The Ten Commandments Lesson 6: The Value of Life | Devin LaBay

You shall not murder.

Seems pretty simple to me.

You know it's amazing to me how human beings can take that which is most simple and make it more complicated.

We can really mess things up if we're given the opportunity to do so.

Now when the people heard that, they may have had all kinds of different ideas about what murder really is or was in their mind.

We read the Ten Commandments, we see the sixth commandment, you shall not murder, and we kind of move on.

Probably because we think we know what that means.

Now, what God did in his word that came after the giving of the Ten Commandments, God clarified what you shall not murder means.

If you navigate through the book of Leviticus and you go on to Deuteronomy, as we're going to do a little bit later in the message, we get a better idea of what God is talking about.

But even beyond that, again, we as human beings can take things and make it even more complicated.

And we've done that.

I'm just going to go ahead and put this caveat out there.

What I'm going to discuss and share with you this morning, you may not agree with.

And that's okay.

We can disagree without being disagreeable.

But these issues we're going to talk about directly correlate to the sixth commandment.

And they're difficult things to talk about.

So I'm just throwing that out there to begin with.

I got a lot to share with you this morning on You Shall Not Murder.

And so let's go to God in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to be with us and that this message may be truly his as we pray together.

Father God, thank you for loving us so much.

I appreciate Toby's communion devotional this morning and all that he had to say.

Everything we have, we receive from you.

Nothing began with us first, but all comes from you.

And the most important thing that you've given us is life.

Not just physical life, but eternal life through your son Jesus.

And Jesus, we thank you for all that you've done for us.

For all that you have done, we thank you.

Spirit, I pray the message this morning is your message.

That you will speak to our hearts and to our minds in a powerful way.

To help us see the sixth commandment a little deeper, to consider the complications and the issues that surround it in our culture today, that we will consider what you mean by you shall not murder rather than our interpretation of what that means.

Lord, we love you because you've loved us, and we thank you most of all for the sacrifice of your Son Jesus to give us life everlasting.

And it's in his name that we share this prayer together.

Amen.

Because there is significant controversy attached to it.

And with any hot topic issue, church, there is and there always will be arguments and opinions on every side of any given issue.

So, as I said a moment ago, there is a chance that we're all going to see things the same way.

Regardless, without question, make no mistake about it, the prevailing idea that's being communicated by God in the sixth commandment is the value of life.

The Bible's pretty clear in that taking the innocent life of another person is wrong.

And it's wrong for three primary reasons.

Number one, murder is wrong because God and God alone is the giver of life.

And because life is his family to bestow, it is also his gift to take away.

So when we consciously decide to take the innocent life of a human being, we have in effect assumed the role that is reserved for God and God alone.

Second, murder's wrong because man has been made, he has been created in the image of God.

Killing a human being is different than killing an animal.

When we take the life of a human, we are ending the life of a person who's been created in God's image.

Third, murder is wrong because life is precious.

Life is precious.

Life is precious to God.

And because life is precious to God, life should be precious to us.

Now, why is that?

Because when the life of one human being is demeaned or devalued, family, then all of our lives are diminished.

Church, it's easy to read the sixth commandment.

Thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not kill, and move on.

It's easy to read it and move on.

Why?

Because we're familiar with it.

It's easy to move on because we're a civilized people.

It's easy to move on because mom and dad taught us right.

It's easy to move on because we haven't dug below the surface deep enough to see what it means.

But before we move on, we must realize that the sixth commandment is much more relevant to the times in which we are living than we may realize.

If you've ever read different English translations of the scriptures, you may read one that says, Thou shalt not kill, you may see another one that says, Thou shalt not murder.

Depends on which translation you read.

But here's the thing: in the original language, the Hebrew word that is used there refers to the taking of a judicially innocent life.

That would apply to human beings.

So do not murder, in my humble opinion, is a more accurate translation of the sixth commandment.

Church, with that definition in mind, we can clearly see that this commandment has relevance, significant relevance, to the controversial issues of today.

Some of which we're going to take a closer look at, none of which are easy to talk about.

One of those issues is euthanasia, otherwise known as mercy killing.

And this is when deliberate measures are taken to end someone's life in order to end their pain and their suffering.

And this practice was made very public several years ago in this country by Dr.

Jack Kavorkian.

Some of you remember that.

And that was what he referred to as assisted suicide.

The crux of his argument was that when someone's quality of life is no longer acceptable to them, then they should receive assistance to die.

Now, most Americans believe that euthanasia began with Dr.

Cavorkian.

That's not the case.

The reality is that the term that is transliterated as euthanasia from the Greek language was first coined by the Roman historian Suetonius in the first century A.D.

It's been around for a long time.

Euthanasia has been practiced in Holland for nearly 50 years and is currently legal in 13 states in this country and the District of Columbia.

And so as a result, to some degree, this has encouraged the practice of disposing of those who can no longer care for themselves.

Think about it.

With a high cost of health care and the fear of being a burden on their family, many people feel hopeless and sadly see this as an alternative.

Church, because of this, questions need to be asked.

Such as, who defines quality of life?

And who makes the call to give the green light to end someone's life?

I.e., who assumes the role of God?

The individual?

A family member?

A physician?

Or a government official?

Family, this is why having a living will is important.

Living will allows us to make legally binding decisions for the tough situations of life.

So our families don't have to make those decisions, and no one else outside of our family is able to make those decisions.

Living will is a document that allows you to say that you wish to be or not to be kept alive by artificial means, respirator, feeding tube, etc.

Most people, along with that, will file a DNR, do not resuscitate order.

And this means that when the heart stops, medical personnel are legally relieved of attempting to revive you.

I know this is stuff that we don't like to talk about, but we need to talk about.

I said, okay.

So we went in and sat down and I asked him, I said, Dad, if your heart stops, what do you want us to do about it?

Dad says, Well, give me a shot, you know?

Give me a chance.

And I said, Dad, you need to know what that entails.

Because you don't know what you're talking about here.

I do.

I said, as soon as your heart stops, they're going to pull the headboard off of that bed, they're going to roll you over, put that headboard beneath you, and they're going to begin compressions on your chest.

You're 85 years old.

In order to pump the blood through your heart by compression, they're going to have to depress your breastbone about that much.

If the first compression doesn't crack bones, the second one will.

And if it does crack your ribs, the third compression is probably going to puncture your lung or your heart.

I said, Do you want that?

And he took a long time to think about it.

He said, No, son, I don't think I want that.

I looked over at my mom.

I said, What do you want us to do if that happens to you?

And she said, Let me go.

Let me go.

I'm ready to be with the Lord.

These are decisions that we have to make.

These are things that we have to talk about.

And it doesn't mean you have to be 85 years old to talk about those things or make those decisions.

I could leave this building this morning and have a car accident, and I got an EMT right there having to make that decision.

It's important stuff.

A living will and a DNR are documents that basically say that we leave our destiny to God's providence.

Church people who file one of those or both of those documents are not sinning by doing so.

They're not assuming the role of God.

They're trusting in God.

So here's the question: should you take action on that as an adult?

That's your decision.

There's nothing wrong with utilizing medical technology.

But there's also nothing wrong with deciding how much of that technology you wish to use.

Family, this is a personal, deeply personal choice.

And regardless of our choice, it's not a violation of the sixth commandment.

Church, I don't know the answer to the question that's burning in so many people's minds.

I don't know why our loved ones are allowed to suffer.

I don't know why someone must endure pain.

I don't know why someone must endure fear and loneliness because they can no longer recognize the people in their life.

But I also know that just because we don't know the reason doesn't mean that there isn't a reason.

Faith dictates that there must be a reason.

And faith also dictates that we must trust God for his reasons in everything.

So to assume the role of God by taking the life of another person or to assist them in taking their own life, in my opinion, is a transgression of the sixth commandment.

You may disagree with me.

Another debated issue with regard to the sixth commandment takes place at the other end of the spectrum.

Abortion.

Church, this has been the most controversial social issue of my lifetime.

Bar none.

And the argument from one side is that a woman has a right over her own body.

And family.

I don't disagree with that.

A woman does have a right over her own body.

God created each and every single one of us here this morning and joining us online with the free will right to choose our course in life.

The question in my mind with regard to this issue is where does her own body end and another human being's body begin?

Church, according to medical science, every child in the womb has twenty-three chromosomes from mom and twenty-three chromosomes from dad.

The baby within the womb is different.

They're not a part of the mother's body, but genetically unique and individual within the mother's body.

David writes in Psalm 139, verses 13 and 14, he says, For you formed my inward beings.

Psalms 139:13

Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well.

Take a good look at that.

Family, according to David, there's a separation.

There's a separation between a mother and a child in the womb.

There is an identity within the mind of God of that child, of you and I, before we're ever born.

However, just because we have the right to legally choose to end a child's life under the law in 37 states doesn't mean that it's always in our best interests or the interests of others to exercise that right.

Paul puts it this way 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 23.

1 Corinthians 10:23

Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.

Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive.

Look at what Paul says.

Church, each one of us has been given the free will right to choose how we live our life and what we do with our bodies.

If we want to smoke, if we want to drink, if we want to subject our bodies to drugs, God has given us the free will right to choose those things.

But, but this is what so many people fail to realize.

By exercising our free will right to choose our actions, church, we also, in doing so, choose by default the consequences that come along with those decisions.

So if we choose to smoke, it's your choice, but we also choose the 30% possible outcome of developing cancer with that choice.

If we choose to drink, we also choose the 15% possibility, possible outcome of cirrhosis of the liver or a fatal car accident.

If we choose drugs to abuse drugs, then we choose the 85% illegal drugs, that is.

We choose the 85% chance of arrest that comes with that choice.

If we choose to engage in sex outside of marriage, then we also choose the 30% chance of contracting an STD as a result of that choice.

Family, our choices have consequences.

It's not all one sided.

That word that translates as new as he knew us intimately, personally, not bound by time.

He knew you in the womb.

He knew you and knows you as you are right now, all at the same time.

Intimate knowledge.

I knew you before you were born.

I set you apart.

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Family, based upon the word of God, life begins in the womb.

That's where it starts.

God knows us.

God sets us apart for our mission in life before we're ever born.

Take a good look at what God says.

That's not liberal.

That's not conservative.

Fanly, what you see on the screen right there is biblical.

The Bible clearly teaches us that the most defenseless of human life is to be protected.

Even from the consequences of the freedom to choose.

We're never free to choose the elimination of a child because it'll make our life easier.

This is why I believe, and I believe the scriptures clearly teach us, that abortion clearly violates the sixth commandment.

Another long time subject regarding the sixth commandment has to do with suicide.

Church, it scares me.

It scares me when people ask me if someone who commits suicide will go to hell.

It scares me because I don't want to rationalize it for them and influence them to take their life or condemn someone else who has.

Body was just covered over in cancer, and no good outcome on the horizon.

I was eight years old.

Family, I struggled with her choice for decades.

I struggled with the negative opinions about her eternal destiny as a result of her choice, as well as those who, for my benefit, may have extended God's grace beyond God's justice.

Family, there's times in our life when momentarily and wrongly we consider that things would be just a whole lot easier if we just ended it all.

Let me tell you something.

They won't be easier.

They won't be easier on you, and they won't be easier on the ones that you love.

Church, when we come to this conclusion, when we actually come down to the brass tacks of whether we should take our own life or not, we're not thinking clearly.

We're not in our right mind when we come to that conclusion, when we choose to end our life.

And when we choose to end our life, we've stepped out of our role.

We've stepped out of our place and we have stepped into God's place.

And when we do that, we sin.

Now the question is, do we sin to the point of condemning ourselves to hell?

If we exercise that option, only God for certain can answer that question.

And so I'm just going to leave it to him.

Church, so far we've looked at what I would consider the big three, the big three of the sixth commandment, euthanasia, abortion, and suicide.

But there's a couple of other questions we need to look at this morning with regard to the sixth commandment.

One of those questions is what about the death penalty?

Church, even Christians disagree on this volatile issue.

And the best that we can do is to consider God's word on this.

And by our God-given free will, make our own decision.

So, with regard to that, listen to what God says in Deuteronomy chapter 19, verses 15 to 21.

Deuteronomy 19:15–21

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed.

A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priest and the judges who are in office at the time.

The judges must make a thorough investigation.

And if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother.

You must purge the evil from among you.

The rest of the e of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you.

Show no pity, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This is the follow-up from the deliverance of the sixth commandment on Mount Sinai.

You shall not murder.

This is the details.

In verse 21, God says, a life for a life.

In Genesis chapter 9, verse 6, God says, Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God has God made man.

Genesis 9:6

Church, these passages are clear.

In that if someone is so bold as to purposely take the life of another human being, according to God, that person has forfeited their life.

Something forget is that every avenue to prove someone's innocence must be taken.

Church, innocent until proven guilty, must have substance.

Again, Deuteronomy 19, 15 says one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed.

A matter must be established, must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Church, it's obvious, very obvious, that the Lord values life.

But it's also obvious that the Lord values justice.

Regarding the death penalty, each person must examine the word of God and stand where the word leads them to stand.

Another question is what about war?

The sixth commandment expressly prohibits murder.

But yet the same God who gave the sixth commandment also commanded the Israelites to annihilate their enemies.

So which is it?

People will ask.

They will ask the question in light of that: is God inconsistent?

In the Bible, God ordered his people into war.

That's a fact.

He ordered his people into war to end atrocities, to eradicate evil, and to further his cause and to defend his cause, church.

Historically, when the people of God have entered into war with the counsel of God, God's people are always successful.

And this is why.

This is why godly leadership in our nation is vitally important.

You said it.

Paul writes in Romans chapter 12, verse 18, if it's possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18

And those are beautiful words.

Those are good words to try and live our life by right there.

If it's possible, live at peace with everybody.

But you know what?

We can't look at the world through rose-colored glasses.

Because let me tell you something.

It's not always possible.

And not everyone wants to live at peace with us.

I refer you to December the 7th, 1941, and September the 11th, 2001.

Not everybody wants to live at peace with us as Americans.

Again, what we've talked about today at the end of the day is a God-given free will, personal decision on all of these issues.

And they must be weighed in the scales along with the word of God and our understanding of his word.

The sixth commandment says, do not murder.

But yet, in order to live with Christ, we must choose to spiritually die to ourselves.

Romans chapter 6, verses 1 to 11 tells us that when we die to ourselves in baptism, we rise and walk in a new life.

Romans 6:1–11

That is a free will choice.

And if you've not made that choice this morning to die to yourself and to live with Jesus, this is your opportunity to make that choice.

If you're here this morning and want to confess Jesus as the Lord of your life and do the very best that you can, knowing that you won't be perfect, but making the best effort that you can to live according to his word and to live according to Jesus' example, everything is ready for you if you're ready to confess him as the Lord of your life and die to yourself in baptism.

The choice is yours.

If you're here this morning and you're struggling, I mean, you are struggling with the weight of guilt or sin or a situation that you're stuck in and you don't know what to do.

You need prayer for encouragement, for for forgiveness, for guidance.

That's what the church is all about.

That's why we bear one another's burdens, and our shepherds will be here up front along with me to receive you, to love you, to encourage you, and to pray with you to do so.

If you're looking for a church home, we'd love to have you here at Central.

We are not perfect, but we'll do the very best that we can to love you, to encourage you, and to help you be the very best that you can be.

Whatever need you have this morning, please don't resist the Spirit.

Don't leave here today without that need being met while we stand and sing.