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My Declaration of Dependence
I Will Obey God’s Commandments


Exodus 20:1-7 (Monday)
“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." You shall not make for yourself an idol 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 fathers 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. "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (NIV)
1) Many who receive this lesson outline do not have the benefit of our church’s “Transformation”. You can visit our website at http://www.chetscreek.com/ , hit on the Growth tab and then select the “Transformation” tab. There are usually several weeks of study available for you to access. This week’s Transformation had the following to say about this week’s study of God’s Ten Commandments:
“The 10 Commandments (the Law) begin with the character of God…God tells us who He is before He tells us what to do.” God wanted Israel to know that He is not just the CEO of the gods—He is the ONLY God!”
Why was the Law given?
1. To reveal God’s glory and holiness (Deuteronomy 5:24)
2. To reveal man’s sinfulness (Romans 7:7)
3. To mark Israel as God’s chosen people and to separate them from other nations
(Psalm 147:19-20)
4. To give Israel a standard for godly living and to be a blessing to all the nations
of the earth. (Deuteronomy 4:1; Psalm 46:10)
5. To prepare for the coming of Christ (Galatians 3:24)
Christians and the Law
1. Not under the Law—but Grace (Galatians 3:18; Romans 6:14)
*New Testament Grace is a more selfless way of life than Old Testament Law
(Matthew 5:7)
2. Dead to the Law (Romans 7:4-5)
*Freedom from the Law is not freedom to sin. Liberty is not license. (Galatians
5:13-15)
Christ and the Law
1. Christ was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4-5)
2. Christ fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17-18)
3. Christ Paid the penalty of the Law (Galatians 3:13-14)
4. Christ meets all the requirements of the righteousness of God (Romans 10:4)
5. Christ breaks down any and all barriers of the Law (Ephesians 2:14-16)
2) How did God make sure that the Israelites would not confuse Him with other gods of their times?
3) Do you think we have idols today? Explain.
4) Do we, even born-again Christians, bow down to idols? How so?
5) What does God call Himself in Exodus 34:14?
6) What do you think it means to be jealous—in human terms (1 Samuel 18:5-9; Proverbs 27:4;Acts 13:44-49; Acts 17:1-9;Romans 13:12-14; 2 Corinthians 12:20 and Galatians 5:19-21) versus God’s terms (Deuteronomy 32:16-21)
7) Read Proverbs 6:16-19. Seven things God hates. Do you think that jealousy has any part to play in any of these grievous sins? Explain.
8) We see the introduction of what many call the “generational curse”. Where the punishment of one’s sins was passed down to future generations. In Jeremiah 31:27-33, God Himself speaks of the end of this “generational curse” that had plagued the house of Israel. What was His promise?
9) True, in Christ, (the new covenant of God) each person is now solely responsible for their own sin, but how do we continue to “pass along” our own sinful tendencies to our children, their children, etc. etc.?
10) Even to this day the Jews (Israelites) feel such awe and reverence toward the name of God that they will not even write out His full name, instead they write G-d. Oh, they do so much that is right, if only they would have listened to and received G-d’s Son!
11) How revered is God’s name today? in the world? in America? in our workplaces? in our schools? in our very homes?
12) We hear much about “taking God’s name in vain”. What does that mean to you? Can you think of other ways to use His name in vain other than cursing?
Exodus 20:8-11 (Tuesday)
“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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 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.” (NIV)
1) Last week, we saw the first mention of the Sabbath day (Exodus 16:11-30). The Sabbath day was meant to be set apart as holy unto the Lord. Why?
2) God explained to the Israelites how the Sabbath day tied into His creation of the heavens and earth (Genesis 2:2). Rest is good for us, but quite unnecessary for our God. Still, our God rested! I like one translation for this Hebrew word, rest. It means to “desist from exertion”. In other words, God expanded all the energy necessary to fulfill His purposes for the universes, our planet and for us. The, “It is finished” (John 19:30) was actually already accomplished before God even spun the earth into orbit (Revelation 13:8)!
3) Jesus told us that He and the Father were still working unto this day (John 5:17). Jesus also referred to his followers as “workers” (Matthew 9:37-38). Paul referred to his sister and brothers in Christ as “fellow workers” (Romans 16:3). ). Is the contradictory in any way? How are we “workers”?
4) Okay, so why are we told to rest—what are we resting from? (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:10-16; Galatians 6:12-15; Philippians 3:3-9)
5) Do you see just a “hint” of grace and mercy in God’s Sabbath rest?
Exodus 20:12 (Wednesday)
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (NIV)
1) The first commandment with a promise—long life! Why do you think God held this commandment in such high esteem?
2) What does honoring our mother and father teach us about submission and authority?
3) Can you submit to Almighty God if you do not respect the authority of your parents and others God has placed over you?
Exodus 20:13-17 (Thursday)
“You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.
"You shall not steal.
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NIV)
1) These commandments all deal with relationships outside our family. God is a God of order! (1 Corinthians 14:33) God lays out the proper mindset for His people: God—worship Him only, honor your family, love others. Specifically, God has commanded that we do not treat anyone in such a way that we ourselves would consider unloving, uncaring or harmful in anyway.
2) God’s commandments are pretty clear cut, but, can you think of some “unstated” or “presumed” sins that would fall in the same category(ies) as these obviously stated sins?
Exodus 20:18-21 (Friday)
“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” (NIV)
1) Last week we spoke of how the Israelites actually were “afraid” of God. How is that evident in these verses?
2) Do you think many people “stay at a distance” today for this same reason?
3) Have to mention this again! You cannot have a second-hand relationship with God! Moses approached, he learned a reverent fear for God. He heard the same rumblings, he saw the same smoke—yet he dared to approach the Holy One of Israel! Oh, beloved, dare! Dare!
4) Do you think God will honor people who come to Him just because they are “afraid” of His wrath? Why or why not?
5) Why would God veil Himself in “thick darkness”? Oh, let us fear not! (Ephesians 3:8-12; Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 5:14)
6) Finally, beloved, I want to remind you of this truth: In Christ, God has changed our “have to’s” into “I want to’s”! (2 Corinthians 9:8, 12:9; Philippians 2:12-13)


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