THE STORY: Building A Nation (Exodus 20:1-6)

Introduction

A) It seems that in the later half of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy that God became obsessed with rules. Starting with the provision of the Ten Commandments, these four books are full of apparently, divinely given do’s-and- don’ts. Some of these rules make sense to us and some make you want to scratch your head.

B) God provided guidance concerning wearing polyester, eating shellfish, avoidance of pork, no-work Saturdays, and even a prohibition against , cutting, and .

C) Commonly, an antagonist will criticize a modern-day Christian as hypocritical because we don’t stone adulterous people or cut the hand off of a male who inappropriately touches another male. They accuse us of cherry-picking the rules we want to follow and ignoring the others.

D) Contextualize this sermon in the series – The Story of God’s Unrelenting Love.

E) Contextualize the text of this sermon - Exodus 20

G) Today, my goal is 1) to help you understand those legalistic books of the Bible, 2) help you understand what OT laws/rule apply to us today, and 3) to help you see Jesus through the entire process.

H) All of the Old Testament laws, rules and regulations can be broken down into three categories – moral law, ceremonial law, and civil law Each category of laws had different purposes and must be understood in context.

I. The Moral Law (Exodus 20)

A) Spectacularly given

B) Divinely inspired

C) Impossible to keep (The purpose of the Ten Commandments was to demonstrate the moral behavior that was necessary to please God. However, they were impossible to keep and only exposed the sinfulness of God’s people. 1) No other Gods (20:1-3) I’ve never put anything before God in my life. He has been preeminent in my thoughts and actions. 2) No Idols (20:4-6) This about reshaping God about our liking. Do you believe everything the Bible says about God without ever wishing He was different? 3) Misuse God’s Name (20:7) More that including God’s name in a curse word, it is living up to the family name. Have you always and completely live in such a way that Gods name is honored? 4) Remember the Sabbath (20:8) Giving God fully what belongs to him. Can you say you have consisting given God what is due to him including giving him one day a week specifically for the purpose of worshipping with others. 5) Honor Father and Mother (20:12) Relates to how you honor authority in your life. I consistently obeyed all authority in my life. I consistently honored and obey my parents, always giving them honor due them. 6) Do not murder (20:13) (Mt. 5:21) 7) Do not commit authority (20:14) (Mt. 5:27) 8) Do not steal (20:15) Never taken anything was not yours whether by accident or on purpose. 9) Do not lie (20:16) (Mt. 5:33) Exaggerated, embellished, lied, or broken a promise. 10) Do not covet (20:17) I have never been jealous of what someone else has, accomplished, or possessed. I’ve never resented other people’s success, looks, etc. I have always rejoice in others success.

NOTE: Your sin is more sinful than you think.

II. The Civil Law (Exodus 21:1)

Exodus 21:18-19 – “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or his fist, and the injured man does not die but is confined to bed, 19) if he can later get up and walk around outside leaning on his staff, then the one who struck him will be exempt from . Nevertheless, he must pay for his lost work time[h] and provide for his complete recovery.

Exodus 22:1 - “When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep. 2) If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed. 3) But if this happens after sunrise, there is guilt of bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft.

Lev. 20:10 - If a man commits adultery with a married woman—if he commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

Numbers 15:32 - Now while the children of were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. 35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.

NOTE: These laws were for the nation-state of Israel. They were the rule of law set in the context of their culture. There was no King, no President, no Justice Department, and no Attorney General. They lived within the context of clans and families.

NOTE: Because these civil laws were given specifically to the nation-state of Israel, they do not apply to us. We have our own civil laws. We have our own code of conduct.

NOTE: However, many lasting principles can be derived from these civil laws.

III. Ceremonial Law (Leviticus 16)

(The ceremonial law consisted of festivals, feasts, offerings, and sacrifices and pointed directly toward Jesus. Once Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law, there is no need for them to be practiced.)

A) Festivals like Passover and Festival of Booths were designed to draw the people together and remind them of the common origin, past experiences, and provisions of God.

B) Feasts were celebratory in nature.

C) Offerings were usually involved something besides animal like first-fruit offerings

D) Sacrifices were the offering of animals as an act of worship such as a burnt offering

NOTE: The highest religious day was The Day of Atonement.

a) Priest was segregated extended period of time, bathed extensively, and dressed in never before worn white linen. b) He offered a sacrifice for himself. C) Repeated the extensive bathing and fresh linen garment. D) He offered a sacrifice for the people. E) Repeated the extensive bathing and fresh linen garment. F) He offered a sacrifice for the people. G) Scapegoat (16:10, 21-22)

Matthew 5:17 - “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

Conclusion.