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Click on this button to receive the podcasts of the Sunday morning sermons at First Brethren church.
Click on a link to view a sermon or to view (and print) the sermon notes and the accompanying Bible study homework page. Or click on the "Previous Series" button above to view other sermon series. The Ten Great FreedomsWe are studying the Ten Commandments on Sunday morning and in our growth groups during the first quarter of 2010 here at First Brethren. The eleven week series is called "The Ten Great Freedoms" because God intends us to have abundant lives. When he forbids anything, it is so that we can enjoy something greater and more precious.
1. January 3 – The perfect law that gives freedomJames 1:22-25 The ten commandments were not given by God as a test or a trial. They were not arbitrary rules God uses to test our devotion to him. They are guidelines given by the God who loves us greatly. They are rules to live by, and to live abundantly.
2. January 10 – Freedom to love God wholeheartedlyExodus 20:1-3. 1 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me." Is it a burden to serve God and God alone? Not when you think about what it is like to serve something or someone else. As Bob Dylan sang, "You're gonna have to serve somebody." Some people are driven by ideology. Others by their addictions. Still others are driven by their own pride. Others by their search for pleasure.
3. January 17 – Freedom to worship in spirit and truthExodus 20:4-6. 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." God is not jealous of us, he is jealous for us. He wants a relationship with us and he is not too happy if we settle for a fake substitute.
4. January 24 – Freedom of intimacy with GodExodus 20:7 Not only does God know our name but he told us his name. He doesn't want us to use it frivolously or thoughtlessly. But he does want us to use his name. That is why it is wrong to misuse it.
5. January 31 – Freedom of restExodus 20:8-11 God commanded us to rest one day out of seven. Is that still important in today's world? Is it still required? If not, should we do it anyway?
6. February 7 – Freedom of giving honorExodus 20:12 God says that life is better when we give honor where it is due. The fifth command is to give honor to our parents. What does it mean to give honor? How does its meaning change over the course of our lives?
7. February 14 – Freedom of blessing lifeExodus 20:13 The Bible comes down firmly on the side of the sacredness of life. Whether it is the question of the unborn, the sick or the elderly, God considers all life sacred. It is his and not our own. We do not even own our own lives. We are commanded by the sixth command to not murder. But the command is just the heading for an entirely different way of looking at life. Human beings are made in the image of God. We should affirm, protect, defend, care for and bless human life. Many of our most contentious issues today involve this question.
8. February 21 – Freedom of purityExodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27-32 It's not easy living pure in an impure world. The legal requirement from the Ten Commandments is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." The grace-led Christian has a higher standard, "I will live my life in purity with God's help." Grace calls us to a higher standard but gives us greater strength to rise to it.
9. February 28 – Freedom of unselfishnessExodus 20:15 How can we take what rightfully belongs to others when we are supposed to treat them the way we wish to be treated? We humans are so good and justifying our actions but God said it pretty simply: Thou shalt not steal.
10. March 7 – Freedom of the truthExodus 20:16 Jesus is truth. If we want to be his followers, then we have to learn to love the truth as well. God tells us to tell the truth, not just because others want us to tell them the truth but because we will be blessed if we become truth-tellers.
11. March 14 – Freedom of contentmentExodus 20:17 We live in a consumer culture that values consumption above just about anything else. But the problem is that this sets us up to be eternally discontented. Which is better: to have more and still want more or to have less and be contented with that? We live in a culture of the eternal more, never satisfied. God offers peace, contentment and enough.
12. March 21 – Freedom of graceRomans 5:18-6:23 So, if the law can't save us, why did God give it to us? If we aren't under the law but under grace, why have we spent a dozen weeks dealing with the law? The law is still important to us as believers but in its proper place. This sermon is all about understanding that proper place.
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