Appleton Gospel Church

Guard Your Heart: The tenth command of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall not covet...anything that belongs to your neighbor." Coveting means to desire something that is unhealthy, unhelpful, or unlawful. This command reminds us that all our problems are, first, heart problems. Obeying this command is especially difficult in an age of social media and expressive individualism. However, learning to guard your heart in Christ is the only way to find and enjoy true and lasting peace. Recorded on Apr 2, 2023, on Exodus 20:17 by Pastor David Parks. (Apologies, due to a technical issue, we lost the introduction to the sermon. However, it is included in the transcript below.)

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, the theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re finishing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. I hope this series has been helpful to you. Throughout this series, I’ve personally been struck by the beauty of God’s vision for human society in the spirit of these commands. It’s hard to even imagine what life would be like if we all truly lived according to God’s will/way. What a joy it will be to find out in the new heaven and earth. But through this series, we’ve said that the Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants people to live. And ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself — God’s law is a law of love. In this law, we discover that there is only one God, who is worthy of our worship and deserving of our respect, and we must find our rest in him. As a result, we must honor our parents, honor life, honor marriage, honor other people’s property, honor the truth, and today, finally, we must guard our hearts. This is God’s will for our lives. Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the tenth together today, focusing on the wisdom/goodness of this command, how this command connects to the heart, and how we might learn to guard our hearts in Christ.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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.” As we’ve said, the book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused on how we are to love the Lord our God, while the remaining six are about how to love our neighbor as ourselves. Well, today, we’re focusing on the tenth command, which addresses the problem of coveting, which means to desire or lust after things that are unhealthy, unhelpful, or unlawful. So first, let’s consider the wisdom/goodness of this command. Why should we want to obey this command? There are probably many benefits to obeying this command, but the main benefit, in my view,

Honor the Truth: The ninth command of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." There is a battle for truth in many areas of life. Truth produces justice, trust, and transformation. Christians ought to be people of integrity, who speak honestly about themselves and others and refuse to distort the truth or hide the truth or even exaggerate the truth, even and especially when it’s costly. Recorded on Mar 26, 2023, on Exodus 20:16 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

So, all year, the theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re almost at the end of a sermon series we’ve been doing on the Ten Commandments. And we’ve said that the Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants people to live. Ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself — this is a law of love. We’ve said this before, but it bears repeating that obedience to the law is not the way of salvation. Remember: being a good person is not what makes you a Christian. Faith in the person and work of Jesus is what makes you a Christian. We’re saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus and not by our works as good as they might be. However, once you’re saved by grace, learning obedience to the law, learning to do God’s will God’s way, is the way of Jesus. This is the kind of life that God wants for his people. So today, we’re considering the ninth command, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (Ex 20:16). And this command deals with being honest and telling the truth, particularly in a court of law, but this is just one example of what God wants for all of life — that we would think and speak and walk in accordance with the truth. And this is needed today more than ever. There is a battle for the truth in many areas and industries of life, including politics, education, healthcare, finance, science, and of course, religion. People are encouraged to create their own truth and then constantly share it on social media. You can’t just have beliefs and friends; you have to be an influencer or activist, promoting/marketing your truth. As a result, truth has been personalized, relativized, distorted, and devalued. We are surrounded and sometimes barraged by claims of truth going in every possible direction. And we know that all these claims can’t all be right. So what even is the truth? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the ninth together today, looking at three vital things that are produced when we are people who honor the truth: 1. justice, 2. trust, and 3. transformation.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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.” As we’ve said, the book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people ...

Honor People's Property: The eighth command of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall not steal." Why does God care if we take something that isn't ours? Because God wants people to do good work, provide for themselves, and live in harmony with their neighbor. And, as they are able, to be generous and hospitable, especially toward those in need. Why? Because this is the way of Jesus. Recorded on Mar 19, 2023, on Exodus 20:15 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

So, all year we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. And we’ve said that the Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants people to live. Ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself — this is a law of love. So today, we’re considering the eighth command, which is a command to honor other people’s property, “You shall not steal.” But this command is more about loving your neighbor than it is about loving your neighbor’s stuff.  There are so many implications of this command, and the connection to the grace and generosity of God is really interesting, so let’s jump right in. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the eighth together today.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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.” As we’ve said, the book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused on how we are to love the Lord our God, while the remaining six are about how to love our neighbor as ourselves. Well, today, we’re focusing on the eighth command, which reads simply, “You shall not steal.” This command prohibits or outlaws theft or the taking of someone else’s property. Put another way, we’re not supposed to take things that aren’t ours to take. This is about honoring other people’s property/stuff. This command is connected to the tenth command, which is about coveting or desiring what you don’t have. But first, here, the eighth command is specifically against taking something that isn’t yours. Have you ever stolen something? Maybe it seemed so small and insignificant that it really didn’t seem like a big deal. I think of shoplifting candy from a gas station or back in the year 2000 when Napster was breaking every copyright law ever by letting people share music for free. At the time, it didn’t seem like it was that wrong because it wasn’t hurting anyone, was it? Well, the gas station owner or the record companies and artists wouldn’t feel that way. The theft was directly cutting into their livelihood. But what does God think about this? What does the Bible say about the moral issue of theft?...

Honor Marriage: The seventh command of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall not commit adultery." Why does God care so much about faithfulness in marriage? What exactly is marriage, anyway? God's vision for marriage (and sexuality) as a whole-life covenant union is counter-cultural and far from easy. But at the same time, it is beautiful, wise, helpful, and good. It provides relational stability for the husband, wife, and children, security for the ups and downs of life, and can be a wonderful source of love, joy, and peace. Recorded on Mar 12, 2023, on Exodus 20:14 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. And we’ve said that the Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants people to live. And ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a law of love. So today, we’re considering the seventh command, a command to honor marriage. But why does God care so much about marriage? Isn’t marriage just a piece of paper? What even is marriage, and why does God care so much about faithfulness in marriage? Once again, there’s a lot to unpack here. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the seventh together today.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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 book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused on how we are to love the Lord our God, while the remaining six are about how to love our neighbor as ourselves. And we’ve seen that our neighbor includes our closest neighbors, including those in our own home/family. We were instructed to honor your father and your mother and to honor the life of every other person. Well, today, we’re focusing on the seventh command, which reads simply, “You shall commit adultery.” Whether you are married or not, committing adultery means having a sexual relationship with anyone other than your spouse. This, of course, limits sexuality to the narrow context of only being appropriate within the covenant of marriage. This sexual ethic is something that people in many cultures and times/places have found to be difficult to follow. It was no less countercultural for ancient Israelites than it was for Christians in the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus than it is for us today. However, it only makes sense once you understand God's intention for what marriage was supposed to be. So, for our remaining time, we will consider four things: (1) what marriage is, (2) what marriage is for, (3) what’s confusing about marriage in the Bible,

Honor Life: The sixth command is, "You shall not murder." What does it look like to keep this commandment? If God is the author, sustainer, and savior of life, then we must work for and protect flourishing life, being especially attentive to the most vulnerable lives among us. Recorded on Mar 5, 2023, on Exodus 20:13 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, the theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. And we’ve said that the Ten Commandments reveal how God wants people to live. And ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself. The Ten Commandments are really a law of love. Just a quick reminder, God’s moral law is not the way of salvation. We are not saved because of our obedience to the law. Remember, God saved the ancient Israelites by his grace from slavery in Egypt, and then he gave them the law. God’s law is the way to follow him once you have a relationship with him by his saving grace. So today, we are considering the sixth command, a command to honor life. But why does God care so much about life? And does this command simply mean we should avoid murder, or does it have deeper implications? Once again, we have much to unpack here. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the sixth together today.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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.”

Now, the book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused on how we are to love the Lord our God, while the remaining six are about how to love our neighbor as ourselves. We saw last week that our neighbor includes even the neighbors in our own home/family. And we were instructed to honor our fathers and our mothers. We saw that this was because parents are supposed to instruct their children in the faith and pass along any wisdom they have in how to live, both of which matter greatly to God. Well, today, we’re focusing on the sixth command, which reads simply, “You shall not murder.” Sounds simple enough, right? Not quite. You see, every negative command, a “thou shalt not,” if you will, also has a positive side. And the positive side is rooted in God’s character/nature and his heart for how this world ought to work. So, for example, the prohibition of the first command, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:3) also means that God positively intends for us to have a relationship with him. It’s not only about what we cannot or should not do; it’s also positively what that type of life we are called into. So here,

Honor Your Parents: The fifth command is to honor your father and your mother. Parents are supposed to help their kids grow in their faith and in wisdom for life. But what does it look like to honor your parents when they fail to do these things? How do we honor them if we have a broken or even abusive relationship with them? Recorded on Feb 26, 2023, on Exodus 20:12 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, the theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants us to live. And ultimately, this new way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord our God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Ten Commandments are really a law of love. So today, we are considering the fifth command to honor your father and your mother. Why should we do this, and what does it look like for us to obey this command? What if we have a broken or abusive relationship with our parents? There is much to unpack here. So if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the remaining commandments and then unpack the fifth together today.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 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.”

As we’ve said, the book of Exodus, written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the prophet and leader of ancient Israel, describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused vertically on what it means to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we’ve seen that there is only one true God, the creator of heaven and earth, who is worthy of worship, deserving of respect, and we must rest in him. Those are commands 1-4. Here, with the fifth command, and for the rest of the Ten Commandments, we'll turn from a vertical focus on God to a horizontal focus on what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. To love your neighbor starts with your closest neighbors, those living in your own home when you are young, and those in your family when you are older, including your father and your mother. Once again, v. 12 says, “Honor your father and your mother,” which, as the Apostle Paul says in Eph 6, “is the first commandment with a promise.” And here’s the promise: “that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Now, most commentators don’t believe this promise is meant to be taken individually but nationally. If Israel as a people honors their parents, as a society/nation, they will live for a long time in the Promised Land. But the language of this particular promise is interesting. It’s found again in Dt 25, although with a different command. Deuteronomy 25:15–16 (NIV), “You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You Must Rest in Him: What is the Sabbath, and are Christians required to observe it? Should we stay at home and not do any work around the house, or are we free to do what we please seven days a week? What if you're scheduled to work a shift on Sunday? Throughout the Gospels, Jesus refutes the legalistic interpretation of the Pharisees and their far-reaching rules for the Sabbath. Through this, we can see that the Sabbath is not a list of rules we're required to follow. Rather, it's an invitation to rest in and enjoy the Lord. Recorded on Feb 19, 2023, on Exodus 20:7 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. [Ten Commandments slide] Now, all of our sermon series this year are really trying to answer the question: if the gospel is true, how then should we live? The Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal to us how God wants individual people to live and, by extension, what he wants for our families and societies as well. Ultimately, this new way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord our God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourself. The Ten Commandments are really a law of love. So far, we’ve worked through the first three commands, which focus on our vertical relationship with God, including 1. You shall have no other God’s before or besides the one true God. 2. You shall not make any image or idol of any created thing for use in worshipping the one true God. 3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, or bear the name of God in a vain or empty way. Today, we have the final command relating directly to our vertical relationship with God before we move next week to our more horizontal relationships with others. So today, we’ll consider the fourth command, to keep the Sabbath day holy. What does that mean? Well, all of these commands teach us profound wisdom for how God intends our lives to work. But for several reasons, this command is especially hard for us to understand/obey in our modern American/Western culture. However, if we learn this countercultural Sabbath way of life, it will not only guard us from a life of over-work, but also a life of over-worry. Why? Because, a Sabbath way of life is a life of love/joy/true and lasting peace. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:8. We’ll read through this and then unpack it together.

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV), “8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” 

As we’ve said, the book of Exodus, written about 4,300 years ago, by Moses, the prophet and leader of ancient Israel, describes a key turning point of history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. Thinking about the context of this command, I can’t help but wonder how the ancient people of Israel would have ...

Deserving of Respect: What does it mean to misuse God's name or to take the Lord's name in vain (Third Commandment)? It means far more than being careful not to swear. Christianity is based on a relationship with God. And in this relationship (just as in any healthy relationship), our thoughts about God and our attitudes toward God matter a great deal to him. The way we represent God's name to others matters as well. There is only one God; he is worthy of our worship and deserving of our respect. Recorded on Feb 12, 2023, on Exodus 20:7 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. [Ten Commandments slide] The way of Jesus includes a unique message of what is wrong with the world, of who God is, and what he’s done and is doing to rescue and redeem people in Jesus. Christians call this message the gospel or the good news of Jesus. But if the gospel is true, then we’re called not just to believe it, but to learn the way of Jesus. And the way of Jesus includes a new set of morals or an understanding of what is right and wrong according to God. Ultimately, we’ve said that this new way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord our God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourself — that’s what the Ten Commandments are all about. So far, we’ve had a couple key takeaways that help us better understand the Ten Commandments. First, we must remember that ancient Israel was saved by the grace of God first, and then they were given the Law. So obedience to the law wasn’t the way of salvation, but rather, it’s the way God wants his people to function after rescuing them by grace. Second, we must remember that Christians do not pick and choose which commands or laws in the OT of the Bible we follow today based on our preferences or biases. There are different categories of law in the OT: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. And while the civil and ceremonial laws are no longer in effect, we are still obligated to obey the moral laws, including the Ten Commandments, because they reveal how God wants all people everywhere to live. So with all that, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:1. We’ll read through the first three commands and then unpack the third of the Ten today.

Exodus 20:1-7 (NIV), “And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” 

As we’ve said, the book of Exodus, written about 4,300 years ago, by Moses, the prophet and leader of ancient Israel, describes a key turning point of history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. Eventually,

Worthy of Worship: Everyone worships something. Whether that be wealth, success, people, or other created things. In the second of the Ten Commandments, we discover that Yahweh God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is the only One worthy of our worship. Recorded on Feb 5, 2023, on Exodus 20:4-6 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

 All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series we started last week on the Ten Commandments. [Ten Commandments slide] The way of Jesus, as described in the Bible, includes a unique message of what is wrong with the world, of who God is, and what he has done and is doing today to address the problems of the world. Christians call this message the gospel or the good news of Jesus. But also, the way of Jesus includes a whole new way of life including a new set of morals/ethics/understanding of what is right and wrong according to God. Now, before we jump into the second command this morning, I’d like to address a common question or objection that modern people have about the commands of the Bible. The objection is something like, “You Christians don’t obey every command in the Bible. There are commands against eating pork/shellfish or getting tattoos that you seem fine ignoring today. So aren’t you simply picking and choosing which commands you prefer to follow? For example, isn’t your belief in the sexual ethic of the Bible which prohibits any sexual relationship outside of a marriage covenant between one man and one women, based not so much on the command of God but more on your own preferences or biases? How can you accept that one but reject others?” And that’s a fair question. Have you ever wondered about that or heard that question before? If that’s what you think is going on with Christians and Biblical commands, I certainly understand why some people think Christians are bigots. So why do Christians believe that the Ten Commandments are still valid while other commandments in the OT law are no longer valid, such as the dietary laws or the law against tattoos? And the answer is that the 600+ laws of the Mosaic Law in the OT contain three categories of laws: civil law, ceremonial law, and moral law. Civil laws governed the nation of ancient Israel in the Promised Land, including certain crimes and punishments, the allotment of land, how the poor were to be treated, how debt worked, and much more. Ceremonial laws governed worship in ancient Israel, including the sacrificial system, priesthood, tabernacle/temple, dietary laws, annual festivals, and so on. Now, the civil laws ceased to operate many years later, during the time of the exile, when the nation of Israel was basically destroyed because of their covenant unfaithfulness. The ceremonial laws were in place until the new covenant established by Jesus because the whole sacrificial system, temple, priesthood, and more were fulfilled by Jesus. However, the moral laws are still valid because they deal with morality, or what is right and wrong for all people according to God. Of course, there is much more we could say about the purpose of the various laws of the OT, and many of the civil and ceremonial laws have an underlying moral principle which is helpful to understand — but the big idea is that Christians today are fine having a pulled pork sandwich, but it’s still wrong to murder people or lie or steal. We’re not picking and choosing what we like or don’t like.

There Is Only One God: The story leading up to the Ten Commandments isn't just the story of Israel: it's the story of God, and therefore of Christians throughout all of history. We see that the Ten Commandments follow the same pattern as the Gospel of Jesus: first, God rescues his people by grace, then He gives a law to show how we ought to live. Because we have already been saved by grace, we are called to love God and to love our neighbor. Recorded on Jan 29, 2023, on Exodus 19:1-8; 20:1-3 by Pastor David Parks.

Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript:

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re starting a brand new sermon series on the Ten Commandments in the OT of the Bible. The Ten Commandments are really the cornerstone of the most famous/influential legal code in history. And you might wonder, “Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today?” We have our own law in the US, but even as Christians, wasn’t the law a bad thing? Or isn’t it kind of like the opposite of the gospel? And the answer is that the Ten Commandments matter today because they reveal to us God’s will for us and how human beings ought to live. They reveal what is right and wrong according to God, both for individual people and for society. When Jesus was asked how to summarize the OT Law, he said it all came down to two principles: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. And as we’ll see, the first four commandments of the Ten reflect our vertical oriented relationship, our relationship with God, and what it looks like to love God with everything in us. The remaining six commandments of the Ten, reflect our horizontal oriented relationships, our relationships with other people (friends and family, neighbors and coworkers), and what it looks like to love our neighbor as ourselves. But ultimately, as we’ll repeatedly see in this series, the Ten Commandments, points us directly to Jesus — to our need for Jesus because of our failure to perfectly obey this law of love, but also to the power that is available in Jesus for us to learn to follow/obey everything that he has commanded. With that, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 19:1. We’ll get a little of the context from chapter 19 and then we’ll jump down to chapter 20 where the Ten Commandments start.

Exodus 19:1-8; 20:1-3 (NIV), “On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord…And God spoke all the...