And God spake
all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou
shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD
thy God in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy
manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that
is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the
sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy
days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet
thy neighour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor
his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any
thing that is thy neighbor's.
Exodus
20:1-17/Deuteronomy 5:1-21
Isn't
God's law perfect? Just ten commandments to regulate man's
conscience are better than a multitude of government rules, federal
laws, state laws, international treaties, etc. Mankind makes new laws
everyday, but is unable to enforce them. Those who claim they are able
to enforce man-made laws consistently usually are called tyrants,
dictators, etc. Those who say that the Ten Commandments are
"anachronistic" or "outdated" are basically saying that stealing,
killing, lying, dishonoring the sacred, etc. are alright. Those who say
the "Ten Commandments" are too "old-fashioned" or too "absolute" are
basically sending invitations to every burglar to come to their house
and help himself. Those who scoff and mock the Ten Commandments are
basically giving their moral approval to the serial killer, the flood
of divorces, predatory behavior, the exploitative cheap labor culture
that does not know a sacred day of rest, etc. If God gives you a
commandment, what makes you think you don't have to obey it?
Mount Sinai
What
part of "Thou shalt not" don't you understand? - God
These ten authoritative
instructions from God Almighty lead you to a happy and good life, if
taken to heart and applied. But when you disrespect God's commandments,
your life ends up in misery and disappointment. Without God, your life
is full of darkness. Make a choice now to do what God commands. He has
created you and He knows what is best for you. So it must be your will
to do God's will. When God says "Thou shalt", you respond to Him "Yes,
I will!" Make it your choice now to obey Him, and you will "lead a
quiet and peacable life in all godliness and honesty." (I. Timothy 3:2)
The Ten Commandments have also been instrumental in
creating the
freedom that the western world knows. These commandments that God gave
us establish discipline in a society without the threat and violence of
tyrannical governments. Obediene to the Ten Commandments promote
self-government instead of totalitarianism. James Madison, the chief
architect of the US Constitution, said, "We have staked the
future of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for
self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern
ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of
God."
The Ten Commandments that are first mentioned in
the Old Testament
(Exodus 20 and Deutoronomy 5) are also perfectly incorporated into the
New Testament. Not only did Jesus on His earthly journey instruct us on
several occasions, "If ye love me, keep my commandments," (John 14:15),
but it is written there that the great commandment to love our neighbor
can be expressed through the keeping of the Ten Commandments. It says
in Romans 13:9, "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt
not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou
shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself." Thus, if I really want to love my neighbor the way God
intends it, then I have to keep those Ten Commandments in my heart and
on my mind. The Ten Commandments are not a dry, legalistic, outdated
code of law, but they are an expression of divine love. Amen and Amen.
The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice!
Doing them makes all mankind rejoice!
They are not just a plaque!
They should be obeyed!
LISTEN
NOW: Sermon on the Ten Commandments
"The
Commandments teach us all that we are to do to please God - all of
which is summed up in loving God above all things and our neighbor as
ourselves for the love of God." Compendium of Christian
Doctrine, Pope St. Pius X