Week of 6.26.2022 | Day Three
The Sixth Commandment seems easy to understand and easy to follow. As long as we don’t take another human’s life we should be able to say we obeyed this one perfectly, right? Not quite. The command to not murder begins with having a right heart towards others. Just like the Pharisees, we too are guilty of attempting bare-minimum obedience to the law as long as it appears to be obeyed from the outside. Remember, God cares more about the heart than what is on the outside. Not murdering is important but we have to go beyond that to not even having a murderous attitude toward His image bearers. This commandment is more than just good, practical advice, it is a serious matter of the heart.
Read
Matthew 5:21-26
Discuss
What is the difference between what Jesus says and what the original commandment says?
What is reconciliation?
Help kids understand what reconciliation means and why it is important.
A simple definition for kids is to make enemies into friends. As sinners, we are enemies of God. He sent Jesus to reconcile us to God by paying the punishment of death for our sins.
Why do you think Jesus goes into detail about reconciliation?
Help kids understand the significance of reconciliation from the previous queestioins and that allowing anger to go on without repentance is sin just as great as the murder itself.
In Romans 12:21 we read, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
How can you overcome evil with good in your daily life?
Pray
Take time to pray as a family, asking God to show you where you need to repent from anger towards others or seek reconciliation with someone. Ask God to help you overcome evil with good.
Family Challenge
As a family, memorize Romans 12:21- “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Write out a plan for how to handle anger when it comes up. For younger kids, this could be a chart with pictures that remind them of the truth of the gospel, remind them to pray and check their heart, and remind them to love as God has loved us. For older kids, write out the gospel or verses that remind us of God’s love for us that allows us to overcome evil with good. Here are some examples: Romans 5:8, Romans 8:37, 1 John 4:16, John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5, Romans 12:21.