Wildside - 10 Commandments Loving Others

Wildside June 9, 2019

The Ten Commandments: Love Others

Bible Passage:

Main Point: God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others.

Key Passage:

Big Picture Question: Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Small Group opening

(10–15 minutes)

Large Group Bible study

(25–30 minutes)

Small Group activities

(25–30 minutes)

Leader BIBLE STUDY

As the rescued people of Israel traveled toward the promised land, God gave them laws to guide them in how to live and to help them understand God’s perfect holiness. God’s laws covered every part of their lives and were summed up in the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments can be grouped into two categories: The first four laws deal with a person’s relationship with God and the last six laws deal with a person’s relationship with others. God did not give laws for the sake of giving laws; the laws had a purpose. Not only did they show what righteous living looks like, they were part of the covenant God made with Israel, known as the Mosaic covenant. (See .)

God had promised Abraham that all the peoples on earth would be blessed through him. (See .) “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (). God’s promise to Abraham would be fulfilled in Jesus. But God gave the law to guide people until Jesus came.

As you teach kids, avoid presenting the Ten Commandments as a burden—a list of laws they must try to keep to earn God’s favor. God’s rules are good and are meant to help us, but the Bible is clear that we are all sinful and fall short of God’s standard for holiness. Our obedience can’t save us.

Lead kids to examine the last six commandments and to imagine a world where everyone keeps God’s commands. Remind them that everything was perfect before sin entered the world, and one day, Jesus will return and take away sin once and for all.

The bad news is that we are unable to keep even a few laws. Point them to the good news found in Jesus—the One who took our sin upon Himself and offers His own perfect record of righteousness. Only through faith in Jesus can we have a right relationship with God.

The BIBLE Story

The Ten Commandments: Love Others

Moses and the Israelites were in the wilderness, camped at the base of Mount Sinai. Three months had passed since God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He had a plan to make them His special people. God made a covenant, or agreement, with the people of Israel.

God said, “If you listen carefully to Me and keep My covenant, you will be My people.”

The Israelites agreed to do everything the Lord said.

Moses went up the mountain, and the Lord came down in a fire. Smoke covered the mountain. Thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky. The mountain shook and a loud trumpet sounded. God told the people not to come up the mountain.

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery,” He said.

Then God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The last six commandments told the Israelites what it looks like to have a right relationship with each other: “ … You must honor your father and your mother. You must not murder. You must keep your marriage promises. You must not steal. You must not lie. You must not want what belongs to someone else.”

When the people heard God speaking to Moses, they were afraid. They heard the law God gave them. The people told Moses, “Let God talk to you. Then tell us what He said. Do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”

“Do not be afraid,” Moses said. “God wants you to fear Him so that you will not sin.”

The Israelites stood back, and Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days. God gave Moses many more laws. When God was finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two stone tablets that He had written on with His own finger.

Christ Connection: God’s law shows us what He requires—perfect righteousness. Everyone has sinned against God and against each other. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we have not lived and to take the punishment we deserve for our sin. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin and gives us eternal life.

Small Group Opening

Session Title: The Ten Commandments: Love Others

Bible Passage:

Main Point: God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others.

Key Passage:

Big Picture Question: Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Welcome time

Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to connect to your group and make sure each student is checked in.

As kids arrive, invite them to share their second favorite color, ice cream flavor, subject in school, and so on.

Say • Jesus said the most important command is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. [See -28.] Do you know what Jesus said is the second most important commandment? (Love your neighbor as yourself, )

Transition to large group

Table Wars

Large Group LEADER

Session Title: The Ten Commandments: Love Others

Bible Passage:

Main Point: God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others.

Key Passage:

Big Picture Question: Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Introduce the session

Last time we met we talked about rules…some very important rules. Do you remember what they are called. (The Ten Commandments). And today we get to continue talking about them

Big picture question

Leader • Our Bible story today is about rules. But not just any rules: 10 specific rules called the Ten Commandments. God gave the people these rules as a standard for His holiness. What does standard mean? When we say these rules show us the standard, it means these rules were kind of like a window into God’s perfect character. They showed the people what God is like, what He cares about, and how He can be worshiped.

God is holy, and that means He is completely different from us. He never does anything wrong, He always tells the truth, and He is always good.

Now, how good are you at obeying rules? Have you ever broken a rule? You’ve probably broken many rules! I know I have. Our big picture question today is, Who can keep God’s law?

Anyone have any ideas? That’s right—no one! Well, almost no one! The big picture answer is, No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Leader • Now let’s review what has happened so far. The Israelites were set free from slavery in Egypt about three months earlier. They traveled into the wilderness and Moses went up the mountain. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Can anyone name all 10?

Tell the Bible story

Open your Bible to . Let’s watch the Bible story video “The Ten Commandments: Love Others.”

Leader • Let’s see how much you caught from the Bible story. Raise your hand if you know the answer:

What did Moses see and hear when the Lord came down on the mountain? (The Lord came down in a fire. Smoke covered the mountain. Thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the sky. The mountain shook and a loud trumpet sounded; )

What should you do to your father and mother? (honor them, )

What does God command adults to do with their marriage promises? (keep them; )

Is it ever OK to lie? (no, )

Is it OK to want something someone else has? (no, )

How long was Moses on the mountain? (40 days, )

How did God write the commandments on the tablets? (with His finger, )

Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Key passage

Show the key passage. Guide the kids to read the verse together.

Leader • Our key passage comes from the Book of Leviticus, which is another book of the law. There are three parts to this verse. Today I will explain the verse. Then in the coming weeks, we will work hard to memorize the verse together.

Lead kids to read one part of the verse at a time. Then explain each part.

Leader • God identified Himself as Yahweh, which is a Hebrew word for “Lord.” God deserves the name Lord because He created heaven and earth. He rules over everything, and there is no one greater than He is. The Lord is the one true God!

Now look at the last part of the verse. Remember, God is holy and we must worship Him only. God told the people they were to be holy too. They were to be set apart from the people around them by obeying all of His commands.

There’s just one problem. We can’t obey all the rules God gives us. Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus. God sent His Son, Jesus, to obey perfectly for us and die for our sin. When we trust in Jesus, God forgives our sin and gives us eternal life.

Discussion starter video

Show the “Unit 6, Session 1” discussion starter video.

Leader • Would having rules have helped Will and Nell? God gave us rules to help us know how to live for Him. When is it hard to follow rules? Why do we follow the rules our parents or teachers give us?

Explain that we obey people whom God has put in authority over us. We should want to please God because He has shown us great love.

Pray

Review the big picture question and answer: Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus. Then lead kids in prayer.

Leader • Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to obey all Your commands and to die in our place. Please help us trust You for our salvation and obey You because we love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dismiss to small groups

Small Group LEADER

Session Title: The Ten Commandments: Love Others

Bible Passage:

Main Point: God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others.

Key Passage:

Big Picture Question: Who can keep God’s law? No one can keep God’s law perfectly except Jesus.

Key passage activity

Provide Bibles for kids to find and read . Cut two or more large pieces of paper to look like tablets, one per team. Tape a tablet on the wall across from each team. Give a marker to the first player in each team.

When you say “Go!” the first player will run to her team’s tablet and write the first word of the key passage. Continue relay-style until the teams finish writing the verse. Then say the verse together as a class to check their work. If time allows, turn over the tablets and play again.

Bible story review

Look up . Read it aloud or choose a volunteer to read it to your group.

Say • God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others. Jesus said that all the Law and Prophets can be summed up in two commandments: love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself. [See .]

If you love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; then obedience to His law will follow. You won’t want to misuse God’s name, for example. Or you will gladly remember to obey your parents because you love Him.

In the same way, if you love others as yourself, you will do good to them—not lying or stealing but treating them with respect and care.

The problem is that we are sinners and we can’t keep God’s commandments on our own. When we trust in Jesus, He changes us from the inside out so we can live holy lives and keep God’s commands.

Form 2-3 smaller groups. Write the following references on separate index cards, mix them up, and distribute them to the students.

Kids should use their Bibles to look up the verses on the cards and write Love God if it falls under the greatest commandment () or Love Others if it falls under the second greatest commandment (). Talk about the commandments.

Challenge the kids to put themselves in order (based on Scripture reference). Review all Ten Commandments. Mix up the cards for kids to put them in order again.

prayer

Invite kids to write down one of the Ten Commandments they know they have trouble obeying. Encourage them to ask God for forgiveness for the times they’ve failed to obey that rule.

Remind kids that Jesus obeyed the law perfectly for us. God does not accept us because we obey Him; He accepts us because we trust in Jesus. We obey God because we love Him and want to honor Him.

Say • We don’t follow God’s rules to make ourselves look better or to puff ourselves up. We follow God’s rules because God deserves our worship and obedience. God is holy and we must worship Him only. God gave us rules to help us know how to love Him and others.

Close in prayer or have a student close.