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Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham.

Jack Graham: And we keep these commandments not to earn salvation, but rather because of salvation, we are now able to live this life of liberty. We are free.

Guest (Female): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how the Ten Commandments can lead you to the one who gives true freedom. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, The Life of Liberty.

Jack Graham: The Ten Commandments represent the Judeo-Christian ethic of Western civilization, certainly our country, and these commandments are not human suggestions for better living but divine instructions for godly living. The Ten Commandments, here we have the code of conduct not only for Old Testament believers but New Testament followers of Jesus. This represents the constitution of the Christian life as well as the eternal truths of God for all people of all time.

Number one, you shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honor your father and your mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not covet.

Jesus summarized these ten words. We've said they are divided into two sections. The vertical, the first four commandments, having to do with our relationship with God. One God, no idols, don't take His name in vain, worship Him on His day. And then the last six, on the hinge of honoring your father and mother, which is the bedrock of our society and culture, the family, and then these laws: six, seven, eight, nine, ten. They are succinct, they are clear, and Jesus summarized them into a great commandment. Two commandments, the great commandment.

When He said in Matthew's gospel, love the Lord your God. He said there are two commandments, and the first is which, love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength, and the second commandment, wrapping up those last five, is to love your neighbor as yourself. So here you have it. When the Apostle Paul wanted to clarify what it means to be a Christian and to live in obedience to God, to live a godly, grace-filled life, he also looked to the Ten Commandments. For in Romans chapter 13, verse eight, he said, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."

Jesus said, "I've come not to destroy the law but to fulfill the law." And now Paul is saying, when we love one another, because we love God, we love each other, we are fulfilling the law. For the commandments, verse nine, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law."

Like Jesus, Paul says the way to keep the commandments is to love God with all you have, with all that is within you, and then to love others, love your neighbor, and your neighbor is anyone who has a need, not just your proximity neighbor, but anyone who has a need. Love people. Now the Ten Commandments are not only God's commandments, but they're good for you and me. They are good because they are God's. The psalmist said in verse one of chapter one, the very first psalm, that we are to delight ourselves. He says the blessed person, "Blessed are you when you don't seek the counsel of the ungodly, but blessed are you when you delight in the law of God."

Who likes rules? We love His law because we love God, and we want to keep His commandments. This is a life of liberty because we're liberated now to live our lives God's way. At the very top of the Ten Commandments, He said, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." They were set free and out of this bondage and slavery. Now they have a law, now they have become a people, and we also, as Christians, we have come out of the slavery of sin, the bondage of sin, and now we are set free.

We have a freedom, and freedom is not just doing what you want, that's not real freedom. Freedom is doing what God wants. Freedom is doing what we ought, what we should. That's freedom. It's the life of liberty. Have you ever thought about how much better your life would be if you kept all the commandments? Have you ever thought about how much better the world would be if everyone kept the commandments of God? How much better would your marriage be? How much better would your family be if we kept the commandments of God? So I'm saying these commandments are not grievous, burdensome, James tells us.

But we have this wonderful life in Christ, and they represent the core, the centerpiece of Christian living and discipleship. The followers of Jesus will keep His commands because we have a right relationship with Him, we will have a right relationship also with one another. And we keep these commandments not to earn salvation, that's impossible, but rather because of salvation, because our lives have been transformed by the power of God, we are now able to live this life of liberty. We are now able, by the power of His Spirit, to keep the commandments. We are free.

We are now living in liberty, not in the bondage of sin. First John 5:3, I said James, but First John 5:3 says, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome." And so as we keep the commandments of God, we learn how to live protected. They're not restrictive, they're protective, they're constructive. But now, because we are fully forgiven, we are fully alive, we're forgiven, we're free, we can now live in this great salvation because salvation is not a reward for the righteous, hear me. Salvation in Jesus Christ is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift to the guilty because we've all broken the commandments.

Now God is not saying, "If you keep My commandments, I will love you." He loves you already. He loves you perfectly with an everlasting love in spite of our sin. So He's not saying, "If you keep these commandments, I'll love you." No, He's saying, "Because you love Me and because I love you, keep these commandments." So what are these commandments? The final five, all about loving people. Number one is verse 13, you shall not murder. So this commandment is protecting life. Protecting life. Why? Because life is sacred, life is a gift from God, and we should never take the life of another.

Now, some people misunderstand this commandment because in the old King James, it said, "You shall not kill." But to kill here is not the word; it's the word to murder, to take a life of someone who is innocent. So we're not pacifists. The Bible doesn't teach pacifism. The Bible says we have the right to protect our country, its freedoms. You have the right to protect your home and your family at any cost against an intruder or an invader. And we're not vegetarians. There are many animals that are killed in scripture and are given for food.

Another point is some use this commandment to say that you should not practice in culture, society, government, capital punishment or the death penalty. But the death penalty is taught in the Bible. If you oppose the death penalty, you oppose it for reasons not found in the Bible, because the Bible, before even the law of Moses, in Genesis chapter six, teaches that if you take a life, your life should be taken. It's capital punishment. Romans chapter 13, it speaks of the governing authorities who have the responsibility of exercising the sword, God's judgment upon those who do wrong.

So again, you can argue against capital punishment, but not using the Bible. Murder is the worst act, and therefore it tops the list here of prohibitions and imperatives. And we often talk about justice. What about justice for the victims of these crimes? But be that as it may, our world, our country, is becoming increasingly violent and hate-filled and cruel. And so as followers of Jesus, we're to do everything that we can to preserve and protect life, including life in the womb. So this commandment, you shall not murder, includes homicide, obviously. It includes suicide, taking your own life.

It includes abortion, it includes euthanasia. But Jesus even took this commandment to a deeper level, for in Matthew chapter five, He said, "If you have rancorous anger, hatred in your heart towards another person, God writes it down. It's the seed of murder." You could have murderous intent in your heart, and Jesus said that's breaking this commandment. So you shall not murder. You shall protect life. And let me just say that all these commandments, with every negative, there's a positive. When God says, "You shall not" do something, on the positive side, there is a "You shall" do this. Rather than helping yourself to death by breaking the commandment, you help yourself to life by keeping the commandment.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, The Life of Liberty. We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting the word CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789.

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Jack Graham: So the next one, number seven, verse 14, is "You shall not commit adultery." So what is that? That is honoring marriage. Honoring marriage, protecting life, honoring marriage. Adultery is a serious offense. In fact, in the Old Testament, under the Mosaic covenant, adultery was punishable in certain circumstances by death in that government. God created sex for fulfillment between a husband and a wife, for procreation, for pleasure, and to know one another in the most intimate of ways. And it's a beautiful gift.

And God has provided for intimacy in life and this pleasure between a man and a woman who are married, a father and a mother, a husband and a wife. Adultery threatens the family, which is the foundation, it's the basic unit for society and for the nation. Think of all of the destructive problems we have in this country because of immorality of all kinds. And to not commit adultery includes all kinds of immorality. Anything that threatens the family is forbidden. Adultery does irreparable damage to a marriage. Such a sad thing because it distorts trust and betrays promises, and it never ends well because this sin in particular, Paul says, is a sin against your own body. There's something about this sin that is self-destructive and addictive.

This would include pornography, and it's a sin against yourself and it's a sin against your spouse, maybe your spouse currently or even your future spouse. If you are committing sexual sin outside of marriage, which would include fornication and various kinds of sin of all kinds, this is a prohibition. It is clear. You shall not commit adultery. It's a sin against your spouse, it's a sin against yourself, it's a sin against the church. Because what I do, how many of us have been scandalized by the sinful behavior of people in the church, even leaders of the church? And how many are hurt and damaged by that sin?

But ultimately and most importantly, it's a sin against God. And sexual immorality has no place in the life of the Christian. Number eight, respecting personal property. Do not steal. That's verse 15. This encompasses all the commandments we've already covered. Don't steal by taking someone's life, don't steal by taking someone's wife, don't steal by taking what belongs to someone else, and don't lie and rob justice by distorting the truth by lying. So do not steal. You can also break this commandment of stealing by stealing a person's reputation, how, by slandering their name.

By gossiping, telling lies about another person. If you love someone, you won't do that. You won't rob a person of their reputation and of their good name. So do not steal. Then number nine, speaking the truth, verse 16, "Do not bear false witness. Do not lie," which I would say speaking the truth and keeping your promises. The psalmist said in Psalm 58 and verse three that we go forth from the womb speaking lies. We're born liars. Truth in America is up for grabs. People want to say now, "There are no absolutes," which is an absolute statement, by the way.

There's no absolute right, there's no absolute wrong. That's a lie. And did you know that the first lie, it was a lie that plunged the whole world into sin and judgment. It was in the Garden of Eden when the serpent slithered in and said to Eve, "Has God said?" Eve said, "If I eat of the fruit, God has said if I eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that we will die. God said we will die." And here came the first lie: "You will not die. Surely you will not die." So we are born with this congenital condition.

Proverbs six, it says there are seven things that God hates, and at the top of the list, right at the top, I think listed second, is a lying tongue. There are false words, half-truths, rationalizations, exaggerations, hypocrisy, withholding truth, and here's one: staying silent when you should speak up, cowardly lies when you ought to say something and you don't say it. According to God's word, we're told in Proverbs 30 to remove far from you falsehood and lies. So here's my counsel, God's counsel: Don't repeat lies and don't listen to lies.

Finally, number 10, controlling desires. Do not covet. Now God speaks not to actions but to the attitude, because to covet means to desire. It's a neutral word, covet. I mean, you could covet prayers, you could covet a beautiful godly wife. That's not wrong. That's a human desire that God puts in your heart. But this is excessive desire. It is the desire to acquire, to want something that does not belong to you. And we're living in a world of materialism. Just think about your phone. And you look at your phone, and how often we're spending our time swiping and scrolling and scrolling and swiping.

And TikToking and Instagramming, and we're looking at somebody else's life and say, "Man, I wish I had those clothes. I wish I had that vacation. Look at those people on that vacation. Why don't I have a vacation like that? Why don't I get an education like that? Why don't I have kids that look like that?" Now, remember, everybody's airbrushed on Instagram. "Why don't I have a house like that house?" And so it's the desire to acquire. We want more and more and more. John D. Rockefeller, a wealthy millionaire the turn of the 20th century, was once asked, "How much money is enough money?" He said, "Just a little more."

And we can be addicted to things, and here's the problem that we have as Christians, as followers of Jesus: We have so much stuff and so many things and yet, seemingly for so many people, it's not enough. And greed sets in. Someone said, "To whom little is not enough, nothing is enough." Did you hear that? To whom little is not enough, nothing is enough. So how much is enough? It's a cleansing, it's a cathartic thing to just kind of go through the stuff that you accumulate and just get rid of it or give it to someone who could use it.

And that we would live on less so that we could enjoy things more and give more and do more and love more. But this commandment forbids us just wanting more and more and more. Be content. Hebrews 13:5, and I'm closing, says this, "Let your conduct be without covetousness, but be content with such things as you have, for He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.'" You know what that's saying? That's saying live with what you have because you don't need more. God is enough.

Is Jesus enough? Or do you have to have all this stuff piled up on top of it? Now, this is not saying don't have holy ambitions and God honors hard work and success, and every good and perfect gift comes from above and we're thankful for the way He may choose to prosper us. Every rich, all true riches come from Him. But don't live with this sense of "I gotta have more and more and more," especially if that more and more and more belongs to somebody else and you are envious or jealous and want what somebody else has rather than what God chooses to give you. The opposite of covetousness, you know what it is? Contentment. Contentment.

Paul said in prison, "I've learned in every situation and circumstances of my life, I've learned to be content." And the reason we can say we're content is because God is with us, and God is enough. Now, we've all broken the commandments of God, every one of us. Can we be forgiven? You see, the commandments point us to Christ and the cross. This is the problem. This is the sin, this is the rebellion. And breaking the commandments, that's not the real problem. The real problem is the heart and what we need is a new life and a new heart.

Salvation, and salvation is not by doing good or keeping the commandments or earning your way; it's impossible. Don't see the Ten Commandments as a ladder of ten steps to get you into heaven. Never happens. In fact, God descended down those steps in the person of Jesus Christ and He was born and lived a perfect life, and yes, He kept every one of the commandments. He never sinned against God and then He took our sins on the cross. All that we see here, every lie, every adultery, every false witness, all the idolatry, all the greed, He took that on the cross. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. So the commandments point us to grace and how to live liberated. And once we're liberated by the power of Jesus Christ, bought and paid for by the blood of Christ and His resurrection, we now then live a life of liberty and freedom, one that honors God with a godly lifestyle.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, The Life of Liberty. We want to remind you about a powerful resource Dr. Jack Graham has created to help strengthen your prayer life. It's his book, Ask, which comes as our thanks for your gift of $10 or more. This practical and encouraging book explores Jesus' invitation to ask, seek, and knock, helping you discover that prayer is not about saying the right words but about growing closer to your heavenly Father through faith-filled relationship.

When you give today to support the outreach of PowerPoint Ministries, you'll help share biblical truth and the life-changing hope of Jesus with people around the world through broadcasts, podcasts, and digital ministry. Text JULY to 59789 to give your gift and request your copy of Ask. Again, text JULY to 59789. So that everyone has a chance to receive this helpful resource, please limit one per household.

We are excited to share that we have a new way to connect with us. It's our texting service designed to keep you connected with everything happening here at PowerPoint. You'll be the first to know about upcoming events, special announcements, and truly enriching content. To join, start a new text conversation by texting CONNECT to 59789. Again, text CONNECT to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: The Ten Commandments. There is one thread running through all of them. Life is sacred, so protect it. Marriage is sacred, so honor it. Property is earned, so respect it. Truth is absolute, so speak it. Contentment is possible, so choose it. None of this is a burden. Every one of these commandments, when you trace it to its root, is God protecting something He loves. You, your family, your neighbor, your integrity, your peace of mind. He's not building a cage; He's building guardrails, and a life lived inside them is not a smaller life; it is a freer one.

We've all broken these. Every one of us has stood before the mirror and seen something that doesn't measure up. That's exactly where the gospel meets us, not at our best but at our most honest. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift to the guilty. And the same God who wrote these commandments in stone sent His son to fulfill every one of them on your behalf. So here is the question to close with: Not are you keeping the commandments, but do you know the one who kept them for you? Because that's where the life of liberty actually begins, not in trying harder but in trusting Him.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, Ask. Just text JULY to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how God will sustain you even through the tough times. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.