Good morning.  Let’s start by reading our passage.  Exodus 20:1-17.  Here in Exodus 20:1-17 we are given the 10 Commandments and it says, “Ribbon”

Before we move on, let’s open with a word of prayer.

We started this series on the 10 Commandments in the beginning of August and I hope you remember how the first 4 commandments dealt with our relationship with God.  They were vertical commands, and now they have become horizontal commands in that they deal with our relationships with one another.  You might remember the first commandment was to not replace God with another God, the second command was to not reduce God or worship any idols, the third was to not belittle God or take His name in vain, and the fourth was to honor God by celebrating the Sabbath day.

But then we got to commandment number 5 and it took a different direction, it’s as if God was saying, “Now that you’ve got our relationship straight let’s work on your relationship with others.”  And so we went from the vertical to the horizontal.  And so at that point we went on to discuss honoring our parents which is the fifth commandment.

So here we are at number 6, a commandment which most of us, I’m sure, figure that we are pretty safe on.  It says: “Do not murder.”  Now I’m aware that most of us grew up hearing the commandment as “Thou shalt not kill” but it’s a little narrower then that.

If we interpret it in that way, then we run into problems, because God actually commands the death penalty for some offenses. . . in other places, He commands war.  People are always killed in war, so what does this commandment really mean?

The problem is solved by understanding “kill” as the word “murder.”  Are there any murderers here this morning?  Well, probably not in the “pull the trigger sense.”  So why did God give this command to not murder another person?

Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals.  When his daughter Zoe graduated from the Univ. of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened when she was just 3 years old.

Sanders came home from work one day to find his home – and especially his young daughter – in a state of turmoil.  Zoe’s pet turtle had died, and she was crying as if her heart would break.  Zoe’s mother had been dealing with the situation all day and declared that it was now Dad’s turn to try and make things better.

Although he was successful both as a lawyer and a politician, who confidently faced all kinds of complex issues and problems every day, this seemed out of his league.  The mysteries of life and death are difficult, if not impossible for the mature mind to fathom.  The task of explaining them to a 3-year-old was completely beyond his confidence and experience.  But he tried anyway.

First, he told Zoe that they could go to the pet store and buy another one just like the one that had died.  But even at 3 years old, Zoe was smart enough to know that a turtle is not a toy.  There’s really no such thing as getting another one just like the one that died.  And so Zoe’s tears continued.

Desperate to quiet his little girl’s tears, he said, “I tell you what, we’ll have a funeral for the turtle.”  But being 3 years old, she didn’t know what a funeral was.

Scrambling to come up with an explanation – as well as something that would get her mind off the turtle’s demise, he said, “A funeral is like a birthday party.  We’ll have ice cream and cake and lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighborhood will come over to our house to play.  All because the turtle died.”

Well, the prospect of a turtle funeral did the trick.  Instantly, Zoe was her happy, smiling self.  The turtle’s death was no longer cause for tears, but reason to rejoice!

So, with visions of cake and ice cream in their heads the 2 beamed down on the deceased turtle lying at their feet.  As they did, the turtle began to move.  And a few seconds later, he was crawling away as lively as a turtle could be.

Then an even stranger thing happened.  Sanders – a politician and a lawyer – was speechless.  Zoe had no such problem.  After considering her options, she looked up at her father with her big beautiful eyes and – with all the innocence of her tender years – she said quietly, “Daddy, LET’S KILL IT.”

Today, too often, people value life ONLY when the life doesn’t stand in the way of what they want.  Everyone knows that murder is wrong.  So why did God include this command?

Today, we are looking at the 6th commandment, “Do not commit murder.”  Of the 10 Commandments, this is probably the most universally acceptable.  Pretty much everybody agrees that “Do not commit murder” ought to be on everybody’s “Top Ten List” of things you shouldn’t do.

But have you ever wondered WHY murder is wrong?  As I’ve prepared for this sermon, I’ve really become overwhelmed by the range of issues that need to be discussed to do justice to the 4 short words of the 6th commandment: “Do not commit murder.”

War, Euthanasia, Abortion, the Death Penalty.  Are they ALWAYS wrong?  Are they EVER allowable?  Under what circumstances?  These are not lofty, philosophical questions.  These are the questions we ask – or don’t ask – every time we mark a ballot slip.  They are the agonizing questions that people face in times of crisis.

The questions of a family whose loved one is on life support.  The questions of a young girl who is pregnant and terrified.  What’s right, what’s wrong?  What does God think and have to say about all of this?

Without trying to get into a deep study of the original language, the Hebrew word used here refers to the intentional and conscious act of taking the life of another.  It is deliberate and calculated.  And so the first thing we need to look at this morning is Physical Murder.  In its purest sense this commandment relates to: Murder, taking the life of another.

And so we begin with this prohibition of physical murder and from that I believe by implication it also deals with any other form of taking a life and ending it other than allowing God to do so.  As I said earlier the original meaning of the word did not reflect acts of war or self-defense and so we are not going there this morning.  Some people would even say that this commandment doesn’t apply to capital punishment.

So why is there a law against physical murder in the 10 Commandments?  Two reasons, the first is We Are Taking Authority That Doesn’t Belong To Us.  It is God who is supposed to decree how long a person will live.  In I Samuel 2:6 we read that, “The Lord brings both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.”

No one has the right to number a persons day.  That is the job of God alone.  When someone ends the life of another person or of themselves then they are trying to be God, they are assuming a responsibility that isn’t theirs to assume, and power that’s not theirs to exercise.

God is the giver and taker of life.  In Acts 17:24-25 it says, “He is the God who made the world and everything in it.  He himself gives life and breath to everything.”

Now get this right.  In the Bible God gave the death penalty for certain offenses, He declared war against certain nations.  But anything outside of those two areas when taking a life is considered murder.  And it is not in your hands to say when some lives and when they die.  That is God’s alone to decide.

And second we are destroying that which was made in the image of God.  The best reason is found in the very core of creation.  Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Every human being ever conceived was stamped with the image of God.  It may be easier to SEE in some folks than others, but it’s there in every person.  And it is that mark of God’s image that is the basis for this commandment.  The thing that makes man different then all the other critters on this earth isn’t that we can verbally communicate with one another, it’s not that we walk upright or any of the other explanations that science tries to give.  What makes us different is that God created all the other animals in the world.  Period.  But God created man in His own image.

Probably most of us here will never struggle with physical murder, you’re thinking, “Hey I’m cool here.  No problems.”  You have never shot anyone of beaten anyone to death.  You should be okay when it comes to do not murder.

But I’m sure that if Jesus was here today that He would look out and say, “There are murderers among us.”  And you would look nervously around and wonder who they were, and what they looked like.  And maybe, as if He could read your mind, He would hand you a mirror.  You see not only was Jesus concerned with Physical murder, He was also concerned with Verbal Murder.

It was to a crowd on a hill that Jesus spoke, and this is what he said, in Matthew 5:21-22.  This is the Sermon on the Mount.  Here in Matthew 5:21-22 it says, “1”

I’m sure those people were a little taken back that day.  This probably wasn’t a saying that they immediately embraced and talked about.  This was a tough one; this is something we all struggle with even today.  It’s not a scripture that people talk about as being their favorite passage in the bible.  It’s not one of those scriptures that we memorize to pull out in hard times.  It’s a tough one.  

That’s why Jesus’ brother wrote in the book that bears his name James 3:5-8.  if you want to turn there with me, we will see how we can commit verbal murder as well.  Here in James 3:5-8 it says, “2”

Never underestimate the destructive power of the tongue.  Even words said in a joking manner can cut to the core and destroy people.  Words can murder a person’s self image and self esteem.  It can kill their view of self and self worth.

Do you remember what we used to say when we were kids and someone was picking on us verbally?  We would tell them, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.”  But you know what, that’s a lie.  They do hurt.  At least broken bones heal; a broken spirit can stay with us forever.

The initial command prohibited only the outward blows, which would kill.  Jesus expanded the command to include the inward things such as resentment, bad feelings, anger and insults.  Jesus is saying that the only difference between murder and anger is degree.  And really isn’t that all part of the downward spiral.  Resentment, insult, hatred and finally murder.  And sometimes we don’t even have to speak a word.

Statistics say that very few of us in this room will ever commit murder – literally.  But here’s something you need to know about the Old Testament and the New Testament.  In the Old Testament God laid out these laws.  Don’t kill. Don’t commit adultery.  That’s pretty straightforward.

But as we already looked, God is not just concerned with the outside.  He’s also concerned with your heart!  He’s not just concerned that your body is doing the right actions.  He’s concerned that your heart has the right attitudes!

Jesus came along and in a way said, “God’s not just interested in whether you kill, he’s concerned with whether you would kill if you had the chance.  He’s concerned with your heart – what you would do if you thought you could get away with it.”
Do you understand the difference?  Lots of people who wouldn’t kill someone have been so angry and full of hate that if they knew no one would find out, they’d do it.  God’s not just interested in your outside actions, He’s interested in your heart’s motives – not just what you do, but why you do it.

Satan doesn’t succeed with many people trying to get them to actually pull the trigger, or stab the knife – but he is always trying to get us to break God’s command in “Heart” ways if he can’t get us to do it in “Physical” ways!

Again, Matthew 5:21-22 says, “1”

His point was to help smug, self-righteous people recognize their sin.  Like most of us, they felt pretty good about themselves when they heard words like, “Do not commit murder,” because they hadn’t killed anybody.  But Jesus wanted them to see the condition of their hearts.  Because it was only then that they would recognize their need for a Savior.

If you hold anger against someone, it is the same as murder.  Jesus came along and He raised the bar on what God was looking for in His followers.  It no longer takes the physical act of killing someone to make you a murderer.  Jesus says that if you have hatred towards someone or if you verbally attack them, then it is the same as being a murderer.

Now I am pretty sure than most of us don’t have to worry about physically killing someone, but what are you doing to others with your words, with other actions, with the hatred that is built up in your heart?  Jesus says that it is the same as murder to have those actions and feelings.

And while I wouldn’t suppose there are people here today who need to talk to God about physical murder there are probably people here today who need to talk to God about verbal homicide, and hatred that remains inside of you.  Today would be a great day to start over and have the charges of murder dropped in your case before God.  If not, judgment is going to come even if the physical act was never committed.

So release the anger, forgive others, stop verbally killing people and get right with God today.

Let’s Pray