Choose Life
Introduction
Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. When his daughter Zoe graduated from the Univ. of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened what she was just three years old.
Sanders came home from work one day to find his home – and especially his young daughter – in a state of turmoil. Zoe’s pet turtle had died, and she was crying as if her heart would break. Zoe’s mother had been dealing with the situation all day and declared that it was now Dad’s turn to try and make things better.
Although he was successful both as a lawyer and a politician, who confidently faced all kinds of complex issues and problems every day, this seemed out of his league. The mysteries of life and death are difficult, if not impossible for the mature mind to fathom. The task of explaining them to a three-year-old was completely beyond either his confidence or experience. But he tried.
First, he told Zoe that they could go to the pet store and buy another one just like the one who had died. Even at three years old, Zoe was smart enough to know that a turtle is not a toy. There’s really no such thing as getting another one just like the one who died. And so Zoe’s tears continued.
Desperate to quiet his little girl’s tears, he said, "I tell you what, we’ll have a funeral for the turtle."
Being three years old, she didn’t know what a funeral was.
Scrambling to come up with an explanation – as well as something that would get her mind off the turtle’s demise, he said "A funeral is like a birthday party. We’ll have ice cream and cake and lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighborhood will come over to our house to play. All because the turtle died."
Well, the prospect of a turtle funeral did the trick. Instantly, Zoe was her happy, smiling self. The turtle’s death was no longer cause for tears, but reason to rejoice!
So, with visions of cake and ice cream in their heads the two beamed down on the deceased turtle lying at their feet. As they did, the turtle began to move. And a few seconds later, he was crawling away as lively as – well, as lively as a turtle, but an undeniably LIVE turtle.
Then an even stranger thing happened. Sanders – a politician and a lawyer – was speechless.
Zoe had no such problem. After considering her options, she looked up at her father with her big beautiful eyes and – with all the innocence of her tender years – she said quietly, "Daddy, LET’S KILL IT."
#2431
Today, we are looking at the 6th commandment, “Do not commit murder.”
Of the 10 Commandments, this is probably the most universally acceptable.
Pretty much everybody agrees that “Do not commit murder” ought to be on anybody’s “Top Ten List” of things you shouldn’t do.
In fact, just to be sure, let’s take a quick vote:
How many of you would agree that “Do not commit murder.” should DEFINITELY be on the “Top 10” list of Commandments
How many DISagree? Did everybody vote? Any discussion? Let the record show……..
So we’re all agreed!
But have you ever wondered WHY murder is wrong?
The reason is found in the very core of creation.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. NIV
Every human being ever conceived was stamped with the image of God.
Theologians write long, unintelligible books about what that means, and I’m not about to try to give you a full explanation in one short sermon.
I couldn’t even if I tried!
But I know that it does mean that EVERY human being EVER conceived carries an imprint of God’s image.
It may be easier to SEE in some folks than others
But it’s there in every person
And it is that mark of God’s image that is the basis for this commandment.
It’s why murder is wrong, but eating hamburger is ok!
Because humans are stamped with the image of God, but cows are not.
That doesn’t mean we should be cruel to animals, but it means they ARE in another category.
Despite the slogans of animal rights advocates, like Ingrid Newkirk, who is the co-founder of the animal rights activist group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Now, I like animals. I’m all in favor of treating animals ethically. And my dog is treated better than the average human! But I can’t agree with Ms. Newkirk when she uses one of her favorite slogans:
“A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy"
Which means that all species on the planet are of equal value.
So eating a hamburger or setting a mousetrap is just as evil as murdering a child.
I’m sorry Ms. Newkirk, but but every boy and every girl, every man and every woman has been stamped with the image of God, and that really does make us unique in the “Animal Kingdom.”
Eating hamburger – or babyback ribs – is NOT murder.
To fulfill the 6th commandment is not just to say, “Hey, this is easy! I never killed anybody! Cool! Sermon’s over, time for lunch!”
As I’ve prepared for this sermon, I’ve really become overwhelmed by the range of issues that need to be discussed to do justice to the four short words of the 6th commandment: “Do not commit murder.”
War, Euthanasia, Abortion, the Death Penalty
Are they ALWAYS wrong? Are they EVER allowable? Under what circumstances?
These are not lofty, philosophical questions. These are the questions we ask – or don’t ask – every time we mark a ballot slip. They are the agonizing questions that people face in times of crisis. The questions of a family whose loved one is on life support. The questions of a young girl who is pregnant and terrified. What’s right, what’s wrong?
And that’s before we even bring in Jesus’ challenging – if not terrifying – words in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca, ’is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
My mother scared me TO DEATH when she quoted that to me when I was a kid.
No doubt right after I had called someone a jerk, or something equally charming!
And just so that I don’t leave any of you with the same terror, Jesus’ point was not to say, “If you’ve ever called somebody a fool or a jerk or such things, you’re going to go to hell.”
His point was to help smug, self-righteous people recognize their sin.
Like most of us, they felt pretty good about themselves when they heard words like, “Do not commit murder,” because they hadn’t killed anybody.
But Jesus wanted them to see the condition of their hearts.
Because it was only then that they would recognize their need for a Savior.
So now we add anger to the list of things covered by the 6th commandment. But we’re still not done.
I’ve said before in this series, that in order to obey the 10 commandments, we need to turn the negatives into Positives
That is, every time we read, “Thou shalt NOT…” we need to try to understand what we “SHALT”
What is God saying we SHOULD do?
“How then shall we live?”
I said earlier that this commandment is based in the truth that all people are created in the image of God, therefore all people are equal in the sight of God.
That is a truth that was embraced by our founding fathers as they wrote in the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
When Christians have taken that truth seriously, amazing things have happened.
They begin to have concern for the poor
They begin to have compassion on the weak
They begin to speak for those who have no voice
They begin to work for justice.
And if you know anything about the character of God as revealed in Scripture, you know that God desires – demands – that his people do those things if they want to experience his blessing – and escape his wrath.
Prov. 31:8, 9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Jer 5:28, 29 Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
NIV Psalm 72:12 For he will deliver he needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Those are just a few of the dozens, probably HUNDREDS of passages in Scripture that make clear that God wants his people not just to avoid committing murder, but to actively CHOOSE LIFE – to actively PROMOTE & PROTECT HUMAN LIFE.
Jesus came not just to bring SALVATION FROM DEATH – HE CAME TO BRING LIFE: abundant life, eternal life.
And it is the task of his followers to share not just the good news of salvation from hell – but the good news of abundant life in Christ
Conclusion
It was my intention in this sermon to specifically address some of the issues I’ve mentioned: War, Euthanasia, Abortion, and so on.
But that’s just WAY TOO MUCH to even BEGIN to cover in the brief time we have on Sunday mornings.
In fact, once I laid some groundwork, any ONE of those topics was too much to get into!
But as I have been preparing this sermon, I have been constantly reminded of the Biblical Text that our church has been led to adopt as the basis of our future vision.
The context of the passage is the day of judgment
Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 "The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Do you hear how many ways the followers of Christ promoted and protected the lives of those who were in need? The opposite of committing murder is promoting life.
We are to CHOOSE LIFE – not just for ourselves, but for those who are poor and needy and oppressed or denied justice. We are to PROMOTE & PROTECT HUMAN LIFE.
We took a vote at the beginning of this sermon and you ALL said, “Do not commit murder” should definitely be on the top 10.
But when it comes to Abortion, when it comes to war, when it comes to injustice, when it comes to racism, when it comes to poverty – we are mostly apathetic.
We don’t commit murder, but we are only mildly opposed to death, unless it’s someone we know personally. Rarely do we PROMOTE LIFE. Rarely do we oppose death.
150,000 abortions last year? “Yawn”
Oh, and somewhere between 500 and 16,000 (depending on who you listen to) were partial birth abortions done on healthy infants who were at 5 months, 6 months or more along? “Tsk, tsk.”
Abortions are legal at every stage of pregnancy, right up until birth. “What’s this world coming to? Now, what else is on TV? This is too depressing.”
I believe from the bottom of my heart that we did not “choose” Matthew 25 as “our” Rekindle passage . I believe that the Holy Spirit has chosen it. I believe that God said, “HEY! If you REALLY mean it! If you REALLY want to fulfill my purposes! If you REALLY want to follow me – CHOOSE LIFE! PROMOTE & PROTECT HUMAN LIFE.
We live in a culture of DEATH: We live in an incredibly VIOLENT culture – And we’re so used to it, it hardly makes us blink any more. But be warned – as a church we are choosing life
God has commanded us to CHOOSE LIFE. TO PROMOTE and PROTECT Human life!
