Ex. 20:3-17, Love your neighbor as yourself (Ten Commandments Expositi…

Ex. 20:3-17, Love your neighbor as yourself (Ten Commandments Exposition 3)

3-17, 3."You shall have no other gods before me.  4."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.  5.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,  6.but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.  7."You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  8."Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  9.Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  10.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.  11.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. 
12."Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.  13."You shall not murder.  14."You shall not commit adultery.
15."You shall not steal.  16."You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  17."You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.“

<Sermon>
 There are three guidelines for a life of faith, the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer. Today we listen to the voice of God through its 5-10th of the Ten Commandments in Ex.20. It is eternal and absolute commandments. 1) God Himself wrote twice on two stone tablets(Ex.24:12,34:28). 2) He gave it at Mount Horeb, and again on the plains of Moab before crossing the Jordan River (Dt.5:1-3). 3) When King Solomon dedicated the temple, he placed it in the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place. 4) The Ark of the Covenant and it is also located in the temple of God’s kingdom that John saw (Rev.11:19). Therefore, it is always valid and eternal, transcending time and space.

1. The 5th Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long (and that it may go well with you) in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”(12, Dt.5:16) 

 Why did God place the 5th commandment of honoring one’s parents at the first of loving one’s neighbors(5-10)? Because this is the most important of the human relationship commandments. Parents are the ones who gave life as God's agents. Spiritual leaders are also parents who give the word of life and protect the life of God (2K.2:12, 6:21, Elisha). Just as parents have served their children their entire lives, it is right to be thankful, take care of them, and respect them. Even if we see our parents' mistakes or weaknesses, we must understand, appreciate, and respect them.
1) Filial piety is a timeless word. This is because the Ten Commandments are timeless words. ① To the generation of the Exodus : Ex.20:12, ② To the new generation born in the wilderness: Dt.5:16, ③ Ruth at the time of the judges speaks. Ruth1:16-17, “16.... Do not force me to leave you and return from following you; for where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God. 17.In the place where you die, I will die and be buried there. If I leave you except for death, may the Lord do to me and more.” ④ Solomon speaks during the monarchy era. Prov.23:22-25, “22.Listen to your father who begat you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. 24.The father of a righteous man will rejoice greatly, and he who fathers a wise child will rejoice in him. 25.Make your parents happy.“ ➄ Jesus also speaks. Mt.19:19, “Honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Cf, 15:4-6) ➅ Paul also says: Ephe.6:1-2, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother, for this is the first commandment with a promise.” Respecting parents is an important words that will continue until the Lord comes.

2) It is a command to actively ‘do’. Honor in the Lord(consider and respect). Lev. 19:3 tells us to fear our parents. He tells us to listen carefully to their admonitions(Prov.1:8-9), make our parents happy and joyful, and obey them.
3) It is a command not to do something. Do not neglect your parents(Dt.27:16, Prov.3:22). Do not slander your parents (Mt.15:4), do not curse them(Ex.21:17), and do not look down on them or mistreat them(Prov.15:20). Do not rebel(2Tim.3:2); Do not show their weakness(Gn.9:22).
4) There are three blessings given to those who honor and obey their parents(Ex.20:12, Deut.5:16, Eph.6:2).
5) The three blessings are receiving land(foundation) to live on, living long(longevity), and enjoying blessings. *The greatest duty of filial piety to parents is to live a life of faith in Jesus so that they can go to heaven and oneself can go to heaven as well. Let us all live a blessed life by respecting and obeying our biological parents and spiritual leaders.

2. The 6th Commandment: "You shall not murder.”(13, Dt. 5:17)
 This means that we should consider the lives of others who resemble the image of God as our own. Jesus said that having a hateful heart or cursing severely is also murder. Mt.5:21-22, “21.You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be judged, and he will be judged by his brother. “Whoever says to you, ‘Raca(Stupid,Idiot),’ will be taken to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be thrown into the fire of hell.”

3. The 7th Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery.”(14, Dt. 5:18)
 We must regard the holy sex that God has given us as holy. Jesus says having lust in your heart is also adultery(Mt.5:27-28). Adultery between a man and a woman, adultery of the mind, spiritual adultery, and homosexuality are all sins. Ps.119:9, Keep your word so that your conduct may be pure.

4. The 8th Commandment: “You shall not steal.”(15, Dt.5:19)
 Let us be conscious that we are stewards of the material God has given us. Do not take away other people's property or take unearned income, but share it with your poor neighbors. Recognize God's share(tithe), your neighbor's share, and your own share. Tithing is God's word of grace to bless us. Mal.3:8-10, “8.Shall a man steal what is God's(tithe)? But you rob mine, and you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ These are tithes and offerings. 9.Cursed are you, because you, the whole nation, have robbed me. 10 Bring your whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house, says the LORD Almighty, and test me with it, so that I will open the windows of heaven and give you See if it doesn’t pour out so much that there is no room for blessings to be stored up.” Tithing is a way to be blessed.
*5Cs of Biblical tithing: ①Abraham Commenced(Gn.14:20), ②Jacob continued(Gn.28:22), ③Moses confirmed(Dt.12:6,11,17), ④Malachi commanded(3:10), and ➄Jesus complimented(Mt.23:23).

5. The 9th Commandment: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor”(16,Dt. 5:20).
It is a commandment that requires faithfulness and sincerity in words. The only beings in the world who specialize in lying are the devil and people. In court, false testimony, exaggeration, reduction, distortion, silence, lies, gossip, obscenities, jokes, broken promises, and doctrinal lies are all considered false evidence. Do not create things that do not exist (false evidence). However, lying to save life is recognized (Hebrew midwives/Ex.1:19, prostitute Rahab /Joshua 2:4-5, etc.)

6. The 10th Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”(17, Dt. 5:21). 

‘Take care of your desires.’ Because of covetousness, 1)Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gn.3:6), 2)Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus(Mt.26:15), 3)Achan hid the plundered coat(Josh.7:21), and 4)Ananias and Sapphira hid their money. Greed grows without satisfaction. Following the lust of the eyes, it becomes idolatry (Col.3:5, “Put to death therefore your parts which are on the earth: fornication, impurity, lust, evil desire and covetousness; covetousness is idolatry”). 1 Tim.6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Have a contented mind. Phil.4:11-13, “11.I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12.I know what it is to be in need, & I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any &every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13.I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” I bless you to be content and experience the power of Almighty God.

 Dear believers, God gave & sacrificed everything for us &loved us. Now, we bless you all to become blessed saints who love(worship) God with everything with a grateful heart, love(respect) your neighbors who are the image of God as yourself, & enjoy the life of Jesus to a thousand generations. Amen.