THE PURPOSES OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
SCRIPTURE READING:
Exodus 20:18-21 (NIV) "18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was."
INTRODUCTION:
We are now in chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus.
This is the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai as part of the Covenant relationship between God and the Israelites.
It starts with this strong words from God.
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."
It is as if God was saying, "Because I brought you out of Egypt, I have power and authority over all of you."
From now on, God will be their King and the people must submit to God's authority.
And then He gives them the Ten Commandments:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
That means putting God as number one priority over our lives.
We put Him first.
2. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
That means we must not idolize anything because if there is anything that is first in our lives that is not God is an idol.
And God hates idolatry.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not uphold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
That means we must be careful when we speak impulsively to others about God.
Our words must be used to praise God not to curse.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping 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, neither you, nor your sons or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigners residing in your towns.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and he earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he restores the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
That means, we must take a day of rest and spend more time in worship to God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
That means we must always respect and appreciate our parents.
6. You shall not murder.
That means that we value life to the fullest and we abhor any form of abortion.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
That means we must always protect our marriage from any sexual impurity.
8. You shall not steal.
That means we prosper financially by maintaining utmost integrity in all our business dealings.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
That means truth really matters in the way we relate to others.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his name or female servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
That means we need to discover the secret of contentment in our lives to free us from the materialism of this world.
If you notice, the first four Commandments talks about our relationship with God, our commitment to Him, our respect for His name and our reverence for the Sabbath.
This is what God requires from our lives.
We love Him above all.
The last six commandments however are to build our relationship with one another.
We need to have proper conduct in the way we deal with other people.
This is an expression of our love and concern.
Jesus Himself made a summary of the Ten Commandments in Luke 10:27 (NIV)"He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind," and "Love your neighbor as yourself."
This covenant relationship is therefore based on love and obedience.
That is why it is important for us to study the ten Commandments.
There was a story of a gray-haired old lady, long a member of her community and church, shook hands with the minister after the service one Sunday morning.
"That was a wonderful sermon," she told him, "-- just wonderful. Everything you said applies to someone I know."
Folks, this is not for "someone you know." It is for you and me to apply.
I want us to look at God's purposes of giving the Ten Commandments.
The Bible says that when God spoke and He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, the people saw the thunder and lightning.
They even heard the trumpet sound and the mountain in smoke.
There was a lot of supernatural phenomenon in the sky when the Ten Commandments was given.
Hence, the people trembled in fear.
They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen.
But do not allow God to speak to us or we will die."
Then, Moses said to the people: "Do no be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
This then are the three purposes of the ten Commandments we will study today:
1. To TEST us
2. To INSTILL the fear of God in us
3. To KEEP us away from Sinning
Let us begin our study:
WHY DID GOD GIVE US THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?
1. TO TEST US
Exodus 20:20 (NIV) "20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Moses told the people that the reason why the Commandments was given was to test the Israelites.
They have just been set free from many years of slavery and bondage of Egypt.
They have just tasted their new freedom.
They should not look at the nations around them to imitate their form of government.
They are now a new nation under God's leadership.
Therefore, it will be a great start by setting forth new rules and regulations from God that should govern them from now on.
The Ten Commandments therefore was a test of the people's obedience, the test of the people's faith, the test of the people's reverence for God, the people's love for God and the people's passion for God.
It was a test on how the people value their parents, how the people value their marriage, how the people relate to each other and how they look at material things in life.
The Lord wants to test if the Israelites are ready to be the light and an example to the nations.
He wants to know whether they are ready to leave Egypt behind and start a new life of holiness.
It was an important event for God and the Israelites to have this covenant ratified with the Ten Commandments.
The word "Test" means to examine, to assess, to evaluate or to investigate whether the people have a heart for God.
When you are tested, you go through difficulties and trials in life so that God will examine how you react to overwhelming difficult situations that may come your way.
For instance, to whom shall you turn when difficulties come your way suddenly?
Is God your first priority or last?
It is a test on who is number one in your life.
What is the central focus of your life?
Is there any other idol that occupies the space that belongs to God only?
It is a test of idolatry.
God wants to know whether there are other things in your life that does not belong to God and He wants them out.
What words occupy your mouth when you are criticized or insulted? Is it cursing or praising?
It is a test whether you will honor God's name or not.
What will you do when you are being offered a job on Sunday when you know you haven't been to church for a long time?
It is a test on whether you will respect the Sabbath or not.
How will you react when your parents are too old to care for themselves?
It is a test whether you will honor your father and mother or not.
What will you do when you are pregnant (for the ladies) out of wedlock?
It is a test whether you value life or perform an abortion which God hates.
What do you do when you are seduced by a beautiful woman (for the men)?
It is a test whether you will protect your marriage or commit sexual impurity.
What will you do after you have received your pay check?
Will you set aside the tithes to God or buy the things you want when you know it can wait?
It is a test whether you will steal from God or not.
What do you do when you are angry with your neighbor?
Will you tell the truth or speak lies?
It is a test of integrity.
What will you do if your neighbor has a brand new gadget that you don't have?
It is a test between having contentment or developing greed.
Listen to me, my brothers and sisters, life is a series of tests that each of us need to go through every single day of our lives.
God will test us to through the Ten Commandments to determine our moral integrity.
James 1:2-4 (NIV) "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
James is telling us that our faith will always be tested through those trials and difficulties we go through each day.
But once we passed that test, it will have good result.
It will produce steadfastness and godly character in us.
The goal is that we will lack no good thing on life.
And of course, the best test is how we relate to God and to other people.
The basic test for the love for God and love for others are all found in the stipulations of the Ten Commandments.
That is why we must know and obey the Ten Commandments.
But you see, there are many people nowadays who don't look at the Ten Commandments as that important in life and conduct.
There was a report several years ago from the Huffington Post that talks about the Ten Commandments that was pulled from the school walls in Oklahoma City.
The report stated that in order to avoid a costly legal drama, a public high school in Muldrow, Oklahoma pulled all the Ten Commandments plaques that had been posted in the classroom walls.
"There's no point in continuing a losing battle." said Muldrow Schools attorney Jerry Richardson over CBS news.
The move was announced during an emotional school board meeting, where residents arrived with Bibles in hand and Christian sayings on their cars and clothing.
"We know that in 1980, the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to have the Ten Commandments in public schools for religious purposes, but we disagree." said Assembly of God Pastor Shawn Money at the meeting.
This controversy started when a high school student, Gage Pulliam sent a photo of one of the school's religious plaques to the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), a national nonprofit organization devoted to protecting the separation of church and state.
"People think I'm attacking their religion. I'm really not," Pulliam told local news. "I just want people to feel equal here."
And so, the FFRF responded to Pulliam's concerns by sending a letter asking Muldrow Schools Superintendent Ron Flanagan to remove the plaques and insinuating that a lawsuit could result if the school did not comply.
After that, a backlash of emotional concern happened and the people were divided and had to choose sides as to who are for and who are against this move.
And so, let me ask you this question.
If you will be one of the students or parents of Muldrow Oklahoma, and there was a strong plan to pull the Ten Commandments from the wall of the school that you love, will you be for it or against it?
Some of you might say yes.
Others will say no.
You make a choice in relation to your Christian values and principles.
You make a choice in relation to how strong or weak your faith in God.
And what you have chosen on this earth will ultimately determine your place for eternity.
And that is why you will be rewarded or condemned on the basis of how you have reacted to God's Word.
I hope and pray that you will make the right choice.
Because your response will determine whether you value God's Laws or not.
It is part of the test to determine who is on the Lord's side.
Remember the incident, in the further chapters of exodus when the people were running wild because of idolatry?
They were out of control and they became a laughing stock to their enemies.
They have lost their morality and rejected the Lord's commands.
Then, Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and asked them to make a decision.
They had to choose whether they are for God or against him.
It was a test of allegiance.
Exodus 32: (NIV) "25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him."
Many Israelites died on that day because of the wrong choice they made.
My prayer is that when you go through a test, you will be faithful to God and pledge your allegiance to God by following His Commands.
That is the first purpose of the Ten Commandments. To test us.
2. TO INSTILL THE FEAR OF GOD IN US
Exodus 20:20 (NIV) "20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Moses told the people that the reason why the Ten Commandments was given was to instill the fear of God in their hearts.
When the fear of God is developed in their hearts, they will understand the consequences of their action and that will prevent them from disobeying God.
The fear of God means having reverence for His name.
It means we have great respect and we submit to His discipline and guidance.
Such fear of God will have great impact the way we live everyday of our lives.
So, how will this fear affect the Ten Commandments?
When we have the fear of God, we have no other gods before Him.
We honor Him with all that we have including our finances through regular tithes and offerings.
When we fear God, we put Him number one in all our personal interests including our fun times, our play times, our amusements time, our recreation, hobbies and pass times.
1 Cor. 10:31 "Whatever you do, do it for God's glory."
When we fear God, we have no other idols in our hearts.
We know that He is a jealous God and we are afraid when He gets mad or angry when we have replaced Him with other things.
We don't idolize sex, we don't idolize money, we don't idolize rock stars or any other form of mental images.
And so, because we fear God, we follow His command.
Because we fear God, we do not curse or misuse His name but use our words to praise Him.
Because we fear God, we are uncomfortable when we work on Sundays instead of worshiping God.
We follow God that Sabbath should be a day of rest and we attend worship regularly.
This is what the fear of God can do with our lives.
Because we fear God, we respect our parents and appreciate them often.
Because we fear God, we value life above all.
We know that life is precious.
And so, we hate violence, we hate abortion, and we hate mercy killing.
Because we fear God, we do not commit adultery and we maintain the purity of our marriage to the highest standard.
We commit ourselves to God's standard of relationship and abhor any relationship outside marriage.
We know the consequences when we play around with sexual sins.
The fear of God can keep a person pure.
Proverbs 5:15 says, "Be faithful to your own wife. Give your love to her alone."
Because we fear God, we do not steal, we do not take something that do not belong to us without permission.
We know that God is there always watching our every move.
Because we fear God,we do not give false testimony.
We are honest, we are straightforward and honorable before God and man.
And because we fear the Lord, we do not covet anything that belongs to our neighbor.
We do not crave for them. We do not envy them but we are content with what we have.
Our society will improve much better if the fear of God is instilled in our hearts, don't you think so?
There will be no need for the jails and the courts when the fear of God is upon us.
Indeed, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of godly wisdom.
But sad to say, that is not the case in our society today.
There is no fear of God.
They tried to take away the Ten Commandments from the courthouse.
They tried to change their gender from male to female.
Man has sexual intercourse with man.
Woman has sexual intercourse with woman.
There is wipe swapping.
There is idolatry and sexual sins all over Hollywood.
God, have mercy upon us.
Scriptures on why we need to fear God:
The fear of the Lord is accompanied with hating evil.
Prove. 8:13 (NIV) "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
The fear of the Lord is accompanied with wisdom.
Psalms 111:10 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
The fear of the Lord is accompanied with secure refuge and abundant life.
Prov. 14:26,27 (NIV) "26 Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death."
3. TO KEEP US AWAY FROM SINNING
Exodus 20:20 (NIV) "20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
The third reason why the Ten Commandments was given was to keep us away from sinning.
Let us first diagnose sin for a moment.
Do you know that sin is very dangerous, treacherous, nasty, deadly and fatal?
Sin is like a poison that swill slowly eat us up if we don't keep away from it.
Sin is like a trap that will engulf us when we are caught by it unaware.
Sin is like a cancer that will slowly spread in our system destroying our vital organs.
Sin is like a barrier that hinders us from coming to God and enjoying His fellowship.
God knows that completely that is why he gave us the Ten Commandments to keep us away form sin.
And so, because of the Ten Commandments, we have identified that it is sin to have other gods before Him.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have admitted that it is sin to bow down to any idols or worship them.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have understood that it is sin to misuse his name.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have acknowledged that it is sin not to rest on Sundays.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have accepted that it is sin to disrespect our parents.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have recognized that it is sin to kill or to murder innocent lives.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have distinguished that it is sin to commit adultery and any form of sexual sin.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we noted that it is sin to steal or deceive our customers.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have diagnosed that it is sin to give a false testimony against our neighbors.
Because of the Ten Commandments, we have labeled that it is sin to covet our neighbor's property.
We would never have known these are sins if it were not for the Ten Commandments that God has given us.
And so, because our eyes have been opened to the truth, we now recognized the destruction sin could do to us and so, we stay away form sin.
We are wise to avoid sin and its deception completely.
We are enlightened when we run away from sin and escape from its impending traps.
The problem in our society is that there are a lot of people nowadays who do not recognize sin at all.
They have become callous in committing sin that they have no moral obligation to turn away from sin.
Here are some Scriptures on staying away from sin:
Staying away from sin means walking in step by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 (NIV) "16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
Staying away from sin means keeping our lives free from the love of money.
Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) "5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”[a]
Staying away from sin means loving Christ more.
John 14:15 (NIV) "15 “If you love me, keep my commands."
In closing, let me tell you about the story of a businessman who was well known for his ruthlessness once announced to writer Mark Twain, "Before I die I will make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I will climb Mount Sinai and read the 10 Commandments aloud at the top."
"I have a better idea," replied Twain. "You could stay in Boston and keep them."
It is not the knowledge of the Ten Commandments that is important but the the application of the truth that counts in this life.
My brothers and sisters, you might have known the Ten Commandments since you were young, but have you really applied it's significance in your life?
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