Sometimes we hear the phrase "It was an inside job" to describe a crime committed within an organization. That's exactly where the tenth commandment takes us - inside the human heart. The first nine laws deal with actions, while the tenth deals with one's attitude and motive. It gets to the heart, the gateway of violating the rest of the Law. Here is a law that cuts, the one nobody admits. Join us Sunday for "The Sin Nobody Confesses"!
'He's lying.' 'She's a liar!' 'Fake News!' We hear these types of statements often. Too often. If statistics are to be believed, 91% of the American population tells lies regularly. The majority of us find it a challenge to get through a week without lying. It appears dishonesty is woven into the fabric of our culture. The ninth commandment is a call to truthfulness, a commitment to truth that runs more than skin deep. God delights in it. Join us Sunday for "Truth Matters"!
The attention (and money) of many have been directed toward the recent lotteries and the astronomical amounts to be won by the person with the right combination of numbers. The sales pitch of "You can't win if you don't play" ignores the reality that millions of people must lose for one person to win. No, the sermon this week is not on the lottery. But as we look at the eighth commandment, we see that God calls us to a life of giving, not stealing, and that He promises eternal blessings beyond measure to all who lay up treasures in heaven by embracing Christ and living for Him.
It's not unusual to receive a package in the postbox marked, "Fragile: Handle With Care." Human life comes so marked by this in the sixth commandment. It prohibits the taking of innocent human life. Sunday we continue our series in the Ten Commandments with "Life: Handle with Care."Join us!
Honor. It's a duty and a virtue that is in short supply, isn't it? The Bible commands us to "give honor to whom honor is due," with both Paul and Peter commanding believers to "honor everyone" and applying that duty to various relationships in life. Such honor is rooted in the home and in God's commandment to honor our parents. This Sunday morning we learn of a duty that is foundational and formative to all of our relationships in life as we study the fifth of God's Ten Commandments.
The longest commandment of the ten is the fourth: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy . . ." God took more time in giving this law than He did any other: ninety-four words in all! And its truth is real medicine to all takers. Sadly, it's the medicine - the blessing - we love to hate. We rarely relish in it, much less delight in it . . . and to our detriment. We continue our study in the Ten Commandments this Sunday with "A Day Unlike All Others!" Join us!
Chances are you've heard the following description of a movie: "It was good, but there was too much cussin'." Often our understanding of the third commandment is limited to such a case. The commandment does have something to say about profaning God's name by speech, but it has much broader implications than 'filthy language.' Sunday we'll explore it together with our message, "The Name Above Every Name."
Children love to play make believe or pretend. Little boys acting out as their favorite Marvel characters; little girls playing 'mommy' to a baby doll. As God's image bearers, we are gifted with imaginations. But, like all good things, imagination can go bad. It can be used to withdraw from reality into fantasy that is wrong and ruinous. Nowhere is this truer than in imagining and worshiping God. Sunday we continue our study of the Ten Commandments with "Graven Mistakes." Join us!
Too often, the Ten Commandments are mistakenly considered God's "rules" - His outdated list of do's and don'ts that add up to a guilt-ridden, legalistic way of life. Yet, the Bible tells us they come from a loving heavenly Father who speaks to His child in "I-you" terms at every point; to one who has been loved, saved, and kept in Christ. Sunday we begin our new series on the Commandments with "The LORD Your God." Join us!