Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10225 - The Ten Commandments Pt 1 - Exodus 20:1-7

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#10225 - The Ten Commandments Pt 1 - Exodus 20:1-7 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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All right, well, let's pick up where we left off.
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We left off right in Exodus chapter 20 and we're verse by
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verse Wednesday night midweek is very similar to our mid our
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weekend services, except we change the order a little bit.
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We have community available every Wednesday.
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We have various updates and things or special treats like
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Pastor Ian's mom and being in town, mom and dad in town on a
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furlough. Yes, when we blessed to have her
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lead us in worship. We're so blessed to have that
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privilege to have there here. And I saw Jess last week.
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So pray for them. You know, this puts this puts
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the reality again. I I want to remind you over and
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over again, we put pictures up on the screen.
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We have cards downstairs, but they all represent real people.
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They literally are real people serving the Lord.
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They, they are connected to us in some way to our family,
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obviously connected in the body of Christ.
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But you know, some are connected closer than others, like Jess
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and Nesty. So be sure to be in prayer with
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them. And you know what Nesty looks
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like now. So if you want to talk to her,
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you want to pray with her, she she'll be here after the service
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closing out. So if you had a word for her,
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maybe you've been praying for the Philippines, praying for
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their ministry, you've been emailing as we encourage you
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every week. And, and then, then, then they
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show up out of furlough and they're like, oh, now I can meet
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them, pray for them, encourage them, receive a word from them
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or give a word. So special treat.
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Thank you for serving us tonight.
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Lord, we, we pray for your spirit to speak to us as we turn
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our hearts and attention toward this deliverance, this book of
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deliverance. It's been a short while since
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we've been studying Lord, but we're back.
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We're thankful for freshness and newness and just the the work
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that you're doing through your word in US, teaching us,
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changing us, challenging us, encouraging us.
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Here we are Lord, learning of your, the depth like the
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children of Israel did, the depth of your character, the
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revelation of who you are. So bless your word tonight in
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Jesus name, Amen, Amen. Open your Bibles.
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Exodus chapter 20 is where we are.
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Exodus chapter 20. If you want to hold your place
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in Exodus before we get to Exodus, we'll be in I'll read a
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scripture in Deuteronomy and then also I'll use John 15.
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So Deuteronomy 7, John 15, and then we'll end up and land in
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the first few verses of Exodus 20 today.
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And I titled the message the 10 commandments Part 1.
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We'll spend some time looking at the 10 commandments or the 10
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words that God gives to his nation be why?
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Because God loves his people. That is demonstrated throughout
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the Scripture. God loves his people, the nation
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of Israel, the one that we've learned and been following,
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despite their murmurings, despite their complaints,
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despite the attacks against Moses, despite the difficulties,
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the doubts, God loves them all. And yes, they're fearful,
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they're human, they're fearful, they're hesitant, they fail, But
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he loves them supremely. And you can fit yourself in that
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same category as you may measure out all the faults and failures
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that you carry and the weaknesses, or you look in the
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mirror and assess your life and you might find so many reasons
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why you're unlovable or not worthy of love or stuck in some
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decision you made in the past. But I asked you to turn to
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Deuteronomy Chapter 7. I love this reminder as God is
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revealing to us through Moses why He set His love on Israel.
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It says in Deuteronomy 77 the Lord did not set His love on you
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nor choose you because you were more in number than any other
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people, for you were the least of all peoples, but because the
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Lord loves you and because He would keep the oath that He
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swore to your Father's. The Lord has brought you out
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with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the House of bondage
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and from the hand of Pharaoh the king of Egypt.
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Therefore, know that the Lord your God, He is God, the
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faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for 1000 generations
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with those who love Him and keep His commandments.
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It will be out of love the nature of God God is love.
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It will be out of love that now God gives this new nation a
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series of rules and regulations that will help guide their lives
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and guard their hearts, laws regarding people, property and
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their piety, their worship. What God is doing to the nation
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is revealing Himself to them. They have lived for generations
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as we were reminded with the life of Joshua.
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They were for generations living with the identity of slavery.
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They had an understanding of who God was.
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They cried out to God for deliverance.
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But now God is taking them deeper.
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This is very similar to your relationship with God yourself
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as a born again new believer. You only know so much.
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You know what you've been taught, you know what you heard,
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you know what little you've read in the Bible.
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But over time, you find God reveals more of himself to you.
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You don't become more of a believer, rather you become more
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informed of who God is, which is what makes you a better
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believer. Like you don't learn a bunch of
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facts about God. When God reveals himself, you
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learn about who He is and you're not following and you're not
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falling in love with facts. You're following in love with
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God and all that He is. That's what's happening here.
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We're very beginning. He wants them to know who He is.
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It's a personal time and a powerful time.
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It's a closeness that's being revealed, a commitment, a
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promise. He's keeping His covenant.
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He wants them to know that He's the one who freed them.
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And you know, a teaching will always and many times reflect
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the heart of the teacher. So as God seeks to teach them
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and instruct them, he's revealing himself.
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Every statement that God makes is a reflection of himself.
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It's a mirror of the inside, of his character, of his nature.
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What God is saying is I've chosen you, Israel, to be in a
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special relation. It's far.
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It's far different than how most of us have been taught the 10
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commandments or any of the directions that God has given
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us. It's like like sets of rules,
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follow the rules and be a good little Christian, be a good
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little Christian boy, Christian girl, being really moral if you
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follow the rules. But what God is saying is like,
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like any good parent, like I want relationship with you.
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And these are the conditions of relations, who I am.
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And I want you to know who I am because the more you know who I
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am, the more you will begin to love me and treat me with love.
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And when I say something they don't as a dad, you know, don't
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touch the burning stove. Don't touch the hot stove.
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Well, I mean that. That's not a rule to bum you
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out. I want to protect you.
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I want you to trust me because if you trust me, you'll
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experience far less pain in life.
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That's the heart of a parent. How much more our Father in
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heaven. Now go back to our go forward to
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John chapter 15 with me. Now John chapter 15.
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Such a beautiful moment in the teaching life of Jesus in John
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15. Notice with me in verse 12.
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Jesus says, this is my commandment, that you love one
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another as I've loved you. Greater love has no one than
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this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
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And then he begins to talk about this relationship.
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He says you are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
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It's another way of saying Jesus says if you know me, you'll
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trust me, and if you trust me, you'll obey me.
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It'll it's it's it's love you love leads to trust leads to
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obedience. They're all mixed together.
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He says no longer verse 15 do I call you servants because the
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servant doesn't know what his master is doing.
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But I have called you friends for all things that I've heard
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from my father, I've made known to you.
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You didn't choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that
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you should go and bear fruit, that your fruit should remain,
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that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.
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This is the pathway of fruit relationship, abiding, love,
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listening, receiving, obeying. That's the pathway of fruit.
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We don't think of it that way. We don't have like a list of if
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I do ABC and D, they're all mixed together.
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That love of Jesus leads to friendship and listening in
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obedience and it comes very, very naturally.
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The Pharisees remember came to Jesus with a question.
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Matthew chapter 22 verse 36 teacher, which is the great
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commandment in the law and Jesus answered you shall love the Lord
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God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
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mind. This is the first and great
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commandment and the second is like it.
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You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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When you take the teachings of Jesus and you back into the 10
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commandments that we're given today, you'll see that the
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summary of Jesus, the summary of loving God and loving your
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neighbor covers the entire entirety of just the 10
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commandments. The summary of the 10 first
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things that God reveals to the nation of Israel that are
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important to his heart. The 1st 4 commandments, they
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deal with man's relationship with God and the last or the
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following six commandments deal with man's relationship with
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man. And that makes sense, doesn't
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it? Everything begins with loving
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the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind.
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Your vertical relationship, your relationship up and down between
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you and God is first and foremost.
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It is not in any way secondary to anything else.
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Your relationship with God is not secondary to some
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denomination, some theological teaching, some some
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interpretation. You can't.
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Your relationship with God is first and foremost.
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You are to love. I am to love the Lord God with
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all my heart, soul and mind. My vertical upper relationship,
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when it is on target, when it's in the right place, then my
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horizontal relationships will be better off as well.
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Now, of course, if both of us have a walk with the Lord and
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things are going vertical, well, then we're going to have a
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really good relationship. But if just it's my response,
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just in my life, if my abiding life in Christ is what it needs
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to be in the moment, and I'm drawing from Jesus all the
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strength and wisdom and resources that He has for me in
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my relationships with others, they will go a lot smoother.
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I will walk in the Spirit, not fulfilling the lust of the
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flesh. I will demonstrate the
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attributes of God's agape love. I'll be walking in love that is
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supernatural, not forced, not have to.
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But I get to and I want to. And I'm living out because God
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lives in me. And often I'm asked as we jump
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in, in summary, why the Old Testament?
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Why are we studying the 10 commandments?
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Why is it necessary? Some might even go as far to say
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I'm a New Covenant Christian. Why don't we just spend all of
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our time on the New Testament and they'll be even some that
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would say, hey, I don't even want to spend any time with Paul
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or James or anyone. Let's just pay attention to the
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red letters. Did you know there's a group
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today known as the Red Letter Christians?
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And they only follow the red letters.
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And whoever decides the red letters, that's up to like they
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only follow the teachings of Jesus in that strictest sense,
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but they are in disobedience because the Bible claims itself
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that it's all inspired by God and that the teachings in the
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red letters will match the teachings with the black and
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white letters. It's not just following Jesus.
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You will never really fully, I will never feel fully understand
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the new covenant unless I have an understanding of the old
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covenant. Where did the new covenant come
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from and why is there a need for a new covenant?
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We're going to learn a lot of that as we study through
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Galatians verse by verse. But it's important to know that
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the teachings of Jesus are important and the Holy Spirit
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inspired Paul and his teachings are important, and James and
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Peter and Moses. God is the author of the Bible,
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not just parts of the Bible, and it's important that we follow
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them. So what?
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What? First and foremost, as we
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studied the Old Testament, understand that the law reveals
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a righteous standard. The law reveals a righteous
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standard. It is the guide, a set of
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foundational principles of holiness and apart from the
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Sabbath of the 10 commandments, 9 of the commandments are
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repeated in the New Testament multiple times.
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And I when we get to the Sabbath, we'll have a summary
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teaching on the Sabbath. But I have gone in more depth
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just on the topic of Christians worshipping on the Sabbath and
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the significant of the Sabbath and the new covenant in other
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Bible studies that I won't go too deep in our study in Exodus.
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But remember the law. If you're taking notes, there's
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a few things to remember about the law again #1 the law reveals
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God's love for his people. The the law reveals God's love
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for his people. The the simple, the simple act
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of God revealing himself was an act of love.
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Again, remember in relationships, perhaps let's go
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back to a familial relationship. You have a child, but you never
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choose to talk to that child the entirety.
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You never choose to. No, you just completely ignore
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them. You don't talk to them.
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You don't, you don't tell them anything about your history.
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You don't show them like like it's, it doesn't make it that
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nobody would say that's love. There's a lot of words to
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describe that, but Love's not one of them.
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Because out of love you want to share your life and reveal what
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family this child was born into. A love holding back is not love
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at all. Revealing God's love is not
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negative, but positive and protective.
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And the Law will become a series of guidelines designed to
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lovingly protect the nation as they move forward #2 the Law
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helps keep our love on track toward God.
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Not only does it reveal God's love, but it helps us keep on
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track. We know theologically we're not
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saved by the law. We're saved by grace through
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faith. Yet obedience is a display of
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our love toward God. Obedience is a display.
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It's something that you can see practically as an outgrowth of
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love. It's not just simply I love you.
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It's as James said, you. You can talk about love all you
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want, but I want to see it. It needs to be seen and
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demonstrated. The law helps us keep on track.
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Jesus would say in John 1415, if you love me what you will, Keep
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my commandments, keep my commandments #3 Why give the
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law? Why is the law important #3 The
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law restrains evil, the law restrains evil.
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Man is born with an evil nature. I know that runs contrary to the
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world system that we live in today.
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That man says that basically it teaches that man is good, born
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good, nothing wrong in them. But Psalm 51, five is clear.
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I was brought forth in iniquity in my sin.
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My mother conceived me. We were born in sin.
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We inherited sin and we do sin. And the law was given to
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restrain evil. It doesn't prevent evil, but
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because of the law, many choose not to cross and it restrains
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evil. It not only defines it, but
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restrains it. And then finally, a very
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important aspect of the law is that it reveals my heart.
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It reveals my heart. If it wasn't for the law, I
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wouldn't really know the depth of my heart if I was speeding
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all the time. As a driver, which typically I
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do not speed, I try not to be in a hurry.
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I'm not saying I never speed, but I'm not typically late or in
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a hurry if I can, if I have any control over it, I like to be
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early. I'm not worried about speeding,
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but if I was a speeder like maybe some listening to me.
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I will not look at anyone, but maybe some, maybe some speeding.
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Like if if there was no speed limit signs, you would never
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know you were speeding. You would choose to go as fast
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as you want, no matter the neighborhood, whether there's a
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school there, whether children play in that area.
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If there were no signs, there would be no revelation that you
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are going faster than what is really necessary in that area.
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So the signs, not only do they help to restrain evil, no doubt
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there are folks listening to me that the sign slowed you down.
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That was good. It restrained evil.
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You were speeding. You saw the sign, you whatever
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motive. Not not necessarily because I
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love the Lord, I won't speak. Maybe not that it could be.
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I don't want a ticket, that's fine.
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But you slowed down because it restrained evil, but it also
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revealed your heart. Think about that for a second.
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If the sign slowed you down, your heart was bent toward
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obedience. That's what you did.
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You slowed down. You checked the number, checked
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the number, made a decision, or you saw the sign and you noticed
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it, checked the number, saw that was larger, checked it, and you
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know, you obviously can only get if you're going that fast, then
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you can only see it really quick.
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So you saw the number, saw the number, and didn't slow down.
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That reveals your heart. What is that?
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You're a stinking law breaker. That's your heart.
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You don't care about the speed limit.
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Whether you come to terms with that or not, that's the truth.
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Whether you get caught for it or not, you're a law breaker.
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I'm a, I'm a law breaker When I speed.
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There is no, there's no debate there.
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There's no debate. You think something so simple
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that happens so often and you begin to apply it when you're
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reading through the scriptures and you see something revealed
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and it's like a mirror to you. And you read what you have in
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the Bible and then you compare it to your life and you find
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that you know, my life doesn't match what I'm reading in this
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character. My life doesn't match what I'm
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reading in Jesus teachings and you choose not to correct it.
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It reveals the depravity in your heart and it's something that
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God would want us to know. This is for your good, and it's
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also for the good of others. Those that are close to you,
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those that you love, those that you care, it's for your good,
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but it's for the good of others. And without these signposts
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along the way, we would never know God revealing himself.
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Notice in verse one. Now with that in mind, chapter
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20, God spoke all these words, saying verse two, I am the Lord
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your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
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House of bondage. If you like to write in your
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Bibles, you can write next to verse 2.
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New identity, new identity. They have been given a new
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identity. Their old person has passed
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away. Their behold, all things have
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become new. They are no longer slaves in
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Egypt. They have been delivered Egypt
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becoming a type of our sin, typical of sin in your life, in
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the New Covenant. You are no longer in bondage to
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sin, even though you may have habits.
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You can think of the routines that they took with them into
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the wilderness, when they went to sleep, when they woke up, the
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flashbacks they may have had of being beaten, having to make,
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you know, stones out of hay and and having people scream at them
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and yell at them. And all the trauma, what we
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would say today in the 21st century, all the trauma that
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they carried with them into the new land.
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You can see that God saying, look, I just want you to know
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before ever anything about your life, I want you to know
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something. You have been delivered and I
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have delivered you. You, I get the credit, I'm the
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one you did not do it. You didn't do it in your own
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strength. You didn't do it in your own
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power. You didn't do it because you got
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up and left. You didn't do it because you
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didn't part that like so many ways that it could have been
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repeated. But he just simply says, hey,
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I'm the Lord, I'm Jehovah, I'm the becoming 1 and I'm the one
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that brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of
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bondage. I am the one God's desire is to
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become to you what you need him to be, the great I am.
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And notice in verse three now he says, you shall have no other
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gods, little G before me. This is the command of exclusive
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worship. This is the command of exclusive
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worship. God doesn't share his glory with
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anyone. If you this might be the year
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you write in your Bible. If you have a paper Bible, it's
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easier to write in the paper Bible, but you might want to
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write. Start writing these cross
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references in the margins or next to the verses wherever you
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can fit them in. And you can have your own Bible
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where you can look up verses that relate.
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That's what a cross reference is.
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Here's a verse that's very important.
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When he says you have, you shouldn't have any other gods.
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Don't put any other gods before me.
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I want you to think of Psalm or Isaiah 42 verse 8.
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I'll read it to you for Isaiah 42, verse eight.
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I am the Lord. That is my name and my glory.
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I will not give to another My praise to carved images.
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No other God. Which tells me a few things.
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Number one, there are other gods, Little G, there are other
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gods. Men and women worship all sorts
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of things and people and philosophies and thinking and
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false gods. False gods to the children of
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Israel, he says, I've delivered you, I've fought for you.
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I've won the battle of the gods. Now worship me alone.
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You remember the battle of the gods.
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Each time a judgement came on Egypt, one of the gods that they
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favored was being judged at the same time.
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I've won the battle of the gods. I've proven to you through the
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plagues and through my mighty hand, You shouldn't have I No
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other God is worthy of your praise.
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God has the right to demand this in your life as well.
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He has the right to demand exclusive worship.
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He's done the same work for you and me.
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He's delivered us, renewed us. We're born again, we're changed.
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He sustains us, and God doesn't exist to serve us so that
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anything He does for us is gracious and benevolent.
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He's just been so good. He's a giver.
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God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.
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Not only is God a giver and demonstrates generosity toward
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us, but He gives us His best, the best of the best of the best
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of the best. You don't have enough words to
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describe the gift that Jesus Christ is to us, the rescuing
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work He's done in our lives, the work that He's doing in leading
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us forward and sustaining us and keeping us and receiving us.
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He doesn't exist to serve us, though I know that might be
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difficult for some churches or ministries today to hear, but
25:10
it's the truth. You know, sometimes you hear
25:13
people say, you know, God just wants me to be happy and they're
25:18
using it to justify some behavior.
25:19
You know, just God wants me to be happy.
25:21
Really. Where, where is that exactly?
25:26
Where do you, where did you pick that up?
25:28
God just wants you to be happy. Are you not happy already with
25:33
what God has done for you? What do you mean?
25:35
God just wants you to be happy. I'm going to do this sin or
25:39
break this law. That's not a true statement.
25:43
I don't want to misspeak on behalf of God that He isn't
25:46
interested in our happiness. He loves when his kids are
25:48
happy. He gives us.
25:49
The Bible would say in James that He gives us all good things
25:52
richly to enjoy. It's not.
25:54
It's not that that's not the point.
25:56
I'm making the idea that His desire is for us to enjoy life
26:00
and to enjoy this life to the best that we can and to
26:02
experience happiness. But that's not his goal.
26:06
His primary goal is not for you to be happy, and it's certainly
26:09
not for you to be happy so you can make whatever decision you
26:12
want. He says this, this is the
26:15
pathway of happiness. You ready obey me and happiness
26:21
will follow. You have a greater chance of
26:23
experience happiness through obedience than you ever will
26:27
find through disobedience. You disobedience is described as
26:31
pleasure for a season just for a sin will bring pleasure just for
26:36
a little bit, and then great consequences that some might
26:39
even last forever. God's primary objective is not
26:43
to make us happy, but to make us holy, which is like Him.
26:49
He's conforming us into the image of Christ, not the image
26:54
of what might be propped up in the world today.
26:57
God is separating us, which is why the law was given.
27:01
He says you guys are going to be different than the rest of the
27:04
Pagan world. And this is how you're going to
27:06
be different. And we'll go through, you'll see
27:08
all the dietary restrictions, clothing, like he's telling
27:12
you're going to be different. You're going to be different
27:14
where people can see it. You're going to be different
27:17
where people watch you eat. You're going to be different
27:20
when people see your clothing. You're going to be different by
27:23
how you take care of yourself, your hygiene.
27:25
You're going to be different in that your singular exclusive
27:28
worship than me. They're going to you're they're
27:30
going to be different when they see you.
27:31
Trust me when you don't freak out like on and on the list goes
27:35
in Psalm 16 verse 11. It says you will show me the
27:38
path of life and in your presence is the fullness of joy
27:44
at your right hand are pleasures for every more and everyone ever
27:47
more. Everyone has a God little G We
27:50
don't call them that. We don't necessarily identify
27:53
them in our day and age as carved little images, although
27:56
some do worship little carved images and have like a lot of
28:02
representations of their God. But truly what man has is a
28:07
driving passion or a directing philosophy.
28:12
For some, it's the God of pleasure.
28:13
You see people worshiping the God of pleasure.
28:15
That's what they're into. It's what they spend their money
28:18
on. That's what that's where they
28:20
spend their time on. They're worshipping the God of
28:23
pleasure. In the Old Testament, that would
28:26
be the God that's known as Molech.
28:29
If you ever read of Molech in the Old Testament, they were
28:33
worshipping the God of pleasure like those worshipping the God
28:37
of pleasure today. Some have a God is their God is
28:42
intellect. In the Old Testament, the God of
28:45
intellect was by all. Some worship the God of sex.
28:51
Do you see that in culture today?
28:54
Do you see the worship of sex and perversity and twistedness
28:58
and like rotten to the core sin perpetrated on innocent
29:04
innocent? In the Old Testament you would
29:08
see the worship of Asteroth or the Asherah poles.
29:13
That was the God of sex. Or in the Greek, the goddess
29:15
Diana, the multi breasted goddess was the object of
29:20
worship in It wasn't the actions taken on a on a statue, but they
29:25
would be living out their sexual acts with one another and say
29:29
that they were worshipping their God or goddess.
29:31
Still others worship power, money, prestige.
29:35
Today you'll see men and women worshipping gods failing at the
29:39
first commandment because they want more power, more money,
29:45
more prestige, more of what the world has to offer.
29:48
And you hear ringing in the ears of men and women throughout the
29:53
ages. You shall have.
29:55
This is the path of righteousness and holiness.
29:58
This is the path of peace. God says this is where
30:00
relationship comes in. This is you shall have no other
30:04
gods before me. It's a command.
30:08
And if you and I choose to cross the command, there's always a
30:11
price to pay. Many gods, but only one true
30:17
living God. And the many gods control you,
30:22
the God of the universe. He loves you.
30:25
It's a big difference #2 verse 4.
30:30
You shall not make for yourself any carved image or any likeness
30:35
of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth
30:38
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
30:40
You shall not bow down to them nor serve them.
30:44
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.
30:46
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the
30:49
third and 4th generations of those who hate Me, but showing
30:53
mercy to thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments
30:59
#2 no carved images of which become objects of your worship.
31:04
Do you see that? No carved images to bow down to
31:08
or serve them. No carved images.
31:10
The first commandment forbids worship of false gods.
31:14
This one refers to the false worship of the one true God.
31:20
And immediately some will come here to think, oh, wait a
31:23
minute, I have a picture that represents Jesus that hangs in
31:26
my front room. Is that a violation of this
31:30
command? And I would say if you ask that
31:32
question to be general, I'd say it might be.
31:35
I don't know. It all depends on what it
31:37
represents to you. If it is an image that you bow
31:40
down to that you believe is the absolute representation of
31:43
Jesus, it probably should go. It probably is not helpful to
31:47
you. Certainly I believe anyone with
31:50
a crucifix should not have a crucifix.
31:52
That is an improper representation.
31:55
He is not on the cross anymore. Did you know that He is risen
31:58
and at the right hand of the Father?
32:00
He is alive today. He's not crucified.
32:03
And so I would say there are some that are more obvious than
32:05
others, but if it's stumbling to you, just put it away.
32:10
The idea here is not a picture. The idea here is false worship,
32:17
a false representation and false worship of the true God.
32:22
Why no images? Because an image dishonors the
32:26
glory of God. It doesn't tell the whole story
32:29
of who God is. It's one-dimensional.
32:33
It's a snapshot in time. Images have a tendency to
32:37
mislead people, taking a person away from reality, as Paul would
32:43
tell the Corinthians in Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 5.
32:47
He's prepared for us this very thing who's also given us his
32:50
Spirit as a guarantee. So we're always confident
32:53
knowing that while we're at home in the body, we're absent from
32:56
the Lord. For by we walk by faith and not
32:59
by sight. Images take us back to the site
33:03
instead of the faith. He says in verse five that he's
33:06
a jealous God. You see that he's a jealous God.
33:11
Now don't be stumbled by that. Jealousy certainly can be a sin,
33:17
can be sinful. But here is an example of
33:20
jealousy in a good sense, out of love and concern.
33:24
It's defined, as in the Hebrew, zealousness for what is right.
33:29
It is an utter, total, burning, consuming commitment to hold on
33:33
to what is right. God's heart is that he doesn't
33:36
want to see you stumbled and your heart captured by something
33:40
false. And so don't do, don't create a
33:43
bunch of images where the images become your object of worship.
33:48
Which religions today, that's exactly what they're doing, a
33:52
complete disobedience to the second commandment and teaching
33:56
the people to do so, which is what the Pharisees did, which
34:00
made the blind leading the blind.
34:03
Somebody has to open their eyes and see.
34:06
The Bible is very, very clear. Now be careful.
34:10
I do want to speak to this at the end.
34:12
Be careful of this phrase that in verse five that God is a
34:17
jealous God in his righteousness, right?
34:19
You also have an example of anger.
34:22
Anger almost always is sinful in our lives, not exclusively.
34:27
There is an anger without sin for sure.
34:30
But I don't know how often we really hit that mark, but I'm
34:33
sure occasion we do. Anger, anger has a place where
34:37
it can be sinless, certainly or sinful.
34:40
But God, he alone can exhibit, Jesus can exhibit a righteous
34:45
indignation, a righteous indignation.
34:48
And the big distinction if you look for anger in your life is
34:51
anger that almost always is sinful, is a self-centered type
34:55
of response where anger that's righteous, it has a desire to
35:00
honor God, where God is dishonored.
35:03
And it stirs up an anger that, you know, I think of, you know,
35:08
you're seeing the news and some of the things that children
35:10
being hurt and violated and you're angry.
35:14
And that begins, I believe, with a righteous anger.
35:17
But if you're not careful, that anger will continue on into
35:21
anger, taking you into places that may not be so righteous.
35:25
It starts with what is going on. Someone needs to stand up and
35:29
protect them. But if you nurture that, that
35:31
really that little spark of righteousness, if you're not
35:35
careful, it can lead to all sorts of ways because the flesh
35:39
is so quick to want an outburst of wrath just so quick.
35:42
Our flesh is so quick where we're wrong.
35:45
Let's take another example. We're wronged and we, we take a
35:48
hit and we're like, man, I'm angry.
35:50
But then immediate of your, you breathe in anger and then you
35:54
breathe out vengeance. That's not righteous anger.
35:59
You're angry you got punched. That's probably closer to
36:01
righteousness that this and I don't know if you got punched in
36:04
the gut, the immediate thought would be I can't believe this
36:07
person is dishonored God. I don't know how you're going to
36:09
feel that, but like you'll be angry for injustice.
36:12
I think it's up which your sense of injustice comes from the Holy
36:15
Spirit dwelling in you. So I can see that.
36:18
But if you're not careful, you may find yourself in behaviors
36:21
that cross the line, cross the law and it's not righteous.
36:25
So here in the righteous jealousy coming back to this,
36:29
God then says he visits the iniquity of the fathers on the
36:31
children to the third and 4th generations and to some have
36:36
created a false teaching out of this out of this verse and a few
36:40
other verses. And again, I've developed this
36:42
and other Bible studies, but it's enough just because we're
36:45
here to make sure you understand.
36:46
Are you ready? Mark this, write it down.
36:49
If you've ever heard it, I'm going to correct it for you.
36:52
Ready. There is no such thing as
36:55
generational curses. None, zero don't exist.
37:00
Man made doctrine, it doesn't exist.
37:04
Jesus himself has taken the curse upon himself and he has
37:08
fulfilled all the pain and penalty for all of our sins.
37:11
When he shed his blood on the cross and rose again, He has
37:13
taken it all. There are no generational
37:16
curses. Be careful, there are many
37:19
variations to this, but basically they have taught you
37:23
that you are doomed and that you were under basically under your
37:27
father's and grandfather's sinful mistakes.
37:30
So the demons of the past must be cast out of you so that you
37:35
the generational curse must be broken.
37:38
Not it's not true. It's not true at all.
37:44
God is warning the children of Israel here to break the cycle.
37:48
That's why He's given the commandment, break the cycle,
37:51
break the cycle that sends brings generationally, of
37:55
course, when a third and 4th generation sends and they learn
38:01
that sin from their fathers, of course God is going to visit
38:04
that iniquity. Of course He is.
38:06
But it's not the curse of the fathers.
38:08
It's the sin of the kids. It's the sin of each successive
38:12
generation. It's not because of generations
38:15
past. Now God is warning them break
38:19
the cycle. This is how you break the cycle.
38:20
This is you're a new people, you're a new land.
38:23
You're not slaves in it like this is it?
38:25
I'm warning you don't don't follow this path.
38:29
I'm going to show mercy. Verse 6 the thousands, the
38:32
thousands who who are the thousands?
38:34
The ones that repent, the ones that change as much as
38:37
information, as much as in many segments of the church today,
38:41
generational curses get a lot of attention.
38:44
I've just made it a a point in my own ministry and my own
38:47
teaching that instead of that phrase, I'd like to see
38:49
generational changes take root in people's lives.
38:53
I'd like to hear more about generational change than I will
38:56
anything about the false teaching of generational curses.
38:59
It's really just a money making scheme by false teachers.
39:03
It's not true. A simple reading of the
39:06
scriptures would say why would a new creation in Christ be under
39:10
a curse? It sounds Pagan.
39:14
It doesn't sound freedom in Christ at all.
39:18
Now listen, He's in giving the instructions to not make them a
39:23
sinful mistakes of your Father's, because if you do,
39:26
you'll suffer the same consequences that your father's
39:28
did. Generationally, someone's got to
39:31
repent and change. Then the question comes, but you
39:34
don't understand that, pastor. Maybe you don't understand.
39:37
I don't agree with you right now because you don't get this.
39:41
My grandfather was an alcoholic and my great grandfather, he was
39:48
an alcoholic too. And my dad, you didn't grow up
39:52
in the house that I grew up in, but my dad, he was a works
39:55
alcoholic, then his grandfather and great grandfather.
39:59
And if that's not a generational curse, then what is it?
40:03
And I'll tell you what it is, it's bad decision.
40:06
Your granddad taught his son how to do it.
40:09
His son taught his son how to do it, and you suffered the
40:12
consequences in your own life. But I'm hopeful, if that's the
40:16
conversation you're having with right now, that the generational
40:20
line of bad habits that have been passed down throughout your
40:23
house has been broken by you. You are the one that God has
40:28
saved. You are the one that's sober.
40:31
You're the one that's ministering to your dad.
40:33
You're the one that's forgiving your mom.
40:35
You're the one that's pleading with them to come to know the
40:37
Lord. Of course, of course bad habits
40:41
are passed down. Of course we learn bad habits
40:44
from our parents. Yes, of course we were taught
40:48
wrong. We were instructed wrong.
40:52
We're just kids, just teenagers. But to be brought into a
40:59
theological or a false theological teaching that you're
41:03
cursed and you don't, you don't have any way out of it.
41:05
As a Christian now, you got to get away from all the demons.
41:08
No, you just come to the Lord and you're the curse, Whatever
41:11
it might be in your life is broken.
41:15
It's broken. We praise God through the grace
41:19
of Jesus Christ that we can break any cycle of the past, any
41:23
mistakes of our parents. You don't have to repeat any
41:27
mistakes of your parents. In Christ, you have the power to
41:30
be a different person. In Christ, you are a different
41:33
person. One of the mistakes that I made
41:36
as an early parent was I was very legalistic.
41:40
I was very legalistic as a new believer because I was extremely
41:44
afraid. I was afraid that my son Eddie,
41:49
if I didn't parent him right, if I didn't do what was right, if I
41:53
didn't have a holy home and all the ways that that got lived out
41:56
that he would turn out like me. I was very fearful of that.
42:02
And so a lot of decisions in the early days as a believer were
42:04
very fearful, very rule based, very this is the way it needs to
42:08
be. And I don't want, you know, I
42:10
don't know a young guy when I started explaining to him why I
42:13
was doing it until the Lord brought me away from it.
42:15
But eventually the Lord revealed to me, Ed, Ed, Ed, it's almost
42:19
like, you know how you have to get someone's head and just talk
42:21
to them. Ed, Ed, listen, the father has
42:23
me. He says, listen to me.
42:25
Your son will never be you because he's not you.
42:31
That's freedom. He will never be me.
42:34
And I don't need to be fearful of everything that's going on.
42:38
Instead, I can be a disciple. I can train my son.
42:43
I could be an example to him. I can help him process his
42:47
mistakes. And so each successive child in
42:49
my home got to benefit in my life of better parenting.
42:53
I hope, I hope they would say that we became better parents.
42:57
I'll speak for myself, for Marie's always been a better
42:59
parent, but I'll speak for myself where I think
43:02
successively with each child we get better and better.
43:05
And ultimately though my kids all came to an age, whatever it
43:09
may be, 15/16/17, where they had to make their own decisions.
43:12
It wasn't my, it wasn't me anymore.
43:16
It wasn't me, it was them. They had to be accountable.
43:19
It's not 18 where the age of this world, it happens much
43:22
earlier than 18 where where a young person understands their
43:26
responsibility toward God, where a young person understands the
43:31
love of God, where a young person understands, you know,
43:34
I'm, I'm not under the shadow of my parents anymore.
43:36
I have my own life, my own walk, my own responsibilities.
43:40
And then they then take the accountability and
43:44
responsibility of their life. And of course, at different
43:47
ages, they're still living with their parents of for sure.
43:49
But the reality is, is that if you continue the sinful patterns
43:55
of the generations before you, you will experience the same
43:59
consequences of generations before you.
44:01
But God's ready to show mercy to the thousands that repent.
44:05
That's what that is no such thing as generational curses.
44:08
OK, you got that. No such thing.
44:11
Don't receive it. Here's one verse just to lay it
44:14
out. And like I said, I've done it
44:16
much depth to other places. But here one verse that will
44:19
just clear out the the complete teaching 100% just one verse
44:24
among many Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17.
44:28
This is the answer whenever generational curse is brought
44:31
up. Therefore, if anyone is in
44:33
Christ, he is a new creation. All things have passed away.
44:39
Behold, all things have become new.
44:40
That's it, that settles it. God's Word says it, that settles
44:44
it, and then I believe it and it changes my life.
44:48
Because you know, whether you believe it or not, it's still
44:50
settled. God's Word is settled in heaven,
44:52
and generational change starts with us that are believers.
44:57
All right, one more, verse 7. We've got time.
45:01
You shall not #3 you shall not take the name of the Lord your
45:05
God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless.
45:09
Who takes his name in vain #3 don't take the Lord's name in
45:13
vain. That's the third guideline, the
45:16
third word, the third commandment.
45:18
Now, I know the popular understanding of this verse and
45:22
this commandment is the emphasis of not cussing.
45:29
How many of you have heard this all referred to as not cussing?
45:32
Anyone not cussing, let me just say that's a good thing.
45:35
You stop cussing. Please stop, please stop.
45:39
But there's a better verse for that.
45:40
Ephesians chapter 4, verse 29, a better verse for the cussers
45:44
among us. And don't I know there's cussers
45:47
among us, and I know you fight it, but you can learn new words
45:52
that you don't have to cuss anymore.
45:54
Did you know that God wants to set you free?
45:55
Maybe that's a word of the Lord right now.
45:57
God's ready. You don't need to be dropping F
45:58
bombs and S bombs and B bombs and whatever bombs.
46:02
God can do it right now. Don't have to be cussing
46:04
anymore. And here's the word, Let no
46:06
corrupt word proceed out of your mouth.
46:09
But what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart
46:12
grace to the hearers. The reason why I point this out
46:16
is because this command is deeper than cussing.
46:19
It's much more deeper than just a few words that come out of our
46:23
mouths for whatever reason, bad habit, or whatever it might be.
46:27
This is more than that. The Hebrew term refers to
46:30
careless speech and that makes it go much deeper, especially
46:36
when the name of God is used. You could say and re in the
46:41
English you could restate this as don't take the name of God
46:45
lightly upon your lips because the name represents the
46:53
character and reputation. So you take that name seriously.
46:58
And the Jews in that day and even the religious Jews today
47:01
take the name of God very seriously.
47:03
They wouldn't even say it out loud.
47:05
They believe the human lips were not worthy to even utter his
47:09
name. Today we see just the opposite
47:13
when it comes to Jesus Christ. We hear Jesus Christ using all
47:16
sorts of bad ways, Don't you? It's amazing.
47:20
It's almost like the devil has a specific attack on that name.
47:24
You'll hear Jesus using. You'll.
47:26
You'll never hear. Oh, Buddha.
47:28
You never hear that. Yeah.
47:31
You never hear, oh Harry, Krishna or you know,
47:35
Scientologist, doggone it, you never hear that with all the bad
47:38
words associated. And that's because the name of
47:42
Jesus is to be respected. It says in Acts chapter 4 there
47:47
is verse 12. Nor is there salvation in any
47:50
other, for there is no other name under heaven by which men
47:55
must be saved. Blasphemy, the misuse of God's
47:59
name is sinfully destructive. Yet the worst kind of blasphemy
48:03
is the Christian that doesn't live like one all week.
48:07
Taking the name of the Lord in vain, lightly upon your life,
48:12
saying you are one thing and living another.
48:17
He or she that lives like the world but takes the name of God
48:20
anyway is very, very close if not breaking this command here
48:26
so you could go through life going well, I don't cuss
48:28
anymore. I don't smoke, I don't chew, I
48:29
don't hang with those who do. I don't cuss.
48:31
I don't say bad words anymore. I don't We start looking at all
48:34
our behaviors, but then you begin to think, well, I've got
48:38
the easier behaviors under control.
48:40
But then your life represents something other than the name
48:43
that you carry as a Christian. The idea of the word Christian
48:47
are those that represent Christ have Christ in them.
48:50
Christ bearers, you carry Jesus. I carry him in my life.
48:55
We hear, you know, in our culture we have bumper stickers
48:58
and license plate like that. That's just a small little
49:01
snapshot of the idea of hey, the person driving this car says she
49:06
loves God. That's if you ever you ever
49:10
think about putting something on your car, That's what you're the
49:12
person that I put that little scripture on my Facebook
49:16
profile. The person that will be posting
49:18
under this name loves God carries the name of God with
49:22
great weight. I I understand he delivered me.
49:27
I have a new identity. He is fast at work in me.
49:32
He exclusively receives my worship.
49:36
I don't bow down to idols. I don't create them.
49:39
I don't want something less or false.
49:41
He has all of me and I get all of him, and I know that his name
49:50
is carried with great reverence and honor.
49:56
And you can see the entirety of even within the Old Testament
50:00
with the 10 commandments. It's more than just behavior
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modification. That's not God's will for your
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life. Christianity in some circles has
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become just change your behavior, change your clothes,
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change the way you look, change the way you speak, change your
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behavior and you're going to be OK.
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But God healed works the exact opposite.
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He says I'll change you and your behavior will follow.
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I'll change you and you'll begin living as the new person that
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you are. And there may be some lingering
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behaviors that get attention. That's kind of how we work with
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each other. But if I love God, my vertical
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is right, I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind, then my
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relationship with you is going to be a lot better as I learn to
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live for Christ in the new covenant in the new way.
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Amen. So, Lord, we want these things
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to be lived out in our lives. We desire a holy, righteous
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relationship with you. And, and as we're looking at
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these commandments, they're encouraging to us.
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But I mean, even if we translate them into the speeding in and
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out, that can be a very convicting thought that could be
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shrugged away like it's no big deal.
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But Lord, it's a revelation of our heart, of who we are and
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where we're connected to you. How, how it is that you would
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want us to carry your name, to carry your name, to not take the
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name of God in vain in emptiness.
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So we pray for an anointing of your Holy Spirit on us as a
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church tonight and we would grow in your grace.
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We're pressing in, Lord, we're, we're listening in.
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We're tuning in, Lord, we're pressing for we're at your feet
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like Mary, listening to your, to your words, listening to your
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whispers, listening. I love that verse.
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And I'm that that you came to Samuel like you did before and
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he stood there and said, speak to me.
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And how much does that represent our lives even today in this
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moment? You've come to us and called to
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us like you have before and we've come and we've stayed here
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and said, speak to us Lord, speak to that area.
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We are open. I have these burdens I'm
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carrying in, but I'm open. You can speak about any area of
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my life, anything that you have for us.
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And as we enter into a new year, let it be fresh, a new, a fresh
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anointing of your spirit God. And for those that might be set
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free tonight about generational curses, set them free, Lord, set
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them free with the truth of the gospel.
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You said if you they will know the truth, the truth of the
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gospel, the truth will set them free and realize that they are
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not bound by their generations in their family, but actually
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are a change that you are going to use them to bring change to
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those generations behind and before and empower them.
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Lord, that might feel powerless and then maybe it felt like
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they're just under the oppression of the demons and
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they have no way out and and without a special ministry or a
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special prayer soaking or without a a special deliverance
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person or all these special things that have been created
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that aren't in your Bible that they need.
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They don't they have all that they need already dwelling in
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them by the power of your Holy Spirit that you love them.
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You have freed them. You have delivered them and it
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is it is a done deal. Lord, I pray that over those
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that believe that tonight it's a done deal Now tonight I just, I
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just feel this sense I, I, it's not generational curses.
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So I'm not asking you to respond to that.
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But if you are entering into the year with a besetting habit that
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it seems like another year and another desire to break it.
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And already you're kind of you're kind of like wondering if
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you're going to be able to break it this year and you just want
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prayer. Would you stand to your feet?
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I want to pray with you about a special habit habit that you're
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carrying a besetting sin like it has a hold of your like ankle
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and you to impeding your progress.
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It could be something really, really simple, could be
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something complicated. It could be something just like
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wrecking your heart. It could be something jacking
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with your head. You know your habits.
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You just want that sense of OK, Lord, you heard me.
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I came with that habit. I was thinking about that and
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you can in if you have been believing generational curses,
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you can respond to that. I don't want to embarrass you or
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anything, but you can you can respond to that too.
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There's enough people standing where it'll be OK.
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I want you to come to the Lord. I want you to respond anyone
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else habit. You just want like a outward
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you're going to get special prayer right now, but also you
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standing as like an outward out like here I am.
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I'm not. I mean I'm embarrassed.
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I don't like it, but I'm not embarrassed to ask God for help
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than anyone else. OK, you guys that are not
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standing, just look around and go over to someone standing and
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put your hand on them. So you got to see them see them
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real quick and just the whole body of Christ.
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Just you guys have the power for you or a believer.
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You can pray. Let's make sure that nobody's
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missed. If you're if you're missed
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because we didn't see because people are moving, we'll just
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pray for you. I'll pray for you.
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I'll catch you and make sure Lord, I just pray for those that
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come with that habit that that besetting sin, Hebrews, that
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weight, that sin that so easily ensnares something they picked
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up from dad or mom, something they picked up from a cousin and
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it just became a nasty habit and it's just something they want.
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They want to walk in the newness of life.
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I pray for them right now, break the chains, God in Jesus name,
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break the thought patterns in Jesus name, break the sinful
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desires in Jesus name, break the feelings of hopelessness and
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this constant shame and guilt that would beat down on them.
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I pray that in this room, I pray for those online right now on
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the radio, we pray for freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is,
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there is freedom and there is liberty, and we pray freedom
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over our church today. In the mighty name of Jesus, the
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church says Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged by this Bible study, delivered live from the
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sanctuary of Calvary Church. For prayer, call us at 87730
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Grace that's 877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
56:30
integrity or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
56:34
online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
56:39
Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
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this week.