Comunidad y discipulado

Do Not Murder (Exodus 20:13)

2016.02.07Stephen Cha

God's sixth commandment forbids the intentional killing of innocent people, because every person bears God's image and has infinite value. Murder begins in the heart and in our words, so we are called to be life-givers who extend God's grace rather than takers who wound and destroy.

Murder is intentionally taking an innocent life (v. 13)

God's Ten Commandments are not a ladder for climbing toward God but a track that guides our lives as His people. The sixth commandment, 'You shall not murder,' does not forbid every kind of killing, since the Old Testament allows some, such as animal sacrifice and warfare under God's judgment. What it prohibits is intentionally taking the life of an innocent person. The commandment is a framework for loving God by loving the people He has placed around us.

Every person bears God's image and infinite worth

Genesis 1 says God made human beings in His image and likeness, so that we reflect Him in how we think, choose, feel, and relate. Genesis 9:6 gives the reason murder is forbidden: whoever sheds human blood, his blood shall be shed, for God made man in His own image. No payment can match the value of a person, because each individual is of infinite worth. Our image is marred by sin, yet Jesus gave His life to redeem every person we meet.

Choosing life over a culture of violence

Violence has become a form of entertainment in our culture. An American Psychological Association study cited in the sermon found that children around ten to eleven years old have seen at least 8,000 murder scenes on screen. David Grossman, a retired military psychologist, warned that media uses the same desensitization that armies use to train soldiers. The sermon also named abortion, euthanasia, and suicide as forms of taking life, since every life is precious and belongs to God.

Killing with hands, minds, and words

We can take life not only with our hands but also with our minds and words. Words like 'you are a mistake' or 'I wish you were never born' can destroy a person's soul and spirit. Withholding what others need is another form of killing, especially when we keep the gospel to ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 25 that what we do for the least of His brothers, we do for Him, and what we neglect, we neglect for Him.

Renewing anger with God's grace

Jesus shows in Matthew 5:21-22 that murder begins in the heart, in anger, contempt, and insult toward a brother. The sermon compared this to an acorn that holds the whole life of a maple tree, so what grows inside us spreads outward to others. Jesus also teaches us not to repay evil with evil, and this does not mean letting others walk over us. We come to God with our brokenness, receive His grace and forgiveness, and learn to love others as He has loved us.

Be a life-giver, not a taker

Dr. Lee, a former physician, shared about his older sister, who was pregnant when she was diagnosed with cancer. Her doctors urged chemotherapy and abortion, but she refused, calling her baby a precious gift from God. She chose to serve at her church with the time she had, and she lived in pain for 27 years. Her story asks us whether we give life to others or only take from them, and whether we see people as God sees them.

Apply to Life

  • Let us see every person we meet as made in the image of God and of infinite value.
  • Let us examine the media we consume and the violence we allow to shape our hearts.
  • Let us guard our words so that they give life rather than curse and wound others.
  • Let us share the gospel and help people in need rather than withholding what they need.
  • Let us bring our anger and contempt to God and receive His grace to become life-givers.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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