Morning Musing: Exodus 20:18-21

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“All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. ‘You speak to us, and we will listen,’ they said to Moses, ‘but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses responded to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not sin.’ And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When I was little, my parents took me on a thrill ride at an amusement park. It terrified me. A lot. As a result, it was a full decade before I rode another thrill ride of any kind. That first experience left me chastened. I responded by backing away and not getting near them. When Israel experienced the power and presence of God in the wild storm theophany there at Mount Sinai out of which God delivered the Ten Commandments, they were terrified. They reacted about like I did with roller coasters. Let’s talk through their response here and Moses’ efforts to encourage them.

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Jesus Clears the Way

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This past Sunday we kicked off a brand-new teaching series. For the next few weeks, we are going to be taking a journey to the cross with the Gospel of Mark. From now until Easter, we are going to be taking a fresh look at the stories that took Him from a triumphant ride into the city, to hanging on a Roman cross, and finally to an empty tomb. These are perhaps stories you have heard before, but join me in taking another look in order both to remember why they are so good, but also to see what new things the Spirit might have to teach us along the way. We’ll get started today with a walk through Mark 11.

Jesus Clears the Way

Have you ever had someone clear the way for you to do something? Maybe someone who was an advocate for you? I had a guy do that for me several years ago. He took me under his wing and created a number of opportunities for me that I would not have otherwise enjoyed. Having someone like this can be a real blessing. Well, what if I told you that everyone has access to an asset like this who can give us the greatest opportunity imaginable? This person not only can do this for us, He wants to. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that this person’s name is Jesus, and today we are going to take a look at how His efforts to give us the opportunity to have a real relationship with God got started. 

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Morning Musing: 1 Peter 3:15-16a

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“…but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and reverence…” (CSB – Read the chapter)

A little something different for you this morning. Part of the reason I started this blog so many years ago was to be able to spark conversations about things that matter through a faithful engagement with the Scriptures. The bulk of what I post on here takes the form of what I hope are encouraging devotional reflections on the Scriptures. I have covered a lot of ground during this time. I don’t believe there is a document in the Scriptures I haven’t written at least something about over the last six and a half years. Because I have covered so much ground, I have occasionally touched on big or hot button issues. Recently, a post I made drew the attention of a couple of different skeptics of Christianity. This has resulted in what is a still-ongoing conversation about a whole range of topics. I’m sure I haven’t gotten everything right in my method and approach in these conversations, but if you are interested in what engaging with someone who does not at all accept any of the truth claims of the Christian faith including the historical existence of Jesus in the first place can look like, I submit these two conversations to you as an example.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 20:17

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“Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In the world of preachers, there is a phrase that occasionally gets thrown around when someone says something that is particularly profound or is worded in an especially memorable way. “That’s preach.” The idea is that you could take that line and build a whole sermon around it. Of course, a sermon built around an idea that isn’t directly informed by Scripture isn’t a sermon at all, but we won’t get into homiletical nitpicking right now. I say all of that to say this, one of the most preachable ideas I’ve ever heard (and which came out of a serious engagement with the Scriptures) was this big idea from Andy Stanley: “There’s no win in comparison.” He was talking about the dangers of comparing ourselves to others, but this danger is rooted in a sin whose prohibition in the Law of Moses is the caboose of the Ten Commandments. Let’s talk for a few minutes about coveting.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 20:16

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“Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I told one big lie to my parents when I was growing up. I don’t mean this was the only lie I told, I’m sure there were many more of those, but this was the big one. They had told me not to throw dirt clods from our freshly tilled garden bed at the shed sitting at the end of the garden because they didn’t want me to accidentally hit and break the window that faced that direction. The trouble was, I was an eight- or nine-year-old boy, and those dirt clods exploded so satisfyingly when they hit the wall. So, I threw them anyway…and I broke the window. But on that particular day, my cousin was there throwing with me. I told my parents he broke the window. Year…I paid for that, and rightly so. Here’s my question: Did I violate this commandment then? Let’s talk about this penultimate of the Ten Commandments and just what it means.

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