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Lesson
7 —
The Ten Commandments,
a summary of God's Moral Law
Catechism questions 13-18 (OLD:18-23); Koehler p. 46-48
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I.
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The First
Commandment: You shall have no other gods besides Me
(Catechism
Questions 19-23 (OLD: 24-33); Koehler 49-51)
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A. |
Gross (Obvious)
Idolatry - to actually worship a false god
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B. |
Fine
(Subtle) Idolatry - to treat any person or thing as equal to or more
important than God
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II.
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The Second
Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your
God in vain
(Catechism
questions 24-34 (OLD:34-44); Koehler 51-53)
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A. |
The real
problem in misusing God's name:
false witness!
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B. |
Ways
of misusing God's name:
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swearing
- asking God to witness your honesty
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cursing
- asking God to damn or destroy
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profanity
- using god's name carelessly
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blasphemy
- mocking or insulting God
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hypocrisy
- failing to live the Christian life
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keeping
the knowledge of God to ourselves
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C. |
Proper
use of God's name: prayer, worship, teaching, witness
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III.
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The Third
Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy
(Catechism
questions 35-40 (OLD: 45-51); Koehler 53-56)
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A.
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•Worship
is the expression of our gratitude to God
• Show our love for Him.
•Not done to earn
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B.
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The
importance of public worship
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witness
to non-worshipers
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encourage
and strengthen fellow believers
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share
responsibility for God's Work
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receive
strength through the Means of Grace
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exercise
our faith
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C. |
Why don't
we worship on the Sabbath?
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Colossians
2:16-17:
weekly worship not abolished, only the specified
day
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Hebrews
10:25 - we are not to neglect weekly worship
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IV.
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The Fourth
Commandment: Honor your father and your mother
(Catechism
questions 41-51 (OLD:52-58); Koehler 57-61)
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A. |
Family
is the basic unit of society, from it is built all society.
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God
also commands obedience and respect for all legitimate authority.
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Romans
13:1-7
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B. |
God rules
the world indirectly through representatives. Thus our attitude
toward authority reflects our attitude toward Him.
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C. |
Authority
is to be respected whether right or wrong
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D. |
Disobedience
id justified only when authority contradicts God Himself.
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E. |
In
marriage, a new relationship develops between children and
parents
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V.
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The
Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill
(Catechism
questions 52-54 (OLD: 59-60); Koehler 61-64)
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A. |
Applies
only to human life
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B. |
Applications
include:
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murder
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suicide
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manslaughter
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abortion
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hatred
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physical
harm to another
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neglecting
to help others
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C. |
Exceptions
are allowed only to government, not to individuals
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1. |
capital
punishment
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Romans 13:14
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2.
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military
service (just wars)
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Exodus
22:2 (self-defense)
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The
Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery
(Catechism
questions 55-58 (OLD:61-65); Koehler 64-68)
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A. |
God
given purpose of the sexual relationship in marriage
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1. |
Genesis
2:18 - companionship
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2. |
Genesis
1:17-28 - reproduction
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3. |
1
Corinthians 7:36 - outlet for sexual desire
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B.
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Sex outside
marriage involves the using of another for selfish purposes.
God rather describes the marriage relationship (Ephesians
5) as sacrificial love
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C.
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Scripture
teaches that sex is a God-pleasing gift to be used in such
a way that it glorifies Him and serves the partner.
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D. |
Marriage
is to be a lifelong union
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1. |
Matthew
19:3-9 forbids divorce except for unfaithfulness
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2. |
1
Corinthians 7:15 deals with desertion
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E. |
Sexual
sins are not unforgivable, nor worse than other sins!
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VII.
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The Seventh
Commandment: You shall not steal
(Catechism
questions 59-60 (OLD: 66-67); Koehler 68-70)
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A.
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As Christians
we are to honor God and serve each other by helping preserve
and protect others property
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B.
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Malachi
3:8-10 deals with stealing from God
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VIII.
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The Eighth
Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against our
neighbor
(Catechism
Questions 61-62 (OLD:68-69); Koehler 70-71)
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A.
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Basic
Meaning: showing love for others through our language
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B.
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Forbidden
are gossip, lying, slander, betraying secrets, perjury
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C.
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Also
forbidden is telling the truth in ways that harm!
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D.
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Luther's
summary: put the best construction on everything
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IX.
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The Ninth
and Tenth Commandments: You shall not covet
(Catechism
Questions 63-73 (OLD: 70-986); Koehler 72-74)
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A. |
Reveals
that God is also concerned with our thoughts and desires!
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B. |
Coveting
is based on the premise that happiness comes from having whatever
we want, results from materialistic approach to life.
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C. |
Effectively
points out the depth of original sin within us
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