10 Laws for Life
Commandment II
October 11, 2015
What's the most discussed problem in the the entire Bible? Idolatry. Idolatry?! Really? Yes. Book after book, chapter after chapter, verse after verse warn us about the destructive nature of wrongful worship. To contemporary people the world "idolatry" conjures up pictures of primitive people bowing down before hand-made statues. Totally irrelevant to us, right? Don't be so quick to write this off. Every culture is dominated by its own set of idols. Ours are beauty, power, money, success. We may not physically kneel before the statue of Aphrodite, but how much time and energy do we sacrifice at the alter of beauty. We may not actually burn incense to Artemis, but how many relationships are sacrificed at the alter of money. We may not actually worship Ares, but we'll give all we are for fame, significance and security. The timeless truths of Scripture are always timely. The human heart has not evolved beyond being an "idol-factory." Be sure to join us tomorrow, as look in-depth at the Second Law for Life which warns us about the destructive nature of serving functional-gods and we'll look to the Gospel for healing and freedom.
Commandment III
October 18, 2015 • Exodus 20:1–21
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Indeed, this commandment prohibits the flippant use of God’s name to mark surprise (‘oh my G_d!’) or shock or worse, but it’s so much more than that. In order to begin to understand the depth of this commandment, we really need to understand the power of names, and names truly are powerful. Businesses have learned this a long time ago and globally recognized names like Apple, Google, Coca-Cola, Samsung, and McDonald’s invest billions each year to build, protect, and expand the reach of their brands. Companies spend seemingly disproportionate sums to hire “brand ambassadors” to promote and embody their corporate identity in appearance, demeanor, values, and ethics. So what does the idea of a “brand ambassador” have to do with the third commandment? Everything! Join us tomorrow as we discuss the profound implications of this commandment on our lives as followers of the One who bears the name above all names, Jesus Christ.
Commandment IV
October 25, 2015 • Exodus 20:1–21
One of my absolute favorite Bible passages is when Jesus and his disciples get "caught" in a storm. As the ferocious winds tossed them around mercilessly, and water started inundating the small boat, the disciples are all freaking out. And what was Jesus doing? Taking a nap! They frantically wake him with pleas: "We're perishing" and "Don't you care?" Jesus, probably still a little groggy and somewhat annoyed that they disturbed his nice nap, gets up and calms the storm. The Gospel writers don't say what came next, other than the disciples being dumbstruck by what just happened, but I bet Jesus went straight back to sleep, because sometimes, the most spiritual thing we can do is take a nap. When we think about taking a day off, sometimes it feels like that. How in the world can I rest while my life is so tumultuous? I can't nap in the midst of a storm! If I rest, I'll sink. God hard-wired humans to both work and rest, in a healthy rhythm. If we stop doing either, we stop living full, flourishing lives. This is why God actually commands us to rest physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and this is meant to be a blessing, not a burden. In fact, regular rest is so important that God put it in the Ten Commandments, right up there with "Don't commit adultery" and "Don't murder." Thus, resting every seventh day isn't just a nice suggestion, but actually morally binding. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we learn about the theological and practical implications of Sabbath Rest.
Commandment V
November 1, 2015 • Exodus 20:1–21
Few commandment hit as close to home and as straight to the heart as commandment number 5: "Honor your father and your mother." For some of us, this seems like common sense. For others, this seems archaic, offensive, and potentially painful. Some of us have deeply honorable parents. For others, we would rather not think about our biological parents. Several other factors complicate our receptivity to this commandment. We live in a culture where the idea of family has become fluid and indefinable. Our society has long ago separated sex from marriage, which complicates everything. What constitutes a family? Everything is exacerbated by our culture's visceral reaction to submission and honor. Why should I honor anyone? Why should I submit to anyone? Moreover, our culture prizes youth over wisdom, therefore the young seem to have more intrinsic value and savvy than the old, so why should we honor someone seemingly less worthy of honor. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we tackle a complex commandment, which offers our culture relevant and life-giving truths. We all come from dysfunctional families, and God welcomes us into his family through Jesus to heal all wounds.
Commandment VI
November 8, 2015 • Exodus 20:1–21
Have you ever heard (or perhaps said) the following: "Well, I'm a good person. I've never killed anyone!" Modern people love using murder as a benchmark for moral goodness: those who have killed are bad, and those who haven't are good. Oh, if it were that simplistic. Tomorrow, we turn our attention to Commandment #6, "You shall not murder." We'll look at many of the far reaching implications of this commandment, including many of the hot-button issues like abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia, suicide, and just war theory. We'll also look at Matthew 5:21-26, where Jesus, in his famous Sermon on the Mount says the following regarding the 6th commandment: "I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire." Jesus makes unjust anger, verbal abuse and personal hatred tantamount to murder. According to this definition, we're all guilty of transgressing Commandment #6 and we're all in desperate need of God's grace. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we think through some difficult issues and turn our gaze to our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his death, defeated death, so that we can have forgiveness, eternal life, and live lives that treasure the sanctity of life.
Commandment VII
November 15, 2015 • Shane Sikkema • Exodus 20:1–21
This week we are continuing our sermon series through the 10 Commandments by looking at number 7, “You shall not commit adultery.” The Bible has a lot to say about sex, and several passages that would make even modern readers blush. While the Bible has a lot to say about the goodness of sex, Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that to even look at another person with lust, is to commit adultery in our hearts! God created sex to be amazing, and yet his standard seems almost unbelievable. So, why would God put restrictions around something so good? How does this apply to those of us who are married? How does it apply to those of us who are single? What does it really mean to keep the 7th Commandment, and is it even possible? These are some of the questions we’ll be asking this Sunday as we look at how the Bible address this important subject.
Commandment VIII
November 22, 2015
Have you ever been stolen from? I'm sure we all have. Remember that feeling the moment you found out? It's hard to describe, but we all know how it feels. You feel a mixture of shock, anger, helplessness, maybe ever grief. You feel like you've been violated. How could this have happened? How dare they?! What can I do to get it back? How can I seek justice? What's the most valuable thing you've had stolen from you? A watch? A purse or a wallet? Money? A bike? Your car? Your passport? A position in a program or at work? Your ideas? A boyfriend/girlfriend? Maybe you've had someone steal your identity? We've all had someone steal from us. It hurts. We know it's wrong. It's just wrong. Right? However, have you ever stolen anything? Of course you have. But when we steal, it usually is a little more complicated that "It's just wrong." We have our reasons, right? We can probably even make a great case to justify why in your case, in this particular instance, it's not necessarily wrong, per se. You don't just steal. You did what you did because you had no choice, right? Wrong.
Commandment IX
November 29, 2015
As we look at commandment #9 tomorrow, we’ll be thinking through the question: “What is truth?” and the corresponding question: “What is a lie?” We live in culture that’s accepted the lie that there is no such thing as truth. At least, not ultimate truth. Not Truth, with a capital “T”. Nowadays, we’ve even accepted the lie that the Truth, even if it does exist, doesn’t really matter. In John 18, Pilate asks Jesus “What is truth?” Great question. He even asked the right person. But he didn’t wait for an answer. He didn’t really want to know. Jesus, the embodiment of Truth, taught his followers to be lovers of the truth and speak the truth in love. However, what about all the examples in Scripture of people who lied? What about the Israelie midwives in Egypt? What about Rahab? What about David feigning madness or pulling off military deceit? Doesn’t the end justify the means? Great questions. Join us tomorrow as we look at Commandment #9, and think through the vast implications of this commandment for our lives and culture.
Commandment X
December 6, 2015
Tomorrow we plan on wrapping up our sermon series through the 10 Commandments, with the last one, which is simply "You shall not covet." At first glance this seems to be a strange way to wrap up the "greatest laws ever." Where's the climax? Where's the crescendo? Seems like more of a dud, than anything else. Right? Well, not exactly. The 10th Commandment is actually a perfect culmination of the Decalogue, because it reduces all sin to the wrongful motives of the heart. Also, there couldn't be a more appropriate time to talk about coveting than right before the holidays!