Teaching

The Bible tells us that a religious leader asked Jesus an interesting question. Read Luke 10:25b–28:

“Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

That scripture shows how the Ten Commandments are divided into two main parts—loving God and loving others. Last time, we talked about the first four commandments that have to do with loving God. Today, we will talk about the last six commandments that have to do with loving others.

Pass out the Ten Commandments Minibook Patterns, pencils, and scissors. Have the children cut the pages apart, put them in order, then fasten with staples or brass fasteners. Children should put their names on the Minibooks, as you will collect them and re-use them in Lesson 3.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Our SuperTruth last time was, “I will love God.” We talked about how the first four of the Ten Commandments all had to do with loving God. Our challenge for these three lessons is to learn all Ten Commandments. We started by memorizing the first four. Can anyone say them without looking? Allow children to try.

Let’s use our crafts to read those first four commandments out loud together.

1. You must not have any other god but Me. 2. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind. 3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. 4. Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Our challenge for next time is to learn Commandments 5 through 10. Today’s SuperTruth is, “I will love others.” Let’s see how the last six of God’s commandments teach us to love others.

Have children turn to each commandment in their Minibooks, read it aloud together, talk about how to re-state it in a positive way, and discuss its meaning. Below are suggestions.

5. Honor your father and mother.

Read Exodus 20:12:

“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

What does honor mean? To respect, obey, appreciate, etc.

What are some ways we can honor our parents?

Read Ephesians 6:1–3:

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

Honoring our parents brings God’s favor and blessing to our lives!

6.  Do not murder.

God values life, and He wants us to respect the gift of life He has given everyone. God created everyone in His own image, and we are to love one another as ourselves. We may not physically kill someone, but sometimes we may hate someone and wish them harm. Jesus’ disciple John talked about this. Read 1 John 3:15-16:

Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

7.  Do not commit adultery.

This means you should remain faithful to your husband or wife. When a man and woman get married, they make special vows, promising to love, honor, and be faithful to each other. God wants people to keep these promises, even when it is difficult.

OPTIONAL DISCUSSION FOR OLDER CHILDREN 

Read and discuss 1 Peter 2:11b:

Keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 6:17,19:

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.

8.  Do not steal.

Take only what belongs to you. God does not want us to take from others. Read Ephesians 4:28: 

If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

9.  Do not lie.

Read Exodus 20:16:

“You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.”

Tell the truth. Testifying falsely means saying something that is not true about someone else—in other words, lying. John 8:44 tells us that the devil is a liar and the father of all lies. The devil lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and deceived her into disobeying God’s rules. The devil will try to deceive and tempt us to disobey God’s rules, too! What is the opposite of a lie? The truth. 

In John 14:6, Jesus said,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

When we walk in the Truth—which is Jesus—we show our love for others and for God!

10. Do not covet.

Read Exodus 20:17:

“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."

Be content with what you have. To covet means to desire in a wrong way something that someone else has. It means to be consumed or obsessed with having it for our own. Read Hebrews 13:5: 

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

God wants us to be thankful for what we have and who we are in Him. God does not want us to be jealous about what possessions others have, but rather to keep our eyes focused on Him, and He will provide what we need.

Collect the crafts to use in Lesson 3. Challenge the children to use their Ten Commandments Wheels at home to learn the last six commandments about loving others. They will have an opportunity to say them all from memory next time.

OPTIONAL DISCUSSION IF TIME PERMITS

Today, some people say that the Ten Commandments were just for people in the Old Testament, and we don’t need to obey them anymore. This is not true.

Read Matthew 5:17b: Jesus said,

“I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

Jesus did something that no one else has ever or will ever accomplish—He kept all of God’s commandments perfectly. He never broke even one commandment! By doing this, He fulfilled the law. Then, He died to pay the punishment for all the times that we break God’s laws. Instead of being condemned for our sins, we are forgiven when we trust in Jesus. We also have help from the Holy Spirit. Read Galatians 5:13-14:

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

When we love God, we will honor Him and respect His rules. Loving others is a way we show God how much we love Him, too.