YouTube video sermon
Exodus 19:16-20:17
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 19. We’re beginning a new series today on the 10 Commandments and I’ve titled the first message God’s Top 10. Everybody has a Top 10. The FBI has it’s top 10 Most Wanted. David Letterman used to have a Top 10 every night. One of my favorites, although I don’t get to see them often, is ESPN’s Top 10 plays of the week. So, let me ask you what’s your Top 10. Maybe it’s your Top 10 movies, or cars, or travel destinations, or songs, or Bible verses?
As you think about your Top 10’s, I want you to notice something about your lists. Unless someone specifically asked you to name your Top 10 most disliked in a specific category, almost every Top 10 list that we create is made up of our favorites. Have you noticed that? They’re special. They’re the most meaningful to us. They’re what we (the giver of the list) consider to be the best. Well, the same is true for God. His Top 10 sheds light on what He considers the best rules for life.
So, I’m going to take us back to Exodus 19, even though the 10 Commandments are found in chapter 20. We want to look at some preliminaries this morning, before we settle into each of the 10 commandments over the coming weeks. I want us to ask a few questions. Why study them? What were they, exactly? Why were they given? And what relevance do they have for our lives today, if any? So, we go back to Exodus 19 – beginning in verse 16 and continuing through Exodus 20:17.
16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” 23 And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You Yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24 And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “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.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh 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, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Our God and our Father, we’re grateful for the revelation of You that we have in the Bible – that every portion of it reflects a different aspect of Your character, all of it to be studied and considered and applied. Lord, it’s marvelous how the Holy Spirit seems to take what we read on Sunday and brings it to bear in our lives the rest of the week. We pray that would happen again. In Jesus’ name, amen.
So, the first question I want us to tackle is why study them?
Why Study Them (Importance)
The argument in some Christian circles runs like this, “We’re believers of the New Covenant, which was made in the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our sins, and the Bible says that because of Jesus’ sacrifice we’re no longer under the Law, but under grace. Therefore, I don’t need to be concerned about the Law and since the 10 Commandments are part of the Mosaic law, I’m not bound by them.”
That statement, or something similar to it, is referred to as antinomianism (meaning “against the law” – anti is “against” and nomos is “law”). What the person has done, perhaps unintentionally, is to take a biblical teaching and apply it in such a way as to arrive at an unbiblical conclusion. Let me untie the knot and we’ll move on to why we should study the 10 Commandments.
Here’s the knot. The biblical teaching is that Christians are not required to observe the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. That’s true. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament Law. Romans 10:4 says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” In Ephesians, the letter that we just finished studying, Paul says that Jesus death “abolish[ed] the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:15-16). So, it’s true that we’re not saved by keeping the Law.
But the unbiblical conclusion that’s smuggled into the statement is that there’s no moral law that God expects Christians to obey. That’s not true. 1 John 5:3 tells us, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Perhaps you remember Jesus’ response to one of the Pharisees in Matthew 22, when He was asked about the greatest commandment, “And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”
Now some of you are thinking, “Yes, I follow all of that, but Jesus didn’t quote the 10 Commandments in His response. He simply said to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” That’s true. Jesus didn’t explicitly give the 10 Commandments as His response, but what we’re going to discover is that the first 4 commandments are focused on our relationship with God and the last 6 are focused on our relationship with our neighbor. So, while Jesus didn’t explicitly say, “Obey the 10 commandments,” His response certainly carried that implication.
The straight line is this: we are NOT saved by keeping the Law, but by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus. That’s how we’re saved. At the same time, we’re called to live holy and righteous lives – often marked by keeping God’s commandments – and that’s only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me offer one final verse to hopefully clarify this. 1 John 2:3-6 says, “We know that we have come to know [Jesus] if we keep His commands. Whoever says, ‘I know [Jesus],’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys [Jesus’] word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in [Jesus]: Whoever claims to live in [Jesus] must live as Jesus did.”
So, we’re not free to ignore the 10 Commandments. We’re saved by grace through faith and we’re called to live holy lives. Quickly, let me give you five (5) more reasons we should study the 10 Commandments.
They’re found in Scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Part of the “all” Scripture that Paul is referring to there is Exodus 20. The Bible is God’s curriculum. It’s His owner’s manual. It’s His revelation to us.
They’re foundational to faith. Let me ask you this question: What was the Bible that Jesus quoted from? The Old Testament. Whenever Jesus said, “It is written…” He was quoting from what is now our Old Testament. Many Christians don’t understand the foundations of our faith. Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:7). If Jesus came to fulfill the Law, doesn’t it make sense that we should know something about the very law that He came to fulfill?
They’re fundamental to society. American jurisprudence used to have its basis in the 10 Commandments. I’m not so sure these days. C.S. Lewis, speaking about the 10 Commandments, in his book The Abolition of Man says, “Many ancient cultures have a surprising agreement in these ethical and moral standards despite cultural differences. Man has a basic understanding of these standard that God has established for His creation.”
They’re forsaken in the culture. When you push God’s law to the side, you’ve got to fill that space with something and what our culture has filled it with is relativism. There’s no absolute truth anymore. What’s good for you may not be good for me. My truth may not be your truth. What was once evil we call good, and what was good we now call evil. If that sounds familiar that’s what Isaiah says happens to a nation when they forsake the law of the Lord (Isaiah 5).
They’re forgotten by the church. What’s true of the culture has revealed itself to be true in some Christian circles too. A Barna poll from 2016 indicates that 62% of professing Christians say there’s no absolute standard of right and wrong. It goes on to say, “In some denominations, the vast majority of clergy do not have a biblical worldview, and it shows up clearly in the data related to the theological views and moral choices of people who attend those churches.”
What Were They (Substance)
Well, they’re part of a greater covenant that God made with the children of Israel when they left Egypt. We all remember the story; after the Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt, 90 days later they end up at the base of Mount Sinai where God calls Moses to re-establish His covenant and gives him these 10 Commandments, not 10 suggestions, or 10 ideas, or 10 proposals. Exodus 19:7 says, “So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.”
Also notice that there are 10 of them, not 5, or 19, just 10. And these 10 are sufficient to give us God’s “general will” concerning the great issues of life. And these instructions weren’t just limited to outward actions. While murder and adultery and stealing are external, there are commandments, like coveting, that focus on the internal attitudes of the heart. In fact, Paul says, in Romans 7, that it was coveting that awakened him to the reality of his sin. “Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness” (Romans 7:7-8).
And that was Jesus’ point in the Sermon on the Mount, wasn’t it? You have heard that it was said you shall not murder, but I say to you, if you’re angry with your brother without cause, you’re in danger of judgment. You’ve heard that it was said by those of old that you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that if you look upon another woman to lust after her in your heart, you’ve committed adultery (Matthew 5:21-28, paraphrased). The Law governs external actions and internal attitudes.
That brings us to the third question for us to consider.
Why Were They Given (Significance)
Well, let me give us four (4). First, they were given to regard God. In other words, they were given to show visible, tangible expression of our love of God. Again, in Exodus 19:5 you’ll find an “if/then” construction, “If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples.” Our obedience is one way that we demonstrate our love of God.
Second, they were given to relate man to man. Now follow me here. The first four commandments are what we call “theocentric,” meaning they have everything to do with how we relate to God. The last six are “anthropocentric,” meaning they’re man-centered. They have everything to do with how we relate to one another.
Third, they were given to restrain evil. If you gave man complete and unfettered reign to do as he pleases, it would be pandemonium and chaos all the time. Paul writes to Timothy and says, “Understand this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). So, these commandments, like all laws, were given to restrain the raging evil and sinfulness of human nature.
Fourth, they were given to reveal our need. Do you remember when you were introduced to a microscope for the first time? It was probably in junior high or high school, and your teacher said, “Take out one of your hairs from your head and put it under the microscope.” Now, you just washed your hair and it was silky and smooth, and you thought it was the best hair on the block until you put it under the microscope. Do you remember what it looked like? Gnarly, nasty, irregular, big cuts in the shaft. That was your hair under the microscope. Our lives under the microscope of the law looks that way for a reason. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says the law was our schoolmaster, our tutor, to drive us to Jesus. It shows us our need.
So, we’ve looked at their importance, their substance, their significance, and lastly their relevance.
What Do They Mean (Relevance)
What are we supposed to do with these verses? Well, there are at least four (4) ways we can apply these verses, even today.
Number one, treat them as a compass. As we look at these individual commandments over the next several weeks, we’re going to see 10 categories, 10 reference points for us to use in order to make our way through life, things we don’t ever have to pray about. They’re just fixed. You never have to say, “You know, although I’m married, I’m really interested in this other person and I’m sort of thinking about having an affair, so I’m going to pray about that.” You don’t even need to pray about that. It’s done. We’re going to find 10 principles that will be our reference points and give us direction.
Number two, treat them as a thermometer. Thermometers measure temperature, and these 10 commandments are a great way to measure our love for the things of God. Are we hot or cold when it comes to the things that God says are important? We saw we love God, but what does the gauge of our obedience say?
Number three, treat them as a mirror. We all have a love/hate relationship with the mirror. They tell us the truth. That’s what the 10 Commandments do. They tell us the truth. They don’t fix the problem, but they do a really good job of showing us where the problem area is.
Fourth, and finally, treat them as a road sign pointing us to Jesus. Okay, so we’re going to see the truth about ourselves, the dirt so to speak, and it ought to motivate us to run for cleansing and that’s in the blood of Jesus.
I love the story of the young boy that got lost in London. At the heart of the city is an intersection called Charing Cross. All distances across the city are measured from its central point. Locals refer to it simply as “the cross.” One day a little boy became lost in the bustling city, and a police officer heard his cries and came to his aid to try and help him return to his family.
The bobby asked the little boy a variety of questions in an attempt to discover where the boy lived, to no avail. Finally, with tears streaming down the boy’s face, he said, “If you will take me to the cross I think I can find my way from there.”
Each week, the commandments are going to point us to the cross. That’s where we find our way home. Not because we kept the law perfectly in attitude or actions, but I need to be cleansed and forgiven and changed, and it only comes through Jesus.