BE OBEDIENT
Exodus 19, 20
Introduction
Signs are important - they give us information we need to make decisions about which way to go. When signs go wrong, it can be surprising!
-Please Satanise Your Hands Here!
-The swimming pool was temporarily closed due to the David-19 situation.
-Please pay your parking fee before existing.
-CVS harmacy
We know that God’s Word has much clearer signs for the road ahead. We need direction for our lives - left on our own we usually veer in the wrong direction. This month we are going to look at five signposts for our life journey with God.
The first signpost comes from Mount Sinai. Before Moses received the ten commandments, God told him why they were important.
Exodus 19:5-6 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
When Israel gathered at Mount Sinai, God gave them the foundation of his laws: ten words / ten commands. The world may struggle with the ten commands, but they remind Christians today that our Faithful God demands Faithfulness from His people. The first signpost we need to observe and follow is to BE OBEDIENT.
1. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDS
All but one of the ten commands were repeated by Jesus.
We learn a lot about God, His expectations for Humans, the way to live the best life, and the importance of lifting up the Lord in our life as Holy and in Charge!
Exodus 20:1-17
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. …
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. …
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Although we do not live under law but under grace, we still learn much from the ten commands. Why should the Ten Commandments matter to us? Why are they a signpost for the Christian journey?
2. THE TEN COMMANDS AS A SIGNPOST
They come from our Faithful God.
Exodus 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
When we read the instructions of Scripture we are not just receiving advice!
2 Peter 1:3 NLT “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”
They Signify His covenant with us. (Exodus 19:5) God’s covenant is his promise to us and with us. What an incredible truth that an Awesome God would covenant with fickle undependable people!
Hebrews 8:10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
They Teach us to Love God and Love Others. (Ex 20:1-3; 12-17). Jesus identified these as the two greatest commands. The Ten Commands outline ways that we exercise these.
They provide the foundation for the greatest life we could live.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God,
to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
We can see how these commands are a part of the fabric of society - helping us live the best life we can life.
They are perfect, and we are not.
Psalm 19:7-8 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
3. The first Signpost: BE OBEDIENT
Have a structure for being in the Word daily.
Commit to memory Scriptures that are meaningful to you.
Study to understand, grow, gain insights, find wisdom.
Pray about the things in your life that need to change.
Engage with other believers who on the same journey.
Place God’s will above your own.
1 John 2:4-6 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that
person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Conclusion
If the children of Israel had loved the law of God they could have saved themselves so many painful and deadly
experiences. The same is true of us. Unfortunately we struggle with commands, and often fail to obey them.
When we talk about being obedient…
-We do not mean that this earns our salvation.
-We do not mean that when fail we will be lost.
-We mean we love God and know His word about life and love are true. He knows who we are and what we are and how we can be our best.
Psalm 119:97-98 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
The First Signpost teaches us to Be Obedient.
Psalm 1:1a-2 Blessed is the one whose… delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
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LifeGroup Questions
1. What have you been taught about the believer’s relationship to the Ten Commandments?
2. Which one of the ten commandments do you see being broken the most in the world?
3. Why do you think the command to keep the sabbath is not repeated in the New Testament?
4. Ephesians 6:1-3 reminds us of one of the ten commands and then makes a statement about that command. What would you say is the “promise” mentioned and what are some ways that promise might be fulfilled?
5. How can you explain why living under the grace of God does not diminish our need to be obedient? What does 1 Peter 1:22 contribute to that discussion?
6. James 1:22-25 speaks of “the perfect law that gives freedom..” Law seems to be restrictive, prohibitive. How can law give freedom?
7. Titus 2:11-12 says the grace of God teaches us to live godly lives. What does it look like to trust God’s grace alone for daily living?
8. What else did you want to talk about today?
