← ArchiveSunday, June 18, 2017DateJune 18, 2017Speaker—Text—Passages in this sermonExodus 201:351 John 227:00Philippians 437:58TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Moses, Moses, your fathers called me God, and I, I have made you an orphan of grace, I have sustained you in the house of a king, now see your purpose, for I have heard the cries of my people. I have seen the weight of their oppression, and I have come down to deliver them, and I will stretch out my hand against Egypt, and guide my people to a land I have prepared, I will make you my mouthpiece, I will make you a shadow of one greater to come, I will lead you as I have led you, now go!0:30And you will see what I will do to Pharaoh.1:24Because this year, for Mother's Day, I preach on the ten plagues of Egypt. For Father's Day, you get the Ten Commandments, so this is going to be an easy day, fathers, for you. So let's look at God's Word together, Exodus chapter 20. I invite you to join me there today. I will be preaching from my Father's Day gift. I have a new Bible, one that's easier for, as I get older, I need one that's easier for me to see. So I have one with a larger print.1:52I'm now into the large, giant print section of the bookstore. I got some amens from that, so that's where I am now. So I'm thankful for that Father's Day gift. Have you ever wondered, or ever asked these questions? And I believe that these are questions that everyone at some point in their life will ask. The first is this: What must I do to go to heaven? And that's normally a minimum question, right? So God, I'm not asking for an A-plus, just what's the D for diploma?2:19What do I have to do to go to heaven? Maybe you've asked this question: Well, what do I need to do? God, what should I do before my good will outweigh my bad? As you look at religions in the world, everyone's trying to answer that question, are they not? If you do enough good, it will outweigh the bad. Here's the answer we do not have, though. At what point do your good things outweigh your sin?2:48Maybe you ask the question like this: What does God require from me? Or what must I do to be considered good? Because this is the question I've asked both of our young adults that were baptized this morning. I asked them to their face several times: Are you good? And if they said yes, I would say, "Let's start again." Because you're not. I'm not.3:18I'm not. So when we understand we're not good and it's God's grace, then the days when you stumble and you realize you're still not good, then you realize he's still gracious. If you've asked those questions, questions that all of humanity ask, this is what the Word of God is going to answer today. These questions that gnaw at our heart. Lord, what must we do to be good? Father, what must we do to be acceptable in your sight? Or God, what must I do to go to heaven? These are the answers that God's Word gives us.3:47And God's Word is living and it is active, which means that God's Word impacts our life right now in this moment. And this is God's Word to you and to me. So as we open God's Word together, may he focus our minds, open our hearts and give clarity to our ears. Verse one, Exodus chapter 20. It's in the Old Testament, the second book of the Bible. Verse one, chapter 20.4:17God spoke all these words. So who spoke the words? God, that's important. Verse two, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Command one, do not have other gods besides me. Number two, do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below4:43or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow and worship to them. Do not serve them for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the father's iniquity to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands. Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God5:13because the Lord will not. He will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day. Keep it holy. You are to labor six days and do all of your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work. You, your son, your daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your gates.5:42For the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them in six days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy. Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God has given you. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.6:12And do not commit or covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or his female servant, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Let's pray. Father, open our hearts to your love and your mercy. Open our minds to your precious living word. A word that is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword.6:41And Lord, we know that your word cuts to the core of who we are today. So Lord, the things that need to be cut out, cut them out today. Lord, the things that need to be put in our life, Lord, put them in. That we would be not only hearers but doers of your word. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. I'm going to answer two questions this morning. Only two. Two points. The first is, why would God give us rules?7:11Why would God give us commands? We gloss over this question. But if we don't answer this question or if we do not allow God to answer the why, then the how doesn't even matter. So the second question flows from the first. Why rules and then how do we live them out? Because the reality is that many of us feel like God is a heavenly parent that's ready to take away our fun. And we laugh at that, but the world thinks that way sometimes.7:41Many of us feel that way. Well, God is just ready to say no. Right? I can't even covet my neighbor's donkey. Why would God do that? Why would God give us rules? Or the second is this. Sometimes we feel like God is ready just to punish us or put us in time out, the heavenly time out, or to send us to hell. Sometimes we feel like God is dangling us near the cliff, ready to drop us at a moment's notice.8:08And the reality is this. That's not true. The reality is opposite. Let's look at God's word and see how he changes our lives. Verse 1. God, why would you give us rules? God, why the Ten Commandments? Then God spoke these words, and he said this. I am the Lord your God. If we don't understand the why, the how does not matter.8:36God's commands are given. This is the first why. God's commands are given to God's covenantal people. God's commands are given to his people. So before the commands are given, who is Israel? They are God's, right? God's grace comes before his rules. Look at verse 2. I am the Lord your God. It's this word Adonai or Yahweh Eloheka, which means the Lord your God.9:06It's the same name that God gave Moses the burning bush. Moses comes to God in the burning bush, and there's this bush on fire, which is odd because it's not burning. And Moses, as any man would do when you see fire, I mean, what do we do? We go towards the fire. That's what we do. So he goes towards the fire, and God says, Moses, you're going to go back to Egypt, a9:31place where you are a felon. You're a convicted murderer. Go back to Egypt and tell them that God sent you there. And you're going to go to Pharaoh who declares himself God, and you're going to go to Pharaoh, a place where there are many gods, and you're going to go to a place of many gods and tell them God wants his people to leave. And Pharaoh's question is going to be, which God? So Moses says, Lord, what is your name?10:01God, what is your name? And God gives him the name. He says, I am who I am. Adonai, Yahweh, you might know it as Jehovah. This is the covenantal name of God. So what is the Lord telling his people here? That grace comes before rules. That the Ten Commandments are given to God's community. This is the grace in the gospel in a nutshell. That before the Ten Commandments ever appear on the scene, what happens before?10:28God's grace always precedes his rules. So the question we have to ask ourself is, are you part of God's community? That's a question that the Ten Commandments beg us to answer in our hearts. Are you part of God's community? And you might be thinking, well, of course, I obey all of his commands. But what would God's word say? Community, covenantal faithfulness always precedes rule following.10:57You hear what we're saying there? God says that his covenant comes before. And so ask yourself, are you part of God's community? Remember, you cannot understand God's commands unless you understand his love. You cannot and I cannot understand the Ten Commandments unless we understand his love. Why would God give rules?11:27He gives his commands to his covenant people. Well, so we see this proceeding from then his grace. That the Ten Commandments are not a pathway to earn grace. They flow from his favor. So the Ten Commandments are not a pathway to favor with God. They are a river of his grace. You understand that? So we see this in Scripture over and over again. Grace always flows downhill.11:54Right? So grace always comes from heaven. So grace is unearned favor. Right? Grace always comes heavenward down. So the Ten Commandments are not a ladder to heaven. They are a river of grace downhill. We need to understand that because some of us are puffed up this morning. Because some of us come in here and we think, you know what? I've never ever once desired my neighbor's donkey or his ox.12:22You know what? My neighbor doesn't have an ox. This is easy. And I haven't murdered. I haven't killed anyone. I haven't made any little idols in the image of a God and fallen down and worshiped that. So I'm good. And so when we say that, we're trying to climb the ladder to heaven. But what comes before God's word and his commands? It is his grace. Have you ever looked down at the ground on a cloudy day and seen the shadows of a cloud?12:50And sometimes those shadows are small. Sometimes they're large. And I remember recently there's blue sky and there are these clouds, fluffy clouds in the sky. And I looked down and there was a shadow of a cloud that covered our entire neighborhood. And I just remember thinking, if the shadow covers my neighborhood, how big is the cloud?13:13And it almost scared me because I'm thinking, if that cloud fell on me right now, I'm done. Like, I mean, that's how massive this cloud was. And the Ten Commandments are the same. So I look down to the shadow and realize there's something greater than the shadow. God's commands are merely a shadow of his grace and his mercy. That's what the Ten Commandments do. They point us heavenward.13:43They point to the law giver. They point to someone who is greater than his words. So I ask you, do you recognize the one that the shadow points to? See, the commands remind us that we fall short and that God is good and he is kind and he loves us. The Ten Commandments are a river of grace flowing downhill, not a ladder upwards. We must remember that and we must hide that in our heart because some of us are going to try to climb that ladder when we leave here.14:11And we were reminded of ourselves, God, your grace always flows downhill. Look at the third why. God says in verse 2, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. So we were reminded, why rules? Why commands? God's commands always flow from bondage. Notice where the Ten Commandments were not given.14:42The people are not in Egypt. So what is God reminding us of? God's word, his rules do not lead us into bondage. They come actually in freedom. And that's something that's difficult for us to understand because oftentimes rules and guidelines in our lives, we feel like we're constricted. I don't want to follow God because he doesn't want me to have fun. No, he wants you to have life and life more full. So God's word leads us.15:13It is from freedom, not into bondage. Why were the Ten Commandments not given to the Egyptians? And why were they not given in Egypt? Because I think God is reminding us, verse 2, I am the God who brought you out. I have brought you out. Jesus reminds us also through his beloved disciple John in 1 John. He says that this is the love of God, to keep his commands.15:39Now his commands are not a burden. They are not a burden. God's commands are a product of freedom, not bondage. Now, I want you to understand this very clearly. And it's illustrated simply by those of you who have lived here for your whole life. Have you ever asked someone that's grown up in St. Clair County for directions? Don't do that if you're new here.16:09Because this is what you're going to get. Right? You're going to get, well, take a letter by Lomart. I'm like, L-O-L-M-A-R-T? No, Lomart. Like, Lidl Mart? No, Lomart. Okay, got it. The grocery store up here, right? So L-I-L-M-A-R-T. It's Lill Mart. Take a letter by Lomart, and you're going to go find the tree that's crooked. You're going to take a right by that tree. And then you're going to go find the pink cow. But the cow's not there. It died two years ago.16:38Go past that meadow, right? And go yonder, and then take a left on the top of the hill. And then you're going to go around the bends where so-and-so used to live. But don't worry. They died, and they sold their land. And you begin to think, you know, this is a fool's errand. I can't keep all these directions straight. If we are not careful, listen, church, if we are not careful, this is what we do to those who are new believers who are yet to follow Jesus Christ. We tell them, you know what?17:09Here's what you do. If you want to grow in your faith, you just follow everything in the Bible, and you'll be good. And they give up. Because what God has not given us are all these rules to follow. He's given us a guide. He's given us the Holy Spirit. And so what someone that's new in our faith, what Riley and Ashlyn need, is not for you to give them a list of rules and say, if you follow these, you'll be good. They need a guide in their life. Because God's rules don't lead us into bondage. They actually come when we're found freedom.17:39And what a glorious freedom it is in Jesus Christ. And so I encourage you, do not see God's commands as bondage. See them as freedom. And I know this in my life. Those who have found freedom in Jesus Christ never want to go back. Never. I never want to go back to Egypt in my life. I never want to go back to living in darkness. I always want to say, God, thank you for delivering me. God, thank you for your guides in my life that keep me from going back to Egypt.18:07I believe the Ten Commandments are also a charter of conduct for the redeemed. A charter of conduct for the redeemed. The Ten Commandments are a declaration of independence for those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. That's what they are. I believe that the Ten Commandments, they're not for the pagans.18:36They're not for the lost. The Ten Commandments are given to the covenant community. And that these commands should look like this for those that do not believe yet. They should be able to hold up the Ten Commandments. And they should be able to look at the church. And they should be able to say, you know what? You guys don't lie. Why don't you guys lie? You know what? You're not. You're faithful and you value purity.19:04Why do you value purity? You know what? You're very cautious in what you say. You don't misuse God's name. What is up with that name? The world should be able to hold up the Ten Commandments. And hold up the church and say, you know what? I don't believe in God. But there is something to the community of faith. The Ten Commandments should be a guide for those that need Jesus of what the church looks like. They are a charter of faith for those who believe.19:33And the commands are simple. God demands our loyalty. He demands our moral integrity. And He also demands responsibility within the community of faith. Who is your neighbor? Jesus says, everyone is. So don't covet their stuff. Don't steal. If that's you right now, God's going to convict your heart. Whatever you took from them, go give it back today. But they should be a charter of our faith for those that need Jesus Christ.20:02His commands are a charter of conduct for the redeemed. Last, why? We see this in Scripture. We see this in Scripture. If God's Word and His commands are for the community of faith, then God's Word reminds us we cannot legislate morality. We cannot legislate morality. Now, before you get in a tizzy, I'm not saying that we should just say, you know what?20:27Live it up today. Lie as much as you want. If you don't know the Lord, then lie. You might as well. Go ahead. Kill. Steal. That's not what I'm saying. But we cannot legislate morality to those who do not know Jesus Christ. We would be fooling ourselves if we went to someone who does not know Jesus. And by telling them not to lie, they're going to say, you know what? You're right. I'm just not going to lie anymore.20:57That we would tell a thief, you know what? You're probably stealing because you don't know what's wrong. So just don't steal. And they're going to say, you're right. That we're going to go to a robber who's breaking in our house that does not know Christ. And we're going to tell them, Robert, sit down for a second. I need to tell you something. What you're doing is not good. I don't know if you realize that, Robert, but you shouldn't rob. And they're going to say, you know what? If I would have known that rule, I would not have broken in your house. Shame on me.21:27No, the reality is God gives us all a conscience. And God holds us all accountable for our sin and for our misdeeds. But church, we cannot legislate morality on a world that does not know Jesus Christ. And even if we could, even if we could give them rules, rules send people to hell if we do not know Jesus. We need his grace. Why the Ten Commandments? Because of his grace and his mercy. Grace flows downhill.21:56And now let's get to the why. You might say, well, why that long appetizer? Let's get to the entree. No, that was the entree. God's grace is why we're here. So with that, let's kind of walk through these very quickly. We have ten commands. One of the most famous passages in all of Scripture. Verse 3. Very simple. Do not have other gods besides me. So what this command does not say, it is not an indictment on the polytheist.22:23It does not say there's only one God. I think what this command is pointing to is we all worship something. That there are many little g gods, but there's only one true God. That's what he's saying here, right? I have no other gods before me. Everyone has a god. Even if you say, well, I don't believe in God, then you are your god. Or rationality.22:51Or rationality. If you say, well, I don't believe in faith because it's not scientifically proven. It's not empirically verified. Well, then that rationale, the scientific method, which is a philosophy, by the way, is your god. And that's okay, but we need to be honest with that. We can't say, well, you are people of faith. You're not. We should all recognize that we worship something. And God says, do not put any other god before me. Why was this command number one? Numero uno.23:21Numero uno. Because I believe this is the very thing that everyone struggles with the most. God knows that we struggle with putting others before him. And, you know, really, God doesn't need to give us ten commands for us to realize we're sinners. He only had to give us one. We could stop there and give the invitation. Right? Has anyone not ever put God first? Has anyone ever put something before the Lord in your life? At any moment? At any second? Yes, we have.23:52So we can go home now and today and say we're sinners, but God loves us. He's kind. He's gracious. Know God's before me. Believers, this should be a champion of our faith. Secondly, do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens or on the earth, or if you like water, or below in the waters under the earth. Do not bow and worship. Do not serve them. For I, the Lord, am a jealous God.24:21Listen to this. Punishing the children to the father's iniquity, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. But showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands. Here's the reality. You will pass on your idols to the next generation. Whatever you love will be passed on to your kids. Now I'm going to use this illustration, a sports illustration.24:51Our kids are really messed up. Because mom went to LSU, dad went to Mississippi State. So sometimes they like the Tigers and sometimes they like the Bulldogs. Now why do I bring that up? Well, how would two kids raised in Alabama like the Bulldogs and the Tigers? Because their parents have passed that on. And we make no apologies, right? We're trying to be light and darkness. So that's something we're passing that on.25:19But why do they love? Why does my son sometimes go in his room and he comes out with a Mississippi State jersey with pride? Because I passed that on. Now that's a reminder that, dad, what I do, he's watching. Because if I do that, something that's so trivial as sports, if I pass on my love for sports and that's trivial and insignificant, then how much more important is my faith to him?25:46So right now you are passing on your idols to the next generation and the third generation and the fourth generation. What are you passing on? And not just to our children. You're passing that on to your neighbors, to your friends, to your family. And the Lord says, do not make an idol. And so we ask, God, how do we know that something's an idol? I believe there are two tests. One, does that artwork represent God?26:16Have you made something physical that represents God in your life? And two, are you bowing down and worship that? If not, then you have to ask yourself, well, maybe am I not bowing down, but have I elevated that thing to God-like status? Sometimes things that look like pigskins can be elevated to priority. Or sports or hobbies, dad climbing the corporate ladder, well, I'm going to provide for my family. So I'm going to work 90 hours a week.26:45My kids aren't going to see me, but I'm going to provide. Oh, but we've passed on idols. We've passed on the wrong thing. Do not have idols. 1 John 2 says that we should not love the world or the pride of our lifestyle. Are we passing down to the next generation that we take pride in our lifestyle? We must be very careful. What idols are we passing down? No gods, no idols.27:15Very simple. Number three, verse seven. Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. There are several ways that we violate this. Some of you are thinking, well, he just said God. He violated that. It's not necessarily saying OMG. Or when you get mad, it's saying Jesus Christ's name in a way that's not glorifying him. But that is part of it. So two things in the ancient world.27:44People would use the name of God to swear an oath. So if Casey came up to me and said, Josh, can you do this today? Well, you know what? I swear by the name of God, I will mow the grass. Well, if I do that, why am I using the Lord to keep my promises? So may we not use God as a crutch. And it might not come out that way, but it might come out this way. I'm going to pray, and I'm going to tag God's name on the end. God, make me a millionaire.28:13God, go with me today. God, do this, this, this, this, and this. Amen, in Jesus' name. Well, if we do that, if I add God as an appendix or appendage to my prayers, am I not taking his name flippantly? We must be very careful. Here's another way that we can take the name of God in vain. If you call yourself a Christian, that very word means a little Christ, a Christ follower. So if you call yourself a Christian, you're committed to live a life that now glorifies the name of Jesus.28:39And so when we call ourselves a Christian and live differently, we are taking the name of God in vain. Oh, and what does God's word say about us? I'm not saying them. It's not you. It is us. When we take the name of God in vain, look at verse 7. The Lord will not leave anyone unpunished. And far from it that we would take his name in vain.29:07It's about to get even more sticky. Verse 8. Fourth command. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. So we've already made a mistake. The Sabbath day was the seventh day of the week. Saturday. We missed it. Now, here's what God's word very vividly portrays to us. That the community of faith were to be people of remembrance, rest, and worship. That by resting God's people on the seventh day because God rested.29:37And just think about it. God didn't rest because he had to. God wasn't tired. He was like, you know, this creation stuff is difficult. Phew. That's not what the Lord did. He is infinitely powerful. He is omnipotent. But God wants to model rest. And so God called his people to be people of rest. Why? Because one, God knows that we need to rest. Two, when we rest, we declare to God that, you know what?30:05I have everything I need. I'm going to trust you that if I rest today, you're going to provide. So are you resting well? We live in a world that does not let us rest. Church, you need to rest. When we are not resting in Christ, we are not living a holy life. May we be people of rest. And also not only rest, but remembrance and worship. If you do not have regular periods and moments of worship in your life, we're not Sabbathing.30:33We're not resting in worship. Those two go hand in hand. Worship should be regular. And you say, well, Pastor, tell me, what does that mean? Wednesday, Sunday night, Sunday morning? Give me regular so I can keep the command. No. God does not give us guidelines and rules. He gives us a guidance counselor in the Holy Spirit. But that we would worship regular. Are you a worshiper to remember that God has been good in faithfulness?31:01And I'm reminded this in my life. Only Jesus can give us true rest. Only Jesus Christ can give us true rest. Command number five. How do we live out Christ? Verse 12. Honor your father and mother. That's an easy one today. We've already done some of that. Honoring our fathers so that you may live long in the land, your God, that he is giving you. What does it mean to honor something?31:30The word kavod in Hebrew means to carry something as weighty. Remember, this is not a command given to kids. But we like to use the command for children, right? Children, obey your parents, right? Son, I want you to know the Lord says, honor your father and mother. God said this. Him said, you better stop what you're doing right now. Honor me. Because God says it. Well, if that's true, then why do we skip over the no adultery part on the same Bible lesson? This is a command to adults.32:01That we are commanded to carry as weighty. Kavod means to carry as heaviness. That we are to honor our father and mother. Why? We are to provide for our dependence as God provides for us. And some of the most glorious days of thankfulness I have are to see as some of our adults that have stood by brothers and sisters and moms and dads who are in need and to wait on them day and night. I want you to know that you have fulfilled the command to honor your father and mother.32:30And that command will not go unmerited or unrewarded. God sees. God sees. Honor your father and mother. The reverse is that to dishonor your father or mother is to dishonor your heavenly father. Listen to that, kids, right? When you don't listen to your father, you're dishonoring your heavenly father. Ah, but Christian, when we dishonor our father and mother, we're dishonoring our heavenly father.32:58And look at what God's word does not say. This is the world we live in. Many of us say, you know what? I'll give honor when it is earned. Right? I'll honor my father. He has not been in my life. He's been a horrible father. I will honor him when he deserves it. Look at verse 7. I mean, verse 8. Sorry, let's keep going. Verse 12.33:27Verse 12. Honor your father and your mother. It doesn't say good fathers and good mothers. It doesn't say average father and average mothers. God's word. God's people are to be people of honor. That we give honor to those who don't deserve it. So if that's your dad, if you say Father's Day is not a day of celebration, because my dad is not a good father. Honor him anyway. And as you honor him, you honor Jesus Christ.33:54That he might see that you live differently. And that he might see that God is gracious and loving and kind. And does not God give us honor when we don't deserve it? I do not deserve his grace. And yet God saw fit to send his son on my behalf. Do not wait for honor to be earned. Give it and give it freely. His people are to be people of honor. Verse number 6. Verse 13.34:25Verse 13. Very simple. The easy one. Do not murder. Do not murder. Why? The Hebrew resah means a word to kill. So murder is a good translation. It's a word that means do not kill a person with violence. Why would God give this command? Well, because one, he knows that we are angry people. And that some of us like to kill or would if we were allowed. But two, God's covenant community are to be people of life. What is baptism? I have now died to myself and I am raised in newness of life.34:54That we are called to be champions of life. Think of it this way. God's church are called to be lifeguards to the world. We're all swimming. And you don't really know the lifeguards there sometimes until you're sinking. And the lifeguard is the one that pulls you out when you need it. We are to be lifeguards of the world, those who need Christ. When we see kids that are orphaned and in need of a home,35:22we are to be people that run to them. When we see these young children that are going to be killed or murdered, that we are right-to-life advocates, that we are the ones that step in and say, you know what, let's not do that because we know that everyone is created in his image. Do not murder is not just, I'm not going to be angry and kill you with road rage. That the world would see that we love life and that we live life to the full.35:47Do not murder. Fourteen. Number seven. Do not commit adultery. Do not commit adultery. Why would God want us not to do that? Why would God not just want us to be happy and have open marriages and love and show love to whoever you want to be loved on? Why would God give us guidelines?36:16Because God knew that marriage is foundational. It's foundational in our lives. And not only marriage and happiness in that covenant, but that purity is a necessity for marriage covenant relationship. That purity is demanded in our marriage. When I stood before my wife and made a vow to her, that was also making a vow to the world, I'm not going to love anyone else besides her. I have eyes for my wife.36:46And that's a commitment to purity. So I just say this as an aside. If you have been unfaithful to your spouse and you have not shared that with them, you need to get right with the Lord today. If you're struggling with this right now, and you might say, well, of course I've not been unfaithful. But maybe you're having thoughts of that person that you work with. Or that person online. Or maybe you're looking at things online that promote lust in your heart.37:13Rid yourself of anything that would cause impurity in your life. Because we are to be people of purity and commitment and devotion. And that's not just for married folk. Right? For those that are not married, you say, well, good, I'm off the hook here. God has demanded purity in our lives. Be people of purity. Verse 15, number eight, easy one. No stilling.37:43No stilling. Do I need to explain that? Do not still. Don't take things that are not yours. Why? Because God wants us to be people of contentment. God's people are to be those that can say this. Philippians 4. I know what it means to have little. Paul said, I didn't still. I know what it means to have a lot. And in any case, I have learned the secret of being content. I am able to do all things through Christ who gives me strength.38:10Why should we not still? Because we should have contentment in Jesus Christ. Do you not have much? Be content. Do you have a lot? Be content. But that we as people should say, God, I don't want to steal things because I have everything I need in Jesus. I have it all because Christ has given me everything I need. Do not steal. Verse 16, number nine. Easy one.38:40Easy one. Don't lie. Just stop it. If you're a liar, stop it. Don't lie. But why are we not to lie? Let's dig into this deeper. Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, for God's people, let your yes be yes and let your no be no. This is beyond lying. This is we are to be people of faith and word. Because the word matters.39:08So are you a person of commitment? Remember, the devil is the father of lies. So may we show the world that we keep our word. When we don't keep our word, we're lying. If you tell someone you're going to do it, do it. You know, it's okay to say, if you can't do it, just say no. It's better to say no, I can't do that than to say yes and not do it. That we would be people of our word because the word of God is life to us. Don't lie because that is the father of lies.39:37Be people of the word in Jesus Christ. And then lastly, we focus a lot on outward behavior, but this is inward. Do not covet your neighbor's house or his wife or his male and female servants or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. This is the one command that is internal. It's purely internal. Why? Because God is saying, look, set your heart upon heaven.40:06Set your heart upon the throne of God, not on stuff. We live in a world of stuff. Get your eyes off stuff and put your eyes on Christ and you'll have everything you need. And you know what? If God wants you to have an ox in your backyard, he'll give it. And if he doesn't want you to have an ox and have a donkey, you'll have it. If he wants you to have a playground or a swimming pool, you'll have it. But you know what?40:37If he doesn't, you won't. And if we have a cattle on a thousand hills, if you don't have Christ, it's not enough. And if you don't have one ox to your name, if you have Jesus Christ, it is enough. It is enough. So what does all of this mean? Why would the Lord give us commands that can never fulfill us? Why would God give us rules that he knows that we cannot keep? Knowing that we are destined for failure.41:07I want to listen to this story and close here. If you're familiar with Greek mythology, you might recognize a man named Sisyphus. Don't focus on the sissy part. His name is Sisyphus. Sisyphus actually was the king of Corinth. And he's a very cunning man. He was so cunning that he knew that without a proper burial, he wouldn't go to Hades for long. And so he told his wife, when I die, don't give me a proper burial. So she didn't. And so he fought with Hades, and he tricked Hades.41:35And Hades didn't like that. So Hades destined him to a life of Hades. And this is Sisyphus' indictment. And you'll know this part of the story. He had to live a life where he was to push a boulder uphill. Every day he was to push a boulder uphill. And when he would get to the top of the hill and he would finally rest, the boulder would roll back downhill.42:02And that was an eternal punishment for Sisyphus. He said, well, this is not Greek mythology, class. Why would you give us that? Because without Jesus Christ trying to keep the Ten Commandments is you rolling a rock uphill. And every day we roll that, and it's difficult, it's struggle. And without Christ, that rock is rolling back downhill.42:33So maybe you're here today and you're struggling. I'm tired of church because it's just not enough. Are you living a life without Christ? This is the good news of Jesus, that God has created all of us in his image. You and me, he's created you in his image. But we fall short of that. And when we fall short of the glory of God, we break the image and we break that relationship. So you and I are not rule keepers.43:02We are rule breakers. We are law breakers. Right? You might not have murdered, but you have put God in second place. And because of that, God, because he is God and perfect and just, he holds us accountable. Right? God doesn't just say, you know what, this was on me. He has to hold us accountable, and he does. And one day, everyone in this room will give account to your life. But God knew that we were helpless in our sin because we were rolling the rock uphill.43:28So he sent his son to live a perfect life, a life that I cannot live and you could not live. And he died on the cross, a death that we deserve. And in three days, Jesus did not only die on the cross, but he rose again, showing us that the sacrifice was accepted. The glorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ was accepted. That if you and I believe and trust in that, in our heart and declare it, that we will be saved.43:56So maybe you're here and you're tired of pushing the rock. And you say, well, what must I do to stop pushing the rock? It's very simple. Jesus died to invite you into the community of faith. The Ten Commandments don't make sense until you understand the why. And the why is that grace flows from his throne through Jesus Christ. And the answer is not pushing a rock uphill.44:24The answer is looking to the son, Jesus Christ, who walked up a hill with a cross, who died for our sins. It says, you don't have to do it in your strength. But I have given you a counselor, a glorious counselor. I have forgiven you of your sins and you walk in new life. You found freedom in me if you trust, if you obey, if you believe. And I pray right now today where you sit that you would put your trust in Jesus.44:51Let's pray.
