4th Commandment: Sabbath

 

"Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord you God.  On that day no one is your household may do any work.  This includes you, your sons and daughters, your make and female servants, your livestock , and any foreigners living among you.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but the seventh day he rested.  That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy."  Exodus 20:8-11

    God gave you the fourth commandment so you have the time to honor and worship Him.  At the same time is a gift to you so that you have time to rest physically, mentally, and unwind emotionally.  A go, go, go lifestyle is never what God intended.  In this lifestyle you never really appreciate anything you may accomplish.  It is always about what comes next.  God wants you to enjoy life while investing into a relationship with Him.

    God did not need to rest on the seventh day.  He leads by example.  He did it because He knew one day He would provide guidelines for how everyone should live.  He rested to show you how to have the work life balance that you need.  Further down in the Bible you see where He instructs vacation and holidays for you to be able to rest and appreciate accomplishments.  

    What is it to keep the Sabbath holy?  God commanded that you, all in your household, and all the living things you are responsible for rest on the Sabbath.  Resting is only part of it.  You need the rest to be able to focus.  When you give yourself what you need to maintain life, then you have the time and energy to remember all God has done for you.  

    You keep the Sabbath holy by setting one day a week to really focus on your relationship with God and spend time with other believers that will help you become stronger.  On the Sabbath the focus should be on rest, worship, and honoring God in your spirit.  It is not all about you getting extra sleep or whatever hobby you may have.  It is ceasing labor or draining work to restore your mind and body while worshipping and devoting time to God.  

Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Mark 2:27-28, & Hebrews 4:9-10

3rd Commandment: God's Name

 

"You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.  The lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name."  

    God's commandments are boundaries.  If you break the boundary then you sin.  The first commandment is about understanding who God is.  The second commandment is about how to worship him.  The third commandment is about honoring Him.  His name is holy.  To degrade His name is to degrade your value.  It doesn't diminish who He is.  It only reveals how unworthy you are.

    God stated to misuse His name would lead to punishment.  He doesn't go into specifics, but if you know the Bible you have a general idea.  Adam and Eve broke His boundary with food and were kicked out of paradise forced to work for what had been given previously.  They still had jobs and purpose, but they also knew one day they would die.  

    Death has always been a mystery.  It can be scary, so knowing that they were sentence to death for their disobedience you can imagine what your punishment could be for insulting the one who created you.  Follow Jesus in obedience and you do not need to fear death.

    What is it to misuse or profane God's name?  It is to belittle, insult, or devalue who God is.  It leads to foul language, but ultimately reveals a lack of respect for the fundamentals of God's values.  It goes further than how you talk.  If you make false vows or accusations, then you are insulting God's creations which is insulting God.  

    Mishandling God's reputation in the world gives His people a bad name.  That is misusing His name.  Do not be careless with your words or actions.  Do not live a hypocritical life by living like the world, but claiming to be a Christian.  If you process faith, then your actions and behavior better back it up.  

    God's name is sacred and powerful.  Do not use it like it is worthless.  If you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, then you are a representation of God's name.  Honor God and He will protect you.  Dishonor God and deal with the consequences.

Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 19:12, Deuteronomy 5:11, Matthew 5:33-37, & James 5:12

2nd Commandment: No Idols

 

"You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the El Kanna, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.  I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected - even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands."  Exodus 20:4-6

    The second commandment is building on the first commandment.  It is about making objects and ideas into gods.  It is going beyond distraction or desire to putting what you have in your heart into a physical form.  It is a way to physically put something between you and God.

    The first commandment focuses on the only one you should ever worship.  God alone gets worship.  Not his angels, not the prophets, not spiritual leaders, and not anything in the world.  The second commandment is focused on how to worship by setting boundaries.  The boundaries allow you to build self-discipline to know that you are free to worship God.  He just makes it clear that actions (good or bad) have consequences.  

    When God provided the commandment he was talking about wooden, stone, or precious metals being formed in an image to be an idol.  Now it has expanded to technology, art forms, and more things that you may focus on instead of your relationship with God.  Materialism will never fulfill you.  God is the only one that can ever make you feel complete.

    The consequences can be confusing.  When God states that he is a jealous God, it is not saying that He is acting in vengeance or anger.  His jealousy is pure and holy.  It is about who He is and expecting you to keep the standard of honoring the one who gave you life.  The choice of not following Him affect your family because you are teaching them to rebel against God.  They in some way or another will follow your example.  You will lead them to life or to death.  That is the point of the consequences.  He wants you to know how serious it is and that it affects more than yourself.

Exodus 20:4-6 & Deuteronomy 5:8-10

1st Commandment: God First

 

"You must not have any other god but me."  Exodus 20:3

    God's first commandment is clear: He comes first.  That means that you do not worship anything other than Him.  Your allegiance goes to Him before anyone or anything else.  If He calls you stop everything and say here I am what do You want.  God is your master.  You seek to obey Him and make Him happy.  In return you get a slew of blessings.  Your worship belongs to God.  

    Keeping God first is not easy.  You live in a world full of distractions.  You may think you are devoted to God until something comes along and you see yourself choosing something or someone over God.  This is why you need to check in with yourself every once in a while.  See if you have drifted from God at all or if you are still drawing closer.  He alone is God and you need to remember that in your heart and soul.

    Other gods are anyone you put before God, idols, or desires that you prioritize before time with God.  It can be something simple like sleep, comfort, or something else.  It could be bigger and you have to learn how to change priorities because you can't stop.  Some examples are food, work, family, or even church.  

    You know something has power over you when your react to loss or fear of loss.  If you make money your god, then when you loose some or all you go into a panic.  If it is power, you feel crippled or destroyed when you loose it or if it is challenged.  Same thing goes for things like car, boat, tv, books, or anything else you may care about.  Politics can become a god of fear.  It comes down to what you care about most in life.  Is it God or is it other things?

Exodus 20:1-3, & Deuteronomy 5:6-7, 6:4-5

Commandments

 

    God's commandments are a gift for you to have structure in your life.  It is a way for you to know who God is.  He is giving you what you need to build a real relationship with Him.  It also allows you to see how much you need Him.  To break one rule, only one time is to sin.  If you sin there are consequences.

    You were created to be holy.  You have the ability to walk in life with a perfect mind, heart, and soul that aligns with God's standards.  However, Satan has corrupted the world and everything in it.  His influence trips you up as you listen.  In all reality you hear his influence in your life far more than you hear God's because you don't live in a bubble.  

    God's Commandments come in statements, creeds, regulations, and guidelines.  Each one is a blessing because it provides clarity for you on how to live a long, healthy, and thriving life.  God has provided boundaries since the beginning of time, but they were never written down before the 10 commandments.  That is why we typically only think of them when it comes to God's rules.  

    The 10 commandments are the fundamental commandments that focus on how to have a relationship with God.  Then it tells you how to honor yourself as His creation by how you treat other people.  How you treat yourself and other people reflect the relationship you have with God.  If you love God, then you will love yourself righteously and other people as His special creations.  

    All of God's commandments are summed up to the greatest commandment: love God with all your heart and love other people as you love yourself.  You can't really love yourself until you see yourself through God's eyes.  You can't love completely until you experience God's love and let it into your life.  Love God's way summarizes all His commandments and law.  Living out love is living out your faith.

Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Matthew 22:37-40, John14:15, Romans 13:8-10, & 1 John 5:1-3

Covenant vs Promise

 

    A covenant is a sacred, binding agreement.  God's covenants were made between Him and humanity.  He always initiated it and upheld all of it or what He said He would do.  His unconditional covenants are based on His grace.  The conditional covenants require people to uphold their part which is always much simpler than God's portion.  All His covenants compounded on each other to make humanity better and bring you closer to Him.

    A promise is declaration or assurance that something will or will not happen.  It is a commitment that provides hope.  It can come in a simple promise or as a pledge, vow, oath, guarantee, or indicated behavior.  

    A promise made by God will never be broken.  His word is true.  His character can't allow Him to lie.  His promises reassure you of His presence and plans for humanity.  God's unconditional promises reflect who He is to give you hope and peace.  Conditional promises tell you how things will be if you do or not do something.  It is meant to give you boundaries.

    Many promises are built in God's covenant.  They are both everlasting unless God gave a deadline.  They are both meant to ensure you of His presence and protection.  They both uphold a purpose, but sometime in different ways.  They are both binding, but work differently.

    God's promises are a declaration of intent or guarantee of events to come.  They are more general to serve a purpose.  God's covenant however is typically more formal.  The promise is based on the relationship.  The Covenant is based on building the relationship.  A covenant has a broader impact on the world than a promise.  A promise is more personal and yet general.  

    An example would be the Noahic Covenant.  God made a covenant with humanity and animals that he would never destroy the world through a single flood again.  Then he made a promise to reassure people of the covenant: a rainbow.  Every time you look at a rainbow it should be a reminder of God's power, promise, and security of the binding covenant.  God's Covenants and promises do not work against each other.  They work together for your best interest.

Genesis 9:11-13, 15:18, Deuteronomy 7:9-11, Isaiah 54:9-10, Ephesians 1:7-8, Colossians 1:13-14, & Hebrews 8:6

God's Covenant: Christian Foundation

 

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make ra new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV

    The last covenant God made is conditional.  God has been building on His foundational covenant until now.  Jesus is the final covenant God made with His people.  It is all inclusive, but also set you apart from the world.  Anyone can have salvation, but only those who accept it and follow Jesus will receive membership into God's family.

    God prepared His people first for this covenant.  That is why He told the Jewish nation that the Messiah was coming.  They had the first opportunity.  After Jesus came, lived out what Christianity was really about, died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven every thing changed.  

    The Holy Spirit was not a guaranteed.  Only a few people had the Holy Spirit upon them until now.  Now if you become a follower of Jesus you get the title Christian because you are following Christ in life and into Heaven.  It is sealed by the Holy Spirit.  He will never depart from you once He lives within you.  

    True Christianity is not just a title.  It is a way of life.  It is revealed by the Holy Spirit.  It can't be faked.  Anyone trying to claim the name without actually becoming a part of God's family is lying and insulting God.  True Christians have the law imprinted on their heart to obey out of love by the Holy Spirit who lives within the soul.   You train your mind by spending time in God's Word, prayer, and other Christians on being different from the world.  

    The New Covenant is about having a real relationship with God.  It is an internal transformation.  It may not happen immediately.  You may have a lot to deal with, but the point is you are moving closer to God and rejecting your old sinful nature to do be able to get closer to Him.  

    God's people includes every nation and ethnicity as long as you are walking in faith with Jesus led by the Holy Spirit.  It is universal knowledge meaning anyone can learn it if they want to.  Jesus' blood is the way to complete forgiveness.  His sacrifice changed everything for your benefit.  

Jeremiah 31:31-34, Luke 22:20, & Hebrews8:8-13