For all the talk we have had about how to make promises and guarantees and what to pledge ourselves by, in the end it all comes down to one of two words.  Yes and No.  In our regular discourse, the best thing we can do is to have a mastery of these two words.  Today we'll talk about this and see if we can come out with a more honest perspective.

We looked last time at the importance of keeping our oaths, especially when done unto or in the Name of God.  It's vitally important that we protect the Name of God as it pertains to our witness in everyday life.  If not careful, we'll find our reputation and God's influence severely harmed in the lives of those around us.

Today, we look at some things we should never invoke when we make promises or guarantees in life.   These are some areas that God never wants us to put on the line.  Find out what they are below.

We turn our attention to two other commandments as Christ continues laying out his hard truths.  This time, it's the fourth and ninth commandments:

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exodus 20:7

Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exodus 20:16

What is Christ's perspective on these commandments?  Find out below:

This lesson will be a bit short today because the content and the context are fairly straightforward.  Also, for many Christians, this is a pretty cut and dry topic.  However, for others it is touch and filled with shades of grey.  For that reason, we cover Christ's thoughts on divorce.

We've seen Christ take on two very important commandments and how they affect our lives when we break them.  Today, we discover the path we must take if we want to make amends or if we want to avoid breaking them.  Either way, the path to keeping God's commandments is laid out clearly by Christ. Let's examine:

Adultery is a big deal.  For someone to break the bonds of their marriage by having an intimate relationship or even a brief encounter with another individual shakes the foundation of society.  Why is that?  Because marriage is a founding principle for society.  It represents humanities honor, love, compassion and so much more.  It is meant to mirror our relationship with God, which is to be devoted, faithful and passionate.  Most Christians would agree with the first statement Christ makes on adultery in Matthew 5:27.  However, our focus will be on the next verse, which could and should shake us all to the core.

We saw last time how going to people and asking for forgiveness can go go a long way to reconciling our relationships with others and opening the communication lines with God.  What happens when it takes more than saying I'm sorry to fix a problem, though??  What if the offended party wants or needs something more from us to make things right? We tackle these questions and more today as we close out Christ's thoughts on anger as murder.

We've looked at how our anger kills our calling.  Now that we've identified anger and its dangers, we must now identify what we can do to face down the temptation that so easily besets us.  We begin with how overcoming anger gives us perfect access to God

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (Matt 5:21)

It is an almost universally held belief that murder is wrong.  You would be hard pressed to find a society that allows it (even accidental murder has grave consequences in most societies). If you kill a fellow human being and aren't able to find a justification for it, you are either sent to prison for many years or even put to death. 

With that common moral established, why did Jesus need to address the concept of murder?  Why touch on the sixth commandment when there were so many other problems.  We dive into His reasons today and find some startling answers.