THE PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Teach us , O LORD, to follow Your decrees, that we may keep them to the end. Give us understanding, by the wisdom of Your Spirit, that we may keep Your law and obey it with all our hearts. Direct us, by Your Spirit, in the path of Your commands, that there we may find our true delight. Turn our hearts toward Your statutes, and not toward selfish gain. Turn our eyes away from worthless things, and renew our lives according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

THE ASCRIPTION OF PRAISE

"And now to Him who loves us, and has freed us from our sins by His blood, to Jesus Christ be all praise, honor, and glory. Amen!"

THE SERMON

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ... ... And God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ... ... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The Sixth Commandment takes us back, all the way the back, to God’s creative work at the beginning of time. In the first five days of creation, God created a world of beauty, harmony, order, peace, and abundance — a world filled with living things. He is the God of life and peace. And, on the sixth day of creation, God created man — male and female — in His own image, in His likeness, to reflect His glory upon the earth. God created man — male and female — with a mind to know Him, a heart to love Him, a soul to serve Him, and a spirit to worship Him. God created man — male and female — (God created you!) "to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever!" No other species of creature was created with that capacity or for that purpose.

Human life, therefore, is especially precious to God, of intrinsic and extraordinary, unique value. The infinite, eternal, immortal, all-powerful, all-holy, all-wise Creator of heaven and earth, who created your inmost being, who knit you together in your mother’s womb [Psalm 139:13], counts your life as precious, of extraordinary and unique value. Even though His image upon you has been defaced, and defiled, and marred by your sins, yet, even still, the Creator of heaven and earth looks upon you and upon every human creature and still sees the original stamp of His own image and likeness. Therefore the LORD hates and detests "hands that shed innocent blood" (Proverbs 6:17). And, therefore, for the sake of His own glory, and for the general welfare and good of humanity, the King of Creation has decreed, "You shall not murder." God is good, and God is always good; God’s law is good, and God’s law is always good; and God’s law is always for our good and for His glory.

For clarification, it is important to note that the Sixth Commandment is rightly translated, "You shall not murder." The King James Version translates it, "Thou shalt not kill," but the modern English translations are more precisely accurate because the Hebrew word specifically denotes the unjust taking of human life: murder. There are different Hebrew words which denote the "killing" that takes place in a battle, the "killing" that takes place in the slaughter of an animal, and the "killing" that takes place when justice is administered rightly by a lawful authority through capital punishment. The Sixth Commandment specifically relates to murder, the unjust taking of human life.

Therefore, the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit warfare — at least, insofar as there is just cause for warfare, and that the warfare is carried out in a just fashion. Now, that’s a big subject, and an important one, which I really can’t address fully today. But the main point here, now, is that the Sixth Commandment does not require Christians to be pacifists, nor does it prohibit Christians from being in the military and taking up arms in a just cause. And of course this applies also to our local police force, and all levels of law enforcement as well. And for individuals, the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit personal self-defense when our own life or the life of our neighbor is unjustly endangered.

Likewise, the Sixth Commandment, in principle, does not prohibit capital punishment justly administered by an established government. God Himself instituted capital punishment for capital crimes in order to protect human life. After the floodwaters receded and God established His covenant with creation, the covenant with Noah, God said,

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).

Capital punishment for capital crimes, in principle, affirms and upholds the Sixth Commandment; it does not contradict it. This is confirmed in the New Testament in the Letter to the Romans, in which we read that the civil authority (the governmental authority) "does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer"(Romans 13:4). Now, of course, we ought to be concerned about true justice being righteously administered in our legal system, but the point is that the Sixth Commandment, in principle, does not prohibit capital punishment.

And another clarification is that the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit the "killing," of animals for food or other stewardship purposes. As we exercise dominion over the creatures, we should care for animals and prevent their suffering and abuse. Proverbs 12:10 says, "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal," but the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit the killing of animals for food or for stewardship purposes such as disease control and herd-management. It is not a proof-text for vegetarianism!

The Sixth Commandment, then, prohibits murder: the unjust taking of human life. This applies not only to what our laws define as murder in any "degree," but also the sins of suicide, abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. The Bible teaches us that life belongs to God, and He has commanded us not to shed innocent blood (Jeremiah 7:6). But, even when it comes to the most blatant and obvious acts of premeditated "first-degree murder," our society has spit in God’s face and spurned His law. It is amazing that the Sixth Commandment is so frequently violated in our society, and shameful that murder is so easily tolerated by our society.

Or maybe it is not so amazing, after all. After all, consider this: the first-born human being (the first-born of the human race) was a murderer. He killed his own brother. Think about it: the first human brotherhood ended in murder. Cain murdered his brother Abel; and the blood of Cain runs through your veins and mine. That tells us something about our fallen human nature. In teaching us about our fallen, corrupted, nature, The Heidelberg Catechism says that, "...by nature, I am prone to hate God and my neighbor." [Q.#5]. The Letter to the Romans gives us the divine diagnosis of the spiritual corruption of the fallen human race, when it says that in our fallen nature we have become "filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity ... full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice" (Romans 1:29). And Jesus said that "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" [Matthew 15:19]. Murder, then, is a matter of the heart, the disposition of the heart. In our fallen nature, corrupted by sin, we have within us all it takes to be a murderer.

Maybe that is the reason, then, that these days millions of people invite murder, bloodshed, and gore into the family room for prime-time "entertainment," by way of the television. (I hope and pray that you don’t.) It is a matter of the heart. Our society pours billions of dollars into the movie industry in order to be entertained by gross and gratuitous violence. Do we really love and enjoy murder, and the rush that comes from violating the Sixth Commandment? Do you find that "entertaining"? I hope and pray that you don’t, because if you do, then it is a sign that you are under the tyranny and influence of Satan who was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), and he is plotting to murder your soul.

I hope and pray that as God’s people, we are guarding our own hearts, and the hearts and minds of our children, and being very careful about what we allow to be seen and heard in our homes, and being very careful about the movies we watch and allow our children to see. And I hope and pray that the children of Rivermont Presbyterian Church have nothing to do with those dark and disgusting video and computer games which stimulate their brains and thrill their central nervous systems with positive feedback when they "kill" their opponent. It is not "just a game." It has to do with the disposition and orientation of their hearts and minds. Killing people should never be a form of entertainment and "fun." That is a disgrace and a dishonor to the God who created man — male and female — in His own image for His own glory.

Murder is a matter of the heart, a spiritual issue. And whether we have ever actually committed literal murder is not the issue, not ultimately. God looks upon the heart, and the law of God judges the heart and mind of man. The Sixth Commandment, then, has to do with our heart as well as our actions. And we haven’t truly and fully kept the Sixth Commandment simply by not committing literal murder. How can I say this? Because Jesus said it. Listen again to the words of our Lord:You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, "Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, "Raca," is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, "You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell (Matthew 5:21-22).

Jesus calls us to a standard of righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus applies the Sixth Commandment to our hearts internally, spiritually, and positively. Jesus teaches us clearly that the Sixth Commandment applies to His disciples in ways far beyond the letter of the Law. For Christians, obeying the Sixth Commandment means repenting of and doing away with anger toward one another. Of course, anger may flash as an emotion, but we must not nurse that anger. The Scripture says, "In your anger, do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26-27). Further in Ephesians we are commanded to "get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32). These verses from Ephesians are very appropriate cross-references to the passage in Matthew 5, because there, in teaching us about the Sixth Commandment, Jesus teaches us to be reconciled to one another. In His commentary on the Sixth Commandment, Christ says "go and be reconciled to your brother" (Matthew 5:24).

As His disciples, as His forgiven, redeemed people, we are called to fulfill the Sixth Commandment by living together in a community of reconciliation and peace as the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, as members of His Body. The Word of God warns us not to bite and devour one and destroy one another (Galatians 5:15). First John 3:15 warns us that "anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." And the biblical definition of "hate" does not always imply emotional rage or hostility; it can mean simply to ignore, to neglect, to treat someone as if he or she were dead. Have you ever felt as though you could "kill" someone, even a brother or sister in Christ? Have you ever wished that someone would just go away ... as in, forever ...as in, drop dead?

Looks can kill and words can kill — that is, kill relationships by spewing forth a spirit of murder. It is, therefore, a violation of the Sixth Commandment for us to harbor resentments, nurse grudges, plot vengeance, speak ill of, and wish ill toward our brothers and sisters. The reason that Jesus warned us that anyone who says, "You fool!" to his brother will be in danger of the fire of hell, is that those words not only express a spirit of murder but also a spirit of unforgiveness toward that brother or sister. And if we do not forgive those who sin against us, then neither will God forgive our sins (Matthew 6:15). Now this is especially important in our relationships within the Body of Christ, but God’s Word also exhorts us, in Romans 12:18, "if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

Positively, spiritually, internally applied to our hearts, the Sixth Commandment requires, to live as peaceably as possible with all people, to forgive one another, and to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters, and to do all in our power to protect and to preserve and to promote the life and well-being of our neighbor. The Sixth Commandment, "You shall not murder," calls us positively to love our neighbor as ourselves with deeds of charity and mercy, and with actions of compassion and kindness and generosity. The Sixth Commandment calls us positively to protect the innocent, and to defend the weak and the helpless, and to care for the widow and the fatherless, to feed the hungry, and to shelter the homeless, who are truly in need.

Do you remember what Cain said to God, when God called out to Cain after Cain had murdered his brother? God called to Cain, saying, "Cain, where is your brother?" And Cain responded, "I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper?" That’s what a murderer says in his heart: "Am I my brother’s keeper?" That is a murderer’s contemptuous excuse, a murderer’s contemptuous, rebellious retort to his or her Creator. And it proves to us, yes, that the Sixth Commandment requires us positively to be our brother’s keeper: to know the needs of our brother or sister, to care for our neighbor, to be as concerned about the life and well-being of others as we are about ourselves, and to love others as we love ourselves.

Jesus calls us to a standard of righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. He calls us to obey the Law of God spiritually, and positively, and not simply by obeying the outward, literal, negative prohibition. We can do this only by His grace within us, only by the power of His Spirit, only by the power of His life within us. But it is through His grace and mercy that we are given new life — new life lived in the power of His Spirit through faith in Him.

Jesus loved us and gave up Himself for us. It is fair to say that His crucifixion was a form of murder, in that it was an unjust taking of His life — He was not guilty of the crimes for which He was crucified. Yes, from the human perspective, there was a murderous conspiracy against Him. But from the divine perspective, His death was the atoning sacrifice, the substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of all those who put their trust in Him. We can truly say that Jesus suffered murder in order to purchase forgiveness and redemption for all the murderers who put their trust in Him and look to Him for salvation.

That’s the gospel, dear friends. Because without Christ’s substitutionary, sacrificial death for you and me — for you and me — we would be nothing but murderers with bloodguilt on our hands and on our hearts. We need Christ to redeem us from all our violations of the Sixth Commandment, and we need Christ, by the power of His Spirit, to help us, as His redeemed people, to walk in His way, and truly obey the Sixth Commandment with sincerity in our hearts. Let us turn away from the ways of death, and walk in the way of life and peace, "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." And to Him alone be honor and praise forever and ever. Amen.