The Ten Commandments

Good morning, everyone. It's a great honor to open God's Word this morning. I know we say it,

or at least I say it every Sunday. I really wish we could be together. I think it's wonderful that

we have technology. It's still an honor for me to preach, to open up God's Word, even if it's

in front of a camera. But please pray that we may meet together soon. We're in Deuteronomy chapter 5.

Deuteronomy 5 · chapter mention

Matt read. The next two weeks, we're going to be looking at the Ten Commandments. This week,

next week, we'll be looking at the Lord's Prayer. Very, very important passages in Scripture.

In many ways, this is gospel living and praying for God's people. So this is a big passage for us

Christians. But before we get into the passage, you know, finding when you're doing translation work,

it doesn't have to be with a Bible. It can be, I mean, whatever it may be, but you're translating

one language into another. There are some serious difficulties with capturing the essence of a

specific phrase, not just into the language that you're translating into, but into the culture that

you're translating into. So I'll give an example. I used to work at the Canadian Bible Society

before I worked, before I came on as an intern at Messiah a number of years ago. I wasn't on the

translation team at the Canadian Bible Society, but I would get all of these updates from the

translation team. And what they were working on primarily was a decades-long translation campaign

to translate the Bible into Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people. Just remarkable. I think it took

from start to finish a little over 30 years to do it. But one of the most comical stories in the

whole translation process was trying to find an equivalent word for a camel for the Inuit people.

You picture it. The Inuit people live in, I think, all the territories. I think they live in Greenland

as well. They live essentially where there's cold most of the year and not much sunlight a lot of the

year. Pretty well the complete opposite terrain as the deserts in the Middle East. So when you're

translating the Bible, how do you translate a camel into the language of the Inuit people? I mean,

I don't really know. I can't kind of give you the story of how they did it, but like there is no

word-for-word equivalent. So you just kind of, I guess, grasp the essence of what a camel is or

the animal. I'm not sure, but I always thought that was hilarious. Like they have polar bears up there.

They have elk, caribou, not so much camels. So this morning, this is pertinent for us because we're

going to look at the Ten Commandments or the Decalogue, and it is in the law of God.

When we hear the word law to our English ears, it's not a bad word, but it's not a word that

necessarily elicits excitement. Maybe for those in our congregation that have gone to law school,

or if we have any kind of policy workers, you know, talk about laws and regulations and policies,

and that is what gets them up in the morning. But for the rest of us, laws are fantastic, but

they're kind of stiff. So when we talk about the law of God in the Old Testament,

we are translating the word Torah, which is Hebrew, to law in English.

The Torah, the law of God, it works in some ways. We kind of get an idea of this translation,

what the Torah is about, but it doesn't capture the essence of what it truly is.

To somehow think that God's law is stiff, it is not very exciting. It's kind of the part of the

Bible, if you're going through a Bible reading plan where you yawn, or you are just, if you're super

committed, like you plow through and you struggle through reading through the law.

But the Hebrew understanding of God's law is not just jurisprudence. It is God's ways.

Of course, it has to do with do's and don'ts, but it is the ways of God, the very essence of how God

designed the world to be. In fact, God's law reflects his very character. It tells us about who God is,

what he likes, what he doesn't like, what he loves, what he hates. It teaches us about justice, but that

justice then points to God, who is justice himself. So what we see here in the Torah is more than just

a law. It is a wonderful, beautiful, robust, comprehensive view into the very

nature of God, a manifesto, so to speak, of God's character and his loves and his desires for his

creation, whom we are a part of. We're part of God's creation. This is why when we read in the Psalter,

King David especially, and especially in Psalm 119, King David gushes over God's law.

He says that his law is better than life. How many lawyers have ever done that or policy

analysts have ever just like, man, federal regulations, they are better than life. Nobody

gushes over that. And yet King David here, it has gripped his very heart. You see God's law,

his Torah, his Torah is much more than just that. So this week, like I mentioned, we're going to be

in the Ten Commandments, the Decalogue, in the book of Deuteronomy. And we need to understand that

this, that these Ten Commandments are first and foremost, they're not just air, kind of airdropped

in scripture, but they're part of a grander story. So they're found in the book of Deuteronomy.

And this is the second time we see the Ten Commandments in scripture. The first time we

see it is in Exodus. Deuteronomy is kind of like, I mean, the name of it is second law in,

that's what Deuteronomy means. It's kind of like an elaboration or a revisiting of the law that we've

already seen in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. And we have to understand that it, like I mentioned,

it's not airdropped. It's not a series of disjointed commands and laws, but rather it is

a culmination of God forming the Israelites into a nation after he had rescued them from 400 years

of Egyptian slavery. And right before he leads them into the promised land. So God gives the nation

of Israel his law on, at Mount Sinai through Moses. And it is a part of this grand narrative

where the Israelites are going from slaves to their redeemed people, but then on their way to the

promised land. So it's important that we grasp this, not just the Ten Commandments, but where it is

in scripture, because the Exodus is such a key integral part of not just the Old Testament or the five

books of Moses, right? Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. But it is for the entire

Old Testament for the writings and the prophets. It's so crucial. And it's also incredibly crucial that we

understand it if we are to understand the New Testament. Because the New Testament is constantly

seeing the Exodus, seeing Egypt as they are symbolic of something greater. And we'll get to that in a bit.

But suffice it to say, it's very important that we have a good grasp on the Ten Commandments and on the

story of the Exodus. So the Ten Commandments is a central piece of this story. It's far from do's and don'ts.

And remember that God's laws express God's very good and very perfect character. So as that is a bit of an

introduction, let's take a look at the Ten Commandments. We'll see three things that the Ten Commandments will

show us. We'll see through them that they reveal to us God's good design for life.

The second thing is it will show us that we have an inability to enjoy God's good design for life.

And the last bit that it will reveal to us is the true beauty of God's law.

And why we ought not to see it as stiff, but as a beautiful, robust, wonderful invitation for us

into what it means to be God's people. So I'll repeat those things.

The Ten Commandments will reveal to us God's good design for life,

our inability to enjoy God's good design for life,

and then it will also reveal to us the true beauty of God's laws, God's law. So we'll look at the first

thing, God's good design for life. I want you guys to consider, what is the cause of strife and heartache

in your life? Within your family, at your workplace, wherever you may be, at school, with siblings,

with spouse, and by the way, if you're not experiencing strife right now, praise God, but think back on a time

that you might have experienced strife and heartache.

Is it not the cause of

a relational breakdown?

Is that not the cause of all, almost all, or if not all, of our heartache and strife in this life?

All of our, the ills find their genesis, so to speak, in relational breakdown?

Organizations spend tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars

on workplace training that includes conflict resolution.

Family members, partners, spouses, friends, they spend great sums of money on mediators and therapists,

psychiatrists, to work through the aftermath of relational breakdowns.

I really do think that relational breakdowns and relational brokenness,

it really is at the heart of our pain and ill.

It's also at the heart of our estrangement with God. So it's not just that we have relational

breakdowns with each other, but we also have a relational breakdown with God.

And whatever your spiritual background may be,

know this, that God's good design

was to make you and I

and all people to enjoy a deep

and transparent relationship with Him.

But at the core of what it means

to be a Christian,

what it means to know the only

true God is to

have a relationship.

And not in a quaint way, but a deep,

satisfying, transparent

relationship with Him.

And yet, relational brokenness

rears its ugly head in that as well.

Sin

comes into the picture.

And what is sin if not a rejection of God's

good plan for us to be in a relationship with Him?

Somehow, I know what's best.

I know what is going to make me tick,

what I need,

what kind of relationship will suit me better.

And it is not God.

Is this not the cause of our estrangement to God?

I mean, look at Genesis 1 and 2 and 3.

God makes everything.

It's good.

He makes the first Adam and Eve

and the story of creation.

And there is a rejection

of God.

And what is it,

if not a relational breakdown?

So we have a relational breakdown vertically

between us and God,

a relational breakdown with each other.

That's horizontally.

But undergirding all of this,

I think,

is a relational breakdown internally.

What do I mean by all of this?

Human beings have a conscience.

We know right from wrong.

And contrary to some of our thought leaders,

not all,

but some of them,

and some very predominant ones,

right and wrong is not a mere social construct.

It is remarkable to see children

know right from wrong

almost from,

I don't want to say infancy,

but like from toddlers,

even maybe before that.

That it's something inherent in us,

knowing right from wrong.

And it is a feature,

a key feature,

of what it means to be made

in the image of God.

Animals,

other animals,

other beings,

they don't have the,

they don't have a conscience.

They don't differentiate

between right and wrong.

It's only us.

It's a key feature

of what it means to be made

in the image of God.

God.

But consider,

for us,

what inner turmoil looks like.

We know the right way to go,

but we don't do it.

We have inner dialogues with ourselves,

some more vibrant and robust inner dialogues than others,

but all of us wrestle,

have this internal wrestling

with the things we ought to do

and the things we ought not to do.

The things that are inherently right

and the things that are totally wrong.

And there are relational breakdowns

also with inanimate objects as well.

We have relational breakdowns with money.

And what do I mean by that?

We put a lot of emphasis on income

or possessions or relationships.

And it is not a healthy relationship

that we have with these things.

For some of us,

it's an unhealthy relationship with food,

with our devices.

All of these things

speak to a breakdown of a relationship.

Our desires are completely disordered.

They're completely disordered.

And this is the wonderful thing about the law.

The law recognizes this.

God's ways recognize this.

It recognizes that God had a perfect design

and that there's a relational brokenness

that has destroyed it.

The law primarily is separated into two parts.

Those parts that pertain to the relational breakdown

between us and God

and that part that relates to the relational breakdown

between us and one another,

me and you,

you and your family member,

you and whoever else it may be.

And although at the surface,

the text says stuff like,

you shall not murder,

you shall not commit adultery,

you shall not steal,

for just three examples of the law.

But it's important

that we don't just read the prohibition,

but we ask ourselves the question,

well then,

what's the opposite of that prohibition?

Is the opposite of not,

of stealing,

simply not stealing?

Or is there something greater

and more robust to it?

Is there something greater

and more robust

than just not killing somebody?

Like,

is that just what the text is asking?

I mean,

at the very minimum,

yes.

Yes.

if somebody is not killing somebody,

but they have a desire to,

and somehow they're not doing it.

I mean,

that's a good thing.

But the law speaks to something

more robust,

more wonderful,

more incredible.

Remember,

that God's law,

God's Torah,

it reflects

his very good character

and his very perfect being.

The Westminster Larger Catechism,

question 99 says this,

where a sin is forbidden,

the contrary duty is commanded.

So,

we need to ask ourselves,

that's a very helpful little bit

to think through.

Where we see something

that is forbidden,

we need to ask ourselves,

not,

how do I not just commit that sin?

Very good question.

But more so,

how do I capture the essence

of the opposite?

The first command

calls for fidelity

to the only true God.

This is what it says,

sorry,

in verse 7,

you shall have no other gods

before me.

I guess in many ways,

it's not just the first,

it's the second and the third

as well.

You shall not make for yourselves

a carved image

or any likeness

of anything

that is in heaven above

or that is on the earth beneath

or that is in the water

under the earth.

You shall not bow down to them

or serve them

for I,

the Lord your God,

am a jealous God.

And then,

the next one,

in verse 11,

you shall not take the name

of the Lord your God

in vain.

The first,

the second,

the third,

all call for fidelity

to God.

God calls himself

a jealous God.

The first commandment

makes it clear,

the second and third

really flesh that out.

To have other gods

besides the one true God

is not a simple rejection

of the Christian faith

for another tradition

or no faith at all.

It is a rejection

of what it means

to be a flourishing human.

What it means to live

as you were designed to live.

Remember,

God is the creator of all

and he is good.

And his purposes are good.

And for him to create you

and I

and then give us

his ways of how to live,

it is a good thing.

And to go the opposite

is to not experience flourishing.

It's to not know

the very thing

by which we were made

to live for.

to live into.

To know in part

this true connection

to the divine,

to God

and to trust that

there's a promise

that although in part

we can know

this relationship

and know this

this deep satisfaction,

this relational satisfaction

in part in this life

but also the promise

that in the life to come

we will know it fully.

this is the relational

heart of God

and to know God

and to serve him

and to not see it

as this faith

as just one of many

and I just want to pick it

because it sounds better

than say Hinduism

or transcendental meditation

or just a type of secularism.

It's no,

it's not that.

It is instead

to follow God

and to experience

and to lean into

and to grow into

relational health

or to not.

And this is the beauty

of God's law.

It is good

and it is for our flourishing.

The next few commandments

have everything to do

with flourishing

for human society.

Healthy family units,

prohibition of murder

like I mentioned,

adultery,

theft,

dishonesty in court.

It's all absolutely critical

like just sociologically speaking

for a society

to be healthy.

Think about it

when this stuff breaks down

on a societal scale.

Okay,

well,

pause on that.

When it breaks down

within a family unit,

what happens?

the family unit

breaks apart.

How about in a city

or in a country?

Why is it that

murder,

theft,

dishonesty,

when that becomes

a mainstay

of a nation,

we call those nations

failed states.

These few commandments

are so integral

just for life

to function,

let alone thrive.

But,

here's the thing,

the last commandment,

it speaks to not covet,

to not envy.

Let me read it to you.

And you shall not covet,

this is verse 21,

you shall not covet

your neighbor's wife,

you shall not desire

your neighbor's house,

his field,

or his male servant,

or female servant,

his ox,

his donkey,

or anything

that is your neighbor's,

or anything

that is your neighbor's.

Christine,

my wife,

she reminds me

often that coveting

is the begetting sin.

Oftentimes,

we don't,

we don't start

with theft

or murder

or adultery,

but it starts

with coveting.

So,

if

we are looking

at the law

and seeing

the prohibitions

and asking ourselves

the question,

well,

what is the opposite

of that?

What is the true essence

in flourishing,

I guess,

the essence,

the goodness

of the law

for coveting?

It would be contentment.

And just,

just imagine

if the city

of Ottawa,

the residents,

regardless of the neighborhood

they were in.

Imagine in your own house

if you were content.

Imagine if you were content,

not for a day or two,

but well after

the new thing

lost its shine.

Or the new promotion,

it didn't carry

as much kind of weight

in the office

or at the workplace.

or if the honeymoon

phase is over.

What would it look like

if you were truly content?

How would that

change

society?

How would that

change your family?

If you look back

on the other commandments,

we can see

God's design

for human flourishing

when he talks about

not bearing

false witness.

that's not just

being honest

in a courtroom.

It's about

not slandering people.

It's about

not gossiping.

It's about

speaking highly

of people.

It's about

giving them

the benefit

of the doubt.

It's about

not strawmanning

your enemy.

Imagine if

that happened.

Would Twitter

exist?

not stealing.

It's not

simply

just

taking

what is

not yours

but

giving

so that

people

don't need

to steal.

It's about

seeing needs

and meeting

them.

And murder

we see

in the

gospel

that Jesus

himself

it's not

just

murder

is attacking

somebody

but it's

hating

somebody.

So how do

we then

see the

opposite

of this

how do

we then

look with

eyes of

love?

Doesn't that

speak of

human flourishing?

I mean

if we go

through the

law and

just

the

ten

commandments

here

and just

take

our

time

and

see

God's

good

purpose

and

design

wow

like it

really is

something

else.

It

sounds

almost

too good

to be

true

but it's

worth

doing

and

encourage

you

take

some

time

we don't

have

time

to

go

through

this

I mean

each

what

three

four

summers

ago

at

Messiah

we did

a whole

summer

series

on the

ten

commandments

we don't

have

time

to

exhaustively

go

through

this

take

time

yourself

this

week

and

plumb

the

ten

commandments

asking

yourself

where

is

God's

good

design

found

in

this

the

ten

commandments

show

us

how

terrific

God's

design

for

life

is

but

it

also

shows

us

our

inability

to

live

up

to

it

it's

so

obvious

what

to

do

and

what

the

result

is

in

our

life

when

we

try

to

make

this

happen

we

are

rebels

at

heart

I've

mentioned

that

we

are

insurrection

ists

we

have

large

eyes

and

greedy

bellies

it's

a

terrible

combination

we

want

what

we

don't

have

we

grow

tired

of

the

things

we

do

have

we

don't

have

any

contentment

we

have

seared

consciences

and

no

distrust

and

suspicion

much

more

intimately

than

we

ever

ever

ever

wish

we

did

we

put

up

walls

so

that

we're

not

hurt

by

people

we

are

broken

people

and

by

the

way

if

you

don't

really

feel

like

you're

a

very

broken

person

I

think

that's

fantastic

and

there

are

a lot

of

both

Christians

and

especially

non-Christians

that

are

really

really

healthy

emotionally

healthy

people

they

have

great

relationships

they've

figured out

ways to

deal with

conflict

really well

but is

anybody

perfect

has

anybody

had a

good run

of 70

or 80

years

of

relational

perfection

I have

a friend

who has

a friend

who

it would

seem to

me that

that this

person

not a

Christian

has

everything

going right

and had

everything

growing

right

from

his

childhood

to

his

adolescence

to

his

time

at

university

to

afterwards

getting

a job

like

there's

no

issues

in

his

life

until

there

was

a

strain

on

relationships

it

hits

us

all

and we

have

an

inability

to

keep

God's

law

perfect

so

much

so

that

in

the

letter

of

St.

James

James 2:10

chapter 2

verse 10

it says

this

for

whoever

keeps

the

whole

law

but

fails

in

one

point

has

become

accountable

for

all

of

it

or

has

become

a

law

breaker

that

does

not

seem

fair

perfection

or

nothing

in

your

law

breaker

but

consider

this

these

laws

aren't

just

disconnected

prohibitions

but

they're

deeply

deeply

interwoven

like I

mentioned

about

coveting

being

the

begetting

sin

you

can

covet

and

not

murder

but

I

almost

guarantee

you

that

if

somebody's

a murderer

they've

coveted

you

don't

necessarily

have to

be a

thief

if

you're

a

person

that

covets

but

if

you've

stolen

it's

because

you're

coveting

take

idolatry

as another

example

you can

keep

all the

other

commandments

except

you can't

if you're

an

idolater

because

what is

idolatry

if it

is not

looking

to

other

things

or other

people

or whatever

it may

be

for

true

satisfaction

for

deep

deep

belonging

for

true

flourishing

if it's

disconnected

from

god

all

of

these

things

are

interconnected

and

at

the

very

minimum

if

you

sin

against

another

human

being

you

are

sinning

against

somebody

made

in the

image

of god

you are

desecrating

in a

sense

something

that god

made

someone

that god

made

so it

makes sense

then when i

look at james

James 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and it says

for whoever

keeps the

whole law

but fails

in one

point

has

become

accountable

of

all

of

it

so

this is

the thing

the law

isn't just

there to

show us

god's

beautiful

perfect

design

for life

the law

also

acts

as the

means by

which

human

beings

know

they're

sinful

and this

isn't

a bad

thing

it's

part

of god's

design

that in

the beginning

there was

this

incredible

scene

in the

garden

before sin

entered the

picture

and it

is

wiped

away

like it

is gone

because of

sin

but god

is redeeming

it

and he

has

redeemed

it

and he

is inviting

you to

be a

part of

that

redemption

the law

was never

designed

as a

means to

achieve

one's

salvation

how could

it

we are

destined

to fail

but remember

that this

was given

to the

israelites

on mount

sinai

after god

had rescued

them from

egypt

guys

this

is

this

is

a

picture

uh

um

god

communicating

to

redeemed

people

how

redeemed

people

ought to

live

look

with me

verse

six

this

is

how

it

opens

up

before

we

even

get

into

the

commandments

itself

it

says

this

in

verse

six

i am

the lord

your god

who brought

you out

of the

land

of egypt

out of

the house

of slavery

four hundred

years

and israel

cried out

to god

they did

nothing

themselves

and god

it says

with

with a

strong arm

and an

out

a strong

hand

and an

outstretched

arm

he rescued

israel

he rescued

them

a stiff

necked

people

a people

that

pushed

god

away

and what

does he

do

he invites

them

in

and makes

a covenant

with them

the

the

all caps

lord

that we

have

in verse

six

is the

covenant

name

it's used

in place

of the

covenant

name

of god

and that

covenant

name

speaks

to

the

relational

aspect

of who

god

is

these

people

are

already

a part

of

god's

covenant

people

they

can't

earn

their

salvation

because

they're

already

saved

and this

is what

the law

does

as well

it shows

us a

great

need

for a

savior

and god

is saying

i'm

your

savior

so we

don't

have an

ability

to keep

the law

but it

it's a

beautiful

thing

because it

points us

to the

one

that will

that will

rescue

us

completely

and holy

the third

thing

and it's

connected

to verse

six

is the

law showing

the true

beauty

of who

god

is

with this

declaration

of

of

in verse

six

where it

says

i'm

the lord

notice

what does

it say

right after

it says

i am

the lord

your

god

your

god

there's

no

greater

declaration

for

god

to

say

over

former

slaves

that

i am

your

god

so

it's

him

saying

that

you

are

you

are

no

longer

under

the lordship

of sin

and slavery

and death

you're

under my

lordship

no longer

are you

a slave

you're

a son

you're

a daughter

the

ancient

gods

and we

read

about

this

in

in

the

scriptures

but also

archaeology

helps us

to understand

a bit

of this

too

the

ancient

gods

of the

nations

that

surrounded

the

promised

land

the

gods

of

the

canaanites

they

were

impersonal

gods

but they

called

for

worship

that

entailed

gluttony

that

entailed

drunkenness

ritual

cult

prostitution

child

sacrifice

with a

promise

that

that

will

lead

to

the

good

life

do

this

and

you

will

know

real

human

flourishing

we

don't

have

a

pantheon

of

canaanite

gods

that

we

worship

here

in

canada

but

our

own

gods

in

canada

i mean

they

are

they're

not

much

different

canada

is full

of all

sorts

of

different

cultures

so it's

not as

if i'm

speaking

of

a

monolithic

culture

of canada

and

yet

there are

so many

commonalities

within the

the different

canadian

cultures

maybe that's

a better way

of saying

it

that are

so similar

to the

canaanite

gods

for instance

gluttony

this

inordinate

desire

for more

if that's

not gluttony

i mean

that is

gluttony

gluttony

is never

being

satisfied

eating

acquiring

possessing

to no

end

because there

is no

satisfaction

what is

drunkenness

if not

a desire

to connect

in some

kind of

ecstatic

way

to

and when i

say drunkenness

drug use

as well

to

some

kind

of

higher

power

or

a

means

by

which

we

cover

up

and

dull

our

pain

because

we have

an inability

a crippling

fear to deal

with our

pain

how about

cult

ritual

prostitution

we don't

have

temples

to

whatever

god

where there's

cult

ritual

prostitution

but sexual

conquest

is something

that is

still

i mean

it is

it is

still

seen

with

a type

of

sick

virtue

and i say

sick

virtue

not because

those

terrible

people

out there

it's

because

it's

within

so many

of us

in the

church

a desire

also to

know

sexual

pleasure

completely

disconnected

with

responsibility

and i don't

mean

responsibility

in like

like i

need to

do my

chores

before i

can go

outside

i'm an

eight-year-old

responsibility

but like

responsibility

for people

we

unhitch

sex

from

procreation

in our

culture

i mean

child

sacrifice

this is

the one

that

it just

always

blows my

mind

because

in the

ancient

world

if you

wanted

your

crops

to

grow

if you

wanted

success

in your

life

you'd

sacrifice

a child

on a

statue

of the

god

molek

and it's

not the

the

the

morgent

taller

clinic

just a

temple

to

molek

and by

the way

if you

have been

pushed

into

or know

people

that have

been

pushed

into

an

abortion

it is

heinous

and

broken

and i'm

not

coming

down

hard

on

people

that

have

a ton

of

pain

and

baggage

from

that

but the

lie

is

if you

have a

child

it's

going to

ruin

your

prospects

it's

going to

it's

going to

if it's

an unwanted

child

there's

going to

be

stigma

around

that

and it's

not going

to cause

you to

flourish

you're

not going

to have

a

flourishing

life

these are

what the

false

gods

tell us

do this

and your

life will

flourish

and what

is the

result

time and

again

it is

relational

brokenness

it is

not

flourishing

being

estranged

from

family

members

because of

some

terrible

beef

that

happened

or

choosing

to

push

people

aside

for your

own

gain

or

feeling

like

if

because of

some

issue

that

you

didn't

deal

with

right

there

is

no

redemption

for

you

because

that

thing

has

taken

on

a

monster

status

in

your

life

whatever

that

may

be

that

is

not

flourishing

it's

not

flourishing

it's

slavery

but

God's

law

I

mean

we

have

this

absolutely

stupid

understanding

in parts

of our

culture

maybe

in your

own

life

that

an

unhindered

life

is

the

best

life

a

life

devoid

of

restraint

is

the

best

life

but

I'm

telling

you

restraint

is

a

beautiful

wonderful

thing

and

especially

when it

comes

to

God's

law

because

it

orders

our

desires

in the

way

that

they're

supposed

to

with

God

at