Here at Lancaster First UMC, I am privileged to be part of two weekly bible study groups that study the scriptures for the upcoming Sunday worship services.
March 20 Sermon – “An App for That: Sabbath”
Exodus 20:1-17
- The Ten Commandments should be seen in the context of the time when God delivered Israel from being no people to becoming God’s people.
- Seen in this context, the Ten Commandments are the way that we respond to God’s grace and not as a way to earn God’s favor.
- Question: Why do we tend to view the Ten Commandments more as rules to follow, rather than as a way of responding to God’s goodness and love?
- Follow-up Question: When we demand that the Ten Commandments be placed in public buildings such as court houses and schools, do they make sense to people when taken out of context? Why or why not?
- What questions do you have about each of the commandments?
- John Wesley viewed law and grace as two sides of the same coin. He also summarized the law by including “The General Rules.” These can be summarized as 1) Do no harm. 2) Do good. 3) Attending to the ordinances of God.
Matthew 12:1-16
- At question in this text, is the commandment about observing the Sabbath. The religious leaders, in their attempt to observe the Sabbath, had forgotten the context of the laws and of this commandment. The laws were given as a way for us to respond to the goodness and the grace of God.
- Some Jews believed that if all the people would follow all the commandments for a single day, that God’s new age would begin. This is why they were so precise in what it meant to follow the commandments. When taken to extreme, following commandments in this narrow way can actually prevent us from loving people which were what they were designed to help us do!
- This passage is referring to the story of David and the holy bread of presence (I Samuel 21:1-6.) David was the new king and was running for his life from the old king, Saul. David and his men needed to eat and they wanted to eat the holy bread meant only for the priests to eat. By sharing this story, Jesus is telling the religious leaders that like David in the story, he is the newly anointed king of Israel, even though he is not yet enthroned as king. Jesus was anointed as king at his baptism and will be enthroned as king when lifted on the cross.
- Why can it be easy for us to squeeze out God’s love when we seek to following God’s commandments?
March 20 Sermon – “An App for That: Sabbath”
Exodus 20:1-17
- The Ten Commandments should be seen in the context of the time when God delivered Israel from being no people to becoming God’s people.
- Seen in this context, the Ten Commandments are the way that we respond to God’s grace and not as a way to earn God’s favor.
- Question: Why do we tend to view the Ten Commandments more as rules to follow, rather than as a way of responding to God’s goodness and love?
- Follow-up Question: When we demand that the Ten Commandments be placed in public buildings such as court houses and schools, do they make sense to people when taken out of context? Why or why not?
- What questions do you have about each of the commandments?
- John Wesley viewed law and grace as two sides of the same coin. He also summarized the law by including “The General Rules.” These can be summarized as 1) Do no harm. 2) Do good. 3) Attending to the ordinances of God.
Matthew 12:1-16
- At question in this text, is the commandment about observing the Sabbath. The religious leaders, in their attempt to observe the Sabbath, had forgotten the context of the laws and of this commandment. The laws were given as a way for us to respond to the goodness and the grace of God.
- Some Jews believed that if all the people would follow all the commandments for a single day, that God’s new age would begin. This is why they were so precise in what it meant to follow the commandments. When taken to extreme, following commandments in this narrow way can actually prevent us from loving people which were what they were designed to help us do!
- This passage is referring to the story of David and the holy bread of presence (I Samuel 21:1-6.) David was the new king and was running for his life from the old king, Saul. David and his men needed to eat and they wanted to eat the holy bread meant only for the priests to eat. By sharing this story, Jesus is telling the religious leaders that like David in the story, he is the newly anointed king of Israel, even though he is not yet enthroned as king. Jesus was anointed as king at his baptism and will be enthroned as king when lifted on the cross.
- Why can it be easy for us to squeeze out God’s love when we seek to following God’s commandments?
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