Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
Last Sunday we finished working our way through the Ten Commandments as we considered the final command instructing us not to covet the things our neighbors have. The main point I emphasized throughout this study, because it really is the main point, is that these commandments are all about grace.
As we saw, the first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. God has graciously revealed Himself to us, protecting us from giving ourselves to false gods. Meaning, joy, and fulfillment are found as we center our lives around the One who made us and loves us more deeply than we can imagine.
The next six commandments concern our relationships with one another. Again, God has graciously revealed to us how we can live in such a way that we thrive as individuals, all the while nurturing a healthy sense of community. When children honor their parents (and all relationships within the family are loving and supportive), when there is no murder (or harming others in any way) no adultery (but committed faithfulness to each other), no stealing (rather we practice generosity), no lying (or deceiving others but are truthful with others), when we do not covet what others have (but can be content with what God has given us), we are set free from the debilitating effects of sin in our own lives. Instead, we experience deep satisfaction in living the way God created us to live and in enjoying loving relationships with others. Along with that, a healthy and gratifying sense of community is developed – within the family, among friends, within the church, in our neighborhoods, and beyond.
So, may we experience the fullness of God’s grace as by His grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, we daily live out these commandments.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob