We need to know these, not just memorize them in order.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, Lord God, we come before you with thanksgiving. All the praise and glory be to you. God, we are doing an in-depth study of your Word of the Ten Commandments. Today, we begin with Commandments one and two. Please, Father, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and the ability to understand what you wish us to know. In Jesus' name, Amen!
Teaching our children the Ten Commandments in Sunday school is not bad. Understanding that Commandment 6 says Thou shalt not murder is a good thing. Knowing that Commandment 5 is the first with a promise is beneficial. However,
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9Understanding the Ten Commandments is more than just counting. 1 through 10.
"My son, keep your father's commandment,
and forsake not your mother's teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you.
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
And when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, " Proverbs 6:20-23
The Ten Commandments were not given to man to make man's life more difficult. To refrain man from the things he loves. They were given to man to make man's life easier. To keep him from the snares of the devil. Understanding, not only what they are, but what they mean, is crucial to every child of God's growth and well-being.
You can find them in.
Exodus 20:1-17
"And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’ You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it, you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and 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.
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
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."
Also in Deuteronomy 5
These commandments given to us by God Himself are simple to understand. They are not something for our children to learn how to say in order in Sunday School. Nor something we should look at and say, yeah, makes sense. They are something given to us by God, to keep always.
The sad thing is, many of our churches today have stopped actually teaching them. What do they mean? Are they really important? That shows the failure of many churches to instruct them. People have a basic understanding, believe in God, don't kill, uh, don't cheat on your spouse. Oh, and love your mom and dad. Or something like that. Right?
What do they mean? If it is, and it is, more important to know what they mean than simply what they are, then what do they mean? This is what we will be looking at.
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:2-3
It seems pretty simple.
"In the beginning, God created heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1
"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7
God is. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He is the great
"I Am." He is the one who created all things. He is a God of Love. He IS Love. He is God. Not some made-up thing. Not some concept or idea. Not something to take as casually as, say, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. He IS God.
"But I was never in Egypt. I was never in bondage. So this does not apply to me." Wrong. You were in the worst bondage you could ever be in. The bondage of sin and death. It was God who, through Jesus, set you free from that.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!" Romans 8:1-2,15
God is the one who sets you free. Yeshua, or as translated Jesus, is the one who paid the price. Yes. God did bring you out
"from the house of bondage."Why is the truth of God diminishing? Becoming a concept and idea more so than reality? Many reasons. One of the main ones is that some have stopped teaching who He is.
The "theory" of evolution has replaced God in our schools. Even though evolution minus God is both scientifically and mathematically impossible, they forbid the possibility of including God in the equation. By doing so, you eliminate the very science you claim to love. It becomes junk science. Some in society say that it's OK to believe in whatever god you choose. If that big Purple Bunny in your backyard is your god. Good for you. We will say that it is equal to the God of the Bible. It's all good.
Even some of our churches have stopped teaching who God is. Instead, they are teaching man-made traditions called religion. What does God say about this or that? "The church says." Yeah, well, the commandments say. "But Jesus came and taught us another way." No, he didn't. Jesus even warned us about that. He told those religious leaders of the day.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus then went on to explain that not only does He fulfill the Law, but He also enhances it. 21-48
Anger"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; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Lust“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
Divorce“It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Oaths“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.”
Retaliation“You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
Love Your Enemies“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Jesus did not come to abolish the Law. He came to fulfill it. He enhanced it. Churches and religions often get so caught up in teaching their traditions that they lose sight of God Himself. They teach things that go against God's truth.
In some cases, they even leave God out completely. God is not some old man sitting on a throne, waiting to cast you into hell. Get to know the real God—Our Father. Worship Him alone.
When we forget God, it then becomes easy, and perhaps even human nature, to create and worship Idols.
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4-6
Once again, seems pretty simple to understand. God is serious about this, folks. He was ready to destroy the Jewish people whom He brought out of bondage in Egypt. They created a golden Calf while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Commandments. Then Moses convinced God to repent. Can you imagine? Moses is telling God to repent.
In Deuteronomy 4:15-19
"Therefore, watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth.”
That statue of Mary? That statue of Jesus Himself? The cross? None of these things has any life in them.
"And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven."
Can you say Astrology? Horoscopes and such? I have known people who will not leave their homes until they find out what their horoscopes say about their day. The sun, moon, and stars will not protect you, nor keep you safe. When you look at them, you are looking at a creation. They are to God what the most beautiful building is to man. All of them are just created things. They have no life in them.
The key? Jesus.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
Not this saint or that one. Not Mary. Not the statue of Jesus, but Jesus Himself. That Statue of whatever has no life in it. It will do you no good. Neither will any other than Jesus Himself. Mary, the prophets, John, Paul, Peter, whatever, were for a time, and are now in heaven with God. Just like you will be when you leave. So they can not do anything for you themselves. Let alone their likenesses. What the Word is telling us is that these things, created by man, will perish with time. A fire will consume that statue as well, and it will destroy anything else. It will not protect you. It will not benefit you in any way. Only the true and living God can, and will.
We'll wrap it up today with this.
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony that God gave us: eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." 1 John 5
Coming up next time is part two, where we will discuss:
3 -
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
4 -
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."If you want to comment, ask questions, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is
truthbygod1@gmail.comMay the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13
