The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 19-20; 31)
May 25, 2025
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
This week’s Scripture story takes place only three months after God delivered His people from Egyptian slavery. The Lord spoke to Moses concerning the way she was to lead Israel into their next season of life as God’s chosen and set-apart people. They were to worship God through holy lives that honored Him alone as God.
Why were the Ten Commandments necessary for God’s people? How do these commands show us our need for a Savior?
God reminded the Israelites of who He is and all He accomplished to free them from Egypt, drawing them away from slavery and into a place where they could freely worship Him as God. He instructed them to carefully listen to His commands, keep His covenant, and be His own special people. He decreed the Ten Commandments, explaining the lifestyle that would extend honor not only to Himself, but also to their neighbors. He explained how they were to revere Him as God and to love one another in all they said and did.
The external threat of slavery was not the only obstacle stopping the Israelites from freely worshiping God; they had to combat their internal inclinations to sin against Him and one another. God took great care to deliver His law to the Israelites in a way that evoked awe and reverence toward Himself. He presented these statutes to show His people how they were to be set apart or live differently from other people who didn’t follow Him. However, because of their sinful nature, the people could never achieve perfect obedience. So to fulfill His perfect law, God would send Jesus to do what sinners couldn’t—live in perfect obedience. Jesus offered Himself up for the forgiveness of sins and defeated the power of sin so we could be made right before the Father through faith in His Son.
The giving of the law was never the end goal; it was always God’s plan to redeem a people for Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son. Help the kids in your family see that because they cannot measure up to the law’s requirements, our hope rests in Christ alone. Lead them to see God’s greatness and what He has done to offer them salvation.
** Next week: The Golden Calf (Exodus 32; 34)
This Week's Main Ideas
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This Week's Main Ideas •
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BABIES-TODDLERS
Because of sin, we cannot obey God rules perfectly. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect, sinless life so we can be forgiven.
PRESCHOOL-K
God gave His people commandments so they would know how to live. Because of sin, no one is able to obey these commandments perfectly. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect, sinless life. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners can be forgiven.
1ST-5TH GRADE
God gave His people commandments so they would know how to honor Him and live rightly. Because of sin, no one is able to keep these commandments perfectly. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect, sinless life. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners can be forgiven.
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Q: Why do we need to be saved?
A: We are sinful and cannot save themselves - we need Jesus to rescue us from sin.
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There isn’t anyone holy like the Lord. There isn’t anyone except him. There isn’t any Rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2 NIrV
Family Discipleship Activities
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Family Discipleship Activities •
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Read Exodus 19:1–20:17; 31:18 from the Bible.
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Have you ever played a game with someone that added rules to the game or changed them as the game went on? Without knowing the rules, you can’t know when you do something wrong or why you might get penalized. It’s also not fair if the rules change and other players get a chance that you didn’t get. It can be very frustrating to not know the rules. You just wish you knew what is required to win the game!
God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments to help them know what is required for a person to be righteous. Everyone had the same commandments, and they didn’t change. The first four commandments showed the Israelites what it meant to love God and how to have a right relationship with Him. The other six commandments taught the Israelites how to live with and love others.
God’s rules are good and are meant to help us love Him, love others, and live a life that is righteous. There was one big problem. The Israelites—and all people for that matter—could never perfectly follow those rules. The Bible is clear that we all sin and fall short of God’s standard for holiness. Our obedience can’t save us.
Salvation is found in Jesus alone, the only perfectly righteous One. He takes away the sin of anyone who believes and welcomes them into God’s family. To those who believe in Him, Jesus gives power through the Holy Spirit to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39).
God gave His people commandments so they would know how to honor Him and live rightly. Because of sin, no one is able to keep these commandments perfectly. God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a perfect, sinless life. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners can be forgiven.
Pray: God, thank You for giving us the commandments to show us what it means to live a righteous life. We all sin, but You loved us enough to send Jesus to bring us back to You. We praise You for crediting His righteousness to all who believe in Jesus! Amen.
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There isn’t anyone holy like the Lord. There isn’t anyone except him. There isn’t any Rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2 NIrV -
Mornings
Thank God for the Bible showing us what it means to be righteous. Praise Him for showing us how we can receive the righteousness of Jesus when we believe in Him. What does the Bible say about our ability to perfectly obey? What did God do to bring us back into a relationship with Him?
Evenings
Think through your day and take a moment to confess the ways you disobeyed God’s commandments. Thank God for the gift of Jesus who took the punishment of sin and credits His perfect life to all those who believe in him.
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For Fun
Play a game of “Simon Says”. Play a few rounds while making the game increasingly difficult.
Try to make it so that no one can perfectly follow the calls to move. Discuss how hard it is to follow God’s rules perfectly. Then talk about how Jesus kept all the commandments perfectly on our behalf, and how we are saved by grace and not by following rules.
To Serve
Use a poster board to write out the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:1-17. Over a 10-day period, study one commandment each day. Discuss how the commandment might help a person to love God or love others. Talk with kids about the ways we might disobey the commandment, and how it points us to Jesus as the only perfectly righteous one.