Week 2: The Ten Commandments

No other gods...

Over the next several weeks, we’re going to be looking at the Ten Commandments.

Last week, Donna & I shared a little bit about some of the history that led to the Ten Commandments.

God’s children were slaves

They were leaving Egypt.

They had no laws.

We talked about why we need laws.

Today, we’re going to start talking about the 1st Commandment, and hopefully a little about last week’s memory verse.

Exodus 20:3 NIV

“You shall have no other gods before me.

It would have been easy for the Israelites to have worshipped other gods in Egypt.

According to the World Book Encyclopedia, there were over 2000 gods in the Egyptian pantheon, which means, all the gods the people worshipped.

We believe, that

Genesis 1:1 NIV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

We also believe that God may us in His image. That means that God gave each of us a spirit, so that we can have a relationship with God.

So… Moses goes up to the top of Mount Sinai, and God gives him the Ten Commandments.

This law was for the people of God that Moses brought out of Egypt, not only were they for God’s people in the Old Testament, but they are for us today.

What do you think could be gods that people worship?

As you get older, this might mean more to you.

Your job, your possessions: things that you own, like cars, video games, it could be sports, or other things that we do.

It’s whatever we give more value to than God.

In last week’s memory verse in Matthew, Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into two commandments.

Matthew 22:37–38 NIV

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

This one sums up the first four commandments.

The word that Jesus used was agape. This is “a putting others first kind of love.”

How do you think that we can put God first in our lives?

What do you think that it means to love God with all of

our heart?

our soul?

our mind?

Life Application New Testament Commentary Religious Leaders Question Jesus about the Greatest Commandment / 22:34–40 / 195

The heart is the center of desires and affections, the soul is a person’s “being” and uniqueness, the mind is the center of a person’s intellect. To love God in this way is to fulfill completely all the commandments regarding one’s “vertical” relationship.

What does vertical mean?

up and down. In this case it means our relationship with God.

Our horizontal relationship is our relationship with people, with each other.

We can have a relationship with God because Jesus died on the cross.

Romans 10:9–10 NIV

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

God sent Jesus because humans break God’s laws. Jesus came to pay the price for them.

Let’s pray

Now I’d like for a couple of you to read a skit for us. Shad and Ike.

For an activity, I have a word search for each of you to do.