with me in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 5. Deuteronomy chapter 5, our focus is on the sixth commandment. Deuteronomy 5.17. I do want to read the context or the larger context. And I also want to say some of this will be review. I just preached much of this on Sanctity of Life Sunday when we looked at abortion in the morning service and then capital punishment in the evening service. So there'll be a bit of overlap and a bit of review. But beginning in Deuteronomy chapter 5 at verse 6, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mountain, from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank you again for the Word of God. Thank you for these commandments. We know they show us, they reveal to us who you are. It's a revelation of the perfections of God in many respects. As well, you call us to function according to these things. So give us the grace, Most High God, to receive the commandment, to receive it with joy and through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be obedient to these things. We know, Father, we live in a day and age that is filled with murder and rebellion and transgression concerning this commandment. Give us grace and wisdom to think clearly concerning Scripture at these points and help us, Father, to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation. and give us the boldness and the courage to hold forth Your Word of truth. Again, forgive us now for our sin and our transgression, and fill each one of us with Your Spirit. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I want to look at this particular commandment, the sixth commandment, you shall not murder, under two considerations. First, the explanation of the command, and then secondly, the application of the command. But as we look at the explanation, I want to note, first of all, the terminology that is utilized. Notice what the text says, you shall not murder. Now, there is a translation that says, thou shalt not kill, but at times that can be a bit misleading, because as I'll argue in a few moments, the Bible does authorize killing in certain instances. What is in view here is premeditation, it's malice aforethought, it is taking the life of another human being without authorization, without authority. Kaiser says, while Hebrew possesses seven words for killing, the word used here, which is the Hebrew word ratzah, appears only 47 times in the Old Testament. If any one of the seven words could signify murder, where factors of premeditation and intentionality are present, this is the verb. And then of course the scriptures make a distinction between murder and manslaughter. You see that in Exodus 21, you see it in Numbers 35, and then again in Deuteronomy chapter 19. So if we accidentally kill someone, I'm not suggesting that's okay, I'm not suggesting that's a good thing, but it's not the act of murder. In Old Covenant Israel, there were these places called cities of refuge, so that if you accidentally killed somebody, there were still repercussions, there was still a penalty, you had to leave family and home, and leave your particular village or city, and go to one of these cities of refuge. So there was, in the society, a caution against being ignorant or being clumsy or not being responsible relative to the various ways that you could end another person's life. But manslaughter is not murder. Murder, of course, must include premeditation. The old Webster's Dictionary, the 1828 version, to kill a human being with premeditated malice. That is crucial with reference to murder. Premeditation, intention, studied vengeance, malice of forethought, and deliberateness are essential to establishing the crime of murder. Now, secondly, under the explanation of the command, we ought to look at the prohibition. Obviously, the external act is forbidden. We're not supposed to stop somebody's heart from beating. That is certainly involved in the Sixth Commandment. We're not to end another person's life, but it's not only the external act that the commandment sort of encompasses, but it's the internal heart disposition. the hatred of others falls under this particular command. If you go back for just a moment to Leviticus chapter 19, you see this emphasis throughout scripture, that it's not just physically stopping another person's heart from beating, but it's also this internal disposition of hatred, this internal disposition of bitterness, this internal disposition of malice, or those sorts of things. You may have all those elements present, thankfully you don't act upon it and actually end somebody's life. But if you look at Leviticus 19 at verse 17, it says, You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Tonight, I'm going to end by applying this command specifically to us. My suspicion is that no one in here has ever physically engaged in the act of murder. I grant that that is a supposition. I hope it's a very careful and well-informed one. But I doubt any of us have ever stopped the life of another human being. But I suggest that we've all probably violated this command in terms of the internal heart disposition, hating others. having this malice toward others, having this bitterness toward others, having envy toward others, having this idea that we're somehow better than they are, having this concept that with reference to so-and-so or whoever, it's okay that in my heart I despise them or I abhor them. That is simply forbidden and the commandment involves that as well. John Calvin says, the hand indeed gives birth to murder, but the mind when infected with anger and hatred conceives it. So you have to appreciate it's not just the externality. It's not just Morgenthaler. It's not just the abortionist. It's not just the drive-by shooter. It's not just the gang violence. It's not just MS-13. but it's those within the context and the life of the church that have this malice toward others, that have this hatred toward others, that walk around them so they're not near them, that avoid them. Those sorts of things are condemned vis-a-vis the sixth commandment. In Matthew 5, 22, the Lord Christ prohibits us from an unwarranted anger. The Lord Christ as well prohibits us from engaging in character assassination. So again, our temptation, most likely, isn't to go out, buy a rifle, sit up in the clock tower in downtown Chilliwack, and start sniping people as they walk by. But rather, we do have the tendency to engage in the sorts of things that the Apostle Paul condemns in Ephesians 4. In fact, you can turn there, because I believe Ephesians 4 reflects Paul's interpretation of the Sixth Commandment relative to the people of God in the Church of Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 25, not just the 6th commandment, he deals also with the 8th commandment, but behind the apostles' ethical imperatives lay the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. That's what informs his Christian ethics. Verse 25 in Ephesians 4, therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor. working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Now, typically, we take that passage and say, we're not supposed to say four-letter words. Well, I'm gonna tell you. You're not supposed to say four-letter words, but that's not what Paul is talking about. Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth. Let nothing come from your mouth that's going to tear down another human being, that is going to hurt that human being, that is not going to promote the edification of that particular human being. That's what's in his view. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Now notice what he goes on to say. He says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. What's behind his thoughts? It's the sixth word. It's the prohibition against murder. Again, Paul is not supposing that Ephesians are killing each other. Paul is supposing that Ephesians in their heart are breaking this particular command and he wants them to follow or comply with that prohibition. It is not just the external act of ending another person's life, but it's the internal disposition of hating another person's life. And then positively, in verse 32, he says, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. So as I said, the hatred of others, the unwarranted anger against another person, and then the assassination of another person's character. And we'll see that in a bit more detail a bit later on in the message. So we've got the terminology, the particular word used out of the various words that are in the Hebrew language for kill. This word, ratzah, 47 times utilized in the Hebrew Old Testament, is the best to convey the concept of murder. In terms of the actual prohibition, it not only includes the act, the external act, but the internal heart disposition. Now, thirdly, as we continue the explanation of the command, there are three lawful instances of killing that are not murder. And oftentimes you'll hear this. People will say things like, well, capital punishment is murder. No, it is not. If somebody deals a lethal blow in self-defense, some would accuse him of murder. That is not murder. And neither is just or legitimate war. Those are your three particular exceptions relative to this commandment. So, in the first place, the death penalty. And again, we considered this in detail a few weeks ago in our Sunday night service. But remember, Genesis 9, verse 6, whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood will be shed. And the theological reason is, for in the image of God, he made man. That is in the Noahic Covenant, which has never been abrogated. The Noahic Covenant extends to all men in all places at all times. That is still binding upon us. It is a common grace covenant. It is not a redemptive grace covenant. but it provides the arena for the preaching of redemptive grace. When we turn to the New Testament, we see the instance of Paul in Acts 25. He says, if I am guilty of crimes, I do not object to dying. And then, of course, we have the language of the Apostle Paul in Romans 13, 1 to 4, where he tells us to let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." He then says that the minister, or rather the civil government, the civil magistrate, is God's minister to execute God's wrath in history. And that is why he is equipped with the sword. And we noted in that sermon that when the civil government does not comply with this mandate, they are guilty of the very crime of murder, ultimately. You see that by implication in Numbers 35. Ersinus, in his commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, says, may be guilty of doing wrong not only in being cruel and unjustly severe, but also in being too lenient in granting permission to certain persons to injure others. So in other words, when the civil government does not effectively punish criminal offenders, and then those persons, those offenders, are back out on the streets, and they go out and then kill somebody else, what our science suggests, I think, is biblical and legit. It is, on the one hand, indicative of the fact of the culpability and responsibility of a government or of a system that does not adequately punish criminal offenders in the arena of their authority. It is a terrible thing. It is a wretched thing. There are some persons, the Bible teaches, that deserve to die at the hands of men, according to Genesis 9, 6. At the hands of men, according to Romans 13, 1 to 4. That is what scripture teaches, and we do not have the prerogative to try and say that that doesn't apply today. Secondly, the legitimacy of just war. The legitimacy of just war. Turn, well, you're probably already there, Deuteronomy chapter 7. Deuteronomy chapter 7. Notice the instruction in verse 1. When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. "'You shall make no covenant with them, "'nor show mercy to them, "'nor shall you make marriages with them. "'You shall not give your daughter to their son, "'nor take their daughter for your son, "'for they will turn your sons away from following me "'to serve other gods. "'So the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you "'and destroy you suddenly. "'But thus you shall deal with them. "'You shall destroy their altars "'and break down their sacred pillars "'and cut down their wooden images "'and burn their carved images with fire. See, God knew that when Israel went into the land, if they did not dispossess the land of the Canaanites, then Israel would imitate the conduct of the Canaanites. And that is precisely what happens, and ultimately Israel herself is vomited out of the land under the authority of God Most High. So this is a mandate for Israel. We call this Holy War. If you turn to the New Testament, you will see that military personnel are treated with dignity. You will see that no one in the New Testament is saying, how dare you be in the military? You need to turn in your uniform, and you need to get a tambourine, and you just need to bang it and worship Jesus. No, that's not what happens according to the New Testament. There are military officers and soldiers in the New Testament, and typically they are viewed upon favorably. So if the idea of a just and necessary war is illegitimate, then why the favorable treatment of soldiers whose primary task is to engage in war, why would they be treated with any degree of respect in the New Testament by God's people? Matthew chapter 8, just a few texts to indicate this idea of the legitimacy of just war. So we have the command by God for the execution of holy war, but as well we have the favorable view of military in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter 8, Excuse me, verse 8, the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. Now, the centurion was a man that commanded a legion of troops. He had under him several hundred soldiers, and it was his prerogative to command those soldiers to go into battle and to kill enemy soldiers. That's what a centurion did. And when Jesus meets him, he doesn't say, I don't believe or I can't believe you're a centurion. You need to forsake this and you need to be a follower of me. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak a word and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, go, and he goes, and to another come, and he comes. And to my servant, do this, and he does it." When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed, assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then Jesus said to the centurion, go your way. And as you have believed, so let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that same hour." Turn over to Luke 3. Another favorable view of military soldiers in the New Testament documents. Luke chapter 3, the preaching of John the Baptist. Luke three, beginning in verse 10. So the people asked him saying, what shall we do then? He answered and said to them, he who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none. And he who has food, let him do likewise. Then tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, collect no more than what is appointed for you. Likewise, the soldiers asked him saying, and what shall we do? So he said to them, do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely and be content with your wages. Interesting. If military service is condemned, if military service is ungodly, this is strange instruction on the part of John the Baptist relative to these soldiers with reference to repentance. Luke 14. Again, this is by implication, but it certainly underscores the point. Luke 14, beginning in verse, well, verse 25. The emphasis on the part of Christ is to count the cost, right? If you're not a believer tonight, you need to count the cost relative to following Jesus. Jesus tells you, you need to take up your cross daily and follow him. If you are not willing to give up everything for the Lord Christ, then he says, you're not worthy of me. Well, here specifically, with reference to this idea of counting the cost, he uses an analogy, and the analogy is one of military service, or legitimate war. Verse 31, or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able, with 10,000, to meet him who comes against him with 20,000? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple." Again, it's just appealing to something that everybody knows, appealing to the reality that kings engage in warfare with other kings. And if they are wise kings, they will consider the various equipment and armament of the opposing army so that they can engage in warfare in a responsible manner and best their opponents on the battlefield. So you have the command of God, or command by God, for the execution of holy war. You've got the favorable view of the military in the New Testament. And then, as we appeal to Romans 13 with reference to death penalty, we also appeal to Romans 13 with reference to just war. The civil government is armed with the sword not only for the execution of criminal offenders within society, but for the protection of innocent people under their jurisdiction from foreign invaders without. In other words, the magistrate has a task, and I would suggest it's one of the very, very, very few tasks of government. Government is not supposed to be there from cradle to grave for every single person under their jurisdiction. The very thing they are specifically commanded to do, we don't oftentimes see them doing. The very things the Bible never says they're to be involved in, are the sorts of things that they are involved in. But relative to this issue, when the magistrate wields the sword, it is certainly for the execution of criminal offenders, but for the defense of innocent persons from the hordes that may try to come in and destroy the people within a body politic. Turretin says, from the very fact that Christ did not take away but confirmed the authority of the magistrate, he also approved of the right of carrying on war. since it pertains to the magistrate to defend his subjects against unjust violence, which certainly cannot sometimes be done without war. Again, I'm not here to say we should have endless wars, I'm not here to say we should go out and engage in regime change and all that sort of stuff, but a government ought to protect its citizenry from invaders from without. So just war, along with the death penalty, and then thirdly, an exception or one that is not considered murder, an instance of justifiable homicide, is self-defense. Now you can turn to the book of Exodus, chapter 22. It's an incredible thing today. Civil government is essentially telling us we're wrong to want to defend ourselves. Well, according to God's Word, it is right to want to defend yourselves. According to God's Word, it is legitimate to want to defend yourself. According to God's Word, it's assumed that you're going to want to defend yourself. You know, when Jesus says, love your neighbor as yourself, I don't think Jesus means we worship ourselves, we bow down to ourselves, but we do try to protect ourselves. We try to make sure that we don't ingest poison. We try to make sure that we're keeping fit and healthy and all those sorts of things. But as well, when somebody tries to do harm to us, Scripture assumes that we will defend ourselves. And not just us, but those under our purview, those under our responsibility, those persons that we're very well attached to, vis-a-vis family. So scripture looks favorably at self-defense. Why civil government today doesn't look at it with any sort of agreement is an unfortunate and a grievous situation. But if you look at Exodus 22, verses 2 and 3, Exodus 22, verses 2 and 3, if the thief, well, let's just back up to verse 1, just to put us in the context, it's property rights. If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five ox and four an ox and four sheep for a sheep. Now verses two and three are appropriate for our understanding of self-defense. If the thief is found breaking in and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. You see the wisdom of biblical law. It distinguishes between a nighttime break-in and a daytime break-in. The idea being that if somebody breaks into your house at night, you do not know what their intentions are. You don't know if they're there to steal your TV. You don't know if they're there to rape your wife. You don't know if they're there to cut your throat and kill you. You do not know. As well, your neighbors are likely asleep, so they can't offer any help or assistance. So if a thief is found breaking in at night, and in the exchange, the homeowner deals a lethal blow to that thief, then there is no guilt upon the homeowner. Today, you could be sued if a thief breaks his foot breaking into your house. Today, you could be criminally liable or civilly liable if somebody cuts themselves in the performance of a crime in your home. I mean, today, I don't know. I know it used to be that way. Things haven't gotten any better as far as I'm concerned. So I'm sure it's still like that today. So in the hours of darkness, you don't know what his intention is, and you don't have the benefit of friends or neighbors or other persons that could render assistance. where verse 3 in chapter 22 deals with, if the sun has risen on him. In other words, it's a daytime scenario. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. Because you can determine. Now, if he was going to murder or rape or engage in some other form of mayhem, I'm sure biblical law would protect the homeowner in that event. But if he is simply a thief, We don't kill people for thievery. I mean, it may be tempting, you may want to, I could just, you know, want to get rid of... No, no, you're not supposed to do that. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood will be shed. The only capital offense relative to stealing is kidnapping. When somebody steals a man, that is a capital offense. But in terms of property theft, it wasn't a capital offense. Again, it's not encouraged, don't go out and do it, but it wasn't a capital offense. So if during the hours of daytime, you're able to discern or ascertain that it was simply thievery, and then as well, your neighbors are up, and if you scream, somebody can come and help, and all that sort of thing. So if he does deal a lethal blow in that situation, then the homeowner will be liable. But don't forget what we find in the rest of the verse. If this man is a thief and he is found thieving or caught thieving, notice what biblical law says. He should make full restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. In other words, indentured servitude if he does not have money to pay back. See, biblical law didn't say, we're going to ship you to the jail and there you pay back your debt to society. But he didn't steal from society. He stole from one particular individual. And that one particular individual is being stolen from twice now. Because the thief got him in the first go-around, and now we have to pay taxes in order to support the thief. See, biblical law is pro-victim. It's not pro-criminal. It is pro-innocent party, judicially speaking. It is pro-homeowner. It is pro-the person that wants to protect his wife and protect his children. It is pro- them and not the other way around. Again, the madness and the lawlessness and the wickedness that we are witnessing in our own day and age ought to cause us to cry out to the Lord with the prophet Habakkuk, in wrath remember mercy. Matthew Henry, his commentary on Exodus 22, says a man's house is his castle, and God's law, as well as man's, sets a guard upon it. He that assaults it does so at his own peril." That's a great and appropriate comment that does get at the heart of Exodus 22, 2, and 3. But turn over to the New Testament, because, you know, sometimes we hear that, well, that was the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the idea is, you know, just let thieves and criminals and murderers and rapists into your house. Let them take everything you've got and then show them where everything else is so they can clean that out as well. That's kind of the mindset that some people have adopted when it comes to the difference between the old and the new. Well, that difference is false. That difference is mythical. That difference is made up. That difference is imposed upon the text. We see consistency in God's law. In Luke chapter 12, Luke chapter 12, again, this is an illustration. He's speaking analogically, but for the analogy or the illustration, excuse me, to work, it has to be something that rings true in society. Notice in Luke 12, 39, and in the context, it's about, I'd suggest, the coming destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the idea that there is a preparation needed and that sort of a thing. That's the underlying lesson in verse 40. Therefore, you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. But look at verse 39, but know this. that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. For that analogy to ring true, it must be true. For Christ to be able to employ that in a spiritual context and situation indicates that for Christ, and his audience, it was assumed and presupposed that if somebody broke into your house and you knew when they were going to come, you would be waiting for them to stop them and keep them from engaging in that kind of mischief in your house. The Lord Christ upholds the reality of self-defense. So we've seen the term used, we've seen the prohibition stated, we see the exceptions noted. Notice finally, with reference to the explanation of the command, the reason specified. Why does God give us the sixth commandment? Genesis 1, 26 to 28. God made man in his own image. We are image bearers of the living God. That's why in that prohibition, or rather that demand for capital punishment in Genesis 9.6, the reason that underscores that is for in the image of God he made man. And in the sermon on abortion, we outlined the various stages where life is protected by biblical law. The fact is, is that man bears God's image, first of all, prior to the fall, Genesis 1, 26 to 27. Secondly, it is true that after the fall, in descent, man bears God's image. Again, it's disordered, it's warped, there's some issues and some problems, but God still says we bear his image. We saw thirdly that it's true of the pre-born in the womb. There's a multiplicity of texts that indicate to us that the baby in the womb is a baby in the womb. It is not a lump of cells, it is not a product of conception, but rather it is a human being, an image-bearer of the true and living God. And every single day in this country, those image bearers are being murdered. Every single day in the United States, those image bearers are being murdered. Every single day throughout this wretched world, babies are being murdered. This is absolutely, positively unacceptable. Not because Jim Butler says it, but because God's holy law says it. You shall not murder. That's the prohibition. There is no wiggle room with reference to that. For those who say, well, you know, it's up to the woman. My body, my choice. Shout your abortion. The sorts of wickedness that we see at this particular point is gruesome, it's vicious, it's vile. As well, this image of God is a reality with reference to children. Leviticus 18.21, don't throw them into the arms of Molech. Ephesians 6.4, fathers, do not provoke your children. Why? Because they're image bearers of the living and true God. It's true of the handicapped. Leviticus 19, don't put a stumbling block in the way of a blind man. Mark 10, that man, Bartimaeus cries out, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. The crowd hushes him. The crowd attempts to silence him, but Bartimaeus cries even louder. So Christ stops in a crowded city, in a crowded place, walks over to Bartimaeus and says, what would you have me to do? He shows that this man, Bartimaeus, much to the chagrin of the crowd there, who's trying to hush him up, he has dignity, he has worth, He's an image bearer of the living God. As well, it's true of the elderly. Leviticus 19, get up in the presence of a gray-haired man. Show respect, show esteem, show reverence. Don't relegate them to some closet somewhere, but rather esteem them and love them and care for them. It is also true of the sick. We see that passage in James, where if somebody is sick, let him call for the elders of the church. They pray over him. They anoint him with oil. These are evidences that we don't just say, well, you know, go to the hospital now because they've got this medical assistance and dying, and it does seem to be about your time, so let's just dispose of you. That's not biblical, brethren. That is wicked, and it's a transgression of the sixth commandment. And I would argue as well, it's true of man with relation to animals. I'm not suggesting we should go out and beat up animals or kick animals or do ungodly things to animals. The book of Proverbs says that a righteous man has regard for his beast, but animals are not image bearers. Animals are not image bearers of the living and true God. The Lord Most High instituted the sacrificial system in the Old Covenant. A lot of animals died to typify the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus himself says, you are of much more value than a sparrow. But the Father knows when a sparrow falls out of heaven. So the image of God is the reason that underscores the commandment, you shall not murder. Now let's look secondly, again, in broad categories at the application of the command. The application of the command. In the first place, the unlawful killing of others. Any instance of ending the life of another that is not the death penalty, just war, or self-defense is condemned. That is unjustifiable homicide. That is murder. That is premeditation, malice aforethought, seeking to rid the world of somebody that you don't think should occupy it any further. But not only the unlawful killing of others, but now you can turn to Matthew 5 to see the unrighteous hatred of others. The unrighteous hatred of others. Now, I'm going to qualify in just a moment what I mean. The New King James adds, without cause. Other Bible traditions or versions don't have that. I think it's legit. I think it needs to be there. Notice in Matthew 5. Now, let me just tell you what Jesus is doing in Matthew 5. Matthew 5, 17 to 20, Jesus tells everybody that's listening to him, disciples and multitudes, which includes both believers and unbelievers, what his relationship to the Old Testament law is. At this particular point in Jesus' ministry, he's starting to become famous, not like, you know, Benny Hinn, but people are starting to know about Jesus. I mean, he's a preacher, he's a teacher, he's a rabbi, and people are starting to draw close to him because they want to hear what he has to say. And certainly one of the hot topic items for, you know, Israel or Judah at that particular time is where does he stand with reference to the law of Moses? So 517 to 20 is essentially his hermeneutic. Do not think, do not even let it begin to arise in your thought that I came to abolish the law. I didn't come to abolish the law, I came rather to fulfill it. Law and prophets. I came rather to fulfill it. And then he gives concrete illustrations of this. He says, on the one hand, you have heard that it was said, but I say unto you, There are those, and typically they're identified with a system of theology called New Covenant theology, that seem to indicate that Christ is strengthening the law. Christ is doing something in the New Covenant that the Old Covenant never did. I don't believe that's what the antitheses are. I believe that Christ is saying, you have heard that it was said, not by Moses, but by the scribes and the Pharisees. Not by Moses who spake by God, but by those who misinterpreted, those who focused only on the external to the neglect of the internal. But what did we see in Leviticus chapter 19? It's not just the external act of murder, but it's also the internal disposition of hatred. This was always God's will, always God's prerogative, but Pharisaic misinterpretation attached itself to commandments, suggesting to persons that as long as you didn't stop somebody's heart, you were okay. As long as you didn't actually go into another woman, you were okay. So the antitheses are not between Moses and Jesus, but between Moses and Jesus against the Pharisaic misinterpretation. Old Covenant law, or the Decalogue in particular, always went to the heart of man. It wasn't just external. Old Covenant law prohibited a man from lusting after a woman in his heart. It was the Pharisees who simply externalized it. So that's why he says, you have heard that it was said, but, but I say to you, it's not strengthening Moses. He is rather interpreting Moses properly for these hearers. And here in the context, verses 21 to 26, he's dealing with the sixth commandment. Now notice, he gives two prohibitions. In the first place, he prohibits us against unwarranted anger. And then in the second place, he prohibits us against character assassination. Notice in verse 22a, he says, but I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Now, that's important without a cause. Now, this is not suggesting that as long as you have a cause, you can get mad at everybody and kick things and scream and throw cops or whatever it is that you do to express your anger. But when we look at Scripture, God is angry with the wicked every day, according to the Psalter. The Lord Christ, in the healing of a man with a withered hand, in Mark chapter 3, looked at the Pharisees and he was angry. When the Lord Christ went in to cleanse the temple, I don't envision him with just this gentle Jesus meek and mild disposition, flipping tables over and driving these beasts out of the temple precinct. Christ had a righteous anger. There is such a thing. I realize that it's somewhat unattainable for most of us, but there is a category out there of righteous anger. And so Christ prohibits this unrighteous anger with reference to his people. And again, the Old Testament taught this also. But then secondly, there's this prohibition against character assassination. Again, verses 21 to 26 is his dealing with the Sixth Commandment. And if the Pharisees had misinterpreted, Moses got it right, Jesus got it right. The entirety of Scripture indicates it's not just the external act of stopping another person's heart, but it's the internal disposition of being unwarranted, having unwarranted anger toward them, and then as well having this character assassination. 22b. It says, and whoever says to his brother Raka shall be in danger of the council, but whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Now the Bible speaks of persons as fools. The apostle Paul does that. Certainly Solomon in the Proverbs does that a lot. But with reference to this, the idea behind it is character assassination. It's not calling your child who does something foolish, foolish. It is rather assassinating or trying to destroy the reputation of another human being. That is ungodly behavior. That is to murder a man. In fact, there are probably those out there that would rather have the cessation of life than to have the cessation of a good life, because some reckless, reckless person slandered them and caused great harm to their reputation. Now, I'm not suggesting we ought to have the reputation of whoever, but we ought to have a good name. Scripture speaks concerning that. And if somebody tries to destroy that good name, they are guilty of violating the sixth commandment. So it is an attack on a man's reputation. Raka means empty head, numbskull, airhead, or blockhead. It's an attack on a man's intellectual ability. Ful, if raka expresses contempt for the man's intellect, ful expresses contempt for his heart and character. So it really is to cut away at the dignity and the respectability of a particular person. Spurgeon says to call a man raka, or worthless fellow, is to kill him in his reputation. It is to kill him in his reputation. This is forbidden and prohibited by the Sixth Commandment. Again, you see my concern. I don't think that Our temptation is to go out on the clock tower and shoot people in Chilliwack. But our temptation may be to call people fool, to call them raka, to assassinate their character and attempt to destroy their reputation. We are forbidden, we are prohibited. The sixth commandment stands as a beacon to tell us, you shall not murder. Spurgeon says, thus our Lord and King restores the law of God to its true force and warns us that it denounces not only the overt act of killing, but every thought, feeling, and word which would tend to injure a brother or annihilate him by contempt. I don't think Jesus is saying we all have to be everybody's best friends forever. I don't think that's the point. The point is, however, you need to respect one another and you need to make sure that you don't violate the sixth commandment with one another. And again, much of what we find in New Testament epistles applies this to the churches. Why? Because it is rampant in the churches. Because we get offended, or we get our noses bent out of shape, and instead of just dealing with it, instead of just sucking it up, that's where that counsel ought to be given, not to the depressed people. But rather, we want to destroy those who had the unmitigated gall to ever cross me. Well, that spirit of vengeance is condemned by God. It's not the civil magistrate's use of the sword that is condemned by God. It is rather the vindictiveness of God's people that want to destroy people that they perceive are a threat. 1 John 3.15, whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. John Murray and his Principles of Conduct. For those of you who want to study biblical ethics, you can't do much better. I mean, it's a bit dated, but it's really excellent. John Murray's book, Principles of Christian Conduct. It is a fantastic, fantastic read on ethics. He says the effect in summary of what Jesus says is that if a contemptuous word is worthy of hellfire, how much more must the actual murder be? And the total effect of Jesus' emphasis is that murder has its fountain in the malice of the heart and has its judicial issue in the blackness of darkness forever. I think that's an appropriate observation. If what Christ condemns, calling Raqqa a fool, if that has appended to it or attached to it the very punishment of hellfire, what would it be like if we did actually go to that clock tower and start willy-nilly shooting people or we lay in wait for our neighbor who we despise and we bury an ax in his head? We need to take heed with reference to the sixth commandment. You shall not murder. Now, in terms of some specific application, again, we mentioned these a couple of weeks ago. I'll just remind us. The practice of euthanasia. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously to strike down the ban. We now have medical assistance in dying. Consider that God alone is the Lord of life. God alone is the giver of life. God alone is the one who determines when life ends. That is not your prerogative. You may be wrong. You may be mistaken. You may be out of your right mind. You are never to call for the end of your life or to employ others to end your life. The Bible clearly demonstrates that the image of God, as we have seen, is present in those who are most affected by euthanasia. the elderly, and the ill. And the Lord God ultimately, and this is something the people of God need to get their minds and hearts wrapped around, gives grace to sufferers. See, we might think, I want to end this suffering, I want it to be over. No, we need God to flood our hearts with grace and peace and strength so that we can, in fact, persevere. That's the biblical emphasis that we ought to find, or that we ought to have, and that's what we ought to encourage as we live in society. The practice of abortion. The Bible clearly demonstrates that babies in the womb are the image of God. There's specific legislation in scripture protecting unborn babies in the womb. We exegeted that in our study in abortion in Exodus 21, 22 to 25. The murder of the preborn is both ghoulish and unfortunately culturally acceptable, an indication that society as a whole has rejected Christ. Christ speaking his wisdom in Proverbs 8 says, all those who hate me love death. And that is indicative of this generation. And we again ought to pray to the Lord that in his wrath, he would remember mercy. So we've got euthanasia, abortion, and then the neglect of capital punishment. Contrary to the opponents of capital punishment, the command highlights the value of life. and the necessity of taking care of criminal offenders for the protection of the lives of others. Now, I'm going to take the easy way out in terms of the positive aspect of the command and simply read to you the Westminster Larger Catechism. So we've got the prohibition, don't kill people, don't hate people. What's the positive aspect of the command? We see in the history of interpretation correctly, and I think this is one of the strengths of the reformed tradition, the prohibitions also imply positive. In other words, do not murder, infer, or we imply or infer from that. I'm not always sure on the distinction between imply and infer, so I'll use both. But from that negative, do not commit murder, we infer positively that we promote life, that we try to help others. In the Westminster Catechism, Larger Catechism 135, what are the duties required in the Sixth Commandment? The duties required in the Sixth Commandment are all careful studies and lawful endeavors to preserve the life of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any. by just defense thereof against violence, patient bearing of the hand of God, quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit, a sober use of meat, drink, physic, that's medicine, sleep, labor, and recreations, by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness, peaceable, mild, and courteous speeches and behavior, forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil, comforting and succoring the distressed and protecting and defending the innocent. So positively, we are to promote life. Positively, every believer ought to be pro-life. Positively, every unbeliever ought to be pro-life. And again, with the proviso, pro-life insofar as the judicially innocent are concerned. When somebody murders another human being, it is still pro-life to demand that the civil government does their job and execute criminal offenders. There is no inconsistency there, and that persons think so. Outside the world, or outside the church, doesn't surprise me one bit, but that they do inside the church is a grief. Brethren, it is consistently pro-life to oppose abortion, to oppose euthanasia, and to affirm capital punishment. Scripture says it is pro-life to do that, and therefore, that is what dictates. So that the pagan thinks that we're inconsistent, again, doesn't surprise me one bit. But that professing Christians somehow think that the mandate in Romans 13 has been suspended, that the mandate in Romans 13 has somehow now, in this new covenant setting, been abrogated, is to fly in the face of responsible exegesis and biblical theology as a whole. Finally, in terms of some application, in the first place, we ought to see the wickedness of the crime of murder. And it's not just euthanasia. It's not just abortion. It's not just a failure on the part of the civil government to exercise capital punishment. It's any act of premeditated murder against another human being. It is wicked. Could you imagine living in a society where people actually value life? I can't imagine that because we live in a society where life is not valued. Life is disposable. Life is thrown into dumpsters. Life is easily distinguished in a way that is sickening and repulsive and offensive to God Most High. Secondly, we as the people of God need clarity regarding the Sixth Commandment. Do not be caught in that situation where someone says, oh, you're so inconsistent being against abortion, but for a capital punishment. Why do we let them bully us? Why do we let the God haters tell us what the Bible teaches? Why do we let them dictate how we're supposed to approach ethics from a Christian perspective or point of view? It's not inconsistent. Christians throughout millennia have always held to the reality that abortion, euthanasia, the unlawful taking of human life is murder and a violation of the Sixth Commandment. But the execution of criminal offenders is not murder. It is lawful or justifiable homicide. Thirdly, how do we use the commandment? Remember the three uses of the law. This is where audience participation would be great, but we're not going to do that. The first place, the civil use. The law of God functions as a restraint over creatures. That's one of the uses of God's law, and that's a blessed use of God's law. And even as tattered and as fractured and as distorted as modern Canada is, the vestiges and the remainders of God's law restraining us is evident. Because if God lifted that, if God took away that restraint, we would experience something of hell on earth when men were utterly abandoned to pursue their wickedness. The civil government, or the state rather, according to Machen, exists for the repression of evildoers and the protection of individual liberty. He also said that civil government is not intended to produce blessedness or happiness, but intended to prevent blessedness or happiness from being interfered with by wicked men. If civil government wants to do their job responsibly, they need to get serious about the protection of human life. And we, as God's people, when we vote, we ought to think in terms of the Sixth Commandment. We ought to think in terms of these realities. We ought to take our ethics into the voting booth. It is the case that apart from those who hold to God's law, it has become a sacrament amongst those that are transgressors of the law to abort, to euthanize, to engage in an utter disregard of human life. The second use of God's law is the pedagogical. Heidelberg Catechism number three, how do you come to know your misery? The law of God tells me. Again, brethren, I don't suspect you're going to go murder somebody externally. I do suspect that all of us at one time or another have murdered somebody internally. We're not supposed to. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul says in Ephesians 4. This is what ought to characterize our churches. Not the Ephesians 4 that we read, the bitterness and the clamor and the evil speaking, but how he begins the chapter. Endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is to be no bitterness, there is to be no internal disposition of hatred and malice and vengeance and just this expression of disdain for our brothers and sisters in Christ. If this commandment finds you out, that's a good thing in this way, because hopefully it sends you to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And then, of course, the normative use. The commandment shapes the way that we ought to live our lives normally, each and every day. Not the takers of life, but rather the promoters of life. And then finally, with reference to the gospel. The Sixth Commandment is not gospel. You shall not murder. If somebody doesn't murder, that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to go to hell. We cannot mingle-mangle the law and the gospel and preach the Sixth Commandment as if it is exactly what society needs. It certainly needs it in terms of the civil use, but what society needs is the proclamation of the gospel too. We preach the law and the gospel because the gospel is the remedy for sinners. murderous sinners, those who have rejected God's law externally and stopped another person's life, but those as well who break God's law internally, the answer for your soul is the blood of Jesus Christ, his son. It cleanses us from all sin. Well, let us close in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for your word and the clarity of these commandments. We thank you for the consistency of Holy Scripture and how these things are taught in both Old and New Testaments. We give praise to you, God. We give glory to you. We thank you that you have forgiven us and many wretched things that are in our hearts. We ask God that you would keep us from engaging in more wretched things with our hearts and help us to be faithful, help us by the Spirit to be shaped by these commandments. And God have mercy upon this society, have mercy upon a nation that kills babies, that murders babies, that murders old people, that murders sick people, that's getting to the point where they're gonna just about murder anybody if they want it. Lord, I pray that you would be merciful, send forth your glorious gospel, raise up men to lead in high places, men and women that fear God, men and women that have wisdom, men and women that are committed to righteousness and justice. These things are so desperately lacking in this generation. And for our nation specifically, would You indeed cause men to rule and reign in a manner that is consistent with Your Word? Those who will not, we pray, You would remove them from office and put men and women in place that will do so. We thank you for this Sabbath day. We thank you for the rest that you give us in Jesus Christ. We thank you for one another in this local church. What a blessing it is to be with the people of God each and every Lord's Day. We ask that you would go with us now and watch over us in the remainder or in this coming week and give us grace to bring glory to you. And we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.