Portal RV Resort, Moab, Utah
A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin. ~ Proverbs 26:28
For the past two mornings, our Ohio neighbors have delighted in rousing everyone in the campground, including the birds, before the sun is up. They begin with slamming doors a minimum of a dozen times (and that’s just the ones we count once we’ve been rudely awakened), then they start their loud truck engine, and begin slamming doors an additional 4-6 times, before driving noisily away. I’m certain they’ve given Ohioans a bad name.
We took advantage of it being Sunday and all, and did practically nothing, which is probably a good thing since we haven’t slept long enough the past two nights.
My conversation with my friend has continued and as part of that, I sent her a copy of a study I taught years ago on the 10 Commandments. It’s very relevant to life today – meaning even in contemporary times. It’s not just for the Old Testament Jews.
For the wages of sin is death (hell), but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 6:23. Of special note is the word ‘sin’. In the Greek, the word that’s used is singular. In other words, one sin is enough. Just one. Think about that. Without Jesus, just one sin condemns us.
People like to think of the 10 Commandments as a list of do’s and don’ts to compare themselves to but they rarely consider what every day things they actually encompass.
Here’s a copy of a study I once taught on the 10 Commandments. It’s my notes, so sometimes there are incomplete sentences, thoughts, etc. to encourage discussion 😊:
Where can we find the 10 Commandments? (Exodus 20 & Dt. 5) What are they?
(no other gods, no idols, don’t misuse the name of the Lord, remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (no work), honor your father & mother, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t give false testimony, don’t covet)
Are these still relevant for us today? After all, we are living in the New Testament age, not the Old, and many believe the OT is irrelevant for us today.
No other gods – LK 4:5-8 Satan tempts Jesus to worship him but Jesus’ response (as always) is with scripture – Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. How do we serve other gods? Spending the bulk of our time and/or energy in service to others – spouse, children, friends, boss, ministry – and pushing our time with God to the bottom or even eliminating it altogether. Do you have days like that? Too busy to spend time with Him or even think about Him? Do you spend your time and resources in the pursuit of money? Work advancement? Sports? Worldly possessions? At what cost? Have these things become so important to you that you don’t even consult God anymore? Or ever?
No idols – John admonishes us in I John 5:21 – Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. Paul says in Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. The Message Bible translates Colossians this way – And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. Most of us don’t have wooden or metal statues sitting in shrines in our homes or neighborhoods. Define idol. Webster says ‘any object of ardent [passionate, enthusiastic, zealous, eager] or excessive devotion or admiration. Or, a false notion or idea that causes errors in thinking or reasoning.’ So what can become an idol for us? (TV, hobby, internet, money, people, pets, religion….) Regarding religion, have you ever heard the phrase, “That person is so heavenly focused, they’re no earthly good.”? What do you think that means?
Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain (i.e. misuse the name of the Lord) – Message Bible translates it ‘No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won’t put up with the irreverent use of His name.’ MT 6:9 – Jesus prayer, ‘hallowed be Your name’ Hallowed means ‘regarding or honoring as holy.’ In what ways do we misuse His name? How many times a day do you hear people, including Christians, say the phrase ‘Oh my God’, or just ’God’ ? Do you? Maybe it’s become so normal you don’t even realize you’re doing it. Biblical Jews considered God’s name so holy that they wouldn’t say it for any reason.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy – Cease work. Rest. Remember God – what He is & what He’s done. The Pharisees made up their own laws regarding the Sabbath which were very strict and included no form of exertion whatsoever – whether it involved food, rescuing cattle, or healing. Jesus addressed this issue several times. Once in LK 13:10-17 when He healed a woman, another in MT 12:1-8 when He & disciples were gathering grain. He says, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’ What did Jesus mean? What was God’s original intent? Should we work on Sunday? Should we use it to catch up on the chores we didn’t get done the other six days of the week? Just what is acceptable and unacceptable on the Sabbath? I think whether it’s Sunday, or some other day of the week, we all need to take time to cease work (whatever form that takes for you personally) and rest. And during that time, to spend the bulk of our time remembering, worshiping, praying, and acknowledging God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Honor your father & mother – MT 15:4-9 Jesus addresses the issue of the 5th commandment by pointing out its misuse by the Pharisees & teachers of the law. “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; for their teachings are but rules taught by men.” How do we honor or dishonor our parents? Do we continue to allow an abusive parent to have their way? Should we pursue parents who have abandoned us? Are we obligated to support parents who continually squander their resources or finances? Hard questions! Just remember, as you deal with these, that God’s way is best. He says, love above all else. But we do have to take care of ourselves as well. What about our attitudes towards those who don’t fall into those extreme categories? Do we speak kindly and respectfully to them? Do we honor their devotion to us as children? If we’re divided by distance, do we make the time to check in on them often?
Don’t murder – MT 5:21-22 – Jesus addresses this topic. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” OOH, OUCH! That shines a whole different light on this one. As we smugly sit around thinking this is one commandment we don’t have to worry about! Is there anyone in your life you’re angry with – maybe for years?
Don’t commit adultery – He also addressed this one in MT 5:27. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Another hard hit! And yes, ladies, this applies to us as well. Just maybe not as often! What about that guy at work who’s so sympathetic or understanding when we feel our own husband is not? What about a male friend you spend considerable time with – maybe you don’t have feelings of lust, but what about him? What about the hurting woman who calls her pastor constantly? What about the good looking guys we see every day on TV, internet, ads? Recent statistics say an increasing number of women are involved in some form of pornography. How many of you are old enough to remember the uproar Jimmy Carter caused when he admitted that he had had lustful thoughts in his heart? People thought that outrageously ridiculous since he never acted on them. And yet a mere 20 years later, people think Clinton acting on his was fine. What about the way you dress? Could it potentially stir up lust in another’s eyes/heart? Deliberately causing it is just as bad as feeling it yourself. And really, why dress inappropriately, unless there’s some form of lust involved?
Define lust – – it can be intense and uncontrollable desire or craving, but it can also be a yearning or produce sexual thoughts toward another person.
Don’t steal – MT 19:18, Jesus talks to the rich young ruler and names the OT laws of the 10 commandments (except covetousness). Paul has this to say to the Romans in 2:21-24 ‘you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?’ he lists other sins, and ends with vs. 24. ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’ Which means what? He also writes in Titus 2:9-10 ‘Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.’ What is stealing? (taking something – anything – that doesn’t belong to you) What all does that encompass? How about that pen that found its way from work to your home and was never returned? What about the days when you’re just not motivated to work so you sit around and talk, play computer games or waste time? How about making a personal copy without asking? What about the tie your husband needs for just a few hours, so you buy it and then return it the next day? What about the extra change you received or the item the cashier missed charging you for but you don’t discover it until you’re in the parking lot or home?
Don’t give false testimony – MT 15:18-20 – ‘But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean’ Does gossip fall under false testimony? Have you ever repeated something you’ve heard ‘thru the grapevine’? How can you be certain it’s true if you didn’t hear it first hand? Do you make assumptions based on your perceptions and then share them with others? You see a mother giving in to her child’s bad behavior. Do you tell others what a bad mom you saw? What if her husband recently died or she just discovered she has breast cancer? Would that change your opinion? What if you were pressured by someone into telling a lie or even just not telling the truth? It was on the basis of false testimony that Jesus was crucified and Stephen was martyred!
Don’t covet – Rom 7:7b-8a – Paul says ‘For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire.’ In the Message Bible, James 4:1-2 says ‘Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.’ Simple definition in Webster. ‘long for with envy’. Do you ever covet? What kinds of things can/do we covet? (children, husband, finances, fashion sense, home, life style, faith, spiritual connection…) Doesn’t have to be anything in particular, just someone else’s other than your own. Or have you ever said ‘why can’t you be like…..’? and meant it sincerely, to yourself or to someone else?
I think in all this, we see that Jesus has set a higher standard than even God’s original Law required. We cannot go through life thinking that we are above committing these sins because we’ve not broken most of these laws like murder, or haven’t cheated on our husbands or robbed a bank or bowed down to some statue. Because of our perception of what sin is or is not, we often go through life convinced that we are practically perfect. We don’t commit the ‘obvious’ sins, so we’re fine. We go through entire days where we can’t think of a single thing to confess. At least, I know I do.
We must continue to better ourselves in our walk, recognizing and confessing our sins and becoming more and more Christ-like and the only way to do that is to become aware of sin and sincerely work to change and improve. Jesus says, “Follow Me.” In I Corinthians 11:1 Paul says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Oh that we could one day say the same!
Here are some pictures our son Kyle sent us. They’ve been on vacation. Enjoy!
So fun when kids eat lemons! : ) 
Harper’s made that same amazment face since she was an infant. : ) 
