If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 10

The Commandments of God

Lesson 10	Screen 1
The Commandments of God

Welcome to this new Bible lesson! Let's pray together:

Our Father,

To understand Your prophetic Word, we must properly fill our toolbox, which now contains the faith of Jesus.

Should we also add Your commandments to it?

Please enlighten us on this subject. In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

Lesson 10	Screen 2
The Commandments of God

Revelation 12:17	Comments
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.	Bible prophecy often mentions the importance of the commandments of God, the law of God. Why are they so essential? Let's see together.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Lesson 10	Screen 3
The Commandments of God

Ezekiel 7:26	Comments
Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.	The understanding of Bible prophecy is closely linked to obedience to God's law. When this law is neglected, or entirely set aside, then it is impossible to unveil the secrets of Bible prophecy.
Lamentations 2:9
The Law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord.

Lesson 10	Screen 4
The Commandments of God

Proverbs 29:18	Comments
Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the law.	On the other hand, God will allow the student who keeps His law, who obeys His commandments, to succeed in understanding Bible prophecy.
John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Lesson 10	Screen 5
The Commandments of God

Genesis 2:16,17	Comments
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ŤOf every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.ť	From the very beginning, man received from God precise instructions about the things to do and not to do. The aim of these laws was not to oppress man, but rather to show him the only way to happiness.

Lesson 10	Screen 6
The Commandments of God

Romans 5:12	Comments
Through one man sin entered the world.	Choosing to disobey God's law, Adam became a sinner, thus separating himself from God. If there had been no law in Adam's time, he could not have been judged as a sinner, in other words, a transgressor of God's law.
1 John 3:4
Sin is lawlessness.
Romans 4:15
For where there is no law there is no transgression.

Lesson 10	Screen 7
The Commandments of God

Genesis 26:5	Comments
[The Lord said,] ŤAbraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.ť	Kept by Adam and Eve, the commandments of God were thereafter taught from generation to generation. We can see that, centuries later, Abraham knew these commandments well, and obeyed them.

Lesson 10	Screen 8
The Commandments of God

Exodus 1:13,14	Comments
So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage - in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.	Thereafter, the Israelites were reduced to slavery for more than four centuries. After their liberation from bondage to the Egyptians, God considered it advisable to give them His law once again, solemnly...
Exodus 12:40
Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.

Lesson 10	Screen 9
The Commandments of God

Exodus 19:16,18	Comments
There were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. (...) Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire.	The proclamation of the law was an unforgettable demonstration of power.
Hebrews 12:21
So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ŤI am exceedingly afraid and trembling.ť

Lesson 10	Screen 10
The Commandments of God

Exodus 34:28	Comments
[The Lord] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.	The text of the law, that is, the Ten Commandments, was written on two tablets of stone.
Deuteronomy 4:13
[The Lord] declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Lesson 10	Screen 11
The Commandments of God

Exodus 31:18	Comments
And when [the Lord] had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.	The Ten Commandments were of such a great importance in the eyes of God that He decided to write them Himself, with His own finger!
Exodus 32:16
Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

Lesson 10	Screen 12
The Commandments of God

Summary of the 10 commandments, and how Jesus has expanded them :

| Summary of 10 commandments |          How Jesus expanded them
--|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------
1 |   No other gods but God    |      Money can be a god (Mat. 6:24)
2 |    No worship of images    |    Many kinds of idols (Mat. 22:3-5)
3 |        No blasphemy        | Blasphemy against Spirit (Mat. 12:32)
4 | Keeping the Sabbath holy |   Do good on the Sabbath (Mat. 12:12)
5 | Honoring father and mother |   Even before tradition (Mat. 15:5,6)
6 |         No murder          | Hatred amounts to killing (Mat. 5:21,22)
7 |        No adultery         |    No adultery in thought (Mat. 5:28)
8 |          No theft          |     Give generously (Mat. 19:16-22)
9 |      No false witness      |     No false appearance (Mat. 23:27)
10|      No covetousness       | Grow away from material (Mat. 6:19-21)

Lesson 10	Screen 13
The Commandments of God

Matthew 22:36-40	Comments
ŤTeacher, which is the great commandment in the law?ť Jesus said to him, Ť"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.ť	Obedience to the first four commandments demonstrates our love for God. Obedience to the last six commandments demonstrates our love for our neighbor.

Lesson 10	Screen 14
The Commandments of God

John 14:15	Comments
[Jesus said,] ŤIf you love Me, keep My commandments.ť	God wants to give us the power we need to keep His commandments. If we love Him, we will let Him work within us: and soon, keeping His commandments will be for us a delight, and no longer a burden.
1 John 5:3,4
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.

Lesson 10	Screen 15
The Commandments of God

Psalm 119 teaches us that following God's law brings happiness :

ŤOpen my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.ť (PSALM 119:18)

ŤMake me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it.ť (PSALM 119:35)

ŤI will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.ť (PSALM 119:47)

ŤOh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.ť (PSALM 119:97)

ŤTrouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights.ť (PSALM 119:143)

ŤGreat peace have those who love Your law.ť (PSALM 119:165)

Lesson 10	Screen 16
The Commandments of God

Deuteronomy 4:2	Comments
You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take anything from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.	As we will see in a future lesson, men have often tried to modify the text of the Ten Commandments, a move strictly forbidden by God.
Job 23:12
I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

Lesson 10	Screen 17
The Commandments of God

Matthew 5:18,19	Comments
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.	Jesus has made it clear: no one has the right to change a single commandment in order to adapt the text of God's law to the customs of society!

Lesson 10	Screen 18
The Commandments of God

1 Thessalonians 5:21

Comments

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

When confronted with God's Ten Commandments, some people claim that they were changed, that they were given only to the Jews, or that they were abolished a long time ago.

Nevertheless, the Ten Commandments possess all the qualities which belong to God: in fact, they perfectly reflect the character of the Creator.

So, let's be careful before saying that the law has been changed or abolished... We walk on holy ground!

Let's look together at the following table, showing that both God and His law display the same character.

Lesson 10	Screen 19
The Commandments of God

Summary: The law perfectly reflects the character of God !

Quality | God is:   | The law is: # Quality | God is:   | The law is:
--------+------------+-------------#-----------+------------+------------
Good    | Luke 18:19 | Romans 7:12 # Delightful| Psalm 37:4 | Ps. 119:47
Pure    | 1 John 3:3 | Psalm 19:8 # Faithful | 1 Cor. 1:9 | Ps. 119:86
Truth   | John 3:33 | Ps. 119:151 # Immutable | James 1:17 | Luke 16:17
Love    | 1 John 4:8 | Rom. 13:10 # Righteous | Jer. 23:6 | Ps. 119:172
Great   | 2 Sam. 7:22| Isa. 42:21 # Wondrous | Job 37:14 | Ps. 119:18
Perfect | Matt. 5:48 | James 1:25 # Honorable | Psalm 104:1| Isa. 42:21
Holy    | Lev. 19:2 | Romans 7:12 # Spiritual | 1 Cor. 10:4| Rom. 7:14
Eternal | Gen. 21:33 | Ps. 119:44 # Infinite | 2 Chr. 6:18| Ps. 119:96

Lesson 10	Screen 20
The Commandments of God

Romans 6:14	Comments
You are not under law but under grace.	If the Ten Commandments have not been abolished, then what does this declaration from the apostle Paul mean? What does he want to express by the words Ťnot under law but under graceť? Does he mean that the Christian, being under grace, is not required to obey the law of God?

Lesson 10	Screen 21
The Commandments of God

Galatians 4:4,5	Comments
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.	First, what does it mean to be Ťunder the lawť? According to these verses, to be under the law simply means to be under the condemnation of the law.
Galatians 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Lesson 10	Screen 22
The Commandments of God

Romans 6:14,15

Comments

You are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

We often stop reading after the words ŤYou are not under law but under grace.ť

Yet, the next verse clearly shows that the expression Ťnot under law but under graceť does not allow the Christian to live as if the law was no longer in existence!

Indeed, sin is the transgression of the law, and the apostle Paul declares that we should not sin, even if we are under grace... and especially since we are under grace!

Lesson 10	Screen 23
The Commandments of God

Galatians 5:13	Comments
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh.	If a policeman arrests you for speeding, warns you and lets you go without a fine, you are then Ťunder the graceť of this policeman. Does this grant you the right to transgress the highway code? Of course not! If you reoffend, the policeman will stop you again, and this time for good! Likewise, the grace of God forgives us, but that certainly doesn't give us the right to transgress His law.

Lesson 10	Screen 24
The Commandments of God

Romans 3:31	Comments
Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.	Let's take again the example of the policeman: what would be the best way to show him your gratitude, when he let you go without giving you a fine? It would be to do your best from now on to keep the highway code, wouldn't it? Likewise, if we are truly grateful toward God for His grace, we will seek to better keep His commandments, day after day, through His power working within us.

Lesson 10	Screen 25
The Commandments of God

Hebrews 5:9	Comments
[Christ] became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.	God expects us to obey Him. Through His power in our hearts, we will be able to keep His law, not to be saved, but rather to show the sincerity of our repentance and our conversion. We repeat this important point: we keep God's law, not to be saved, but because we are saved.
Acts 5:32
We are [God's] witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.

Lesson 10	Screen 26
The Commandments of God

God asks us to do His will, which is expressed in His law :

ŤI delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.ť (PSALM 40:8)

ŤNot everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.ť (MATTHEW 7:21)

ŤYou have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.ť (HEBREWS 10:36)

ŤHe who does the will of God abides forever.ť (1 JOHN 2:17)

ŤLet us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.ť (ECCLESIASTES 12:13)

Lesson 10	Screen 27
The Commandments of God

Galatians 2:20	Comments
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.	We cannot keep God's commandments on our own. But by accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, we obtain not only the forgiveness of our past sins, but also the power to do the will of God, from that time onward, by the presence of Christ living within us through the Holy Spirit.

Lesson 10	Screen 28
The Commandments of God

John 15:5	Comments
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.	If Jesus dwells within us, we will spontaneously bear good fruit, as a tree bears fruit without effort. Let's note that the law is not against this fruit.
Galatians 5:22,23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Lesson 10	Screen 29
The Commandments of God

Ezekiel 36:27	Comments
I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.	God can accomplish these wonderful promises within us, if we sincerely ask Him. Indeed, God greatly desires to give us His Holy Spirit, so that we may keep His commandments which show us the way to happiness!
Hebrews 8:10
I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Lesson 10	Screen 30
The Commandments of God

Psalm 119:47	Comments
I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.	The man who is truly converted will not try to lessen the importance of the commandments of God. On the contrary, he will take great delight in keeping them, knowing that God has given him the power he needs to do it.
Romans 7:22
For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
1 Corinthians 7:19
Keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

Lesson 10	Screen 31
The Commandments of God

Deuteronomy 5:29	Comments
Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!	God's law shows us the only way to happiness. The choice to obey is ours, knowing that, one day, we will all reap the consequences of our choices.
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.

Lesson 10	Screen 32
The Commandments of God

Dear friends, let's pray together:

Our Lord,

What a great message You have given us today! Now we know that You expect us to do Your will, which is clearly expressed in Your Ten Commandments.

But alone, we can do nothing: this is why we turn to You to ask, according to Your promise, that You grant us Your Holy Spirit, in order that we may learn to better keep Your law day after day.

We thank You, in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The test of Lesson 10 is waiting for you!

Click here to send us your questions or comments about our Web site and products.
Copyright Š2002 Cyberspace Ministry