1. My Life With God 1 st & 2 nd Commandment

2. INTRODUCTION I'm sure that you all have been to a public pool or a hotel pool. What is usually posted on a big sign near the pool? What are some of those rules and why are they posted? (No glass containers, no running, no diving, no dunking, pushing etc.) Laws and rules have a good reason behind them. Let's look at the rules of God and the reasons behind them

3. STUDYING GOD’S WORD What are the three good purposes of God's Law?

4. 1 Timothy 1:9-10 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers —and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine

5. GOD'S LAW SERVES AS A CURB The curb keeps people from sinning . If you go to the zoo you can see polar bears, black bears, lions and tigers, but you can't pet them. They are behind a fence or protective glass to keep them from reaching out and hurting you. God's law is like that protective barrier. It keeps murderers and thieves from reaching out to harm you each day.

6. Romans 3:19-20 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law ; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin .

7. GOD'S LAW SERVES AS A MIRROR. The Mirror show us our sin every day Think of a man traveling 80 MPH when he hears the siren of a police car behind him and sees flashing lights. The siren and lights acted as a mirror. They showed the man that speeding is wrong and he deserves the punishment because he is guilty. God's law shows us clearly that we have done wrong and are sinners.

8. Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path . GOD'S LAW SERVES AS A GUIDELINE.

9. God's Law shows us how He wants us to live. In Montana, there were such terrible blizzards in which the wind blew so fiercely that people could get lost between the house and the barn. A seasoned rancher who knew that he would have to take care of the calves would fasten a rope between the house and the barn before the storm - a guideline. The false ideas of people and the world blind us, but God's law is that guideline that keeps us on the right path.

10. GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE Evaluate: Now that I am a Christian, I no longer need God's law as a curb or mirror. Evaluate: "It sure is a drag being a Christian. Look at all of the fun I miss out on because of the laws God wants me to follow."

11. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT - You shall have no other gods What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.

12. STUDYING GOD’S WORD Why does God forbid us to have any other God's in the First Commandment?

13. Isaiah 45:21 It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.

14. God tells us that He is the only True God . There can only be one genuine article. Anything else is an imitation. For example, many companies try to be like a name brand but lower the quality, the price and try to make it fit like the real thing. The Lord God is the genuine article. There are not even any imitations.

15. Isaiah 42:8 “ I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

16. Because there is only one true God, He insists that all glory be given to Him. A boy had a hard working sister that spent the whole day cleaning the house, even scrubbing the floors and cleaning the boys room for him. When dad and mom came home and asked, "Who did all the work?" the boy answered "I did!" His sister was angry for taking the “glory” that she deserved. So to with God who deserves all the glory for what He has done for us.

17. Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: ”‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind . ’ God wants you to love Him more than anyone else. The account of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac showed God that he loved Him more than His own Son. God held the number one position in Abraham's heart even under these circumstances.

18. God is the only true God and wants us to give him the glory He deserves by loving Him more than anyone or anything else.

19. GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE Evaluate: It is wrong for me to want to make as much money as I can. Agree or disagree and why ? If we could keep the First Commandment perfectly, we could be sinless.

20. CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY Law as a CURB - God's law helps to preserve order in the world by keeping the wicked actions of people within bounds . Law as a MIRROR - God's law shows all people their sin and their need of a Savior. (SOS - Shows Our Sin) Law as a GUIDELINE - God's law tells Christians, surrounded by a sinful world, the way of life that is pleasing to God.

21. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not use his name to curse, swear, lie or deceive or use witchcraft, but call upon His name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.

22. STUDYING GOD’S WORD What is involved in the Lord's name?

23. Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

24. God uses a title that only God could use to identify himself . When Tiger Woods says, "I am the best golfer in the world," he has the swing and trophies to prove it. God simply says, "I am" and he has the power and glory to prove it - (explain how "I am" says so much about our God.

25. Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

26. List the titles of this verse … Each of these titles is like a snap shot telling us something different about our God. Like in our country's president. To us he is "president", to his kids he is "dad" to his wife he is "husband, to his mom he is "son" - this is the same person different aspect - so too with God's titles.

28. The Lord's name is every title and expression in His Word that he uses to reveal Himself and the name by which we are saved.

29. CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY God's NAME – is every expression that God uses to refer to himself and everything that is revealed about Him in His Word. Curse - using God's name to wish evil on someone or something Swear - using God's name to assure someone that the truth is being told.

30. STUDYING GOD'S WORD How do people disobey these commandments?

32. People disobey when they love anyone or anything more than God. Some people bow down to idols, some are obsessed with money, clothes and things of this world. Some love themselves and spend all their time, talents and money on making themselves look better. It is not wrong to love our parents, friends or spouse, but it is wrong to love or trust in them more than God. That is always a sin.

33. James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. We misuse God's name by cursing - using God's name to wish evil on someone. How many hammers are going to hell? You may think that is funny, but think of what comes out of people's mouths. It is silly to ask God to damn a hammer, so why do it? It is horrible to damn another person - this is the language of the devil.

35. People misuse God's name by swearing uselessly. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. I swear on a stack of Bibles. I swear on my mother's grave. I swear to God.“ We should always tell the truth and let our "yes, be yes and "no " be no.

36. People disobey these commandments when they give glory or love to something more than God and when they curse or swear needlessly.

39. My Life With God The 3 rd Commandment

40. INTRODUCTION Perhaps you heard about the 7th Day Adventist Church. This church teaches that it is a sin to do any work on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. It also teaches that God commands that you must worship on Saturday, not on Sunday. Can you think of any reasons why they might believe these two things? (OT Sabbath day, belief these laws still apply.) Are we sinning if we do work on Saturday? Are we sinning by worshipping on Sunday? Let's see how this commandment applies to us.

41. THE THIRD COMMANDMENT - Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and his Word,but regard it as holy and gladly hear and learn it

42. STUDYING GOD’S WORD Why do we say that the third commandment deals with God's Word?

43. Leviticus 23:3 ”‘ There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD .

44. In the OT - God commanded that people rest and worship on Saturday. God was serious about his OT people obeying the Sabbath and not working on the 7th day. God commanded that those who did work were to be stoned to death. But note it wasn't just for rest, but it was also for studying God's Word. The Sabbath had two purposes.

45. Colossians 2:16-17 16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day . 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ .

46. The OT Sabbath was a shadow or picture of Christ. If you see the shadow of a person coming around the corner, you look at the shadow until the person appears around the corner. Then your eyes look at the person rather than the shadow anymore. This is the OT. It was a shadow pointing to Christ and now we look at Jesus since he has appeared and fulfilled the OT. The Sabbath is no longer in effect.

47. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

48. God commands us to study His Word. Let's say your mother goes off to the store and tells you to watch for your aunt who is coming. She specifically tells you to stand by the window and watch, and then when she does come to invite her in and keep her company until she returns. When your aunt comes, standing by the window no longer applies, but you still have to keep her company. So to the Sabbath no longer applies, but we still study the Word. (keeping the spirit of the law)

49. We say that the third commandment deals with God's Word because that's the part of the commandment that still applies to us.

50. GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE Evaluate: Jon went fishing on Sunday instead of going to church. Mary told him that he had committed a sin by doing so. Agree or disagree and why? A true Christian gladly hears and learns God's word every day.

51. STUDYING GOD’S WORD How does God want us to honor His Word?

52. Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

53. God wants us to honor his word by gladly hearing it and reading it. Remember Jesus with Mary and Martha. Martha complained that Mary was at Jesus’ feet listening and not helping. Mary had chosen wisely. Jesus reminds us that he wants us to gladly read and hear his Word.

55. God wants us to gladly learn His Word. If you just sit in class and daydream and look at the clock every five minutes and sort of listen, it is likely that you will gain very little from class. Just sitting in church, not participating, singing and reading along, will not likely benefit you. Only when you gladly hear and learn it will you really learn and grow.

57. God wants us to honor his work by believing it. Suppose you purchase a book on campfire safety. You can memorize everything about a fire pit, safe starting and extinguishing. But if you don't believe these things to be true, it will do no good when you go camping. You could hurt yourself if you don't do what the book says. Unfortunately, hearing and learning God's Word will do nothing unless you believe it.

59. God wants us to honor his word by obeying it. There are some forms of heart trouble that can be taken care of with medicine. The person may read the label on the bottle and even believe the medicine will help. If he doesn’t follow the instructions to take the medicine at the right times, the medicine does him no good or may make him worse off. It’s the same spiritually. James says, "Faith by itself, without deeds is dead."

60. God wants me to honor his Word not just by hearing it, but also by gladly learning, believing and obeying it .

61.  GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE Agree or Disagree and why? Children should not be forced to read the Bible and go to church. What's wrong here? Teri says she doesn't have to go to Bible class or read the Bible at home because she gets all the spiritual strength she needs from the Sunday worship service.

62. STUDYING GOD’S WORD Why does our church have regular Worship services?

64. Our church has worship services so that Pastors can help up grow in faith - The word pastor means "shepherd.“ Shepherds take care of sheep and are responsible for the health and well-being of each sheep. God has placed a pastor as a shepherd over each of his flocks, or congregations. They are responsible for the spiritual health and well-being of each and every person.

66. We grow in faith as we hear the Word of God the pastor teaches us. One of the number one causes of death for children in the world is a lack of food and nourishment. If a child regularly refuses to eat the good food that their parent offers, they will become weak, sick and even die. If we fail to dine regularly on spiritual food that our pastor gives us by nourishing us with God's Word, we will become weak, feeble and sick or even die spiritually.

67. Our congregation has worship services so that our pastor can feed us with God's Word and help us to keep growing in faith. CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY Sabbath - Hebrew word for "rest" Despise - to think of something as worthless Holy - perfect, pure sinless - to be set apart for use only with our holy God

68. STUDYING GOD'S WORD When do people sin against this commandment?

69. Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing , but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

70. By refusing to hear and read God's Word regularly. There are some people that go to church two times a year - Christmas and Easter - are they Christians? God's Word is the food that keeps people alive spiritually and needs to be heard regularly.

72. By not believing God's Word. If you go through catechism class and know what God's Word says, but after a year or two, you turn your back on God's Word and say "I don't believe any more.” Think of what happened to Judas.

76. By letting the pleasures and worries of this life to crowd out God's Word and church. There are many activities that one can do on a Sunday or in place of reading God's Word - mow the lawn, soccer, sleep, skiing, fishing, hunting, baseball. When these things choke out God's Word, then our faith weakens and can even die.

77. People sin against this commandment when they don't come to church to hear God's Word or read it at home, believe God's Word or obey it.

78. Ezekiel 33:11 - Say to them, 'As surely as the I live, declares the Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their evil ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why do you die, O house of Israel? Give examples from your life of how you have broken this commandment. Explain how when we turn from our evil ways we have "life" ?