A God who Speaks: The Sixth Commandment

Let's pray as we begin.

Our Father, in your word, you've told us that the Bible is to us a lamp for our feet

and a light for our path, and we thank and praise you for it.

And we pray that you would, by your mercy, open our blind eyes,

that we might see the light that you provide through your word and walk in it

and rejoice in it and love you for it.

Through Christ we ask. Amen.

I have a confession to make.

I have broken the sixth commandment.

You shall not murder.

And it's true.

Now before you wonder too much about what kind of secrets the new assistant pastor has been hiding,

or you're fumbling for your cell phones to make a quick 911 call,

please hear me out.

Because I have failed.

I have even failed repeatedly to fulfill what is required by the sixth commandment.

You shall not murder.

And so have you.

Now it could be that if you've been with us for the past few weeks,

we've been going through the ten commandments together,

you've been looking forward to number six.

You've been thinking, at least this week I'm off the hook.

I know I haven't done that one.

And children, if there are those of you who stayed upstairs during the summer months,

you're probably thinking, well, this commandment doesn't have anything to say to me, right?

I mean, that's, I'm just a kid.

Murder.

Murder.

Maybe I need to think about honoring my father and my mother,

or not cheating on tests at school, or not shoplifting,

not lying, but murder.

That one's for grown-ups for sure.

Well, it's not.

It applies to you kids as well, just as much as to the rest of us.

And not only, as I said, have I broken this commandment, but so have you.

Every one of us in this place this morning has broken this commandment.

And I don't mean according to some weird philosophical argument

that has nothing really to do with what the commandment means

when it says, you shall not murder.

I mean, we have all broken this commandment exactly as the Bible teaches that this commandment means.

And I don't say that you and I have broken this commandment

to wield a weapon of fear and guilt upon you,

to make you feel worse about yourself than you already did when you got up this morning.

That's not my goal.

And it certainly isn't the purpose of God who gave us this commandment

as well as the whole of the Bible.

Because God's primary purpose for us as human beings

is that we should glorify him and enjoy him forever.

That's his purpose for you and it's his purpose for me.

That we should be his people and he should be our God.

That's the idea behind the phrase that we so often see in the Bible,

the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven.

God's rule over God's people in God's place.

A beautiful harmony.

But there is a barrier to all of this and it's our sin.

It's our rebellion against God as our ruler.

Our desire to live our lives our own way.

To call our own shots.

To do our own thing.

That's what cuts us off from God.

So it may be actually that understanding that you have broken this commandment

does give you a sense of guilt and of fear.

But if that is the case, put them to the right use.

Don't leave it there.

We surely wouldn't blame someone who in the middle of the night

noticed that our house was on fire

and bursts into our room and shakes us awake and says,

your house is on fire.

Run for your life.

We surely wouldn't say,

when you said that, you made me feel fearful.

You're just using this claim to wield power over me, aren't you?

In fact, on top of that, you're making me feel guilty too

because I'm beginning to remember that I left the stove on before I went to bed.

No, we wouldn't say that.

And it should be the same with this commandment.

So if you do come to realize, as we look at it,

that you have broken it

and you begin to feel guilty and even fearful

if you realize that how far short of God's holy law you have fallen

and that someday you will have to stand before him in judgment.

Don't stop there.

That's not the place to stop.

Let it be to you like the person coming into the burning house

and let it spur you on to be reconciled to God.

Because God has provided a way of escape

in his son Jesus Christ

who died on the cross for our sins

and was raised to life again for our justification.

That is to make us right with God.

There is forgiveness with God

and it's found in his son Jesus Christ.

And all that's required on our part

is to acknowledge our need.

Our need for forgiveness

and to put our trust in him

and to submit to him as Lord.

Seeking from this time onward

no longer to walk according to our own desires

but according to the law of God,

the law of Christ.

And that's to be our daily pattern

for the rest of our lives

as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Reading his word.

Listening to him in his word.

Speaking to him in prayer.

Repenting.

That is turning away from things

when we become aware that we've gone astray

or fallen short.

And trusting in all things continually

in the Lord Jesus alone.

But all of that,

I still haven't shown you how

I have broken the sixth commandment.

Or you have.

So let's take a look together

at what the Bible has to say.

At its most basic level,

the commandment is really quite simple.

It's four words.

You shall not murder.

Two words if you boil it down.

Don't murder.

Murder not.

You shall not kill.

Strike down.

Slay.

Another person.

Another human being.

Now there's other parts of the scripture

that make it abundantly clear

that this commandment

does not refer to capital punishment.

Where it's instituted

by a lawfully appointed judge

according to the rule of the law.

And it doesn't apply to situations of war.

Sometimes it doesn't apply

to situations of self-defense.

But apart from those

special circumstances,

we're not to kill other people.

It's that simple.

But have you ever stopped

to consider why

it's wrong to kill others?

And it may sound crazy to you,

but why can't we kill

the people who irritate us?

Or the people who compete with us

for the plum job

or the spouse that we wanted?

Or why can't we kill the people

that do things to us

that make us desire revenge?

Why is it wrong to murder?

I promised you we'd look at the Bible

and I'm sitting it down again,

but we'll get back to it.

Have you ever also considered

that from a purely materialistic

or naturalistic point of view,

there is no reason

why we shouldn't murder

other human beings?

That is to say,

if this physical universe,

what we can see and observe

with our instruments and our eyes,

is all that there is,

as many people in our society

would claim they believe,

and if life arose entirely

and only because of random collisions

of particles,

which then became more and more complex

as they ascended

and finally we reach

21st century human beings,

well, on what basis then

would it be wrong

to murder?

We might say,

well, there are social conventions.

It benefits all of society.

It's stable

if we don't just go around

killing each other.

It improves our chances of success

as a species.

But ultimately,

that's not a binding reason

why we ought not to murder.

What if I don't want

our species to succeed?

Or what if we say

that the best personal ethic

somebody could have

is not to hurt others?

That's my inner rule.

I just go around

and I say,

I'm not going to hurt others.

And it sounds very good

and tolerant

and civilized

and all those things.

But what if there's

some devil's advocate

who says,

well, I like to hurt

and kill other people.

What's to say

that your personal ethic

is better than my personal ethic?

Well, of course,

we recoil

at that idea

and you should

because in your conscience

and in your heart of hearts,

you know it's just wrong

to murder innocent people.

It's just wrong.

It's not that it's contrary

to social norms

or inconsistent

with the continuing evolution

of our species

or anything like that.

It's just wrong.

And the Bible tells us why.

So please,

turn with me

to Genesis

Genesis 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9

and verse 6.

If you're using

the Pew Bible,

it's on page 7,

right near the beginning.

Genesis 9

Genesis 9:6

verse 6.

And it says,

and this is

the words of God,

whoever sheds

man's blood,

by man

his blood

shall be shed.

For in the image

of God

he made man.

For in the image

of God

he made man.

It's because God

made human beings,

male and female,

in his image.

that is something

like himself

that it is wrong

to murder.

And that's why

it's not murder

to swat a mosquito

or to catch a fish

or to eat a hamburger.

That's not murder

because human beings

alone

have been made

in the image of God.

We

resemble God

in certain ways

that the rest of creation

as inherently valuable

and good

as he pronounced

it to be

as inherently valuable

as it is.

It's not made

in the image of God

in the way

human beings are.

We speak.

We use our reason.

We are made

for relationships

with one another.

We exercise dominion

over every other

living thing

on the earth.

We've been made

like God.

His representatives

as it were

on the earth.

earth.

We are images

of him.

And if you imagine

for a moment

that you were to travel

to Castro's Cuba

and you're in Havana

and you see a statue

of the man himself,

of Fidel Castro,

and you smash

it to smithereens,

how do you suppose

the Cuban authorities

would respond

to your gesture?

It would be seen

as a great offense,

profoundly offensive,

an act of

aggressive rebellion

and disrespect

to the ruler

to deface

and destroy

an image of him

in the middle

of his city.

In the same way,

then,

it is that to murder

a human being

who is made,

who is,

the image

of the living God

is to show

the greatest

disrespect

to the God

who made that person

and whose image

he or she

is made in.

It's just as much

a sin against God

as it is against

the human victim.

That,

primarily,

is the biblical reason

why it is sin

to murder.

And so,

we're not

to kill

other people.

And we're certainly

not to kill

the weakest

and the most

vulnerable

members of our society,

those who have

no voice

to speak for themselves.

We're not to kill

the elderly

because they're old

and sick

and forgetful

and they cost

a lot of time

and money.

We're not to kill

the physically

or mentally

disabled

or even those

who are facing

the agony

of a progressive

wasting disease

because we

or even they

themselves

have decided

that they're

living a life

that's simply

not worth living

or that they're

suffering too much

and we're not

to kill

unborn children

because they're

inconvenient

or unwanted

or even

because they

remind us

of a very

painful past.

We're not

to kill

other people.

Period.

God's law

is simple

and it is

clear.

You shall

not murder.

But the

commandment

extends

further than that

because you

could

completely

observe

this law

according to

the outward

behavior

the murder

of the body

and yet you

would still

break it.

That was the

issue with the

Pharisees

in Jesus'

day.

They were

looking for

what was the

minimum

requirement

of the law

so they could

say they had

fulfilled it

and were keeping

it.

But Jesus

rebukes

that way

of thinking.

He shows us

that if we

love God

we must

be seeking

the greatest

the most

extensive

the fullest

and deepest

way

that we can

apply his

laws

to our

lives

not the

least.

And so when it

comes to

murder

Jesus applies

the commandment

to our

hearts

to our

thoughts

and our

attitudes

and our

fantasies.

Turn with

me please

to the

words of

Jesus in

Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5

in the Pew

Bibles

it's page

836

836

Jesus teaching

on this

subject in

Matthew

Matthew 5:21

chapter 5

verse 21

and following

he said

you've heard

that it was

said to

those of

old

you shall

not murder

and whoever

murders will

be in

danger of

the judgment

but I

say to

you

that whoever

is angry

with his

brother

without a

cause

shall be

in danger

of the

judgment

and whoever

says to

his brother

raka

an insult

shall be

in danger

of the

council

but whoever

says

you fool

shall be

in danger

of hellfire

it's the words

of Jesus

therefore if you

bring your gift

to the altar

and there

remember that

your brother

has something

against you

leave your gift

there before

the altar

and go

your way

first be

reconciled

to your

brother

and then

come and

offer your

gift

and the

apostle

John

teaches us

the exact

same thing

when he

says

everyone

who hates

his brother

is a

murderer

God is

primarily

concerned

primarily

not with

our

external

activities

not less

than that

but more

than that

primarily

he's

concerned

with our

hearts

it's

true

that it

is the

hand

that

ultimately

executes

murder

but murder

is conceived

in a

heart

that nurses

anger

and hatred

against

another

person

think about

it

can you

nurse

anger

against

someone

or can

you hold

hatred

in your

heart

without

the desire

to bring

harm

to that

person

if you

search

your

heart

you'll

see that

no

you

cannot

the

intent

to

harm

is

inseparably

bound

up

with

these

attitudes

and so

the law

also

forbids

murder

of the

heart

but even

this

even

this

is not

the full

extent

of the

law

even

this

doesn't

go far

enough

because

at its

very

core

this

commandment

is not

negative

you

shall

not

but it's

positive

you

shall

turn

with me

to one

final

bible

reference

it's in

Paul's

letter to

the

Romans

Romans 13 · chapter mention

chapter

13

page

984

in the

pew

bibles

page

984

Romans

Romans 13:8–10

13

verses

8

to

10

here

Paul

says

oh

no one

anything

except

to love

one another

to love

one another

for he

who loves

another

has fulfilled

the law

for the

commandments

you shall

not commit

adultery

you shall

not murder

you shall

not steal

you shall

not bear

false witness

you shall

not covet

and if there

is any

other

commandment

are all

summed up

in this

saying

namely

you shall

love your

neighbor

as yourself

love

does no

harm

to a

neighbor

therefore

love

is the

fulfillment

of the

law

you shall

love your

neighbor

as

yourself

love

is the

fulfillment

of the

law

only

love

only

love

fulfills

this

law

you shall

not

murder

that's

what it

is saying

and what

is meant

by this

love

love

is patient

love

is kind

love

does not

envy

or boast

it is not

arrogant

or rude

it does not

insist on

its own

way

it's not

irritable

or resentful

this is the

biblical picture

of love

and not just

our spouse

often we'll hear

these words

read in the

context of a

wedding

and that's

great

it's fine

we need to

love our

spouse

in this

way

but these

words

in that

letter

are written

in the

context

of all

our

relationships

with every

other

human being

that is

the kind

of love

that the

bible

desires

and commands

for us

in our

relations

with fellow

human

beings

and how

can we

possibly

achieve

a standard

of love

such as

this

there's

only one

way

and it's

by denying

ourselves

this is

what Jesus

requires of

every single

person who

would want

to be his

disciple

if anyone

would come

after me

let him

deny himself

and take

up his

cross

and follow

me

or hear

the apostle

Paul

in humility

count others

more

important

than

yourselves

if you're

a follower

of Christ

you are

not your

own

for you

were bought

at a

price

so if

we are

not our

own

but the

Lord's

then it

becomes

clear how

we must

live

we are

not our

own

so let

it not

be our

will

that determines

our plans

and our

actions

we're not

our own

so let it

not be our

goal to

seek what's

best for

ourselves

we are

not our

own

let us

therefore

forget

ourselves

and all

that is

ours

for we

belong to

the Lord

therefore

let us

live for

him

and die

for him

we belong

to the

Lord

let his

will

determine

our plans

and our

actions

we belong

to the

Lord

let everything

that is in

us

strive

toward him

yield

to him

desiring

nothing for

ourselves

but to

follow the

leading of

the Lord

alone

this emptying

ourselves of

our own

natural

desires

esteeming

others more

highly

than

ourselves

devoting

ourselves

completely

to doing

good for

others

is the

only way

to fulfill

the law

of love

and the

law that

you should

not murder

and unless

by the

grace

and the

help of

God

we get

out of

ourselves

we can

do

nothing

how can

we do

the works

of love

unless we

deny

ourselves

completely

and give

ourselves

to others

we are

incapable

unless

we give

up all

thought

of

ourself

love

does

not

seek

its

own

Paul

taught

that

was

one

phrase

out of

those

that

teaching

on

love

that we

read a

few

moments

ago

love

does

not

seek

its

own

what

does

this

mean

but

that

we

are

required

to

neglect

ourselves

and

our

possessions

in order

to look

after the

other

person's

good

even

to

willingly

yield

up

what

is by

rights

our

own

and give

it

to

another

to

do

this

and to

do

this

we

simply

have

to do

violence

to our

human

nature

it is

so

contrary

to

everything

that is

within

us

that

leads

us

to

love

ourselves

alone

and

think

of

ourselves

more

highly

than

we

think

of

other

people

to

make

ourselves

superior

to

others

in

so

many

ways

and

so

whatever

we

can

do

we

must

do

we

must

put

our

interests

in

second

place

for

the

benefit

of

the

other

person

and

put

them

in

the

first

place

God

has

entrusted

to

you

and

to

me

to

all

of

us

various

gifts

and

talents

and

abilities

and

time

and

resources

and

money

and

he's

given

those

things

and

entrusted

them

to

us

not

for

building

up

ourselves

but

for

building

up

others

and

one

day

we

will

have

to

give

our

care

even

our

physical

strength

day

by

day

and

our

stewardship

will

be

measured

and

tested

by

the

rule

of

love

that's

the

standard

by

which

we

will

be

measured

and

finally

in

all

these

things

we're

not

to

consider

at

all

the

worthiness

of

the

person

that

we

are

seeking

to

serve

but

only

as

we

saw

earlier

that

they

have

been

made

in

the

image

of

God

because

it

is

to

that

image

that

image

of

God

that

we

owe

all

our

love

and

our

honor

especially

to

those

of

the

household

of

faith

as

Paul

says

because

in

them

the

image

of

God

is

being

restored

to

its

former

glory

by

the

work

of

the

Spirit

of

Christ

in

them

but

nevertheless

it

applies

so

when

we

meet

someone

in

need

of

our

help

we

must

not

say

he's

a

stranger

I

don't

need

to

help

him

he's

not

a

stranger

at

the

most

basic

level

he

shares

your

flesh

and

blood

nor

can

we

say

that

person

is

worthless

I

don't

owe

him

or

I

don't

owe

her

anything

that

may

be

so

but

the

image

of

God

in

her

is

worthy

of

your

entire

life

and

everything

that you

possess

to seek

their

good

but what

if that

person

has treated

me

unfairly

has

cursed

me

has

hurt

me

even

this

is no

reason

not to

embrace

him

or her

in love

because

regardless

of the

sins

committed

against

you by

that

person

remember

the

words

of

the

Lord

Jesus

but

I

say

to

you

love

your

enemies

and

pray

for

those

who

persecute

you

so

that

you

may

be

sons

of

your

father

who

is

in

heaven

so

even

here

we

must

not

look

at

the

deeds

of

the

person

the

evil

deeds

of

those

whom

were

called

to

love

but

to

the

image

of

God

that

is

in

them

the

God

of

all

beauty

and

all

goodness

and

by

the

power

of

God

we

will

be

able

to

do

what

is

utterly

opposed

to

our

human

nature

to

love

them

and

to

embrace

them

to

sum

up

them

all

violence

injury

any

harmful

thing

at

all

that

may

injure

or

harm

our

neighbor's

body

is

forbidden

to

us

by

this

law

and

we

are

commanded

if

there

is

anything

in

us

anything

we

have

any

opportunity

that

presents

itself

to

save

our

neighbor's

life

we

are

faithfully

to

do

so

and

if

we

are

aware

of

anything

harmful

we're

to

do

all

that

we're

able

to

do

to

prevent

it

from

causing

harm

to

our

neighbor

and

if

they're

in

danger

to

lend

a

helping

hand

and

finally

consider

brothers

and

sisters

that

if

God

commands

us

to

show

so

much

concern

for the

safety

and

well-being

of our

neighbor's

body

how much

effort

and zeal

do we owe

to seeking

the safety

of his

soul

which in

God's sight

is far

more precious

than the

body

and so

if you

like me

like me

find yourself

to be

a

transgressor

one

who has

broken

this

law

then

turn to

Christ

there is

abundant

forgiveness

of sins

in him

and then

go forward

bearing fruit

in keeping

with repentance

amen

are

you