Top 10
The 10th Commandment
August 28, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. The Comprehensiveness of Coveting The tenth commandment helps explain all of the other commandments in retrospect. Coveting is desire--wanting or craving something. The final commandment deals with our desire. At the heart of all the commandments is the desire we have for our own personal preferences. 2. Coveting Kills Contentment We are told that we are what we own, what we buy, what we wear, what we drive, and what we want. Coveting riches and possessions chokes out contentment. Ultimately to covet or desire the property of another is to be dissatisfied with what God has given, and thus to show lack of faith in His love. 3. Covet Christ This commandment focuses on replacing the wrong desire with the right desire. We are to desire Christ. We are to covet Christ. The apostle Paul grasped what it meant to desire Christ above everything else. He wrote, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).
The 8th Commandment
August 14, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. Attitudes toward Possessions (Luke 10:30-35) The parable of the Good Samaritan can be outlined by the attitudes it demonstrates toward property and riches. A. "What's yours is mine; I'll take it." B. "What's mine is mine; I'll keep it." C. "What's mine is God's; I'll share it." 2. Accountability to God (Psalm 24:1-2; Malachi 3:8-10) It is not enough that we do not steal. We must put all that we are and all that we have at the disposal of God, understanding that he ultimately owns all. This universal ownership includes "all who live in it" (Psalm 24:1). All people live under God's sovereign dominion. In reality, we are all robbers, and we steal. Scripture tells us that stealing from God is the ultimate theft. We rob God of the praise due his name. We rob God of time and talent that we invest in lesser things. We rob God of our priorities and passions. And we rob God of possessions and money. Are you robbing from God? If so, seek forgiveness and repent of your disobedience. God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins. This is good news!
The 7th Commandment
July 31, 2016 • Toby Henson
The 6th Commandment
July 17, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. Unauthorized, Malicious Taking of Life The meaning of this command is largely determined by the analysis of a single word--the Hebrew word translated "murder" in most translations. "Murder" as used in the sixth commandment means "to kill unauthorized or with malice" (Albert Mohler, Jr.). 2. War and Capital Punishment Scripture does not teach that "You shall not murder" is a blanket prohibition against killing (Exodus 20:13). Just acts of war and capital punishment are both authorized killings permitted in Scripture, and at time commanded by God. 3. Jesus on the Sixth Commandment The sixth commandment seems comfortably distant from us if all that is really at stake is the actual murder of another human being. Then we read Matthew 5 and see that murder is not just a matter of merely externally taking a life--it is also anger and hatred.
The 5th Commandment
July 10, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. The Role of Parents The primary role of the parent is to teach. Godly parents "impress" God's commandments upon their children (Deuteronomy 6:7). The parental responsibility to teach should be intentional, constant, consistent, and it is to be repeated. 2. The Response of Children Children are to "honor" their parents (Exodus 20:12). The word honor is much more comprehensive than the word obey. The term honor is from a Hebrew root meaning "heaviness." To honor someone is to weigh down with honor and respect. 3. The Reality of the Church We must acknowledge that sometimes unfaithful parents have made their children spiritual orphans. In the lives of these children, the church becomes their spiritual family. Just as there are to be no orphans in the church, there must not be an abandoned and dishonored mother or father. We care for those who are the aged among us because they are the honored among us.
The 4th Commandment
July 3, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. The Sabbath Day Sabbath means "to cease" or "to rest." However, it is not just simply the ceasing of work. The Sabbath day is to be dedicated to the Lord. Israel was to keep the Sabbath "holy" (Exodus 20:8). The Sabbath observance marked Israel as God's people. 2. The Lord of the Sabbath The Sabbath pointed not only back to God's Sabbath during the week of creation, but it also pointed forward to a time of eternal rest made possible through Jesus Christ--the Lord of the Sabbath. 3. Sabbath Relevance for the Christian What is the relevance of the Sabbath day for the modern Christian? Within the fourth commandment we see the principles of work, rest, and worship emerge. A. Work B. Rest C. Worship
The 2nd Commandment
June 12, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. God's Prohibition (20:4) A. Idols are finite B. Idols are fabricated C. Idols imply human control D. Idols are needy 2. God's Warning (20:5) Bowing down to idols by one generation will impact the worship of future generations. It matters who we worship and how we worship. God warns that he will punish generation after generation if they keep doing the same sins of a predecessor generation. 3. God's Blessing (20:6) Notice the numerical contrast found in this command. God's warning extends to "the third and fourth generation" (20:5). God's blessing extends to "a thousand generations" (20:6). God promises to richly bless and smile upon the succeeding generations of those who love and obey him.
The 1st Commandment
June 5, 2016 • Toby Henson
1. Exclusive Monotheism Monotheism is the belief that there is one God and only one God. "Shall not have" means "to keep or refrain from having a relationship with" (20:3, KJV). This commandment implies that there may be no third parties in a person's relationship with God. 2. Exclusive Worship Human beings are worshippers. Because we are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), we long for some object of worship. We will worship either the one true and living God, or we will worship false gods. 3. Exclusive Salvation There is only one God and only one way to know this God, through Jesus Christ. The exclusiveness of Christian salvation is declared by Jesus in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."