The Israelite people were slaves in Egypt. God heard their prayers and sent Moses to set them free from slavery. Through many miracles, including the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites were able to escape slavery. God promised the Israelites a new and wonderful home of their own. While they were traveling through the desert to their new home, the Israelites complained against Moses and God himself. They had forgotten the many miracles God performed to save them from slavery. God gave them a set of instructions to live by called the Ten Commandments. The Israelites agreed to obey these commandments and God said he would bless the people. This agreement was known as the old covenant between God and people.

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Many thousands of years after Moses, Jesus came to earth. People were having a hard time keeping their end of the agreement. People sinned by breaking the Ten Commandments. They would have to sacrifice an animal to ask for God’s forgiveness for their sin. Jesus came to take of this problem!

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Read Matthew 5:17

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Do not think I have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do this. Instead, I have come to fulfill what is written. 

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Jesus came to fulfill or obey the law once and for all! When Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment for our sins. When he rose from the dead he defeated sin and death. Because of that we are now forgiven when we make a mistake and disobey God’s law or the Ten Commandments. Now, we need to put our faith in Jesus. That is our part of this new agreement or new covenant that we have with God!

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What does this mean for me?

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It is impossible to completely obey God’s law. We all make mistakes and sin. The good news is that Jesus obeyed the law for us. He defeated sin and death. We just need to put our faith in him!