Walking in God's Law: A Study Of The 10 Commandments | Bible Study | 18th March 2026

Unveiling the Enduring Significance of God's 10 Commandments He introduced to the voice of God as he speaks to the children of Israel concerning his expectations from them as His redeemed people. And in that particular passage he introduces what we commonly refer to as the 10 commandments. Can you hear me clearly? I hope so. Not so. OK. He introduces what we commonly refer to as the 10 commandments, and that's what we want to be looking at this evening. Let me read it to us first. I would like us to turn to Exodus chapter 20, Exodus chapter 20, and I'll read from verses one through 17. Exodus chapter 20, verses 1 to 17. Let me read And God speak all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of slavery. 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 in 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, I'm a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 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. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the 7th day is a day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock, on the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the 7th day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the line that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's. May the Lord bless the reading of His word to our hearts. Amen. Amen. I don't know what work did to some of us this Wednesday evening, but I still expect your your full energy. So Please ensure that we are engaged as we continue in this series. The 10 Commandments: More Than Just a List of Rules So I just read to us what, as I said, is commonly referred to as the 10 Commandments. It's passage. I'm sure it's familiar to most of us, if not all of us, right? There are commandments that many of us were introduced to when we were children. If you were raised in the church, no doubt. If you are raised under Christian parents, no doubt you are in one way or the other introduced to the 10 commandments, right? There are commandments that to a great extent beyond even the personal application and the personal instruction we receive from our parents and we receive from the church. There are commandments that have been part of the development of the legal framework of so much of the Western world and even our own society. When you look at a lot of the laws that are found in in the West and a lot of the laws that are found even in our own legal code and Constitution, you will find that most of them are extracted from this source, extracted from a background understanding at least of the 10 commandments. And so the 10 commandments is worthy of our attention. It's something that is very prevalent, whether we are conscious of it or not, in human society, in human civilization, and certainly should feature in the life of the Christian and in the life of the church. The 10 Commandments is what many people, even those who are not Christians, use as a guide to determine what is good and what is evil. But you speak to people who are not Christians. You speak to people who even call themselves atheists. And when you talk to them about murder, when you talk to them about stealing, when you talk to them about violence, there is this instinctive desire in their hearts to say that's not right, that is evil, that is not good. Where do they get that from? They get that in a real sense from what I hope we will be studying in the next, from today on, for the next few weeks, the 10 commandments. But I want to see this when we talk about the 10 Commandments, I hope this series will help us see that it is much more than just a list of rules and regulations. And I found that often times even believers, when we think about the 10 commandments, approach the 10 commandments like it's just a series of regulations, a series of do's and don't do's that have consequences attached to it if you break it. How God's Law Reveals His Moral Purity and Perfections But the 10 Commandment is so much more than that, right? In, in actual fact, and this is essentially what we're going to be looking at today, the essence of God's law, what is the meaning behind the 10 commandments? What is the essence of it? What is the nature of it? And we will look at the aim of the series, the importance of thinking through the law, the uniqueness of the 10 commandments, and the benefits of studying the commandments. But as I said, the 10 Commandment is so much more than just a list of regulations and rules, right? When you think about the 10 commandments, when you think about the law of God as revealed in Exodus chapter 20, when you look carefully into it, you will see I begin to discover a few things. And I hope that we will, over the course of this series, discover these things again and again in such a way that the Holy Spirit will use it to wash our souls. The first thing that you will discover is that the 10 Commandments reveal the nature of God's character and divine attributes. The nature of God's character and divine attributes. In other words, when we have the proper understanding of the 10. Speaker 2 Commandments. When we look at it from the right perspective, you will see that before we even begin to talk about the rules as it applies to us, you will begin to understand that these commandments are a reflection of the character of God himself. When God instructs Israel, and by extension instructions, when He gives these laws to His people, He is actually saying to them, in one sense, this these laws are a reflection of my heart. They reveal my moral purity, my own perfections. The 10 commandments, in other words, are not arbitrary commandments that go just through upon humanity but really don't apply to Him, no. Speaker 1 The 10 commandments are a revelation of God's character, right? Look for example at Leviticus chapter 19 verses 123 right before, or rather yes, right before. In this chapter of Leviticus, Moses lists the 10 commandments in in his own way. Again, because 10 commandments are are stated in different passages of the of the books of Moses, here in Leviticus he prefaces the introduction of the 10 commandments with this statement. Let's look. Speaker 2 So before. Moses introduces the 10 commandments, the laws that were revealed on Mount Sinai once again to the children of Israel. He preferences it with the fact that God is saying, I'm revealing these things to you so that you may be holy like what I am holy, Meaning what I'm calling you to is a life of holiness that will reflect my own holiness, right? The law is a reflection of the character of God, in other words, one of the ways you can grow in your understanding of who God is as a Christian if you want to grow in your understanding of the ethical heart of God. Speaker 1 The the the. Speaker 2 The moral mind of God, how God thinks, how God relates to creation, how God relates to himself. We put in another way how God would live if you were a man, and we know how he lived. Speaker 1 The 10 commandments is a good place to begin that meditation that leads to worship again look at how verse 3 everyone of you shall Revere his mother so you see the collection he says be holy for I the Lord your God and holy and by the way, holiness looks like honoring your parents and keeping my Sabbath. I am the Lord your God. All right, in Romans Chapter 7, the apostle Paul is expounding upon the law, the 10 commandments again and the impossibility of man to keep it perfectly. And he says this concerning the character of the law. He says so the law is what is holy. God is holy. His law is holy because his law is a revelation of himself. But it's not only holy, He says. So the law is holy. Speaker 2 And the commandment is holy and righteous and good, for we know that the law of verse 14 is spiritual. Why is it spiritual? Speaker 1 Because it's a revelation of God who is Spirit, right? And so when we're looking at the 10 commandments, one of the things that I get, again, I hope will be reflected in our teaching and hope hopefully will be absorbed into your understanding, is that we are actually studying this series of commandments in order that we might enter into a greater revelation of God, right? As I said, it is a revelation of the moral character of God, right? The laws of God as revealed all through the Scriptures, but particularly in the 10 commandments, are not just telling us what to do. And unfortunately, many of us were introduced to the laws of God, introduced to the 10 commandments as merely instructions that we are to keep if we want to be right with God. But that's not how the Bible reveals the 10 commandments or any law of God for that. Speaker 2 Matter. It begins with Him because God's greatest desire is that you know Him. Speaker 1 And so the. Speaker 2 10 Commandments is another opportunity given by the Lord for you to enter into a greater understanding of who of Him. Speaker 1 And when we look at Exodus chapter 20, for example, we'll consider this next week when we begin to look at these commandments 1 by 1, you notice that when God before God introduces the first commandment, which is the first commandment, by the way, let me see if these are these are commandments that we should have memorized in our in our hearts, by the way. But let me ask you, what's the first commandment? How 'Do Not Lie' and 'Do Not Murder' Reveal God's Nature OK, I only really had sister Tosi. Everybody else was dragging behind them. But let me let me assume it's because we were all speaking. You shall have no other gods before me. But how does God preface the introduction of his laws? Look at the text yourself. Exodus chapter 20, verses 1 and 2. OK, let's have the mic for for David, please. Speaker 3 He tells them what he did for them, who he is to them, and showing them why it is that they can obey the laws that he's about to give them. Speaker 1 OK. Go ahead, Chris. Thank you, David. Speaker 4 Those seemingly reminding them that this 10 commandments he was about to give them were not meant to keep them in bondage or deny them of their freedom and enjoyment. Actually, where they are coming from was a place of bondage, was a place of slavery. For for the commandments are made for their good, for their liberation. The. Speaker 1 Commandment. Speaker 4 They are meant for their good, for their liberation. Speaker 1 For them to keep them in bondage or boxing, absolutely. He was trying to establish that he was their Saviour. Exactly. Let me read it to us. And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of slavery. So thank you all three for speaking. Absolutely. God begins by revealing who He is and what He is standing for them. Speaker 2 To demonstrate that these laws were not given to them in order that they may become His people, but they were given to them because they were His people whom He had redeemed from bondage. So God is giving them actually laws for their own good, right? But before that, He is revealing through the law more of who? Speaker 1 He is, and that's very important to understand, right? The laws are not just telling US what's to do, it is showing us who God is and what He has done for us. Firstly, for example, you think of the law, do not lie. Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor. Why does God give that commandment? What does that have to do with His nature? What is God trying to teach Israel? Remember, again, we'll look at this in more detail next week, the introduction of the law. Speaker 2 The children of Israel are coming out of 400 years plus of slavery. They have been exposed to the false gods of the Egyptians, gods whose morality and whose moral compass was completely different to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And so when God, having redeemed these people, is calling them to themselves and revealing himself to them, he presents these laws to reveal things that are true about him. Because as your God is so you are right. So when God says you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Speaker 1 What is he trying to teach them about himself by Pastor Martin? So this is what we're going to be doing over the next over the next. We're going to look at each commandment and we're going to ask ourselves questions such as these and we we will apply, but it starts with God. Go ahead, Pastor Martin. Speaker 5 That he, he can't be trusted. That he is a faithful God. Amen. He keeps his word. Yeah. When he says a thing, he says it through. Speaker 1 Amen. Amen. He is the truth. He is not a liar. That's what God is saying about himself, right? He's faithful. What about let's look at the the 6th commandment. You shall not murder. What does that teach us about the character of God? You shall not murder since I chosen. Let's have the mind, you see, because again, it's important to think you. If you look at the 10 commandments, I don't begin to say this is what I have to do. You miss the worship. So what else? Do not murder teachers about God. Speaker 6 They value this creation. Speaker 1 They value this creation, happiness that He gives life absolutely, that He gives life absolutely. He values His creation. He is a giver of life. God values life. Speaker 2 And we see that all through the Bible, right from the book of Genesis. When he creates the world out of nothing, you see the carefulness with which he does so. When he sends the flood in judgment, you see that when, when, when because of sin in the world, he has to give commandments to protect life. So when God says do not murder, the first thing he's saying is not in our precious or make sure you don't kill anybody. He's saying I'm not a murderer. I value life. I value those who have been made in my image and because you are holy like I am now, you should value it true. It starts with him. The First Commandment: God's Oneness and Our Image-Bearing God never commands us to do what is not true of Him. Speaker 1 He's a good God, right? What about the first commandment which we read verse three? You shall have no other gods before me. What does it teach us about the character of God? How do we learn about who God is from that commandment? You shall have no other gods before me. Let me hear from you align first. Speaker 6 OK. So I, I think the, it's important to remember the context. They're coming out of Egypt and God is contrasting who they're going to be, who is shaping them to be in his identity as very, very distinct from all of the nations around them, including Egypt. And so it's everywhere they've been. There is a pantheon and God is like, we don't do that here. Speaker 1 Yes, yes. So Justin, do you want to and then share from Aphoma as well? Speaker 6 He's telling them that he's the one that really true God and is the sovereign rule of all the earth, so all those other God are actually nothing. Speaker 1 Right, Aphoma. Let's get the mind to Aphoma that he has no equal, but he has no equal Absolutely, absolutely. He's saying that he's one right, but but is he just saying it? I'm just the way the way Yanan said it. We don't do that here. Yes, in one sense he's saying you don't do that, but. Speaker 2 More than that, he's saying listen, you've been taught the lie by the Egyptians to believe you need multiple gods to take. Speaker 1 Care of you. The Egyptians had a God for fertility and a God for protection, and a God for. Love and a God for war, and a God for passing through the, the the the. Speaker 2 River of death when you die. They had all kinds of gods, and they felt they needed those gods in order to meet all of their human needs, both physical and spiritual. But God in his fatherly tenderness comes to them and reveals I am 1 and I am the only one. You need to have any other gods before me is to settle for a life of insufficiency. I am the one God, right? Hero Israel, Deuteronomy chapter 6, The Lord your God is 1. And so you can see that these commandments all have to do with the nature of God. And So what does it mean when a child of God by the grace of God is obeying these laws? What are they doing? They are revealing God to the world. We are demonstrating the character of God because guess what, when God created man, He created man in his image and likeness. And so isn't it important that we have this in our minds? Because I believe, because of the nature in US and legalism in US, oftentimes when you and I approach the commandments of God, we are thinking first and foremost. Speaker 1 I need to do this in order to be right with God. Now there is a sense in which we'll look at that. Speaker 2 But God introduces the laws within the context of saying you are already right with me, I've already delivered you. So the purpose of obedience is to reveal me to the world. It's not to try and earn anything from me, first and foremost. Do we understand that? So when you wake up tomorrow to practicalize it, and you go out to obey God's commandments. Speaker 1 You know, I, I let me use my proverbial. Well, the Bible doesn't say you shall not break traffic laws, but actually it does say that in one sense, we'll look at that. But when you go out to live a Christian life and to obey the Lord in all the applications of these commandments, what are you? Speaker 2 Actually doing. You're saying this is how God is. You're not saying, oh, I need to earn something or I need to. You're saying I want to reveal the nature of God to a world? Speaker 1 That does not know him. It's important to have to have that perspective in your heart. In other words, every command tells us something about what God loves, what he hates and what he is like. That is, that is the first thing that I want us to see as we walk through these commandments. I want us to see the heart, the nature and the mind of God, the character and divine attributes of God. The Law as a Mirror Revealing Our Need for Salvation But the second thing we, we, we want to learn about the law and we want to see, and hopefully we will come to see, is that it is a mirror to show us our sinfulness in order that we might seek the Lord for salvation by grace alone. It's a, it's a mirror, right? In other words, it shows us who we are in light of our sin. Speaker 2 And it informs us of our need of salvation by grace alone. When you look at God's law, which one of us can say that we have not been guilty of breaking it, But God reveals the law to us in order to remind us that we are constantly in need of Him to save. Speaker 1 Us you understand in Galatians chapter 3 verse 24. Speaker 2 The Apostle Paul, speaking about the law, puts it this way. The law is a schoolmaster or a guardian to bring us onto Christ that we may be justified by faith. So one of the purposes of the law as presented in the 10 commandments as expounded all over the Bible, is to remind us that we have fallen short of the glory of God, is to remind us that we are not perfectly reflecting God's character as His image bearers. We have not perfectly kept the commandments to have no other gods before him. We have not perfectly kept the commandments to not make idols out of images, and so on and so forth. We have not kept perfectly kept the law to not be murderers or adulterers or thieves. We have sinned, and because we have sinned, we are in need of God to save us unless we will be judged. And so one of the things that the 10 commandments train us in and teach us to do is to use. Speaker 1 The law as a mirror to show us who we really are so that we might be LED always to Christ. Because let me tell you friends, the the default setting of your sinful heart is for you to believe you don't need Christ. That battle is a battle you fight every single day. Every single day of your life. There is a. Speaker 2 Voice within you telling you that you don't need Jesus as much as you are being told you do. You are not that bad, and the danger of that is that it pushes you away from the grace of God. And so the law of God is a instrument of mercy by which we are kept aware of our need for the grace of God. Speaker 1 Be merciful to me, Lord, a Sinner. And the Bible says that in that temple there was a Pharisee who thought he was OK, and one who knew that he was not. And it's the one who knew that he was not OK, that went home justified. And so to keep us rejoicing in salvation and the grace of God, we need the law to constantly reveal our hearts to us. God's Law: A Restraint Against Chaos and Evil in Society So that's one of the purposes of the law. Another thing I hope we will see concerning the the law in its essence is that it is a restraint against evil in the world. It's a restraint against evil. In other words, God gives the law to humanity. Speaker 2 In order to use it to expose sin for what it is and to restrain it in society. In other words, God gives the 10 commandments in order that men may be aware that it is wrong to kill people right now. You and I have raised in such a context that you see, Pastor. Speaker 1 Of course it's wrong to kill people. You know, there are places in this world where people don't believe it's wrong to kill because their hearts have been so dimmed by sin. Speaker 2 Their conscience have been so silenced that they have begun to justify sinning against God. But the law is given by God in order that when it is presented before men, it might act as a means to limit chaos and protect order in society. Speaker 1 Look at how Paul puts it in First Timothy. Chapter 8, chapter one, verse 8 to 9, verses 8 to 9 he says this. Now we know that the law is good. Speaker 2 If one uses it lawfully, in other words, in the context of which he was writing, there were certain men who had come and they had begun to abuse this teaching of the law and they were mishandling it. He says no, no, no, the law is good if it is used lawfully. Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just, the law is not giving for the but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers. Speaker 1 For murderers, etcetera and etcetera. What is Paul saying here? What he's saying is this, that the law is giving, that when men behave this way, they may know that they have sinned against God and that they will be without excuse. And that fear of knowing that they have broken the law of God is enough, by the grace of God, to restrain them from doing what perhaps they would like to do. Let me give you an illustration. The other day I was waiting on a traffic light and, you know, pull a passing, passing the traffic light as though it doesn't exist. And I thought to myself, you know what? I know that if there was a road safety officer or a vehicle parked at the opposite side, because I've seen it, it's not, it's not a theoretical idea that I was postulating in my mind. It was a reality. If that vehicle was there, you know, the blue one with The White Stripes and those men who are looking for you when you're handling your phone and you're driving, if that was there, nobody would pass this, this traffic light. And I thought to myself, the reason, the only reason why men often times obey the law of God is because of the fear of circle of consequences which God has revealed in nature. You know the Bible says the wrath of God is revealed. It happened against all ungodliness. Speaker 2 Men know that there are certain judgments that are accompanied by disobedience, and so they do it. But it's not out of the heart of love, it's fear. But even then there is mercy. Imagine the government today said that for a period of time we are removing the law that it is wrong to steal, the law that it is wrong to murder. What do you think will become of our nation in those in that season of time? Chaos, destruction, disorder, murder, right. Because I guarantee you there are certain people who want to kill but are not killing for the fear of the penalty that comes with it. And so in in a sinful world, God has given his laws to men in order that. Speaker 1 Life might be that much more comfortable to live, convenient to live, right? John Calvin and his Institutes summarizes everything that I've just said. Calvin's Three Uses of the Law and This Series' Aim Under 3 headings. He speaks about the three uses of the law. He says the first use of the law is to operate as a mirror to show us God's holiness, as we said, and also our sinfulness, the law of God. Speaker 2 You shall not commit. Adultery is given to show that God is not an unfaithful God. But we are unfaithful, right? It's a mirror by which we see who we really are in light of the holiness of God. But it's also a restraint. It limits evil in society. Speaker 1 And we thank God for that. We thank God every day that you are able to get home in peace. You should thank God for His laws that are still operating in the minds and consciousness of men. Speaker 2 And thirdly, John Calvin says it is a guide. The law of God is a guide. It directs believers in holy living. It shows us what? Speaker 1 True holiness looks like it's a portraits portrait of godliness. And so with this understanding of how important the Decalogue, which is another word for the 10 commandments. The Decalogue is to our knowledge of God, our knowledge of ourselves and our pursuit of Christ. Let me state the aim of this series to us in summary form. We want to learn more about God's character. That's what I've been saying. We want to expose our hearts where they are not in alignment with the character of God we want to see. Speaker 2 Where we are living, perhaps. Speaker 1 In the way that is in in contradiction to the character of God and the law of God, as we will expand on it, because we will look at the law not just in its naked form, we will ask what is it saying? What is it not saying? And I hope that it would be a good hard exercise to really humble us so that we may receive the grace of God. The law of God is given to expose our hearts where they are not in alignment with God, God's character. And the final aim of this series is to seek Christ, to teach us to seek Christ and his enabling power for true holiness. Firstly, to seek Him as our righteousness because we cannot be righteous in our own selves, But also to seek Him and His power so that we might obey the commandments of God, right? Saved from Law's Condemnation, Not Obligation to Obey It's important to understand this, friends. The Decalogue is not a ladder we climb to reach God. There are many churches that teach it this way. There are many places under the banner of Christianity that tell you that in order to get to heaven you need to keep and obey God's law. That's not what the Bible teaches, at least in one in, in, in in the ultimate sense. The law of God is not a ladder we climb to reach God, they are a mirror that shows us our need of Him and a guy that teaches us how to live for His glory once we have been saved by His grace. OK, so the importance of thinking through the law, and I hope what I've said is proof that it's important enough, but I want to press it a little this matter. Why? Why should we think about the law at all? You know, the New Testament is that we have been saved by grace and that we have been free from the law. So if that is true, what is the importance of us zooming in to study the subject of the law? Any thoughts? What does it mean that we've been free from the law? The Bible says we are not under the law and yet I'm saying we need to study the law. What does that? What does that mean from? Speaker 4 The instances, the reason we need to know the law, It's more or less like if we don't think of the law, then how are we really thinking of God? Speaker 1 You know, have we been, have we not been saved and freed from the law? Speaker 7 Yeah. Well, I would say the reason to study the law is because of Jesus, because notice in the seven on the mount, he expounds the law. So if the law is not important, why would he take so much time to do that? Yeah, yeah. Speaker 1 But have we been saved from the law? Have we been free from the law? Speaker 7 Yes, we've been free from, yes, we've been free from the law in the sense that we do not, we are, we do not need it to be saved, but we haven't been free from the law in the sense that its moral requirements are no longer binding on us. Right? Because again, that's why Jesus would expound the law to the people. In some sense, the law is needed not as a means of salvation, but as a means of life, of living sets you lose the character of God. But again, it also shows that as the top point, that it's a guide. That's why Jesus would spend so much time expounding the law. Speaker 2 Yeah. So as such, in the freedom from the law, there's a sense in which all of us are under the law. If you look at Adam, I think many theologians have spoken about the 10 commandments as a non, you know, and as an expounding of God's moral law and saying that they also an expounding of that singular command that Adam was given to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So in a sense, all of us who are children of Adam are on were born under the law in the sense of covenants of works where we had to obey God's law. You know, initially that was the charge given to Adam, obey God's law and, you know, receive all benefits and blessedness. But given that we have failed, right, we can't, we can't fulfill that law, right? And So what the gospel does is free us from, but we still have the obligation to do so being creatures, children of Adam. So what the gospel does is frees us from the obligation to obey the law, to receive righteousness, you know, blessedness, you know, and so that's what the gospel has saved us from. But we still need law so that we can grow in righteousness as a guide to shows who God is and how we like we were talking about in Colossians, knowledge of God and his will. The law is part of what informs us about who God is and how we can become more like an aid in our sanctification. Understanding the Spirit of the Law and True Heart Obedience That way. Amen. Speaker 3 But I think also for me, the law focuses my mind on how I'm totally dependent on the grace of God, right? How that without that grace I almost impossible to become what the expectation that God has for me because he keeps pointing my inadequacy to me and how that I am received of God because of his grace. Speaker 1 So from Fertile and then David, yes. Speaker 6 Yes, we've been, we've been saved and freed from the law, but we still have the law so that we can fear God in the right way. I'm almost eating it. OK, Yeah. So that we can have the right kind of the fear of God. I'm reminded of the Psalm way says there's forgiveness in you that you may be feared. When we see all that the Lord is walking in and through us, you know, sometimes just even growth. I used to be here and now I'm here. It's produces reverence and and fear in our hearts. Speaker 1 Oh my sorry I think also I can't remember the scripture reference but all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training and righteousness. And that also includes the 10 commandments. Oh, sorry, I was saying I think of I can't remember the scripture reference, but the one that says that all Scripture is God breathe and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training and righteousness. And that includes the 10 commandments is God breathe and all the rest of what that verse says for one. And then two, I also can't remember the Scripture reference, but the passage that talks about how we are like no longer slaves of sin, but now slaves of righteousness. And you brought up, I can't remember the Scripture reference, but the verse that talks about how the law is good and righteous and and whatnot. And so, yes, we're freed from the obligation to submit to the law for our own salvation and free from the condemnation the law brings us as sinners who don't perfectly obey it. But then there's also the sense in which we're now free to obey the law, if that makes sense too. Yeah, just to encourage you, our Lord also used to just say, have you not seen it was written? So you don't need you don't need the name, chapter and verse. Always. Go ahead, David. Speaker 3 Yes, touchdown what I had in mind looking at the question. How is it that we've been free from? Speaker 1 The Please we can't hear audio. Speaker 3 OK, looking at the question, how is it that we've been free from the law, but yet we are called to think about it, to ponder it. If you look at any nation's constitution or office, if you look at any nation's constitution or bylaws or policies where there are laws, you'd see the penalties or the consequences for going against those laws, the eternal consequences of the law. We have been freed from it, Christ. We are no longer condemned. But we also know that the law was given to Israel and to us. One of the reasons was to show us God's character and His ways. So if we have been freed from the consequences, we have also been brought into something, into human Christ, and now we want to learn about God's character and God's away. So we still use the law to know what is God like, what is, how faithful is he, how committed is it to us? What's his nature and what has he called me to, to live by? So now I'm not reading the law or trying to obey it because, and I'm afraid of the consequences. I've been freed from that. I'm breeding the law. I'm trying to obey because I always be more like him. I want to be more aligned with the one who has saved me. Yes. Speaker 1 In man who else we have quite a few. Let let me hear from job affairs. I was wanted to hear from you last. Let me hear from job affairs and then I'll hear from you online and then start to say well, clearly I have a well taught church. This is this is what it shows we are. We're all on the same page, so I'm happy to see that. Speaker 4 There's a passage in James chapter 2 verse 24 that says there's the context of this, by the way. But that verse says, you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. That's the conclusion, the concluding statement of your thoughts. He had been James had been making from earlier verses saying that faith without works is dead. And this is he's speaking to people who get it. That justification is by faith. He's not speaking to people who are not yet sure about whether the law is a ladder to God or whether it is by faith. It is faith in Christ, and there is nothing the law will contribute to justify you before God. This was clear in the hearts of his readers. And James comes and makes the statements and tells them that your faith cannot exist alone. Your faith alone will save you, will justify it before God. But for your faith to be real, it cannot exist alone. It will necessarily produce works of righteousness that show evidence that this faith is real. And what does this, what do these works look like? That's the third use of the law that you mentioned the guide and shows us how to live our lives. Speaker 1 Right. So anytime you want to think about what is good, in a sense, we have to go to the law, right. Paul says the law is good. You can't think of goodness outside of the orbit of the law works good works. If he just two says we've been prepared for good works, what does that mean? It means we've been prepared to keep God's government, which is a revelation of himself. Yeah. Then go ahead and then I'll hear from personally. Speaker 6 OK, two things. One to understand the spirit of the law, not just the act. So when Jesus comes and you know he's getting pushed back, it's just saying, no, this is what it, this is what it is about. It starts with the heart. It starts with. So what does what does it mean? How do we really obey it? And it is important to obey it. I was looking for the passage in John where where Jesus says that I'll be new, you obey me, I will be be loved by you, and my Father will love you, and you will show that you love me if you obey my Father. And it is. Jesus goes to great pains through his words and actions to demonstrate what that obedience looks like. Speaker 1 Yeah, Amen. Thank you, Allen Burton. OK, let me. Speaker 5 Just add to what Yanang said. I want us to look at it this way. You could have a group of people none of them has been accused of and none of them has committed adultery, none has stolen, none has murdered. But for the those people are people who are depending on I do the acts, then I'm guilty. But they've not done any of that. But they are guilty before God. Why? Because the Lord said if you hate your brother in your heart, you haven't murdered him, breaking the law physically, but so long as you've hated him in your heart, you are already considered guilty according to the law. If you lost after a woman, you haven't slept with her, you have committed adultery in her heart. So for the Christian, you are not bound by the doing and breaking of the law because you are not depending on the physical doing, but you are actually living, like Dianan said, the spirit of the law in your heart. So you know not to covet, you know not to lost, you know to love. And in that sense you are the one who is actually keeping the law. And that by the Spirit of God frees you from what people will do externally to qualify as either law keepers or law Breakers. I don't know that makes sense. Speaker 1 In part, have we been freed from the law? Obedience to God's Law: The Whole Duty of Man We've been saved. We've been saved and free from the law. I think we all answered that very well. It's a yes or no, right? That's what we were saying. Yes, we have been saved from the condemnation of the law of God. We've been saved from that. We've been delivered from the condemnation of the law. There is no more any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus or we've not been free from obligation to obey it as his children. And that's the point, right? In fact, the whole point of being saved, the whole point of regeneration, the whole point of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Why did you receive the Holy Spirit when it became a new creation? Speaker 2 It wasn't just so you could let me know, you know, it was so you could obey God. It's so you could walk with God in obedience, right? It's not just so you could feel fantastic experiences, as many people wants to turn the Holy Spirit simply to an experience center. The Holy Spirit was given in order that the image of God could be restored in US and the ability to obey God could be given back to us. That's why Jesus would say you would know them by their fruits, because if you are truly born again, you would be keeping the law of God, right? God did not only save us to forgive us. That's the beginning of salvation, the consummation of salvation. The purpose of salvation is actually restoration back to His image. That's what salvation is. When God decided to save you, He saved you. Not so that, not just so you won't go to hell. You see, many people stop there and think, oh, the joy is simply that there is forgiveness of sins and there should be a lot of joy in that. I'll talk about that on Sunday. But beyond forgiveness of sin is full redemption and restoration into his likeness to be what we were originally made to be image bearers, right? And that restoration therefore includes learning by the Holy Spirit to live under His roof. So someone who says I'm a Christian, but at the end of every day or at the end of every week or whatever does not even sit down to reflect, have I kept the law of God? He doesn't even enter into their consciousness. They are living very suboptimal Christian lives. Speaker 1 Because the entire purpose of your existence as a child of God in one sense. In fact, to go further, the entire purpose of your existence as a human being is to obey God's law. That's why you were made right. Let's look at some passages of Scriptures to demonstrate that. Look at what the writer of Ecclesiastes said. Ecclesiastes 12/13. He wrote a lot. He had said a lot, but you know, as often teachers will do, sometimes they see that perhaps what they're saying is complicated. Perhaps sometimes they realize they've said a lot of things. Perhaps sometimes it looks like people are not concentrated, concentrated. So they say, OK, fine, let me just give you the Minges. This one. You need to get 40% in the exam the end of the month. All has been heard. What have I been saying in the last 11 chapters? Fear God and do what? Keep his commandments, but then he establishes the reason why. But this is the whole duty of man. Speaker 2 The whole reason you exist, the whole reason why God hasn't called you into heaven yet, is because He really desires for you to keep His commandments in this world. I only see the point. And so shouldn't you be very familiar with the commandments? You should be familiar with it. You should have it now. One sense, we already have it in our hearts. We'll look at that another time. But in another sense, you should retrain yourself to understand the full weight of each commandment, because you cannot follow the guide if you don't understand what the guide is saying, right? Look at how Samuel puts it to soul. You know soul, you know soul. Speaker 1 The man who someone mentioned soul last week was he you ain't no so I saw was a man who the the the the the the the entire orbit of his own relationship with God was simply looking for forgiveness. We say, but pastor, shouldn't we be sick? We should. But if all your life is I'll tell you. I will tell you what I mean. So I don't take away assurance from anybody. Before I was a Christian and I thought I was a Christian. You know, many of us were raised with a false assurance. I thought I was a Christian simply because I was born in a Christian home and I had memorized Psalm 23 right before then. Speaker 2 Looking back, I realized that my relationship with God was simply about Him making sure I don't die and go to hell, wipe my slate clean. I was not interested in obeying Him. I was simply interested in Him forgiving me. Speaker 1 So that I can go back to sin the next day. That was so. Speaker 2 Saul was a man who claimed to know Yahweh, but he was a man who lived in constant sin and then thought he could simply just ask for forgiveness in order to continue as God's anointed one. And Samuel rebukes his attitude and he says to him, has the Lord has great delighted burnt offerings and sacrifices. As in obeying the voice of the Lord. What do you think God cares more for? He wants you to obey him. Read the book of first John. John says, I write these things to you that you don't see, but I know you're going to sin. Thank God there's an advocate, but don't sin. The evidence that you are a child of God is that you don't sin as much as you used to. You sin less and less. How do you know that you're growing in godliness? You sin less and less. You know that. Do you know that there are some Christians in the world that sin less than other Christians? True holiness is about sinning less. True holiness is not about singing more songs. It's not about learning more books. It's not about how great you can feel the presence of God. It's about sinning less. That's what godliness is. That I sin less, that I'm less of an angry person, that I'm less of a of a of a covetous person, that I'm less of A and I will see. The commandments are not just not doing the negatives, it's also doing the positives. I'm content, I'm kind, I'm gracious. This is what God delights. But when we feel, he covers us with the blood of Jesus. But his desire in salvation is for us to not sin. Behold to obey. Speaker 1 Is better than sacrifice is better. Speaker 2 When temptation comes to you because the Bible says sin shall not have dominion over you if you have the Holy Spirit. Paul puts it this way. Let not sin reign in your mortal body. You have a responsibility before the God of your redemption to not let sin in when temptation comes and you choose to give in, because guess what we choose. Speaker 1 To sin. Do you know that now that you're a Christian? When you sin, it is a choice, God says. Speaker 2 And I would prefer it for you to not sin. It brings me more pleasure when you resist temptation, when you choose not to fight with your loved one, when you choose not to bring discord into the family of God. Speaker 1 I prefer that that for you to have done it and to seek mercy. Now God delights in mercy, but according to this passage, the lights even more in obedience. Why Focus on the 10 Commandments, Not All Old Testament Laws? Have you thought of it that way? Look at our prophet Jeremiah puts it speaking on behalf of God, it says. Speaker 2 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your Father's or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. That was not my first point of duty. When Moses revealed the will of God to the people of Israel, it wasn't. Speaker 1 1st about the priesthood. It wasn't first about burnt offerings and sacrifices. Look at verse 23. But this command I gave them, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people, and walk in the way that I command you, that it may be well with you. What does God want from us? Why do we exist? We exist in order to obey God, and every temptation that comes your way is an opportunity for you to obey. Speaker 2 God not to sin, but to obey Him. When you've been offended, for example, that is an opportunity God has given to you to show his long-suffering and patience. Because the Bible says love causes a multitude of sin. It's not an opportunity. It's not for you to sin, get angry, so on and so forth and then have to go. No, it's for you to obey. Speaker 1 Him right Confession, The Shorter Catechism. Sorry, I like the way it puts it in question 39. It's also in the Baptist Catechism in question 44. And we should teach our children these things and we should learn it ourselves. It's captured in this question and answer. What is the duty which God requires of man? What is what is the purpose for which we exist? The answer, the duty which God requires of man, His obedience to His revealed will. That's why we exist. We were made to keep God's law. Amen. Now here's some discussion that we have to get into which has taken place in parts of the church across history, right? And the question is this really the discussion? Is this, how do we know that the 10 commandments are the laws that we are to keep? Sister Aphoma, I painted in my mind. You said that Second Timothy, right? So Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 1616 says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, instruction, correction and training in righteousness. Now we know that the book of Leviticus tells us that we are not to mixed materials when you when you soak clothes right or many of us here are wearing mixed comments right. It says that we follow the laws does it is not to speak about we should What did you say? Clearly you can't mix it if you are in the agrarian world, right? What did you say? Inner stone? A disobedient son, Right? Why aren't we keeping those commandments? What did you say? Yes, absolutely. The book of Leviticus, the book of Deuteronomy, and much of the Book of Numbers are filled with commandments. The Jewish traditional estimated that there are about 613 commandments in the Old Testament. I didn't count it. That's what the rabbis are saying. Why then 10? Why is it that we're saying it is the 10 that must be followed? Why not the others? Because if we just say the law of God and we leave it there, questions will be asked, and people have asked those questions. Why are we not obeying the other commandments right? Speaker 6 I think one of the things that study reveals is that these are the eternal commands of God. And I was literally just reading Job a few days ago. And you notice in the in the discourses, yeah, it's very clear, even though these laws have not been given, that those who are considered holy, like most of by the time you read it, it's clear that they know that these these commandments are, you know, how to define good and evil by these things. But also God defines his people. But like, by the time they're bringing together, he's bringing together, these are my people. You know, he starts with I am your God. He ends with Abraham. I will be their God. And he opens right after Egypt. I am your God. And that is, that is what defines who they are, that that is what separates them from everybody else, which is why if we are to remain God's people, we, we must also keep these things. So they were there before the law was officially given. It is how God defines his people. And Jesus very clearly says that he has come to fulfill the law, the law, not to abolish it. All right. Speaker 1 Let me, let me, let me, let me speed on. I'll, I'll give, I'll give opportunities in the next, the next question. Understanding Ceremonial, Civil, and Moral Laws of God There are different kinds of laws found in the Bible. That's the answer, right? Why, why, why don't we just keep it without any equivocation? Bible says we shouldn't mark our bodies, You know, in certain ways that men ought to dress and women ought to dress. The reason why we don't follow absolutely every single commandment. We should have priests. We should do temple worship. Speaker 2 All of those things are part of God's law. But the reason why we don't observe all of those commandments is because the Bible itself, clearly it categorizes the laws of God into different groups. Some of them were explicit to Israel and the time of of temple worship, and some of them are universal and to be obeyed and transcend even the nation of Israel, right? Speaker 1 They are often broken up into three sets of laws. Can we name them? I'm sure many of us know what they are. Ceremonial, civil and the moral law. Exactly, the ceremonial law were the laws that were given by God in order to govern Israel's worship, their life of worship, their temple worship, their sacrificial system, the purity regulations and the festivals that they that they that they held. When you read much of the book of Leviticus, the reason why for many of us is very hard to really connect with Leviticus. Try and think about the first time you read Leviticus right? It would have been very hard for many of us to connect, most of us. Speaker 2 To connect with it because it's like, I can't even, I don't even the, the, the, the, the, the, the context of this is not even in my mind, right? It's because these laws were given at a particular time to a particular people who would have understood how God was trying to clearly distance them in terms of their worship from the worship. Speaker 1 Of the pagans, right? Those were the ceremonial laws but one thing that's important to know about the ceremonial laws is that they have been fulfilled in Christ. Who is the true sacrifice. You read the book of Hebrews. We'll see that in a moment. The meaning of all festivals is Christ, and the object of true worship is. Speaker 2 Christ. And so we don't need high priests anymore because Christ is our high priest. He has come to fulfil all the elements of ceremonial worship right. Speaker 1 That's the first thing we see. The reason why we don't keep the ceremonial law is because the ceremonial law was simply a shadow to point to Christ, who is the fulfillment of the law. We also have the civil laws. And what were the civil laws? They were the laws that govern Israel as a nation. Israel was a theocracy. That means that they were a nation that had God directly as their king. Speaker 2 Israel lived as a nation that was ruled directly by the instructions of the living God. The King of Israel was not allowed to add laws to the nation right. It's not like our democratic system or even our modern day monarchies where a king can just choose to arbitrarily. Even the king was subject to the law, and when the king was appointed or anointed in the Old Testament, he himself was instructed to memorize the laws of God because he was simply an administrator of what God had already given concerning how to govern God's people. And so those laws included penalties for crimes, the judicial procedures like what's to eat, right? Speaker 1 And the kind of taxation systems that were to be put in in place etcetera, etcetera, right. So the important thing to note concerning the ceremonial. Speaker 2 Laws is that. Speaker 1 These belong to Israel's covenant life as a nation. God did not give these these ceremony. These are, sorry, civil laws in order for every single nation in the world to observe them, right? Let's look at what the New Testament, for example, says about these laws in Hebrews chapter 10, which comes right after the writer of Hebrews explains the insufficiency of the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. He says this for since the law has bought a shadow of the good things to come, instead of the true form of these realities, it can never by the same sacrifice make perfect those who draw near. Speaker 2 You see why it's important to make this distinction, because somebody can read this and say, oh, the writer says. For since the law has bought a shadow. Speaker 1 Of the good. Speaker 2 Things and then include the moral law in that but. Speaker 1 Paul or whoever wrote Hebrews was not speaking about the moral law. He was speaking about the ceremonial law here. Does that make sense? It says we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. And so we don't need Old Testament sacrifices, because we have Christ who has sacrificed himself once and for all. Speaker 2 In Colossians chapter 2, verses 16 to 17, the apostle Paul says, therefore let no one pass judgement on you in questions of food and drink. We have been freed from that, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath, we have been freed from the ceremonies of the Old Testament law. We don't need to observe festivals. We don't need to observe Sabbaths in that way. These are a shadow. Speaker 1 Of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ and so it's important that we understand that the reason why because this you go to a 7th day Adventist church for example, right. Speaker 2 And you will find that they are still keeping a lot of these laws. You go to many churches, even some of the CAC churches, you will find that they are still very much observing ceremonial laws that have passed away. Speaker 1 But that's not God's intention. And so when we talk about the, the, the, the 10 commandments, we are not categorizing it into the civil law context of the ceremonial law. We are categorizing it into the moral law of God, right? The Moral Law: Universal, Eternal, and Directly from God And when we talk about the moral laws, we're talking about the laws that reflect God's character and apply to all people at all times and in all places. These are the laws that are. Speaker 2 Universal. It is true for Nigerians, it is true for Europeans, it is true for Americans. It is true for, for, for for Asians. Wherever you are, God expects of you. Speaker 1 In this generation or the next generation to observe these particular set of laws, they are universally the will of God to breach these commandments will always be a sin. Let me ask you, was it a sin for the the Jewish man under the before the cross of Jesus Christ under the ceremonial law? Was it a sin for him not to be circumcised? It was a sin. It was actually an offense to God, right? Is it a sin for us not to be circumcised? Is it a sin for us not to be circumcised? No. Was it a sin for the Jewish man to lie, to bear false witness? Is it a sin for us to bear false witness? So there are certain laws that God has given that are universal and eternal in their in their in terms of our obligations to to wait, right. Again, I like the way the Westminster Larger Catechism answers this question. What is the moral law? And the writers of the confession or the Catechism put it this way. The moral law is God's revealed will for how human beings are to live. It requires every person to obey God completely, perfectly and continually. Speaker 2 This obedience must come from the whole person, both heart and actions, and includes all the duties that we owe to God and to other people. The first four are the duties we owe to. Speaker 1 God and the last six are the duties we owe to other people. The law promises life to those who keep it, and ones of death for those who break it. And so the moral law is unique and there are many reasons why we can speak of the uniqueness of the moral law. Let's just run through some of them before we close. Firstly, you note that it was Moses who God used to deliver all the laws of the Old Testament, right? But the manner in which he delivered the 10 commandments were unique. You were not. You recall that in Exodus chapter 19, when the children of Israel had said that they wanted God to speak to them, God, I told them that, OK, I'm going to speak to my people and gave instruction to Moses to tell the children of Israel to consecrate themselves for three days because he was going to appear to them. The Bible tells us that when he appeared, He appeared with smoke and ashes. Speaker 2 And lightning and thunders and earthquakes. God Almighty was revealing His glory. And what are the first words to come out of the mouth of God? The Law, The 10 commandments. What was He saying to them? This is who I am. Speaker 1 Right, he didn't. Speaker 2 Speak about the laws of agriculture, or the laws of how to treat your animals, or the laws of materials. He spoke about the moral law. God spoke directly to the people about the 10 commandments. Speaker 1 He did not speak directly. Speaker 2 To them about anything else. So it shows that the 10 commandments are unique. Secondly, God wrote the 10 commandments on stone tablets with his finger. Exodus chapter 31 verse 18 says it was written by the finger of God. Amazing. Speaker 1 The other laws Moses had to transcribe, but the 10 commandments were written by God's finger. Of course it is anthropomorphic. God doesn't have a finger, but he was the one that spoke it onto the tablet. God's Law: Written in Stone, Summarized by Jesus, Expanded by Apostles And you note he was written on tablets. Bible says God wrote them on tablets or stone. What does that signify? What do you think that signifies? Sorry, permanence, right? Have you ever heard the term It's been written in, written in stone. It comes from here, right? So clearly in the mind of God, these laws were to be kept for as long as creation existed, right? Even in heaven we are keeping these laws. I hope to show us as we go along another way. We know that is special. Speaker 2 Is that the the law the the 2 tablets? Where were they? Speaker 1 Put in the context of Israel's worship system, where would you find these laws in the Ark of the Covenant? What did the Ark of the Covenant represent? What does that mean about what God is saying about the law? It's part of who He is, right? So this is very important to understand. Another way we know that the 10 commandments are unique is that they summarize the two great commandments Jesus identified, loving God and loving your neighbor. Matthew chapter 22, verses 37 to 40 says this is the sum of all God's commandments to love him and to love your neighbor. Jesus verified. He also ratified the permanence of the law of God, the 10 commandments. Fifthly, they are repeated. These 10 commandments, unlike the laws concerning festivals and Sabbaths and materials and the rest of them. Speaker 2 The 10 commandments are repeated and fully expanded in the New Testament by Jesus and his apostles. Matthew chapter 5 verses 22 verse 30. Jesus says you have heard it said that you should not commit adultery. But I say to you, if anyone looks at a woman to lost, you have said it. You've heard it said that you should not. Speaker 1 Be angry, but anyone who looks at it you should not murder. But anybody who looks at his brother with anger or has anger in his heart towards his brother has already killed his brother in his heart. So Jesus takes the 10 the laws of the 10 commandments and he says, let me expand it to you more fully to understand what it is that God is actually saying. And we find the apostle Paul do the same thing in Matthew chapter. Sorry in Romans chapter 13 verse 8. Notice that, Paul. Speaker 2 In expanding the new covenant, commandments appeals to the law. Speaker 1 Look at what he says Oh no one anything except to love one another, but so that you understand that the law that that I Love Actually looks like obedience to God's law. He says this verse 9 for the commandments. You shall not commit adultery, you shall not you shall not steal, you are not covet and any are summed up in this world. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does law wrong to enable. Therefore, love is the what fulfilling of the law. How do you know that you're loving people? You're obeying God's law. Sorry feeling. First and foremost, it's obedience to God's law. That's why in the book of Galatians it says where these things are, where the fruit of the Spirit is, there is no law. It's not saying that we must not obey the law of God. It's saying that when you are, when you are filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Speaker 2 No one has to tell you to do what you are already doing, which is obeying God's commandments, because it's being produced in your heart now, right? And of course in Ephesians chapter 5. Speaker 1 Students Chapter 6 Sorry. When Paul talks about children obeying their parents, he appeals to the 5th commandments. Honour your father and your mother that your deeds may be long in the land, right? And so, friends, the 10 commandments are for us today. The 10 Commandments for Today: A Look at the Sabbath And over the next few weeks, by the grace of God, I want us to delve into each one of them. To reflect on God's character as we look at them to see how they are a guide for our own holiness. See how they can lead us to repentance, and to see how they can show us the greatness of Christ, who the Bible says knew no sin. He's the only one who kept the law perfect. And through him we can become the righteousness of God because he is our law keeper. So we want to explore all these things over the next few weeks by the grace of God. Amen. Any final thoughts or questions before we I dismissed Sarah? Speaker 6 I want to ask about the Asian about the Sabbath. So it's part of the 10 commandments. So how do we I don't I don't know if I keep the Sabbath, so I don't how I'm supposed to I. Speaker 1 Don't know here's our here's our answer it. I don't expect that our Lord will come back by the time I answer that in about four weeks, but if he does, he will answer it for you. So just wait for about a few weeks. We won't look at that. Certainly commandments. OK, you know, but what does that means I should lock this place. We ought to, like, go through every single. Speaker 2 One of them. Speaker 1 But yes, there is a way to OK. Are we commanded by God to keep the Sabbath? Yes. Or what does that mean? It doesn't mean we keep it the way the Jews did. One of the things that I will show us is that part of even the 10 commandments contains ceremonial elements to it, right, that are not we are not obliged to obey. For example, you have to remember that Israel was the immediate audience. I am the Lord of God who delivered you from the House of Egypt. We weren't delivered from the House of Egypt. We weren't delivered from the House of slavery. Spiritually we were, but physically we weren't right. And so some of what is contained in the precepts of the. Speaker 2 Of the law, the Sabbath law and even some of the other laws that we will see like honor your father and your mother. It is connected to and specific to Israel like you will live long in the land. It means one thing for Israel means another thing for us. For Israel there was an actual physical land of promise, Canaan and God is saying if you honor my. Speaker 1 If you honor. Speaker 2 Your father and your mother in obedience to my law. Speaker 1 I will continue to perpetually give you Canaan as your place of residence here on earth. But for us, we know that we have a land that is has foundations to build. Our Maker is God. And so to keep the Sabbath for New Testament believers does not look the same way as keeping the Sabbath for Old Testament believers. OK, But we'll expound on that when we get there. All right, let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for this evening and for breaking open your word to us. We pray that this series would do much good to us as your people. We want to know you, and we thank you that you've given to us your word as the entry pointing to the knowledge of God. So we pray that as we consider the matters of your law, you will teach us like David's to love your law, to make it our meditation. And in your law we might see your glory and we might see the glory of Christ be with us as we make our way. Homes protect us and keep us till we meet again in Jesus name.