12/3/17 - Eph 6:2-3
The 10 Commandments, Pt.
33
The 10th Commandment, Pt. 3
Lesson # 17-130
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Grace Fellowship Church
Before we
begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, (If You have - Trusted
in Him for Eternal Life), it is important to prepare yourself to: Take-in God’s
Word and/or Participate in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite,
or acknowledge your sins privately, directly to God the Father. This will
assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father & the Holy Spirit’s
convicting ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the
real teacher.
1 John 1:9 says— “If we confess [simply
name, cite, or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
[all unknown & forgotten sins].”
For those of you who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, please see: The Salvation Message @ the
end of this document.
2 Pet 3:9, “The Lord is
not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward
you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
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The Doctrine of the Ten Commandments Related to the Church Age,
Part XXXII.
Ex 20:17; 34:24; Deut
7:25-26; Prov 4:23; 6:25-26; Mat 6:25-34
The
10th Commandment.
Ex
20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey
or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
This commandment is different from the other commandments in that
it did not deal with a specific act, but rather with emotional, psychological
sin. Therefore, this command, as they all do, teaches us that the main point of
this prohibition is inward motivation, desire, lust, and coveting. What was
manifest empirically in acts and words in the previous commandments is now seen
hidden in thoughts and cravings in the 10th.
This commandment also shows the descending progression of violence
in a society that begins with a thought that lead to ruining someone’s personal
reputation, the 9th, and can culminate in the 6th,
committing murder.
In most instances, it is self-interest that motivates individuals
to murder, commit adultery, steal, and bear false witness, which reflects a
wrong attitude towards your fellow community members. In the community, the
domination of self-interest can easily lead to dangerous actions. This
commandment prohibits any desire leading to such actions, exposing wrongdoing
at its source. Therefore, the main concern should be having love for God and
love for one’s neighbor, which helps to prevent such wrongful actions first in
the mentality of your own soul, and then in the community.
Another thing this commandment teaches us is our relationship with
God, and specifically His faithfulness, goodness, and provision. Because God
loves us and provides for our every need, we do not need to worry about our own
provisions that can lead to desiring what other people have. Our Father knows
our needs, Mat 6:25-34, and
satisfies our deepest longings.
As such, we can view the commands and see how God has poured
Himself into them. They reflect His holy character. They are not just a list of
rules; they are a reflection of God; His love and provision for us, His
children.
How awesome it is that we have a God who has given us His Word!
The psalmist reflects on God’s law in Psa
119:97 saying, “How I love Your
instruction! It is my meditation all day long.”
The Hebrew Bible, (Old Testament), contains a number of warnings
and examples of negative consequences for lusting or coveting. For example,
when God was instructing Israel regarding the false religion of the Canaanites,
he warned them not to covet the silver or gold on their idols, because this
could lead to bringing detestable things into the home and potentially lead to
having and worshipping other gods before God.
Deut
7:25-26, “The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall
not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves,
or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26You
shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban;
you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something
banned.”
The Book of Joshua chapter 7 contains a narrative in which Achan
incurred the wrath of God by coveting prohibited gold and silver that he found
in the destruction of Jericho. This is portrayed as a violation of covenant and
a disgraceful thing.
The prophet Micah condemns the coveting of houses and fields as a
warning against lusting after physical possessions, Micah 2:2.
Micah 2:2, “They
covet fields and then seize them, and houses, and take them away.
They rob a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.”
The book of Proverbs warns against coveting in the form of sexual
lust.
Proverbs 6:25-26, “Do not desire, (lust for in your heart), her beauty
in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelids. 26For on
account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress
hunts for the precious life.”
It also exhorts to protect your heart so the coveting does not
rule it, Prov 4:23, “Watch over
your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Therefore, we are not to envy or desire to take away that which is
the property of another, whether it is his home or his wife or his servants, or
even his livestock.
And finally, as a blessing to Israel for their faithfulness to
God, He would protect them from other nations coveting their blessings. Ex 34:24.
Ex 34:24, “For
I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall
covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD
your God.”
Conclusion to the OT Usage:
It may have been possible for someone to keep the first nine
commandments but no one could have avoided breaking the 10th at some
point in time. It may be the least overtly violent and injurious of all the
commandments, yet it is the commandment most at the root of all disobedience in
that it logically precedes the rest. In this respect, the 10th
Commandment is the most forceful of all, because it made people aware of their
inability to keep God’s Law perfectly. Yet, this awareness threw them back to
depend on God’s grace and mercy, just as He desires it to be.
See this video of Moses receiving the Law:
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A
PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU
John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.”
Notice again
what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have;” it says,
“has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of
everlasting life, you have it, and it can never be lost or taken away from you [John 10:28-29]. Furthermore, the gift
of everlasting life [also called eternal life in Scripture] is available to
every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any
man should boast.”
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes
Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal
Family of God !!!
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Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
Copyright © 2001 - 2017.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.
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