Living Room Study

10 Commandments (4&5)

Today, we are focusing on Commandments 4 & 5. They aren’t as intimately related as the 1&2, and 3&7…so let’s consider them individually.

4^th COMMANDMENT: Hold up 4 fingers, look at them and say, “Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath day and set it apart for God…’cause that’s what it’s there FOUR! (For)”

“Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart for God.  You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord your God.  On it, you are not to do any kind of work – not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property.  For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day, He rested.  This is why the Lord blessed the day, Sabbath, and separated it for Himself.”  Exodus 20:8-11

A friend recently asked me how well I observe the Sabbath, as the Lord has directed us: A complete day of rest. I had honestly never considered the question before. I guess I’m too busy trying to not break the other Commandments, that I simply overlooked the command to do nothing! Today I want to challenge you with the same question. How well are you doing obeying God’s command to set aside a day of rest? I’m not talking about setting aside a couple of hours to go to a church service. I’m not talking about setting aside a day to play…because in our extreme sports culture, we work at our play. I want to challenge you to set aside a day, where you simply do NOTHING. Try it. It’s harder than you think.

5^th COMMANDMENT: Hold-up one hand, in a “High-Five”, and say, “Honor your father and mother, and you will live long in the land the Lord is giving you.” Then, wave your hand down at about knee-level…like you’re spanking a kid! J Because at my house, we got a spanking if we disobeyed mom & dad!!

“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”  Exodus 20:12

Our generation has lost much of its sense of honor and respect…even in my lifetime. Perhaps, the Asian culture is the last holdout for honor. The Biblical command to “honor your father & mother” means much more than simply obeying them. It means to live a life, which brings honor to them…which is impossible apart from a life completely devoted to God through a relationship with Jesus. As a matter of fact, if your parents are against your following Jesus, you actually bring honor to them by disobeying them in that regard. Between the ages of 18-25, people generally detach themselves from their parents’ authority and set-out to find their own way. They are developing their own value systems. Make sure that you fulfill the 5^th Commandment (and reap its articulated blessing) by establishing your value system fully and completely upon God’s Word.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins