Reference

Exodus 21:1-32

Sermon Outline:

  1. Do not be like your old master Pharaoh
  2. Guard your neighbours' life for they were made in God's image
  3. Guard the dignity of your parents
  4. Christ restores the image of God by laying down His own life and becoming a servant 

Family Discussion Questions:

  1. What does Jesus words in Mark 10:1-12 tell us about why these restrictions were necessary even though they didn't describe what pleased the Lord?
  2. Can you think of things that a person wouldn't be punished for by law but are not pleasing to God?
  3. According to Jesus in Matthew 5:21-48, would the Lord be pleased with the heart of someone who simply obeyed the restrictions in Exodus 21?
  4. Why does the Lord insist that we honour the lives of humans?
  5. Read Leviticus 19:17-18.  How would loving your neighbour as yourself make many of these restrictions unnecessary?
  6. Is it enough to not intentionally kill someone, or is something more required?
  7. Do the restrictions on retaliation command that retaliation must be done?
  8. How did Christ exceed these restrictions when it came to:
    1. Our slavery and debt?
    2. The "eye for an eye" punishment we deserved?
    3. Guarding our lives?
    4. Honouring His Father?
  9. In Exodus 21:9 sacrificial love has clearly been abandoned by at least one person in the situation. How do the restrictions on this terrible situation help us to see the beauty of what Christ has done for the Church which is His bride?