Family Values
Week 6
We’re in a series where we are focusing on ten values God gave us in Exodus 20:13.
This is Commandment #6.
Exodus 20:13 (NIV)
13 "You shall not murder.
I know some of you are probably thinking, we can skip this one.
Most of us haven’t killed anyone.
The only time you’ve even thought about it was while you were driving.
I doubt that we have many professional hit men attending church here.
So, why devote an entire message to Commandment #6?
To begin with, We live in a “culture of death”.
From terrorist bombings, to shooting rampages in schools, churches, theaters and night clubs, we see death everywhere we look.
Law enforcement officers are being ambushed and killed on the job.
With over 17,000 known murders every year, the killings are now so frequent and happen so routinely we are no longer shocked or surprised when it happens.
By the time the average child finishes elementary school, he or she has watched 8,000 televised murders and 100,000 acts of on-screen violence.
America has the highest homicide rate in the world.
The sixth Commandment is violated daily.
And I know some of you may be wondering what the 6th Commandment has to do with family values, which is the title of this series.
Did you know that many violent crimes, including murder, often take place between family members?
Sadly, the very first murder to take place was brother killing brother.
The 6th Commandment reminds us that life is to be valued.
Life is a sacred gift from God.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV)
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Have you heard the Latin phrase - Imago Dei? “Image of God.”
Every human life is sacred because We are all image bearers of our Heavenly Father (the Creator and Sustainer of life).
Human life is precious.
It is to be highly valued, preserved, and protected.
We belong to God and we are accountable to Him for our own lives and we are accountable to Him if we take the life of another.
Genesis 9:6 (NIV)
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.
God holds human life in high regard.
He expects us to do the same.
Because people matter to God, they should matter to us.
This Commandment is about prematurely ending of a human life:
And while this Commandment seems pretty straightforward, it has broader application than you might think.
There are a variety of ways that we violate the sixth Commandment, but the first and most obvious is…
1. Murder
The first recorded act of murder is found in Genesis 4:8
It is the account of Cain killing his brother Abel.
These were the sons of Adam and Eve, the first human family to live on this planet.
Later on, in the same chapter, Lamech, one of Cain’s descendants, is marked as a murderer too. He even bragged that he was better at it than Cain (Genesis 4:23-24).
From that moment to this, murder has been a sad and sinful part of our heritage as human beings.
We see it in the pages of scripture, throughout history, and in the news each and every day.
Proverbs 6 includes a list of seven things the Lord hates.
One of those things is hands that shed innocent blood. (Prov. 6:17)
You shall not murder.
A second application of this passage has to do with abortion.
2. Abortion
Abortion brings an end to an innocent human life.
Psalm 139:15-16 (NIV)
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Did you notice all the personal pronouns in those two verses?
David is making it clear that this is a person, a human being inside the mother’s womb.
David indicates that God has planned every day of your life before you were even born.
He knew you before you were ever born.
God would have us know that the object of abortion is a person in the mother’s womb.
He says, "All my days were numbered before I was even born."
If all our days were numbered before we were even born, abortion is the ultimate short-circuiting of God's will.
There is much more to say about the subject of abortion, but we just talked about this on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday this past – Amy Schoenradt gave a powerful testimony.
You can watch or listen online at gotothepoint.com.
The date of that service was January 15, 2017.
This church is a place of grace and we will help you process your pain and help walk through it to health and healing.
Let me be quick to say that if you have had an abortion or have urged someone to get one, there is forgiveness and healing available through Jesus Christ.
The preborn matter to God, they must matter to us.
The third application of the sixth Commandment…
3. Euthanasia
This is about causing the death of someone because of deformity, or old age, or an incurable disease.
It is about authorizing or attempting to legalize a doctor’s ability to bring an early end to a person’s life.
Many arguments have been made for physician assisted suicide.
People determine that they have endured enough pain, there is no hope for cure, and they would be better off dead.
Family members choose to accommodate the wishes of their loved one because they can’t bear to see them in pain any longer.
The willingness to end life to end pain is a short step away from the idea that life is disposable whenever a person is no longer able to make a positive contribution to society.
This leads to so many legitimate questions.
When is it right to end a life in order to end the pain?
Why does God allow suffering anyway?
Shouldn’t we be willing to step in and put an end to their misery?
Is it wrong to intervene and make that choice ourselves?
Medical technology can allow us to keep a person’s body alive long after their brain has ceased to function.
Some of you have been faced with the overwhelmingly difficult question, when is it right to turn off those machines?
Shouldn’t everyone get to make that decision for themselves?
The legalization of abortion, and the pro-choice movement opened the door on another discussion called the right to die movement.
We either believe that life is cheap and can be disposed of at will, or we believe that life is precious and needs to be preserved and protected.
We’re not talking about allowing someone to die from natural causes.
This is not even a question of artificially supporting life.
We’re talking about causing the death of someone either because their condition is considered terminal, or their existence is considered non-productive or inconvenient.
From a biblical standpoint, we have no right to do that.
Only God has a right to determine when a person should stop living.
Job 12:10 (NIV)
10 In his (GOD) hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
Some say, when it comes to MY life, isn’t it MY choice?
We hear that word a lot these days when it comes to subjects such as abortion, sexuality, and gender identity.
After all, it's MY body. It is MY life. I can do whatever I please with it, right?
That's the prevailing philosophy of the day.
1 Corinthians 6 clearly counters that ideology.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
We need to be reminded that every life, even the ones that society might perceive as somehow less than adequate, has immense dignity because it is God’s breath of life that sustains us.
When we presume to decide who lives and who dies—even when it comes to our own lives—we are playing God and we are discounting the life that He provides.
This is a very relevant issue that will be an increasingly hot topic of discussion in the years ahead.
The fourth application is suicide, the intentional taking of one’s own life.
4. Suicide.
The rate of suicide has been increasing every year since 2000.
https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
Each year 44,193 people die by suicide.
On average, there are 121 suicides per day.
It is scripturally sound to say two things:
Suicide is NEVER the right choice.
Suicide is NEVER God’s will.
God says, DON'T DO IT.
There are other options.
There is a better solution to your problems.
Suicide is often perceived as an act of selfishness.
That is because of the painful emotions that family members and friends are forced to deal with after someone has taken their own life.
But suicide is not really about selfishness. It is about desperation.
It is an act of desperation by someone who is facing intense pain.
Often, the goal is to bring an end to their pain.
Whenever anyone acts on the decision to end their pain by taking their own life, they trigger an onslaught of indescribable pain in the lives of loved ones and friends.
If I am speaking to someone right now in this service, online, or on the radio, who is contemplating this irreversible decision, I want to beg you not to take even one more step down that road.
Don’t even entertain the possibility.
Understand that Jesus is in the business of bringing healing and hope to all, even those who struggle to escape the depths of despair.
Sometimes discouragement or depression can cause a person to think that suicide is the only reasonable solution to their problems.
If you are thinking along these lines, or if you know someone who is, please find a pastor, a counselor, or a trusted friend and let them know what’s going on in your life.
This is a message of hope.
You matter to God.
God made you for a purpose.
He values you.
He cares about you.
He loves you with an unconditional love.
In fact, Jesus loves you so much that He gave his life, so that you might have life.
He can help you out of your despair.
God’s mercy, healing and hope is available for you.
For most of us, I think it is difficult to imagine a level of despair that is deep enough to lead to considering the possibility of ending their own life.
But just because you have not reached that place of despair yourself, please don’t ever think that it can’t happen to people just like you and me.
If you have ever been to the ocean you have seen the tide come and go.
When the tide's out, the beach can be an ugly place.
There's driftwood and debris all over the place.
It doesn't look very nice. It is not appealing.
There are no pictures of the beach at low-tide on vacation brochures.
Whenever the tide is out, it is always good to remember that it always comes back in. The tide always returns.
The tide may be out in your life right now.
But hang on because the tide always comes back.
You may have to let someone help you through the darkness so the sun can shine in your life again. And it will.
No matter how bleak things may look, please don’t give in to the temptation to bring a premature end to the only life God has given you!
The Bible says, that even before you were born,
God predetermined the exact number of days you were to live.
Job 14:5 (NIV)
5 Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.
It is not up to us to take God’s place or short-circuit God’s plan for our lives.
I have had the responsibility of ministering to a number of families who have lost loved ones to suicide across the years.
The question always comes up about how God views a person whose final act on this earth was the violation of the 6th Commandment.
Issues of anxiety, failure, unresolved guilt, fear, loneliness, or the relentless attack of the one the Bible calls our accuser is what has driven people to do some unthinkable things.
Suicide is not the choice of a person who is in a healthy place, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
That’s why I am so thankful for God’s amazing grace.
Several years ago, an outstanding Olympic gymnast had performed a flawless routine on the parallel bars.
Throughout her routine, the commentators praised her for what they called a perfect performance.
But on her dismount, she stumbled and nearly fell on her face.
She wasn’t awarded the perfect “10” score that she hoped for, but the judges still gave her such high marks that she won a bronze medal.
The judges, being fair, evaluated her overall performance and not her final mistake.
I am so thankful that the Judge of all the earth is fair and just.
God sees the heart and He knows the mind.
When evaluating a life, I believe He mercifully evaluates our overall performance and not just the final decision made in the valley of despair.
I am so thankful we serve a God of grace this morning.
5. Hatred in the Heart.
I want to momentarily move from Mount Sinai to a sermon on another mountain where Jesus made a much broader application of this commandment.
He took it to an extreme that nobody expected.
Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT)
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
Jesus moved from the fruit of murder to the root of murder.
This is about more than an occasional flare up of anger.
He is referring to a simmering anger on the inside that is nurtured and not allowed to die.
It is the idea of holding a grudge that leads to resentment and refuses reconciliation.
Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)
15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Anger in the heart has a way of creeping out through our words.
Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Be careful how you speak.
By their words, people often commit verbal assassination.
James 3:9-10 (NIV)
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
According to Jesus, anger and hatred in your heart is comparable to murder and a violation of the sixth Commandment.
While most of us will never murder someone in the technical sense of the word, you can see how this commandment can be broken in any number of ways.
We know we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves.
One way to do that is by treating all life as sacred.
We do so because we were created in the image of God.
Since people matter God, they must matter to us.
Let’s think about how we can live out the positive implications of this command is fundamentally about how we view and treat people.
Because we do live in a culture of death, we must cultivate a biblical perspective when it comes to the sanctity of all human life.
Not only are we prohibited from taking life,
we must also work to protect and preserve it.
It is about far more than refraining from violence.
We must learn to value life the way God does by taking some positive action.
CONCLUSION:
Did you know that most of the Bible was written by three men who were murderers?
Paul, David, Moses -- all of them took the life of another person.
Yet they came to God, were forgiven, and God used them in a great way.
That's the message of grace.
God has given each one of us the incredible gift of life.
He cares about you from conception to the grave.
You are not here by accident.
God planned you.
He created you.
He has a plan for you.
He wants you to know Him.
He wants you to know that He loves you.
He wants you to be a part of His family.
When you get connected to God, life takes on new meaning and new significance.
CLOSING PRAYER
