Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Old Testament lesson, the 10 commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17).
I have two questions for you this morning. You can follow along with the bulletin insert (appended to end of this internet document) to help guide your attention if you like. First question: Do you still have these 10 commandments memorized? Nearly all Lutherans memorized them during their confirmation instruction. We keep memorized those things that we most frequently use and which are most important to us. We memorize our phone numbers and social security numbers, but how many can run down 1-10 in the commandments, even after being reminded of them here today? This is the only time in our 3-year system of readings that the 10 commandments as a whole come up as our Old Testament reading. I saw some research a few years ago that suggested that only about 15% of all Christian adults actually had the commandments memorized (not able to find original source). One nation-wide group considers the memorization of the 10 commandments so important that they are willing to pay $10 to every child under the age of 16 who has memorized all 10. I checked their website (www.tencommandmentproject.org) yesterday though and learned that they've temporarily run out of funding to keep up with the demand. I know of another family who encouraged the memorization of the 10 commandments by painting each commandment onto a step in their home. Whenever a child broke one of them, their discipline was to sit in time out on the particular commandment they broke. That discipline might be a good idea for we adults as well.
According to the researchers, many Christians adults who say they follow the 10 commandments can remember only remember 1 or 2 of them. When many Christians are asked to state them, they often respond with "Don't kill" "Don't commit adultery" and then add in misconceptions like "Don't drink alcohol" or "Don't smoke." Rarely are the 1st, 3rd (Sabbath Day), and 4th (Honor parents) commandments remembered, even though they are the longest and most thoroughly explained in our text. I actually hope that among Lutheran Christians the memorization rates are substantially higher than 15%, but perhaps not. How many can remember their catechism meanings as well, at least the gist of them? If you can't, I urge you as your pastor, as the undershepherd the Lord has appointed to you at this time, I urge you to take time in the next week to review them yourself, with your family.
2nd Question: Why did God give these commandments, the Law codified in the Old Testament through Moses? Many people simply think that the 10 commandments were given to keep them from having freedom, to keep them from having fun. But what was God's purpose for the Law? Scripture reveals 3 primary reasons or uses for God's Law.
First: The Law of God serves as a curb, an external restraint on society, to provide earthly punishments for those who break earthly laws. We put curbs on streets and in parking areas to keep people from going too far. Without curbs, drivers would not be physically restrained from going onto sidewalks or into the sides of buildings. With curbs we avoid driving where we should not so that our cars are not damaged. Just as curbs help keep cars within the bounds of safety, God's law serves as an external discipline and decency among the wild and disobedient, against those who would strive for anarchy in society.
1 Timothy 1: 9 "We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful�" One purpose of God's Law written on the hearts of even those who have never read the 10 commandments (Romans 2: 15), is to reign in gross rebellion in society, so that governments can and should protect their citizens against those who would rampantly kill and steal and hurt their fellow citizens (Romans 13). Sometimes that purpose of God's law even extends between countries, when the leadership of one country is convinced that the leadership of another country poses a clear danger to its own citizens. Then physical restraint, even to the point of war, is permissible. We pray that in our current conflict, our own country will use the minimum of force and bloodshed necessary to protect our citizens and other citizens of the world from a heinous and dangerous regime.
But that is only one use, one purpose of God's law. A second, and even more important use is as a mirror to show us our own sin. � Romans 3: 20 "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Our misguided human nature assumes that we can somehow please God by keeping His commandments. Our human nature is wrong. The Christian life is not about living according to Christian "principles." Anyone who thinks that Christians come to church to somehow please God with their worthiness doesn't understand God's law and how impossible it is for us to keep it perfectly. We break God's law when we even covet, that is excessively desire what we don't have. When we covet it distracts us from our love and trust in our Lord Creator and Savior, and the gifts He alone provides. Jesus' instruction in God's law shows us that we break the 5th commandment when we even think of hurting our neighbor (Matthew 5: 22) or the 6th commandment when we even lust in our heart for someone sexually outside of marriage (Matthew 5: 28). This mirror of God's Law show us our sinful nature, our helplessness to stand before this Holy God (Romans 7: 7; Galatians 3: 19).
W. C. Fields once claimed he had studied the Bible for years, in his words, "Looking for a loophole." There are no loopholes in God's Law. We humans have rebelled against God and his Law time and time again. We stand convicted before His heavenly court with no earthly means of escape, full of terror and dismay except for one thing, except for one man. The mirror of God's Law shows us our sin and our need for forgiveness, to be declared not guilty even when we are guilty. The mirror of God's Law points us to the Gospel, to Jesus Christ and our need for Him. This Gospel is not a "loophole", not an "cheap way" out. This Gospel is the most wondrous and precious gift we can ever receive. Because of His great love for us, Jesus allowed his body, the temple that held God himself, to be destroyed (John 2) so that it could be resurrected again in 3 days. We come to church not to be worthy of God, but to hear His Word declare to us again and again how we unworthy sinners have received the "dying" love of His Son Jesus.
I encouraged you to memorize the 10 commandments, but it's important to know why. I don't want you to memorize them as some sort of spiritual test or good work. I want you to memorize them so that you are frequently reminded of how often you break them, so that time and again you will turn to your Lord Jesus Christ and say, "Lord, have mercy". I want you to memorize them, not so you can judge Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden by them. God will do that. I want you to memorize them so you will daily remember how much you need your Savior and trust in His constant costly forgiveness. The second purpose of the Law is to point us to our need for Christ's Gospel.
Once we realize the power and love of God shown us in Christ's Gospel, then we can realize a 3rd purpose, a 3rd use of God's law as a guide for Christ-centered living. Those who have been given new life in Jesus Christ will want to love and trust their Lord. But how do they show that love and trust? If you had just gotten a new job and were excited about performing well in your new position, you would be quickly dismayed if your boss gave you no guidelines on how to perform the job. Your zeal for the job might result in poor performance. But the 10 commandments give us a firm and unchanging base to know how to live God-pleasing lives, never doing anything to earn our right to stand before him, but always looking to show how much we love and trust him. The Hebrews at the time of Moses had just been saved by the Lord. He begins the 10 commandments with this pronouncement: ""I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before my face."
Even in the Old Testament, the Lord was a saving Lord, bringing his people Israel out of slavery so that through them the ultimate Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, could be born. The Lord brought them out of slavery and defeated the most powerful military force of the day without the Israelites even firing a single arrow. Because He was already this saving God in the Old Testament, He gave His people these commandments, not so they could earn their salvation through them, but so they could faithfully respond to His saving love. He gave them -- and us -- His Words of promise and love, which we receive when we keep the 3rd commandment of "Remember the Sabbath Day" and "hold God's Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it (Small Catechism). When we live lives according to that Word, according to these commandments, other people will ask "Why" and be drawn closer to seeing God's wisdom and love through us. Because He has given his Son for us, we strive to love him in return and live sacred lives before Him and nothing else. The (Laws) of the Lord are more precious than gold, than much pure gold (Psalm 19:10).
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)
Sermon Guide to the 10 Commandments � �March 23, 2003
1st Question: Do ____________________ the 10 Commandments ____________________?
2nd Question: _______________ God _____________ the 10 commandments?
1st Purpose: The Law serves ___________________ for earthly _____________________________
2nd Purpose: The Law serves ___________________ to show _____________________________. This 2nd purpose then shows us __________________________
3rd Purpose: The Law serves ________________ for ��_____________________________