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with me in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 
chapter 5. Deuteronomy chapter 5, our focus 
is on the sixth commandment. Deuteronomy 5.17. I do want to 
read the context or the larger context. And I also want to say 
some of this will be review. I just preached much of this 
on Sanctity of Life Sunday when we looked at abortion in the 
morning service and then capital punishment in the evening service. 
So there'll be a bit of overlap and a bit of review. But beginning 
in Deuteronomy chapter 5 at verse 6, I am the Lord your God who 
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make 
for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that 
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that 
is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them 
nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am 
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing 
mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of 
the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
who takes his name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep 
it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall 
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath 
of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, 
nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your 
female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your 
cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your 
male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 
And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the 
Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and 
by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God 
commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your 
mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your 
days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land 
which the Lord your God is giving you. you shall not murder, you 
shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not 
bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet 
your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's 
house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his 
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words the Lord 
spoke to all your assembly in the mountain, from the midst 
of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he 
wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank you 
again for the Word of God. Thank you for these commandments. 
We know they show us, they reveal to us who you are. It's a revelation 
of the perfections of God in many respects. As well, you call 
us to function according to these things. So give us the grace, 
Most High God, to receive the commandment, to receive it with 
joy and through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be obedient 
to these things. We know, Father, we live in a 
day and age that is filled with murder and rebellion and transgression 
concerning this commandment. Give us grace and wisdom to think 
clearly concerning Scripture at these points and help us, 
Father, to shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation. 
and give us the boldness and the courage to hold forth Your 
Word of truth. Again, forgive us now for our 
sin and our transgression, and fill each one of us with Your 
Spirit. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I want to look 
at this particular commandment, the sixth commandment, you shall 
not murder, under two considerations. First, the explanation of the 
command, and then secondly, the application of the command. But 
as we look at the explanation, I want to note, first of all, 
the terminology that is utilized. Notice what the text says, you 
shall not murder. Now, there is a translation that 
says, thou shalt not kill, but at times that can be a bit misleading, 
because as I'll argue in a few moments, the Bible does authorize 
killing in certain instances. What is in view here is premeditation, 
it's malice aforethought, it is taking the life of another 
human being without authorization, without authority. Kaiser says, 
while Hebrew possesses seven words for killing, the word used 
here, which is the Hebrew word ratzah, appears only 47 times 
in the Old Testament. If any one of the seven words 
could signify murder, where factors of premeditation and intentionality 
are present, this is the verb. And then of course the scriptures 
make a distinction between murder and manslaughter. You see that 
in Exodus 21, you see it in Numbers 35, and then again in Deuteronomy 
chapter 19. So if we accidentally kill someone, 
I'm not suggesting that's okay, I'm not suggesting that's a good 
thing, but it's not the act of murder. In Old Covenant Israel, 
there were these places called cities of refuge, so that if 
you accidentally killed somebody, there were still repercussions, 
there was still a penalty, you had to leave family and home, 
and leave your particular village or city, and go to one of these 
cities of refuge. So there was, in the society, 
a caution against being ignorant or being clumsy or not being 
responsible relative to the various ways that you could end another 
person's life. But manslaughter is not murder. Murder, of course, must include 
premeditation. The old Webster's Dictionary, 
the 1828 version, to kill a human being with premeditated malice. That is crucial with reference 
to murder. Premeditation, intention, studied 
vengeance, malice of forethought, and deliberateness are essential 
to establishing the crime of murder. Now, secondly, under 
the explanation of the command, we ought to look at the prohibition. 
Obviously, the external act is forbidden. We're not supposed 
to stop somebody's heart from beating. That is certainly involved 
in the Sixth Commandment. We're not to end another person's 
life, but it's not only the external act that the commandment sort 
of encompasses, but it's the internal heart disposition. the 
hatred of others falls under this particular command. If you 
go back for just a moment to Leviticus chapter 19, you see 
this emphasis throughout scripture, that it's not just physically 
stopping another person's heart from beating, but it's also this 
internal disposition of hatred, this internal disposition of 
bitterness, this internal disposition of malice, or those sorts of 
things. You may have all those elements present, thankfully 
you don't act upon it and actually end somebody's life. But if you 
look at Leviticus 19 at verse 17, it says, You shall not hate 
your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your 
neighbor and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance 
nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but 
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Tonight, 
I'm going to end by applying this command specifically to 
us. My suspicion is that no one in here has ever physically engaged 
in the act of murder. I grant that that is a supposition. I hope it's a very careful and 
well-informed one. But I doubt any of us have ever 
stopped the life of another human being. But I suggest that we've 
all probably violated this command in terms of the internal heart 
disposition, hating others. having this malice toward others, 
having this bitterness toward others, having envy toward others, 
having this idea that we're somehow better than they are, having 
this concept that with reference to so-and-so or whoever, it's 
okay that in my heart I despise them or I abhor them. That is 
simply forbidden and the commandment involves that as well. John Calvin 
says, the hand indeed gives birth to murder, but the mind when 
infected with anger and hatred conceives it. So you have to 
appreciate it's not just the externality. It's not just Morgenthaler. It's not just the abortionist. 
It's not just the drive-by shooter. It's not just the gang violence. 
It's not just MS-13. but it's those within the context 
and the life of the church that have this malice toward others, 
that have this hatred toward others, that walk around them 
so they're not near them, that avoid them. Those sorts of things 
are condemned vis-a-vis the sixth commandment. In Matthew 5, 22, 
the Lord Christ prohibits us from an unwarranted anger. The 
Lord Christ as well prohibits us from engaging in character 
assassination. So again, our temptation, most 
likely, isn't to go out, buy a rifle, sit up in the clock 
tower in downtown Chilliwack, and start sniping people as they 
walk by. But rather, we do have the tendency 
to engage in the sorts of things that the Apostle Paul condemns 
in Ephesians 4. In fact, you can turn there, 
because I believe Ephesians 4 reflects Paul's interpretation of the 
Sixth Commandment relative to the people of God in the Church 
of Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning 
in verse 25, not just the 6th commandment, he deals also with 
the 8th commandment, but behind the apostles' ethical imperatives 
lay the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. That's what informs his Christian 
ethics. Verse 25 in Ephesians 4, therefore, 
putting away lying, let each one of you speak the truth with 
his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and 
do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give 
place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, 
but rather let him labor. working with his hands what is 
good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let 
no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good 
for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 
Now, typically, we take that passage and say, we're not supposed 
to say four-letter words. Well, I'm gonna tell you. You're 
not supposed to say four-letter words, but that's not what Paul 
is talking about. Let no corrupt word proceed from 
your mouth. Let nothing come from your mouth 
that's going to tear down another human being, that is going to 
hurt that human being, that is not going to promote the edification 
of that particular human being. That's what's in his view. Let 
no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good 
for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 
Now notice what he goes on to say. He says, do not grieve the 
Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, 
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. What's behind his thoughts? It's 
the sixth word. It's the prohibition against 
murder. Again, Paul is not supposing 
that Ephesians are killing each other. Paul is supposing that 
Ephesians in their heart are breaking this particular command 
and he wants them to follow or comply with that prohibition. 
It is not just the external act of ending another person's life, 
but it's the internal disposition of hating another person's life. 
And then positively, in verse 32, he says, be kind to one another, 
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ 
forgave you. So as I said, the hatred of others, 
the unwarranted anger against another person, and then the 
assassination of another person's character. And we'll see that 
in a bit more detail a bit later on in the message. So we've got 
the terminology, the particular word used out of the various 
words that are in the Hebrew language for kill. This word, 
ratzah, 47 times utilized in the Hebrew Old Testament, is 
the best to convey the concept of murder. In terms of the actual 
prohibition, it not only includes the act, the external act, but 
the internal heart disposition. Now, thirdly, as we continue 
the explanation of the command, there are three lawful instances 
of killing that are not murder. And oftentimes you'll hear this. 
People will say things like, well, capital punishment is murder. 
No, it is not. If somebody deals a lethal blow 
in self-defense, some would accuse him of murder. That is not murder. And neither is just or legitimate 
war. Those are your three particular 
exceptions relative to this commandment. So, in the first place, the death 
penalty. And again, we considered this in detail a few weeks ago 
in our Sunday night service. But remember, Genesis 9, verse 
6, whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood will be shed. 
And the theological reason is, for in the image of God, he made 
man. That is in the Noahic Covenant, 
which has never been abrogated. The Noahic Covenant extends to 
all men in all places at all times. That is still binding 
upon us. It is a common grace covenant. 
It is not a redemptive grace covenant. but it provides the 
arena for the preaching of redemptive grace. When we turn to the New 
Testament, we see the instance of Paul in Acts 25. He says, if I am guilty of crimes, 
I do not object to dying. And then, of course, we have 
the language of the Apostle Paul in Romans 13, 1 to 4, where he 
tells us to let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, 
for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist 
are established by God." He then says that the minister, or rather 
the civil government, the civil magistrate, is God's minister 
to execute God's wrath in history. And that is why he is equipped 
with the sword. And we noted in that sermon that 
when the civil government does not comply with this mandate, 
they are guilty of the very crime of murder, ultimately. You see 
that by implication in Numbers 35. Ersinus, in his commentary 
on the Heidelberg Catechism, says, may be guilty of doing 
wrong not only in being cruel and unjustly severe, but also 
in being too lenient in granting permission to certain persons 
to injure others. So in other words, when the civil 
government does not effectively punish criminal offenders, and 
then those persons, those offenders, are back out on the streets, 
and they go out and then kill somebody else, what our science 
suggests, I think, is biblical and legit. It is, on the one 
hand, indicative of the fact of the culpability and responsibility 
of a government or of a system that does not adequately punish 
criminal offenders in the arena of their authority. It is a terrible 
thing. It is a wretched thing. There 
are some persons, the Bible teaches, that deserve to die at the hands 
of men, according to Genesis 9, 6. At the hands of men, according 
to Romans 13, 1 to 4. That is what scripture teaches, 
and we do not have the prerogative to try and say that that doesn't 
apply today. Secondly, the legitimacy of just 
war. The legitimacy of just war. Turn, 
well, you're probably already there, Deuteronomy chapter 7. 
Deuteronomy chapter 7. Notice the instruction in verse 
1. When the Lord your God brings 
you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out 
many nations before you, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, 
and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, 
and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 
and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer 
them and utterly destroy them. "'You shall make no covenant 
with them, "'nor show mercy to them, "'nor shall you make marriages 
with them. "'You shall not give your daughter 
to their son, "'nor take their daughter for your son, "'for 
they will turn your sons away from following me "'to serve 
other gods. "'So the anger of the Lord will 
be aroused against you "'and destroy you suddenly. "'But thus 
you shall deal with them. "'You shall destroy their altars 
"'and break down their sacred pillars "'and cut down their 
wooden images "'and burn their carved images with fire. See, 
God knew that when Israel went into the land, if they did not 
dispossess the land of the Canaanites, then Israel would imitate the 
conduct of the Canaanites. And that is precisely what happens, 
and ultimately Israel herself is vomited out of the land under 
the authority of God Most High. So this is a mandate for Israel. We call this Holy War. If you 
turn to the New Testament, you will see that military personnel 
are treated with dignity. You will see that no one in the 
New Testament is saying, how dare you be in the military? 
You need to turn in your uniform, and you need to get a tambourine, 
and you just need to bang it and worship Jesus. No, that's 
not what happens according to the New Testament. There are 
military officers and soldiers in the New Testament, and typically 
they are viewed upon favorably. So if the idea of a just and 
necessary war is illegitimate, then why the favorable treatment 
of soldiers whose primary task is to engage in war, why would 
they be treated with any degree of respect in the New Testament 
by God's people? Matthew chapter 8, just a few 
texts to indicate this idea of the legitimacy of just war. So 
we have the command by God for the execution of holy war, but 
as well we have the favorable view of military in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter 8, Excuse 
me, verse 8, the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy 
that you should come under my roof. Now, the centurion was 
a man that commanded a legion of troops. He had under him several 
hundred soldiers, and it was his prerogative to command those 
soldiers to go into battle and to kill enemy soldiers. That's 
what a centurion did. And when Jesus meets him, he 
doesn't say, I don't believe or I can't believe you're a centurion. 
You need to forsake this and you need to be a follower of 
me. The centurion answered and said, 
Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but 
only speak a word and my servant will be healed. For I also am 
a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say 
to this one, go, and he goes, and to another come, and he comes. 
And to my servant, do this, and he does it." When Jesus heard 
it, he marveled and said to those who followed, assuredly, I say 
to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. 
And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit 
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 
But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. 
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then Jesus said to 
the centurion, go your way. And as you have believed, so 
let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that 
same hour." Turn over to Luke 3. Another favorable view of 
military soldiers in the New Testament documents. Luke chapter 
3, the preaching of John the Baptist. Luke three, beginning in verse 
10. So the people asked him saying, what shall we do then? He answered 
and said to them, he who has two tunics, let him give to him 
who has none. And he who has food, let him 
do likewise. Then tax collectors also came to be baptized and 
said to him, teacher, what shall we do? And he said to them, collect 
no more than what is appointed for you. Likewise, the soldiers 
asked him saying, and what shall we do? So he said to them, do 
not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely and be content with your 
wages. Interesting. If military service 
is condemned, if military service is ungodly, this is strange instruction 
on the part of John the Baptist relative to these soldiers with 
reference to repentance. Luke 14. Again, this is by implication, 
but it certainly underscores the point. Luke 14, beginning 
in verse, well, verse 25. The emphasis on the part of Christ 
is to count the cost, right? If you're not a believer tonight, 
you need to count the cost relative to following Jesus. Jesus tells 
you, you need to take up your cross daily and follow him. If you are not willing to give 
up everything for the Lord Christ, then he says, you're not worthy 
of me. Well, here specifically, with reference to this idea of 
counting the cost, he uses an analogy, and the analogy is one 
of military service, or legitimate war. Verse 31, or what king, 
going to make war against another king, does not sit down first 
and consider whether he is able, with 10,000, to meet him who 
comes against him with 20,000? Or else, while the other is still 
a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 
So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot 
be my disciple." Again, it's just appealing to something that 
everybody knows, appealing to the reality that kings engage 
in warfare with other kings. And if they are wise kings, they 
will consider the various equipment and armament of the opposing 
army so that they can engage in warfare in a responsible manner 
and best their opponents on the battlefield. So you have the 
command of God, or command by God, for the execution of holy 
war. You've got the favorable view of the military in the New 
Testament. And then, as we appeal to Romans 
13 with reference to death penalty, we also appeal to Romans 13 with 
reference to just war. The civil government is armed 
with the sword not only for the execution of criminal offenders 
within society, but for the protection of innocent people under their 
jurisdiction from foreign invaders without. In other words, the 
magistrate has a task, and I would suggest it's one of the very, 
very, very few tasks of government. Government is not supposed to 
be there from cradle to grave for every single person under 
their jurisdiction. The very thing they are specifically 
commanded to do, we don't oftentimes see them doing. The very things 
the Bible never says they're to be involved in, are the sorts 
of things that they are involved in. But relative to this issue, 
when the magistrate wields the sword, it is certainly for the 
execution of criminal offenders, but for the defense of innocent 
persons from the hordes that may try to come in and destroy 
the people within a body politic. Turretin says, from the very 
fact that Christ did not take away but confirmed the authority 
of the magistrate, he also approved of the right of carrying on war. 
since it pertains to the magistrate to defend his subjects against 
unjust violence, which certainly cannot sometimes be done without 
war. Again, I'm not here to say we 
should have endless wars, I'm not here to say we should go 
out and engage in regime change and all that sort of stuff, but 
a government ought to protect its citizenry from invaders from 
without. So just war, along with the death 
penalty, and then thirdly, an exception or one that is not 
considered murder, an instance of justifiable homicide, is self-defense. Now you can turn to the book 
of Exodus, chapter 22. It's an incredible thing today. Civil government is essentially 
telling us we're wrong to want to defend ourselves. Well, according 
to God's Word, it is right to want to defend yourselves. According 
to God's Word, it is legitimate to want to defend yourself. According 
to God's Word, it's assumed that you're going to want to defend 
yourself. You know, when Jesus says, love your neighbor as yourself, 
I don't think Jesus means we worship ourselves, we bow down 
to ourselves, but we do try to protect ourselves. We try to 
make sure that we don't ingest poison. We try to make sure that 
we're keeping fit and healthy and all those sorts of things. 
But as well, when somebody tries to do harm to us, Scripture assumes 
that we will defend ourselves. And not just us, but those under 
our purview, those under our responsibility, those persons 
that we're very well attached to, vis-a-vis family. So scripture 
looks favorably at self-defense. Why civil government today doesn't 
look at it with any sort of agreement is an unfortunate and a grievous 
situation. But if you look at Exodus 22, 
verses 2 and 3, Exodus 22, verses 2 and 3, if the thief, well, 
let's just back up to verse 1, just to put us in the context, 
it's property rights. If a man steals an ox or a sheep 
and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five ox and 
four an ox and four sheep for a sheep. Now verses two and three 
are appropriate for our understanding of self-defense. If the thief 
is found breaking in and he is struck so that he dies, there 
shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, 
there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full 
restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall 
be sold for his theft. You see the wisdom of biblical 
law. It distinguishes between a nighttime break-in and a daytime 
break-in. The idea being that if somebody 
breaks into your house at night, you do not know what their intentions 
are. You don't know if they're there 
to steal your TV. You don't know if they're there 
to rape your wife. You don't know if they're there to cut 
your throat and kill you. You do not know. As well, your 
neighbors are likely asleep, so they can't offer any help 
or assistance. So if a thief is found breaking 
in at night, and in the exchange, the homeowner deals a lethal 
blow to that thief, then there is no guilt upon the homeowner. Today, you could be sued if a 
thief breaks his foot breaking into your house. Today, you could 
be criminally liable or civilly liable if somebody cuts themselves 
in the performance of a crime in your home. I mean, today, 
I don't know. I know it used to be that way. 
Things haven't gotten any better as far as I'm concerned. So I'm 
sure it's still like that today. So in the hours of darkness, 
you don't know what his intention is, and you don't have the benefit 
of friends or neighbors or other persons that could render assistance. 
where verse 3 in chapter 22 deals with, if the sun has risen on 
him. In other words, it's a daytime 
scenario. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt 
for his bloodshed. Because you can determine. Now, if he was going to murder 
or rape or engage in some other form of mayhem, I'm sure biblical 
law would protect the homeowner in that event. But if he is simply 
a thief, We don't kill people for thievery. I mean, it may 
be tempting, you may want to, I could just, you know, want 
to get rid of... No, no, you're not supposed to do that. Whoever 
sheds man's blood, by man his blood will be shed. The only 
capital offense relative to stealing is kidnapping. When somebody 
steals a man, that is a capital offense. But in terms of property 
theft, it wasn't a capital offense. Again, it's not encouraged, don't 
go out and do it, but it wasn't a capital offense. So if during 
the hours of daytime, you're able to discern or ascertain 
that it was simply thievery, and then as well, your neighbors 
are up, and if you scream, somebody can come and help, and all that 
sort of thing. So if he does deal a lethal blow in that situation, 
then the homeowner will be liable. But don't forget what we find 
in the rest of the verse. If this man is a thief and he 
is found thieving or caught thieving, notice what biblical law says. 
He should make full restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall 
be sold for his theft. In other words, indentured servitude 
if he does not have money to pay back. See, biblical law didn't 
say, we're going to ship you to the jail and there you pay 
back your debt to society. But he didn't steal from society. 
He stole from one particular individual. And that one particular 
individual is being stolen from twice now. Because the thief 
got him in the first go-around, and now we have to pay taxes 
in order to support the thief. See, biblical law is pro-victim. It's not pro-criminal. It is 
pro-innocent party, judicially speaking. It is pro-homeowner. It is pro-the person that wants 
to protect his wife and protect his children. It is pro- them 
and not the other way around. Again, the madness and the lawlessness 
and the wickedness that we are witnessing in our own day and 
age ought to cause us to cry out to the Lord with the prophet 
Habakkuk, in wrath remember mercy. Matthew Henry, his commentary 
on Exodus 22, says a man's house is his castle, and God's law, 
as well as man's, sets a guard upon it. He that assaults it 
does so at his own peril." That's a great and appropriate comment 
that does get at the heart of Exodus 22, 2, and 3. But turn 
over to the New Testament, because, you know, sometimes we hear that, 
well, that was the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the idea 
is, you know, just let thieves and criminals and murderers and 
rapists into your house. Let them take everything you've 
got and then show them where everything else is so they can 
clean that out as well. That's kind of the mindset that 
some people have adopted when it comes to the difference between 
the old and the new. Well, that difference is false. 
That difference is mythical. That difference is made up. That 
difference is imposed upon the text. We see consistency in God's 
law. In Luke chapter 12, Luke chapter 
12, again, this is an illustration. He's speaking analogically, but 
for the analogy or the illustration, excuse me, to work, it has to 
be something that rings true in society. Notice in Luke 12, 
39, and in the context, it's about, I'd suggest, the coming 
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and the idea that there is 
a preparation needed and that sort of a thing. That's the underlying 
lesson in verse 40. Therefore, you also be ready 
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 
But look at verse 39, but know this. that if the master of the 
house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have 
watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. For that analogy 
to ring true, it must be true. For Christ to be able to employ 
that in a spiritual context and situation indicates that for 
Christ, and his audience, it was assumed and presupposed that 
if somebody broke into your house and you knew when they were going 
to come, you would be waiting for them to stop them and keep 
them from engaging in that kind of mischief in your house. The Lord Christ upholds the reality 
of self-defense. So we've seen the term used, 
we've seen the prohibition stated, we see the exceptions noted. 
Notice finally, with reference to the explanation of the command, 
the reason specified. Why does God give us the sixth 
commandment? Genesis 1, 26 to 28. God made 
man in his own image. We are image bearers of the living 
God. That's why in that prohibition, 
or rather that demand for capital punishment in Genesis 9.6, the 
reason that underscores that is for in the image of God he 
made man. And in the sermon on abortion, 
we outlined the various stages where life is protected by biblical 
law. The fact is, is that man bears 
God's image, first of all, prior to the fall, Genesis 1, 26 to 
27. Secondly, it is true that after 
the fall, in descent, man bears God's image. Again, it's disordered, 
it's warped, there's some issues and some problems, but God still 
says we bear his image. We saw thirdly that it's true 
of the pre-born in the womb. There's a multiplicity of texts 
that indicate to us that the baby in the womb is a baby in 
the womb. It is not a lump of cells, it 
is not a product of conception, but rather it is a human being, 
an image-bearer of the true and living God. And every single 
day in this country, those image bearers are being murdered. Every 
single day in the United States, those image bearers are being 
murdered. Every single day throughout this wretched world, babies are 
being murdered. This is absolutely, positively 
unacceptable. Not because Jim Butler says it, 
but because God's holy law says it. You shall not murder. That's the prohibition. There 
is no wiggle room with reference to that. For those who say, well, 
you know, it's up to the woman. My body, my choice. Shout your 
abortion. The sorts of wickedness that 
we see at this particular point is gruesome, it's vicious, it's 
vile. As well, this image of God is 
a reality with reference to children. Leviticus 18.21, don't throw 
them into the arms of Molech. Ephesians 6.4, fathers, do not 
provoke your children. Why? Because they're image bearers 
of the living and true God. It's true of the handicapped. 
Leviticus 19, don't put a stumbling block in the way of a blind man. 
Mark 10, that man, Bartimaeus cries out, Jesus, thou son of 
David, have mercy on me. The crowd hushes him. The crowd 
attempts to silence him, but Bartimaeus cries even louder. 
So Christ stops in a crowded city, in a crowded place, walks 
over to Bartimaeus and says, what would you have me to do? 
He shows that this man, Bartimaeus, much to the chagrin of the crowd 
there, who's trying to hush him up, he has dignity, he has worth, 
He's an image bearer of the living God. As well, it's true of the 
elderly. Leviticus 19, get up in the presence 
of a gray-haired man. Show respect, show esteem, show 
reverence. Don't relegate them to some closet 
somewhere, but rather esteem them and love them and care for 
them. It is also true of the sick. We see that passage in 
James, where if somebody is sick, let him call for the elders of 
the church. They pray over him. They anoint him with oil. These 
are evidences that we don't just say, well, you know, go to the 
hospital now because they've got this medical assistance and 
dying, and it does seem to be about your time, so let's just 
dispose of you. That's not biblical, brethren. 
That is wicked, and it's a transgression of the sixth commandment. And 
I would argue as well, it's true of man with relation to animals. 
I'm not suggesting we should go out and beat up animals or 
kick animals or do ungodly things to animals. The book of Proverbs 
says that a righteous man has regard for his beast, but animals 
are not image bearers. Animals are not image bearers 
of the living and true God. The Lord Most High instituted 
the sacrificial system in the Old Covenant. A lot of animals 
died to typify the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 
Jesus himself says, you are of much more value than a sparrow. But the Father knows when a sparrow 
falls out of heaven. So the image of God is the reason 
that underscores the commandment, you shall not murder. Now let's 
look secondly, again, in broad categories at the application 
of the command. The application of the command. 
In the first place, the unlawful killing of others. Any instance 
of ending the life of another that is not the death penalty, 
just war, or self-defense is condemned. That is unjustifiable 
homicide. That is murder. That is premeditation, 
malice aforethought, seeking to rid the world of somebody 
that you don't think should occupy it any further. But not only 
the unlawful killing of others, but now you can turn to Matthew 
5 to see the unrighteous hatred of others. The unrighteous hatred 
of others. Now, I'm going to qualify in 
just a moment what I mean. The New King James adds, without 
cause. Other Bible traditions or versions 
don't have that. I think it's legit. I think it 
needs to be there. Notice in Matthew 5. Now, let 
me just tell you what Jesus is doing in Matthew 5. Matthew 5, 
17 to 20, Jesus tells everybody that's listening to him, disciples 
and multitudes, which includes both believers and unbelievers, 
what his relationship to the Old Testament law is. At this 
particular point in Jesus' ministry, he's starting to become famous, 
not like, you know, Benny Hinn, but people are starting to know 
about Jesus. I mean, he's a preacher, he's 
a teacher, he's a rabbi, and people are starting to draw close 
to him because they want to hear what he has to say. And certainly 
one of the hot topic items for, you know, Israel or Judah at 
that particular time is where does he stand with reference 
to the law of Moses? So 517 to 20 is essentially his 
hermeneutic. Do not think, do not even let 
it begin to arise in your thought that I came to abolish the law. 
I didn't come to abolish the law, I came rather to fulfill 
it. Law and prophets. I came rather to fulfill it. 
And then he gives concrete illustrations of this. He says, on the one 
hand, you have heard that it was said, but I say unto you, 
There are those, and typically they're identified with a system 
of theology called New Covenant theology, that seem to indicate 
that Christ is strengthening the law. Christ is doing something 
in the New Covenant that the Old Covenant never did. I don't 
believe that's what the antitheses are. I believe that Christ is 
saying, you have heard that it was said, not by Moses, but by 
the scribes and the Pharisees. Not by Moses who spake by God, 
but by those who misinterpreted, those who focused only on the 
external to the neglect of the internal. But what did we see 
in Leviticus chapter 19? It's not just the external act 
of murder, but it's also the internal disposition of hatred. 
This was always God's will, always God's prerogative, but Pharisaic 
misinterpretation attached itself to commandments, suggesting to 
persons that as long as you didn't stop somebody's heart, you were 
okay. As long as you didn't actually 
go into another woman, you were okay. So the antitheses are not 
between Moses and Jesus, but between Moses and Jesus against 
the Pharisaic misinterpretation. Old Covenant law, or the Decalogue 
in particular, always went to the heart of man. It wasn't just 
external. Old Covenant law prohibited a 
man from lusting after a woman in his heart. It was the Pharisees 
who simply externalized it. So that's why he says, you have 
heard that it was said, but, but I say to you, it's not strengthening 
Moses. He is rather interpreting Moses 
properly for these hearers. And here in the context, verses 
21 to 26, he's dealing with the sixth commandment. Now notice, 
he gives two prohibitions. In the first place, he prohibits 
us against unwarranted anger. And then in the second place, 
he prohibits us against character assassination. Notice in verse 
22a, he says, but I say to you that whoever is angry with his 
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Now, that's important without 
a cause. Now, this is not suggesting that as long as you have a cause, 
you can get mad at everybody and kick things and scream and 
throw cops or whatever it is that you do to express your anger. But when we look at Scripture, 
God is angry with the wicked every day, according to the Psalter. 
The Lord Christ, in the healing of a man with a withered hand, 
in Mark chapter 3, looked at the Pharisees and he was angry. When the Lord Christ went in 
to cleanse the temple, I don't envision him with just this gentle 
Jesus meek and mild disposition, flipping tables over and driving 
these beasts out of the temple precinct. Christ had a righteous 
anger. There is such a thing. I realize 
that it's somewhat unattainable for most of us, but there is 
a category out there of righteous anger. And so Christ prohibits 
this unrighteous anger with reference to his people. And again, the 
Old Testament taught this also. But then secondly, there's this 
prohibition against character assassination. Again, verses 
21 to 26 is his dealing with the Sixth Commandment. And if 
the Pharisees had misinterpreted, Moses got it right, Jesus got 
it right. The entirety of Scripture indicates 
it's not just the external act of stopping another person's 
heart, but it's the internal disposition of being unwarranted, 
having unwarranted anger toward them, and then as well having 
this character assassination. 22b. It says, and whoever says 
to his brother Raka shall be in danger of the council, but 
whoever says you fool shall be in danger of hell fire. Now the Bible speaks of persons 
as fools. The apostle Paul does that. Certainly 
Solomon in the Proverbs does that a lot. But with reference 
to this, the idea behind it is character assassination. It's 
not calling your child who does something foolish, foolish. It 
is rather assassinating or trying to destroy the reputation of 
another human being. That is ungodly behavior. That is to murder a man. In fact, 
there are probably those out there that would rather have 
the cessation of life than to have the cessation of a good 
life, because some reckless, reckless person slandered them 
and caused great harm to their reputation. Now, I'm not suggesting 
we ought to have the reputation of whoever, but we ought to have 
a good name. Scripture speaks concerning that. 
And if somebody tries to destroy that good name, they are guilty 
of violating the sixth commandment. So it is an attack on a man's 
reputation. Raka means empty head, numbskull, 
airhead, or blockhead. It's an attack on a man's intellectual 
ability. Ful, if raka expresses contempt 
for the man's intellect, ful expresses contempt for his heart 
and character. So it really is to cut away at 
the dignity and the respectability of a particular person. Spurgeon 
says to call a man raka, or worthless fellow, is to kill him in his 
reputation. It is to kill him in his reputation. This is forbidden and prohibited 
by the Sixth Commandment. Again, you see my concern. I 
don't think that Our temptation is to go out on the clock tower 
and shoot people in Chilliwack. But our temptation may be to 
call people fool, to call them raka, to assassinate their character 
and attempt to destroy their reputation. We are forbidden, 
we are prohibited. The sixth commandment stands 
as a beacon to tell us, you shall not murder. Spurgeon says, thus 
our Lord and King restores the law of God to its true force 
and warns us that it denounces not only the overt act of killing, 
but every thought, feeling, and word which would tend to injure 
a brother or annihilate him by contempt. I don't think Jesus 
is saying we all have to be everybody's best friends forever. I don't 
think that's the point. The point is, however, you need 
to respect one another and you need to make sure that you don't 
violate the sixth commandment with one another. And again, 
much of what we find in New Testament epistles applies this to the 
churches. Why? Because it is rampant in 
the churches. Because we get offended, or we 
get our noses bent out of shape, and instead of just dealing with 
it, instead of just sucking it up, that's where that counsel 
ought to be given, not to the depressed people. But rather, 
we want to destroy those who had the unmitigated gall to ever 
cross me. Well, that spirit of vengeance 
is condemned by God. It's not the civil magistrate's 
use of the sword that is condemned by God. It is rather the vindictiveness 
of God's people that want to destroy people that they perceive 
are a threat. 1 John 3.15, whoever hates his 
brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal 
life abiding in him. John Murray and his Principles 
of Conduct. For those of you who want to study biblical ethics, 
you can't do much better. I mean, it's a bit dated, but 
it's really excellent. John Murray's book, Principles 
of Christian Conduct. It is a fantastic, fantastic 
read on ethics. He says the effect in summary 
of what Jesus says is that if a contemptuous word is worthy 
of hellfire, how much more must the actual murder be? And the 
total effect of Jesus' emphasis is that murder has its fountain 
in the malice of the heart and has its judicial issue in the 
blackness of darkness forever. I think that's an appropriate 
observation. If what Christ condemns, calling 
Raqqa a fool, if that has appended to it or attached to it the very 
punishment of hellfire, what would it be like if we did actually 
go to that clock tower and start willy-nilly shooting people or 
we lay in wait for our neighbor who we despise and we bury an 
ax in his head? We need to take heed with reference 
to the sixth commandment. You shall not murder. Now, in 
terms of some specific application, again, we mentioned these a couple 
of weeks ago. I'll just remind us. The practice of euthanasia. 
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously to strike down the ban. We now 
have medical assistance in dying. Consider that God alone is the 
Lord of life. God alone is the giver of life. 
God alone is the one who determines when life ends. That is not your 
prerogative. You may be wrong. You may be 
mistaken. You may be out of your right 
mind. You are never to call for the end of your life or to employ 
others to end your life. The Bible clearly demonstrates 
that the image of God, as we have seen, is present in those 
who are most affected by euthanasia. the elderly, and the ill. And the Lord God ultimately, 
and this is something the people of God need to get their minds 
and hearts wrapped around, gives grace to sufferers. See, we might 
think, I want to end this suffering, I want it to be over. No, we 
need God to flood our hearts with grace and peace and strength 
so that we can, in fact, persevere. That's the biblical emphasis 
that we ought to find, or that we ought to have, and that's 
what we ought to encourage as we live in society. The practice 
of abortion. The Bible clearly demonstrates 
that babies in the womb are the image of God. There's specific 
legislation in scripture protecting unborn babies in the womb. We 
exegeted that in our study in abortion in Exodus 21, 22 to 
25. The murder of the preborn is 
both ghoulish and unfortunately culturally acceptable, an indication 
that society as a whole has rejected Christ. Christ speaking his wisdom 
in Proverbs 8 says, all those who hate me love death. And that is indicative of this 
generation. And we again ought to pray to 
the Lord that in his wrath, he would remember mercy. So we've 
got euthanasia, abortion, and then the neglect of capital punishment. Contrary to the opponents of 
capital punishment, the command highlights the value of life. and the necessity of taking care 
of criminal offenders for the protection of the lives of others. Now, I'm going to take the easy 
way out in terms of the positive aspect of the command and simply 
read to you the Westminster Larger Catechism. So we've got the prohibition, 
don't kill people, don't hate people. What's the positive aspect 
of the command? We see in the history of interpretation 
correctly, and I think this is one of the strengths of the reformed 
tradition, the prohibitions also imply positive. In other words, 
do not murder, infer, or we imply or infer from that. I'm not always 
sure on the distinction between imply and infer, so I'll use 
both. But from that negative, do not 
commit murder, we infer positively that we promote life, that we 
try to help others. In the Westminster Catechism, 
Larger Catechism 135, what are the duties required in the Sixth 
Commandment? The duties required in the Sixth Commandment are 
all careful studies and lawful endeavors to preserve the life 
of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing 
all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices 
which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any. by just 
defense thereof against violence, patient bearing of the hand of 
God, quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit, a sober use of meat, 
drink, physic, that's medicine, sleep, labor, and recreations, 
by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, 
kindness, peaceable, mild, and courteous speeches and behavior, 
forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and 
forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil, comforting and 
succoring the distressed and protecting and defending the 
innocent. So positively, we are to promote life. Positively, 
every believer ought to be pro-life. Positively, every unbeliever 
ought to be pro-life. And again, with the proviso, 
pro-life insofar as the judicially innocent are concerned. When 
somebody murders another human being, it is still pro-life to 
demand that the civil government does their job and execute criminal 
offenders. There is no inconsistency there, 
and that persons think so. Outside the world, or outside 
the church, doesn't surprise me one bit, but that they do 
inside the church is a grief. Brethren, it is consistently 
pro-life to oppose abortion, to oppose euthanasia, and to 
affirm capital punishment. Scripture says it is pro-life 
to do that, and therefore, that is what dictates. So that the 
pagan thinks that we're inconsistent, again, doesn't surprise me one 
bit. But that professing Christians 
somehow think that the mandate in Romans 13 has been suspended, 
that the mandate in Romans 13 has somehow now, in this new 
covenant setting, been abrogated, is to fly in the face of responsible 
exegesis and biblical theology as a whole. Finally, in terms 
of some application, in the first place, we ought to see the wickedness 
of the crime of murder. And it's not just euthanasia. 
It's not just abortion. It's not just a failure on the 
part of the civil government to exercise capital punishment. It's any act of premeditated 
murder against another human being. It is wicked. Could you imagine living in a 
society where people actually value life? I can't imagine that 
because we live in a society where life is not valued. Life 
is disposable. Life is thrown into dumpsters. Life is easily distinguished 
in a way that is sickening and repulsive and offensive to God 
Most High. Secondly, we as the people of 
God need clarity regarding the Sixth Commandment. Do not be 
caught in that situation where someone says, oh, you're so inconsistent 
being against abortion, but for a capital punishment. Why do 
we let them bully us? Why do we let the God haters 
tell us what the Bible teaches? Why do we let them dictate how 
we're supposed to approach ethics from a Christian perspective 
or point of view? It's not inconsistent. Christians 
throughout millennia have always held to the reality that abortion, 
euthanasia, the unlawful taking of human life is murder and a 
violation of the Sixth Commandment. But the execution of criminal 
offenders is not murder. It is lawful or justifiable homicide. Thirdly, how do we use the commandment? Remember the three uses of the 
law. This is where audience participation would be great, but we're not 
going to do that. The first place, the civil use. The law of God functions as a 
restraint over creatures. That's one of the uses of God's 
law, and that's a blessed use of God's law. And even as tattered 
and as fractured and as distorted as modern Canada is, the vestiges 
and the remainders of God's law restraining us is evident. Because 
if God lifted that, if God took away that restraint, we would 
experience something of hell on earth when men were utterly 
abandoned to pursue their wickedness. The civil government, or the 
state rather, according to Machen, exists for the repression of 
evildoers and the protection of individual liberty. He also 
said that civil government is not intended to produce blessedness 
or happiness, but intended to prevent blessedness or happiness 
from being interfered with by wicked men. If civil government 
wants to do their job responsibly, they need to get serious about 
the protection of human life. And we, as God's people, when 
we vote, we ought to think in terms of the Sixth Commandment. 
We ought to think in terms of these realities. We ought to 
take our ethics into the voting booth. It is the case that apart 
from those who hold to God's law, it has become a sacrament 
amongst those that are transgressors of the law to abort, to euthanize, 
to engage in an utter disregard of human life. The second use 
of God's law is the pedagogical. Heidelberg Catechism number three, 
how do you come to know your misery? The law of God tells 
me. Again, brethren, I don't suspect 
you're going to go murder somebody externally. I do suspect that 
all of us at one time or another have murdered somebody internally. We're not supposed to. Endeavor 
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul says 
in Ephesians 4. This is what ought to characterize 
our churches. Not the Ephesians 4 that we read, 
the bitterness and the clamor and the evil speaking, but how 
he begins the chapter. Endeavor to keep the unity of 
the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is to be no bitterness, 
there is to be no internal disposition of hatred and malice and vengeance 
and just this expression of disdain for our brothers and sisters 
in Christ. If this commandment finds you 
out, that's a good thing in this way, because hopefully it sends 
you to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And then, of course, 
the normative use. The commandment shapes the way 
that we ought to live our lives normally, each and every day. Not the takers of life, but rather 
the promoters of life. And then finally, with reference 
to the gospel. The Sixth Commandment is not 
gospel. You shall not murder. If somebody 
doesn't murder, that doesn't necessarily mean they're going 
to go to hell. We cannot mingle-mangle the law and the gospel and preach 
the Sixth Commandment as if it is exactly what society needs. It certainly needs it in terms 
of the civil use, but what society needs is the proclamation of 
the gospel too. We preach the law and the gospel 
because the gospel is the remedy for sinners. murderous sinners, 
those who have rejected God's law externally and stopped another 
person's life, but those as well who break God's law internally, 
the answer for your soul is the blood of Jesus Christ, his son. 
It cleanses us from all sin. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, thank you for your word and the clarity 
of these commandments. We thank you for the consistency 
of Holy Scripture and how these things are taught in both Old 
and New Testaments. We give praise to you, God. We 
give glory to you. We thank you that you have forgiven 
us and many wretched things that are in our hearts. We ask God 
that you would keep us from engaging in more wretched things with 
our hearts and help us to be faithful, help us by the Spirit 
to be shaped by these commandments. And God have mercy upon this 
society, have mercy upon a nation that kills babies, that murders 
babies, that murders old people, that murders sick people, that's 
getting to the point where they're gonna just about murder anybody 
if they want it. Lord, I pray that you would be 
merciful, send forth your glorious gospel, raise up men to lead 
in high places, men and women that fear God, men and women 
that have wisdom, men and women that are committed to righteousness 
and justice. These things are so desperately 
lacking in this generation. And for our nation specifically, 
would You indeed cause men to rule and reign in a manner that 
is consistent with Your Word? Those who will not, we pray, 
You would remove them from office and put men and women in place 
that will do so. We thank you for this Sabbath 
day. We thank you for the rest that you give us in Jesus Christ. 
We thank you for one another in this local church. What a 
blessing it is to be with the people of God each and every 
Lord's Day. We ask that you would go with 
us now and watch over us in the remainder or in this coming week 
and give us grace to bring glory to you. And we ask in Jesus' 
name. Amen.