Part #2
Steps to a Better Life
A Study of the Ten Commandments
Welcome to the Stevens Creek Church. We are glad to have you here and I especially want to welcome our South Campus and our online campus. Let me know that you are watching … share it on social media.
We are so glad that you are here. Some time ago, a Gallup Poll revealed that 84% of Americans believe that the Ten Commandments are a valid guide to life. That’s encouraging until you realize that another survey revealed that only 30% of those polled could name even 3 of the Commandments.
For many generations the Ten Commandments were considered a standard part of a good American education. Children learned to recite all ten, but those days are over.
Those days may be over, but the Ten Commandments are still important. The Ten Commandments were written by God … on two stone tablets … and given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The commandments written on two stone tablets. On the first tablet, we find the first four commandments that talk about our relationship with God.
• First, you shall have no other gods before me.
• Second, you shall not worship idols or make graven images.
• Third, you shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.
• Fourth, you shall keep the Lord’s Day special.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is a summary of the first four commandments. He summarized the second tablet of the commandments when he said, “love your neighbor as yourself.” So, commandments six through ten have to do with how we treat other people.
Here’s the Big Idea.
The Ten Commandments teach us to love God and love people. We are not saved by them, but we are kept safe by them.
The context of these commandments is the whole Exodus story. God rescued the Hebrew people from slavery so they could be an example of right living. God would have none of this business of the Hebrews treating each other in the ways the Egyptian taskmasters treated them.
God’s agenda is people to be free, not to be suppressed by tyrants. The Ten Commandments, therefore, establish essential rules to keep people from becoming like Pharaoh.
A pharaoh wants you to work and find your identity in what you produce, but the Ten Commandments teaches you to
find your identity in God.
Here’s what was written on the second stone tablet that Moses on Mount Sinai.
Exodus 20:12-17
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land 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 give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
So, at the very top of the second tablet, we find the fifth commandment.
Exodus 20:12
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
I want you to notice that the commandment says “honor” not “obey.”
So, what does it mean to honor one’s parents? In Hebrew, the word honor means “weighty,” in terms of impressiveness or importance. To honor is to validate someone’s importance. It’s to treat someone as a person of substance, deserving respect.
It’s not about blind obedience but about listening to them, learning from them, respecting their wisdom, and experience. It has to do with full consideration to someone.
To honor your parents doesn’t mean they are always right, but you learn their story, you give weight to their advice–even if you choose to go a different direction. It is important to give grace to your parents. Try to understand the world that they were born into. Times change and we need to give grace to people.
1. Give honor. Show love and grace to your parents and you will be blessed.
Let’s revisit the context in which these commandments were given. In Pharaoh’s Egypt, people were only as important as they were productive to the economy. Therefore, people were disposable.
Patty and I are learning how to take care of aging parents. When your parents age, they need someone, maybe you, to be their advocate … even if you live in a different state.
Patty was born to be an advocate. My parents and her parents have been blessed because of her tenaciousness. I am speaking specifically of how she has helped them navigate the health care system. Patty knows their medicines and their conditions and she watches them. She fights for them.
Be their advocate. You have to work with your medical team; they don’t know what you know and you may not know what they know.
The Bible says that if you honor your parents, you will live long in a land of blessing. Patty will outlive me.
Let’s talk about your story … just a moment. Some of you are in church today because you had good parents that raised you to love the Lord. I want you to thank them and honor them.
Some of you are in church because you had not-so-good parents and you are here because you are determined to break the cycle. I am so glad that you are here.
So how do you honor a not-so-good enough parent?
The way we honor our not-so-good parents is by working through the process of coming to terms with what went on. Maybe you do that with a trusted friend or a Christian Counselor. You have to talk it out. Break the cycle. Maybe the greatest way for you to honor your parents is to forgive them. You can honor your parents by living a life that models honor and respect in your current family. I believe that when you show honor to your not-so-good parents by If you do that, I believe that you will live long in the land of blessing. Let’s look at the next verse.
Exodus 20:13
“You shall not murder.
The sixth commandment is you shall not murder or many translations list it as “you shall not kill.” The context has to do with viewing life as a sacred gift from God. We say it here all the time: People matter. Here’s the point.
2. Be pro-life. Care for all people at all stages of their lives.
This is not a political statement on abortion; however, maybe it should be. Our leaders want us to listen to the science in every area except in the matters of pro-life and pro-choice. There is no question here. God is pro-life. God values all life. Yesterday was the 49th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade. Over the last few years, progress has been made. I hope and pray that his generation will do what the previous generation could not do and that is overturn this law. God is pro-life.
Let’s go a little deeper for a moment. It's striking that the verb used here for "to murder" is never used in the Bible for things like killing an opponent in war or for executing someone who has been condemned to death.
There are very sad times when, for the greater good, wars are fought and people die. Also, there are times when convicted sons and daughters are executed for their crimes. The Bible allows for these actions.
However, I believe that the Bible also gives us examples of grace where we see people who have been redeemed and forgiven for their bad decisions.
At first glance, the sixth commandment appears to be the easiest of the ten to obey. Before we decide, to move on to the next one, perhaps we should hear what Jesus said about it:
Matthew 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
In simple terms, Jesus was telling us there is more than one way to murder a man. Watch your words and don’t let your anger get out of control. Here’s the next verse.
Exodus 20:14
“You shall not commit adultery.
This commandment seems very straightforward.
Adultery is breaking the marriage vow with a relationship outside of marriage. Most of us understand this commandment because we have seen it close up.
Most affairs occur when there is Emotional Immaturity, Unresolved Conflict or Un-met needs.
God designed that there are certain needs that can only be met in marriage. Not all of our needs, but some. When some of these needs don't get met, we create an atmosphere that is conducive for breaking this commandment. Here’s my point.
3. Be Faithful. Marriage is for better or worse. When things get worse, figure out how to make them better.
Start with yourself. Make yourself better. If I can affair-proof myself, I have cut the danger of an affair in my marriage by 50%.
What do you do?
1. Guard your Heart.
Affairs always start with a little discussion over in a corner of your mind. "I wonder what it would be like to talk to him or her. I wonder what it would be like to go out with that individual." Don’t go there. Don’t allow those thoughts to stay in your head.
2. Guard your eyes
Make a covenant with your eyes not to look.
3. Guard your feet.
Slow down. Do not wander aimlessly into places or dating websites that you do not belong in.
4. Safeguard your mate. Don’t smother, but keep them safe. Watch your friends and watch the work place.
Most affairs occur between friends, so I would beg you not to choose friends who are deeply committed to marriage. One more thing, work on your marriage. Sign up for the XO Marriage Conference at www.StevensCreekChurch.com .
Here’s the next verse.
Exodus 20:15
You shall not steal.
More than likely … most of us have probably had something stolen from us or maybe we are the ones that stole something…. maybe you took a piece of candy or maybe an apple from the neighbor's orchard or a grape from the produce section at Publix? We all have fallen into this trap.
On the surface this commandment is simple. To steal means the same thing today as it did back then: the taking of something which belongs to someone else.
Just as the sixth commandment (You shall not murder) safeguards life and the seventh commandment (You shall not commit adultery) safeguards love and the family, the eighth commandment safeguards property. It forbids theft, the taking or keeping of something that belongs to someone else. Some of you have not stolen anything, you have just borrowed long-term. At what point does long-term borrowing break a commandment? That’s between you and the Lord.
I admitted earlier that I have not preached all of the Ten Commandments in over twenty years. I remember one series because I had borrowed a ladder from Steve Saccone’s family. Steve is our Grovetown Campus pastor and will be speaking next week.
Anyway, as I am preparing the message back then, I was reminded that I had their ladder for months, maybe even a couple of years. I had to return it before I could preach the message. Of course, when I returned it, they graciously gave it to me.
What about the paint brush or punch bowl or serving platter or those books? What about the golf club, the chain saw or the phone charger? Some of you have some work to do this afternoon.
Maybe all of us need to make a list of everything in our possession that is not rightfully ours. List everything you've taken from your place of employment, everything you've "borrowed" from the shop, everything you've received on loan from friends, every tithe dollar that belongs to the Lord. Then, make a covenant between yourself and God to return everything on your list to its proper owner within the next 30 days. Start making amends.
There is a number of ways that a person can break this commandment: deception, schemes, gimmicks, promotions, sales tricks … some of these are nothing more than sophisticated forms of stealing. Here’s the point of the 8th commandment.
4. Be honest. Always trust God to provide what you need.
God will provide what we need. Be patient…let God complete his work; He will give you what you need.
Here’s the next verse.
Exodus 20:16
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
To bear false witness against others is to lie about them, especially for personal gain. The Hebrew word translated “neighbor” is broad. It can mean associate, a brother, companion, friend, husband, lover, or neighbor.
In other words, the Israelites were commanded to be truthful in all things, especially when speaking about another person. The people were not to lie publicly, as in a court of law by accusing someone of a false charge or privately by whispering, backbiting, slandering, or destroying his character on social media.
God’s people are to reflect His character. Here’s the point of the 9th commandment.
5. Be trufthful. You will discover genuine freedom when you tell the truth.
The truth shall set you free. It requires a lot of inner strength, to tell the truth. That’s why people struggle with remaining spiritually and emotionally free.
Always tell the trust. It takes courage to be truthful.
There are times when it is easier to tell a lie and hard to tell the truth. What do you do? Tell the truth or be quiet. Don’t say anything. I appreciate the 9th step of the 12 steps when it says: Make amends "except when to do so would injure them or others." We don't want our actions to cause further damage, harm or stress.
In summary, the 9th commandment forbids telling a lie, spreading a lie or living a lie. Here’s the final verse.
Exodus 20:17
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The key to understanding this commandment is in the definition of the word “covet.” In the original language this meant “to lust after or to long for with great desire.”
The desire in this case is for something or someone that does not belong to you. The Israelites were told not to lust after their neighbor’s possessions—his house, land, ox or donkey, or the people in his life—his wife or servants. The Israelites were not to desire, long for, or set their hearts on anything that belonged to anyone else.
Simply said, be content with what you have. Here’s my point.
6. You are enough. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Focus on the blessings God has given you.
In our day, covetousness is called materialism. It warns us about the passion to possess. This commandment reminds us, just like the first one, to Put God first.
God wants you prioritize your lives around Him.
God wants to be number one in your life.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Set Up HEALING
In Numbers 21, after the Ten Commandments were given, the Israelites were in the desert, headed toward the Promised Land.
God had given them victory over different armies, he partred the Red Sea, freed them from slavery, but they got tired of traveling through the desert, they begin to complain and be disgruntled. They started talking bad about Moses, stirring up trouble.
Numbers 21:6
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
The next verse says, "They came running back to Moses and said, 'Moses we have sinned. Please pray that God will take away these snakes".
Here’s what God told Moses to do: "Make a bronze snake, put it up on a pole and everyone that looks up at that snake will be healed".
Why would he choose a snake? That's what they were trying to get rid of. God took the very thing that was the problem and turned it in to the solution.
From then on anyone who looked up at that bronze snake was healed. Years later Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, he said in
John 3:14-15
“As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life”
Moses having the bronze snake on a pole was foreshadowing Jesus dying on the cross.
On the cross Jesus took all of our failures, all of our shame, our guilt, now whoever looks up to the Son of God and believes in him will live.
My question is: what are you looking at? Your circumstances? How big the problem is?
This virus has me so worried? You need to look up,
• there's salvation when you look up.
• there's freedom when you look up,
• there's victory when you look up,
• there's healing when you look up,
Don't go through life looking down, thinking this problem is too big, it's never going to work out, I've been through too much.
Get a new perspective: the forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you.
You may have been bitten by mistakes, bitten by divorce, bitten by hurts, but that is not how your story ends. That poison doesn't have the final say, God is saying: look up, you haven't seen your best days, promotion is coming, the right people are coming, healing is coming in Jesus’ name.
Personal Story of Healing
Closing Prayer ....
Prayer for People in Need
