The Ten Commandments Introduction to the Commandments Original

The Ten Commandments

Introduction to the Commandments • Original Setting – Thou Shalt vs. Therefore • Three uses of the Law • Curb • Mirror • Guide Two Tables of the Law • First Table – Actions Towards God (I-III) • Second Table – Actions Toward Neighbor (IV-X)

1 st Commandment Thou shalt… have no other gods before Me.

What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.

False Gods Whatever we fear, love, and trust in…

Who is the true God?

Ways to think about the Trinity 1 X 1 X 1=1 G – O – D

Why we believe in the Trinity • Three Persons – Matthew 3: 13 -17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? " 15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. " Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. " • One God – Deuteronomy 6: 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

2 nd Commandment Thou shalt… not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble. Pray, praise, and give thanks.

Wrong Ways to Use God’s Name Teaching F a l s e When not telling the truth Living

Right Ways to Use God’s Name Pray Sing Praise Witness

Bible Verses • Exodus 20: 7 “The LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. ” • Psalm 96: 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

3 rd Commandment Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Thou shalt sanctify the holy day. )

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

Two Main Ideas Time with God Rest

Bible Verses • Genesis 2: 2 -3 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Bible Verses • Colossians 3: 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. • Luke 11: 28 "Blessed…are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Sabbath is not…

Sabbath is…

4 th Commandment Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not despise our parents and masters, nor provoke them to anger, but give them honor, serve and obey them, and hold them in love and esteem.

Why honor authorities?

One Exception Acts 5: 27 -29 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. " But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. ”

Bible Verses • Romans 13: 1 -2 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed • Matthew 15: 4 For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother, ' and, 'Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die. '

5 th Commandment Thou shalt not kill.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need.

No Just About… But About… All Kinds of Hurt Murder Matthew 5: 21 -22 You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. ' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.

Abortion The Truth: • Life begins at conception The statistics: • Number of abortions per year: Approximately 46 Million • Number of abortions per day: Approximately 126, 000 One Verse: • Psalm 139: 13 -14 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Euthanasia -the act or practice of killing…of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy – Merriam - Webster General principles of end of life decisions: • Death is neither greatest friend or greatest foe • We never aim at death • All done with prayer and trust in God’s gracious nature

Embryonic Stem Cells Research sounds great. It seems to be a modern day miracle…. so why would we be against it as God’s people? Because each time a embryonic stem cell is removed, that embryo, that tiny baby is killed.

What about Capital Punishment? Romans 13: 4 But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he (the authority or ruler) does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

What about war? Basic Principles: One may engage in war if the authorities over them are sanctioning the war and the war which they sanction is a just war, seeking to punish the evil.

6 th Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in word and deed, and each love and honor his spouse.

All other. Remarriage sex is sin. After 1 Corinthians 6: 9 -11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do Unbiblical not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will Divorce inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were Sex belongs in…. Premarital Sex 1 Corinthians 6: 9 -11 SEX Matthew 19: 9 sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Romans 1: 26 -27 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged relations those that aredivorces contraryhistowife, nature; 27 and the menimmorality, likewise gave Matthewnatural 19: 9 And I say toforyou: whoever except for sexual and up Exodus 20: 14 consumed You shall not commit adultery. natural relations with women and were with passion for one another, men committing marries another, commits adultery. " shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. Marriage Adultery Exodus 20: 14 Homosexuality Romans 1: 26 -27

Not Just Deeds Matthew 5: 27 -28 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery. ' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Why does God care so much about marriage? • It is the most basic unit of all society • It is a picture of His relationship to His people Ephesians 5: 22 -32 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. " 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

What God says about Divorce? Malachi 2: 16 “For I hate divorce, " says the LORD, the God of Israel. Matthew 19: 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. " 1 Corinthians 7: 13, 15 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved.

7 th Commandment Thou shalt not steal.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money or goods, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.

Obvious Stealing

Not So Obvious Stealing

Robbing God? Malachi 3: 8 -10 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You? ' In tithes and offerings. 9 "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, " says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

8 th Commandment Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Lie

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

The Truth Behind this Commandment. W . . ords Reputations And so we as God’s children refrain from: • Slander – Saying what we know is false • Gossip – Saying what we do not know for sure • Telling Truths that Hurt – Saying True Hurtful Things

Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive. - Sir Walter Scott The Real Danger with Lies are like dominoes, one falling usually leads to another.

General Principle for Faithful th 8 Commandment Living “put the best construction on everything”

9 th Commandment Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor's inheritance or house, nor obtain it by a show of right, but help and be of service to him in keeping it.

10 th Commandment Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away from our neighbor his wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and do their duty.

The World Says…

Covet

God Says…

Be Content Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Coveting leads us down the path to: Stealing Adultery Murder Lying Disobedience

Review of the Ten Commandments Uses: 1. Curb 2. Mirror 3. Guide Love God I. Keep God Number One II. Use God’s Name Properly III. Sabbath Love Neighbor IV. Honor Authority V. Protect Life VI. Keep Sex for Marriage VII. Protect other’s things VIII. Tell the Truth IX. Be Content