Exodus Chapter 20 Verses 14 – 16

• These commandments are bedrock foundation for human society. As a human we are not permitted to deprive someone criminally (in the eyes of God) of their life.  We cannot murder.  We cannot commit adultery which is the act of depriving someone of their husband or their wife.  We cannot steal.  Take something that belongs to someone else.  We cannot lie about, on or to someone…standing against them.  In truth, these things are so very basic but this world is literally full of rebellion against these rules.
• Have you ever seen that poster, “Everything I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten?” That thing is so true and these commandments, don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, lie…they are as simple as that…  “Things we learn in Kindergarten: Be nice; Share; Listen to your teacher; Play fair; Don’t hit people; Put things back where you found them; Clean up your own mess; Don’t take things that aren’t yours; Say you’re sorry when you’ve hurt someone; Wash your hands before you eat; Flush; Hold hands and stick together.”  If we would just do these things what a different world we would live in today!  Same with these simple and basic commandments of our Father.
• Obeying the commandment is more than just not doing, it’s knowing that they aren’t even in the realm of possible for you. What do I mean by that?  You shall not commit adultery…if the world walked in that one, gosh if the church walked in that one…then we wouldn’t have the scandals that are so often seen today…and…we wouldn’t have divorce…check this out…AT ALL in the church.  Why? 
• If you take away adultery then divorce is a non-issue. In the scriptures, divorce is forbidden unless there is a circumstance of what?    And so, if you go into the thing, the relationship, the marriage, with divorce not being an option…impossible…not recognized by God…then…what I’m trying to say is if you take away the thought of the option then the commitment will be quite different.  It’s not even that we wouldn’t have adultery or divorce, its that we wouldn’t even have the thought…if we obeyed the Kindergarten rules of life. 
• This adultery thing is very serious to God. I think it is a specific heart-breaker for Him because His bride was lost to a cruel seducer…and Biblically, I’m just educating now…I said a moment ago that God doesn’t recognize divorce…Biblically if you divorce (within the church) then your command is to now stay unmarried. 
• Matthew 5:31-32, “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ (Man’s law) But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality (adultery) causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” And so truly, with God, holding adultery aside for a moment, once married – always married.  If you go into the thing with that understanding and you go into the thing with faith to obey God, your marriage should be quite different.  Why?  Because you don’t commit adultery?  No…because that’s not even in your heart and neither is divorce.
• This is what Jesus was talking about when He said in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” I hate going shopping unless I’m going to buy something…what a waste of time…and so look, if I know that I am married by covenant to April, divorce is not possible, adultery is not in my future…it’s just not…then looking at a pretty lady and looking at a pretty man are just about the same to me…
• Covenant eyes covenant eyes…I have heard that my whole Christian walk life…what about covenant heart…?! Take adultery, take divorce, take murder – hate for your brother or sister, take stealing, take lying and evict those things out of your heart, your thinking, your speech, your allowance for yourself…and things would be quite different…perhaps simpler…Kindergarten style…
• One more thing on the subject of you shall not steal…the solution to stealing is actually given in Ephesians 4:28. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”  If you are not adding value then in effect you are taking value.  I understand value can be given by others but we are Christians…we bear the blessing and Spirit of God, we behold the truth of eternity…we ought to clean up more than we mess up…if we are walking in the Spirit, that is just a reasonable expectation that I ought to hold myself accountable to…we ought to add more value in this world than we are consuming…if not, excellent excellent excellent indication that you are living in the flesh and not following the Lord with your whole heart.

Exodus Chapter 20 Verse 17

• This one is a bit different than the others because it deals not with an action exactly but with intent! Covetousness is not necessarily to want what someone else has but the implication is that you don’t want them to have it…and you’re not happy with what you have already.  Here’s the issue…not the action so much, the action just proves the real issue, and that is the heart is sick with the flesh.  Here’s what Jesus said on the matter…
• Luke 12:15, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” This commandment of God reveals that if you are covetous then you’ve already missed the boat…life isn’t found in pleasure or play things…what you’re seeking is only found in a life serving Jesus…and this shows, reveals, speaks to the fact that these commandments are less what we ought not to do (which they certainly are) but more of a school master, to teach us truth of our current situation…and need of the Spirit of God to guide us.  How are we guided by the Spirit of God?  Serving Jesus with our life.  That’s it.

Exodus Chapter 20 Verses 18 – 26

• They all heard this…all the people heard the commandments of God…it wasn’t exactly like it’s depicted in the movies…why else would they say, “Don’t let God speak with us or we will just die.” They heard the voice of God, the sounds of heaven, the sight of heavenly wonders but notice this, it only made them move further away.  We don’t need to hear or see or get something more from God and then we will follow Him.  No you won’t.  The only thing that will draw you closer to God is taking Him at His Word, making a decision that you will listen, and then actually bowing the knee in service to Him.  That’s it.
• God makes this wonderful promise…as the people fear God in His righteousness, Moses draws near by grace…and God says to the nation, if their altar of worship is for Him then He will come to them and He will bless them. Just don’t use your tools…don’t add anything…and don’t go up by steps and expose your nakedness…sounds weird!  HA!  But remember they wore tunic like cloaks…no jeans.  And if the priest went up steps above the people then they’d see his hairy chicken legs…and they’d be distracted.   None of that.
• God wants us to simply come to Him by grace through faith…without anything added, without any cleaning of ourselves or whatever and He wants no distractions…nothing to take our focus off of Him in our lives…those things right there…those three things…come by grace through faith, don’t add anything and no distractions…truly comprise the entirety of the law.