November 11, 2011 Christian Education 2011 We have seen how a holy God explains he cannot have a relationship with us unless we are clean, and without sin. We also saw where no matter how hard WE tried, we could not be clean and righteous before God. We could always compare ourselves to others and feel better than they were, but when we compare ourselves to a holy God we come up short…..not even to a first down marker! So we talked about justification….. Justification is an activity where God declares us to be righteous based on our faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. We talked about sanctification… Sanctification means to be holy, set apart, free from sin to be used to bring God glory. Now the third part of the process: glorification. Glorification has not yet occurred; it occurs at Christ's return. Glorification is the future and final work of God upon Christians, where he transforms our mortal physical bodies to the eternal physical bodies in which we will dwell forever. And God wants to be made glorious in our bodies. Our bodies will be changed, the old sin nature will be eliminated, and we will see the risen Christ in all his glory: 1 Corinthians 13:12 "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" What will our bodies be like in glorification? Not just a spiritual body, but a physical body as well, just like Jesus Himself demonstrated this when He appeared to the disciples after the resurrection: "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe' So when our body dies, it goes into the grave, it decomposes; but when Christ returns he raises the body. He gives us a body like his resurrected body. He reunites our personality to the body. He makes it whole and complete, and he wipes away every disease, depression and discouragement. And we enter a new heaven and new earth with this body, ready to praise God the Father and spend eternity with Him. SUMMARY: So now it’s all about YOU! Here's the point: Faith is not a leap in the dark or blindly following the list of commandments God gave us. Faith is a response to the light of God's revelation of himself in Christ in history, especially in the gospel. We shared story after story of how God showed us how our sin affects our relationship with Him. We glimpsed into the inner lives of David and Bathsheba, the making of the golden calf for an idol, Cain killing Abel because Abel did right, Job trying to justify himself…..that’s the short list. God’s word spends personal time explaining in detail how much he longs for us to respond to His love for us and His plan for us to be with Him forever…..the moment we accept Christ as our only hope for salvation, and eternal in a physical and spiritual body in heaven. So right here, right now, where would you rather be? In the dark choosing sin and death, or in the light of Christ’s completed work waiting for your glorified body? Christian Education 2011 Last week we saw how a holy God explains he cannot have a relationship with us unless we are clean, and without sin. We also saw where no matter how hard WE tried, we could not be clean and righteous before God. We could always compare ourselves to others and feel better than they were, but when we compare ourselves to a holy God we come up short…..not even to a first down marker! So we talked about justification…..where God, the just judge who rules over heaven declares each one of us guilty on our own for being ready for heaven. Isaiah 64:6 mourns over this fact: All of us have become like one who is unclean, What was God’s answer? His solution? He wanted that relationship with us so badly that He sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, who was God Himself, to BECOME righteousness for us and justify God’s demand for holiness. John 3:16-18, a familiar verse but from “The Message” This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. Romans 5:1 Justification is an activity where God declares us to be righteous based on our faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Jesus’s death and resurrection justified us before God! It’s complete because once Jesus justifies us, His finished work is a forever deal in God’s eyes. So what is sanctification? Sanctification means to be holy, set apart, free from sin to be used to bring God glory. Leviticus 20:26 Sanctification is an activity where God frees us from the power of sin as long as we are on this earth. “Sanctification” is used in two ways in scripture (when speaking of people in their earthly life): 1. In position believers are eternally set apart for God, and are seen BY GOD as holy and righteous from the moment they believe in Jesus Christ. 2. In experience the believer is being sanctified by the work of the Holy Spirit and God’s holy word. Ephesians 5:25-27 “… as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.“ So, the moment you accept the fact and believe that Jesus Christ is your only hope for a relationship with God that starts the moment you believe and never ends, even after you leave this earth—you are justified before God and set apart for His use(sanctified). But since we are always aware of this earthly body and all its natural tendencies to serve ourselves and break God’s laws, we need God to continually sanctify and cleanse us. He begins to change our attitudes and behaviors to the extent that we are willing to be changed. He uses the Holy Spirit and His Word as instruments to accomplish this. This is a process that never ends as long as we are in the body and in the world. Nevertheless, when we leave the body and come into his eternal presence, we will be both holy and “without blemish.” The process of sanctification will be complete. SUMMARY: Have you thought about your relationship with God? Do you have one? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation? Thank Him for His justification in declaring you not guilty before God, and sanctification in setting you apart for God! However…..how are you doing on a regular basis? Do you realize you can only be used for God on this earth when you are daily cleansed from the filth of your own thought life through God’s Holy Spirit and the reading of His Holy Word? It is a discipline that you can accomplish through Him as you submit just like you would a playbook. It won’t be easy, but it will result in a glorious touchdown for God! Christian Education 2011 Justification We have gone through the laws-the rules and regulations which we must strive to obey and keep. However, doing our best to observe the law is not enough.The prophet Isaiah asks, “How then can we be saved?” for it is written-“…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 63:5&6 In life there is an order to things; a way to go about it that is more likely to result in success and happiness. Do well in school, go to college or learn a trade, get a job. Fall in love, get married, have children. Football, or any sport, can ve viewed the same way: learn the fundamentals, practice, assemble as a team, learn your plays, apply them on the field=TOUCHDOWN!(hopefully). So it also is in our Christian walk. You can’t have the house and the wife and kids if you don’t work hard and aren’t gainfully employed. You can’t win the game if you don’t know the plays and execute them successfully. YOU CAN’T GET TO HEAVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN SAVED! So how can we be saved, as Isaiah asked? Through JUSTIFICATION, with SANCTIFICATION we will achieve GLORIFICATION! This week we are focusing on JUSTIFICATION. READ: Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” YOU CANNNOT WORK YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN! We are justified by our faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross! -You cannot justify yourself! READ: Job 32:1-3 Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Job believed himself to be righteous in his own eyes; not by anything God did in him. Job was “justifying himself rather than God.” Job spends Chapter 31 justifying himself! “If I have walked with falsehood, “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves “If I have kept the poor from their desire, “If I have put my confidence in gold, “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, “If my land cries out against me, Don’t we all do that as well? “Well, I’m not so bad. I’ve done this good deed, and that good deed, etc. Or we compare ourselves to others: “I’m better than Joe; he cheats on his wife, taxes, etc and I dont .” Compare yourself to GOD-then decide whether or not you should justify yourself. READ: Romans 4:23-25 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Jesus was raised from the dead to life for our JUSTIFICATION! Through HIM we are justified! SUMMARY: The first thing we need to do is accept Christ into our hearts, then and and only then will we be justified! DON’T BE SELF-RIGHTEOUS! Summary Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! Christian Education 2011 WEEK TEN- 10th COMMANDENT… The first five commandments are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with others. READ- Exodus 20:17 “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.” What does it mean to covet? To desire something that belongs to someone else so strongly that it becomes an evil motivation to obtain it for yourself. I’m not saying desire is wrong; having a desire for yourself is okay- an education, a good job, a home, better provision for your family…or when it is something you want to work for in the correct way. When desire gets out of control it can turn into greed and even harm to someone else. In Genesis Chapter 25-27 is the story of twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. Esau was the older twin, so the culture dictated that he would receive the blessing from his father Isaac. At one point Jacob tricks Esau into selling him his birthright. But that’s not enough for Jacob. His greed caused him to covet even more…this time he goes after his brother’s blessing. READ Genesis 27:15-27 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God gave me success,” he replied. Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied. Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.” So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him. What does God say about coveting? It shows up as greed. Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Notice the way greed is expressed-not just wanting something good for yourself-you want an abundance! When you are greedy you’re in it all for yourself and you don’t care who you have to step on or hurt to get what you want. So how do we obey God’s commandment not to covet? God never tells us to stop doing something without telling us what to do instead. Romans 13:9 & 10 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. If you love your neighbor you’re not going to harm them or take from them what you desire be it his house, wife, car or anything else that belongs to him. SUMMARY: It’s not a coincidence that God summarizes the commandments here, and that He boils it all down to a heart attitude- WHEN YOU BREAK GOD’S COMMANDMENTS INWARDLY IT’S THE SAME AS BREAKING THEM OUTWARDLY. IF YOU COMMIT ADULTERY, MURDER, STEAL, COVET--YOU DO NOT LOVE. Ask God to show you your true heart to keep you from breaking His commandments! Summary Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! WEEK NINE-9th COMMANDENT… The first five commandments are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with others. READ- Exodus 20:16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor”. What is False Testimony? First we will look at the word, false. Something which is false is fake, inaccurate, untrue; A lie. Give examples of blatant lies(“I went to the wrong place”; “I think I got food poisoning”; “I had to work late”; “I ran out of gas”; my car broke down”) Next, what is testimony? Webster’s’ defines testimony as 1. LAW. The statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, as in court. Evidence in support of a fact; Proof. *If you lie under oath it is a Crime! *If you lie; give false testimony against your neighbor, it is a CRIME AGAINST GOD! Lying to negatively affect your fellow man is giving false testimony. Questions…. Would you lie to gain financially? Frivolous lawsuits, misrepresent the seriousness of an injury? Would you try to hold someone responsible for an accident or mishap if it benefitted you? Would you pass rumors in hopes of damaging anothers’ reputation? (Gossip) Another definition of testimony is The Decalogue (the Ten Commandments), as it is inscribed on the two tables of the law, or the ark in which the tables were kept. Exodus 25:16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you. Feel free to explain the Ark of the Covenant/Testimony. The word Ark means “chest”. The Ark of the Covenant was made of pure gold. The ark symbolized the presence of God. One of the items in the Ark of the Covenant was the ten commandments. The Ten Commandments were tablets of testimony (Exodus 34:28). In Hebrew testimony means witness. They would serve as a constant reminder of God's covenant with Israel that they were His people and their obedience would show the world the one true God. Christian Education 2011 WEEK EIGHT-8th COMMANDENT… The first five commandments are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with others. READ- Exodus 20:15 "You shall not steal”. Let’s begin by defining stealing def. “to take someone else’s property without permission or legal right and without intending to return it”. God’s word has a lot to say about stealing; how wrong it is and that it has no place in heaven. Today’s culture tends to think of stealing as a money or property issue. Many of us would say with certainty, “I don’t’ steal”. Broadly speaking, stealing falls into two categories: active stealing and passive stealing. Active stealing aggressively, willfully, maliciously takes what belongs to someone else, through a variety of means. Robbery, embezzlement, extortion are a few examples. God’s Word shows us how we were to handle that. READ Leviticus 6:1-7 The LORD said to Moses: “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. IF YOU PHYSICALLY STOLE AND WERE FOUND GUILTY, YOU OFFERED RESTITUTION TO THE INJURED PARTY, AND PRESENTED GOD WITH A GUILT OFFERING. Stealing is a much more complex problem in our society than it was in the days of ancient Israel. In the ancient world, very tangible objects were stolen: cattle, property, wives, and the like. One could hardly argue that he had not taken anything if it were found in his possession. Passive theft is the failure to give to another what belongs to them or is due them. We now live in an age of sophisticated technology where we experience passive stealing. For example, we have ideas which are patented and materials which are printed, both of which can be stolen through copyright laws. Credit cards and electronic banking have made matters even more complicated. And then there are the electronic gadgets. Satellite dishes are available to “steal” electronic signals; computer software, much of which can be copied in seconds, making it possible for thousands of dollars’ worth of programming to be illegally obtained. Or maybe you are an employee guilty of time-theft: arriving to work late, leaving early, taking unjustified ‘sick’ days, extensive socializing with co-workers, turning the water cooler into a conversation pit, inattention to the job at hand, surfing and texting on the job, operating a business on the side during working hours, eating lunch at the desk and then going out for the ‘lunch hour,’ excessive personal phone calls, long, frequent coffee and snack breaks, etc. Stealing is a serious sin because it is included in the Ten Commandments, which identifies the “ultimate evils” of Israel’s day, and of our own as well. We know stealing is sinning against someone else. But what about stealing from God? Ultimately, all things belong to God: “The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me” (Lev. 25:23). “The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it” (Ps. 24:1). God not only owns all things, He also possesses all people. When a person steals, he disregards both divine and private ownership of that property. The commandments, of which the prohibition of stealing is one, are a part of the covenant God made with Israel. The purpose of the covenant was to set Israel apart from the surrounding nations, to be a holy people, so that they might be a priestly nation, representing God to men. Stealing was one of the evils of that day, as it is today. To refrain from stealing would set Israel apart. To practice stealing would be to fail to live up to the high calling of God. Going forward in the New Testament, we as Christians are to be living testimonies for God. Stealing is an act that is completely contrary to the character of God. Perhaps the reason why God hates stealing so much is that it is a crime which completely contradicts His character. God is gracious; the thief is greedy. God gives; the thief takes. God responds to the cries of the needy; the thief callously creates needs and tragedy. Nothing could be more contrary to the graciousness of God than the cruelty of the thief. SUMMARY: Could you stand before God right now and profess to not have stolen? Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! Christian Education 2011 WEEK SEVEN-7th COMMANDENT… The first five commandments are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with others. READ- Exodus 20:14 "You shall not commit adultery”. Let’s begin by defining adultery def. “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse”. As the last six commandments pertain to our relationship with our fellow man, this is a physical crime which is not only a sin against God but against your very body. When you enter into a marriage, you commit yourself to that person. You become bound to that person, or obligated. READ Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” *YOU ARE COMMITTED TO HER* Commit also has another meaning-to perpetrate. A perpetrator is a criminal, someone who has committed a crime! READ 1 Timothy 1:9 & 10-“We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for ADULTERERS and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine”…To God, an adulterer is on par with all of these! IF YOU COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU ARE EXPOSING YOUR WIFE TO EVERY OTHER PERSON THAT THE OTHER WOMAN HAS BEEN WITH! READ 2 Samuel 11:1-27 “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house. David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Beshet? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’” The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.” David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.” When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD”. We see what lustful behavior can lead to. David looked lustfully upon Bathsheeba, then lay with her and committed adultery. This lead to David having Uriah(her husband)murdered, and the resulting child died. THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR SINFUL BEHAVIOR! Finally, READ Matthew 5:28 “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. SUMMARY:Where does God live in you? He lives in your HEART. Do your best to control your thought life; we don’t want to grieve the Holy Spirit within us! Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK SIX-6th COMMANDENT… The first five commandments are about our relationship with God. The second five are about our relationship with others. READ- Exodus 20:13 “You shall not murder”. This seems like an obvious no-brainer…it is part of our laws whether you are a believer or not. It is also one of the most used reasons people give when asked if they are going to heaven. “I’m a good person. I’ve never murdered anyone”. If we look deeper we see it points to a heart attitude. The first recorded murder in the bible was with Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve’s sons. Abel kept the flocks, and Cain worked the soil. READ Genesis 4:3-8. “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him”. Why did Cain murder his brother? He had anger in his heart for his brother because his brother offered his best and he did not. The Hebrew for the word” murder” refers to a premeditated and deliberate act. These point to anger and hatred in your heart. READ Matthew 5:21, 22. “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Hatred and anger are emotions and attitudes expressed in actions. It is not just disliking someone but to actually wish them harm or even death. To God, this is just as bad as committing murder. READ 1John 3:15 “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him”. In this passage John is not talking specifically about actual family members but anyone you have anger towards. As you dwell on the hatred in your heart, and want to act on that hatred, God considers this the same as committing the act. SUMMARY: On the football field, the moment you realize you are angry and developing a hatred for someone, that’s your red(yellow) flag to examine your heart and give it to God. Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK FIVE-5th COMMANDENT READ- Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” We have in previous weeks defined words such as Holy, Hallowed and Sacred. This week let’s take a moment to highlight HONOR. It is translated Kabed in Hebrew, which means impressive, renowned, to be glorious. The synonym, or word of the same meaning in Greek is DOXA-which means, “A state in which one is accorded the fullest enjoyment of the admiration and regard of God”. This is quite a powerful statement! These people, the Hebrews, had been set apart by God. Although they had been enslaved by the Egyptians, God sent Moses to lead them out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:7 & 8 Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.) The ways of God were established and it was the responsibility of the fathers and mothers to raise their children according to the ways of the Lord. GOD HAS DECLARED THAT AS YOUR PARENTS RAISE YOU UP IN THE FEAR OF AND LOVE FOR THE LORD, THEY COMMAND THE RESPECT OF SOMEONE GLORIFIED THROUGH CHRIST (GOD). Ephesians 6:2 & 3 says "Honor your father and mother" (which is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you enjoy long life on the earth.” In Exodus 20:12 they were still waiting to enter into the promised land; so God was telling them to honor their parents, follow their guidance, in preparation for entering into the promised land. Today we are looking to Ephesians 6:3… “that you enjoy long life on the earth.” This is NOT a contract, but a gift freely given, as is salvation, and is dependent upon your obedience. Ephesians 2:8 & 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. SUMMARY: Obedience to your parents, with honoring(an attitude of total respect) and obedience to God. YOU HONOR GOD BY HONORING YOUR PARENTS! Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK FOUR-4th COMMANDENT READ- Exodus 20:8-11 “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 son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Last week we defined the word “Holy”… it means sacred, set apart, separated from the common place. “Sabbath” is a day set apart to do no work that you would normally do the rest of the week. It is also a day used to gather together to worship the Lord. God made the world in 6 days; on the 7th He rested. We as Christians are to observe that same pattern. Let’s fast forward to Jesus’s time. He said you are either a believer or not. He didn’t use any denominations like Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal etc…that was man’s idea. During this time there was a group called the Pharisees who claimed to be deeply religious. They had all the head knowledge of God’s laws. They took those laws and added to them, making their own rules and regulations. It was a standard they held believers to, but they themselves did not follow. The Pharisees held to the standard of rules and regulations-THEY WERE DEVOTED TO THE LAW. God’s commandments were based on relationships-THEY WERE DEVOTED TO LOVE FOR GOD AND PEOPLE. So what we have here is a decision-follow man’s laws or have a relationship with God? If it’s a relationship with God, it’s through His son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). READ Matthew 12:1 & 2 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” The Pharisees accused Jesus of working on the Sabbath. They were more concerned that Jesus was breaking one of their laws than understanding He was simply hungry. Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” What do we learn from Jesus’s words? Jesus is trying to explain to the Pharisees the way they are living out God’s laws….through making sure everyone followed the laws by the very letter of the law, not out of a relationship and love for God. The Pharisees thought they knew more than God and everyone should follow their rules, not God’s commandments of love and protection. SUMMARY: What about you? Do you see the commandments as a list of dos and don’ts or as a way to show your love for God? Feel free to expound or add personal experiences! Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK THREE-3rd COMMANDENT READ- Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” -How do you misuse the name of the Lord? The original definition of damn is from the word, “damnum”, which means “to damage, fine or harm”. DO YOU BELIEVE YOU SHOULD BE CALLING ON THE LORD TO DO THIS TO SOMEONE? But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. What do we learn from Jesus’s words? Using the Lord’s name in vain in this particular way is full of malice, and is asking God to go against His very nature and character! 2. Jesus Christ-using the Lord’s name to express anger or outrage. Does the King of the universe deserve to have His name used in such a way? READ Luke 11:2 “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” -We speak of the “hallowed halls of Canton” where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is. But what does “hallowed” mean? The definition of “hallowed” is HOLY; SET APART, SACRED-Jesus Christ DIED for you-His very name is hallowed! To use the name of God or Jesus Christ in a manner that is not expressing Awe or Reverence is a violation of the 3rd commandment-taking the Lord’s name in vain. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then the Holy Spirit is now living in you. Think of that the next time you are about to misuse the name of the Lord! Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK TWO-2nd COMMANDENT READ- Exodus 20:4-6 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. 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 and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. What is an idol? Anything that takes the place of God in your life. READ Exodus 32:1-4 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” The people were not willing to wait on God and Moses, so they had Aaron create an idol (a golden calf) to worship. These are the same people that God- 1. Led out of slavery in Egypt 2. Allowed them to walk through the Red Sea on dry land 3. Washed away the soldiers chasing them 4. Fed manna in the desert when they were starving 5. Made water pour forth from the rocks when they were thirsty 6. Even provided for them the very gold that they ended up using to make the golden calf idol Christian Education 2011 In football there are times when you get beat really bad in a game and the coach says, “We need to get back to basics”. This year for Christian Education we are going to be “getting back to basics” concerning the Word of God. With that in mind, each week we will be looking at one of the Ten Commandments and discussing how they relate to our lives today. WEEK ONE-1ST COMMANDENT READ- Exodus 20:1-3 And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me”. What does this mean to us today? READ John 14:6- “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. There is only one God, and only one way to that God, and that is by his son, Jesus Christ. …it is NOT through Mohammed, Buddha, Scientology or any New Age beliefs. READ Matthew 12:30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters”. We need to have a committed relationship with God(not a part-time relationship). You can’t have it both ways; only turning to God in times of need, but in good times it is as if He is not there. If you had a friend whose only relationship with you was when he had a need, what kind of relationship would that be? READ Isaiah 62:5 “As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you”. God compares us to a bride and He is our bridegroom. If you are married or in a committed relationship, are you only there for that person part of the time? SUMMARY: THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD- HE NEEDS TO BE #1! YOU CAN’T HAVE A PART -TIME RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! Please feel free to personalize this message by adding personal experiences! 
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