Taught by Grace

When you think about thieves, robbers, and burglars, you probably think about ski masks, crowbars, and getaway cars. It may bring up scenes of bank or house robberies. You may think of Marv and Al attempting to rob the McCallisters or Robin Hood stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Theft and stealing bring up these fancy escapades or intense moments in our minds. We think of thieves and robbers as being among the lowest of the low in society and as a group entirely out there. 

So you, like me, may wonder, why do I need to listen to an episode on the eighth commandment? Exodus 20:14 still says “Thou shalt not steal.” We may think “Okay, I’ve definitely got this one down. I can skip onto the next commandment.” You may not be robbing banks, stealing cars, and swindling grandmas so why would you need to listen to this? Better said - Why should you want to listen to this? 

A couple of reasons. 

First, it is the Word of God and all Scripture is given for our teaching and help (2 Tim. 3:16-17. This is obvious, but it cannot be overstated. We study the whole bible because we need the whole Bible to glorify God as His children. 

Second, we must remember that the Ten Commandments are far deeper and more pervasive than we realize. Every one is about exactly what they say, but they also have much more to say. 

Third, the section we are in shows us how to relate to our neighbor. Therefore, if we will love our neighbor for God’s glory we must know this commandment. 

Finally, and most important for this question, every negative commandment has a positive counterpart. 

So, we’re going to explore Exodus 20:15 from this angle - How can we obey this commandment? 

(A brief interlude from the 10 Commandments. I'll be back next week with the eighth commandment.)

Hakuna Matata! It means no worries for the rest of your days. At least, that’s what Timone and Pumba said in The Lion King. They boldly declared that it was possible to forget all of your worries and live a carefree life. Just ignore the trouble. Don’t pay attention to what worries you have. Sure, Simba you may be king soon, but just forget all of that and live with no worries. 

If we’re honest, that kind of life sounds nice. Wouldn’t it be delightful to lay aside all of our worries? Worry surrounds us and even engulfs us at times. Is it even possible? In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus declares that it is possible. It's possible to live without worry, not because forget our problems but because we trust God with all of our needs. We must remember who our Father is and what our purpose is if we will live a life free from worry.

There are three truths we must hold to in our suffering: God is sovereign, wise, and good. If we know these, we can trust God amid cancer, loss, and death.

This week, we take a brief break from the Ten Commandments to dive into the end of the story for Joseph and his brothers. Joseph had experienced great suffering and pain, but by the end of it, He knew that God meant it for good. God was the one who sent the storm and redeemed the storm. We need to hear the message this text preaches to us because Joseph's God is our God.

Thou Shalt Not Kill - This command requires no caveat or disclaimer. It prohibits all murder. However, this commandment has far more to teach us than just that. This commandment is broken by pulling the trigger, but it is broken before that by having anger in your heart. The truth is, we have all been murderers at heart.

In this episode on the sixth commandment, we start at the top of the ladder, seeing murder for what it is. Then, we go to the heart of the commandment in Matthew 6. Finally, we will see how we can actively obey it by desiring and doing the best for our neighbor.

God does not allow us to live in the realm of spiritual elitism while ignoring the flesh and blood around us. Christianity is not an ethereal religion. It is tangible. It is real. It is about how we speak to, live with, and treat each other. The final six commandments teach us that loving God requires that we love others. 

The first four commandments declare “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and strength.” The final six declare “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Better said, you cannot love God with all of your heart if you don’t give your heart to your neighbor. 

The first of these neighbor-centered commandments begin with the first neighbor you ever had - your parents. 

In this episode, we explore the third commandment by:

God's name matters more than any other name, therefore, we must care about how we use His name above every other name. It should be the desire of our heart and movements of our hands to use His name rightly. It should be our desire to live out what the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is - Hallowed be thy name. Instead of blaspheming, misusing, and misrepresenting His name, we should hallow His name.