Exodus Chapter 20 Verse 7

• The most common way to think about this, to understand this commandment, is to use the name of God in any way that does not glorify Him. Just flippantly using the name of God in vain…which literally means emptiness or   Of course that includes profanity, cursing, and blasphemy as well. 
• We see Jesus backup this commandment when He was laying out the model prayer for the disciples in Matthew 6:9. He told them to pray in this manner (not repetitively, but in this manner (Matthew 6:7)), “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…”
• Another way this is applicable is claiming the name of God but living in such a way as to bring reproach upon His name. Romans 2:21-24 lays out this principle. 
• The Jews took this to the utmost extreme and that is why, even today, they will not write God but rather they write G-D just in case the paper or computer or internet or whatever is destroyed at some point in the future and thus the name of God would have been written by them in vain.
• And it is mysteriously interesting here, and I just want to point this out, this is the only commandment with this warning within it…that God will not hold you guiltless if you do this…in other words, you won’t go Scary sounding, we can guess all day long as to what that means…best just to heed the Word of God.

Exodus Chapter 20 Verses 8 – 11

• Just a side note here before we get into the Sabbath day, this is a clear linkage, an obvious pointer to a literal six-day creation scenario. That might not matter at all to you but there is great controversy and conversation regarding the timeline of creation.  Some apply 2 Peter 3:8 to creation where Peter said, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years…” and argue/offer that creation was 6 thousand years, not 6 years…and even others argue that there were large spans of time, millions of year between the separate and distinct days of Genesis.  All of those conversations are interesting and entirely unimportant…what is important is that God is the Creator…but this verse is a hefty proof text for a 6 consecutive literal day creation.
• Now the word and theme of “Sabbath” is extremely important throughout the Bible. Its used 155 times in scripture.  96 times in the Old Testament and 59 times in the New Testament.  It is entirely applicable and relevant for Christians and the church today…that is not debated hardly at all among Christians.  What is debated is how the Sabbath is applicable. 
• Let me just say, whenever the extreme is achieved (or should I say fallen to…) and the conversation goes to sheep eating sheep, that is not from the Spirit of God. James 4:1 says, “Where do wars and fights come from among you?  Do they not come from your desires (not God’s) for pleasure that war in your members?”  James 3:13-18 as well.  Why do I say this?  Because this topic on the Sabbath has and continues to cause great fracture among the Body of Christ…and it should not. 
• Paul wrote in Romans 14:5, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”  Skip down to verses 12 and 13.  Listen, if you want to go to church on Saturday,   If you want to go to church on Sunday, fine.  If you want to go to church on Monday, fine.  Just go to church! HA!  Do it, man.  But when I tell you that you’re wrong with God because you worship corporately on the wrong day of the week then it is not you that is out of line with scripture…it’s me. 
• Now let me tell you how I, how we (Calvary Chapel) handle this conversation and commandment. To sum it up,   There are so many arguments of perspectives but look at what the Bible says on the matter.  Hebrews 4:1-10.  So, what does that mean?  Simply this, the Sabbath for the Christian is no day but it is truly a life given into the hands of Jesus Christ.  Colossians 2:16-18a.  The Word of God is clear in this matter.  So do away with your Sabbath attack!  It’s non-sensical and certainly non-biblical to use the Sabbath commandment to condemn people seeking the Lord on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so on when the Bible is clear, the Sabbath is not a day but rather a Person, and Jesus has come!

Exodus Chapter 20 Verse 12

• Now we transition to the “second table” of the commandments. These next six deal primarily with man’s relationship with his fellow man.  Although, I’m sure you understand, or if not, now you do…you cannot honor God in your relationships on earth, you cannot do them well, if you are not first honoring God in your relationship with Him.  If you blow it on the first table then you will definitely blow it on the second table.
• This word “honor” implies effort, it implies work, it implies sweat and it literally means to promote your father and your mother. Respect them, serve them, be a blessing to them.  And this commandment, along with all of them really is just wise!  First of all, your parents can do so much for you and will do so much for you IF they trust you!  I think about my daughter.  Twelve years old carrying around an iPhone.  I have no checks, no locks on her phone.  Some say that’s crazy and stupid…I say this, I trust her. 
• My dog Dart…if he would do what he should do then he would have a VERY different life! HA!  But he can’t go with us out front, we can’t trust him not to wander off or chase a squirrel (takes after his daddy, HA!).  But just like that, honoring your parents will build their trust and then blessings just roll in for you. 
• Also, there’s societal wisdom in this commandment…and the flesh and pull of this world is almost exactly opposite. Think of the stability and health of a nation.  If younger generations battle older generations then a nation will never grow up…no foundation will ever be laid.  Sounds a lot like our society doesn’t it?
• Ephesians 6:1-3, Paul repeated this command saying, “That you may live long on the earth.” Truly, rebellion and not honoring your father and mother, especially when they are legit, it’s costly…but I even like to tell my kids…, “You just lost 5 minutes there buddy…HA!” 

Exodus Chapter 20 Verse 13

• Simple commandment and actually just a single word in Hebrew (ratsakh). Murder is the act of criminally depriving someone of their life.  You cannot apply this to capital punishment and you cannot apply this to every form and reason for killing.  Why?  Because then you would have a scriptural problem.  Why?    For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…Isaiah 53:10, “It pleased the Father to crush the Son…”  What’s the difference?  It was lawful…
• Jesus was paying the price for sin…a clear format and foundation for the difference between rightful and wrongful killing, and wrongful killing is indeed murder. Solomon wrote there is a time to kill…David ran towards the giant on the battlefield that day to execute the enemy of righteousness…the cross itself dealt the deathblow to the unrighteous…life is to be valued and the life of a human above any other on the earth…made in the image of God…you will not murder, that is the command.  And it is clear.
• Depriving someone of their life unlawfully…I love this and to end on this tonight…do you know why you are supposed to and have a right to live such a glorious life on this earth? Because it is lawful…to deprive you of a wonderful, Spirit-filled, joyful powerful purposeful life…God would NEVER do that?  Why?  Because the law is now for you, not against you because of Jesus…