Murder? Who Me? Series

THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUTH #6

Murder? Who Me?

Exodus 20:13

* Finally, we get to a command that “I” don’t have to worry about or do I? Would I murder someone?

* Let us study this one sentence and discover what inquiring minds want to know. What does this really mean? Does it mean no hunting? Does it prohibit the killing in wars? What about accidents? What did & does it take to break this command? What does Jesus have to say about this?

* Turn to Exodus 20:13 as we look at the 6th commandment and learn what God is teaching.

* (READ) Let me divide our thinking into 4 thoughts;

1) CLARIFICATION – Does this mean do not kill or do not murder and is there a difference?

* There is little doubt that God that God is talking about fellow human beings. The Hebrew word is the one which means to slay, assassinate, to do it premeditatedly, unauthorized (rasah).

* To be clear, there are some times when “killing” is not considered murder in the Bible.

* Capital Punishment – Gen 9:6 / Exo 21:12

* War Deut 13:15 / I Sam / 2 Sam

* Self-defense - Exo 22:2

* Manslaughter- Exo:21:13

* Animals (food) Gen 9:3

* Adultery Lev 20:10

* Suicide Exo 20:13 / Rom 13- “self”

* However, it doesn’t take an intellectual to recognize that the killing of the unborn is murder. I call on you to remember that we are created in “His image” and that He knows us “In the Womb.”

* Every day we hear more and more about the breaking of this command every day. Why is this? Because society is permeated with it. The acts of violence in video today are alarming and its impact has made our streets “a killing zone.”

* This command speaks to the disregard & disrespect for human life and it’s all around us.

* Having already mentioned abortion, let’s come to grips with this truth; “When a culture becomes insensitive to killing one helpless segment of society and kills them for convenience, it won’t stop there. The next step will be to remove the disabled, the helpless, the seniors, and the list goes on.

* We can easily see what is happening in our culture and KNOW that it runs counter to this command. However, leave it to Jesus to “tighten the noose” around our necks. Jesus stated this command meant MORE than the taking of life. As with everything, it is a matter of the Heart. Upon reading His words in Matt 5:21-22, we discover the implication that all three of these are on the same level as physical murder.

* Let’s be clear; Jesus states that to hate your fellow believer (your neighbor) is the same as murder. When we gossip, show contempt, and tear down, Jesus says, we commit “murder.”

* Satan is behind every murder. John 8:44

* One old message is entitled, “The Meanest member of the church.”

2) CAUSES – Matt 5:21 teaches us much. 1 John 3:15

* It teaches that anger, resentment, bitterness, and rage which is born deep inside overflows, if not unchecked, in sin. Over the past 20 years we have seen this rage spew out on the innocent. Remember the shootings (I.E Post Office, schools, even churches) were born out of anger.

* There is an Anger that “broods” – This is a selfish anger which is all about me. When I focus on myself, my church, my class, my rights, my wants, my heartaches, I find myself both miserable & alone.

* There is also an Anger holding “contempt” – This type of anger is filled with ego or arrogance, it holds a malice which looks for a way to make “self” look better than others, even to the point of lying, cheating, and stealing.

* There is also an Anger that “Curses “ – Some will remember those old tales which we “used to” tell. The story would be that a “witch” would cast an evil spell to bring about harm to someone they didn’t like. So by their words, actions, inferences, and the like, the effort is to destroy another.

* Ephesians 4 tells us to be angry and “sin not” so how exactly do we do this? We can answer this question with another question. It is a question which is easily asked but difficult for us to answer. Is my attitude a selfish or selfless one? Righteous Indignation is a purely & totally selfless reaction.

* The question might be, “am I truly angry because of my personal feelings or because a principle of scripture is being violated?”

* Please accept this warning; Unrighteous Anger, if left alone, will, in due time, lead me to murder of some sort. God condemns this.