Dear Manna Family, We are studying the Ten Commandments, and today we are covering the very elusive sin of coveting. Most of the other commands are related to visible actions that can be seen and measured. Coveting is invisible; it cannot be seen by others, and it is often overlooked by ourselves. Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s. Jealousy is motivated by the fear of losing something you already possess. Coveting is desiring something you do not possess, but which already belongs to someone else. Covet: means to set your desire upon, to earnestly long for, to stretch or reach after, to take pleasure in. Not all desire is wrong. It’s a good thing to desire heath, the well-being of your family, and going to heaven when you die. The command against coveting forbids us to desire something that God has already given to someone else. Coveting begins with an attitude of dissatisfaction with what God in His infinite wisdom has already given to us. Coveting tries to convince us that if we only possessed something above and beyond what God has already provided, then our lives would be more fulfilled, and our souls would be satisfied. That’s a lie. God is a completely good God who only gives good gifts. James 1:17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. No one knows what we need more than God, and no one has greater riches from which to supply what we need. When we covet, we are telling God that we know better than He does. God has designed us so that He Himself is the ultimate fulfillment of our deepest desires. Ultimately, nothing less than God Himself will satisfy our souls and produce contentment and joy. We are not to covet our neighbor’s house: their possessions, their position in the community, or their standard of living. Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard, which was next to his palace, because he wanted to make it into his vegetable garden. When Naboth refused to sell him his vineyard, Ahab’s wife Jezebel arranged to have Naboth killed. She paid false witnesses to lie and claim that Naboth had cursed God, which was a capital crime in Israel. After Naboth had been ‘legally’ executed according to the Mosaic Law, Ahab took possession of the vineyard. In this case, coveting, (#10), led to bearing false witness, (# 9), stealing, (#7), and murder (#6). We are not to covet our neighbor’s wife, (or husband.). King David saw Bathsheba bathing, coveted her, and committed adultery with her, even though she was married to one of his finest soldiers named Uriah. When she became pregnant, David arranged to have Uriah murdered by abandoning him when he was in a fierce battle with Israel’s enemies. He then attempted to cover up their adultery by marrying her. In this case, David’s coveting led to adultery, stealing, lying, and murder. We are not to covet our neighbor’s servants or anything that belongs to our neighbor. Their business, their employees, their lifestyle, their reputation all have been entrusted to them by God. Coveting is a mother sin that gives birth to other sins. Breaking the other nine commandments often begins with coveting. Eve coveted being like god and knowing good and evil. As a result of her coveting, sin, suffering and death entered the universe. Jesus warned against coveting when He said in Luke 12:15 “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of covetousness; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” Coveting draws us away from worshipping God, and puts us in the center. Life is not all about me! Life is all about a relationship with God Himself though Jesus Christ. The cure for coveting is contentment; with God Himself, and whatever He chooses to provide. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, The very first sin ever committed on planet earth was the sin of bearing false witness or lying. When Satan tempted Eve to rebel against God, he did so on the basis of a lie. God had told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:4 “You shall not surely die!,” which was a bald faced lie. Eve believed Satan’s lie, both Adam and Eve ate the fruit, and death entered the human race at that moment. That’s why Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies, and a murderer from the beginning. Lies can kill. That’s why God said in Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. What is a lie? Arthur Pink once wrote that a lie consists of three elements. 1. speaking what is not true, 2. intentionally doing so and, 3. doing so with the intention of deceiving. Lying is purposely speaking what you know to be untrue, with the motive of deceiving the listener. This command forbids false testimony or witness. It usually took place in a court of law or legal proceeding. All courts are designed to uphold justice, which is to protect the innocent, and prosecute the guilty. This can only happen when testimony is truthful. When a person enters the witness stand, they swear before God to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” In other words, ‘I promise to speak the truth, because God Himself is listening.’ If they lie, they are attacking the life and the reputation of the one they are lying about. Your reputation is priceless. It determines your credibility in your community, and how people perceive and treat you. When someone lies about your character or conduct, they are killing you with their words, as surely as if they had put a knife in your heart. A reputation once lost is almost impossible to recover. There are lots of ways to lie about someone or something. Gossip, slander, exaggeration, unjust criticism, flattery and even silence can all be forms of lying that harm others. However, just because you know the truth about a situation, doesn’t mean you are always free to speak about it. It’s ok to say, “I’m not free to talk about that matter.” The Bible commands us in Ephesians 4:15 to speak the truth in love. This gets to the heart of the matter, which the matter of the heart. If my motive in speaking the truth is to harm another, then I am using the truth as a weapon, rather than loving my neighbor as myself. Who is my neighbor? The story of the Good Samaritan demonstrates that everyone is my neighbor. In the context of this command, everyone who could be affected by my words is my neighbor. Most of the commandments given in the second table of the law were given to protect our neighbor. Do not murder protects our neighbor’s life. Do not commit adultery protects their marriage, family and posterity. Do not steal protects their property and livelihood. Do not bear false witness protects their reputation, their good name. Bearing false witness can have deadly consequences. The book of Acts records that the Jewish religious leaders were unable to cope with Stephen’s powerful preaching about Jesus. So they encouraged false witnesses to come forward and claim that Stephen had blasphemed against the temple and the law. On the basis of this false testimony they stoned him to death. Jesus Himself was crucified on the basis of false testimony when He was on trial. God commands us in Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. This is a command to not only stop deceiving, but to start speaking the truth. We must choose to love our neighbors and protect them by living and speaking the truth. Speaking the truth in love honors God and blesses others. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, There is a world of difference between me saying to you, “What’s mine is yours,” (that’s charity), and you saying to me, “What’s yours is mine.” (that’s theft.). The eighth commandment simply says, Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal. Eve was the very first human to break this command when she stole and ate fruit from the tree that God told her and Adam not to eat. God worked to create His universe, and God commanded His people to work 6 days a week in order to earn their own living. Honest work creates value that someone else is willing to pay you to do. God sanctions private property ownership as a result of work, and forbids theft. This command protects our neighbors right to own and use what they earned through their hard work and God’s blessing. Stealing is taking what belongs to someone else without their permission. The source of stealing is covetousness. Coveting says, “I want something that belongs to someone else.” The thief says, “I don’t want to work to earn it, I don’t want to wait to get it, so I’m just going to take it, and I don’t care gets hurt in the process.” When Israel conquered Jericho, God commanded that everything in the city was to be dedicated to God and brought into the tabernacle. No one was to keep anything for themselves. A man named Achan saw gold, silver and expensive clothing in Jericho, coveted and stole them. As a result, God withdrew His blessing, the Israelite army was routed by the small city of Ai, and 36 Israelite soldiers lost their lives. God commanded Joshua to take Achan outside the camp, and stone him to death. Clearly God takes theft seriously. God told Israel that the next city they conquered, they could keep all the spoil for themselves. Achan should have been more patient; he could have gotten what he wanted with God’s blessing. Thieves are seldom patient. Jesus was crucified between two men who were being executed for robbery. Robbers are thieves who steal by force of arms. Clearly, Rome took theft seriously as well! Theft is wrong because God owns everything. God loans His possessions to each person as He chooses. I Corinthians 4: 7 asks an obvious question “…….what do you have that you did not receive? Answer: nothing. I Timothy 6:7 We brought nothing into this world, and we are not going to take anything out either. Every person is responsible to God to faithfully manage what God has entrusted to them. When someone steals from someone else, they are really stealing what belongs to God. There are lots of ways people steal. Borrowing money and not paying it back, underpaying or late paying people who work for you, doing less than a day’s work for a day’s pay, under reporting income or inflating deductions on your tax return, plagiarizing someone’s ideas without giving credit; all of these are theft. The book of Malachi says that people steal from God when they fail to give Him their tithes and offerings. God gives us eternal life which begins at the moment of salvation. He also gives us time, talents and treasures that we are to use for His glory. When we spend them on ourselves instead of using them as God intended, we are stealing from Him. When God blesses us and we take the credit for it, we are stealing from God. Probably the best-known example of a thief who repented is a man named Zacchaeus. He collected taxes for the Roman Empire, and anything he could collect beyond the Roman tax requirement, he could keep for himself. Needless to say, he became quite rich through extortion and fraud. However, when Zacchaeus met Jesus, he repented and paid back fourfold of everything he had stolen. Ephesians 4:28 Let him who steals steal no more; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Go and do likewise! Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, We’re studying the ten commandments. It’s important to realize that the character of God is the reason for the commandments. Lying is wrong, because God is the God of truth. Murder is wrong, because God is the giver of life. Stealing is wrong, because God commanded people to work six days in order to earn their own livelihood. Adultery is wrong, because God’s love is faithful and pure. Practically speaking, adultery probably causes more relational misery than violating any other commandment. It doesn’t take a life as in murder, but it damages and destroys multiple lives. Adultery is like a huge earthquake that creates a massive tsunami that damages lives, even ones that are far away from the epicenter. Adultery ruins marriages, children, family, friends, finances, careers, and health. That’s one of the reasons why God commanded in Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery. Adultery is sexual infidelity. It's having a sexual relationship with a person other than your marriage partner. It’s breaking the marriage covenant and betraying your spouse. The Latin word adulterium means “contamination.” We say that pure honey is adulterated when inferior elements like corn syrup are added to it. Adultery contaminates the pure love God intended to be shared only between spouses. God considers marriage so sacred, that He commanded ancient Israel to apply the death penalty to adulterers. God is the author of marriage and He designed it to be exclusively monogamous. Genesis 2:18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh. God’s design for marriage is one man and one woman married for a lifetime. One flesh is being permanently glued together. It reflects the reality that a new entity has been created. God takes you and me, and makes us. It’s easy to say that the seventh command doesn’t apply to me, because I’d never commit adultery. However, Jesus extended adultery into the realm of our thought life. Matthew 5:27-28 ….everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. This command applies to women as well. Jesus intensified the law by going beyond our behavior into our motives. Looking reveals the intention of our hearts. David looked at Bathsheba with lust before he committed adultery with her. You can’t stop yourself from seeing, but you can stop yourself from staring. The first look is unavoidable; the second look is intentional. Job 31:1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin? Job prepared in advance for his battle with temptation. He promised himself that he would not look at young women with lust. Men are often tempted by their eyes, like Samson or David. Women are more often tempted by their ears and their hearts. Adultery always occurs in the head before it occurs in the bed. It ultimately occurs because people believe Satan’s lie that their own way to joy and satisfaction is better than God’s way. James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he, (or she), is carried away and enticed by his own lust. The key is to rein in our thoughts like we rein in a horse. We must discipline our thought life. Philippians 4:8 Whatever true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things This is a command to habitually focus your mind on what is good and Godly. This means to hit the off button on most of what the world calls ‘entertainment.’ Galatians 5:16 Walk by the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. As we walk arm in arm with the Holy Spirit wherever He leads, we will be able to successfully resist the lusts of the flesh. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, Today’s world can be a violent place. We read about someone getting killed over a pair of tennis shoes, money for drugs, or even a disrespectful look. We’re studying the Ten Commandments, and today we are looking at number six. Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder. Our biggest problem with this command is that we think it doesn’t apply to us. We have never literally murdered anyone. But we have murdered people in our thoughts and attitudes. Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22 that if you are angry with your brother you are guilty of murdering him………in your heart. Jesus moves from the fruit of murder to the root of murder. An evil angry heart is the cause; murder is the consequence. Unrestrained anger is the seed that grows into murder. And, it’s often anger with those closest to you, like family members and friends. Cain became very angry with his brother Abel before he murdered him, even though God had warned him in advance about controlling his anger. Jesus then went on to say that if you say to your brother ‘Raca', or ‘you fool’, you will be in danger of hell itself. Raca is an insult that means ‘idiot, moron, or empty headed.’ It is a direct attack on that persons worth or value. Calling someone a fool is attacking their character. People often murder other people with their mouth. In today’s world, cruel and abusive speech on social media posts often goes far beyond calling someone a fool. Some of is not even fit to print. Peoples’ words reveal the murder that’s in their heart and in their mouth. God forbids murder in your heart, with your mouth, or with your hands. This is a direct reflection of the sanctity of human life. Human life has intrinsic value. Life itself is a gift from God and as such, God alone has the authority to give life or take it. When murder occurs, people are usurping God’s role. Murder is people playing God. So what exactly is murder? Murder is the premeditated deliberate taking of innocent human life. It generally does not apply to military warfare or self-defense, although some believe that this command is a blanket prohibition against taking any life in any form under any circumstances. The reason human life is sacred is because humans are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 And God created man in HIs own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. The image of God makes human life different from all other life forms. Image means likeness, form, or representation. It means something closely patterned after an original. It’s somewhat like an ancient king erecting a statue of himself; the statue bears the image of the king. Images are created to reflect the reality and the value of who they represent. When someone defaces or destroys a statue, they are really attacking the person that statue represents. When someone murders a human being, with their words or their hands, they are also attacking God who created that person in His own image. God is so opposed to murder that He explicitly commanded capital punishment as a consequence. Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man. The penalty for murder is so severe, because the image of God in people is infinitely precious. God values people so much that He paid for their redemption through the death of His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Let’s stop murdering people in our minds or with our mouths. God calls us to love others by giving ourselves in service for their benefit every day. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, Years ago, the Duke of Windsor observed, “The thing that impresses me about America is the way parents obey their children.” This is exactly the opposite of how God designed the family. God commanded children, including adult children in Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. God commanded children who are young enough to be under their parents’ authority in Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. The first four of the Ten Commandments focus on our vertical relationship with God. They teach us how to “love the LORD with all our heart.” “Honor your father and your mother” is the first of the six horizontal commandments, where the primary focus is our relationship with other people. They teach us how to ‘love our neighbors as ourselves.’ Human relationships are some of life’s greatest joys and greatest sorrows. The last six commands are God’s blueprint for human relationships. When Adam and Eve sinned, they rebelled against God’s authority and sin entered the world. Sin separated people from God, and it also corrupted human relationships. Instead of submitting to authority and serving each other, humans now want to rule over others. God is the ultimate authority, and He calls every human being to submit to the proper authority. For example, God established human government for the benefit and protection of society. Romans 13 commands us to submit to human government, unless the government commands us to disobey God. Then we are to obey God rather than men, and live with the consequences. The most fundamental human relationship is between parent and child. Marriage and family were God’s first social institution. They are a physical picture of God’s relationship with His spiritual family. Parent-child and family relationships are to be characterized by honor. Honor, means heavy or weighty. It means to give weight, and authority to that person. Honor means to prize highly, to care for, to respect and value. It is an internal attitude of deep respect for your parents. It is also accompanied by external actions of submission when appropriate. So children should honor their parents, and parents should live in a manner worthy of their children’s honor. An example of this is the story of Noah and his son Ham. After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, made wine and got drunk. Inside his tent he took off his clothes, and his son Ham saw him in a drunken stupor. Ham went outside and began to ridicule his father Noah to his other two brothers. When Noah found out, he cursed the descendants of his son Ham. So Ham dishonored his father, but Noah did not behave in a manner that was worthy of honor. Many children have grown up with parents who were committed evildoers. They were ungodly, incompetent parents. God says that you can disagree with your parents behavior, and still do it in a respectful manner. As in all things, Jesus is our model. Luke 2:51 tells us that Jesus honored His earthy parents, Joseph and Mary, by submitting to them, even though He was God in human form. Jesus also submitted to HIs heavenly Father throughout his life on earth. John 12:49 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. Vs 50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me. When He was on earth, Christ submitted to His heavenly Fathers authority, down to the very words He spoke! This command promises a long life if you obey it. It is not a guarantee of long life in an absolute sense. It states a principle that proper family relationships in general produce healthier, less stressed lives than do family relationships characterized by strife, hatred and rebellion. As we first honor and obey our heavenly Father, He will guide us in honoring our earthly parents. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, Martin Luther once said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” He was a man who understood the fourth commandment. Exodus 20: 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Vs 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Vs 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. Vs 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. People’s views of the Sabbath have changed dramatically over time. For generations, most of society literally stopped on Sundays, and everyone rested. We now live in a 24/7 world, and everyone expects everything to be available all the time. We believe that convenience is crucial, and so we justify round the clock work. We are reaping the consequences; sleep deprivation, as well as stress and health problems. God commanded His people to consciously remember the Sabbath day. It’s so easy to forget what God says when our busy schedules scream for our immediate attention. This command is defined as keeping one day in seven as holy to the LORD. Holy means to be ‘set apart for God.’ We keep the Sabbath day holy when we stop our regular work and rest. The word Sabbath literally means ‘to rest from work.’ God does command us to work for six days. Work means the regular occupational activity we do to earn a living. God’s people are called to be diligent and productive. However, God limits the amount of work that we are called to do. In God’s economy, more is not always better. If we can’t get our work done in six days, then we are probably doing more than God called us to do. If we trust God with the six days that we do work, we will be more productive than if we work seven days a week while depending on our own resources. This word rest does not mean complete inactivity, like a hibernating bear. It is a day when we stop our regular work so we can give to God what belongs to Him. Since 100% of our life belongs to Him, we should honor Him one day out of seven. The New Testament does not stipulate which day of the week to set aside for worship. Most Christians worship on Sunday, to celebrate the day the Christ rose from the dead. The authority for this command to rest comes from the example of God Himself. Genesis 2: 1-3 tells us that God rested on the seventh day, after He finished His work in the preceding six days. God did not rest because He got tired. Genesis 1: 31 says that “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” It seems as though God rested in order to enjoy what He had created. We humans need to rest so that we can enjoy Him, our Creator! The seventh day is the day we remember and worship God. Ray Prichard has said that the abiding principle of the fourth commandment is that we give God 1 day in 7, because 7 out of 7 days belong to Him. Keeping one day holy, reminds us Who is in control. It gives us the opportunity to say thank you to God for His blessings. It allows us to gain new strength for the challenges we will face in the next 6 days. Isaiah 40: 31…..says ‘those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength….’ Waiting on the LORD means stopping our own agendas. It means making time to listen for God for His guidance and strength. It means gaining God’s perspective and power for our lives. Sunday is a great day to do that. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, Names are important, especially your own name. If someone mispronounces or misspells your name, it bothers you, because your name represents who you are. Your parents probably spent hours figuring out what name to give you. When you hear the name Abraham Lincoln, you think of wise, courageous, honest leadership. When you hear the name Adolph Hitler, you think of an evil tyrant who started wars, and caused millions of innocent deaths and untold suffering. There is a lot of power in a name, especially in God’s name. In the Ten Commandments, the third one reads, Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave Him unpunished who takes His name in vain. In the Bible, your name represented the essence of your character, identity and reputation. Solomon said that “a good name is more desirable than great riches.” Proverbs 22:1. If you had a good name, it meant there was already a foundation of good character and conduct in your life. God’s name represents everything He is. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said to pray to God the Father by saying “Hallowed be Thy Name.” Hallowed means holy, pure, revered, honored, and set apart as sacred. “Hallowed be Thy name” is the opposite of taking the name of the LORD in vain. In vain means lightly or casually. Instead of treating God with honor, it’s treating God with ‘informal unconcern.' It’s like writing a letter to the Governor asking for a pardon from a life sentence in prison, and then signing it, “casually yours.” Life in prison is not a casual matter. We treat God casually when we give him the leftovers of our schedules. ‘If there’s nothing else going on this Sunday……I might go to church.’ ‘I read my Bible last thing before bedtime……..if I can stay awake.’ When you take God seriously, your relationship with Him is the most important thing in your life. When an issue is really important, we say that it’s a heavy or weighty matter. When you treat God lightly; you’re not giving Him the honor He deserves. You wouldn’t address the Queen of England as “Lizzy,” or even “Elizabeth.” That’s taking her name in vain. You would say, “Your Majesty.” People take God’s name in vain when they use His name as a curse. Profanity is treating what is sacred with disrespect. When you say, “God damn you” you are praying that God will send that person to hell, and yet it often said with no thought that God Himself is listening. People take God’s name in vain when they use His name thoughtlessly. I once knew someone who said, “thank you Jesus” all the time. The problem was that it had become so routine, that it became meaningless. God’s name didn’t matter that much. People take God’s name in vain when they say, “God told me x or y,” and yet what they say contradicts what God has already said in scripture. That is putting your words in God’s mouth and lying about what God really said. God promises to punish those who treat Him casually. When King David brought the ark into Jerusalem, he brought it on an oxcart. God had commanded that the ark was only to be carried by the Levites. When the oxen stumbled, a man named Uzzah touched the ark to steady it, and God struck him dead. When you disobey God, you are treating Him lightly, and God always judges disobedience. God doesn’t treat people casually, and we shouldn’t treat Him casually either. Jesus took people so seriously, that He laid down His life on the cross for their sins. We should take God so seriously that we honor His Name by what we say and how we live. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved