“We Must Obey God's Laws…but for a new reason!”

YEAH! Church - Sunday, May 8, 2022

"Doing Life with Jesus”

Today’s Lesson - “We Must Obey God's Laws…but for a new reason!”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzlPkwWbiY (Pursue God Kids – The Most Important Commandment)

Jesus Came to Fulfill the Requirements of the Law, Not Abolish It
Matthew 5:17-20, NLT
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

When we choose to follow Jesus, he forgives all the bad stuff we’ve done and he promises to help us live in a way that pleases God. Before Jesus, people tried to please God by obeying his commandments…all 613 of them! But people could not obey God perfectly which is why Jesus had to come. He did obey them all perfectly which meant he fulfilled the requirements of the first covenant (agreement) God had made with people based on the law. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay any attention to God’s laws anymore. They are still active and anyone who chooses to reject Jesus’ work to fulfill the requirements is still required to pay the penalty themselves.

But 613 laws? How can we do that? On our own we can’t, but Jesus gave us a new way of looking at the law and reduced the number of commandments to just two. That’s right…just two! If we will allow Jesus to help us obey his two commandments, we too can please God. What are they? Love God with everything you’ve got and love others like you love yourself. If we do that, Jesus has told us that it will prove our love for him and we will get to live with him forever in heaven! Jesus’ obedience fulfilled the requirements of the law and our obedience shows him that we are grateful for what he has done for us. It is his work that makes it possible for us to go to heaven with him; it is our obedience that proves how much we love him.

Engage:
• God gave people a gift to show them how they could please him. What was the gift?
• Unfortunately, people could never perfectly obey God’s laws and so he made a new way for us. What did he do?
• God sent Jesus who fulfilled the requirements of the law. What does that mean?
• Anyone who chooses Jesus’ way is no longer responsible to obey the law to get to heaven. So, why should we choose to obey Jesus’ commandments?

Weekly verse:
Romans 6:1-2, NLT – “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Prayer – Dear God, thank you for making a way for us to live forever with you, even though we can never obey your laws perfectly. Thank you that Jesus met the requirements of the first agreement you made with people and now we have a new one because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
~ Pastor Jane