Intro to 1st and 10 series

Worship Focus: Most of us know the commandments exist, and most of us can quote some of them.  Though, often, if asked, people confuse the commandments with the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” or the “greatest commandment” Jesus said of “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”  Those are relevant, and related, but they aren’t the commandments.  Over the next 5 weeks, we will be learning about and studying the commandments, not just because it’s good to know them, but because they are the foundation of the Old and New Testaments.  I know, most of us wouldn’t rank “rules” as the most important part of the Bible. But the 10 commandments aren’t really about rules.  They are so much more than that.  The 10 commandments express God’s heart and desires for our life and relationships, both with God and with others.  To understand God, we have to know more than the rules, we have to know why the rules exist in the first place.  What’s the point of the commandments and what difference does it make if we keep them?