(Exo 20 NKJV)  And God spoke all these words, saying: {2} "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 

 

The first commandment:  {3} "You shall have no other gods before Me.”

 

The second commandment:  {4} "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; {5} you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

 

Does the second commandment concern us today?  It may surprise some, but it is very much a concern for today.  Notice the following:

 

(Col 3:5-6 NKJV)  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. {6} Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

 

When idolatry is defined as covetousness, then it is very much an issue for us to deal with today.

 

(Mark 7:21-23 NKJV)  "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, {22} "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. {23} "All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 

(Luke 12:15 NKJV)  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."

 

(Rom 1:28-32 NKJV)  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; {29} being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, {30} backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, {31} undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; {32} who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

 

(1 Cor 5:11 NKJV)  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person.

 

(1 Cor 6:9-10 NKJV)  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, {10} nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

(Eph 5:3 NKJV)  But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

 

(Eph 5:5-7 NKJV)  For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. {6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

{7} Therefore do not be partakers with them.

 

(Heb 13:5 NKJV)  Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

 

 

(Ex 20:6) but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

 

The third commandment:  (Ex 20:7) "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

 

 

(Mat 5:33-34 NKJV)  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' {34} "But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne;

 

True swearing is when we take an oath to tell the truth, or to swear that we will do something, or have done something.  Many call cursing “swearing.”  I make a distinction in the two, but both are clearly wrong, and I think both are prohibited by this commandment.

Sometimes we hear cursing referred to as profanity.

 

(Heb 12:16 NKJV)  lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

 

Clearly, Esau wasn’t accused of cursing, but he was called profane.  He was profane because he treated that which had sacred value as common —something to exchange for a bowl of chili.

 

How many times to we hear the expression, “Oh my God”?  To me, this is clearly taking God’s name in vain.  The very way in which it is said shows no respect, awe, or reverence for the name of God.

The fourth commandment:  (Ex 20:8) "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 

That’s the commandment!  It is followed by this explanation:

 

{9} Six days you shall labor and do all your work, {10} but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. {11} For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 

No other commandment has generated as much confusion as this one:

 

1. Some call Sunday the Christian Sabbath.

2. Some keep the 7^th Day Sabbath.

3. Many worship on Sunday, but understand that it is not the Sabbath.

 

What does the New Testament say?

On my website, I have an article entitled, “What about the Sabbath?”  The entire article is just over five pages, but here are some excerpts it:

In (Gal 4:9-11 NKJV), Paul says,  "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? {10} You observe days and months and seasons and years. {11} I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Consider (Col 2:11-17 NKJV)  "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, {12} buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. {13} And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

{14} having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. {15} Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. {16} So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, {17} which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ."  Notice verse 16 especially, "So let no one judge you in . . . sabbaths,"  It is also interesting to notice that Paul associated sabbaths with festivals and new moons.” – End of quote from article.

Clearly, the festivals and new moons were part of the Old Testament celebrations, and not part of the New Testament. 

“Half” as the “first table” -- Duties to God or our relationship to God.

As the “rich young ruler” came to Jesus and asked what to do to have eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments. 

(Mat 19:18-19 NKJV)  He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' {19} 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

 

What did Jesus leave out?  This one:

(Ex 20:17) "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

 

Jesus had also left out the first four commandments that we just studied. 

How did He cover these?  Very simply:

(Mat 19:21 NKJV)  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." – We know what happened.   

 

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