We worship Jesus Christ as not only a perfectly faithful law-keeper, but also the one in whom all the Law anticipated.  And so our obedience is not for the sake of  merely following rules, but to honour, worship and reflect Him.

1. The first commandment teaches us to worship Jesus as the one Lord, Saviour and mediator (Acts 4:12, 1 Tim 2:5)

2. In the second commandment, we recognize that Jesus is the one perfect image of God (Heb 1:3). Our devotion to him precludes worship of any other image.

3. In the third commandment, Jesus is the name of God, that name to which every knee shall bow (Phil 2:10-11; cf. Is. 45:23).

4. In the fourth commandment, Jesus is our Sabbath rest. In his presence we cease our daily duties and hear his voice (Luke 10:38-42)

5. In the fifth commandment, we honour Jesus who has brought us as his “sons” (Heb 2:10) to glory.

6. In the sixth command, we honour him as the life (John 10:10; 14:6, Gal 2:20, Col 3:4) Lord of life (Acts 3:15, the one who gave his life that we might live (Mk 10.45).

7. In the seventh commandment, we honour him as our bridegroom who gave himself to cleanse us, to make us his pure, spotless bridge (Eph 5:22-23). We love him as no other.

8. In the eight commandment, we honour Jesus as our inheritance (Eph 1:11) and as the one who provides all the needs for his people in this world and beyond.

9. In the nith commandment, we honour him as God’s truth (John 1:17, 14:6), in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen (2 Cor 1:20).

10. In the tenth commandment, we honour him as our complete sufficiency (2 Cor 3:5, 12:9) to meet both our external needs and the renewed desires of our hearts.

From “How to preach Christ from the Decalogue” by John Frame.

Picture “Tomorrow will be a better day” by Loren Zemlicka.

C. S. Lewis

Picture Sunny Side Up by code poet

Have a look at all the pictures here and reflect on the God who made it all.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4; cf. Psalm 97:6)

“You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.” (Nehemiah 9:6)

“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. By his power he churned up the sea…. By his breath the skies become fair…. And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! How then can we understand the thunder of his power?” (Job 26:7-9, 11-14)

“How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small. (Psalm 104:24-25)

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

“To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14)

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2; cf. Psalm 89:11; 1 Corinthians 10:26)

“For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” (Psalm 95:3-5)

“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” (Romans 1:20)

This is the outline for our Wednesday study (September 2). To read the notes in full, go to this page.

Psalm 32 (Read the passage here)

Things to consider:

1) We shouldn’t be afraid to see joy and happiness as motivations for living out forgiveness.
2) Forgiveness is neither easy, nor a straight-forward concept.
3)Forgiveness should only occur when proper conditions have been met.
4)We should distinguish between the attitude of forgiveness and the act of forgiveness.
4. Our willingness to forgive is a test of whether we will go to heaven (Matthew 6:14-15)
5. We can only cultivate an attitude of forgiveness through the Gospel and knowing Christ.

John Piper:

“Forgiveness is not a work by which we earn God’s forgiveness. It flows from a heart satisfied with the mercy of God and rejoicing in the cancellation of our own ten million dollar debt.”

“Old nails” picture by Lewis Walsh

You thought we were going to be studying the life of Christ for the rest of the year, didn’t you? Well, the ascension put paid to that, and we’re taking suggestions for the next topic. Vote early, vote often.

Suggestions for one-off topical studies are also welcomed. Post a comment. We’ll be kicking off the new series in the next couple of weeks, Jason time.

Check out the resources page here and the updated resurrection resources page here.

Free grace theology, muscular definition, antinomianism — all will fall beneath the might of the Student Group.

Stay tuned.