03/04/2005
What event
preceded the giving of the law?
How many
people were there in
vv.3, 4 –
God reminded
vv.5, 6 –
God revealed the privileged position
vv.7, 8 –
v.10 –
What does “consecrate” mean? (qadash) Prepare, dedicate, set apart
vv.12, 13
– The people were to keep a certain distance from the place where God would
speak.
v.15 –
They were to refrain from sexual activity.
Although
God was their Father Who cared for them, they were not to forget that He is the
sovereign creator of all things – infinitely above them.
How should
we display reverence for God’s holiness today in church? In prayer? In our
speech?
The first
4 commandments deal with mankind’s relation to God; the remaining 6 with
mankind’s relation to mankind.
#1: “You
shall have no other gods before me.” Does this mean “You may have other gods as
long as you put Me first”?
#2: “You
shall not make for yourself an idol.” How are we to worship God (John 4:24)?
#3: “You
shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.” In what ways can we misuse
God’s name? Using His name in an oath while not meaning the words at all.
#4: “Remember
the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” What was the purpose of the Sabbath? A
day of purposeful concentration on God – not a day of lying around doing
nothing.
#5: “Honor
your father and your mother.” What does it mean to “honor?” Respect, obey,
submission
#6: “You
shall not murder.” Does this forbid capital punishment or war?
#7: “You
shall not commit adultery.” What does
#8: “You
shall not steal.” Does the principle of this commandment go beyond obvious
theft? Deception in business; cheating a neighbor or the government; taking
towels from a hotel
#9: “You
shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” What is implied by “against
your neighbor?” This commandment primarily relates to testimony about
another person.
#10: “You
shall not covet.” What danger is there to having covetous feelings? It can
grow into obsession, and overpowering urge. It can destroy joy, fellowship, and
contentment.
What is
the significance of the order of the Ten Commandments?
My
take: The Ten Commandments tie into the two greatest commandments that Jesus
gave in the New Testament.
Read: Mat. 5:21, 22, 27, 28; 1 John 3:15
What does the verse teach about sin? God considers the
thought as equivalent to the act.
The law makes us conscious of sin.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom. 3:20)
The law shows how much we have sinned.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.
But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound… (Rom. 5:20)
The law makes us guilty before God.
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith
to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God. (Rom. 3:19)
…know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but
by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that
we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by
observing the law no one will be justified. (Gal. 2:16)
Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because,
“The righteous will live by faith.” (Gal. 3:11)
Christ is the end of the law so that there may be
righteousness for everyone who believes. (Rom. 10:4)
The law had a social value in regulating the life of
People must have laws, written or understood. Otherwise,
society becomes chaos.
(Lord of the Flies)
Are Christians under the law today? Why, then, do we study
these laws?
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness… (2 Tim. 3:16)
All but one commandment (which one? Sabbath) are
repeated in principle in the NT. Thus, Christians are required to obey these
commandments.
1. What benefit does each
command have for your personal life?
2. If you were being
tempted to break one of the commandments, how would the awareness of God’s
presence affect you?
3. Which of the
commandments do you find the most difficult to keep in thought, word, or
action?
1. Establish a Mental
Checkpoint –
Choose an activity that you do regularly (ie. get into your car, open the
refrigerator, look in a mirror). Each time you do that activity, think about
God’s presence. Remind yourself that God is with you. Make this activity and
thought a habit so that you become more aware of God’s presence with you
throughout the day. This activity will become a mental checkpoint for you,
directing you away from unhelpful or unholy thoughts and toward helpful, holy
ones.
2. Meditate on
Scripture –
Find New Testament passages that deal with the command you struggle with;
memorize one or two verses; think about these verses often. You may with to
include Galatians 5:16 as well (This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh). You may also want to post the
verses where you will see them throughout the day.
3. Make Yourself
Accountable
– You may want to ask a close friend or relative to be your accountability
partner. This person could regularly ask you how you are doing in thinking
about God’s presence, meditating on Scripture, and obeying the command that you
identified as difficult for you. The purpose of an accountability partner is to
keep the issue before you on a regular basis.