Author: Chris Johnson

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:16 (day seven)

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44)

False testimony, twisted words, gossip, slander, exaggerations, misquotes, deceitfulness, propaganda, spin, empty words – This is a short list of ways that we lie.  There are plenty more too.  When we veer off and walk with the devil there is no telling what will come out of our mouths, but whatever it is, it will be a lie.

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:15 (day seven)

“You shall not steal” is an economic commandment covering a wide assortment of monetary sins from stealthily taking something of value to excessive interest to inaccurate measurements to allowing your cattle to graze on another’s pasture etc. Each of these examples reveals a greed that preys on a neighbor to fatten our heart at their expense.

James 5 describes it this way: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (James 5:1-5)

May our hearts seek a holy way strengthened by the Spirit in the ways of our Lord leading us toward generosity instead of greed.

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:14 (day seven) 

“You shall not commit adultery.”

I know this is heavy for a Sunday morning, but we have lost our way sexually.  We are as confused as we have ever been about sexual health, and there may be no clearer indicator than the recent pornography invasion through cell phones.

Consider these numbers from Covenant Eyes: 20% of all internet searches on cell phones are for pornography, and 57% of American adults view pornography at least once a month.  Possibly even more heartbreaking is this line from their research: “1 in 5 youth pastors and 1 in 7 senior pastors use porn on a regular basis and currently struggling.”

This is an epidemic.

This is an epidemic that many in our church are struggling with that is destroying our lives, our families, our churches, and our country from the inside out.  If you need help please contact us:

• We have a number of staff members who care about you, and are ready to  help you walk toward healing, call our church office at 210-226-0363
• You may also contact our on-site counselor Terry Davis of the Ecumenical Center at 210-616-0885
• We also have a number of support groups through our Heart 2 Heart ministry linked here:https://www.fbcsa.org/heart2heart
• You may also want to view our own Bob Parker’s Men’s Freedom Group testimony on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0xJPQpTzE

Re:Verse passage –Exodus 20:13 (day seven)

All of us have faced the grave temptation to harbor hatred for another in our minds.  At times we may find great joy indulging the flesh by imagining revenge and we can use that anger to fuel ourselves forward.  But be warned by this passage from 1 John that notes the attitude of Christ in the believer:

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.(1 John 3:15-18)

A follower of Jesus Christ does not take another’s life, they give their own on behalf of the other.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:12 (day seven)

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

When discussing true discipleship Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26 & Mt 10:37)

and on His own family He said, “A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:32-35)

Family comes with a footnote.  Your family IS eternally important, but they never come before God nor come before the 1st or 2nd commandment.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 2:8-11 (day seven)

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

When God calls us to a Sabbath rest many respond that we are too busy to rest.  We try to devise ways to turn 7 days into 8, while God asks us to turn 7 days into 6. Two books that have been particularly helpful for me on this issue are The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson and The Tyranny of the Urgent by Charles E. Hummel.

Both of these works set forth a way to turn busyness into a productiveness that allows a Sabbath.  As Peterson puts it we are too busy because we are prideful (wanting to do everything ourselves) or because we are lazy (and let everyone else in our lives determine our schedule), but there is a way to Sabbath rest if we will be intentional with our lives and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:7 – (day seven)

Jesus’ name is as powerful as it gets.  By His name we believe, we are baptized, we prophesy, we work mighty deeds, we heal, and we thrive.  Jesus’ name is not an incantation though, it is a relationship.  The sons of Sceva learned this lesson in Acts 19:

But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”(Acts 19:13-15)

The authority of the Creator of the universe is bound up in His name that His children bear, may we cherish this relationship and live in the boldness of the name of Christ.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:4-6 (day seven)

Idols promise to enhance the worship experience.  The craftsman imagines that if you enshrine the person of God in some visible form then every element of worship will reach new heights.  However, you do not need one more thing for worship.  Everything we need for worship and all that we need for relationship with God has already been given.

The best thing you can do today to enhance your worship is to prepare your heart in repentance and focus your attention on the Lord.  Gilded external stimuli is unnecessary to accomplish this, you have the Holy Spirit. There is no need to wait on a craftsman or rely on a minister, God is creating in you a new heart honed for worship this very moment.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:3 (day seven)

9 questions to determine who your god is:

Who do you love?
What do you get excited about?
What does your heart desire?
Who do you turn to in times of trouble?
Where do you run when you need something?
What occupies your mind?
Where do you spend your energy?
How do you spend your money?
What fills your schedule?

As we answer these sorts of questions we get the most accurate answer of who our God is.

Re:Verse passage – Exodus 20:1-17 (day seven)

This week begins an exciting new study of the 10 commandments, and there are a couple of things I would like for you to do with me along the way:

1. Since through much of the summer we will be studying a verse a week, and since the 10 Commandments are critical to our life as believers, I would like for us to memorize the text. I believe God will bless that effort and grow us more than we can imagine through a memorization exercise.  We will start with Exodus 20:1-2 this week.
2. As I study I am going to work through 4 questions for each commandment to help set a baseline for what we are looking for:
   A. What is forbidden?
   B. What is required of me?
   C. What does this say about God’s character?
   D. Where is this commandment referenced in the New Testament?

I hope you’ll do both with me through the summer and see how God uses them to grow us.