Respect For Life

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). Murder – a definition.

• Quote: Webster’s New World College Dictionary:

• "The unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another.".

(2). Murder – a description.

(a). What Murder is Not!

• Accidental Killing

• Capital Punishment.

• A Just War

• Self-defence

(b). What Murder is!

• Physical Murder.

• Personal Murder.

• Physician Assisted Murder.

• Pre-natal Murder

SERMONBODY:

Ill:

If you think your family has problems,

• Consider the marriage mayhem created when 76-year-old Bill Baker of London;

• Wed his sweetheart Edna Harvey.

• She happened to be his granddaughter’s husband’s mother.

• That’s where the confusion began, according to Baker’s granddaughter, Lynn.

• “My mother-in-law is now my step-grandmother.

• My grandfather is now my stepfather-in-law.

• My mom is my sister-in-law and my brother is my nephew.

• But even crazier is that I’m now married to my uncle;

• And my own children are my cousins.”

• TRANSITION: Relationships are never easy.

• The Ten Commandments are all about relationships.

• In fact I think the whole Bible can be boiled down to one word;

• Relationships.

• i.e. The commandments divide into two sections;

• Not five and five but four and six.

• The first four concern our relationship to God;

• Respect for God (they are upward).

• The next six concern our relationship with other people;

• Respect for others (they are across-wards).

This talk we are looking at the sixth commandment - respect for life (vs 13).

• N.I.V: “Do not murder”

• K.J.B: “Thou shalt not kill”

Now on the surface understanding the Ten Commandments are not rocket science:

• They are succinct and elegantly simple.

• They don’t dance around the issues,

• They get right to the point and, really,

• They don’t actually require a lot of interpretation do they?

• Even a four year old clearly understands what most of them means!

And yet in three simple, straightforward words,

• “Do not murder”

• God confronts us with complex ideas;

• That will strain your brain as you try to grasp its deeper meaning.

Note: To get to grips with this commandment:

• We need to understand the meaning of the word translated as "kill" or "murder".

• This commandment does not aim at prohibiting all killing;

• Rather it is prohibiting an act of murder,

• i.e. taking human life with forethought

• Note: The context of this verse is our relationships with other people;

• i.e. Do not lie, do not steal, do not commit adultery etc.

• And it is not talking about how we treat animals;

• That is a study that should be done all by itself!

Ill:

• Just recently I was talking to a Hare-Krishna;

• They are a branch of Hinduism and are all vegetarians.

• But whenever you share your faith with them;

• They will always quote this at me and say; “Do you eat meat?” i.e. do you eat animals.

• If like me, you reply, “yes”.

• They will always quote this verse to you and then dismiss any other argument.

• But they miss the point!

• Because the context of this verse is all about relationships with other people;

• And not relationships with animals.

• And as the old says goes;

• “If you take a text out of its context you are left with a con”

So I want to emphasise two things at the start of my talk:

• First: “Murder” means the premeditated taking of a life.

• Second: The life we are talking about is the taking of HUMAN life!

Note:

• Preachers have a problem speaking on this commandment;

• Because you are all sitting there thinking; “This Commandment doesn’t apply to me!”

• You are thinking: “I’ve never killed anyone and I have no intention of killing anyone.”

• Well I am glad to hear that!

• But as you will see later on we still have a lot of connexions with this commandment;

• So please don’t switch off and see this verse as just not relevant.

(1). Murder – a definition.

Ill:

• When it comes to defining words;

• Here are a few light-hearted ones.

• SWEATER – A garment worn by child when their mother is feeling chilly.

• COMITTEE - A group of people who keep minutes and waste hours.

• ANTIQUE:

• An item your grandparents bought, your parents got rid of, and you're buying again

• COURTESY: The art of yawning with your mouth closed.

• EXPERIENCE : The name men give to their mistakes.

• FULL NAME: What you call your child when you're mad at him/her.

• MOSQUITO: An insect that makes you like flies better