THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

(AN INTRODUCTION)

EXODUS 20

...A few years ago the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 (Stone v. Graham) that the school children of Kentucky have a

   constitutional _right_ not to be assaulted by the presence of the 10 commandments on their classroom walls.

...Western culture is adrift without a __moral___ compass.  Judges 17:6, “Every man did what was right in his

   own eyes.”  Sounds as up-to-date as today’s newspaper.

...This moral catastrophe is only one of many good reasons why the study of the 10 commandments is beneficial.

THREE INVITING REASONS WHY IT IS PROFITABLE FOR US

TO STUDY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

I.    PEOPLE TODAY, EVEN CHRISTIANS, ARE IGNORANT OF THE LAW.

            A. In a 1988 Gallup Poll, __85%____ of Americans believe the 10 commandments are binding.

                 Yet, only 15% could name __5__ of them.

            B. If Gallup was right, how many today know where they are found in the Bible?

            C. How many know that the 10 neatly divide into 2 sections: __1-4__ and __5-10__?

                        1. Commandments 1-4 teach love for __God___.

                            Commandments 5-10 teach love for others.

                        2. Commandments 1-4 teach reverence for God.

                            Commandments 5-10 teach __respect__ for others

                        3. Commandments 1-4 are __vertical_.

                            Commandments 5-10 are horizontal.

            D. Also, the Ten Commandments are called the Decalogue: “10 __Words_.”

II.   TODAY IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE DECALOGUE BECAUSE  _MORAL__ 

       RELATIVISM REIGNS.

            A. Paul Johnson tells about the rise of moral relativism by its _confusion_ with relativity.

                        1. Einstein’s theory of relativity dealt with _time___ and space in the universe, whereas

                            relativism claimed that there ___no____ longer were absolutes of good and evil.

                        2. Ill-informed people actually thought that moral relativism had a scientific basis rooted

                            in the cosmos and verified by _Einstein__.

            B. Actually, no one was more distressed at this confusion than _Einstein__ himself, who passionately

                 embraced absolute standards of right and wrong.  ... “he believed moral relativism was a

                 __spiritual__ disease.”

            C. Sadly, moral relativism became a social epidemic through 3 principal people, all atheists.

                 Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche.

III.  BOTH KNOWING AND FOLLOWING GOD’S COMMANDMENTS WILL RESULT IN

        TREMENDOUS BLESSING FOR US.

            A. God’s Law Invites  __Grace__.

                        1. Law and grace are not opposites. The law was founded on God’s grace. (Exodus 20:1-2)

                            ...The preamble, which introduces the law, was a _reminder__ of Gods grace. (Deut 7:7-8)

                        2. The “Ten Words” are the Magna Charta of spiritual _freedom___ given to a divinely

                             redeemed people.

                        3. Because of this grace, God’s people were to live for Him in obedience to the Commandments, not with the idea of attaining salvation by works, but in _thanksgiving__ for what God had done.

                        4. There was no thought in God’s giving of the 10 Commandments of providing a way for Israel,  or any one else, to _earn__ salvation.

                        5. Law and grace go hand-in-hand.  __Jesus__ fulfilled the law. (Matthew 5:17-18)

                        6. So for a Christian, the 10 Commandments become a joyful source of God’s _will__.

                            This is how we express new life in Christ.

            B. God’s Law Invites Gospel.

                        1. Why? Because it slays the non-Christian by showing him how _sinful__ he is.

                        2. Luther, “the law must be laid upon those that are to be justified.” (Romans 7:7-8)

                        3. “Authentic preaching of the gospel requires the unvarnished preaching of the law.”

            C. God’s Law Invites  _holiness__.  The law reveals God’s holiness and draws us to become

                 __like__ Him.

LESSONS FOR OUR LIVES:

1. If you are a Christian, the 10 Commandments are for you.

2. To obey the commandments you must know them.

3. When telling others of the glorious Gospel, tell them that they are lawbreakers.

4. If you are unsaved, you are a lawbreaker and lost.  Don’t leave if you don’t know Christ.