These questions are guidelines for your personal or small-group study based on Sunday's sermon passage. Feel free to study and meditate on the passage more deeply. ​​

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Exodus 20:1-6 An Exclusive Love That Tolerates No Rivals

• In Exodus 20:3, the phrase "before Me" literally means "to my face" and carries the idea of a rival standing in open defiance, demanding equal attention. Why might God ask for this kind of exclusive devotion rather than simply asking to be first among several loyalties?

• Without naming a specific example, what are some ways a good thing in someone's life could quietly grow into something that competes with God for their attention and trust?

Exodus 20:7 A Love That Speaks His Name Rightly

• The passage describes taking God's name in vain not only as profanity but also as hypocrisy, claiming His name while living in a way that contradicts it. Why might this quieter kind of dishonoring God's name be easier to miss in ourselves than the more obvious kind?

• How can someone tell whether their life actually backs up what they say about God, rather than just their words sounding right?

Exodus 20:8-11 A Love That Rests in Him

• The Sabbath command in verses 8-10 extended rest to servants, foreigners, and even animals, not only to those with status or freedom. What does the width of this command reveal about how God views human worth?

• What's the difference between resting because your work is finished and resting because you trust someone else has already finished it for you?

Digging Deeper (optional)

• Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a new covenant in which God writes His law on hearts rather than on tablets of stone. How does that promise deepen what Exodus 20 already shows about the relationship between God's grace and His commands?