Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I introduced the idea of grace with a diagram.  We will build on that now, so if you missed it, go back and watch Tuesday and Wednesday’s content.

You may be familiar with the Ten Commandments.  They are an important part of the tracks that God has created for our lives, the guidelines that keep us from self-destructing.

Where did they come from? They are over 3400 years old.  God led the Israelites out of danger and slavery, then gave the laws by which this newly freed people were to organize their life together.  Of all these laws, the Ten Commandments come first and take most important place.

In a few minutes, please watch the attached video to hear the commandments in detail.  But first we need to know purpose first, to understand the commandments in their proper place…lest you come away from this thinking that Christianity is all about following a bunch of rules.

A common misconception is to make “Obey God’s laws” #1 as if it could qualify you for a life of knowing God.  Sometimes Christians communicate the rules like they are number one, having forgotten how they came to know the God who helps them keep those commandments.  Knowing God qualifies you to try and follow these commandments…God is working in and through his followers to help transform their lives from the inside out.

This was certainly true for Israelites.  God, in his love for the Israelites, saved them from slavery in Egypt by parting the red sea.  Only once they were safely on the other side of the sea from the Egyptians did he give them the commandments, and call them to live by those commandments in thanks for the gift he’d given them.

The 10 commandments answer the question: “How can I live to thank the God who has loved me so much?”  Not how can I behave to earn God’s love, or avoid his hate.  Not how can I get others to live by my rules?

Take a quick run through these commandments.

The Commandments deal with two things:

  1. Relationship with God
  2. Relationship with One Another.

The last commandment is unique, since it talks about contentment.  This one may seem a bit different from the others, and it is.  The others focus on our outward actions, what to do and not do, while this one focuses on our hearts, what to want and desire, and what not to.

God is in the transformation business.  He not only wanted to see the Israelites as a transformed society, but also to see the minds of all his created human beings transformed in this way.

The Bible contains many other guidelines, principles and laws.  We don’t have time to go through them all here.  Life is complex, and there is not a specific rule for everything.   But these principles, the 10 commandments, or even just the 2 commandments to love god and neighbour, or the principle of grace behind them all, can apply to any area of life.  I am happy to help you interpret and apply if you have a specific question.

Watch the 10 Commandments here: https://vimeo.com/8439038

Challenge: Show grace to someone today.  Give them a gift they don’t deserve.

Reminder:  Last week we talked about worship, and asked you to complete our online survey about worship here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8TS7K93

Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - April 30, 2013

Tuesday - Study It - Pompous Prayer

Matthew 6:5-13 says “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:5-13 ESV) First, Jesus indicates prayer is a good thing. He says “when you pray” – not “if you like that kind of thing” It was expected - 3 times a day for devout Jews. Jesus’ followers were probably no different. So what’s his problem? Is it that hypocrites stand to pray? No – normal. Is it that they pray in synagogues and street corners? I could see street corners, but why would praying in synagogue be an issue? Posture and place are even okay...so what is the problem? Motivation is the problem. They are not praying in public to help others know something about God - they are helping others know something about themselves. That they're good, holy, spiritual people, or at least moreso than others. Using prayer like a tool to get ahead in society. For power and influence. When he says not to pray like those people, don't apply this as rigid legalism, where Jesus is saying no one should ever pray where anyone else will ever know. That would be pretty hard to do! And Jesus didn’t follow that. This is to do with private prayer. Christians are still allowed to pray as a group. It’s different, and permitted…in fact, encouraged. When Jesus taught them to pray in this passage, with the Lord’s Prayer, he started OUR Father. So his issue is when people making private prayer public, not to teach others about Jesus, not to pray to God with other Christians, but to make themselves look good, or make other people look bad. Question: Have you ever said a prayer, and not really meant it, or simply prayed because someone asked you to? How did it feel?

Related Topics: Prayer | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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