Courage

Joshua 2: 3-6 “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land…” She said, ‘I don’t know which way they went.’… (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid on … Continue reading Courage →

Deceit

Ephesians 4:17 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind.” At this point in our study we have learned about the evils of lying, gossip and criticism. But as Paul so clearly teaches in Ephesians 4:17-25, we can learn to … Continue reading Deceit →

Slander

Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. One of the most valued possessions a person has is their good name. Someone has said that it is better to die with a good name than to live with a bad one. Solomon said, "A … Continue reading Slander →

Heard It from a Freind

Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Two ladies in the community gossiped about one of their friends. They found out later that they were wrong, but her reputation had been greatly scarred. They went to their pastor and asked what they should … Continue reading Heard It from a Freind →

The Trouble with Lying

Psalms 12:1-2 “Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.” A church, like Grace Church, was studying the Ten Commandments. As the pastor wrapped up his sermon on the Eighth Commandment, he told the congregation, “next week … Continue reading The Trouble with Lying →

America: 24-7

Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28) We continue our look at the Fourth Commandment by focusing today on the priority of rest. An interesting phrase entered into American culture in the 1990s that summarizes our life: 24-7. From grocery stores to local … Continue reading America: 24-7 →

Holy Sabbath Becomes Son Day!

Yesterday we learned of the Jewish roots to the Sabbath. Ask three believers what the Sabbath means to them today, however, and you will likely get three different answers. Pastor and author Stewart Briscoe describes in his book The Ten Commandments his childhood memories of the Sabbath: "We went to Sunday morning church, Sunday afternoon … Continue reading Holy Sabbath Becomes Son Day! →

The Sabbath: It’s Jewish!

Mention the word “Sabbath” in most churches today and those who know their Bible well will often reply, “Oh, that’s not for us…It’s Jewish!” And so it is. The word Sabbath literally means cessation from Labor. Israel had served the pharaohs of Egypt as slaves for more than 400 years. Day after day they made … Continue reading The Sabbath: It’s Jewish! →

Remember the Sabbath

In 1981, the film Chariots of Fire captured the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie tells the story the Eric Liddell, who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics. Liddell trained hard for the 100 meter race, and was Britain’s record holder for that event, but when he arrived in Paris to run in … Continue reading Remember the Sabbath →