The sixth commandment is the correct one. We are not looking at the goodness of authority tonight. Although, boys and girls, as a reminder, God-given authority is good. Tonight we're looking at the sixth commandment and the preserving of life. Take your copy of God's Word to Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13. A very short opening text for us this evening. Exodus 20 verse 13. Hear the word of the Lord. You shall not murder. Let's pray. Lord God, we pray now that You would incline our hearts to hear as people that are saved by the blood of the Lamb and the work of the Son of God alone, Now cause us to look to your law throughout the pages of Scripture for how we might glorify you and grow in our sanctification by your grace. In Jesus' name, Amen. As with all of the commandments in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, there is, if you will, a positive and a negative aspect, or better said, boys and girls, There is a command of what to do and a command of what not to do. Some of the commandments are listed as commands that we shouldn't do something. You shall not murder. But the opposite is also true throughout the pages of scripture as this command of God is given. Not only shall you not murder, you shall work to preserve life. The word murder here includes intentional killing, but also throughout the pages of scripture is seen as causing death through negligence, through lack of care, through lack of interest. And so what I want to do tonight briefly is look at the sixth commandment through the pages of the scripture. I want us to see four things this evening. And as we do, we're going to jump from Genesis all the way to the end of the Bible and see this command played out. Four simple truths tonight as we consider the sixth commandment. Here's the first. Preserve the sanctity of life. Preserve the sanctity of life. The value of life, human life, is in the Creator who made it and gave it. And it's in the fact that human beings bear God's image. Let's go back to Genesis 1, the very first chapter of the Bible. There we read these words, Genesis 1, 26 and 27. Then God said, let us make man in our image. Without spending a lot of time in Genesis 1, one thing we need to remember is God did not make all other creatures in His image. It is man. and woman that are made in the image of God. Let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them. And then if you remember, a few chapters later, there is a discussion regarding image bearers and the taking of life. Genesis chapter 9 and verse 6. Genesis chapter 9 and verse 6. This is after the fall of Adam and Eve into sin. This is after the murder that occurs between Cain and Abel. Listen to what the Word of God says. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God, he made man. If you were to continue further and go to Exodus chapter 21 and verse 24, you read these words. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar that he may die." We could take time to walk through the pages of the Old Testament and look at blood guiltiness in the Old Testament. Blood guiltiness. Let's look at one particular example. Numbers. Numbers chapter 35 verse 30. Hear this example. Numbers 35 verse 30. Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses. But one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. Moreover, you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. So you shall not pollute the land where you are for blood defiles the land and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore, do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell. For I, the Lord, dwell among the children of Israel." Genesis, Exodus, right after the giving of the moral law of God, numbers a reminder of what life in the land is to look like. In all of these cases, there is the preservation of the sanctity of life. Even the guilt of causing an accidental death shows forth the value that God places on human life. For instance, Exodus 22 speaks to self-defense. We won't dig into that passage. But oftentimes we hear the sixth commandment and we think to ourselves, all I need to do not to break it is to just not murder someone. Of course, Jesus' words in the New Testament rid us of that simple thought. But all throughout the pages, human life, the sanctity of human life is seen. From the sixth commandment on, there is a call to value and preserve the sanctity of life. We could go page after page in the Old Testament and the New Testament. But the spirit of the law is not only not murdering, but preserving the sanctity of life Why? Because human life is a gift that God the Creator has given. And human life is life that bears God's image. So number one, the sixth commandment is a call to preserve the sanctity of life. If you look at the catechism question, we often refer to these occasionally. What is required in the sixth commandment? The Sixth Commandment requires all lawful endeavors, everything that's possible to preserve our own life and the life of others. The Sixth Commandment forbids the taking of our own life or the life of our neighbor unjustly. So the principle of the Sixth Commandment flows throughout the pages of Scripture in both a positive and a negative. Preserve the sanctity of life. But secondly, Secondly, we must recognize murder. We must recognize the breaking of the sixth commandment in our own hearts. Notice what Jesus does in his teaching with the sixth commandment. Turn over to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5 verse 21. Now, Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is not Jesus giving a brand new law or Jesus saying, hey, now the law is about what you do in your heart. It's Jesus' correcting of the teaching that said that the law was simply external. There are several places we could use the Sermon on the Mount to discuss this, but let's look what Jesus actually does when he teaches on the Sixth Commandment. Matthew 5, verse 21. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raka shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hellfire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your gift before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge. The judge hands you over to the officer and you'd be thrown in prison. Surely I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penalty. Jesus teaching on the sixth commandment shows that the sixth commandment is not simply about externals. but it's also about our very hearts. Brothers and sisters, it's indeed possible that we can be murderous, not just with our weapons, but with our words. We may not go to jail for it, we may not be put on trial for it in the civil courts, but we can be murderous, not just with our weapons, but with our words. John, writing in 1 John 3.15 says, everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. You see, boys and girls, the sixth commandment is about not killing someone, taking their life. But Jesus teaches it. The apostles teach it in such a way that murder is also when we have hearts that are murderous. In fact, if you turn over to 1 John 3 for just a moment, you'll see the various pages of the Old and New Testament come together. 1 John 3, verse 12. Listen to this. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. Now think about this, friend. The scripture says that we should love one another. Have you considered what this implies? It sounds kind of stark. Love your brother. And if you don't, you're like one of all the biblical characters. The person that is chosen by John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is the first murderer. This, of course, is in keeping with what Jesus says, right? Don't be like, verse 12, Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. Then, in verse 15, whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. When we hate, devalue, defame another human being. We are treating an image bearer of God without the dignity that the God of that image bearer has instilled in that person. And we could use a whole host of words when we murder with our words, when our words become weapons. Of course, when we tear others down, when someone is abused physically, emotionally by someone else, you just you keep on filling out the pages of the scriptures from Exodus all the way to the final book of the Bible. And we see that the sixth commandment is about preserving the sanctity of life. But it's also a call to recognize murder in our hearts. The thirdly, The sixth commandment is a call to seek to foster life. Seek to foster life. There are positive aspects to this commandment, as we have already discussed. Listen to some of the words of Scripture. Proverbs 24, 11. Rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to slaughter. There's a positive institution, if you will, of the sixth commandment. Hey, rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. Deuteronomy 22.8. Think about this. Fostering life. When you think about specific civil commands that were given in the Old Testament. Here's one example, Deuteronomy 22.8, when you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof. Why? Why does God care about the architecture of my house and the land? That you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house if anyone should fall from it. we often think of the commandments as, I simply must not go to the nth degree, as long as I don't murder someone, literally. But through the pages of Scripture, we see a call to preserve the sanctity of life, to recognize murder in our own hearts, and to foster life. This, of course, takes us to a whole host of issues. Yes, This relates to care of ourselves and the question of suicide. It relates to the life of the unborn. It relates to caring for the poor. It also relates to the distinction between murdering someone and the government's power of the sword in places like Romans 13.4. In many different ways, We are called to foster life. I guess I would say this, brothers and sisters, when we love the law of God as saved individuals, there is work for us by God's grace in the gospel. There's work for us in the sixth commandment. We often think, well, I know there's work for me in the first commandment and the second and the third and the fourth. And maybe if I'm a child in the fifth, but most of us don't murder. There's work for us in the sixth commandment, fostering life, preserving it, seeing it as a value, working to preserve it. We were having this discussion over lunch today. Kids, one of the ways that we can honor the sixth commandment. Kids love to go to the pool. You're walking near the pool and you see someone drowning. and you jump in and you save them, or you call the lifeguard, there is a sense in which you're honoring the sixth commandment. You're working to preserve life. Well, lastly, we are to cling to the gospel in our murder. We are to cling to the gospel in our murder. What do I mean by that? All of us, in one way or another, have broken the sixth commandment. I'm assuming most of you knew that. But if you didn't, you're a transgressor of the sixth commandment. You haven't perfectly loved your brothers and sisters at all times. You haven't perfectly used your words to love them. You have, at least at one point in your life, hated someone. And maybe you have been neglectful in the call to preserve life. And maybe, unbeknownst to us in this room, some of you have actually taken the life of someone in murder. But every one of us, in some way or another, has failed to perfectly keep the positive and negative aspects of the sixth commandment. Turn over to Titus chapter 3. Titus chapter 3, verse 3 through 7. Just listen to what Paul says to one of his students in the ministry. Titus 3 verse 3, For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace, we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Now think about this passage for just one moment. Paul is telling Titus, at one time we all were foolish and disobedient We were breakers of the fifth commandment. We were deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, breakers of various commandments, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Now, based on the principle that scripture interprets scripture, when Paul says we have a record in our past of hating and hating one another, We have to ask ourselves, elsewhere, what does the Bible call the hating of someone else? Murder. Murder. And yet, what does Paul say? This was our record. This is who we were. And you just fill in the blank for how you've done it. Is it gossip? Is it hating? Is it using your words as a weapon? Is it abusing others? Is it taking life? Is it perhaps not valuing the lives of others around you? The unborn of the elderly? What is it? And then take yourself to verse four of Titus three. But when the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, what did he do? He saved us. Simplified translation, God saved murderers. He saved us through the washing of regeneration, renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that having been justified by his grace. Now, think about this, brothers and sisters. Think about this. Murderers have now been declared righteous by God's grace. Murderers have now been declared righteous by His grace. That's what the word justified means. Murderers have been justified by His grace and have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So what has it been for you? Literal murder? Neglect? Killing others with your mouth? not caring for the elderly, the unborn, hating others. What's been your way? Because Titus chapter three, verse four says, whatever your way has been in murder, you now cling to the gospel. Two closing passages. Let's go back to numbers. Chapter 35. A passage about life in the land, but where the sixth commandment can be seen. Numbers 35. Listen to what the Lord says about life in the land and murder. Yes, there are civil commands which have been fulfilled in Christ. But they find their principle in the sixth commandment. Numbers 35, 33. So you shall not pollute the land where you are, for blood defiles the land. And then notice this next phrase, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. And the old covenant system, In the way of life and death, the land could not be cleansed unless the blood of the murderer was spilt. And I would submit to you as you read this, we are not Hebrews living out life in a land. But the words should cause you just a moment's pause. No atonement can be made except by the blood of him who shed it. And when you get to the New Testament, you are called a murderer. And the principle of the murderer's blood being shed hasn't changed. So you will face the murderer's revenge. The murderer's judgment. The judgment that will come on murderers, unless, unless Christ has died in your stead. You see, by the end of the Bible, in the last chapter, we see something very interesting. Turn to Revelation 22. Revelation 22. Revelation 22, verse 14 and 15. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside, outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers. Now put the pieces together, friend. Blood is required. for atonement of murderers. God has prohibited murder and He has told us that we must work to preserve life. God in His Word has said every one of us is a murderer. So by the last page of the Bible, you should ask yourself this question. Will my future be outside the gate? Because you've murdered with your words. You've murdered with your heart. Maybe you've murdered with your hands. On the very last page of the Bible, what do we see? But murderers separated from the tree of life, the new heavens and the new earth. Here's where I would submit to you that what Titus 3 verse 4 through 7 is saying What Paul is saying, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is that none of these threats have changed. None of the just wrath for blood guilt has changed. It's just in a glorious, sweet exchange for the Christian. Christ's blood was spilt for your murder. for your hateful words, for your lack of preserving life in every way perfectly, for your thoughts and your deeds towards others, and maybe for your own actions with your hands of taking life. You read Titus 3 verse 4. And if you're like me, you're amazed. Because what does it say? That when the kindness, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man. Why love a murderous, idolatrous, lustful, malice-filled, envious people? But he loved them. Not by works of righteousness which we have done. So if you're carrying around the guilt of breaking the sixth commandment, it must end. Because your ability to come out from under the condemnation of breaking that commandment has never been about your works, not by works of righteousness, which we have done. But according to his mercy, he saved us. Through the washing of regeneration, being born again and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that having been justified by his grace. We should become heirs. Listen to what David, the murderer. The man after God's own heart who's a murderer. Boys and girls, listen to this. David. We love to hear all the wonderful things that David did and we should look to him as a man of God, but David murdered. And listen to David's confession in Psalm 51.14. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness. And can you imagine if in the courtroom of God there were witnesses that could stand and give testimony? The in-laws of Bathsheba would cry out for justice. He cannot be let go. He killed our Son. And with a prayer of confession, deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. He will be free from the condemnation. How is this justice? And yet, in that very courtroom, God is in the right to say of David, you are free from blood guiltiness. Because I've taken every bit of it and put it on my own son. And if God can do that to David, the lying, murdering, adulterous man, What breaking of the sixth commandment will you put up and say, God, there is no way you can forgive this pattern of words in my heart. There's no way you can forgive this act that I've committed in the past. What gives us the right to walk into penitentiaries and tell prisoners, God will save you. Titus 3, 4-7. God declares righteous murderers. Will you look to the sun? How does the Lord deliver you and me from the guilt of our own murder that we've committed? How? Jesus bleeds. Jesus bleeds. And if the blood of Christ is the final word for the triune God, it must be, beloved, the final word over us. Let's pray. Almighty God, help us. Help us to be a people who love life. Because you've made it. You've made human beings in your image. But as Christians now, help us to be a people who see by God's rich grace, through the Spirit, the call to not take it without cause, and to work to preserve it. And when we see in our own hearts murder, when we hear from our own lips words spoken in murder, And we begin to feel guilty about the fact that we too have broken the sixth commandment. We pray that the bleeding son of God would come to our minds by the spirit, that we may hear passages of scripture like Titus three, four through seven. And again, take comfort in the fact that you have told us, you have promised, you have covenanted with us. that you declare righteous murderers. As was with our brother David, so shall be with each of us as we look to Christ. Wash over our hearts in the gospel, we pray, and cause us to rise in gospel obedience henceforth. In Jesus' name, Amen.