Hope in OBEDIENCE Hope in OBEDIENCEhope for today Please click to watch the intro video for this section located at:

hope for today KEY TEXT: Romans 7:12, 22 “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.” SECTION 1 God’s Rules— the Pleasure of Obeying Them FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 119:92 Hope in OBEDIENCE

hope for today CONSIDER: There are many commandments and rules in Scripture, all of which are designed for our good, but God proclaimed ten basic commandments upon which all other rules and commandments in the Bible are based. Even in modern countries many civil laws derive from those commandments. DISCUSS: How is it possible to view God’s rules as a delight? SECTION 1 God’s Rules— the Pleasure of Obeying Them Hope in OBEDIENCE

SECTION 2 The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships hope for today KEY TEXT: Read Exodus 20:2-17. FURTHER STUDY: Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Psalm 119:105 Hope in OBEDIENCE

hope for today CONSIDER: Our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow human beings are spelled out in the Ten Commandments. The first tells us that God, our Redeemer and Creator, must be our top priority. The second prohibits idol worship, which includes not only bowing before an image but also devoting ourselves to matters other than God. The third guards against the profane, wrongful use of God’s name. The fourth reminds us to commemorate God’s creation by resting on the seventh day of each week. Hope in OBEDIENCE SECTION 2 The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships

hope for today CONSIDER (continued): The fifth points out our responsibility to love and nurture our aging parents. The next three (sixth, seventh, eighth) describe how we should relate to people around us: viewing all human life as sacred, guarding the sanctity of marriage, and respecting the property of others. In the ninth man is implored to be trustworthy in word and action. Lastly, the tenth commandment addresses our thoughts - - calling for love and contentment and the acknowledgment of God as our Redeemer. Hope in OBEDIENCE SECTION 2 The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships

hope for today DISCUSS: Do we relate to God and Man in similar ways or differently? Hope in OBEDIENCE SECTION 2 The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships

SECTION 3 The Result of Obedience hope for today KEY TEXT: John 14:15-16 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” FURTHER STUDY: Romans 3:20 Hope in OBEDIENCE

hope for today CONSIDER: We are redeemed by faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not by keeping the Law. But having been saved by Jesus we enter the family of God and adopt a lifestyle consistent with God’s character. Redeemed as a result of God’s love, we respond by living a life of obedience to Him. Hope in OBEDIENCE SECTION 3 The Result of Obedience DISCUSS: Is obeying the Ten Commandments an act of love? Does keeping the Ten Commandments save us from sin?

INVITATION hope for today Only one human being, Jesus Himself, kept God’s law perfectly. All others have broken that written standard of God’s character. But we needn’t despair: Jesus offers His perfect obedience in place of our imperfect obedience when we repent of our sins. Genuine hope results - - even when our best efforts fall short of God’s standard. God has truly covered the bases and enabled us to be saved. Will you therefore delight to do His will? Hope in OBEDIENCE