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In this sermon on the Tenth Commandment in Exodus 20, we consider how God’s commands reach beyond our actions to the desires and motivations of our hearts. We examine how unchecked desires can lead to temptation, sin, comparison, and discontentment. Rather than simply avoiding sin or trying to eliminate our desires, God invites us to bring our hearts before him and allow the Holy Spirit to shape what we long for. Ultimately, contentment is not about having everything we want, but about finding security, belonging, and satisfaction in Christ.

In this episode we finish up Paul’s third missionary journey leading up to his return to Jerusalem where he fill face persecution. All three of Paul’s missionary journeys features common patterns. First, Paul proclaims the gospel to Jews and Greeks. Second, that proclamation brings about either conversion or persecution. Third, that persecution fuels the mission of the gospel forward. In all of these events the Holy Spirit is the prime actor, empowering Paul’s preaching and paving the way for the gospel to reach the ends of the earth. All of this highlights how every situation Paul encounters becomes an opportunity to see the Spirit at work, whether in the healing of a young man, to the anger of a mob, to a tearful goodbye to dear friends.

The ninth commandment explores why truthfulness is essential to loving others and building a flourishing community. Through three key areas- courtroom, conversation, and confrontation- we examine how honesty upholds justice, protects others’ reputations, and strengthens relationships. Ultimately, this commandment calls us to be honest about God, ourselves, and the world, which allows us to walk in the light and love our neighbors well.

In this episode we look at Paul's second missionary journey which takes the gospel to Europe and brings about harsh opposition from opponents. Yet God continues to bring salvation to men and women from all walks of life as the kingdom of God expands to the ends of the earth.

The eighth commandment calls us to more than simply refrain from stealing; it calls us to work honestly, steward what God has entrusted to us, and generously share with others. Because all we have is ultimately from God, we are called to work faithfully, receive His provision with gratitude, and give freely as we look toward the greater treasures we have in Christ.

In this episode we look at Paul's first missionary journey and the climactic council in Jerusalem. Both of these narratives show the gospel spreading to both Jews and Gentiles, but also facing opposition. Through it all, God brings about his sovereign purpose to unite Jew and Gentile in one new man through Christ and the Spirit.

In this episode the gospel goes to the Gentiles with key conversions and surprising turns. We also the Exodus-like judgment of Herod and deliverance of Peter as the church continues to embody the life of Christ.

The sixth commandment, “You shall not murder,” reaches beyond the external act of taking a life to the condition of the heart, where anger, hatred, insult, and unforgiveness can take root. In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us to examine our relationships by asking whether we are harboring anger, using our words to wound others, or refusing to pursue reconciliation, reminding us that obedience to God means more than avoiding murder, it means becoming people who pursue peace. Ultimately, the gospel reveals the depth of God’s mercy: though Christ was unjustly hated and murdered by sinners, God took the punishment upon himself and offers forgiveness, making reconciliation with him and with one another possible.

In this episode we look at how God spreads his church through persecution and makes converts out of the most unlikely people.

As God calls children to honor their parents and parents to faithfully exercise their authority, the family becomes a foundational place where we learn obedience, authority, grace, and ultimately what it means to worship God. And this is a commandment with a promise: as we learn to honor rightly, God promises that it may go well with us and that our days may be long. Yet because our families are deeply affected by sin, the gospel offers hope that Christ is able to restore what has been broken, turning the hearts of fathers and children toward one another as He makes all things new.

The ascension of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost answer the question at the heart of Acts — who are the true people of God? The answer — those who follow Jesus Christ. Christianity began as a movement from within Judaism which explains why the Temple plays such a large role in these early chapters. The Spirit of God now rests in a Temple of living stones called the church. And this Spirit-empowered church receives a mission: the risen Christ has ascended to the highest seat of power at the right hand of the Father. Therefore, all false Temples and gods whether Jew or Gentile must surrender before this king. Acts 3:1-6:7 shows how the power of the Spirit testifies about Christ through the church as they embody the life of the kingdom in various ways. First, we see the mercy and message of the true Temple. Second, we see the blessings and curses of the Temple. Finally, we see the protection and provision of the Temple.

The Sabbath reminds us that we are not self-sufficient but created, dependent people who are called to trust the God who made and redeemed us. Rather than viewing rest as a legalistic obligation, Scripture presents it as a joyful gift that reorients us toward worship, dependence, and the abundance of God’s grace. Ultimately, the Sabbath points us to Christ, who invites the weary to find true rest for their souls in Him.

God takes His name seriously, and as His people, we are called to do the same. His name carries His authority, character, and power. The third commandment calls us not only to avoid misusing God’s name, but to faithfully bear the name He has placed upon us, remembering that there is no other name by which we are saved. Because we bear His name, our words, prayers, worship, and lives should reflect the weight and worth of the name we carry.

We rightly celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas and the death and resurrection of Christ on Good Friday and Easter. But if that’s all we celebrate we’re missing half the story. The gospel is not complete until Jesus ascends and the Spirit descends. The ascension of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit are not add-ons to the gospel. They are essential to it. More than that, they are essential to understanding our identity as the church, the body of Christ. In this episode of Understanding Acts we look at the two pivotal moments of the ascension and Pentecost and how they set the stage for the rest of Acts.

The second commandment reminds us that God alone has the authority to define who He is and how He is to be worshiped, guarding us from reshaping Him into something more convenient or familiar. When we attempt to reduce God to an image or understanding of our own making, we diminish His glory and settle for something far smaller than the God revealed in His Word. Rather than fashioning God according to our desires, we are called to receive Him as He is and be transformed by Him into the image of His Son, from one degree of glory to another.