Weekend Sermon -- Ten Commandments -- "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness"

     Welcome to the Weekend Sermon.  Thank you for reading the blog this week.  I hope that everyone is doing well today.
     I want to thank everyone for your prayers regarding the bad weather in my area.  So far, it hasn't been too bad.  I would ask that you please continue to pray that my area won't get any more heavy rain and have flooding problems.  Also, there are a lot of negative things happening at work right now.  Please pray that I can weather the storm at work and keep pressing on.
     I would ask that during your time of prayer this week that you continue to remember those in Louisiana who were affected by flooding.  Also, please remember to pray for all those around the world who have had to deal with storm damage.
     Let us pray for those in Puerto Rico who are being hit especially hard by the Zika Virus. I heard a report on the radio that up to 25% of the people could come down with the virus there.  Let's pray for an end to this problem all over the world.
     As always, we need to pray for peace in the world.  Remember the people in Syria especially.  For our prayer focus countries this week, let's pray for Cameroon and Turkmenistan.
     We have two messages left to go in our series on the Ten Commandments.  Today, we will focus on the commandment that states, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor."
     This commandment is often misinterpreted as a commandment against lying.   While I believe one can draw that meaning from the commandment, and we will focus on that in a bit, that is not the main meaning of this commandment.
     In order for any society to function properly, there must be a system of law and justice that is fair and that the general public can believe in and support.  Part of maintaining that system if for there to be truthfulness in all the proceedings.  That is what this commandment is speaking about in particular.  When a person is called upon to testify in a court of law, or they are a witness to some event, that person is expected to give truthful evidence or a truthful statement.  To not do so constitutes perjury, and in many countries that crime is severely punished.
     If we did not have truthfulness of witnesses, the entire legal and justice system would crumble.  No one would believe anyone else, and we would have anarchy.
     Now, that is the primary meaning of the commandment, However, there are other meanings that we can draw from this commandment.
     Lying is almost always wrong.  Truthfulness is not only important for the administration of justice, it is important in business and social relationships.  It is part of being able to trust another party and conducting our affairs with them.
     As believers in Jesus, we should be people who speak the truth.  We should be people of our word who stand by our promises.  Jesus was the embodiment of truth, and as His disciples, we should emulate our Lord in this matter.
     There are times when you may have to not tell the truth in order to achieve a greater good.  In these instances, a person has not violated the commandment.  For instance, I just finished reading a book about a Jewish man who fled from the Nazis when they tried to take him to a camp.  He was hidden for a time in a farmhouse be some of his acquaintances.  One day, some Gestapo agents came seeking the man.  His friends were not truthful with the Gestapo, and it helped to save the man's life.  They didn't tell the truth, but it achieved the greater good.   In most instances, we will be able to tell the truth and do what is right.  Instances like in the above example are rare.
     Most of the time, we don't tell the truth in order to get ourselves out of trouble or to make ourselves look better.  This is always the wrong thing to do.
     Sometimes, we lie to ourselves.  We know down deep in our hearts that what we are doing is not right, but we come up with ways to justify our behavior.  We believe the lies we tell ourselves, and keep on doing what we are doing.
     Sometimes, we also lie to God.  We tell the Lord that we will do what He has called us to do, and then we don't do it.  We make vows to Him, and then we don't follow through.
     All of these are situations where we play fast and loose with the truth.  We should not do them as Christians.
     There is another way that I believe that this commandment applies in our society today.  In the academic world, there is an epidemic of cheating.  Teachers and professors report that cheating among students is at record levels.  This attitude of cheating to get an advantage is rampant throughout society.  For instance, many cheat on their taxes because they don't think that they will get caught.  All of these ways of going around the truth are violations of the commandment.
     All of us have been less than truthful at some time in our lives.  This is probably the commandment that is violated the most.
     However, there is good news.  In spite of what we have done in the past by violating this commandment, there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.  He will remove our sins from us as far as the east is from the west to remember them against us no more.
     If you have difficulty being as truthful as you should be, ask the Lord to empower you by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a person who speaks the truth and lives out the truth.
     Next week, we will finish our series on the Ten Commandments.  I have decided what we are going to study in the weeks leading up to Advent, but I am not going to reveal that until next week.  On Monday, I will post the verses.  I do hope to have a review for next Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.
   

Book Review -- "Man's Best Hero"

     Today I want to tell you about a book that I have enjoyed very much.  "Man's Best Hero:  True Stories of Great American Dogs" by Ace Collins contains several good dog stories that tell about how dog's changed people's lives or rescued people from dangerous situations.  Some of the stories will be familiar to those who have read a lot of dog story books.  As long time blog readers will know, I've read many dog story books and many of the stories in this book were new to me.
     There were three stories in this collection that I especially enjoyed.  One story is about a mixed breed dog named Patches who saved his owners life when his owner injured his legs and fell into freezing cold water.  This is an exciting story to read.
      Another great story recounts how Pal, the dog who was the original Lassie, helped his owner pull off a real life rescue off the coast of Catalina Island.
     My favorite story in the book is about a dog named Bum.  A man who was down and out and who was given a second chance in life turns around and rescues a dog who needed a second chance.  These two became an inseparable pair, and one ended up saving the other on Christmas Day.
     Those who love good story telling will definitely enjoying reading "Man's Best Hero".  I wish that there were more good books like this available.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Solitude

Luke 5:16 -- "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray."

Matthew 6:6 -- "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to      your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Weekend Sermon -- Ten Commandments -- "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery"

     It is good to be with you once again this week for the Weekend Sermon.  It is my prayer that all of you are doing well, and I hope that you all have a good week ahead.
     I want to thank those who have prayed on my behalf about various situations.  I really appreciate it.  I would like to ask for your prayers once again.  Tonight, we are expecting very bad weather in my area.  So far, we have not had the flooding problems where I live, but we are not out of the woods yet with the flooding and bad storms.  Please pray that things won't get bad.  Thank you.
     In prayer this week, please remember those affected by the various hurricanes and tropical storms.  Also, continue to pray for the flood victims in Louisiana and the earthquake victims in Italy.
     Please continue to pray for peace in this troubled world.  Let us pray for peace in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Zimbabwe and Yemen.  Pray that people in these nations will hear the message of the love of Jesus.
     Last week, we finished one of our two summer sermon series.  The sermon in our lessons from the animals series last week was the most read sermon of the summer.  That made me happy.  Now for the next three weeks, we will concentrate our attentions on finishing up our series on the Ten Commandments.
     Today, we will study the commandment that says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery."  As with most of the commandments, this commandment on the surface is straightforward enough.  This commandment instructs those who are married not to engage in sexual relationships with those to whom they are not married.
     The Lord holds marriage to be an important institution.  Jesus said that in the original order of creation, man and woman were created to be together.  A man was to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife.  According to Jesus, the only grounds for divorce was adultery.
     This goes to show how serious the sin of adultery is in the eyes of the Lord.  The Bible tells us in the book of Malachi that God hates divorce.  That is very strong language.  However, adultery is so serious that if one partner commits adultery, the Lord allows the marriage to be ended.
     Let me state just for a moment that I believe that the Bible does allow for self defense.  If you are in a situation where you are being abused by your spouse or your children are being abused, I believe it is implied in the Bible that this is a grounds for divorce as well.  You don't have to keep you or your children in a dangerous situation.
     With the most obvious application of this commandment dealt with, let's look a little deeper.  What does this commandment imply about some other situations?
     The Bible says that adultery is a sin, but it also states that any sexual relationship outside of marriage is also a sin.  In the Bible, it is know as the sin of fornication.  I know that speaking about these issues isn't very popular today.  However, the Bible speaks clearly in this matter.  The Lord Jesus was very clear in this regard. Jesus said in Matthew 15:19 that fornication was one of the evil things that proceed from the heart of humans.
     We live in a society today where marriage is not held in as high esteem as it was in generations past.  Many couples decide to just live together instead of getting married.  This is certainly not a Biblical attitude or action.
     In our society here in the United States the issue of gay marriage is a hot-button issue.  In my opinion, many in the Christian community went way overboard with this issue.  Many treated gay people in a very hateful fashion.  Some have just gone off the deep end with this.  With that said, I think that the Bible is quite clear that the Lord intended for marriage to be between one man and one woman.  However, this was not practiced much in the Old Testament where men often had several wives and concubines.  This was not God's best.
     In dealing with all areas of sexual ethics those of us who seek to follow Christ need to be respectful to others and not hateful.  At the same time, we have to follow what the Bible states to be the truth.
     It has been my opinion that the best way that Christians can demonstrate the importance of marriage is to model Godly marriages for others to see.  When those who are not Christians see Christians getting divorced for unbiblical reasons or Christians not living to the standard of the Word, it causes them to not want to follow the Lord's design for marriage and sexuality.
     That is about all I want to say on this matter.  Next week, we will continue with our series on the Ten Commandments.  I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all. Amen.
   

Book Review -- "Roverandom"

     The book that I am reviewing today is a children's book written by J.R.R. Tolkien of the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" fame.  "Roverandom" was written after Tolkien's little boy lost his favorite toy dog on the beach.  The family searched diligently for the toy dog, but they were never able to find it.  Tolkien wrote a story of all the adventures the little toy dog experienced.
     Rover is a small pup when the story begins.  He runs afoul of a wizard who turns Rover into a small, toy dog.  Rover is purchased for a little boy who misplaces Rover at the beach.  From this point, Rover goes on a series of adventures as he hopes one day to be returned to the form of a real dog.
     On his journeys, Rover meets the Man-in-the-Moon and his Moon-dog.  Rover also travels to the Isle of Dogs, and he has adventures with the Mer-dog under the sea.  I won't give away the ending, so read "Roverandom to find out if Rover makes it home.
     I really liked this book.  It was a fun adventure story that I think children and adults alike would enjoy.

P.S. -- I would like to ask for you prayers once again involving bad weather in my area.  The National Weather Service is predicting flooding rains again.  Please pray that this does not materialize.  Thank You.

Verses For the Week -- Verses About Wisdom

     Psalm 37:30 -- "The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just."

     Matthew 7:24 -- "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock."

Weekend Sermon -- "The God Who Made the Animals"

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I am happy that you have chosen to read the blog today.  I hope that everyone is doing very well.
     This week has been really something with the weather where I live.  It has rained and rained.  Thankfully, my house didn't have any problems.  I want to thank the Lord for this, and I would like to thank you for your prayers on my behalf.
     I have not been able to find a job that pays anywhere close to what I am making right now.  I have decided to stay where I am for the time being.  I want to try to save up now and be able to have money for ministry work.  If I am able to find a full-time ministry job, I would take it even if it paid a lot less.  Please continue to pray for me in regard to this matter.
     As you go to prayer this week, please pray for those who are being affected by the hurricane in Florida.  Also, continue to pray of those affected by the earthquake in Italy and those affected by the flooding in Louisiana.  Continue to pray for an end to the Zika virus outbreak.
     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray that the people of Taiwan and Lebanon will hear the message of the love of Jesus.  Let us continue to pray for peace especially in Syria.
     As you know, we have been studying two different series of messages during the course of this Summer.  One week we have studied the Ten Commandments, and then the next week we have had a sermon about lessons from the animals.
     In today's message, we are going to finish the lessons from the animals series for the time being.  I actually have a few more sermons that I could preach on that series, but I have decided to save those for a later time.
     Today, my focus is not going to be on what an animal God brought into my life taught me.  Instead, I want to focus on the majesty and the power of the Almighty God who made all the animals that live on this earth.
     The book of Job is one of the most interesting and hard to understand books in the entire Bible.  It raises some deep moral and theological questions.  I'm not going to go over all that Job has to say in the message today.  I just want to focus a little bit on the end of the book and what God had to say.
     Throughout the book of Job, Job's friends have been trying to give Job an explanation as to why all of the bad things have fallen upon him.  After each of these friends has a speech, Job will respond with his defense of himself.  This pattern goes on for most of the book of Job.
     Finally, beginning in Job 38, God has heard enough from everyone.  God is tired of hearing all of the false ideas of Job's friends, and God has tired even of listening to Job.  God speaks out of a whirlwind, and what the Lord says is awesome.  I urge you to read Job 38 through 42 to know what the Lord said.
     The Lord is not pleased that Job is questioning the way that He has decided to do things.  He asks Job a series of questions designed to show how great the Lord Himself is and how small Job is and all of humanity for that matter.
     The Lord tells about all of the might of His great power in bringing about the creation of the entire universe.  The Lord is the one who reins in the chaos of the cosmos.  He is the creator and the one who sustains all life.  The Lord God has laid out the plan for the entire universe.  He made all of the galaxies, stars and planets.  He is awesome in majesty and power.
     The Lord will then go on to explain how that He is powerful because He had made all of the wonderful animals that fill the world.  The Lord made the herds of animals that roam the planet.  He made the ostrich that walks upon the land and the hawk that soars through the sky.
     One particular passage in Job 39:19-25 I like especially because it tells of the majesty of the horse that God made.  It tells about the courage of the horse and how the horse laughs at fear in the midst of the battle.
     God goes on to explain to Job that He as the God of the universe designed the great Leviathan and the Behemoth.  We don't know for sure what these creatures are, but the way in which the Lord describes them they are wondrous to behold.
     The Lord God is the one who made all of the animals on the earth.  He did not make them for humans or to please humans.  The Lord made them to please Himself and to show His great power and His capability for design and artistic expression. Everything that exists belongs to the Lord, and we should respect what the Lord has made.
     I hope that when you look at the created wonders all around you that you will stop and consider the splendor and majesty of the great Creator.
     I hope that you will want to preserve and protect all that the Lord has made and designed.
     So much damage has been done to this planet.  Our rivers and waterways are polluted and so are our skies.  What a shame.  As believers in the Lord Jesus, let us be at the forefront of making this world a better place.  Let us be at the forefront of preserving and protecting what God has made.
     There are many animals species that are now endangered or threatened.  Tigers are rapidly dwindling in the wild.  I just heard a report yesterday about how the number of elephants in Africa have declined by one-third in the last few years due to poaching.  Let us as Christians work to see an end to such things.
     The God of all creation is full of power and great glory.  What is truly amazing is that this great God has chosen to have a relationship with sinful humans.  In spite of our rebellion against Him, God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ into this world to be the propitiation for our sins.  All those who turn to Jesus in repentance and faith can have a relationship with the God of all creation. One day we will be with Him for all of eternity.
     Next week, we will continue with our series in the Ten Commandments, and we will continue each week until that series in finished.  I will have to post the verses on Tuesday this week as the library is closed for the Labor Day holiday.  I will post a review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.