Don’t You Believe It!: Our Lives Are Not Our Own
Exodus 20:13
Evening, January 21, 2001
Pastor Don Walker
In his autobiography, "Number 1", Billy Martin told about hunting in Texas with Mickey Mantle. Mickey had a friend who would let them hunt on his ranch. When they reached the ranch, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he checked in with his friend. Mantle’s friend quickly gave them permission to hunt, but he asked Mickey a favor. He had a pet mule in the barn who was going blind, and he didn’t have the heart to put him out of his misery. He asked Mickey to shoot the mule for him. When Mickey came back to the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the door. Billy asked him what was wrong, and Mickey said his friend wouldn’t let them hunt. "I’m so mad at that guy," Mantle said, "I’m going out to his barn and shoot one of his mules!" Mantle drove like a maniac to the barn. Martin protested, "We can’t do that!" But Mickey was adamant. "Just watch me," he shouted. When they got to the barn, Mantle jumped out of the car with his rifle, ran inside, and shot the mule. As he was leaving, though, he heard two shots, and he ran back to the car. He saw that Martin had taken out his rifle, too. "What are you doing, Martin?" he yelled. Martin yelled back, face red with anger, "We’ll show that son of a gun! I just killed two of his cows!" 1
We need to be careful in following the path some people make. Either intentionally or unintentionally, we can be misled. The example we choose, the rules we live our lives by, and who we look to as the source of real and ultimate truth can have a positive or detrimental effect on our lives. That’s the reason we’ve been looking at the Ten Commandments the last several weeks.
As Christians, we know that keeping the Ten Commandments will not heal our broken relationship with God. But we also know that God gives truth so that our lives may be more full, happy, and stable. God’s commandments are wisdom for us; they lead us in living worthwhile lives that glorify God. By following them we are taking a good sensible path for living.
A number of years ago, a third-grade teacher was teaching the Ten Commandments to her class in school. She was discussing the commandment regarding honoring one’s father and mother. Then she asked, "Is there any command regarding brothers and sisters?" One young girl raised her hand and said, "Thou shalt not kill." Tonight, we’re looking at the Sixth Commandment: "You shall not murder."
Most people would think that they have no problem in keeping this one. I¡¦ve never murdered anyone and I really can¡¦t conceive of any situation in which I would want to. I¡¦m sure you feel the same way. However, you probably have already guessed, it’s not really all that simple. I would like for us to consider the value of human life and ways in which it is devalued by murder.
The Value of Human Life
In much of the history of the world, human life was cheap and under-appreciated.
When this commandment was given human sacrifice was common. At times, parents would even sacrifice their own children. It was a demand of their gods and as unthinkable as it is to us, people complied without reservation.
In addition the Israelites had recently been freed from Egyptian slavery. Any culture that justifies enslaving people, obviously doesn¡¥t value human life. Because of their position, slaves would not be fed well or given medical attention (even though it was primitive).
Human beings were usually viewed by the powerful as a renewable resource. The powerful had mineral resources, coal or precious metals and they had their human resources. The only difference was that humans could have babies, thus, they were a renewable resource and could be expendable.
That’s picture of the world back then -as well as in many places and in many times since then.
Into this kind of world God introduces the idea that human life is valuable.
God declares that people are worth something other than what they produce, the work they do, or the offspring they bear. In fact, people have value even if they do none of these things.
God commands His people: ¡§Do not murder.¡¨
The command is specific in prohibition to murder. The KJV translates this as ¡§kill¡¨. The Hebrew verb here carries with it the ideas of premeditation and the intention to end a life. The command cannot be used as a prohibition against all types of killing: it is a forceful ban on the unjust taking of human life.
Let¡¦s consider some other forms of death that are not murder.
Capital punishment is not murder. Some may see an incongruity if one is ¡§pro-life¡¨ and support the death penalty at the same time. Look at it this way: when a fertilized egg begins to divide, God’s gift of life has been given. In those few microscopic cells, there is divinely placed potential that is meant to be given a chance to live and to glorify God. If that life is cut short, God’s gift has been robbed from that baby.
On the other hand, when an adult in his right mind murders another person, he has done irreparable harm to that person. The murderer has robbed someone else of something that can never be repaid -- God’s gift of life.
When the government determines that someone should be put to death for murder two things are being stated: The government is seeking justice not revenge. Second, the government is valuing life very highly. How?
The government is saying to the murderer, "What you’ve done is so heinous, so vile, that we cannot minimize it, whitewash it, nor sweep it under the rug. Murder demands justice." To do any less is to cheapen the life of the murder victim. If someone is murdered and the state refuses to punish that murderer by capital punishment, then they are saying that the murderer’s life is more valuable than the life of the one murdered.
The Bible supports capital punishment. Many places in the Old Testament God explicitly states that certain crimes require capital punishment. In the New Testament, God tells us that the government is charged by God with the punishment of wrongdoers, and he includes capital punishment in that mandate.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
(Romans 13:1-4)
There is no conflict, at least in my mind and my understanding of Scripture, in being both pro-life and an advocate of the appropriate use of the death penalty.
Killing in war is not murder. War is a horrible and should be avoided at all costs. No amount of romanticism, patriotism, and pride can replace a son or daughter lost in war.
Vietnam and the intervention of the TV camera brought the horrors of battle into the living rooms of America ended the romantic view of war. As a result, for almost a generation we avoided any engagement which even looked like war.
The Gulf War came with the impression that war costs us little. We bragged on our accuracy and ability to strike from afar. By the time ground troops moved in We won and we were happy. This war was relatively easy and not quite as horrible as Vietnam had been. That is, until we consider the other side.
Iraqis were killed in those tanks that were destroyed with precision. The military bases and depots destroyed by smart missiles were full of people who would not go home. The highway to hell where our planes obliterated the fleeing convoys of tanks and military vehicles was a fiery holocaust for thousands who would not go home.
My point is not to say our military was evil or that the war was unjust: I¡¦m just saying ¡§War is a terrible thing.¡¨ War involves the mass loss of human life, but it is not murder. Sometimes it is necessary and just to defeat those who would perpetrate abuses and inhumanities on others. Evil must be resisted at all costs. War is not murder to the soldier fighting for home, country, and his own life in the trenches.
Self-defense is not murder. If a person is killed in self defense, then that is not murder. It is not murder by a legal definition, nor by moral implication. We have the right to defend ourselves, and we have an obligation to protect our families.
Accidental Death is not murder. There is no moral implication of wrong in a truly accidental death. However, if a person is killed by the negligence of another, we have moved beyond an accident, but capital punishment would not apply.
In this command God does not say "why" murder is wrong, but the rest of the God¡¦s Word, helps us to understand the ¡§why¡¨ of the commandment.
God reveals in the Bible that human life is to be seen as uniquely connected to Him.
We are made in His image. It is like God has given a part of Himself to each of us. Each of us contains something of the image of God that makes us unique and valuable. The value God places upon humanity is that He Himself became human in order to restore us to a personal relationship with Himself. Our rebellion at the Fall did not make us any less precious to God. Rather, he became man and ultimately gave up his life for us on the cross so that we might live. Therefore, we must insist from the Lord’s point of view that human life is worthwhile and valuable.
Mark McGwire hit 72 home runs a couple of years back. Do know how much that baseball, number 72, was sold for? About $2.7 million. Can you imagine? A baseball! Why? There are millions of baseballs in the world, but this one is worth $2.7 because it’s associated with Mark McGwire.
Why are humans valuable? Because God, who is a billion, zillion times more valuable than Mark McGwire, is valuable. VALUE LIFE! BECAUSE LIFE HAS ETERNAL VALUE! If a dog bites that baseball, it’s gone. If someone erases the infrared image on that baseball, it’s gone. How will you know that it’s the one? The image of God in man will never be erased. Man has value because implanted in a man is the image of God. 2
We are not accidents, but beings fashioned special by our Creator.
However, that’s not a very popular idea in the world we live in. We are losing a sense of the value of human life in our day. Our world has a view of life that is formed by belief in evolution.
Evolutionary theory proclaims that humanity is an accident of nature, the end of a process that began in the random collision of chemicals and energy. Those who are the most fit survive, while the weak pass away.
When God is written out of the equation, then humanity could not be made in His Image, and therefore we are considered to be no different than the other creatures. Animals are raised to a human level and humans lowered to that of animals. There is no basis for belief in human worth if chance and competition are absolute. But God says every individual is valuable, whether they are strong, beautiful, and powerful, or weak, sickly and hurting. We may offer no material contribution from the world’s perspective, but God says we are valuable to him.
We must come to the important question: ¡§What is murder?¡¨
Murder is defined (Webster) as "The unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another."
Now, what are the various ways it can be committed?3
Physical Murder - This is the killing of another human being. Murder has been a part of human history since, Cain deliberately and with malice, took the life of his brother Abel. Since that day, the history of the world is marked by a constant string of murders.
Personal Murder - We call this act suicide. There is hardly a family that has not been touched by the suicide of a loved one. It is tragic that those left behind bear scars that never fully heal at times believing they are in some way at fault. However, when a person is suicidal, feelings of being overwhelmed and unable to cope any longer with lives overtake them and they decide to end it. We live in a time when every 90 minutes a teenager tries to take his/her life. Every 30 minutes one succeeds! It is a selfish way to come to the end of life and it is wrong. Just as no man has the right to murder another, no man has the right to murder self. These things are the sole right of God Himself.
There is another side to Personal Murder that is in some strange way acceptable in our society. Far more people are guilty in this way. How often has a doctor told someone, "If you don’t stop this or that, then you will die?" And, how often has that person chosen to go right on with their bad habits and died? Whether it is over in a moment, or whether it takes years, the results are the same. Even suicide can be a slow process.
Physician Assisted Murder - Euthanasia or "mercy killing." This form of death has been brought to the public’s attention by the activities of a Dr. Jack Kavorian, also known as "Dr. Death." Kavorian helped terminally ill persons, or those who are in extreme pain, end their lives. He did this with the aid of a "suicide machine." The "patient" pressed a button, and a lethal dose of chemicals was injected into their bloodstream, which caused death.
While we think this is barbaric, some countries around the world have legalized physician-assisted suicide. It is possible to go to the doctor and be put to death in the office. I believe, this will become a practice in our country also. Continued apathy toward those who are unproductive in society either by age, handicap or mental illness will push us this way. But probably what will ultimately press us in this direction is the burden of health care. It is tremendously costly to care for the aged, severely handicapped, and the terminally ill. Economics will be the catalyst that pushes "mercy killings" into acceptability and into law.
Pre-natal Murder or abortion. According to the Bible, life begins at the very moment of conception.4 There are many in our society who view the unborn human as just so much waste material to be thrown away at the mother’s convenience.
An elderly man in New Jersey discovered that rats were eating the tomatoes in his garden. He set a trap, caught a rat, and then beat it to death with a broomstick. The humane society came to the defense of the rat, issued a summons, and arrested him for cruelty. He faced possible fine of $1,250 and six months in jail. Newspapers picked it up and turned the story into one of humiliation for the humane society. The director said that his reason was the rat was trapped and could not escape the horrible death by mutilation. How unfortunate it is that little babies cannot escape the mutilation that is inflicted upon them in their mother’s womb.
Since abortion on demand was legalized in the US, there have been over 37 million abortions performed in this country. Somewhere around 4,300 per day, or 1 every 20 seconds!
The most recent controversy has been over what is called "partial birth abortion." This involves turning the baby around so that it will be born feet first then inducing labor and before the head exits the birth canal, a sharp instrument is inserted into the baby¡¦s neck and skull and it brains are sucked out. It is a terrible description, but no more barbaric than other abortions!
Advocates of such barbaric practices claim that the mother deserves the right to choose. Sadly we must say a choice is made ¡V a choice to murder. Abortion is murder because it ends a human life, and that is the domain of Almighty God. It is my opinion that when a country refuses to respect and protect the lives of it’s most helpless citizens, no one is truly safe.
When there is a lack of respect for the sanctity of life it leads to many social ills.
I believe in a strange twist, the way in which our society ignores the value of human life in the elderly, handicapped, and the unborn leads to:
„h Children murdering other children in our schools
„h Parents leaving newborn infants in garbage cans or toilets
„h Parent killing their older children
„h Children killing parents
„h Killings that are done for entertainment
These things can only change when we begin to place a greater emphasis on the importance and sanctity of the human life.
Human life is valuable - it is given to us by God Himself. We exist because God has willed it so. Now, the world tells us we exist because of chance and therefore we can do whatever want with our lives. But that is a very different picture of life than that which the Bible presents to us. Our lives are not our own, but ultimately belong to God. The command to not murder is more than a prohibition against unjust killing; it is command for us to cherish human life - every human life - just as God does.
Other sermons by Pastor Don are found at www.gotojesus.org
This sermon and sermon series is based on a series written by Derek Helt with the same theme and titles found on MinistryNow.com.
1 Scott Bowerman, Bishopville, South Carolina. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 1.
2 Rev. Min J. Chung, "You Shall Not Murder", found on SermonCentral.com.
3 These points come from, THERE’S MORE TO MURDER THAN TAKING A LIFE by Alan Carr - Gilead Baptist Church, found on SermonCentral.com.
4 Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:41.
Other resources found on SermonCentral.com: Sermon, ¡§Thou shalt not kill¡¨, by Pastor Kirk DiVietro, Grace Baptist Church, Franklin, MA; Sermon, ¡§The Pro-Life Lifestyle¡¨, by Brian Fullerton; Sermon, ¡§Requirements for Humanity: Respect for Life¡¨, by Steve Zeisler copyright held by Discovery Publishing, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA; Sermon, ¡§Live Life--It’s the Law: Realizing Revival by following the Rules¡¨, by Rev. Charles S. Mims
Anyone may use this sermon in part or in whole without permission of the author, but if it is to be published for profit, written permission must be obtained from Don Walker, Twentieth Street Baptist Church, Huntington, West Virginia.
