Jeff Shelnutt Sermons

The fourth day sees the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. Not only do these give light to the earth, they serve as signs that move us to worship God. The fourth day creations filled ancient man with awe. They do no less for modern man, especially as technological advancements continue to reveal the vastness and wonders of space. Man is the focus of God's creation. And though the light of this world, the sun, is life-giving, only the Light of the world, the Son, gives spiritual life.

On the second day of creation God creates a space where He undisputably reigns. On the third day He creates a place where He will work. What God is doing in your life today is good. What God is doing in your life today is also preparing you for what He will do in the future.

God speaks creation into being through His Word. He is a speaking God. The first thing God creates is light. He is also a God who reveals Himself. God's Word together with God's light bring spiritual life. It is by God's light that we properly see reality. In God there is no darkness at all. Therefore, the light is good.

The first book of the Bible opens with a statement that answers some of the most fundamental questions of existence. Knowing what God did in the beginning gives us insight into what we can expect Him to do in our lives. The God who brings order out of chaos is preparing to bring form and structure to a formless and empty earth.

In this last message on the Ten Commandments, we consider how the Israelites reacted to God's Law. The Law is holy, righteous, and good. Yet, it serves a different purpose for the non-Christian than it does for the Christian. The Ten Commandments still apply to the church, but the desire and ability to keep them is a result of God's work in the heart. Commandments that reveal sin become laws of love.

At first glance the tenth commandment appears to be simply tacked on to the end of other more "serious" laws. But the difference between this commandment and the other nine is significant. It's the only one that deals with an internal act that only God can see. Coveting is the sin that has the potential to open our eyes to every other sin. Our desire for what is not rightfully ours to possess is rooted in discontentment.

This commandment is rooted in the context of judicial proceedings. However, speaking falsehood is not only bearing false witness, but also slander, gossip, flattery, and exaggeration. If Jesus is the Truth, then His people must speak and live truthfully.

The eighth commandment protects private property. Private property ownership is a biblical concept. Christians are called to be generous in their giving, but you must first possess something in order to give it. The eighth commandment forbids far more than theft. It also encourages far more than simply refraining from taking what is not yours. You are a steward of whatever possessions you have been entrusted with by God.

In order to understand how breaking the seventh commandment is so destructive, we must first understand the design of marriage. We discover that what is prohibited by this commandment goes far beyond the act of adultery. It addresses all sexual immorality, including that which occurs in the thought life. We can resist immorality when tempted, but only through the faithful and merciful High Priest, Jesus Christ.

The sixth commandment forbids the deliberate taking of innocent human life. The Old Testament gives us many examples of the types of killing that constitute murder. From these we glean principles that equip us to battle our contemporary culture of death. More than the physical act, murder is a matter of the heart.