God Said

 

Over 50 times the Bible records, “God said.” We hear that phrase, but do we believe that?

 

As a preface to the Ten Commandments Exodus 20:1-2 says, “And God spoke all these words saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery.’”

 

God speaks to the people of Israel and tells them that He is the Lord their God and that He is the one who delivered them out of slavery in Egypt.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing that God is our Lord and that He has delivered us out of the slavery of sin.

 

Then in Exodus 20:3-17 God gives us the Ten Commandments.

 

We tend to see the Ten Commandments as rules that God demands we keep so He can control us. But what if we looked at the Ten Commandments with a different view?

 

The Ten Commandments are a moral code that help us to navigate through life.

 

Isaiah 30:21

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

 

God speaks and gives us the moral direction for our lives that is righteous and leads us to real life.

 

God is holy (morally up right) and righteous (right in God’s sight) and He is the only one that can be a reliable moral compass for our lives. If we don’t have God directing our lives and giving us righteous moral direction, our lives can lead us to destruction.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is having God as your moral compass.

 

The Ten Commandments are a way God protects our lives.

 

Each of the commandments in the Ten Commandments is a way God is giving us protection for an area in our lives.

 

Have no other gods – there is only one God and God is directing us to seek Him, find Him, and worship Him.

 

No idols – protecting us from the frustration of worshiping and serving something that cannot do what we need.

 

Not taking God’s name in vain – protecting us from offending God and offending others with our language and revealing a low moral character.

 

Remember the Sabbath and keeping it holy – protecting us from working everyday and not taking a day off to recharge physically and refresh spiritually.

 

Honor you father and mother – helping to set a pattern in our lives to properly respect authorities that God has placed in our lives.

 

You shall not murder – protecting us from, out of emotions, doing something that will destroy other’s lives and our own.

 

You shall not commit adultery – protecting us from violating sacred vows that give us real joy and provide powerful security for our children.

 

You shall not steal – protecting us from a life of dishonesty and hurting others.

 

You shall not bear false witness – protecting us from a life of deceit and deception.

 

You shall not covet – protecting us from a life spent on wanting what we don’t have and overlooking what we do have.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting God’s word protect us from a life that is empty and headed in the wrong direction.

 

We wrongly view the Ten Commandments as rules that are meant to control us and restrict our lives.

 

The right way to view the Ten Commandments is to see them as:

God’s direct word to us

God’s way of giving us a righteous moral compass

God’s way of protecting us from things that will harm us

 

Following God’s word honors God and benefits us.

 

Following God’s Word by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                               Joe