A Fresh Take

Do not commit adultery. [Exodus 20:14]

Adultery: It's not just a plot point in half the romantic comedies out today.

In this week's episode of A Fresh Take, Pastor Paul and Mark examine the deepest, hardest, and quietest facets of the sin of adultery--what it is (hint: there's more to it than just having an affair), who it affects (spoiler alert: everyone), and why it's part of the Ten Commandments. More than just the breaking of marriage vows, adultery shatters the relationship not just between us and our spouse but between us and God. The sacred covenant meant to reflect God's love for his people suddenly takes a backseat to our own selfish whims and desires, and the outcome is just slightly different than that happy ending you see in today's culture where everyone ends up with the person they're meant to be with, no matter who gets hurt along the way. The vertical bonds of our relationship with God are mirrored in the horizontal bonds of marriage, and when one goes...well, the collateral damage involved wouldn't produce such a happy ending.

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"You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment." [Matthew 5:21-22a]

If the Ten Commandments were the first piece of the puzzle, Jesus fills in all the rest. The laws that dictate our external and superficial behavior suddenly become only a precursor to the commands laid down by Christ. Where the Law of Moses looked at the outward appearance, Jesus looks at the heart. This is especially evident in today's episode of A Fresh Take where Pastor Paul and Mark examine how Jesus equated murder with anger in his teachings during the Sermon on the Mount.

Anger isn't going anywhere. We're angry all the time, whether it's at our spouse or our kids or the driver in front of us or that unnamed "other" that has the audacity to disagree with us. And while anger in itself is not a sin--at least, not when it's appropriately directed--our responses to our anger certainly have the potential to become sinful. I'm angry, so I hit. I'm angry, so I cheat. I'm angry, so I yell. Unfortunately for our human nature, however, the emotion does not justify the response. Instead, we have to follow Jesus' lead and look inward to find the solution. 

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Today's Fresh Take is an insert episode that was recorded after the horrific events of May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. In the midst of their discussions about the sixth commandment, in which God tells us not to take the life of another, the news about this latest tragedy to befall our nation broke. Pastor Paul and Mark decided to dedicate additional time to looking at how we can respond in the wake of yet another story of innocence lost, families broken, and childhoods shattered: How are we, as Christ-followers, supposed to react to the shooting in Uvalde? How can we find hope, peace, or even a sense of stability in these times, where it seems like we're moving from one devastating catastrophe to another at warp speed? We will always fall short in trying to understand these kinds of disasters, but today's episode offers a glimpse of the life-giving restoration offered only in the person of Christ. Thank you for joining us for this special edition of A Fresh Take. 

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Do not murder. [Exodus 20:13]

Let's face it: Murder is everywhere. It's on our TV screens, in our movie theaters (or streaming services, if you prefer), part of our video games, and tucked between the pages of our books. It's been a part of society since the dawn of entertainment. Actually, it's been a part of society since almost the dawn of creation.

Murder is ubiquitous, and as a result we have become desensitized to its impact. How many of us remember that some of the great heroes of our faith were themselves guilty of murder? It's hard to believe that the young shepherd boy David is the same person who would later take the life of one of his loyal warriors. 

Today, Pastor Paul and Mark look at the prevalence and consequence of murder in our world: From the war in Ukraine to capital punishment to abortion, the sixth commandment still holds a lot of weight--and for good reason.

Next week, make sure you join us again as we continue the conversation by unpacking the recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. 

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Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. [Exodus 20:12]

We've reached the middle of the Ten Commandments today as we examine the importance of the fifth commandment: honor your parents. When we think of the two tablets of the Law that were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai, we can imagine that the first four commandments instructed us how to live "vertically"--that is, between us and God. The final five commandments tell us how to live "horizontally"--in community with other Christ-followers. The fifth commandment, to honor your father and mother, bridges the gap by reinforcing the relationship between God and parents as his representative authority in the lives of their children.

Parenting is, as anyone who's experienced it knows, a weighty subject, and today's episode of A Fresh Take gives it its due by recognizing that "honoring" parents isn't just obeying or following rules, it's the foundation of a relationship built on respect. Covering everything from how to respond when rules are broken to how to handle financial struggles to what happens when the care of an elderly parent becomes impossible, Pastor Paul and Mark show us yet again how relevant and realistic the Ten Commandments are in today's modern world.

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Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy... [Exodus 20:8]

Our series on the Ten Commandments continues this week with a deeper look at the fourth commandment: honoring the Sabbath and keeping it holy. In our deadline-driven, accolade-hungry, sleep-when-you're-dead corporate world, "rest" can be *that* kind of four-letter word. Our work becomes our idol and our productivity becomes its worship. But God had a better plan for us. 

From the very beginning, God always intended for there to be balance--work hard, yes, but rest well. We are commanded in Exodus 20 to "labor six days and do all your work" because the seventh is intended to be "a Sabbath to the LORD your God." So what is a Sabbath, anyways? Derived from the Hebrew shabbat, a Sabbath is our chance to step aside from our busyness and embrace the kindness that God has given in this day's gift. In today's episode of A Fresh Take, Pastor Paul and Mark break down four ways we can use the Sabbath to grow in our walk with God:

The gift of the Sabbath impacts not only our physical lives as we take time each week to decompress, but it also manifests spiritually in the person of Christ--the living embodiment of God's kindness and goodness toward his people.

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Continuing last week's topic of what it means to take the Lord's name in vain, Pastor Paul and Mark tackle a facet of that theme that rears its head from time to time in the lives of many believers: Does God audibly speak? Do people actually hear the voice of God? And, if they only profess to, is that taking God's name in vain?

In today's episode, Paul and Mark look at the various ways that God does communicate and how we can know whether the inner impressions we're getting that we attribute to God might actually come from him. When we receive a message or feeling or idea that we think might be from God, we can ask:

Yes, God can communicate in ways that are unexpected or ones we are not used to. But we have to do our part to examine our hearts to see if the clarity we're chasing after is actually coming from God or from our own hopeful desires. Those three questions will help us make the distinction.

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Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. [Exodus 20:7]

There is power in a name. Whether it's the nickname you received from your family as a small child, or the moniker bestowed upon you due to your accomplishments, or even the pet name you share with a spouse, speaking a name gives worth and value to it. And when we speak a name in something other than love, care, or affection, that worth has the potential to diminish. 

Today, Pastor Paul and Mark look at the commandment that tells us not to misuse the name of God. On the surface, it appears like this command might only apply to swearing or exclaiming in anger. But it's so much more than that. The name of God is representative of his character and identity. When we misuse it, either in flippancy, blasphemy, or hatred, we are allowing that misuse to creep into our own identity and rob us of the truth we know about the person of God. More than just a "tag" that allows us to interact with him, the name of God speaks to the consistency of his character and points us toward the true nature of who he is. 

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Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers' iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands. [Exodus 20:4–6]

When we think about the term idols, we might think of statues of Greek, Roman, or Egyptian deities, adorned in flowers and gifts and worshipped by acolytes who are putting their faith in stone. When we think about idols, we might think of alcohol, or junk food, or money, things the world promises will make us happy or whole or allow us to escape. But when we think about idols, what we're really doing is not thinking about God. And therein lies the problem.

The second commandment provides us with a guideline for our perspective on life: God first, in everything. The rebellious parts of us will want to push the boundaries and see how far we can in loving something or someone else more than God. Our posture of worship will adjust when we're not facing the LORD. It will become harder and harder to turn away from our lesser gods, especially when those idols are fleeting, abstract, or intangible things. But they are idols all the same.

In today's A Fresh Take, Pastor Paul and Mark will have a hard and candid conversation about idols in their own lives, and how our idols tend to fall into four distinct categories. As John Calvin famously wrote, "Our hearts are idol factories," and it's time to break the cycle. 

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Then God spoke all these words:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

Do not have other gods besides me. [Exodus 20:1–3]

The Ten Commandments weren't just rules to follow. They are how God revealed his character and truth to Israel as a way of shaping his people into a godly example for other nations. As we continue through our series on the laws of God, we turn our attention to the first and foremost of them all. The Israelites received these laws after coming out of slavery in the polytheistic culture of Egypt, where gods were fallible and flawed and not expected to be perfect, just powerful. Moses' encounter on Mount Sinai provided God's people with a new and greater understanding of the holiness of the LORD. Unlike the other societies of the day, God does not share power with others. He wants to be first in our lives. He desires our exclusive devotion, affection, trust, and love—and what's more, he's worthy of all that and beyond.

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