Scripture: Exodus 20:17
The tenth commandment - You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
The last commandment in this series but is this the least important commandment?
The answer to that is No, because God takes coveting as serious offence due to its destructive nature.
- Coveting is a deadly sin like the rest
- Coveting is the deadly motive and motivation for committing sins
- Coveting is the deadly destroyer of souls
Contentment is the first and last protector against the mother of all sin.
- Contentment is about being glad and satisfied with what we possessed
- Contentment is about experiencing the inner secrets of living in every situation
- Contentment is about being satisfied in God because He is enough
Scripture: Exodus 20:16
The ninth commandment - You shall not lie.
The reasons for God's hatred of liars and deceivers are:
- Lying is the language of Satan
- Lying destroys our integrity and God's dignity
- Lying destroys life
The emphasis of this commandment is to preserve, protect and promote truth. This is what we can do to combat lies:
- Support the truth by defending it
- Stand up for the truth by fighting it
- Steadily speak the truth in love without wavering
Scripture: Exodus 20:15
The eight commandment - You shall not steal.
We can all do well and live well without stealing. God who possesses all things gives us all things.
When we steal:
- We deprive victims of their responsibility as stewards
- We deprive victims of opportunity
- We deprive victims of dignity
Here's some guidelines on how to live well without stealing:
- Gain (work) all you can
- Save all you can
- Give all you can
- Pray (trust) all you can
Scripture: Exodus 20:14
The seventh commandment - You shall not commit adultery.
Adultery is an act of unfaithfulness when a married person has sexual intercourse with someone other than his or her marriage partner.
Adultery was a capital crime in the OT.
The point of this command is to protect, promote and preserve marriage.
- Adultery defies God
- Adultery destroys families
- Adultery degrades people
Here's some defensive strategies to protect, promote and preserver marriage.
- Revitalise your marriage
- Refocus on what you have
- Resolve your conflicts
Scripture: Exodus 20:13
The sixth commandment - You shall not murder.
Under no circumstances are we to take someone's life or our own life.
The point of this commandment is:
- To pursuing everything in our power to preserve life and to protect it
- To improve the quality and value of it, not kill it
- To protect the preciousness and sacredness of all humans life from conception until natural death
How do we do that?
- Watch your attitudes
- Watch you actions
- Watch your anger
Scripture: Exodus 20:12
Common in these days: children are reared to be self-centred. Disrespectful. Everything centres around the children’s whims and not needs.
No centre of authority the child could use. No clear guidelines. Respect is missing.
Whose fault is it?
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11
The purpose of the Sabbath is to establish a regular rhythm of life.
- Sabbath is a day to stop work so we can rest and replenish our physical body
- Sabbath is a day to stop work so we can reset our soul (emotion, mind, will)
- Sabbath is a day to stop work so we can refresh our spirit in God
Observe the Sabbath and you will enjoy the blessings that comes from it
- Living a wonderful and balanced rhythm of life
- Rested and replenished in our bodies so we can be whole and well
- Recharged and reset in our soul so we can feel, think, act properly and effectively
- Renewed and refreshed in our spirit so we can be with God and led by Him
Scripture: Exodus 20:7
How do we misuse God's name?
- When we use it for profanity and swearing
- When we use it for personal gains
- When we use it to pressure others
Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6
One of the longest commandments that are split into 4 parts:
- God's clear command prohibiting the worship of idols
- The core motive of God for prohibiting idols
- God cautions those that He will punish those who sin and disobey Him
- God's covenantal commitment to bless those who obey Him