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 VI
November 8, 2015 • Exodus 20:1–21
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.