There is an eighth thing, and that is that they are a mirror. The Bible says in the New Testament they are a mirror to show what we really are. They are a school master, the Bible says, to show us that we can't keep them and fulfill them--to show us that if we tried to save ourselves by keeping the Ten Commandments it would be impossible. Everybody has broken at least one of those Ten Commandments. Some folks have broken all of them. Every once in a while I run into somebody and ask them about their relationship with the Lord Jesus, and they will say, "Well, I try to keep the Ten Commandments," as if they've done it. No, nobody has kept the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments tell us what God expects, and grace says, "You couldn't do it, so you need to have help," because no man has kept them.

Over on Blackwell's Island, an island where criminals are buried, on one of the tombstones it says something like, "Here lies the fragments of John Smith. John Smith played football with the Ten Commandments. He contradicted them and they broke him. He is survived by his wife and a mother; they alone weep for him. May God have mercy on his soul."

The Ten Commandments mirror our failure as human beings and standard for life.

And then the last thing is, that they are to instill powerful living and joy in our lives, not fear. You see, God wants to bring faith, joy, peace and love in our lives. When a person does the best they can do to follow the Lord through Jesus Christ, and keep the commandments, that brings powerful and joyful living. You see, a person that's keeping the law, that's doing what's right, that's seeking God with all his heart -- doesn't have to fear. It's like the criminal who breaks the law; he's afraid of every policeman. He's afraid of every squad car because he knows they may be looking for him. And when a man breaks the law, goes against God and does that which God isn't pleased with, that brings fear. But when a man knows Christ in his heart and seeks to keep His way, that brings joy and power in living.

Some people look at the Ten Commandments and they say, "Oh, look at all those negatives! That must be what Christianity is like." I heard about a missionary who went to a nation that had a group of cannibals. He went in to get the cannibals, to try to reach them with the gospel. He was a "hard-nose missionary," and he was dealing with some "hard-nose" cannibals. (They are the kind that sharpen their teeth to get a better bite on their enemy.)

So he sat down eye-ball to eye-ball with the chief, who, by this time didn't have any teeth left. He was just the old chief, the old patriarch of the tribe. The missionary was telling him what it meant to be a Christian, and how God expected him to live.

After he had explained the gospel, the old chief said, "Does that mean that I will have to give up my many wives?" He said, "Yes." The chief said, "Does that mean that I cannot hide in the jungle, ambush my enemy and kill them?" He said, "Yes." The chief said "Does that mean that I cannot go into the other tribes and steal from them and enjoy what I steal?" He said, "Yes." The old cannibal chief bowed his head and said, "Well I'm too old to do that anyway, now. It looks like being a Christian and being old are the same thing!"