Exodus 20:13 THERE’S MORE TO MURDER THAN TAKING
A LIFE
Intro: One American is shot, stabbed, beaten, or strangled
to death every minute. It seems that no matter where you turn in our society,
or even our world, there are murders. It’s on the television and movies
as fiction. It’s on the streets and next door as a brutal reality. With
a murder rate of 10 in every 100,000, your chances of being murdered are far
greater than your chances of dying in an airplane or automobile crash. Murder
is a horrible crime against God and against one’s fellow man. It may be
the greatest offence of all given the enormity of death and what follows thereafter.
Imagine taking a person’s life and that person going immediately into Hell.
Now, the 6th Commandment says, "Thou shalt
not kill." It literally means, "Thou shalt not murder." You see,
while all murder is killing, not all killing in murder. Murder is more than
just taking a life! Murder can be defined as the premeditated and intentional
taking of another human life.
Accidental killing would not be classified as murder. Take
an example from the Bible. In Numbers 35:11-28, God gave Israel regulations
for "Cities of Refuge." These were cities to which someone who had
unintentionally killed another human could flee to avoid the "avenger of
blood." If you were involved in an automobile accident and accidentally
killed another human, then you would not be a murderer.
Capital punishment would not be considered murder. God, in
his Word lays down the principle that for certain offences, man has the right
to terminate another human life, Gen. 9:6; Num. 35:16-18, Lev. 24:17. Whether
or not you personally agree with capital punishment or not, it is plain to see
that the Bible authorizes it in cases of murder.
Killings that take place in the exercise of "just war"
would not be classified as murder. Throughout the history of the world, nations
have had to defend their borders or other weaker nations against aggressive
enemies. Even God, at various times, has ordered His people onto the field of
battle. Those who kill in "just war" are not murders. However, those
who engage in brutality and atrocities are murderers!
Killings that are the product of self-defense cannot be classified
as murder. Often, police officers must kill in the line of duty. Homeowners
may have to kill an intruder to protect home and family. These people are not
murderers. Sometimes, people are attacked and must defend themselves. When they
kill the attacker in the process, they are not classed as murderers.
However, there are times when killing is murder. That is what
this commandment speaks to and that is what we want to look into this evening.
Tonight, I want to preach for awhile on this thought, There’s More To murder
Than Taking A Life!
I. MURDER INTRUDES INTO GOD’S TERRITORY
A. God Controls Man’s Entrance Into Life
– When man first appeared on this planet, it was at the command of Almighty
God – Gen. 1:27. The evolutionists tell us that man evolved from some
lower life form. That, in fact, life began on some primordial beach where
somehow, some lifeless blob of protoplasm somehow began to live. This little
living blob somehow began to change and eventually all the life on the earth
came from these humble beginnings.
God’s Word, however, has a different version of these
events! Notice what God did in Genesis 2:7, (Note that man was made in the
image of God.). Look at what David thought of the origins of human life, Psa.
139:13-16. Look also at Job’s friend Elihu’s version of his own
beginnings – Job 33:4.
It is plain from these verses that mankind is the product
of the creative genius of Almighty God. Since God controls the entrance of
man into life, it stands to reason that…
B. God Controls The Exit Of Man From Life –
We must concede that God Himself is in control of life. He is the One who
establishes the boundaries across which no man can cross, Job 14:5; Psa. 104:29.
It seems clear that men can do certain things that will shorten their days,
Pro. 10:27; Job 15:32-33; Job 22:15-16; Psa. 55:23; Eccl. 7:17. By the same
token, obedience to the Lord will lengthen a man’s days upon the earth,
Ex. 20:12; Pro. 10:27; Psa. 91:16. However, these things are also subject
to the sovereignty of God. No man has the right to deliberately and intentionally
end the life of another, except it be for those things already mentioned.
God is the giver of human life and He alone must be the taker of human life.
When we take it upon ourselves to take the life of another, we have placed
ourselves in the place of God. We have tried to assume His position and power.
We have tried to step into an area in which we have absolutely no business.
Not only does murder Intrude Into God’s Business,
We see that…
II. MURDER INTERRUPTS A HUMAN LIFE
(Murder can be carried out in many ways. Allow me to take just
a few minutes to catalogue some of them for you.)
A. A Definition Of Murder – "The
unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another."
Webster’s New World College Dictionary. That is what murder is.
Now, what are the various ways it can be committed?
B. A Description Of Murder
1. Physical Murder – This is the killing
of another human being. Murder has a history as long as that of the world
itself. In Genesis 4:8, The first murder is recorded. In this verse, Cain
deliberately and with malice, took the life of his brother Abel. It was
not a killing of self-defense, it was pure murder.
Since that day, the history of the world is marked by a
constant string of murders. Thank God, we live in an area where many have
never been touched by the icy hand of murder. However, some have been.
(Ill. My adopted sister Sheila was murder in Chicago, Illinois
in 1972. Her boyfriend was a drug dealer who owed some men a lot of money.
When they came to collect, he was out of the apartment, but they shot Sheila
5 times and ended her life at 18.)
2. Personal Murder – We call this act
suicide. I know that some lives in this room have been impacted deeply by
the suicide of a loved one. It leaves emotional scars that never fully heal.
Therefore, I want to handle this portion of the message with extreme tenderness.
When a person is driven to suicide, it is often the result of circumstances
just getting out of hand. They feel overwhelmed and unable to cope any longer
with their lives and they decide to end it. When they do this, they leave
in their wake other destroyed lives. It is a selfish way to leave the world.Not
only is it selfish, it is also sinful. 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.We live in a time when every 90 minutes a teenager
tries to take his/her life. Every 30 minutes one succeeds! When a person
resorts to suicide, they are failing to avail themselves of the grace of
God. They are refusing to allow the Lord to give them the support and the
comfort they are in need of.
There is another side to Personal Murder, a side of which
far more are guilty. 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.
3. Physician Assisted Murder – Here
I am referring to what is called 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."
It seems that Dr. Death will help terminally ill persons, or those who are
in extreme pain, end their lives. He does this with the aid of a "suicide
machine." The "patient" presses a button, and a lethal dose
of chemicals is injected into their bloodstream, which causes death. Most
of us hear this and think it is horrible and outrageous. I find it amazing
that they can’t seem to convict this madman.
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. The day is coming when
it will happen here too. The burden of health care for the aged, for the
infirm, for the dying will be the catalyst that pushes "mercy killings"
into acceptability and into law!
4. Pre-natal Murder – I am referring
to abortion! According to the Bible, life begins at the very moment of conception,
Psa. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41. Yet, our society seem to view the unborn
human as just so much waste material to be thrown away at the mother’s
convenience. 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! (Ill. The Awful procedure called "partial
birth abortion.")Pro-death advocates claim that the mother deserves
the right to choose. In my opinion, she made her choice when she decided
to have sexual intercourse! Abortion is murder! It ends a human life, and
that is the domain of Almighty God. When a country refuses to respect
and protect the lives of it’s most helpless citizens, no one is truly
safe.
I. Murder Intrudes Into God’s Territory
II. Murder Interrupts A Human Life
III. MURDER INVOLVES MORE THAN KILLING
A. Murder Involves The Element Of Justice –
Murder carries with it a penalty. Ill. Matt. 5:21-22. Jesus states that murders
will be punished. Some, it seems, have gotten away with murder. They will,
however, face God one day and He will render perfect justice – Rev. 20:11-15.
Others have been caught, tried and convicted. Some of these
are in prison and other have and will pay with their lives. This is part of
murder. Many murderers have received Jesus as their Savior, yet they will
still die for their crime. Is this fair? Yes it is! (Ill. Carla Faye Tucker
in Texas – She murdered 2 people while high on drugs and was sentenced
to die. She was saved and became a model Christian and prisoner. Many thought
she should have her sentence commuted. Yet she was executed just a couple
of months ago.) There is a price on murder! Ill. Rom. 13:4.
B. Murder Involves The Element Of Judgment
– It is possible to murder another human being and not shed an ounce
of blood, or even take their life. Murder can happen in the heart and mind
and never find manifestation in reality. However, in the Lord’s eyes,
the murderer is just as guilty. Notice, Matt. 5:22; 1 John 3:15. These verses
teach this truth. Many people have had their reputations ruined and pure old
malice and hatred have murdered their testimonies.
(Ill. Someone has said, "There are three degrees of
murderous guilt, all of which can be manifested without a blow being struck:
secret anger, the spiteful jeer; the open, unrestrained outbursts of violent,
abusive speech.")
Murder is more than an act of the flesh, it is an attitude
of the heart.
Conc: How do we insulate ourselves against breaking this commandment?
The solution is simple. All we need do is practice God’s plan for unconditional
love, Matt. 33:37-39, and absolute forgiveness of others, Eph. 4:32. If there
has been a murderous spirit in your heart, that needs to be repented of right
now. Whoever you are angry at needs to be forgiven and that anger released.
It is far better to suffer some injury than to be guilty of murder, even if
it is only hurting you.
