When dealing with the 7th commandment, Jesus says lustful intent is enough to break this commandment. God provided marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual union. Most disciplinary cases in churches, both past, and present, deal with the breaking of this commandment. Because we live in an overly sexually charged culture, it is difficult to protect oneself from lustful intent. It is a matter of the heart. What does our heart treasure the most--purity or lust? We must guard our hearts by guarding what we allow our eyes to look at. Paul encourages the saints in 1 Cor. 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Often the way of escape is not just guarding what our eyes look at but having fellow Christians helping us to flee from lustful intent.
NCF Sunday Worship
August 28, 2022 • Pastor Bob Becker • Colossians 3:1–5, Exodus 20:14, Galatians 6:7–8, Lamentations 3:22–26
NCF Worship 6/12/22 - Graduate Sunday
June 12, 2022 • Pastor Bob Becker • Exodus 20:1–2, Matthew 5:17–18, Psalm 118:14–21, Galatians 4:1–7
“The Holy God Saves His People” One mistake we often make in studying the Ten Commandments (Ten Words) is we fail to see the Gospel in them. We fail to see the good news of the Law. Therefore, we should not skip over the first two verses of Exodus 20. God reminds Israel that He is the God who brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. God saves us to give us the ability to obey His Law. We, as Paul reminds us in Galatians 4, must never believe the Law saves us or make the Law a burden by adding to it. The Law shows us we need Someone else to fulfill it since we cannot fulfill it ourselves but are condemned by it. The freedom to obey the Law was given to us by God saving us through Christ Jesus. This should bring us great joy because even when we fail in our obedience we are still saved through Christ’s obedience.
NCF Sunday Worship June 19, 2022
June 19, 2022 • Pastor Bob Becker • 1 Corinthians 8:4–6, Exodus 20:3, Isaiah 45:22, Psalm 50:1–6
“The Only True God” We cannot have faith in faith. Most people have faith in something or someone. Some people believe it is not so much what or who you believe in as it is about just believing. There are people who worship sincerely, intensely, but are worshiping the wrong god. The first commandment puts that falsehood to rest. The first commandment is foundational to all the rest. If any moral Law is going to be binding on us, there must be a divine lawgiver. The Ten Commandments were not written up based on some internet poll. The question is, “Who has the right to tell us how to live?” The majority? God has the right to tell us how to live because He created us and knows what is best for us, what brings true freedom. “Which God?” someone might ask. Exactly says Exodus 20. There are not many gods. The only true God is the God of the Bible.
NCF Sunday Worship
October 16, 2022 • Pastor Bob Becker • Exodus 20:18–21, Psalm 111:10, Psalm 34:7–11, Matthew 10:24–31
What did the Israelites fear in hearing God speak His Law? Was it the Law itself or God’s judgment if they broke His Law? It was both. However, the latter was primary. God cannot look upon sin, that is, He cannot leave it unpunished. Heb. 10:31: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” However, perfect love casts out fear. We find joy in fearing God not just because we find joy in His holiness, but also His holiness drives us to our need for Jesus Christ. The Law after condemning us drives us to Jesus Christ when the Holy Spirit gives us the eyes to see how holy our God is and how sinful we are. He reveals to our hearts we need a mediator between us and God and that mediator is Jesus Christ. Therefore, there is joy in fearing our Lord. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).