Deut. 5:1-21

This is a prayer that is recited everyday by the jewish people but also a prayer that is a reminder for us today as believers that we shall love the Lord

I am replacing the word Israel in verse 4 with people of God only for the purpose of us understanding that this prayer isn’t just for the Jews but has been given to us as believers in Christ as well

Deut. 6:4-7 ““Hear, O People of God: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

PRAY

Deut. 5:1 “And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them.”

The word hear is the Hebrew word Shema which is translated as both to hear and to obey

Moses is saying to them, Hear and Obey all the things I am speaking to you.

That you would carefully do them.

Sometimes we hear mom or dad say clean your room but we do not obey.

There is a difference between just hearing and hearing then doing

Hearing then doing is called obedience

So Moses says to Israel

Hear and obey all that I’m about to tell you.

Deut. 5:2-5 “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:”

What covenant was made in Horeb?

The Ten Commandments were given to the people as God’s covenant with them

Remember, these are the last things that Moses is saying to the people before he dies and they go into the promised land. Moses is reminding the people that they are to obey these commandments

Interestingly enough the ten commandments were actually given to the parents of the people that moses is talking to now.

When he says the covenant was made not with our fathers but with us.

Moses is saying these commands have not stopped but they are going to continue on for as long as we live on this earth.

God is telling us through this verse that these laws are not just for an ancient people in a far off land but they are for anyone who is called a child of God

Meaning me and you as well today

Recap

We know these laws are for all people who follow God (me and you)

And we know that they are to be intentionally obeyed.

Meaning that we seek to do them at all times

BUT… Why?

Deut. 5:6 ““ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

Moses reminds the Israelites that they have been brought out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery.

We as Christians today were not saved from Egypt

But if you are a believer then you recognize that you have been freed from slavery

Rom. 6:15-20 “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Paul in Romans tells us that we were freed from slavery to sin which leads to death.

Interesting point:

Paul in fact tells us in verse 15 that grace does not excuse us from being obedient to the law

Instead he tells us that we were set free from sin, that leads to death, and now we have become obedient to God in whom there is life and righteousness.

Both of these passages are summed up by saying because God has saved us, our response is obedience to what He asks us to do.

Obedience to God’s law is a response to God’s grace

As we work through the ten commandments keep that in mind.

We don’t obey these commands because we trust in them to save us but instead because we are reminded of who saved us and what He saved us from.

Here’s a cheat sheet for you to better understand what the ten commandments are dealing with.

First five commands deals with how we honor and respond to God and His authority

Last five deal with how we treat others the way God desires us to treat each other.

Deut. 5:7-10 ““ ‘You shall have no other gods before me. “ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Anything that takes priority over God is false.

Anything that you put your hope and trust in, or that you run to for satisfaction or security that is not God is false.

vs. 9 says God is a jealous God.

This is not an unhealthy jealousy

Living in relationship with God is how we were designed, it is the best thing for us.

Anything that gets in the way of that relationship robs us of the joy we experience in Christ and robs God of our complete dedication and worship.

God’s jealousy isn’t unhealthy

It’s like if I was to cheat on Corinne, Corinne would have every right to be jealous because when we got married I made a vow that it was her and her alone that I would be married to.

God saved you from sin and death, made a way for you to have a life in relationship with Him. When you gave your life to Jesus you commited that it was Him and Him alone that you would be in relationship with.

So enjoy things like social media, music, money, relationships but recognize that there’s a difference between enjoying those things and idolizing those things.

When we idolize them we diminish the importance of God in our lives.

Another way we can diminish the importance of God is by what we say.

Deut. 5:11 ““ ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

God’s name is Holy and has value and power.

It is the name of the only one who was able to save us from the depravity that we were in before we knew Christ.

When we use it flippantly to curse, to act surprised, to show excitement we create something common out of something so valuable.

Toy Example

Anytime Titus gets a new toy that he likes he plays with it all day every day until the toy becomes boring and mundane to him.

We often times use the name of God so often or so casually that it causes us to devalue the name of God in our hearts

Making mundane, that which is extraordinary

When we use God’s name we use it in a way to remind ourselves of who He is and the life giving power that is found in Him.

That sabbath is another opportunity to remind ourselves of who God is.

Deut. 5:12-15 ““ ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 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, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

The sabbath allows us to take a day and rest SO THAT!!!

We can remember that we were once a slave to our sin and destined for death

But that God rescued us

Showing up on a Sunday morning isn’t a righteous check mark to show God how dedicated you were to going to church.

There’s no participation trophies in Heaven

Showing up on Sunday to church is a way to gather with believers and remember that we were all once slaves to our sin but that Christ has rescued us and set us free and to praise Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do.

So when mom and dad tell you to get up and go to church you need to obey them because...

Deut. 5:16 ““ ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

When we honor the earthly authority in our lives it is a reflection of how we honor our heavenly authority

Alright first five laws done!

Are you ready for another 30 minute teaching?

JKJKJK

We’re almost done

Deut. 5:17-21 ““ ‘You shall not murder. “ ‘And you shall not commit adultery. “ ‘And you shall not steal. “ ‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’”

Pretty easy to understand laws right?

Most important one is do not covet your neighbors donkey.

That one may just be for the jews, not many of us are rolling around with donkeys any longer.

If you’re sitting here tonight and wondering why we need to obey these laws if Jesus has given us grace and already saved us from our sins

Jesus himself calls us to obedience to God

Matt. 5:17-19 ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The law (these ten commandments) were not destroyed but instead they were fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross, but He Himself call us to obey them.

In fact the next few verses that Jesus teaches He commands us to an even higher degree of obedience to the law.

He says things like in Matt. 5:21-22 ““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

AND ALSO

Matt. 5:27-29 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”

Now before all the boys tear out their eyes!!!

Jesus is making a statement here that the outward act of doing the ten commandments does not save you.

It is the inward act of a heart that has been saved and transformed by a relationship with Jesus Christ the Almighty God that saves you.

So many people think that in order to be a Christian you need to first clean up your act and then come to Christ but being a Christian is about coming to Christ in your sin, and saying save me and watching Him clean up your act by how he renews your heart.

‌‌Present the Gospel

This is the gospel.

That while we were a slave to our sins on the road to death God rescued us with His mighty hand and brought us out and placed us in a relationship with Him.

STAND UP

If you’re struggling to be obedient to God’s law this week I would encourage you to first spend some time on your face before God

When you change your heart, your outward actions will begin to change as well.

Obedience to God’s law is a response to God’s grace

PRAY

Related Media

Related Sermons