1. Exodus 20:1 – 20; Deuteronomy 5:1-21
The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20:1 – 20; Deuteronomy 5:1-21

2. Introduction
What comes to mind when someone says “The Ten Commandments”?
Or what images come to mind?

3. Background: What has happened up until this point of the Ten Commandments?
Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
Moses and the People of Israel worship the LORD for what he has done (Exodus 15:1 - 21)
The People of Israel complain about food and water (Exodus 15:22 – Exodus 17)
Moses delegates the ministerial tasks to others (Exodus 18)
Israel arrives at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)

4. The Ten Commandments
The LORD begins by revealing his character and His work to his people.
We obey because of the work of Christ, we do not obey to earn God’s love.
The Ten Commandments deal with our vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationship with man
The first 4 commandments deal with Man’s relationship to God and the last 6 commandments deal with Man’s relationship to fellow man.

5. I. You shall have no other gods before/beside me.
Idolatry will become a trap for the people of Israel.
Idolatry – any thing that is placed above God and commands our worship
Even good things can become idols if not careful to put them in their proper context.
”The heart is an idol factory” – John Calvin.

6. II. You shall not make for yourself a graven (carved) image.
God tells the Israelites not to make them a carved image from anything that is in heaven, earth, or the sea.
The Lord also gives the why? ”I the Lord am a jealous God”
Why this command put this way?
Because whatever god we can make in our minds, we have control over that god. Therefore, we can make a god who is okay with our sin, or who doesn’t judge us.

7. III. You shall not take the name of the LORD in vain
There is more to this verse than not cursing, although it does include that!
Name = Character
This commandment reveals the sacredness of God’s name.
When we attribute something to God’s name, we are saying that this is how God behaves.

8. IV. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
God’s commandment is to work for 6 days and to rest on the 7th day.
The Pharisees had rules for every law (613 of them!), including the Sabbath
Jesus is the LORD of the Sabbath.
There is a spiritual Sabbath: resting from our vain efforts to save us. We rest in Christ.
The Sabbath is a means of grace to reflect on what God has done for them.
This was supposed to become an integral part of the people’s lives

9. V. Honor your father and your mother.
Our first relationship we have is with our parents.
Our parents are God’s authority over our lives. Just as God has authority over us, God gives that authority to our parents to exercise that authority over us.
Issue: What about the broken home?
We know that the fall affected every earthly relationship, including our relationship with our parents.
We are to pray for the our parents in that broken relationship in hopes that they come to know Christ and hope for reconciliation.

10. VI. You shall not Murder
This pre-meditated, vengeful taking of a human life.
All human life is valuable to God.
This commandment goes back to ALL humanity being created in the image of God.
Jesus in Matthew 5:21 – 26 that murder is the action of an angry heart.

11. Jesus goes straight to heart. The heart is the problem
Jesus goes straight to heart. The heart is the problem. Not the physical organ, but our wills. They are corrupted by sin.
Application: Knowing that God values all life, any behavior or action to take that life is sin. This includes abortion.
However, this does not mean this is an unforgiveable sin. You can’t out sin the cross of Jesus Christ.

12. VII. You shall not commit adultery
Marriage is sacred and holy in the eyes of God
Adam and Eve were brought together in marriage in the garden.
Jesus and Paul upholds the value of marriage and marriage between one man and woman (Matthew 19:3 – 6; Mark 10:2 – 9; 1 Corinthians 7)
Therefore, according to the Scriptures, any attempt to redefine marriage other than what God has said is sinful and participation in that act is sinful. (i.e. homosexual marriage)

13. What about divorce? While divorce is a result of the fall of man and against God’s plan for marriage, there is reconciliation and hope for those in Christ.
Adultery is also against God’s plan for marriage.
Jesus says adultery begins in the heart with lust, adultery is action of a lustful heart.
But adultery and lust can be forgiven by Christ, if one is repentant.

14. VIII. You shall not steal
The willful taking of anything that is not yours.
This commandment does not only include big things, but small, maybe even trivial things that we may not think of.
Cheating is stealing. You are willfully taking someone else’s work and taking it as your own.

15. IX. You shall not bear false witness.
You shall not lie.
We have to be truth tellers. We have to be honest with others.
Again the ten commandments are a reflection of how God’s chosen people should live amongst the nations.
The same is true for us as believers, we should live differently than the world lives.

16. Are you a speaker of truth?
Proverbs 6:16-17

17. X. You shall not covet.
Exodus 20:17 includes every piece of your neighbor’s stuff to show what coveting includes.
This commandment is about being content with what God has given you.
To covet someone else’s stuff denies God’s provision and blessings.

18. Conclusion
The Ten Commandments are God’s standards for his people among the nations.
Israel was to be separate from the nations to show the glory of God to the nations.
We know Israel does not keep all of these commandments. In fact they break the first 2 while Moses is on the mountain.
We can’t fully obey all the ten commandments on our own. But through the Holy Spirit, he empowers us to obey not to earn God’s favor, but as a result of our faith.