Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul begins his letter to the Thessalonians by expressing gratitude to God for them and for their work in Christ. When armed with gratitude, Christians are equipped to pray for and recall Christ's work in and through their brothers and sisters.

Mark Reeves \\ Scripture paints a clear picture of the qualities characteristic of a life that is being impacted by the transformation process carried out by the Holy Spirit. Remember from last time, we’re not talking about transactional grace, a system of “weights and balances” which determines our trajectory in the afterlife. Rather, these descriptives serve to grant insight into what Christ-like qualities the life of a Christ-follower reflects. It’s not a matter of working towards and conquering them, but rather, a deep surrendering of self as the Spirit accomplishes the work.

John Baumgartner \\ God did not give the Ten Commandments to keep us in a constant state of fear and guilt for not measuring up to His standards. In Christ, we are empowered to keep the commandments. Our motivation for living should not be fear of our Father’s displeasure. We should be motivated to keep the command, “You shall not steal,” by the thought of pleasing our God and Father.

Blaze Culliton \\ For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, they have been remade and reborn, and provided a new identity as children of God. The Apostle John provides that as part of that identity we cannot keep on sinning, and whoever practices righteousness is righteous as God is righteous. May we press into our identity, continuing to repent of our sins and believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ for our salvation.

John Baumgartner \\ The Ten Commandments are not mere prohibitions. They do not only prohibit—they protect. God protects the glory and sanctity of marriage by the commandment, “And you shall not commit adultery.” He forbids adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and all other kinds of sexual immorality in order to protect the blessing of marriage. God is not depriving us of something good by forbidding these things. He is protecting us for what is truly good.

Mark Reeves \\ For more than two millennia, both within and outside of the Church, the central truth of the Gospel remains veiled for many who are motivated by the desire to somehow "measure up." This is problematic, because the grace that sent Jesus to the cross was not, is not, and will never be, transactional. We can't barter or negotiate for it. We can't work for it or earn it. All we can do is accept it - by allowing the Holy Spirit to begin His work in us, shaping us into the image of Jesus Christ, “putting God’s laws in our hearts and in our minds.”

John Baumgartner \\ This commandment teaches us that murder is a terrible sin deserving of death. Our culture rationalizes this sin and breaks this commandment through abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. Our own hearts break this commandment through anger, bitterness, and name-calling. The only one who can free us from the death our sin deserves is the one who died in our place, Jesus Christ.

John Baumgartner // God is the one who gave you your father and mother. We glorify God by keeping His command to honor our father and mother. Young children do this by obeying their parents cheerfully. Grown children honor their parents by treating them with the respect and dignity that their position deserves.

John Baumgartner \\ God’s commandments are not burdensome. We see that clearly in the Fourth Commandment. Whereas we are prone to constant labor, God has appointed a day for us to rest. He has given us this day of rest to help us remember that He is the one who cares for us. We are to look back and remember all that God has accomplished for us and practice resting in Him for everything we need in the present.

Cody Weckerly \\ In this sermon, we learn about how much value Jesus gives to little children, and how we should as well.