Episode Details

A WILDERNESS SEASON IS WHERE WE LEARN WHO GOD IS, HOW HE LOVES US, AND HOW WE SHOULD INTERACT WITH HIM

 

All relationships have rules

• Friendship has rules
• Dating has rules
• Marriage has rules
• Parenting has rules
• Business partnerships have rules
• Employees and employers have rules

Rules give identity and terms to relationships

What are some common rules?

No lying – Breaking trust breaks the foundation of EVERY relationship

Eyes only for that one person – Choosing each other over everyone else

No stealing – Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you

In the absence of rules, there is no freedom except for the one who is mightier and meaner than all the rest

 

God has

• Reintroduced Himself – THE GREAT I AM
• Rescued – From Egypt and their enemies
• Provided – Food and water in the desert

All this without ANY RULES

• But God is about RELATIONSHIP

Exodus 6:7

7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians.
In order for this to happen, God has to give the people:

RULES FOR THE RELATIONSHIP

 

Exodus 20

1 Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

3 Do not have other gods besides me.

4 Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.

7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 Do not murder.

14 Do not commit adultery.

15 Do not steal.

16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
What do the 10 Commandants teach us?

1: They teach us about God

 

Dating & finding out you hate what they love

I HAVE to go Camping

I NEVER want to travel

I MUST have 5+ kids
Rules demonstrate values

• God’s rules demonstrate his values

 

We see this in the Structure

• The first 4 commandments deal with the Israelites’ responsibility to God
• The final 6 commandments address the Israelites’ responsibility toward each other

 

This is why Jesus said…

Matthew 22

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

• This has ALWAYS been what God valued
• He wasn’t saying something new

 

2: God’s rules don’t strip us of our freedom

• Instead, they give us freedom in their design and order

 

The right tool for the job – WASHING THE CAR

• Car wash mitt vs Sanding block
• Both will “CLEAN” the car
• But only one will not require a lot of EXTRA work

Living in God’s laws allows us to OPERATE as he designed us

• That was true then; it’s true now

If your life seems out of order, then you need to EXAMINE your life to see what must change
Psalm 139

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;