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 - July 18, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Originality

There is some teaching, especially when it's unoriginal and shallow, that you can take under advisement. You can simply say, "That’s interesting" and then move on with your life. We read stuff like this all the time. Magazine articles. Newspaper. Blogs. Facebook posts. Some people are very skilled at rehashing other people’s research in entertaining and interesting ways. I often read things that are of little value to me. They're just interesting, and not going to change my life. I hope the Sermon on the Mount we've been studying is not that way for you. We saw last week – hearing and living these words is like building upon a stone foundation for life. Hearing and ignoring these words is like building on a sand foundation that washes away. How you hear the Sermon on the Mount is like the difference between a wedding announcement and invitation. With a wedding announcement in the newspaper or on Facebook, you say, "Oh, look, they’re getting married, how nice". An invitation is quite different, since it has your name on it. It’s for you. We want you to come. The Kingdom of heaven is often described as a party, and it would be a party with the most original, profound teacher ever at its centre. The very source of truth, wisdom is the attraction. His way of life would now be the only reality. The kingdom he’s been describing, would be there in living colour. He’s issued that invitation to you. Come to my kingdom, my celebration, my party. And this is not just a future reality, somewhere else. It’s something we are called to start practicing now, really living it out, to be ready for the full production . Life on earth is meant to be a practice party, and you’re invited. We're establishing a new church, or Christian community, in Ajax – and it will be built on the model of a party with Jesus at the center. It will be like nothing you've ever experienced before. We're planning our first party for this fall. Challenge: We're running a poll right now, that you can find in our app or here on our web site: http://bit.ly/15B2yry Tell us what kind of party you could RSVP to!

Related Topics: Authority, Jesus, Originality, Teaching | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio

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