The Ninth Commandment – You shall not give false witness against your neighbour
Texts: Exodus 20:16 and Deuteronomy 5:20
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words can never hurt me.
So runs the well-known rhyme. But the truth is:
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words can break my heart.
“Careless talk costs lives.”
“No physician can heal the wounds of the tongue.”
“The tongue has the power of life and death.”…
Our everyday lives are saturated with ‘thankyous’. Thankyou for opening that door for me. Thankyou for making that cup of tea. Thankyou for returning the mobile phone that I left in your taxi. Thankyou for helping me mend my bike. Thankyou for being patient with me. Thankyou for being you. Thankyou for thanking me.
But it is our God who is the source of every good and perfect gift, and it is therefore to our God that we owe our biggest debt of thanksgiving.…
Paul’s letter to the Colossians is an absolute treasure. For warm, practical, joyful, Christ-centred, Christ-honouring teaching there is nothing quite like it.
The small city of Colossae was situated in the Lycus valley in modern-day Turkey. Paul had never been to Colossae. However, he had evangelised other cities in the valley, such as Ephesus. Among his converts had been a man named Epaphras, and it was he who had taken the gospel back to his home town of Colossae and founded the church there.…
The relationship between the OT and NT is that of promise and fulfilment. See Mt 1:22; 2:5, 17, 23, 3:3; 4:14.
Here is one of the most celebrated of the Messianic prophecies.
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ The third of these is, perhaps, the most puzzling. …
“Wake up, Master, wake up!” Poor Gehazi had never been so frightened in his life.
“What’s the matter, my servant?” said the man of God sleepily.
“We’re surrounded! The Arameans have come to kill us!”
“Yes, I know.”
You see, the Arameans kept trying to ambush Israel. The trouble for them was, Elisha always knew where where they were, and so the Israelites could avoid them. The Arameans got fed up with this in the end, and that is why a whole army of them had surrounded Dothan, where Elisha and his servant were staying.…
Our Lord has just been drawing attention to the self-righteous Pharisees, v30, and announcing that he is the friend of tax-collectors and ‘sinners’, v34. Here is a story which illustrates both these points.
A Pharisee had invited Jesus to have dinner with him. Picture the scene. Now consider the actions and reactions of the three people involved.
Who this woman was, we do not know.
She was well known for her immorality. …
Have you ever been parted from someone you love? A boy or girl goes off on holiday with a friend, and won’t see mum and dad for a couple of weeks. A boyfriend and girlfried will be setting off in September for different universities. A husband is called up for service in the armed forces, and doesn’t know when he’ll be home again. What is said on such occasions. “Look after yourself…keep in touch…don’t get into trouble” The disciples were in such a situation. …
‘If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.’
‘Yes, I realise she is very busy, but I really do need to see the doctor today.’
‘When will you ever learn?’
I wonder if you have ever felt like a broken record?
Well, you’re in good company. The book of Judges is God’s broken record. Its starting point is the conquest of the promised land under Joshua. By the end of the book, 200 years later, we’re on the verge of the period of the kings, the time of Saul and David. …
The early chapters of the Gospel of Mark present a number of aspects of Jesus as healer. They teach of his healing power, his healing touch, and his healing word. In this passage, it is healing faith that comes to the foreground. I would like to assume that you have been impressed by his great power, attracted by his compassionate touch, convinced by his authoritative word. I would like to encourage you to have faith in Jesus the healer. …
The Lord’s Prayer is a wonderful prayer: wonderful in its simplicity, and wonderful in its comprehensiveness. Its several petitions have been likened to the colours of the rainbow. And, like the colours of the rainbow, there is a definite order here: we are taught to pray first about God’s things (his honour, kingdom, and will), and only then about our things (daily provision, pardon, protection).
Just six words, but full of meaning:-
1. ‘Bread’ stands here for the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing.…
