Beginning today, we are going to do a 3-week sermon series on this parable of the prodigal son, looking at it each week from a different vantage point, through a different character. And in doing so, I am willing to guess that many will find they didn’t know the story as well as they thought.

Beginning today, we are going to do a 3-week sermon series on this parable of the prodigal son, looking at it each week from a different vantage point, through a different character. And in doing so, I am willing to guess that many will find they didn’t know the story as well as they thought.

Today we come to the end of a 3-month journey to remind ourselves of the commands, renew ourselves to the commands of God. And end is probably not the right word. End of a series, yes, but not the end of seeking a growing understanding of the goodness and rightness of God’s commands for our life. As I study these, I grow in awe of God: His understanding of us, of life, so perfect. And of course, in His commands is a light on my evil. In His commands I see afresh my great need for Jesus. And now the last command, a warning about everything we will try pursue to find love, peace, satisfaction, happiness other than Jesus. Let’s read Exodus 20:1-17.

Today we come to the end of a 3-month journey to remind ourselves of the commands, renew ourselves to the commands of God. And end is probably not the right word. End of a series, yes, but not the end of seeking a growing understanding of the goodness and rightness of God’s commands for our life. As I study these, I grow in awe of God: His understanding of us, of life, so perfect. And of course, in His commands is a light on my evil. In His commands I see afresh my great need for Jesus. And now the last command, a warning about everything we will try pursue to find love, peace, satisfaction, happiness other than Jesus. Let’s read Exodus 20:1-17.

Lying is a unique sin in that one lie almost always demands another. If I steal, I don’t have to steal again. If I lust, I don’t have to lust again. But if I lie, it often calls for more lying. Lying is kind of the protector of all sin. To cover all the sins out there, usually involves lying along the way. And we think of lying as a little sin. Let’s read Exodus 20:1-17.

Lying is a unique sin in that one lie almost always demands another. If I steal, I don’t have to steal again. If I lust, I don’t have to lust again. But if I lie, it often calls for more lying. Lying is kind of the protector of all sin. To cover all the sins out there, usually involves lying along the way. And we think of lying as a little sin. Let’s read Exodus 20:1-17.

And here we are at number 8 and heading to the barn. We started this series on commandments, the great commandment and the ten commandments back on May 1; with the first message entitled, Loving God, because that is what all these commands are about: love. Today’s command can be a little like the murder command. Today is about stealing, and I think we run out there to the big examples of stealing and absolve ourselves of any guilt. I haven’t killed anyone, and I haven’t robbed a bank, so I’m in the good here. But as we said on murder, the goal is not just not killing someone, or not robbing a bank. The goal is being like God. So what is that going to mean here. Look with me at Exodus 20:1-17.

And here we are at number 8 and heading to the barn. We started this series on commandments, the great commandment and the ten commandments back on May 1; with the first message entitled, Loving God, because that is what all these commands are about: love. Today’s command can be a little like the murder command. Today is about stealing, and I think we run out there to the big examples of stealing and absolve ourselves of any guilt. I haven’t killed anyone, and I haven’t robbed a bank, so I’m in the good here. But as we said on murder, the goal is not just not killing someone, or not robbing a bank. The goal is being like God. So what is that going to mean here. Look with me at Exodus 20:1-17.

Today we are going to focus on the seventh commandment: *You shall not commit adultery*. What is adultery? Adultery is typically defined as sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. This is perhaps the commandment that many of us will struggle the most with while on this earth, especially as we understand the heart of the commandment. It’s a struggle because we are sexual beings, that naturally crave physical and emotional intimacy. Part of the struggle is also the sexually immoral society we live in, where we are constantly bombarded with ideas about sexuality that oppose the perfect will of God for one man and one woman in marriage. As we think about adultery, we have to wonder what is at the heart of the commandment.

Today we are going to focus on the seventh commandment: *You shall not commit adultery*. What is adultery? Adultery is typically defined as sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. This is perhaps the commandment that many of us will struggle the most with while on this earth, especially as we understand the heart of the commandment. It’s a struggle because we are sexual beings, that naturally crave physical and emotional intimacy. Part of the struggle is also the sexually immoral society we live in, where we are constantly bombarded with ideas about sexuality that oppose the perfect will of God for one man and one woman in marriage. As we think about adultery, we have to wonder what is at the heart of the commandment.