4 & 5 of 10

As I told you in my last post, we are studying the 10 Commandments at church.  The next two have proven to be just as enthralling as the first 3.

You can find the commandments in Exodus chapter 20.
As previously stated, in each study we cover 3 main topics:

• Denotation - what it means
• Motivation - why God gave us this commandment
• Application - how we can apply these in our daily lives  

4. Remember the Sabboth Day, and keep it holy.

•  Denotation: The word sabboth literaly means to rest.  God has given us the perfect example, in the creation of the Earth.  He worked for 6 days, and rested on the 7th, and it was good.  Unlike the other 9 commandments, this one, alone, is not re-itterated as to which day imparticular you should rest.  Colossians 2:16 "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ".  Traditionally, as set in the Old Testament, the Sabbath day was a saturday.  However, this was a covenant between the Jews and God.  Once Christ came to save us, we gained the freedom of choice in this area.  The rules are simple.  Work your six days, but take one day a week to give to the Lord.  If we can do this, it keeps us focused on God, and forces us to take a step back, relax, and praise him. 
• Motivation: As with all of God's word, he gave it for a reason.  If you don't stop to rest, you will eventually burn out, and then nothing you do will be worth what it could be, if you had only taken the time to recharge your batteries.  Matthew 12:1-8 tells a short story of Jesus walking through the fields with his disciples on the Sabbath.  He begins to pluck the grain, as the men were hungry, and some Pharisees saw them.  They told Jesus that he was dishonoring the holy day, but Jesus replies, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  As Pastor Ron says, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  God knows that we need to rest to be at our best, and talking and walking with him in those times, as well as daily, we can achieve our goals.  Believe in God, and take the time, atleast one day of the week to walk with him, and think not of work.  A great example is the owner of Chic'fila.  The man is a Christian, and prayed to God before starting his business.  He said that he wanted to obey God's commandment, and have a day of rest.  If he couldn't make enough money during the other six days to support the business, then it was not meant for him to have it.  Well, guess what..it is one of the most profitable fast food chains in America.
• Application: So, what should we do about this?  It's simple: Rest!  Remember the Lord!  and Refocus! Part of your weekly walk with God should be going to Church.  Nothing charges your batteries more than seeing a whole congregation gathered together to worship God.  It is a place where the Holy Spirit frequents, and if you have never experienced it, you should definitly think about going to a Sunday study.  Church is also one of the great ways to refocus your thoughts on Him, and help get your mind right for the rest of the week.  Something I have been admiring about Seth lately, is his commitment to wake up 10 min. early to spend time reading God's words.  It makes me love him that much more, and I have noticed a calmness come over him, and a new found love for life.  Take an inventory of your life, marriage and accomplishments each week...is it good?

5. Honor your father and mother.

• Denotation: Your parents know what's best..of course!  It's not only that, though.  It also has to do with respect and honor, and growing with the Lord, through the examples set by your parents.  There are those of you out there who might have had a terrible childhood...and asking what your parents wanted of you may have been morally wrong.  Acts 5:29 explains a situation where the apostles are confronted by the high priests.  The priests are condeming them for going against this fifth commandment by obeying the words and actions of Jesus, rather than them.  The apostles say, "We ought to obey God rather than men."  Jesus set the highest example of this commandment in Luke 2:41-52.  He was 12 years old, and Joseph and Mary took him to Jeruselum for the Feast of the Passover.  After it was over, they left, and had traveled about a day, and couldn't find Jesus.  They returned to Jeruselem to find him in the temple, talking to the elders.  His parents asked why he had done this to them, and He retorts, "Why did you seek me?  Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"  After this, He willingly goes with them, and the Bible says he grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor of God and men.  Basically, because He did what God would want in this commandment, the Bible says that he became smarter and wiser.  That should be what we strive for with our parents also.
• Motivation:  It is easy to see why God would make this a commandment.  In most cases, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  If you see your parents busy with work all the time, then chances are you will grow up to be busy with work all the time.  If you read the Bible, and go to church, and have God at your center at all times, then chances are, your children will grow up to have the same relationships with God.  Your children will turn out like you.  Sounds like the perfect reason for a commandment.  Even in a horrible situation, God's word never returns void.  Children, and even grown adults who obey their parents are doing right by God, and God will make things right because of it.  This commandment even has a blessing attached!  Eph. 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth."  You can liken this to a child running towards the street, and the parents saying, "stop! car!"...the child stops, and they live to see another day. 
• Application: There are many ways to apply this commandment to your life wether you are 5 or 50.  First, tell your parents you love them, and appreciate what they have done for you.  If your childhood was less than perfect, forgive them.  Call them up, and tell them you understand it was a difficult time, and you forgive them for it.  Tell them you are praying for them.  Write them a letter about a good time you shared, and wanted to remember.  Do something out of the blue for them, and don't brag about it.  One last thing, be the welfare your parents need.  That is why God created children...to take care of their parents.  As Pastor Ron said, "They took care of you for the first 20 years.  You can take care of them for the last 20."  Ask yourself this question: When your parents pass, will you have peace or regret about this commandment?  And one last thing, God is the ultimate Father..you should place Him in the highest position on your family tree.

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The First 3 of 10

For the past 3 weeks now, we have been studying the 10 Commandments on Sunday.  I knew it would be good..but there is way more substance than what you think!  I am going to do my best to summarize these studies, because I know you will find them interesting, too. 

 

So, why the 10 commandments?  Well, the Bible states that all of God's word is good, and every part applicable to our lives.  Our pastor explains it like this:  God gave us the commandments out of regard (or love) for us, to help us restrain against evil, and to help reveal our sins to us, to ultimately lead us to Christ.

 

You can find the commandments in Exodus chapter 20.  
Pastor Ron has broken each commandment into it's own study. 
In each study we cover 3 main topics:

• Denotation - what it means
• Motivation - why God gave us this commandment
• Application - how we can apply these in our daily lives

Without further adieu, lets start at the top:

 

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
(this commandment deals with who we are to worship)

• Denotation - God is the only god.  For centuries, man has tried to create gods for his own purposes.  The Egyptians had gods for everything from the Sun, to fertility.  God is simply stating that there are no other gods, just Him.
• Motivation - God knows that we tend to put things in front of him, such as work, or family.  The things that cloud our minds become our gods, and what we aspire to reach or please.
• Application - the best way to implement this commandment is to ask yourself some questions:
• What is my master passion?
• What do I think about most?
• Who do I want to please?
• What am I living for?

If, in answering these questions, you realize that God is not what consumes you, then, in fact, you have broken it.  This was very astonishing to me, while we were studying this first commandment.  I thought surely that I had this one in the bag..but then, I remembered how often I am consumed with one of my hobbies, and focusing my attention solely on that, and pushing God to the back.  I pray that I can center my focus on Him throughout my daily activities, and let Him lead me through my pursuits.

2. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image."
(this commandment deals with how we should worship)  

• Denotation - Don't try to figure out, or re-create what you think God looks like.
• Motivation - God knows our weakness when it comes to "seeing is believing".  He knows that our nature is to have something that we can hold onto or look upon to resemble Him, and make Him more manageable.  Unfortunately for most of the world, and even in Christianity, there are idols all around.  The cross for instance is a delicate topic, but can be taken two ways.  When people are bowing down to the cross (a statue), they are bowing down to worship the idol, not God.  If you wear a cross around your neck, symbolizing that you believe in Jesus, you are showing others your religion.  In 'The Screwtape Letters' by C.S. Lewis, he gives a great example of what this message is about.  The book is a collection of letters from one demon to another.  Each demon is assigned to an individual, to try to sway the person away from God, and/or keep them from knowing God in the first place.  In one part, the main demon tells the demon in training to make his man focus on the ceiling fan while praying.  By doing this, the man is praying to the ceiling fan, and unconsciously, not putting any meaning into his words.  You see the point I am making..
• Application - Jesus says, in John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth".  This can be very difficult, but if you can create in your mind a blank slate, and try not to imagine what God could look like, then you can get your prayers and messages to Him through the spirit.  Pastor Ron tells us to be warry of saying 'my god'...as He is not just yours, but for everyone, and no one has seen him, therefore we cannot place judgement on what he should be represented by.

3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."
(this commandment deals with who God is)

•  Denotation - Do not mis-use His name.  Do not take it lightly, or in anger.  Don't take away the importance of His name.
• Motivation - God doesn't want others to misunderstand His importance, by us representing Him poorly.  By using God's name in a bad way, say cussing, you are unconciously telling others that His name is of no consequence.  For example..what is in a name?  What do you think of when you hear the name Elvis?  How about Tiger Woods?  You automatically bring images into your head when hearing these names, be they good or bad.  Think of this commandment as God's reputation.  How do you want Him to be represented?
• Application - There are some obvious ways to obey this commandment; don't curse using God's name, and don't swear by God, unless you intend to follow-through.  But there is something else...your actions speak loudly towards how others percieve you.  How you live, and act should be indicators of your beliefs.  A great example is if you took the logo off of a Porche, and put it on a Toyota.  The logo would still look the same, but the meaning would be lost.  It is how you are representing God that should be your focus when trying to obey this commandment.  You are holding God's reputation in your hands every time you talk to someone, or how you act in a situation.  My favorite part of the sermon was when Pastor Ron said, "I have recently started doing this thing where if I hear someone say Jesus Christ...but taking it in vein, I run over to them and say, where?!!  That's may savior, and if you see him again, I would like to meet Him.  Please don't talk about Him like that."

So..as you can see..there is lots more to learn than you think about these 10 commandments..and I am excited to know what is next...I hope you will stay tuned!

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