SPEAK TRUTH

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I have a confession to make.

I really dislike politics. I always have and given the way elected officials conduct themselves, whether left or right, there’s nothing happening that is changing my attitude on this matter.

I think what really turns me off the most is that there’s so much dishonesty that happens. It seems like it’s almost a prerequisite to be put into office.

A lot of this dishonest behavior comes in the way of trying to smear or discredit other law makers or even the president of the country. The disrespectful rhetoric is embarrassing and unprofessional, no matter what side of the aisle it comes from. And to make matters worse, it isn’t just politicians who are in on this for we see how our media has just become an arm of whatever political side the network aligns with. The days of civil discourse and debate seem dead and I’m not sure we can ever get back to a place where people can differ in opinion and still get along, even cooperating from a bipartisan standpoint so to collaborate on making our nation better.

Unfortunately, this problem has gotten so bad that when elections happen, candidates spend more time and money trying to publicly degrade their opponent than they do to tell us how they will actually make things better for their constituency if given the opportunity to serve. The verbal attacks in the last presidential election led to an assassination attempt on one vying for office.

Indeed, politics in America today is an exercise in verbal and information guerilla warfare between the two major parties. Acidic words are tossed back and forth freely from one party to the other, continuously stoking the flames of dissent while failing to lend proper attention to the real matters they should be concerned with.

So what should be the litmus test for whether or not someone should be elected to serve?

I think we can start by ensuring they can meet the ninth of God’s Ten Commandments at a minimum.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Exodus 20:16

Here’s what constitutes false testimony, using our handy dandy dictionaries:

1. Slander. (a) The utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation or (b) a false and defamatory oral statement about a person. Synonyms include libel and defame.

2. Gossip. A person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others.

3. Lying. Words marked by or containing falsehoods.

4. False accusation. A false charge of wrongdoing.

5. Smear. An unsubstantiated charge or accusation against a person or organization.

Besides politics, there are plenty of other places where we see people break this commandment by giving false testimony about another. Maybe you, like I, have been guilty of it at one time or another, intentionally using our words to try and damage the reputation of another person.

God wants us to see just how sinful this is. For when we are dishonest in speaking about someone else, we use words as weapons, willfully seeking to degrade, defame, insult, embarrass, or damage someone. As Christians, we need to understand that there is no part of Jesus in any of it and so the time to stop the behavior is right now for we are not only slandering others but tainting the very character of our Savior through our actions.

Remember that Jesus said He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). He is perfect truth and there is no falsehood in Him. So if we’re going to claim to be one with Him, then we need to display ourselves as truth-filled and truth-committed disciples.

When we do this, guess what happens?

Our days of spreading false testimony will be over.

Indeed, when we allow Jesus to influence our words then and only then can we keep our tongues under control, tongues that we find the scriptures give specific attention to. It (the tongue) is portrayed as an instigator of transmitting evil. Consider this discourse from James, the half-brother of Jesus:

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." James 3:5-10

Indeed, my brothers and sisters, using our mouths to utter false testimony against our neighbor should not be.

Let’s all dedicate ourselves to do something about it and rededicate ourselves to speak nothing but truth through the Truth, Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HAVE YOU EVER STOLEN FROM ANOTHER?

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not steal." Exodus 20:15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At face value, this eighth commandment would seem pretty easy to interpret. This is because we most often attach the word "steal" to when someone takes something that belongs to another person.

Indeed, through the ages we have found people to rob money from others. Maybe it’s taking a few dollars from someone you know who leave their wallet in a place of easy access out of trust.

More sophisticated thieves might become skilled in picking a person’s pocket or stealing a purse. I am getting set to travel abroad this fall and just read an article on the tactics that shoplifters are using, usually around popular tourist attractions.

Ramping this to another level, we have criminals out there who don’t hesitate to pull out a gun and demand a person hand over their money or even their car in some cases. To not comply can have deadly consequences.  

Then there are shoplifters who steal items from a store without paying. The property they steal still belongs to the store because they haven’t purchased the item and if they are successful, the store takes a loss and typically those losses result in higher prices paid by honest customers.

Finally, there is the matter of cyber-stealing through identity theft or shrewdly gaining our credit card information so to make purchases that get the victim gets billed for. Withdrawals are also sometimes made where people lose precious funds from their bank accounts.

Yes, there are no shortage of ways that we find people violating the eighth of the ten commandments given by God and this all leads up to a simple question:

Have you ever stolen anything?

Before you answer that, let’s dig a little deeper into this matter, the matter of taking unlawfully taking something away from another.

For stealing isn’t always about tangible, material items, is it?

When writers commit plagiarism, they steal another person’s music or words.

When a person intentionally tries to harm another either physically or emotionally, they rob the victim of their, often along with their joy, happiness, and peace.

When someone murders another, they steal away a life and leave a gaping hole in the hearts of all who loved them.

When anyone abuses or neglects someone else, they steal away the victim’s dignity and self esteem.

When someone commits adultery, they steal a spouse and their love away from the one who is their rightful life partner.

And when we willingly lie to another, we steal their trust.

So again, I ask:

Have you ever stolen everything?

As we have seen in previous messages on God’s great commandments, we all fall way short of meeting God’s expectation for our lives. Thankfully, gaining eternal life isn’t dependent on perfect adherence to God’s law because no one would qualify for salvation. Everyone would be hopeless in this life with Hell in their future.

This should all the more bring us to a place where we give all thanks and praise to our Savior Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world through willingly giving Himself up as an atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary (John 1:29). Truly, by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) as He set every one of His disciples free from our certain condemnation (John 8:36, Romans 8:1). Through Him, all Christian believers are placed on a narrow path of righteousness that leads to life everlasting.

If you have placed your belief in Jesus, He has freed you from your sin captivity and brought you the glory and blessings of His redemption. It’s the greatest gift that God offers every man and woman on earth and given its value, you can see where Satan tries to steal it away. The good news is that the enemy will never gain the victory over anyone who is in Christ Jesus. Every single disciple is secure forever in Him.

Given this, do you know Jesus in your life or have you allowed Satan to steal Him away from your heart?

If so, rejoice and be glad because I am here to assure you that what has been stolen can be reclaimed. For when it comes down to it, your Father God is your Maker and Master. You belong to Him and He is your rightful Owner. Given this, He stands ever at the ready to take you back to Him, bring you to His Son for salvation, and ensure that the devil will never be able to take you away because you will have come a true child of God, a co-heir to the Kingdom with His Son, and therefore, one of His most prized and valuable possessions.  

God’s message is clear.

There’s no need to steal or allow yourself to be stolen because in our Lord, we have everything we could ever hope for and all we could ever need.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF LUST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28

"Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished." Proverbs 6:25-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Our society is spinning out of control sexually.

It seems more and more that we’re bombarded with sexual, promiscuous imagery whether it’s in fashion, on television, at the movies, or streaming on the internet. The world can’t get enough when it comes to sex and the decency envelope is continuously being pushed.

Indeed, people today obsess over sex, craving it in larger and larger quantities, something that Satan loves. He is always ready to stoke the flames of passion and desires to the place where they become sinful.

If you doubt this truth, consider these statistics:

** Conservative infidelity statistics estimate that 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women will have an extramarital affair. These figures are even more significant when we consider the total number of marriages involved, since it's unlikely that all the men and women having affairs happen to be married to each other. With this, if even half of the women having affairs (or 20 percent) are married to men not included in the 60 percent having affairs, then at least one partner will have an affair in approximately 80 percent of all marriages, a complete affront to God’s call for a man and woman to be one flesh together in marriage.

** It is estimated that 53% of all people will have one or more affairs during their lifetime.

** 2 out of 3 women and 3 out of 4 men admit they have sexual thoughts about co-workers. 75% of men and 65% of women admit to having sex with people they work with.

** 86% of men and 81% of women admit they routinely flirt with the opposite sex.

** The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families states that approximately 40 million people in the United States are sexually involved with the Internet. A recent survey of 38,000 users showed that one in 10 respondents said they are addicted to online sex. Further, only 46% of men believe that online affairs are adultery.

These are just a few of the statistics out there and when you consider the number of people who wouldn’t be honest in admitting sexual immorality, we can see this problem is an epidemic.

One thing is for certain, lust is burning a hole in the hearts, minds, and souls of people today, putting them opposed to the Almighty God of all creation. And as we see in the seventh commandment, this isn’t just a modern day problem.

For back in the days of the Book of Exodus, God demanded this from the ancient Israelites:

"You shall not commit adultery."

In that day and time, well over 2,000 years ago, adulterous actions were primarily physical in nature. If you had sex with someone else’s husband or wife, then you had committed adultery. But then Jesus came from Heaven to earth and in His first formal public teaching, the famous Sermon on the Mount, we find Him expanding the definition of adultery, just as he did on the subject of murder. Look again at what our Savior had to say:

"I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28

Alright brothers and sisters, let’s get real.

How many of us have broken this commandment, having committed adultery under Jesus’ definition?

I’m afraid we all have at one time or another for if we’re truly honest with ourselves, I’m sure we can remember a time when we were turned a watching eye to admire a beautiful man or woman we saw on television, in the movies, online, in the workplace, at the beach, or maybe just out in public somewhere.

You see, we seem to have a real weakness when it comes to sex and Satan is always seeking to exploit it. This is why we find Jesus getting to the root of the matter when it comes to adultery, attacking the sin’s catalyst, lust. Just as anger and insulting were triggers for murder, lust is the launching point for infidelity and Jesus knew that unless the root was treated, the transgression would happen. It was true in His days and it remains true today.

So how do we address and combat these lustful tendencies that work against us?

The Bible gives us an awesome example in the story of Joseph found in the 39th chapter of Genesis. You’ll recall that he was Jacob’s favored son and his brothers became so jealous that they sold him off as a slave to a group of Ismaelites and then told their father that he had been killed.

Well, Joseph ended up being taken to Egypt where he was purchased by one of Pharaoh’s officials, Potiphar, and because of God’s blessings, he did such a great job that Potiphar placed him in charge of his entire household. All was looking great for Joseph except for one thing. Potiphar had a wife who was consumed by lust.

The scriptures tell us that she looked at Joseph and sized him up as being “well built" and "handsome." And so she approached him, wanting him to have sex with her, a classic example of adultery. But we see Joseph rebuff her advances, making the following powerful statement:

"How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"

And he backed this up with his actions as he refused to go to bed with his master’s wife or even be with her.

In other words, Joseph distanced himself from the source of seduction.

Frankly, we need to follow his lead because we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23) but this doesn’t mean we have an excuse to be unfaithful in our marital relationships, giving into lust. Instead, we need to realize our shortcomings, identify our weaknesses, repent of our past failures, and then take positive action to repeat failing again. Like Joseph, we need to refuse to be in the presence of what might tempt us toward sexual failure.

If it’s in the television shows you watch, stop watching them.

If it’s in the movies you watch, stop watching those movies.

If it’s the internet, put in controls that will block access to pornography and other sexual materials.

For just as easily as a person can make the choice to be unfaithful, they can likewise opt to be faithful instead.

The truth of the matter is that God ordains marital relationships and blesses us with the chance to share special love with one another, one man to one woman and vice versa. In marriage and only in marriage, He permits a couple to consummate their love for one another at the highest possible plane, physically and emotionally.

Keep in mind that it’s not that the Lord doesn’t want people to have sex. He designed a male and female body for it. But that sex must be withheld until the right time otherwise, it loses the special reserved value God intended for it to have.  

So what are we to do with this commandment and the further expansion of it given by Jesus?

Well, just like the commandment on murder, we are to embrace it, cherish it, and ultimately obey it. For Jesus knew that the root of adulterous action came in the way of lustful passion. His method was as perfect as He is. For when we remove the lust for others from the occasion, then and only then can we begin to reverse the statistics mentioned earlier and move toward a place where infidelity is eradicated.

Friends, the Lord knows we’re weak in this regard and so He stands by to give us the strength and power to gain victory over this sin, just as He does for all others. Let’s trust Him and give Him our deepest adoration, gaining His unadulterated love in return, an unadulterated love we can share with our husband or wife as we devote ourselves to them in the way that God expects.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HAVE YOU MURDERED?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not murder." Exodus 20:13

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Hell." Matthew 5:21-22

"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." 1 John 3:15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we have stepped through each of the first five commandments, I think you would agree that none of us have fared well in upholding them properly. At least for me, I have found myself falling before the Lord and giving thanks for His amazing grace and forgiveness, praying He would continue to refine me toward becoming more the person He wants me to me.

Maybe you have felt likewise.

Well today, we come to the sixth commandment and I found myself thinking:

"YES! Finally a commandment that I have kept and not violated because I know I have never murdered anyone."

And that would be true if it wasn’t for one problem, that being content found elsewhere in God’s Word.

For we see that Jesus, God's one and only Son, chimed in on this subject of murder in His first formal public teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount. A majority of those listening, whether they had formally become disciples or not, were definitely in the know when it came to the Law that God had handed down to Moses. And with that, I'm sure they too felt they were innocent of murder as they sat and listened to Jesus teach.

But then Jesus took things to a whole different level, saying something that had to get everyone's attention.

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Hell." Matthew 5:21-22

Think about the implications of this for a moment.

Jesus is essentially saying that if someone gets angry at another or insults them, it is akin to murder.

Whoa!

Jesus is Truth, perfect Truth (John 14:6) and so everything He says is true and given what He said, what person would be innocent of murder when measured against the standards He set.

Indeed, when it comes to this commandment of God, no one is innocent. And then, as if we needed any other validation, we come to this from 1st John, chapter 3:

"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." v.15

The Word of God, considered in its entirety as it always should be, convicts all unless a person can honestly say that they have never been angry at another or held hatred for someone. If that’s you, I would like to meet you because you would be the first one I have even met who hasn't failed in this area.

So what are we to do with these passages from the Word of God?

We need to embrace them, give thanks for them, learn from them, and repent over them if we haven’t done so already.

You see, Jesus knew that the root of murderous actions often came from unchecked anger or name calling instigation or both. If you treat the root cause of an illness, you can cure it and here our Savior was doing just that on a spiritual level. The hoped outcome was that if anger, hatred, and insulting were removed then the act of murder could be disempowered and stopped. This is why our Lord placed so much emphasis on emotions we see in play every day.

The bottom line is that Christians need to model Christ and when we look at the landscape of His life, there were no murderous thoughts inside Him. In fact, He didn’t preach hatred but rather love, telling us through His own words that the second greatest commandment was to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Given all this, what does God see when He looks into your heart today? Would He see that you are harboring anger and/or hatred for anyone?

And what does He witness when you are living out life? Does He witness you calling people derogatory names, smearing them with your words?

If any of these things are present, there needs to be resolution and the Lord is ready to answer your repentance before helping you overcome these feelings in the future. All you need to do is fall on your knees, confess your sin, and ask the Lord to take your sinful feelings away, replacing them with the love of Jesus, the only love that is true and pure, a love that would have us be willing to die for others, not kill them.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com. 

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." Exodus 20:12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Over the last four messages, we have examined the first four of God’s Ten Commandments and have seen where they all were focused on how believers are to relate to Him.

No other gods were to come before Him.

No idols were to be fashioned so to be worshiped and bowed down to.

The Lord’s name was never to be used misused in any way.

and

The seventh day of any week, a day the Lord specified as the Sabbath, was to be kept holy and restful with no work being performed.

This brings us to today as we begin to look at the other six commandments which instruct us on how we are to act toward one another. This final block of commands begins with attention to how we are to treat our parents. Here’s what we find in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 12:

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

You know, as far back as I can remember, I was taught to respect my father and mother. I was blessed to have wonderful parents who raised me up in a little western Pennsylvania from birth through my elementary and teenage years leading up to adulthood. Throughout those formative years, my parents expended every ounce of their energy to teach me the difference between right and wrong as well as obedience to their rules and expectations and I learned quickly that as long as I did what I was supposed to do, life was good. But, if I got out of line, well, I could expect that discipline would be administered, teaching me that it was better for me to be compliant with what they expected.

As I grew older into adulthood, I began to realize that the way I acted in life was a direct reflection on my parents. I felt a sense of accountability there, a knowing that my behavior reflected more than just on me and so I worked hard to not discredit them in any way.

And so I had and will always have the utmost respect for my father and mother and feel that I can best honor them by becoming the best man that I can be. Through the Lord’s work in my life, another of the foundations laid down by my parents, I feel like I’m succeeding in reaching that goal.

One other important thing that I have learned and want to share. For when it comes down to it, true esteem shown to your father and mother is a by-product of the esteem you first develop for your heavenly Father, the very One who placed you into the care of your parents in the first place. For if you don’t respect the Lord, you won’t respect others either. Neither will you respect yourself.

Going back to the fifth commandment, we learn that there is a reward awaiting anyone who willingly chooses to honor their parents. For the Lord promises this:

“...so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

In the case of the people of Israel, God was talking about Canaan, the land He had promised to their ancestors and was leading them to.

As for believers today, the Lord is vowing to bless our lives wherever we are, in the place we reside, the space the Lord has given us.

It’s a wonderful assurance and one we should rejoice and be glad in. All we need to do to gain it is to honor our father and mother.

How are you doing in this regard?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SABBATH

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." Exodus 20:8-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of last month, I wrote a message titled, “A Matter of Rest", and there was some excellent feedback from the readers. One asked the following, a very good question:

Isn’t the Sabbath on Saturday and, if so, why does the majority of Christian churches worship on Sunday?

The inquiry challenged me and so I did a little digging. This is what I found out.

First of all, we need to remember that back in biblical times, the days were observed slightly different to what we observe today. For then, each day actually began at sunset and would extend 24 hours until sunset the next day, far different from our midnight to midnight days.

Second, the scriptures clearly point to the Sabbath, the seventh day designated as a day of holiness and rest by God as being on Saturday with the day starting at sunset on the sixth day, a day we know as Friday.

In support of this consider this passage from the closing verses of Luke, chapter 23, and the opening verses of chapter 24:

Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. Vv.23:50-56, 24:1-3

Preparation Day was the day before the Sabbath and we read where Joseph and the "women who had come with Jesus from Galilee" went to the tomb where Jesus was placed. In John’s Gospel, we also know that Nicodemus was in this group (19:39).

Leaving the tomb, we know that the women quickly returned home to prepare spices and perfumes to later anoint Jesus’ body.

Why the rush?

Because in accordance with God’s commandment, there was to be no work done on the Sabbath and these women were obviously obedient because the scriptures tell us they “rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment." It wasn’t until the end of the seventh day, "on the first day of the week, very early in the morning” that the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

The first day of the week was Sunday and the women go to the tomb early in the morning only to be shocked in finding the tomb empty. Jesus had indeed risen from the grave as He said He would and this major event on the Christian calendar is celebrated by Easter sunrise services, traditionally observed annually on Easter Sunday morning. This marries up with what we know about church worship services today for they are held on Sunday for the most part but this doesn’t disprove that the Sabbath is Saturday because it can’t be disproved. It is the day the Lord calls for believers to rest and keep holy.

And so what do we do with this?

I think the important thing is to make sure we rest and keep the day holy, no matter if we choose Saturday as our day of worship as the Jews did or Sunday, in honor of the day Jesus was resurrected, a day also called “The Lord’s Day” by many Christian believers. In support of Sunday, many scholars also believe the origin came in the New Testament as Jesus’ disciples gathered regularly on the first day of the week to break bread. Thus the early Christian church saw that day as set apart for fellowship and worship thus establishing the first day of the week as the holy day of worship and rest.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a large number of Christians who don’t hold either weekend day as sacred. The pervasive attitude seems to be that anything goes on Saturday or Sunday after worship with many people allowing other events to even override attending church at all, events like kid’s sports or traveling away from home (there are always churches to attend, no matter where we might go, right?).

Friends, it’s time for us to stand up to the world’s ways where there is no consideration to keep one day holy and free from work, a day when they can just rest and recharge physically, mentally, and spiritually. God said to stop working one day every week. Let’s go back to basics and honor the commandment as they did in biblical times.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WATCH YOUR WORDS!

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." Exodus 20:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The first three of God’s commandments are centered on one very important word: worship.

The first commandment tells us who we should worship, He being God and God alone.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

The second commandment tells what we aren’t to worship.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Vv.4-6

And this brings us to the third of The Ten Commandments which deals with how we worship God (or sin against Him) with our words.

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." Exodus 20:7

Indeed, in this command, God makes it crystal clear in regard to how we are to speak about Him. Point blank, He demands that we "not misuse” His name. Period.

And yet, I’m afraid too many believers violate this command in the way they live. Here are a few ways that happens.

1. Profanity.

When we curse in the name of God, we misuse His name.

Plain and simple.

Usually, there’s a “d” word that follows God (I’m sure you may have heard it once or twice...or even used it yourself), sometimes as directed to a person or object or just simply said to express some wonder in a thing that has happened. No matter the application, swearing by invoking the name of God is disrespectful and sinful, definitely not holy or of God Himself. Anyways, it’s not like anyone has the authority to command anything, whether damning or otherwise. And frankly, I can imagine He is incensed every time someone does it.

2. Swearing an oath by using His name.

Have you ever heard someone say this:

"I swear to God!"

It’s interesting to me that anyone would use this phrase because it implies that a person wouldn’t believe the person unless they invoked the name of God to back them up. And think about it. How many people have actually went to God and asked His permission to use His name in this way before doing so? It’s rarely done, if ever.

At its core, this is simply just a blatant misuse and abuse of the name of God, and as we see in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 19, it’s a sin against the very Word of God Himself.

"Do not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord." v.12

These are legitimate words that flow from the very mouth of the Lord Himself, a command which demands that no one should swear falsely in His name.

When God says, “Do not”, He means don’t do it and yet believers today seem to feel they have the liberty to do otherwise.

3. When we teach falsely.

This is a matter of absolute, critical importance because there are many self proclaimed believers in our world who claim to be teachers. Some of them are indeed faithful servants of the Lord who He speaks through to the education and edification of others. But then there are also the false teachers out there, ones who would skillfully twist God’s word or even preach only the parts that might support their agenda, which is really Satan’s agenda when we get right down to it.

Jesus warned His disciples to watch out for false teachers.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15

The Apostle Paul would follow suit as he helped spread the Gospel and the Christian church outside of Israel.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Today, the issues still exist as churches support social sins that the Bible speaks against. Still others will only preach and teach prosperity to their congregants, proclaiming a Lord who wants His people to have everything they want without any discussion of the sin that makes mankind an enemy of God and the Hell that awaits anyone who refuses to place their belief in Jesus as Savior.

These false teachers, masquerading as pastors and ministers, do nothing short of dishonoring and discrediting the Lord they claim to represent. They work overtime to get believers to trusting in doctrines that are unbiblical and downright untrue, taking advantage of Christians who refuse to spend enough time in the Bible to see how they are being absolutely deceived.

Friends, when it comes down to it, ministry and discipling others are serious matters that no one can afford to get wrong. Any teacher must allow the Lord, the entirety of His infallible Word, and the power of the Holy Spirit to dictate what they say to others. For it’s the only way that the truth will be known and God will be honored properly.

4. Saying we’re on a mission from God when we aren’t.

Do you remember the classic movie, "The Blues Brothers"?

In the film, there’s a scene where the two musicians, Jake and Elwood, come to the Lord while visiting a church. From that point on, they were determined to put their band back together and raise enough money to save the Catholic children’s home where they had been raised.

After their church epiphany, Jake and Elwood would tell people that they were on a "mission from God" when asked what they were up to but as we see in the movie, they still resorted to sin to try and achieve their purposes.

They, like others today, will seek to invoke God’s name to justify their actions when God really hadn’t had anything to do with them for we know that God isn’t dictating anyone to sin. That’s the work of the devil.

So with all this, and in closing, some questions:

How well are you honoring God with the words you use?

Is He being exalted or insulted by the things you say, especially when you invoke His name?

I know there was a time in my life when I wasn’t in the Lord. I was in the military, knowing all the curse words and when to use them. But when I was born again, everything changed. I truly became a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that included realizing that I was accountable for the words I said.

And so I changed to where, I can’t stand profanity now. I don’t like to hear others curse and that goes for the shows and movies I watch. The Lord gave me an increased sensitivity for honoring Him with the words I use and He can do the same for you if you allow Him to do so.

My prayer today is that you would do just that out of obedience to His third commandment.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHO OR WHAT DO YOU WORSHIP?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments."

Exodus 20:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we saw God giving His people the first commandment and it was straight to the point.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

The bottom line was that there was one true God and He expected to have His people’s full devotion and attention. This line of thought from the Lord segued nicely into the second command, one at the center of today’s message:

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them."

Ask yourself this:

Has anyone in the history of humankind ever seen God with the exception of Jesus?

The answer is a solid “no”.

It was true during the time of the Old Testament Israelites during and after their exodus from Egypt as they arrived at and took custody of Canaan, the land God had promised them.

And so if no one has ever seen God, how in the world could they ever develop anything in His likeness to worship?

The truth is that they couldn’t but they could create substitutes “in the form of” things in the world, and indeed they have.

You remember that while Moses was up on Mount Sinai getting these instructions, the Israelites were using what gold they had to fashion a calf and then were giving it their worship, much like what they had seen first-hand during their Egyptian captivity (Exodus 32).

As for present times, think about all the different “idols” that exist in the world, things or people that are adored by large numbers of people. These could include:

Professional athletes.

Television or movie stars.

Singers or other music performers (we even have a show on television called “American Idol”!).

Politicians.

Models.

And in some instances, even ministers, pastors, priests, and evangelists are revered so fervently, you would think they were God Himself 

You know, all this makes me start to wonder how God feels about us and the way we bow down and worship so many other things outside of Him but then I don’t have to wonder too long because I only need to take one look at His word and find out how He feels.

"I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 

Given this, why would anyone want to willingly inflame God’s wrath, not only upon themselves but generations thereafter?

And yet, countless people violate this command every day, freely extending worship toward idols while lifting other gods before the true God of all creation 

The point God is making is clear.

If you wish to be a person who lives in His favor, then uphold these first two commands and all others to follow, leaving behind the things of this world. Keep your full focus on God and God alone, giving Him all your glory, honor, and praise as you bow down before Him in respect 

Only a fool would do otherwise, intentionally wanting to end up on the bad side of God and placing generations of their loved ones at risk in the process.

In closing, I don’t know where you might stand today but as a reminder, these commandments of God haven’t expired. They are just as valid today as they were well over 2,000 years ago when they were first given to Moses and Israel. So I implore you to identify and do away with any idols that you might have in your life, exchanging them for the joy-filled experience that comes from being cherished by the one true God, the One who deserves our full attention both now and forever 

Amen.

In Christ 

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NO OTHER GODS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder.

Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain.

So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them."

Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because You Yourself warned us, 'Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.'"

The Lord replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them."

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

And God spoke all these words: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me."

Exodus 19:16-25, 20:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Three days after God commanded Israel to consecrate and prepare for His coming, He arrived at Mount Sinai with awesome majesty, authority and fanfare. The scriptures tell us "there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.” Indeed, this wasn’t just any ordinary day but one where the Lord was coming to His people with glory and power, with a display that caused "everyone in the camp” to tremble.

With God present on Mount Sinai, we read where “Moses led the people out of the camp to meet” with Him and as they stood at the foot of the mountain," they saw it “covered with smoke” because the Lord had “descended on it in fire”. It had to be quite the spectacle as the Israelites watched the smoke billow up as if it had come “from a furnace” while “the whole mountain trembled violently” and “the sound” of a “trumpet grew louder and louder."

From this place, we see where God called Moses to the top of the mountain and repeated a warning He had given before, saying:

"Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them."

With this, the scriptures tell us that only Aaron was permitted to go up the mountain with his brother Moses after he "went down to the people” and “told them" God’s message.

This set the stage for God to begin delivering His guidance to the Israelites and we see Him begin with an important reminder as He identifies Himself to His people:

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

These words from God were delivered in a format typical of a king who would first recite an introduction that would proclaim who he was and his level of authority. This would then be followed by a statement that would remind the people about something good the king had done for them. Finally, the king would give guidance to his people.

Well, there was little doubt that the Lord was a King but not just any king for He was the King of Kings. He tells His people that He was “the Lord your God." The people knew that this authority was not merely spoken for they had seen it on full display as He had brought great plagues on Egypt and commanded the seas and the clouds. Indeed, He was the One who had delivered them from their oppressive slavery and He didn’t want them to forget that.

His words surely had to activate the memory of the Israelites, beckoning them back to where they had been staring down certain recapture by Pharaoh and his forces as they stood before a great body of water that stood between them and freedom. They had to have recalled how God caused that great sea to separate so that they could walk right through on dry land, a wall of water suspended on either side. They then witnessed how God released those walls of water so that they came crashing down on their pursuers, bring absolute destruction. In one act, a long time enemy had been completely eliminated.

Then, as if this wasn’t enough, this Lord of all lords sent them quail and manna from Heaven so to prevent their starvation as well as water from a rock to prevent their dehydration.

The bottom line was that the people of Israel wouldn’t have made it to this point and time had it not been for God. This remains true for all believers today if they would only look back and remember how the same Lord has been with them through life to bring them to where they are presently.

Well, going back to our passage for today, we see where God had identified Himself and reminded His people what He had done for them. He was now ready to give them guidance, guidance that was known in Hebrew and Greek circles as "The Ten Words" but we know them better today as The Ten Commandments. This would be part of the law for Israel to follow as it was delivered from God to Moses to share with His people at Mount Sinai.

As we will see, the first four of these commandments highlight how the Israelites (and us as well) should live in their relationship toward God while the remaining six carried instructions on how they were to live with one another.

In the opening verses of chapter 20, we see where the first of these commands was simple and to the point.

"You shall have no other gods before Me."

Before any of the other commandments could be respected and followed, this first one needed to be complied with. For God made it crystal clear that He was God, the One and Only God. He and only He had been the Maker of Heaven and earth, the Author of all creation. He had no rival and therefore no one worthy of worship and honor but Him.

These truths have remained the same ever since then and always will.

Going back to the Israelites, they had also lived for a long time within the Egyptian nation which was polytheistic and as look at their history in the Old Testament, we know it will be far from the last time they will be in the midst of people who worshipped false gods. And so, God was driving the point home that He was the only God that the people of Israel were to follow.

Unfortunately, we will see them forget these words from the Lord and sin against Him over and over again, giving their devotion to other gods. What is equally unfortunate is that believers today haven’t learned from the mistakes of the past for we see people giving their heart’s affection and mind’s attention to any number of false gods, just as much if not more than the Israelites well over 2,000 years ago.

If you don't believe this, you’ve lost spiritual awareness and discernment for there are a multitude of “gods” that people choose to worship.

How many people become obsessed with money and/or possessions even though Jesus warned against it (Matthew 6:19-21, 24)?

Or what about the constant quest to fulfill sexual desires, often resulting in lust, another thing Jesus warned of (Matthew 5:27-28)?  

And then there is alcohol, drugs, or worse yet a combination of the two, substances that the enemy uses to drag people into a place of addiction and destruction?

I could go on and on here in mentioning things people ascribe their love to in exchange for God.

How about fame and celebrity, food, television, phones, video games, or even oneself?

The truth of the matter is there are plenty of idols out there who try and demand our consideration and we can usually figure out what we worship by the amount of time we dedicate to something. With this, a quick and thought-provoking question:

What do you invest most of your time in doing?

If the answer is anything outside of the Lord, then it’s time to reassess your life priorities for He expects us to place Him above all other things in our life. Like the Israelites, He has delivered us time after time after time from our life circumstances and the ultimate redemption is still to come after this temporary life is over through our belief in Christ Jesus.

Friends, our Lord has given us His all, and He commands and expects us to give Him the same.

His message is clear.

“You shall have no other gods before Me."

And no, means no.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.