Pastor Sherry’s message for October 4, 2026

Scriptures: Ex 20:1-21; Ps 19; Phil 3:4b-14; Matt 21:33-46

The story is told of Josef Stalin (horrendous dictator of Soviet Russia from 1924-1953, who killed between 6-9 million of his own countrymen), that……at one time [he] had been a seminary student, preparing for the ministry. At a later time it seems that he made a decisive change from his belief in God. This dramatic and complete reversal of conviction that resulted in his hatred for all religion is why Lenin choose Stalin and positioned him in authority-a choice Lenin too late regretted. (The name Stalin, which means “steel,” was not his real name, but was given to him by his contemporaries who fell under the steel-like determination of his will.) And as Stalin lay dying, his one last gesture was a clenched fist toward God, his heart as cold and hard as steel.”

(Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God, Word Publishing, 1994, p. 26).

How amazing to think Stalin had started out as a Christ-follower, only to defect to atheist communism. He came to believe that the Christian Church had helped oppress the people. And he perceived that the Eastern Orthodox Church held too much power—power that could be turned against the communists. So he killed and imprisoned many, many religious leaders.   In an incredible example of human pride, it would seem that he grew tired of waiting on God to change human behavior and irradicate human injustice, and took the job into his own hands.

That the Church still survives in Russia, despite decades of persecution, is a testimony to the fact that dictators can control our behaviors but not our minds. Furthermore, look at the oppressive tactics communist dictators use to coerce compliance (between Russia and China, in the 1900’s their leaders were responsible for 100 million deaths):

• 1. Walls to keep people in, rather than out (the former Berlin Wall);
• 2. Shooting people who try to escape;
• 3. Imprisonment, executions, and brain-washing;
• 4. Even starvation.

Communism and Socialism promise so much free stuff, but rarely deliver. In supressing motivation and free enterprise, they soon run out of money or the desire to provide even essential services. My son currently works with a naturalized Cuban woman whose parents are still living in Communist Havana. She reports that her folks are allotted 2 hours of electricity a day, at erratic times. If the current is on at 3:00am, they have to do their cooking and bathing then. We have all heard of bread lines that become the norm when food supplies run scarce. As Margaret Thatcher once said,“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

Contrast this with our God Who wants us to live by a moral code, but never forces our compliance: 

A.   Psalm 19, written by David, reminds us of how God’s glory is on display in His creation (v.1 NLT) The heavens declare the Glory of God; the skies display His craftsmanship   His masterpieces are all available for all to see: oceans, sunsets, beautiful mountains. This is what theologians call “general revelation,” available to anyone to perceive, whereas Scripture and Jesus constitute “specific revelation.”

Beginning in verse 7, David extols or celebrates God’s specific revelation of Himself in His Law The Commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clean, giving insight for living. From this side of the Cross, we know adhering to the Law alone cannot save us.   Actually, the Law proves to us that we are not perfect;   that is, it holds up for mirror in which we can see how much and how often we fall short of that high standard. God’s Law makes clear to us that we need a savior, a rescuer, a redeemer.   That famous verse 14 foreshadows Jesus May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Jesus is our Rock;   Jesus is our Redeemer.

B.   Our Exodus lesson (20:1-20) spells out the 10 Commandments. These 10 laws are the foundation of moral behavior. The first 4 tell how we are to behave toward God; the last 6 specify how we are to behave toward other people. The Chinese communist leader, Ji Jing Ping, has recently altered each of the 10 commandments to fit communist rhetoric—Woe be unto Him! Lord, please frustrate the ways of the wicked!

The 10 Commandments of the Bible are not meant to cramp our style, but rather to ensure that we live morally and peaceably with our neighbors;to ensure a sense of security and safety for all of us.

Consider how many of the commandments are broken daily in the United States today, and observe the results: Gangs of looters steal store goods without consequences in major cities (Commandment #8:Thous shalt not steal).   I saw an expose this week on Seattle, the city where I was born. The reporter showed a whole block downtown, adjacent to the famous Pike’s Place Market, where all of the storefronts are now vacant. Homeless encampments, drug dealing, shop-lifting, and vandalism have led businesses to close. This block used to be a vibrant tourist area, but the current Socialist mayor (and her predecessor) has done nothing to make it a safe environment for businesses, shoppers, or tourists.   It is true that if Mayors and DA’s don’t prosecute and punish those who are guilty, prices go up—so that we all pay—or stores and restaurants go out of business.

Similarly, Lying—(Commandment #9)–is so commonplace in Washington D.C. that we no longer have confidence in most of our governmental officials or agencies, or most news media. Truth-telling is essential in a democratic republic. People running for office make big promises, but we have to note how what they say today compares with what they said (captured on video or social media) before running for office.   Many lie to get elected, then do what they want.   We need to remember that—baring an encounter with Christ or some other life-altering event (jail time, surviving a bout with cancer or a car wreck)—the field of Psychology tells us that the single best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Don’t even get me started on #6, murder, or #7, adultery. If you know someone whose family member has been murdered, or whose parents, spouse, or sibling suffered through an adultery, you know the impacts are long-lasting and incredibly painful.

These are not kill-joy commandments, but rather the guardrails on the “mountain pass highway of life.” As I have told you before, we are like Ferraris or Rolls Royces. We are not meant for driving off the side of the road into the brush.   When we disregard any of the commandments, we run the risk of tearing ourselves up, spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.

Someone has said, “Grace is what God is, while Law captures God’s thinking with regard to what people out to be.)

(J. V. McGee, Through the Bible Commentary on Exodus, Thomas Nelson, 1991, pp.23-25.)

C. We might say that Paul is on a roll in our epistle lesson today, Philippians 3:4b-14.   He cites all his credentials:

1. He was raised by godly parents;

2. He was born into the tribe of Benjamin, Jacob’s favorite son in his old age, and thus a favored tribe. The first king of Israel, Saul, came from the tribe of Benjamin.

3. He was a leader of the Hebrews and a Pharisee, a teacher and protector of the law;

4. He was so zealous for God that he persecuted members of the infant Christian Church, believing they were heretics;

5. And he kept God’s Law scrupulously, always offering the designated sacrifices for his sins—not perfect, but perfectly compliant.

Despite all these glowing accomplishments, he—since coming to know Jesus—has discerned that they are as useless as scubala, human or animal waste products (often translated as filthy rags). None of our human successes earns us heaven. Neither our lineage nor our achievements can save us. So he implores us to realize this in our own lives and seek out Jesus. Like a runner in an Olympic relay race, we want to (v.12, NIV) …press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Additionally, he urges us to (v.14) Forget [ing] what is behind [us] and strain [ing] toward what is ahead, … [we] press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus.   

He wants us to recognize that nothing earthly is more important than our relationship with God.   He wants us to put God first in our lives.

D. Finally, our Matthew 21:33-46 passage, Jesus gives us a front row seat to a major confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders. Remember, last week we considered the Parable of the Two Sons.   That story immediately precedes this second condemning parable. In it, Jesus rightly accused them of having said “yes” to God’s call on their lives to serve Him, but then lived their lives as if they had said “no.”  He is even firmer in His judgments against them in this one, the Parable of the Tenants. The vineyard owner is God and the vineyard is Israel. The rebellious tenants are the Jewish religious leadership. The servants thrown out or killed were the prophets. The son is of course Jesus.

He asks the leaders what the owner of the vineyard will do to those rebellious tenants when he returns. They answer correctly (v.41)–>He [God the Father] will bring those wretches to a wretched end…and He will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give Him His share of the crop at harvest time. Though they have studied Scripture, they have missed recognizing God’s Son, the Messiah. Notice, Jesus predicts His death at their hands; but He also exclaims (v.43)–>Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.   Jesus is straight out telling them that the leadership of God’s mission to save human kind will be transferred from them to the emerging Christian Church.This, of course, enrages them.   Five chapters later, in Matthew’s Gospel, they arrest and execute Him. Then in 70AD, a generation after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Romans descend on Jerusalem and raze it to the ground.They kill the disabled, small children, and the elderly, and take all the rest off to slavery.  Additionally, they tear down the Temple of God, burning the marble and plowing up the foundations.   

Though not believers, the dictators Josef Stalin and Xi Jinping are rebellious tenants. Similarly, the Jewish religious leadership of Jesus’ day were also rebellious tenants. Jesus stripped them of their leadership over God’s earthly kingdom with the Roman invasion under Titus in 70AD. Imagine what punishments await the communist leaders of this and the past century! It is a seriously critical mistake to reject Christ.   Our God has revealed Himself—and His heart–through His creation and His Law. His laws are meant for our good—to keep us from crashing and burning. Neither they nor our own excellent achievements can save us.But, in His mercy, our God has sent us His Son, Jesus to save and to redeem us.Let us thank Him, praise Him, accept Him, and obey Him. Amen!

©️2026 Rev. Dr. Sherry Adams