No commandment makes you and me feel more dirty than the 6th Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Lust, adultery, pornography… Do you struggle with any of those sins? Then no commandment better helps us picture the depths of Jesus’ forgiveness. There is forgiveness for lust. Jesus gave himself to make you clean! There is forgiveness for adultery. Jesus washed you with water through the word in your Baptism! There is forgiveness for guilt and shame. Jesus has made you radiant, without stain or wrinkle, but holy and blameless! I hope you can listen to this Lenten sermon about the 6th Commandment: “Adulterous Eyes.” Jesus loves you!

Who was the thief on the cross? You’re probably used to seeing three crosses, with Jesus in the middle. Two criminals were crucified with Jesus, and one of them even had a conversation with Jesus. Who was that thief on the cross?He probably wasn’t a thief. It’s more likely that he was a violent rebel, which makes Jesus’ words to him that much more amazing: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about the amazing grace that Jesus showed both to the insurrectionist next to him and to you and me.Jesus loves you!

God calls on Christians to have a different perspective on sex than the rest of the world. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). How you control your body reflects on the faith in Jesus that’s in your heart. I hope you can listen to this sermon about God’s will for sex and the grace and forgiveness that he offers for all our sins in Jesus: “God’s Will for Sex.” Jesus loves you!

At first, the 5th Commandment might seem like the easiest: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). But it’s not so simple. Jesus says that anger in God’s eyes is equal to murder (Matthew 5:22). After hearing Jesus’ words, the 5th Commandment might seem like the hardest! Here’s what it really is: The heart of the gospel message. God loves all people. He shouldn’t. We don’t deserve it! But God loves all people. That means that God loves you! God loves all people so much that he sent Jesus to forgive people. He sent Jesus to forgive you. Now God asks us to love people too. Not just with our hands, but also with our hearts. I hope you can listen to this Lenten sermon on the 5th Commandment: “Murderous Hearts.” Jesus loves you!

Why doesn’t God speak to me? Concerned people ask that. “I wait and I wait to hear God’s voice, but it never comes. Why doesn’t God speak to me?” Have you ever wondered that?Long ago, God told his people, “Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” (Jeremiah 23:28).I hope you can listen to this short devotion about how God speaks to you every time you read and hear his Word.God bless you!

Does it feel like you have nothing? Maybe even like you are nothing? As strange as it might sound, that’s all you need: Nothing. What do you need for God to love you? Nothing. What do you need to bring to the table for God to save you? Nothing. Because it’s all by God’s grace. In fact, it’s often only when a person has nothing that they finally see Jesus. God wants you to know his grace. Sometimes God takes everything else away, so that you stop trusting in your health or your money or your relationships. So that you have nothing. Why? So that you can see his grace to you in Jesus. I hope you can listen to this sermon: “Having Nothing, Yet Possessing Everything.” Jesus loves you!

“Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). For some, the 4th Commandment seems like common sense. For others, the 4th Commandment seems downright impossible: “What if they don’t deserve it?” God wants all of us to see that honoring those in authority is simply an extension of honoring him. Long ago, David’s trust in God’s control and his patience with God’s plan led him to honor even wicked King Saul. David’s great descendent–Jesus–even allowed the wicked authorities of his day to put him to death, but it was all part of God’s plan to win salvation for us. How we treat those in authority is a direct reflection of what we think of God himself. I hope you can listen to this Lenten sermon on the 4th Commandment: “Honor Your Father and Mother.” God bless you!

What is Lent? Many Christians observe a 40-day season of repentance in the spring, leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Why? What is Lent?Lent is focused on this encouragement from the Bible: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)I hope you can listen to this short devotion about the blessing of fixing our eyes on Jesus during the 40 days of Lent.God bless you!