents, not because they are always right; but because doing that is the right thing to do. Those who follow this commandment live happier and more fulfilled lives.
VI. Love Life
Exodus 20:1313 “You shall not murder. (ESV)Life is sacred. God authored life and places the highest value on it. From the womb to the grave, we are to treat people with dignity, respect, and honor. We must cherish life and defend it if necessary. This also means protecting life and taking care of your own life, not intentionally allowing those things into your body or mind that is harmful. Praise God for each breath you take and each day He has given you to glorify Him and positively influence others by the life you are living.
VII. Have Safe Sex
Exodus 20:1414 “You shall not commit adultery.(ESV)Let me define safe sex: Safe sex is sex between a man and a woman who are married to each other. God has placed marriage as the boundary around sex. If you are married, that means you are to be faithful to your spouse and will consistently fulfill the physical and emotional needs of your husband or wife. Adultery is sex outside of marriage or sex with someone other than your spouse. This commandment includes any type of sexual sin such as adultery, homosexuality, pornography, or sex before marriage. God is the author of sex, and He designed it to give married people maximum pleasure and a way of creating new life.
VIII. Be Radically Honest
Exodus 20:1515 “You shall not steal. (ESV)At the heart of this commandment is a warning concerning a self-centered, me-first attitude. Stealing is secretly taking from someone that which does not belong to you. There are several ways this commandment can be broken. In addition, you can steal by dishonesty, cheating, deception, false advertising, and overcharging. You can steal from your employer by stealing time—calling in sick when you are not, not doing a day’s work for a day’s pay, and by coming in late and leaving early. You can steal someone’s reputation because of jealousy, rumors, or allowing an untruth about someone to go unchallenged. You can steal when you don’t pay back what you owe. You can steal someone’s joy and enthusiasm through criticism and negativity. You can steal from God by not giving a tithe.Malachi 3:8-108 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.God wants you to be a generous giver, not a selfish taker.
IX. Stay Married to the Truth
Exodus 20:1616 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (ESV)God is commanding us to live the truth and always tell the truth. Lying is never acceptable to our God Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). When you seek truth it always leads you back to two eternally-significant realities—Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Satan, the “Father of Lies,” is the source of every lie, yet every person has the choice to tell the truth or to lie. Satan cannot make us lie, only encourage it. Lying leads to bondage, and truth acted upon brings freedom (John 8:32). God’s truth is absolute, not relative. It is truth for all times, for all generations, for all cultures, and for all eternity.
X. Be Thankful for What You Have Instead of Wanting What You Don’t Have
Exodus 20:1717 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” (ESV)Choose contentment. It is a choice, not a feeling. Covetousness focuses on something someone else has that you don’t have, but you want it. You want it so much that you wish you had it and they didn’t. The word “Covet” means “grasping for more”—always wanting “more and more” because just “more” is never enough. Contentment is focusing on what you have, being grateful for it, and expressing that to God. Begin everyday thanking God for what you have and His blessings on your life. Don’t take God for granted. Cease complaining about what you don’t have. Also, thank Him for what could have happened to you that didn’t.
Implementing these 10 Commandments will bring great freedom. A standard piano has 88 keys. Within those keys there is much freedom to create new music. These 10 Commandments are like those keys. As you stay within them you will experience God’s greatest blessings.