Today’s Sermon
The Ten Commandments
By-Evangelist Gary Huckaby D.D.
We take our text today from the book of Exodus 20:1-18. Before we read this passage, please bow with me in prayer.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, speak to us today. Let us know our plight and our sins that we may seek your forgiveness. Lift up the fallen, save the lost, fill us with Thy Holy Spirit in this time we have together. I pray this prayer in the Name above every name. The Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Exodus 20:1-18; "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die."
Introduction
Can you name the ten commandments? Can you say them in their order? Someone told me once that they lived their life by the ten commandments, and that was enough to get them to heaven. Many have told me that though they had broken one, two, or three of these commandments, that they were not guilty of breaking all ten.
In Jesus sermon on the mount, Jesus tells us these words from Matthew 5:17-19; "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Please read again the nineteenth verse with me; "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Let us look at just the Ten Commandments today and see is we have been guilty of breaking any of them.
The Order of the Ten Commandments Are:
1-Thou shalt have no other gods before me; verse 3.
2-Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image; verse 4.
3- Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; verse 7.
4- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; verse 8.
5- Honour thy father and thy mother; verse 12.
6- Thou shalt not kill; verse 13.
7- Thou shalt not commit adultery; verse 14.
8- Thou shalt not steal; verse 15.
9- Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour; verse 16.
10-Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, wife, servant, ox, ass,
nor anything that is thy neighbour’s.
America was founded upon these principles. Our constitution is based on God’s commandments. There was a time when every school in America had a place where the ten commandments were displayed for the students to see, but not anymore. Now in America you can be sued if you display God’s commandments. How tragic for America, and for the world!
Today most Americans do not know, nor try to keep God’s commandments. How sad! We have gone too far away from God and the keeping of His commandments. So far, that we teeter on the verge of destruction in America. Great destructive changes are taking place in our country today that prove God is not pleased with our society. God’s judgment is ready to fall on America unless we repent and turn back to Him and keep His commandments, for the Bible boldly declares in Galatians 6:7-8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
Mark my words, friends, God is not playing games with us today, nor has He ever! Life is a serious business. God is a jealous God, and He will not be mocked! Powerful men of influence, wealth and prestige think they can live as they please. They pay no attention to God’s commandments, they shun their teachings, disbelieve their truths, but again I declare as the bible says, that God is not mocked!" here is coming a judgment to all! Hebrews 9:27, says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Every person ever born will one day give an account of their life, before God. God wants us to love Him, to serve Him, to keep His commandments. Have you broken them today? Let’s look and see.
(1)
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
God is the only One that deserves our worship. Nothing else on earth does. There is only One God and He demands to be known as the only One.
An illustration of this is the Egyptians in the book of Exodus. They believed in many gods. Thus the reason for the plagues by Moses hands. To disprove each of their gods.
Elijah believed in the only true God. In 1 kings 18, we can see the contest of gods vs God. In verse 37, the Bible tells us; "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again." God proved He was the only LORD God by His miracle that day. Don’t let things become your god, trust in the only God. The God of the Bible!
(2)
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
Idols are against God’s commandments. If you harbor any image of a god of any kind, it is a breaking of God’s law. I have been in many homes that have Idols of gold or silver; sometimes of brass or wood. Pictures of God are another idol as they try to image God. many wear around their neck a graven image which God says not to have. They seem to think that these idols are harmless, and that they look good hanging on them. They say that these idols are harmless, and that they only represent their love for God. Boy! How far wrong can you be my friends! God hates idols. Notice as you read the Bible what happened to those nations, and people who refused to cast away their idols. I is not a pretty sight. But yet many who name the name of Christ keep on with their tradition of having these idols among them. Woe unto you my listeners, for God puts this law as the second of His ten commandments.
(3)
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
Who among us has not broken this third commandment? Many have expressed their surprise at some news they received with the words, "Oh my God!" This term was not used in reverence to the Almighty, but as a phrase that slips from one’s mouth as expression of their surprise. I have heard many take the name of Jesus Christ in vain too. This is a breaking of God’s commandment and if you will notice, there is a warning at the end of this commandment for those who refuse to obey. "For the LORD will not hold him (or her) guiltless that taketh His name in vain." We should only use God’s name when it is used in reverence to Him, not as just some by word that slips from our lips. Many preachers have been guilty of irreverence to His name even from the pulpit. Listen my dear friends, when God’s name is spoken, let it be for His glory.
(4)
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
"Well preacher, we do not go by this today; we are under the New Testament today. We are not under the law anymore." Someone once told me this. Listen friend, God’s law does not change. It does not bend or break, and on the Sabbath day; one day out of seven, we are to remember it and keep it holy. A day that we cease to work. A day to worship God, to forget our own things.
The New Testament believers choose the first day of the week to remember, to set aside all to worship God. We observe it because it was the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on. The day that Pentecost came. Sunday is the day or our Sabbath today. I don’t believe the argument that the law was given to just the Jews, and we are not under the guide of God’s laws. God’s laws are for every man, woman, and child. Sure it is our schoolmaster which brings us to Christ, but listen, it is just as right today as it ever was since mans creation.
(5)
Honour thy father and thy mother.
Billy Sunday said; "The young man or woman, who is ashamed of his or her father or mother because he or she does not look beautiful, is a fool." Most parents do without many things so that their children can have things they need, or want.
There is a promise that follows this commandment; "that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Exodus 20:12. Oh, how few today give honor to mom and dad. Honor is respect! Thanks! Help! Do you do this at every opportunity that you have? If not, then you are guilty of breaking this commandment.
(6)
Thou shalt Not Kill.
I have heard many explanations and interpretations on this verse. Some say, it means murder. Others say it means only the killing of other humans. Still some say it means anything. I believe it means all of these and more. If you hate your brother, then you kill them. If you wished another dead, then you killed them. God says it clear enough; "Thou shalt not kill." How many killings did you do last week in heart or in mind, or maybe even in the flesh? If you do not care if another person is dead or alive, then you are guilty of killing them. For they just as well be dead in your own way of thinking. Do you hate someone enough to wish they were gone to the cemetery, then you are guilty of breaking this commandment.
(7)
Thou shalt not commit Adultery.
This commandment is the law of sex outside of marriage. Sexual relations with one when you are not married. Even when it is a lust of one’s mind to commit such acts, it breaks this command- ment of God. Look at the sexual lust of today. porn books and magazines everywhere, movies that entice people, the harlots which walk the streets of our cities, the pimps which sell these people to others to fulfill their fantasies and lusts, call girls and guys, homosexuality. All is adultery of the flesh. Are you guilty of adultery?
Many Christians commit spiritual adultery against God. They go astray, forsake Him for their own lusts. James tells us that a man is drawn away (from God) of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:14. have you committed adultery against the Lord?
(8)
Thou shalt not steal.
What is thief? Any type of deceit that brings you gain and causes another loss. Any taking of someone else goods. Many steal from God. They steal His tithes and offerings. They steal the time that belongs to Him. They steal the good works that other Christians would do when they give their opinion about a spiritual matter and convince the brethren not to do God’s service. The lost man has countless ways that they steal, which means that they take advantage of others, and take things from them. On their jobs, from their homes, their cars, their children, and even from them personally. We could go so far as to say that when someone breaks the sixth commandment, Thou shalt not kill, that they also add this one to their guilt, because the steal the person’s live from it’s God given right to live. Don’t pass out on me yet! It gets worse, and you need to face the truth today. And we only have two more of the ten left.
(9)
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Have you ever criticize your neighbor? Looked at some of their manners with which you did not agree, and spoke against them to another? Have you ever gotten a neighbor in trouble because of a false witness against them? Many who say that they are saved, and who say that they love God, bear false witness by their words, actions, deeds, and thoughts. They say one thing, but their witness is false. Many have spread a gossip about another without knowing if the rumor was true or not. It is amazing that people love to talk about other people, even to the point of making up lies against them. But there are those who do! There are some who would rather criticize than speak good of others. I am told that people do such because they themselves are guilty of some of the same false witnesses that they say of others. If you would rather tell bad news about others, that to talk of the good about them, then you are guilty of breaking the ninth commandment.
(10)
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house, wife, servant, ox, ass, nor anything
that is thy neighbours.
Have you ever wished you could have something your neighbor has? Ever wanted their car or truck, their house? What about their wife, or husband, their land, their wealth? Those of us who are part of God’s family are told to live together in peace and harmony. The Psalmist said; "How pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity." Psalms 135:1. To covet means you desire something that another owns, or possesses. Are you guilty of breaking the tenth commandment?
Jealousy boarders on the edge of covetness, and can easily become covetness if one is not careful. For jealousy makes you desire what is not yours.
Yes we are all guilty of breaking all of these commandments at some point in our lives. That makes us sinners, and sin separates mankind from God, but there is hope, because Jesus Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief.
If you are not a part of the family of God, and you would like to be saved from sin. Bow to Jesus Christ, and receive Him as your Lord ad Saviour today. Do it now while we wait, then come and tell all that you have come to Him for salvation.
If you dear reader are not saved and would like to know Jesus Christ. Pray a prayer something like this from your sincere heart. Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I need you in my heart and life today. I repent of my sins, and believe that you died for me, to forgive me from my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead, and the best I can I receive your gift of eternal life. In Jesus Christ name I ask it. Amen!
If you have trusted Christ after reading this message, please write and let us rejoice with you in this your greatest decision of your life. We will send you some Bible helps to get you started in this new life in Christ.
Huckaby’s Evangelism P.O.Box 1011 Pine Mountain, Ga.31822
glhuck@earthlink.net glhuckaby@excite.com glhuckaby@yahoo.com
