1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,640 Now let’s open our Bible at Exodus and chapter 20 2 00:00:03,640 –> 00:00:06,260 where following the story of the people 3 00:00:06,260 –> 00:00:09,040 God has promised to bless 4 00:00:09,040 –> 00:00:11,460 and we saw that God said to Abraham, 5 00:00:11,460 –> 00:00:13,320 I will bless you 6 00:00:13,320 –> 00:00:16,740 and through you all the families of the earth 7 00:00:16,740 –> 00:00:18,820 will be blessed. 8 00:00:18,820 –> 00:00:22,480 In other words, blessing will come to the whole world 9 00:00:22,480 –> 00:00:25,139 through the offspring of Abraham, 10 00:00:25,139 –> 00:00:26,400 through the great deliverer 11 00:00:26,400 –> 00:00:29,600 who will be born into the line of Abraham 12 00:00:29,920 –> 00:00:31,100 and that’s why the Bible story follows 13 00:00:31,100 –> 00:00:35,299 the line of descent that comes from Abraham 14 00:00:35,299 –> 00:00:38,200 and we’re following the Bible story 15 00:00:38,200 –> 00:00:41,139 as you know throughout the course of this year. 16 00:00:41,139 –> 00:00:42,660 So God blessed Abraham, 17 00:00:42,660 –> 00:00:43,660 then there’s Isaac, 18 00:00:43,660 –> 00:00:45,320 then there’s Jacob 19 00:00:45,320 –> 00:00:47,660 and then God preserved this family 20 00:00:47,660 –> 00:00:49,139 that he had promised to bless 21 00:00:49,139 –> 00:00:50,360 through a great famine 22 00:00:50,360 –> 00:00:54,099 by providing food for them in Egypt. 23 00:00:54,099 –> 00:00:56,180 The family that God had promised to bless 24 00:00:56,540 –> 00:01:00,520 remained in Egypt for 400 years 25 00:01:00,520 –> 00:01:03,320 and during that time, thrived. 26 00:01:03,320 –> 00:01:05,099 When they came to Egypt 27 00:01:05,099 –> 00:01:07,160 there was an extended family, 28 00:01:07,160 –> 00:01:11,480 the extended Jacob family was 75 people. 29 00:01:12,320 –> 00:01:13,779 By the time they left, 30 00:01:13,779 –> 00:01:15,339 at the time of the Exodus, 31 00:01:15,339 –> 00:01:17,820 the book that we’re now in in the Bible, 32 00:01:17,820 –> 00:01:19,860 they were around two million people. 33 00:01:19,860 –> 00:01:22,620 So a vast growth in the people 34 00:01:22,620 –> 00:01:24,139 that God had promised to bless 35 00:01:24,180 –> 00:01:26,940 during this period of 400 years. 36 00:01:26,940 –> 00:01:29,500 But towards the end of that period 37 00:01:29,500 –> 00:01:33,040 they began to experience great evils. 38 00:01:33,040 –> 00:01:36,059 They were oppressed, they were persecuted 39 00:01:36,059 –> 00:01:39,139 and God, hearing their cry for mercy, 40 00:01:39,139 –> 00:01:43,160 commanded that Pharaoh would let his people go. 41 00:01:43,160 –> 00:01:46,120 Pharaoh refused, and so what followed 42 00:01:46,120 –> 00:01:48,500 was that judgment came 43 00:01:48,500 –> 00:01:52,980 and God gave precise instructions to his own people 44 00:01:52,980 –> 00:01:56,139 as to how they would be saved from the judgment 45 00:01:56,139 –> 00:01:58,660 when it came on the land of Egypt. 46 00:01:58,660 –> 00:02:01,760 For each family, a lamb had to be killed 47 00:02:01,760 –> 00:02:04,860 and the blood of the lamb painted on the doorposts 48 00:02:04,860 –> 00:02:07,860 and the lintels over the door. 49 00:02:07,860 –> 00:02:10,220 The sacrifice had to be made 50 00:02:10,220 –> 00:02:13,000 and the sacrifice had to be applied, 51 00:02:13,000 –> 00:02:14,639 and that took an act of faith. 52 00:02:15,979 –> 00:02:19,520 But God’s people took God at his word. 53 00:02:19,600 –> 00:02:23,360 They painted the blood of the lamb over their houses 54 00:02:23,360 –> 00:02:25,520 and when the night of judgment came, 55 00:02:25,520 –> 00:02:29,399 it passed over them. 56 00:02:29,399 –> 00:02:32,919 Finally, Pharaoh submitted to the word of God, 57 00:02:32,919 –> 00:02:36,080 the command of God, let my people go. 58 00:02:36,080 –> 00:02:38,259 But when the people left, 59 00:02:38,259 –> 00:02:40,240 Pharaoh then changed his mind 60 00:02:40,240 –> 00:02:44,160 and sent the armies after the people of God. 61 00:02:44,160 –> 00:02:47,399 And so when God’s people arrive at the Red Sea, 62 00:02:47,399 –> 00:02:48,520 they are trapped, 63 00:02:48,520 –> 00:02:50,960 they cannot move forward because of the water, 64 00:02:50,960 –> 00:02:55,119 they cannot turn back because the army is pursuing them. 65 00:02:55,119 –> 00:02:57,639 And it is then that the greatest miracle 66 00:02:57,639 –> 00:02:59,360 in the Old Testament took place. 67 00:02:59,360 –> 00:03:02,440 God parted the waters 68 00:03:02,440 –> 00:03:06,619 and his people crossed over in safety. 69 00:03:07,600 –> 00:03:09,960 And then when they got to the other side 70 00:03:09,960 –> 00:03:14,139 and the waters returned, destroying their enemies, 71 00:03:14,139 –> 00:03:17,860 there was a great eruption of thanksgiving 72 00:03:17,860 –> 00:03:20,479 that you’ll see in Exodus in chapter 15. 73 00:03:20,479 –> 00:03:22,660 If you just turned back there for a moment, 74 00:03:22,660 –> 00:03:26,699 Moses and the people of Israel sang the song to the Lord 75 00:03:26,699 –> 00:03:30,220 saying, I will sing to the Lord 76 00:03:30,220 –> 00:03:33,399 for he has triumphed gloriously. 77 00:03:33,399 –> 00:03:35,160 The horse and his rider, 78 00:03:35,160 –> 00:03:38,339 he has thrown into the sea. 79 00:03:38,339 –> 00:03:40,300 And then reading from verse nine, 80 00:03:40,300 –> 00:03:43,000 notice the I, the enemy said, 81 00:03:43,000 –> 00:03:44,740 I will pursue. 82 00:03:44,740 –> 00:03:46,380 I will overtake. 83 00:03:46,460 –> 00:03:47,979 I will divide the spoil. 84 00:03:47,979 –> 00:03:50,339 My desire shall have its fill of them. 85 00:03:50,339 –> 00:03:51,979 I will draw my sword, 86 00:03:51,979 –> 00:03:54,699 my hand shall destroy them. 87 00:03:54,699 –> 00:03:56,440 And then notice the you, 88 00:03:56,440 –> 00:03:59,899 but you blew your wind 89 00:03:59,899 –> 00:04:02,020 and the sea covered them. 90 00:04:02,020 –> 00:04:06,080 They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 91 00:04:06,080 –> 00:04:07,539 Who is like you, 92 00:04:07,539 –> 00:04:08,899 O Lord among the Gods. 93 00:04:08,899 –> 00:04:10,300 Who is like you, 94 00:04:10,300 –> 00:04:11,860 majestic in holiness, 95 00:04:11,860 –> 00:04:13,539 awesome in glorious deeds, 96 00:04:13,539 –> 00:04:14,759 doing wonders. 97 00:04:14,759 –> 00:04:15,839 Verse 13. 98 00:04:15,860 –> 00:04:18,619 You have led in your steadfast love, 99 00:04:18,619 –> 00:04:20,859 to people whom you have redeemed, 100 00:04:20,859 –> 00:04:23,559 You have guided them by your strength 101 00:04:23,559 –> 00:04:25,880 into your holy abode. 102 00:04:27,420 –> 00:04:30,100 Well today we take up the Bible’s story 103 00:04:30,100 –> 00:04:33,100 in Exodus and chapter 20. 104 00:04:33,100 –> 00:04:34,839 And just to get a time reference, 105 00:04:34,839 –> 00:04:37,540 if you look at chapter 19, 106 00:04:37,540 –> 00:04:39,320 you will see there 107 00:04:39,320 –> 00:04:41,619 that they came to Mount Sinai 108 00:04:41,739 –> 00:04:46,619 on the third new moon 109 00:04:46,619 –> 00:04:48,119 after the people of Israel 110 00:04:48,119 –> 00:04:49,579 had gone out of the land of Egypt. 111 00:04:49,579 –> 00:04:53,260 So we’re now three months after the Exodus, 112 00:04:53,260 –> 00:04:54,540 three months after this 113 00:04:54,540 –> 00:04:58,519 remarkable crossing of the Red Sea. 114 00:04:58,519 –> 00:05:00,420 And the place that they’ve come to, 115 00:05:00,420 –> 00:05:01,619 this Mount Sinai, 116 00:05:02,660 –> 00:05:05,339 this was the very place 117 00:05:05,339 –> 00:05:08,019 where God had spoken to Moses 118 00:05:08,019 –> 00:05:10,540 out off the burning bush. 119 00:05:11,540 –> 00:05:14,380 You remember that Moses had seen this fire 120 00:05:15,799 –> 00:05:18,940 and it did not consume the bush. 121 00:05:18,940 –> 00:05:22,619 The fire did not depend on the bush for fuel. 122 00:05:22,619 –> 00:05:25,980 It was a self-sustaining fire. 123 00:05:26,959 –> 00:05:30,760 And God speaks out of the self-sustaining fire, 124 00:05:30,760 –> 00:05:33,239 I am who I am. 125 00:05:33,239 –> 00:05:35,059 And then God commissioned Moses 126 00:05:35,059 –> 00:05:37,200 to go and tell Pharaoh let my people go. 127 00:05:37,200 –> 00:05:40,700 So, now, Moses is back on the same spot 128 00:05:40,700 –> 00:05:43,119 that God had made himself known to him 129 00:05:43,119 –> 00:05:47,720 and now he’s got 2 million people there with him. 130 00:05:48,679 –> 00:05:50,720 And it’s in that place, Mount Sinai, 131 00:05:50,720 –> 00:05:54,720 that the God who came down to speak with Adam and Eve, 132 00:05:54,720 –> 00:05:57,779 the God who appeared and revealed his glory 133 00:05:57,779 –> 00:06:00,040 to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, 134 00:06:00,040 –> 00:06:02,260 the God who spoke out of the fire to Moses, 135 00:06:02,260 –> 00:06:07,000 God, comes down and he gives the 10 commandments 136 00:06:07,000 –> 00:06:10,200 that we’ve read this morning to Moses. 137 00:06:11,339 –> 00:06:13,440 Now, the first thing that I want you to notice 138 00:06:13,440 –> 00:06:16,100 about the 10 commandments, and this is very important, 139 00:06:16,100 –> 00:06:20,200 is that the law of God was given to the people 140 00:06:20,200 –> 00:06:23,260 that God had redeemed. 141 00:06:23,260 –> 00:06:25,760 These are the people standing behind Moses, 142 00:06:25,760 –> 00:06:29,459 the 2 million people, these are the people who believed. 143 00:06:30,339 –> 00:06:32,279 These are people who have been saved 144 00:06:32,279 –> 00:06:36,619 from the judgment by the blood of the Lamb. 145 00:06:36,660 –> 00:06:38,179 These are God’s people, 146 00:06:38,179 –> 00:06:41,220 the people he has set free from slavery. 147 00:06:41,220 –> 00:06:43,179 That’s important for this reason. 148 00:06:43,179 –> 00:06:48,179 The law of God was never a ladder for unsaved people 149 00:06:48,459 –> 00:06:50,839 to try and work their way up into his favor 150 00:06:50,839 –> 00:06:53,579 or to climb up into heaven. 151 00:06:53,579 –> 00:06:55,540 From the beginning, 152 00:06:55,540 –> 00:07:00,140 the law of God was always the pattern of life 153 00:07:00,140 –> 00:07:04,260 that God gave to his own people. 154 00:07:04,260 –> 00:07:06,140 And that’s why, if you look at the beginning 155 00:07:06,359 –> 00:07:08,339 of the book of Exodus in chapter 20, 156 00:07:08,339 –> 00:07:11,059 the commandments begin with God describing 157 00:07:11,059 –> 00:07:14,059 the relationship he has with the people 158 00:07:14,059 –> 00:07:15,540 to whom they are given. 159 00:07:15,540 –> 00:07:16,380 Verse two, 160 00:07:16,380 –> 00:07:19,779 I am the Lord your God 161 00:07:20,940 –> 00:07:25,459 who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 162 00:07:25,459 –> 00:07:28,019 out of the house of slavery. 163 00:07:28,019 –> 00:07:30,420 So you see, God is not saying, 164 00:07:30,420 –> 00:07:31,980 I’m giving you these commandments 165 00:07:31,980 –> 00:07:34,779 so that you may become my people. 166 00:07:34,779 –> 00:07:36,940 He’s saying I’m giving you these commandments 167 00:07:36,940 –> 00:07:39,820 because you are my people, 168 00:07:39,820 –> 00:07:41,920 I redeemed you. 169 00:07:41,920 –> 00:07:44,820 I brought you out. 170 00:07:44,820 –> 00:07:48,480 The 10 commandments therefore lay out 171 00:07:48,480 –> 00:07:51,579 God’s calling to his own redeemed people, 172 00:07:51,579 –> 00:07:53,500 you’re my people and therefore 173 00:07:53,500 –> 00:07:56,339 this is how I am calling you to live. 174 00:07:56,339 –> 00:07:58,940 And that is why the commandments 175 00:07:58,940 –> 00:08:03,279 are supremely important in regards to us, 176 00:08:03,279 –> 00:08:05,920 God’s redeemed people today. 177 00:08:06,859 –> 00:08:09,799 Now I want to make three very simple observations 178 00:08:09,799 –> 00:08:10,660 about the commandments, 179 00:08:10,660 –> 00:08:13,660 hopefully they may be in a form that you can remember them. 180 00:08:13,660 –> 00:08:16,140 God’s commandments are a mirror, 181 00:08:16,140 –> 00:08:19,519 they are a mentor and they are a map 182 00:08:19,519 –> 00:08:21,420 and I think these three will take us 183 00:08:21,420 –> 00:08:24,339 into what we most need to know and remember 184 00:08:24,339 –> 00:08:26,260 about the commandments God has given. 185 00:08:26,260 –> 00:08:28,220 Number one then the law of God 186 00:08:28,220 –> 00:08:33,219 is a mirror reflecting the glory of God. 187 00:08:34,119 –> 00:08:39,119 The 10 commandments are not an arbitrary list of rules, 188 00:08:40,119 –> 00:08:45,119 they are a direct reflection of the character of God Himself. 189 00:08:47,320 –> 00:08:49,260 Now think about this. 190 00:08:49,260 –> 00:08:51,859 In the New Testament, many of you will know this verse. 191 00:08:51,859 –> 00:08:54,859 Romans chapter three in verse 23. 192 00:08:54,859 –> 00:08:59,859 Paul says, all have sinned and fall short of, 193 00:08:59,940 –> 00:09:01,960 fall short of. 194 00:09:01,960 –> 00:09:05,159 Now how would you expect that sentence to end? 195 00:09:05,159 –> 00:09:06,859 I think we might expect it to end, 196 00:09:06,859 –> 00:09:10,700 all have sinned and fall short of the commandments of God. 197 00:09:12,020 –> 00:09:15,679 But as many of you know, that is not what he says, 198 00:09:15,679 –> 00:09:20,679 he says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 199 00:09:21,000 –> 00:09:24,140 Now what that is indicating is this very important point 200 00:09:24,140 –> 00:09:26,900 that the commandments of God are in fact a reflection 201 00:09:26,900 –> 00:09:28,179 of the glory of God, 202 00:09:28,239 –> 00:09:31,200 and that these may be used interchangeably. 203 00:09:32,580 –> 00:09:36,200 In the 10 Commandments, God is saying, you are my people, 204 00:09:37,080 –> 00:09:39,479 and therefore, I am calling you to a life 205 00:09:39,479 –> 00:09:42,940 that is a reflection of what I am like. 206 00:09:44,400 –> 00:09:46,020 So if you ask the question, 207 00:09:46,020 –> 00:09:49,719 why should you not commit adultery? 208 00:09:49,719 –> 00:09:53,419 The answer is, because God is faithful. 209 00:09:54,599 –> 00:09:57,719 And if you belong to him, 210 00:09:57,760 –> 00:10:00,580 he calls you to a faithfulness 211 00:10:00,580 –> 00:10:03,000 that reflects his faithfulness to you. 212 00:10:03,000 –> 00:10:05,020 He says, I will never leave you, 213 00:10:05,020 –> 00:10:05,859 and I will never forsake you. 214 00:10:05,859 –> 00:10:07,539 Now you’re his son, you’re his daughter, 215 00:10:07,539 –> 00:10:11,179 you are called to a life that reflects his faithfulness. 216 00:10:11,179 –> 00:10:12,940 That’s the reason for the seventh commandment. 217 00:10:12,940 –> 00:10:15,820 It’s what it looks like to reflect the character of God. 218 00:10:15,820 –> 00:10:17,419 Why should you not steal? 219 00:10:18,599 –> 00:10:20,500 Well because God can be trusted. 220 00:10:21,539 –> 00:10:23,840 And he calls you to be trustworthy 221 00:10:23,840 –> 00:10:26,140 as he is worthy of all your trust. 222 00:10:26,679 –> 00:10:28,940 Why should you not lie? 223 00:10:29,820 –> 00:10:32,580 Because God’s word is truth. 224 00:10:32,580 –> 00:10:35,559 And God calls you to be true to your word 225 00:10:35,559 –> 00:10:37,700 as he is true to his word. 226 00:10:39,000 –> 00:10:40,739 Why should you not covet? 227 00:10:40,739 –> 00:10:42,460 Well because God is content, 228 00:10:42,460 –> 00:10:44,099 and he is at peace with himself 229 00:10:44,099 –> 00:10:46,219 knowing that he is working out all things 230 00:10:46,219 –> 00:10:48,780 according to his sovereign will. 231 00:10:48,780 –> 00:10:51,140 Therefore as one of his redeemed children 232 00:10:51,140 –> 00:10:53,020 who bears his name and is therefore 233 00:10:53,020 –> 00:10:54,739 a witness to him in the world, 234 00:10:54,859 –> 00:10:58,619 he calls you to a life that shows a peace and contentment 235 00:10:58,619 –> 00:11:00,780 that comes from knowing that he will work out 236 00:11:00,780 –> 00:11:02,159 everything in regard to you 237 00:11:02,159 –> 00:11:04,880 according to his sovereign will. 238 00:11:06,140 –> 00:11:09,179 And when God says you shall have no other gods before me, 239 00:11:09,179 –> 00:11:10,140 why does he say that? 240 00:11:10,140 –> 00:11:13,179 Because he is the only true and living God. 241 00:11:13,179 –> 00:11:15,299 There is no one else like him. 242 00:11:15,299 –> 00:11:18,179 When he commands that we should rest one day in the week, 243 00:11:18,179 –> 00:11:19,419 why does he do that? 244 00:11:19,419 –> 00:11:22,219 Because that is what God himself did in creation. 245 00:11:22,219 –> 00:11:23,640 In the six days of creation, 246 00:11:23,799 –> 00:11:25,359 and then he rested on the seventh day. 247 00:11:25,359 –> 00:11:28,880 He’s modeling for us how we are to work 248 00:11:28,880 –> 00:11:32,440 and what the rhythms of our life are to be. 249 00:11:32,440 –> 00:11:34,760 And to saying that your life is to be a reflection 250 00:11:34,760 –> 00:11:36,140 of what you see in me. 251 00:11:37,760 –> 00:11:40,119 In these commandments, then God is speaking 252 00:11:40,119 –> 00:11:42,159 to his own people and he’s saying, 253 00:11:42,159 –> 00:11:44,119 now you are my people. 254 00:11:44,119 –> 00:11:46,559 Therefore you are called in this world 255 00:11:46,559 –> 00:11:49,059 to a life that reflects who I am. 256 00:11:49,059 –> 00:11:52,840 And this is what a Godly life 257 00:11:53,700 –> 00:11:55,080 looks like. 258 00:11:56,580 –> 00:11:59,580 By the way, people debate often. 259 00:11:59,580 –> 00:12:02,479 Can you be good without God? 260 00:12:03,780 –> 00:12:06,400 Well, of course, it all depends what you mean by good. 261 00:12:06,400 –> 00:12:10,159 The Bible declares that God is good 262 00:12:10,159 –> 00:12:15,159 and defines our good as reflecting him. 263 00:12:15,320 –> 00:12:19,280 So what happens when a culture turns away from God 264 00:12:19,280 –> 00:12:21,159 is that there is a desperate scramble 265 00:12:21,299 –> 00:12:24,179 to find a new definition of what is good. 266 00:12:24,179 –> 00:12:26,099 And every group then defines good 267 00:12:26,099 –> 00:12:29,260 according to its own particular self-interest. 268 00:12:29,260 –> 00:12:31,679 And you end up very quickly with a culture 269 00:12:31,679 –> 00:12:34,140 that’s along the lines of what Isaiah described 270 00:12:34,140 –> 00:12:36,140 in Isaiah chapter five and verse 20 271 00:12:36,140 –> 00:12:39,500 where people call good evil and call evil good. 272 00:12:41,280 –> 00:12:44,979 David says in the Psalms, 273 00:12:44,979 –> 00:12:48,940 Oh how I love your law. 274 00:12:51,760 –> 00:12:55,880 Now why does David say I love your law? 275 00:12:55,880 –> 00:12:59,200 Answer, because he loves God. 276 00:13:01,200 –> 00:13:05,099 And the law of God is a reflection of the character of God. 277 00:13:05,099 –> 00:13:09,679 It is a mirror to us of who he is. 278 00:13:11,200 –> 00:13:14,859 God is love, 279 00:13:16,159 –> 00:13:18,599 and the Ten Commandments if you think about it 280 00:13:18,599 –> 00:13:23,599 are a spelling out of what a life of love really looks like. 281 00:13:26,580 –> 00:13:28,140 Now remember on one occasion, 282 00:13:28,140 –> 00:13:30,400 our Lord Jesus was asked the question 283 00:13:30,400 –> 00:13:33,520 by someone I think who wanted to trip him up, 284 00:13:33,520 –> 00:13:34,599 he was asked the question, 285 00:13:34,599 –> 00:13:37,239 which is the great commandment in the law? 286 00:13:37,239 –> 00:13:41,059 This is Matthew chapter 22 in verse 36 I’m quoting here. 287 00:13:42,080 –> 00:13:43,719 Which is the great commandment? 288 00:13:45,020 –> 00:13:47,359 The expectation of the questioner no doubt 289 00:13:47,619 –> 00:13:49,200 was that Jesus would pick one and say 290 00:13:49,200 –> 00:13:51,039 this is more important than all the rest. 291 00:13:51,039 –> 00:13:53,640 What Jesus did instead of picking one 292 00:13:53,640 –> 00:13:56,179 was he wrapped them all up together. 293 00:13:57,080 –> 00:13:59,859 And he said this, you shall love the Lord your God 294 00:13:59,859 –> 00:14:01,940 with all your heart and with all your soul 295 00:14:01,940 –> 00:14:03,239 and with all your mind, 296 00:14:03,239 –> 00:14:05,640 this is the great and first commandment 297 00:14:05,640 –> 00:14:07,260 and the second is like it, 298 00:14:07,260 –> 00:14:10,460 you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 299 00:14:11,700 –> 00:14:14,460 So you see, Jesus is telling us 300 00:14:14,460 –> 00:14:16,979 that the 10 commandments 301 00:14:16,979 –> 00:14:20,159 reflecting the character of the God who is love 302 00:14:21,039 –> 00:14:26,039 spell out for us what a life of love looks like. 303 00:14:28,820 –> 00:14:32,260 Now the Beatles have this song that you may have heard, 304 00:14:32,260 –> 00:14:35,159 all you need is love, okay? 305 00:14:36,239 –> 00:14:40,159 It’s not a bad song but here’s the problem 306 00:14:40,159 –> 00:14:42,299 there are thousands of people 307 00:14:42,299 –> 00:14:45,200 who have no idea what love actually is. 308 00:14:46,099 –> 00:14:50,559 What does a life of love actually look like? 309 00:14:52,520 –> 00:14:55,679 Now the answer to that question is in the 10 commandments, 310 00:14:55,679 –> 00:14:58,039 the first four commandments tell us 311 00:14:58,039 –> 00:15:01,080 what it looks like to love God. 312 00:15:02,719 –> 00:15:06,000 If you really love God, here’s what it looks like. 313 00:15:06,000 –> 00:15:08,299 You have no other gods before the Lord. 314 00:15:09,200 –> 00:15:10,880 You don’t make an image in other words, 315 00:15:10,880 –> 00:15:14,539 you love him as he is and not as you might prefer 316 00:15:14,580 –> 00:15:16,179 or even imagine him to be. 317 00:15:17,159 –> 00:15:21,340 You hallow his name and you never take it in vain 318 00:15:22,400 –> 00:15:24,299 and you give him time. 319 00:15:24,299 –> 00:15:27,700 Time to worship, time to serve, 320 00:15:27,700 –> 00:15:30,260 time to remember that everything that happens 321 00:15:30,260 –> 00:15:31,859 in the busyness of your life 322 00:15:31,859 –> 00:15:34,219 is in the light of a long eternity 323 00:15:34,219 –> 00:15:35,760 for which you have to prepare. 324 00:15:36,940 –> 00:15:40,059 And then the last six commandments tell us 325 00:15:40,059 –> 00:15:43,359 what it means to love your neighbor as yourself, 326 00:15:44,239 –> 00:15:47,039 and when God spells out for us 327 00:15:47,039 –> 00:15:49,840 what a life of loving our neighbor as ourselves 328 00:15:51,320 –> 00:15:53,000 really looks like, very significantly, 329 00:15:53,000 –> 00:15:56,559 he’s saying this, it has to start at home. 330 00:15:57,900 –> 00:16:00,059 It has to start with the very first people 331 00:16:00,059 –> 00:16:01,559 that God puts in your life. 332 00:16:02,719 –> 00:16:05,599 Honor your father and your mother. 333 00:16:05,599 –> 00:16:08,159 It’s easy to talk about love in generalities 334 00:16:08,159 –> 00:16:10,599 and then to be completely blind 335 00:16:10,599 –> 00:16:13,099 to those who have been put closest to us. 336 00:16:15,440 –> 00:16:18,320 It means that you will revere life 337 00:16:19,640 –> 00:16:24,119 as a gift from God to be protected and to be preserved 338 00:16:24,119 –> 00:16:25,760 in every way possible. 339 00:16:25,760 –> 00:16:27,960 That’s the sixth commandment. 340 00:16:27,960 –> 00:16:30,679 It means that you will be faithful to your spouse 341 00:16:30,679 –> 00:16:32,239 as God is faithful to you. 342 00:16:32,239 –> 00:16:35,479 It means that you will be trusted not to take advantage 343 00:16:35,479 –> 00:16:39,059 of the weakness and the vulnerability of another person. 344 00:16:39,059 –> 00:16:40,979 It means that you will be true to your word 345 00:16:40,979 –> 00:16:42,799 and that your word will be true. 346 00:16:42,799 –> 00:16:45,619 It means that you will rejoice 347 00:16:45,619 –> 00:16:48,299 in what God gives to other people 348 00:16:48,299 –> 00:16:51,179 rather than churlishly wishing instead 349 00:16:51,179 –> 00:16:53,460 that he had given it to you. 350 00:16:54,539 –> 00:16:56,299 So here are the 10 commandments 351 00:16:56,299 –> 00:16:59,599 and they are a reflection of the glory of God, 352 00:16:59,599 –> 00:17:03,919 a reflection of the glory of the God who is love. 353 00:17:03,919 –> 00:17:07,920 And he calls us because we are his redeemed people 354 00:17:07,959 –> 00:17:09,699 who bear his name in the world 355 00:17:09,699 –> 00:17:13,900 to live lives that are a reflection of who he is. 356 00:17:15,319 –> 00:17:17,439 And he spells out what that looks like, 357 00:17:17,439 –> 00:17:19,619 a life of love, a godly life, 358 00:17:19,619 –> 00:17:21,160 here’s what it looks like 359 00:17:21,160 –> 00:17:23,560 and it’s all there in the 10 commandments. 360 00:17:23,560 –> 00:17:26,680 That’s why the commandments ought to be precious 361 00:17:26,680 –> 00:17:30,079 to every Christian believer, 362 00:17:30,079 –> 00:17:32,300 why they ought to be supremely valued. 363 00:17:32,300 –> 00:17:35,280 Listen to what David says in Psalm 19. 364 00:17:35,500 –> 00:17:40,260 And the law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul. 365 00:17:40,260 –> 00:17:45,000 The testimony of the Lord is sure making why this simple. 366 00:17:45,000 –> 00:17:49,359 The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. 367 00:17:49,359 –> 00:17:53,160 The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. 368 00:17:53,160 –> 00:17:57,599 More to be desired are they than gold. 369 00:17:57,599 –> 00:18:02,660 More than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey 370 00:18:02,900 –> 00:18:06,479 and the drippings from the honeycomb. 371 00:18:07,699 –> 00:18:10,680 I hope as one of God’s redeemed people 372 00:18:10,680 –> 00:18:14,780 who loves God you will love his law 373 00:18:14,780 –> 00:18:19,079 that reflects his character and that from the heart 374 00:18:19,079 –> 00:18:21,800 you will have a sense within you that says 375 00:18:21,800 –> 00:18:25,739 the life that is described there reflects who he is 376 00:18:25,739 –> 00:18:30,739 and that is what with all my being I seek to pursue. 377 00:18:30,900 –> 00:18:35,900 A mirror that reflects the glory of God. 378 00:18:37,739 –> 00:18:38,839 That’s the first thing. 379 00:18:40,380 –> 00:18:42,300 And it teaches us to value God’s law. 380 00:18:43,500 –> 00:18:47,719 Here’s the second, the law of God is a mentor 381 00:18:47,719 –> 00:18:51,160 leading us to faith in Jesus Christ. 382 00:18:51,160 –> 00:18:54,699 The law of God is a mentor leading us 383 00:18:54,699 –> 00:18:56,140 to faith in Jesus Christ. 384 00:18:56,140 –> 00:18:58,760 Now I’m thinking here of Galatians chapter three 385 00:18:58,760 –> 00:19:02,540 in verse 24 where the Scripture says that the law 386 00:19:02,540 –> 00:19:07,420 was our guardian until Christ came. 387 00:19:07,420 –> 00:19:10,560 Wonderful statement in the New Testament. 388 00:19:10,560 –> 00:19:14,119 Other translations have there the word tutor 389 00:19:14,119 –> 00:19:15,319 instead of guardian. 390 00:19:15,319 –> 00:19:18,219 Our tutor, or our teacher. 391 00:19:18,219 –> 00:19:21,040 I’m using here the word mentor. 392 00:19:21,040 –> 00:19:23,699 Catching the same meaning. 393 00:19:23,699 –> 00:19:27,079 A mentor, a good mentor 394 00:19:27,079 –> 00:19:30,739 is someone who can show you where to go 395 00:19:30,739 –> 00:19:33,560 and walk with you until you get there. 396 00:19:35,439 –> 00:19:39,060 I’m suggesting to you today that God has given His law 397 00:19:39,060 –> 00:19:41,359 not only as a reflection of His glory 398 00:19:41,359 –> 00:19:46,359 but in order to lead us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 399 00:19:46,900 –> 00:19:49,540 That’s what a proper understanding of the law will do. 400 00:19:49,540 –> 00:19:54,540 It will walk you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 401 00:19:54,959 –> 00:19:58,959 Start seriously trying to live according 402 00:19:58,959 –> 00:20:01,119 to God’s commandments and it won’t be long 403 00:20:01,119 –> 00:20:03,459 before you’re saying, I need some help. 404 00:20:04,599 –> 00:20:07,000 And a proper understanding of the commandments 405 00:20:07,000 –> 00:20:11,579 will lead you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 406 00:20:11,579 –> 00:20:13,520 It’ll do that, first, because you realize 407 00:20:13,520 –> 00:20:14,699 your need of His forgiveness, 408 00:20:14,699 –> 00:20:18,160 second, because you realize your need of His strength, 409 00:20:18,160 –> 00:20:20,959 and the longer you walk with Jesus Christ, 410 00:20:20,979 –> 00:20:24,780 the more deeply you will feel your need of Him. 411 00:20:26,199 –> 00:20:29,859 Now, I say a proper understanding of the commandments 412 00:20:29,859 –> 00:20:32,119 will lead you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 413 00:20:32,119 –> 00:20:35,400 for this reason, that it is possible 414 00:20:35,400 –> 00:20:37,400 to come to the 10 commandments 415 00:20:37,400 –> 00:20:40,060 and just look at them at a very surface level 416 00:20:40,060 –> 00:20:42,000 and feel on a checkbox kind of a way 417 00:20:42,000 –> 00:20:43,839 that you’re actually doing quite well. 418 00:20:45,000 –> 00:20:46,640 There’s a story in the New Testament 419 00:20:46,640 –> 00:20:49,300 that makes this point very clearly. 420 00:20:49,300 –> 00:20:53,579 On one occasion, a brilliant and successful man 421 00:20:53,579 –> 00:20:56,459 who we often refer to as the Rich Young Ruler 422 00:20:56,459 –> 00:20:58,900 came to Jesus and asked this question, 423 00:20:58,900 –> 00:21:03,900 what must I do to inherit eternal life 424 00:21:04,900 –> 00:21:08,699 and Jesus said to him, well now you know the commandments. 425 00:21:08,699 –> 00:21:10,819 Do not murder, do not commit adultery, 426 00:21:10,819 –> 00:21:13,520 do not steal, do not bear false witness, 427 00:21:13,520 –> 00:21:17,699 do not defraud, honor your father and your mother 428 00:21:18,680 –> 00:21:23,060 and the man said, all these I have kept since my youth. 429 00:21:25,119 –> 00:21:27,979 Now I think that he really believed that. 430 00:21:29,199 –> 00:21:34,119 He hadn’t murdered anyone, he’d been faithful to his wife, 431 00:21:35,000 –> 00:21:36,760 hadn’t told any whopping lies 432 00:21:36,760 –> 00:21:40,300 and certainly hadn’t committed any perjury in court, 433 00:21:40,300 –> 00:21:44,839 never raided a bank, was a good, moral, upright citizen 434 00:21:44,839 –> 00:21:48,439 who flossed his teeth and paid his taxes. 435 00:21:49,900 –> 00:21:51,560 And his question to Jesus is, 436 00:21:51,560 –> 00:21:52,859 look, I’ve kept the commandments, 437 00:21:52,859 –> 00:21:54,199 I’m living a good and a moral life, 438 00:21:54,199 –> 00:21:56,959 I’m giving myself to that, I just want to know this. 439 00:21:56,959 –> 00:21:58,339 Is there anything else I should do 440 00:21:58,339 –> 00:22:00,479 just to be sure of having everlasting life? 441 00:22:02,339 –> 00:22:05,380 Now, the problem of course is that the rich young ruler 442 00:22:05,380 –> 00:22:09,099 very simply did not understand the commandments. 443 00:22:10,819 –> 00:22:14,819 Jesus makes this very clear in the Sermon on the Mount. 444 00:22:14,819 –> 00:22:18,199 That the commandments do not simply address one sin, 445 00:22:18,199 –> 00:22:21,479 but each of them addresses a whole category of sins. 446 00:22:21,479 –> 00:22:23,719 And they do not relate simply to actions, 447 00:22:23,719 –> 00:22:26,739 but even to the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 448 00:22:28,180 –> 00:22:32,439 So if you take, for example, the sixth commandment, 449 00:22:32,439 –> 00:22:34,040 you shall not murder. 450 00:22:35,880 –> 00:22:38,920 Picture a train that is moving along a track, 451 00:22:38,920 –> 00:22:42,640 and on this track there are a number of stations. 452 00:22:43,619 –> 00:22:46,359 The line is called conflict. 453 00:22:47,359 –> 00:22:49,880 At the end of the line there is a station 454 00:22:49,880 –> 00:22:51,739 that is called murder. 455 00:22:53,160 –> 00:22:57,400 The vast majority of people will never go to that station, 456 00:22:57,400 –> 00:23:01,780 but all of us have been somewhere on the line of conflict. 457 00:23:03,060 –> 00:23:05,500 Listen to the words of Jesus. 458 00:23:05,500 –> 00:23:08,439 You have heard that it was said of old, 459 00:23:08,439 –> 00:23:10,699 you shall not murder. 460 00:23:10,719 –> 00:23:13,719 And whoever murders shall be liable to judgment. 461 00:23:15,380 –> 00:23:19,260 But I say to you, that everyone who is angry 462 00:23:19,260 –> 00:23:23,119 with his brother will be liable to judgment. 463 00:23:24,020 –> 00:23:27,540 And whoever insults his brother 464 00:23:27,540 –> 00:23:29,380 will be liable to the council, 465 00:23:29,380 –> 00:23:31,839 and to whoever says you fool 466 00:23:32,780 –> 00:23:36,439 will be liable to the hell of fire. 467 00:23:36,920 –> 00:23:39,439 Now, you see what Jesus is saying here. 468 00:23:40,300 –> 00:23:45,300 Abusive speech is an offense against the sixth commandment 469 00:23:48,300 –> 00:23:51,160 for which a person will be accountable to God. 470 00:23:53,119 –> 00:23:55,680 And the problem quite clearly stated by Jesus 471 00:23:55,680 –> 00:23:58,800 for the person who indulges in abusive speech 472 00:23:58,800 –> 00:24:02,959 is not simply that they might be reported to the Sanhedrin, 473 00:24:03,839 –> 00:24:06,819 but that the verbal violation of the sixth commandment 474 00:24:06,819 –> 00:24:11,060 puts a person in danger of the fires of hell. 475 00:24:11,060 –> 00:24:12,760 Now that would have immediately 476 00:24:12,760 –> 00:24:14,439 got the attention of the crowd 477 00:24:15,400 –> 00:24:18,339 because the vast majority in the crowd are thinking, 478 00:24:18,339 –> 00:24:19,319 oh, do not murder. 479 00:24:19,319 –> 00:24:20,880 Oh yeah, the sixth commandment checked, 480 00:24:20,880 –> 00:24:22,199 but I certainly never done that 481 00:24:22,199 –> 00:24:23,420 and I’m never gonna do it. 482 00:24:23,420 –> 00:24:25,119 I’m good with that one. 483 00:24:26,420 –> 00:24:30,619 And Jesus says, not so fast 484 00:24:31,300 –> 00:24:36,300 because if angry words that diminish another person 485 00:24:37,260 –> 00:24:40,140 constitute a breaking of the sixth commandment, 486 00:24:40,140 –> 00:24:43,199 we are dealing with something much closer to home. 487 00:24:45,300 –> 00:24:48,020 So I’m saying that a proper understanding 488 00:24:48,020 –> 00:24:49,060 of the Ten Commandments 489 00:24:49,060 –> 00:24:51,500 will lead you to faith in Jesus Christ 490 00:24:51,500 –> 00:24:53,380 because instead of the mentality that says, 491 00:24:53,380 –> 00:24:54,380 I never murdered anyone, 492 00:24:54,380 –> 00:24:56,020 I’ve never committed perjury in a court, 493 00:24:56,020 –> 00:24:58,020 a proper understanding of the commandments 494 00:24:58,020 –> 00:24:59,439 will lead you to the conclusion, 495 00:24:59,540 –> 00:25:01,719 I am a sinner who needs a savior. 496 00:25:03,199 –> 00:25:06,060 Or take the Eight Commandment, you shall not steal. 497 00:25:07,400 –> 00:25:10,760 So again, picture a train on a line. 498 00:25:10,760 –> 00:25:13,800 This time we’ll call the line Dishonesty. 499 00:25:15,020 –> 00:25:17,680 And at the end of the line of dishonesty, 500 00:25:17,680 –> 00:25:19,280 there is a station, 501 00:25:20,260 –> 00:25:23,479 a station on which there are many people 502 00:25:23,479 –> 00:25:25,959 who would raid banks, 503 00:25:27,119 –> 00:25:28,939 break into homes, 504 00:25:29,819 –> 00:25:32,619 or perpetrate massive schemes of fraud. 505 00:25:32,619 –> 00:25:35,540 The vast majority of us will never go to that station. 506 00:25:37,479 –> 00:25:39,979 But all of us have traveled somewhere on the line. 507 00:25:42,339 –> 00:25:45,920 Stealing can be rightly defined 508 00:25:47,339 –> 00:25:50,439 as the desire to get as much as you can 509 00:25:50,439 –> 00:25:53,339 while giving as little as you can. 510 00:25:53,339 –> 00:25:54,599 That’s the essence of it. 511 00:25:55,859 –> 00:25:57,400 It’s being a taker 512 00:25:58,239 –> 00:26:03,239 without being a giver and on that definition 513 00:26:03,479 –> 00:26:06,900 there is a lot of stealing that goes on in marriages 514 00:26:08,040 –> 00:26:11,800 and in families and in churches. 515 00:26:13,400 –> 00:26:17,680 And a proper understanding of the commandments of God 516 00:26:17,680 –> 00:26:22,300 will lead you to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 517 00:26:22,300 –> 00:26:27,060 I’ve been a taker without being a giver. 518 00:26:28,180 –> 00:26:32,979 Or take for example one more, take the ninth commandment. 519 00:26:34,060 –> 00:26:36,180 You shall not bear false witness. 520 00:26:36,180 –> 00:26:38,260 Now again you see, it’s easy to say 521 00:26:38,260 –> 00:26:40,859 just as one could say, I never committed any murder, 522 00:26:40,859 –> 00:26:42,979 I never committed perjury in a court of law, 523 00:26:42,979 –> 00:26:45,339 I never robbed a bank, in this case 524 00:26:45,339 –> 00:26:48,180 I’ve never committed perjury in a court of law. 525 00:26:48,180 –> 00:26:50,099 So I’m good to go with the ninth commandment 526 00:26:50,099 –> 00:26:52,619 but again the point is 527 00:26:53,160 –> 00:26:56,859 as Jesus teaches us that each commandment 528 00:26:56,859 –> 00:26:58,400 relates not only to one sin 529 00:26:58,400 –> 00:27:00,359 but to a whole category of sins. 530 00:27:01,520 –> 00:27:06,520 Let me read to you from the Westminster Catechism 531 00:27:06,760 –> 00:27:10,540 spelling out from Scripture by bringing together 532 00:27:10,540 –> 00:27:14,660 what other scriptures say in relation 533 00:27:14,660 –> 00:27:16,979 to the theme of the ninth commandment. 534 00:27:16,979 –> 00:27:19,500 Let me read to you this paragraph 535 00:27:19,500 –> 00:27:21,459 that gives the extent of the 536 00:27:22,099 –> 00:27:24,819 of the ninth commandment you shall not bear false witness. 537 00:27:24,819 –> 00:27:25,959 It includes, 538 00:27:27,520 –> 00:27:30,180 all prejudicing of the truth 539 00:27:30,180 –> 00:27:32,099 and of the good name 540 00:27:32,099 –> 00:27:34,680 of our neighbors as well as our own, 541 00:27:34,680 –> 00:27:36,020 giving false evidence, 542 00:27:36,020 –> 00:27:38,520 calling evil good and good evil 543 00:27:38,520 –> 00:27:41,099 forgery, concealing the truth, 544 00:27:41,099 –> 00:27:44,359 undue silence in a just cause. 545 00:27:44,359 –> 00:27:46,099 Anyone guilty of that? 546 00:27:46,099 –> 00:27:51,099 Slandering, back-biting, detracting, tail-baring, 547 00:27:51,180 –> 00:27:55,339 whispering, scoffing, reviling, 548 00:27:55,339 –> 00:27:57,579 rash or harsh censuring, 549 00:27:57,579 –> 00:27:9,819 misconstruing intentions, 550 00:27:59,819 –> 00:28:01,180 words and actions. 551 00:28:01,180 –> 00:28:02,660 Ever done that? 552 00:28:02,660 –> 00:28:04,020 Is there anyone still standing 553 00:28:04,020 –> 00:28:06,060 who’s not been caught by one of these? 554 00:28:06,060 –> 00:28:08,060 Flattering, boasting, 555 00:28:08,060 –> 00:28:10,739 thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly 556 00:28:10,739 –> 00:28:12,579 of ourselves or of others, 557 00:28:12,579 –> 00:28:14,939 denying the gifts and graces of God, 558 00:28:14,939 –> 00:28:17,599 aggravating smaller faults, 559 00:28:18,920 –> 00:28:20,660 raising false rumors, 560 00:28:20,660 –> 00:28:24,180 receiving and countenancing evil reports. 561 00:28:26,020 –> 00:28:27,959 You see suddenly when you see 562 00:28:28,800 –> 00:28:31,640 the true meaning of the commandments of God 563 00:28:31,640 –> 00:28:33,400 and that they go to the thoughts 564 00:28:33,400 –> 00:28:34,959 and the intentions of the heart 565 00:28:34,959 –> 00:28:36,040 that each of them relates 566 00:28:36,040 –> 00:28:37,640 not to one sin only 567 00:28:37,640 –> 00:28:39,900 but to a whole category of sins. 568 00:28:41,300 –> 00:28:42,900 You move from a position of saying 569 00:28:42,900 –> 00:28:44,680 never committed perjury in the course of blood 570 00:28:44,680 –> 00:28:45,680 so I’m really good 571 00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:48,140 and anything else I need to do for eternal life. 572 00:28:48,140 –> 00:28:49,300 No, you’re no longer there. 573 00:28:49,339 –> 00:28:50,819 You’re saying I am a sinner 574 00:28:50,819 –> 00:28:52,619 who’s so far from reflecting 575 00:28:52,619 –> 00:28:54,479 the glory of the character of God 576 00:28:54,479 –> 00:28:56,199 I desperately need a Savior. 577 00:28:59,339 –> 00:29:01,979 So the law of God 578 00:29:01,979 –> 00:29:04,579 is a mirror that wonderfully 579 00:29:04,579 –> 00:29:06,380 reflects the glory of God. 580 00:29:07,900 –> 00:29:11,939 It is a mentor that properly understood 581 00:29:13,219 –> 00:29:15,760 will bring us to faith 582 00:29:15,760 –> 00:29:17,900 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 583 00:29:18,699 –> 00:29:20,459 And then here’s the last thing. 584 00:29:20,459 –> 00:29:23,219 It is thirdly, a map 585 00:29:23,219 –> 00:29:26,099 for a Spirit-empowered life. 586 00:29:26,099 –> 00:29:29,300 In other words, it describes for us 587 00:29:30,239 –> 00:29:33,819 the life for which the Holy Spirit 588 00:29:33,819 –> 00:29:36,219 is given to us. 589 00:29:37,859 –> 00:29:40,280 Years ago, I came across a story 590 00:29:40,280 –> 00:29:41,900 that really has helped me 591 00:29:41,900 –> 00:29:43,780 in my understanding of the Commandments, 592 00:29:43,780 –> 00:29:46,160 perhaps more than any other. 593 00:29:46,199 –> 00:29:47,939 It’s a true story. 594 00:29:47,939 –> 00:29:50,920 It’s a story of a man 595 00:29:50,920 –> 00:29:54,319 who served time in prison 596 00:29:54,319 –> 00:29:56,119 because he was a thief 597 00:29:57,319 –> 00:29:58,839 that had been his lifestyle, 598 00:29:58,839 –> 00:30:01,680 his friends were sharing in that way 599 00:30:01,680 –> 00:30:02,939 of living with him. 600 00:30:03,839 –> 00:30:05,640 And eventually the long arm of the law 601 00:30:05,640 –> 00:30:06,959 caught up with him 602 00:30:06,959 –> 00:30:11,959 and during his time in prison, wonderfully, 603 00:30:12,359 –> 00:30:14,280 he heard the gospel 604 00:30:14,280 –> 00:30:15,599 and he was marvelously 605 00:30:15,599 –> 00:30:17,680 and soundly converted. 606 00:30:18,859 –> 00:30:21,599 Well when the time came for his release from prison, 607 00:30:21,599 –> 00:30:25,319 he knew that he was going to face a great struggle. 608 00:30:25,319 –> 00:30:26,199 I’m gonna go back, 609 00:30:26,199 –> 00:30:27,959 my old friends are gonna be around me. 610 00:30:27,959 –> 00:30:28,979 They’re gonna be at me. 611 00:30:28,979 –> 00:30:32,119 They’re gonna try and pull me into the old way of life. 612 00:30:32,119 –> 00:30:33,920 How am I going to deal with all of that? 613 00:30:33,920 –> 00:30:35,239 It’s not going to be easy 614 00:30:35,239 –> 00:30:37,760 when I’m released to break free 615 00:30:37,760 –> 00:30:39,979 from the old way of life. 616 00:30:41,640 –> 00:30:43,780 With that anxiety in his mind, 617 00:30:43,780 –> 00:30:45,280 after his release from prison 618 00:30:45,739 –> 00:30:47,099 he went into a church, 619 00:30:47,099 –> 00:30:48,260 sat in the back. 620 00:30:49,939 –> 00:30:51,739 As he looked to the front, 621 00:30:51,739 –> 00:30:52,680 what should be there, 622 00:30:52,680 –> 00:30:56,000 but a plaque with an inscription of the Ten Commandments, 623 00:30:56,000 –> 00:31:00,380 and immediately his eyes fall on the words 624 00:31:00,380 –> 00:31:02,079 that seemed to condemn him, 625 00:31:02,920 –> 00:31:05,540 you shall not steal. 626 00:31:07,479 –> 00:31:08,459 And he thought to himself, 627 00:31:08,459 –> 00:31:10,540 that’s the last thing I need right now. 628 00:31:13,180 –> 00:31:14,939 I already know my failure. 629 00:31:14,959 –> 00:31:16,819 I already know my weakness. 630 00:31:16,819 –> 00:31:20,500 I feel the intensity of the battle 631 00:31:20,500 –> 00:31:22,239 that I’m going to have. 632 00:31:23,880 –> 00:31:25,280 As the service progressed, 633 00:31:25,280 –> 00:31:27,339 he just kept looking. 634 00:31:27,339 –> 00:31:31,079 His eyes couldn’t get away from these words on the wall. 635 00:31:32,140 –> 00:31:33,520 And as he read them, 636 00:31:33,520 –> 00:31:36,619 and then as he reread them over and over again, 637 00:31:36,619 –> 00:31:41,579 it seemed to him that God was speaking these words 638 00:31:41,579 –> 00:31:43,400 into his heart with a new meaning 639 00:31:43,420 –> 00:31:45,920 that he had never perceived before. 640 00:31:47,839 –> 00:31:51,040 All he had ever known was to hear these words 641 00:31:51,040 –> 00:31:53,380 in the tone of a condemning command, 642 00:31:53,380 –> 00:31:56,540 you shall not steal. 643 00:31:57,900 –> 00:31:59,459 And now it seemed to him 644 00:31:59,459 –> 00:32:02,939 as if God were speaking these words into his life 645 00:32:02,939 –> 00:32:05,560 as the most marvelous promise, 646 00:32:05,560 –> 00:32:07,760 you shall not steal. 647 00:32:09,739 –> 00:32:11,459 And the reason you won’t steal 648 00:32:11,459 –> 00:32:13,520 is that I have put my spirit within you 649 00:32:14,880 –> 00:32:19,219 and I will move your heart to be careful to keep my laws. 650 00:32:20,780 –> 00:32:24,959 A new life is possible for you in Jesus Christ 651 00:32:24,959 –> 00:32:27,400 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 652 00:32:28,959 –> 00:32:32,839 God sent his son, Romans chapter eight and verse four, 653 00:32:32,839 –> 00:32:35,640 in order that the righteous requirements 654 00:32:35,640 –> 00:32:39,079 of the law might be fulfilled in us 655 00:32:39,079 –> 00:32:41,260 who live not according to the flesh 656 00:32:41,260 –> 00:32:43,300 but according to the spirit. 657 00:32:45,859 –> 00:32:48,780 The spirit is given to empower you 658 00:32:48,780 –> 00:32:51,280 for the life that God calls you to 659 00:32:51,280 –> 00:32:54,420 as one of his redeemed people. 660 00:32:57,420 –> 00:33:00,099 Now I know from my own experience 661 00:33:00,099 –> 00:33:03,339 and I’m sure it will be your experience here too, 662 00:33:04,859 –> 00:33:07,739 that whenever one looks up into the face of God 663 00:33:07,739 –> 00:33:10,959 in all of his glory and majesty and holiness, 664 00:33:12,199 –> 00:33:15,859 and we hear the command be holy as I am holy 665 00:33:15,859 –> 00:33:18,260 and we see in the commandments 666 00:33:18,260 –> 00:33:21,800 a reflection of what he’s calling us to 667 00:33:23,660 –> 00:33:25,500 and we look at our own lives 668 00:33:25,500 –> 00:33:27,339 however long you’ve been a Christian 669 00:33:27,339 –> 00:33:32,339 and we have the sense, oh I have such a long way to go. 670 00:33:34,699 –> 00:33:36,780 So I want to end this morning 671 00:33:36,780 –> 00:33:39,160 with this word of encouragement. 672 00:33:40,000 –> 00:33:43,640 I’ve been greatly helped 673 00:33:43,640 –> 00:33:47,280 by some words that I’ve found a long time ago now 674 00:33:47,280 –> 00:33:50,000 in a document called the Heidelberg Catechism. 675 00:33:50,000 –> 00:33:52,800 Now, some of you were brought up with this, 676 00:33:52,800 –> 00:33:55,599 others of you that will not be a name that is known. 677 00:33:56,459 –> 00:33:57,560 Heidelberg Catechism is simply a document 678 00:33:57,560 –> 00:33:59,520 from some centuries ago that lays out 679 00:33:59,520 –> 00:34:01,459 the doctrines of the Christian faith 680 00:34:01,459 –> 00:34:05,199 in a question and answer format 681 00:34:05,199 –> 00:34:09,320 and it arranges the whole of Christian truth 682 00:34:09,320 –> 00:34:14,320 in three sections, misery, deliverance, and gratitude. 683 00:34:14,719 –> 00:34:16,860 Misery dealing of course with our state 684 00:34:16,860 –> 00:34:17,959 of fallenness and sin, 685 00:34:17,959 –> 00:34:20,100 deliverance, what Jesus Christ has done for us, 686 00:34:20,100 –> 00:34:23,239 and gratitude is the whole description 687 00:34:23,239 –> 00:34:24,320 of the Christian life, 688 00:34:24,320 –> 00:34:27,080 the life that is pursued by God’s redeemed people, 689 00:34:27,080 –> 00:34:29,479 and it’s very significantly there 690 00:34:29,479 –> 00:34:32,040 that the Catechism deals with the Ten Commandments. 691 00:34:32,040 –> 00:34:33,439 The Ten Commandments for a Christian 692 00:34:33,439 –> 00:34:34,879 don’t belong under misery. 693 00:34:35,840 –> 00:34:37,239 The Ten Commandments for a Christian 694 00:34:37,239 –> 00:34:38,600 belong under gratitude. 695 00:34:38,600 –> 00:34:41,320 This is the life that we seek to live 696 00:34:41,320 –> 00:34:44,199 and response to the grace that has come to us 697 00:34:44,199 –> 00:34:46,739 in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. 698 00:34:47,639 –> 00:34:49,280 Now in that Catechism, 699 00:34:49,280 –> 00:34:52,780 one of the questions, number 114, is this, 700 00:34:54,159 –> 00:34:59,159 can those converted to God obey these commandments, 701 00:34:59,600 –> 00:35:02,020 that is the Ten Commandments, perfectly? 702 00:35:03,000 –> 00:35:07,580 Can those converted to God 703 00:35:07,580 –> 00:35:12,020 keep these Commandments perfectly? 704 00:35:12,020 –> 00:35:14,500 Answer, no. 705 00:35:16,100 –> 00:35:17,760 I thought you said this was gonna be encouraging. 706 00:35:17,760 –> 00:35:20,560 That’s not the end of the answer. 707 00:35:20,560 –> 00:35:21,780 Answer, no. 708 00:35:23,520 –> 00:35:25,639 In this life, 709 00:35:25,639 –> 00:35:30,639 even the holiest have only a small beginning 710 00:35:30,699 –> 00:35:32,360 of this obedience. 711 00:35:33,439 –> 00:35:34,739 Nevertheless, 712 00:35:35,620 –> 00:35:39,139 they do begin to live according to all, 713 00:35:39,139 –> 00:35:43,379 not only some of God’s Commandments. 714 00:35:43,379 –> 00:35:44,459 That’s beautiful. 715 00:35:46,040 –> 00:35:48,620 The holiest person you know, 716 00:35:49,580 –> 00:35:51,020 I don’t know who comes to your mind, 717 00:35:51,020 –> 00:35:54,679 but the holiest person you know 718 00:35:55,899 –> 00:35:58,159 has only a small beginning 719 00:35:59,060 –> 00:36:02,320 of a life that really reflects the glory of God. 720 00:36:03,820 –> 00:36:05,320 Nevertheless, this is true. 721 00:36:06,580 –> 00:36:07,879 It is a real beginning. 722 00:36:09,179 –> 00:36:11,399 And in every Christian, 723 00:36:11,399 –> 00:36:15,080 there is a real and true beginning 724 00:36:15,080 –> 00:36:17,860 of a life that reflects the character 725 00:36:17,860 –> 00:36:19,360 and the glory of God. 726 00:36:19,360 –> 00:36:21,840 What’s in you as a Christian believer 727 00:36:21,840 –> 00:36:25,439 is the beginning of love for God. 728 00:36:25,560 –> 00:36:30,020 You do not love him as one day you will love him, 729 00:36:30,020 –> 00:36:32,080 but you truly love him. 730 00:36:32,080 –> 00:36:34,100 There’s the beginning of that in you 731 00:36:34,100 –> 00:36:35,580 and there’s the beginning of loving 732 00:36:35,580 –> 00:36:37,040 your neighbor as yourself. 733 00:36:37,040 –> 00:36:38,699 There really is. 734 00:36:38,699 –> 00:36:41,260 There’s the beginning of integrity. 735 00:36:41,260 –> 00:36:43,520 There’s the beginning of truth. 736 00:36:43,520 –> 00:36:45,540 There’s the beginning of worship. 737 00:36:45,540 –> 00:36:47,780 There’s a beginning of faithfulness 738 00:36:47,780 –> 00:36:50,520 and there’s a beginning of contentment. 739 00:36:51,580 –> 00:36:54,860 In this life, even the holiest person you’ve ever met 740 00:36:54,879 –> 00:36:58,320 has only a small beginning of this obedience, 741 00:36:58,320 –> 00:37:00,939 but it is a true beginning. 742 00:37:00,939 –> 00:37:03,300 And not just in regards to one or two of the commandments, 743 00:37:03,300 –> 00:37:05,620 but in regards to all the commandments of God 744 00:37:05,620 –> 00:37:09,139 because there is the beginning of a reflection 745 00:37:09,139 –> 00:37:11,959 of the likeness of Christ in you. 746 00:37:13,159 –> 00:37:14,840 And guess what? 747 00:37:14,840 –> 00:37:18,840 When we see him, we will be like him. 748 00:37:20,479 –> 00:37:24,479 And then what has truly been begun in you 749 00:37:24,739 –> 00:37:26,459 will be complete. 750 00:37:27,959 –> 00:37:30,540 Lord, hasten that day. 751 00:37:31,399 –> 00:37:34,100 We can hardly wait for it, 752 00:37:34,100 –> 00:37:37,020 but we thank you that in your grace and in your mercy 753 00:37:37,020 –> 00:37:40,320 and all the ways in which we fall short 754 00:37:41,739 –> 00:37:46,320 that yet truly there is a beginning by your grace 755 00:37:46,320 –> 00:37:51,320 of a reflection of Christ in all of your people. 756 00:37:51,540 –> 00:37:54,199 May it be seen more and more in me 757 00:37:54,199 –> 00:37:56,820 and in each one of us, we pray. 758 00:37:56,820 –> 00:37:59,139 Grant, therefore, that we may cherish your law 759 00:37:59,139 –> 00:38:03,820 because it reflects your character and we love you. 760 00:38:03,820 –> 00:38:05,840 Grant that it may always humble us 761 00:38:05,840 –> 00:38:09,239 that we may be kept from the obnoxious self-righteousness 762 00:38:09,239 –> 00:38:12,840 that thinks ourselves to be paragons of virtue 763 00:38:12,840 –> 00:38:15,199 when actually we are those who depend 764 00:38:15,199 –> 00:38:17,800 upon the grace of a loving savior. 765 00:38:17,800 –> 00:38:20,360 And give to us confidence in the presence 766 00:38:20,800 –> 00:38:24,120 and power of your spirit that in our many battles 767 00:38:24,120 –> 00:38:27,040 we may progress and by your grace, 768 00:38:27,040 –> 00:38:29,600 become more and more like the Lord, Jesus 769 00:38:29,600 –> 00:38:32,399 until faith is turned to sight 770 00:38:33,479 –> 00:38:37,520 and then the work that you’ve begun will be complete. 771 00:38:37,520 –> 00:38:40,280 And for this, we give you our thanks already 772 00:38:40,280 –> 00:38:42,600 in Jesus’ name, amen.