Introduction: Do you like to discuss sin? How about your sins? Most people I know do not like a visit from a church representative to discuss their sins. When you discuss sin with other Christians, do you focus on the personal disadvantages of sinning – up to and including the loss of eternal life? My study of the Lord’s Prayer leads me to think Jesus gives us a different approach. Matthew 6:9-10 addresses two goals. First, giving glory to God. Second, having God’s will done on earth just as it is done in heaven. God gave us His Ten Commandments to guide us in living a good life. A life that avoids major problems. While our loving God cares about us living well, the ultimate benefit of a life well-lived is the glory that it brings to God. Let’s explore the law, sin, and what God has already done about it!
I. Samson
A. Read Judges 14:1-3. When Samson’s parents refer to the Philistines as being “uncircumcised,” what was their concern? (The parents objected to the Philistines not sharing Israel’s covenant faith. God had expressly forbidden intermarriage with Canaanites. See Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The Philistines were not Canaanites, but God’s reason for the ban would logically apply to Philistines.)
1. Was Samson obedient to his parents? Was he looking for advice from his parents? (No. He said his personal judgment was good enough.)
B. Read Judges 14:8-9. Why did Samson not tell his parents the source of the honey? (This adventure violated, at minimum, the law about touching the carcass of an unclean animal. Leviticus 11:27 would include an animal such as a lion and says that touching its carcass makes a person unclean. In addition, Samson’s Nazarite calling required a special separation to God, and Numbers 6:6–7 shows that contact with death was inconsistent with that calling.)
1. Is Samson sinning here? (I vote, “yes.”)
C. Read Judges 14:4. Have we learned that the parents were wrong in their Bible-based advice not to marry a Philistine woman? Or, has Samson sinned here? (This does not mean Samson’s parents were wrong. Rather, God was sovereignly using Samson’s poor choice as an opportunity against the Philistines.)
D. Read Judges 14:15. Is Samson’s marriage a good arrangement for his new wife and her family?
E. Read Judges 16:20-21. We have jumped over most of Samson’s controversial life. How has violating God’s laws turned out for Samson?
F. Read Judges 16:27-30. What do you think about Samson’s end?
1. How might it have been different if he had obeyed God from his youth?
G. Read Hebrews 11:32-34. This is called the “Faith Chapter,” and Samson is one of the featured heroes. What is your reaction to this?
H. Read Hebrews 11:1-2. Samson is among those commended by God! Is he saved? (I cannot imagine he is not.)
1. How do you explain this? (The gospel is that salvation comes by faith, not works. We will discuss the gospel next.)
II. The Gospel
A. Read Matthew 5:17-20. What does Jesus mean when He says that He came to “fulfill” the law?
1. Who, during Jesus’ life on earth, was more careful about obeying the law than the scribes and Pharisees?
B. Read Romans 3:21-23 and Romans 3:28. Is this an different path to righteousness? (Yes, it is “the righteousness of God” found “apart from the law.” It is the true path.)
C. Read Romans 3:24-26. Does this explain how Jesus was able to say that He came to “fulfill” the law? (Jesus fulfilled the law by perfectly obeying it, by revealing its true meaning, and by fulfilling the sacrificial system through His death. He did not abolish the law; He showed its full meaning and satisfied its penalty for us.)
D. Read Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:5-7. How can our righteousness “exceed” that of the scribes and Pharisees? (We see now that the righteousness of Jesus, when accepted by us, provides a righteousness that far exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.)
1. Did Samson’s righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees?
III. The Law
A. Read Romans 3:31. If we have an different and true path to salvation, and we do, how can that “uphold” the law?
B. For at least ten years I had a route that I drove from my office to the airport. When heading to the airport I automatically took this path. One day I learned that if I drove past the airport, I could exit on a road that was (amazingly) more direct and took less time. Do you think I ever went back to my old route? If righteousness by faith is the correct path to righteousness, why would I ever go back to the path of the scribes and Pharisees? (The path of faith is not simply “correct,” it is the only viable path.)
1. If the answer to the prior question is that we would never go back, then how should we understand that we must “uphold” the law? (If Romans is not speaking of going back to the path of working for our salvation, it must uphold the law for another reason. What reason might that be?)
C. Read Romans 6:1-2. What does this tell us about the benefit of works? (The law tells us how to live. We do not want to live in sin. What Jesus did for us shows the importance of the defeat of sin.)
D. Read Romans 6:6. What picture of sin does this give us? (It says that sin “enslaves” us. Do you want to be a slave? God’s law guides into a better life – one where we are not enslaved.)
E. Read Matthew 7:21. Is Jesus telling us that what we just learned in Romans is wrong? Is the path of the scribes and the Pharisees who believed they were doing the will of their Father, actually the better path?
1. Do we have a conflict between the teachings of Jesus and Paul (in Romans)?
F. Let’s continue. Read Matthew 7:22-23. What is the defense of the lost? (They seem to be claiming the path of the scribes and Pharisees because they are listing their good works.)
1. Are these really their good works? What would it take to prophesy in Jesus’ name, cast out demons in His name, and do mighty works in His name? (If these claims are true, and that is a big question, these works were done by the power of the Holy Spirit.)
2. If the Holy Spirit, who is God, partnered with them to do these works, how can God say, “I never knew you?” They could respond, “Remember us, we are your old partners.” How do you explain this?
G. Let’s revisit Matthew 7:21. If these lost people are telling the truth (a matter about which I am uncertain, since the lost might lie), what do you think Jesus means by “doing the will of my Father?” (I think the core problem is that these people are relying on their works (mighty works) as the reason to enter the kingdom of heaven.)
H. Let’s revisit the Lord’s Prayer once again. Read Matthew 6:9-10. What is the reason given here for obedience to the law? (We bring glory to God (hallowed be your name) by God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven.”)
1. Look again at Matthew 6:5. Does this remind you of those claiming mighty works as their key to heaven? (It reflects the same spiritual danger. The works were done for public acclaim, just as the prayers were offered to impress others.)
I. Read Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 18:19. Why do you think God selected Abram for this mission? (God wanted to partner with someone who would advance God’s kingdom on earth.)
1. How many people did God have to choose from for this mission? (God selected Abram out of the entire world.)
2. What would be the result of Abram obeying God? (He would be blessed. And he would be a blessing to the world.)
J. Friend, the mission given to Abram is now the mission given to all who follow God. He did not give us His commandments to burden or destroy us. He gave them to bless us, to free us from slavery to sin, and to bring glory to His name. Just like God’s promise to Abram. Living a faithful life brings glory to God. Will you determine, right now, by the power of the Holy Spirit to make your life better while bringing glory to God?
IV. Next week: Repentance and Forgiveness.
Copr. 2026, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.
