The final two commandments examined in this message are "You shall not steal" and "You shall not bear false witness of your neighbor." These Commandments are necessary because they are destructive acts to the community. But we also zoom out and look at the Ten Commandments and their collective purpose, which is not simply to restrict us, but to preserve our faithfulness to God and to preserve the shalom of the community. Exodus 20:15,16

YHWH makes it clear that lusting after and being intimate with another person's spouse is prohibited. The same is true for desiring and taking what possessions rightfully belong to another. Adultery in Scripture in the natural is linked to idolatry in the spiritual realm. The key to faithfully honoring a covenant relationship is the contentment Paul talks about in Philippians 4:10-13. This is what he means by "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He means that he can manage with the resources he has in any given situation.

The Image Deserving Of Dignity by Phil Allen, Jr.

The second section of the Ten Commandments that focus on the way we ought to relate to your neighbor begins with "Honor your father and your mother." Ideally, our parents are the first parents we meet in this world. They are also the first collective image of the wholeness of God. In them we ought to see the masculine and feminine, the maternal and paternal aspects of God. Our parents influence how we relate to God, if at all. God places great weight on the role that parents play and we ought to honor them. Exodus 20:12.

Rest is built into creation. We live in a global culture of hustle and working tirelessly (the grind) to produce. All the while we are slowly killing ourselves chasing many things that are temporary. Yet, God calls us to life and to be life-giving. The Sabbath is central, not only to our faith, but to our health and well being. It is central to our faithfulness to God and our love toward neighbor. Exodus 20:12

God's says in the Ten Commandments, "You shall not take the Lord's name in vain." What does that mean? Is it just about using profanity? Is it just about flippantly saying God's name for no reason at all? Those are correct perspectives. But it is also about not living in such a way that as God's people we associate God's name with anything less than holiness. Exodus 20:7

God makes it plain and simple for the Israelites that God desires exclusivity and fidelity in God's relationship them. "You shall have no other gods before me." Framing this verse in terms of relationships or marriage, God is a monogamous God. The same demand applies to us as well. We are called to be faithful to God reserving our worship and reverence to God alone. Exodus 20:2-5

We begin an 8-week study of the Ten Commandments, literally translated the Ten Words, on what it means to be faithful to the Lord. In this message God re-introduces God's self to the Israel before giving the foundational list of instructions that the Israelites ought to follow so that they all experience shalom. We ought to take the same cues today. We must being by asking and answering the question, is God enough? Exodus 20:1-2

One lesson we can learn from God if we want to have the same compassion for others that God has for us is to be willing to understand a person's why before judging behavior. Before we are punitive or dismissal of others know why they do what they do. You might find that if you walked in their shoes exactly the way they've had to then you just might do the same thing they've done. A look at God's compassion for Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 16 and 21.

Listen in on a fresh look at the well known passage Matthew 25:31-26:2 where Jesus identifies with the "least of these." Monica highlights in great detail the end-times scene in which Jesus describes and connects the dots to show how relevant and important this text is today. The King displays bravery in showing mercy as a model for the church to follow. As Monica so eloquently states, "Compassion is the lifeblood of the kingdom."