Good morning again. This is It's kinda funny. This reminds me of back when I used to be a teacher, when it's like Ground House Day. This is the 3rd time I get to preach. It felt like that one would be like the 6th period.
Collin Hansen:I'm teaching the same US history lesson again. But it's cool, to look out and see different faces, and us to to step into God's word together. If you don't know me, my name is Craig Millard. I am the college minister here, at the church, so I get to hang out with cool, students like Sydney. And I get the wonderful opportunity today, as it is my biannual opportunity given by Joel to preach before you, to preach on the 6th commandment, the commandment that which I think we all struggle with the most, which is murder.
Collin Hansen:But before we jump into the text, let's do our overview of the commandments. As you'll see on the screen, we're gonna read through all 10 of the commandments. The last service, they cut it off before the 10th one, and they also got it right. So you guys are learning. So let's read.
Collin Hansen:Starting with number 1, it says You shall have no grasp for me. You shall not make any great images. So many of you in this space, if you're over the age of about 24, probably don't know me well. But if you were to know me, you would know that one of the things I love most is football. Like, my perfect Saturday is watching as much football as I can, and football's been a big part of my life, really, all of it.
Collin Hansen:And before I got married, back, like I said, when I was teaching, one of my favorite things to do is as I wanted needed to prepare my lesson plans for the next week, I'd get up early on a Saturday, I'd get all my materials together, I'd turn on college game day, and I began I would begin riding lessons for that week while I watched college game day into the 11 o'clock, the 1 o'clock, all the way till the end of the day. I couldn't I can't watch enough football. The problem is I got married, and then I had a child. And I don't really have that luxury of time anymore to just spend watching football all Saturday. But I, naively, when I got married, thought, oh, my my wife, she's going to enjoy watching football with me.
Collin Hansen:In fact, she's from Alabama. She was born and raised here. Her brother and sister literally can't get enough of Alabama football. It's one of the only things her dad texts me about. So, surely, this woman I married is going to enjoy watching games with me, and I assume that.
Collin Hansen:But you know what happens when you assume. I was sorely let down. Week after week, she was gracious enough to sit with me, but it was clear she could care less about what was going on, she couldn't care less about what was going on the screen based on her scrolling through her phone. There would be a big play that would happen, and I would amassamassa, like, did you see that? And she literally paid no attention at all.
Collin Hansen:There was this deep sense of confusion that was over me that I couldn't understand. Here, I married this girl from the South, who knows football is king, who grew up around football, but yet she didn't care about it all. And it all came to conclusion one day when I when I asked her or she asked me a very simple question that anyone who watched football at all would understand the answer to. I was like, oh, she literally knows nothing about football. This is why she does not care.
Collin Hansen:She's not thought anything about it before. And I tell you this story because I think it has a lot to do with the 6th commandment, which we will look at today on murder. I think many of us in this room would agree that murder is wrong, but how much have you actually thought about it before? The implications of it. Why do we not murder?
Collin Hansen:Right? We know it, but how much do we really know about it? So my hope is as we look at the text, as we're about to read, is that we would see that the implications of this text are far deeper and far wider than you maybe thought walking in here this morning. And then at the end, I pray that you would be encouraged by the gospel. So let's read.
Collin Hansen:It's there in your worship guide. Let's see the Exodus 2013. It's also the same in Deuteronomy 518. Text says, you shall not murder. This is the word of the lord.
Collin Hansen:Let's pray. Dear heavenly Father, Lord, I pray, right now, that God, that you would speak to us. Lord, that you would speak to us through this text that was written 1000 of years ago. And you would show us that it is alive and true today for our lives. The way though we may not think we struggle with murder, I pray, lord, that you would reveal in us the sin in our hearts.
Collin Hansen:Father, I pray that you would speak through me and speak to us, Lord, that we may love you more. For all these things in your name. Amen. As Colin so eloquently last week transitioned from the first half of the Ten Commandments to the second half, he actually transitioned from the commands in what they call the first table of the 10 commandments, the commands on loving God. We he now, last week, and I will continue the transition into the commandments on what it means to love one another.
Collin Hansen:So the 6th commandment, as we'll see, is a commandment on how to love one another, Or if broken, how not to love one another. But in order to understand the 6th commandment, we need to dive into the original intended meaning of the text. So we look at the command in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. The word for murder is not simply the killing of another human, nor does it mean any and all taking of life. The word used is properly defined as the unlawful, premeditated, and immoral killing of another human.
Collin Hansen:This also includes death through carelessness and negligence. So if someone is killed because of carelessness of another, they are held liable. The Hebrew word is used 47 times in the Old Testament, But it is important for us to know that this word in this command for murder is not used when we talk about killing in wars, self defense, slaughtering of animals, or capital punishment. Lot of hot topic, issues there. So I will tell you, if you wish to dispel any of those things or say you shouldn't do those things, understand it is a flimsy argument if you use this command alone to defend against it.
Collin Hansen:Although, I think you can, you can't use this first based off its proper definition. But no matter your view for the consequences of murder, we can all agree, everyone in here, that the unlawful killing of another human being is heinous and offensive. I doubt there's anyone in the room that would disagree with this truth. But like I asked earlier, have you ever paused to ask yourself, why is murder wrong? Why is it so heinous and offensive?
Collin Hansen:I mean, if if if like, why is it that we all, like, when we read or see or hear about murder, it causes us to cry out and get upset about and say, that's wrong. See, because if we're all just blobs of cells randomly put together through evolution with no higher power, like an atheist might say, what does it matter if I take your life or not? Why is murder wrong? See, the reason murder is wrong is because it deals with our heavenly father, which brings me to our first point. Murder is an assault on god himself.
Collin Hansen:I'll say that again. Murder is an assault on god himself. Genesis 127 states that God created man in his own image, in his image, in the image of God, he created him. In Genesis 9, after the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah and says, hey, I'm never going to to, destroy man kind again by a flood. But he doesn't just stop there.
Collin Hansen:He continues and sets up a system to protect life. He commands that anyone who unlawfully takes the life of another will be killed. But why? Well, he ties it, Genesis 96, he ties it back to Genesis 1. He says, because god made man in his own image.
Collin Hansen:When life is taken through murder, it is a direct offense to God. The commands found in Genesis, which are the foundation of the 6th commandment, teach us that life belongs to God alone. More specifically, human life belongs to God. He alone is the giver of life and death. And this is not to be decided by any man.
Collin Hansen:Because life is sacred. All humans are made in the image of God. And this truth actually ties the 6th commandment that we're looking at, with the first commandment that Joel went over some weeks ago. See, if we are to be a people who will love God and revere him alone, then we can't take that which is the very image of the creator of life. Out of everything in creation, God chose us to be his image bearers.
Collin Hansen:It didn't have to be that way. Leonce Crump Junior said it this way, I think it's so great. When you consider the sun and the moon and the stars and the universe and the galaxies and all the mind blowing aspects of creation, and then hear God say that human life is the pinnacle of all of that, That should be enough for any believer to want to see human life treated with the value and dignity that it should be. End quote. See, when life is taken, it is an assault on God himself because we are made in his likeness.
Collin Hansen:We are his image bearers. So because all humans bear the image of God as seen in Genesis 9, the logical conclusion, as Christians, is that we are accountable to God for life. Say it again. We are accountable to God for life. See, the commands found in Exodus and Deuteronomy, in the teachings in Genesis, point us to how seriously God takes life.
Collin Hansen:And if we are to be to be if we are to be a people seeking to be like God, then we need to be a people that take seriously life. But what exactly is life? Or more specifically, when is life? Well, Psalm 139 and Job 31 clearly teaches that life begins in the womb at conception. Life inside the womb is seen as precious to God and, thus, should be protected and taken care of by us, especially those of us who claim Christ.
Collin Hansen:But I didn't ask, when did life begin? I asked, when is life? The reason for this is simple yet obvious. Life continues once that baby enters the world in their whole time while they're here on this earth. Well, duh, Craig.
Collin Hansen:Life is life, obviously. But I think some of us have a tendency to focus on one area of life over the other. See, that which we focus on the most is that which we get accused of neglecting or ridiculed for standing up for. The liberal looks to the conservative and says, you only care about life when it's in the womb. And when it enters this world, you just tell them, hey.
Collin Hansen:Good luck. Go for it. Hope it goes well. But the conservative looks to the liberal and says, liberal, you don't even care about life in the womb. You deny that it's even life at all.
Collin Hansen:And whether these stereotypes are true or not, they are stereotypes for a reason. The biblical view speaks of another view. See, God values life in the womb and here on earth. See, we can't be a people who point to Psalm 139 and then live lives as if Genesis 1 has no implications on how we treat the people we encounter. May we be a people who truly reflect the whole heart of God, who take seriously all of life.
Collin Hansen:As it's been said, let's value life from womb to tomb. The sanctity of life begins when life is conceived. Yes. But does not end when it is conceived. The life inside the womb, that little baby infant, that angsty teenager, the middle aged man or woman or the elderly, all are equally beautiful, loved and cared for by God.
Collin Hansen:May the way we view life and pursue life reflect this belief. And I think you could, at this point in the sermon, be sitting there and say, okay. Like, murder, direct defense to God. Get it. Understand.
Collin Hansen:We're accountable to God for life from womb to tomb. I can rock with that too. Pretty good. Well, Craig, I I I don't struggle with murdering anyone, and and I value life. Are you sure?
Collin Hansen:Let's look and see what Jesus has to say about this commandment. Turn with me to Matthew 21 and 22. It's there in your worship guide. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
Collin Hansen:Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. And whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire. Now I bet many of you biblical scholars here knew that I probably was going to go to this text. In fact, we went over the Sermon on the Mount not even too long ago, but as I read this week, as I studied for this sermon, I got to the end of verse 22, and I was kinda shook. Because what does it say we're liable to at the end of verse 22?
Collin Hansen:The hell of fire. If you say, you fool? At the very least, I don't know what that does to your soul, But it causes me to pause and say, this what Jesus is saying here is something we should figure out what he's saying. Because if we do this, we're liable to hell of a fire, I probably should pay attention to his teachings here. See Jesus is taking the the teachings of Genesis 9 in the 6th commandment and he goes deeper as he always does.
Collin Hansen:He takes us to the heart, so let's go to the heart. Point number 3, if you're following along with me. The heart of murder is anger, so we must repent of the anger in our hearts. Jesus' teaching here in the book of Matthew shows the reader that it's not enough to just not kill. It's not how you follow the commandment completely.
Collin Hansen:It's not enough to only outwardly follow the commandment against murder. See, because murder starts with unrighteous anger in the heart. So both murder in the form of action and murder in the form of anger within our hearts are worthy of judgment. It says, you are liable. So we must turn our focus inward, as Jesus tends to do, and repent of the anger within us.
Collin Hansen:See, Jesus' teaching shows us that we stand liable if we harbor any anger. But this anger that Jesus speaks of is the anger that leads to sin. Anger that leads to division or anger that leads to us lashing out. This is the anger that comes in the form of malice, hatred, contempt, vengeance, bitterness, resentment, or a haughty spirit that you you wanna look down upon someone who you deem lesser than you. Do you feel the weight of this?
Collin Hansen:Have you dealt with any of these feelings? Maybe even today. See, as I was going through this, I asked myself a series of questions to figure out how do I respond, how do I feel. So I ask myself, and I ask you to ask the same. I ask myself, how do I respond when I don't get what I think I deserve?
Collin Hansen:Or what about when someone offends me? Or I don't get the respect I think is due my name? Or about when someone cuts you off on the road. See, I experienced this actually literally this morning. So just so you know that I am not some pastor on a stage who's not struggling with this, I was driving literally 7 AM on Valley, and there was a man running in the middle of the road.
Collin Hansen:And I thought to myself, surely he's going to move over. He sees me driving here. He did not. So I had to go into the other lane and drive around him, and he acted like nothing happened. And my reaction in that moment was, what is this man doing?
Collin Hansen:And I assure you that was not because I was caring for his life and worried he was going to get hit. I'll the heart of what I said was, you idiot. Why are you running in the middle of the road? See, when these things happen in your day to day, does your heart turn to patience and love? Or does it turn to one of these manifestations of anger?
Collin Hansen:And hear me, I get it. Jesus' teachings seem radical. Everything in our flesh in the world says, hey, it's okay to respond angrily when we are wronged or disrespected or if things don't go the way we think they're supposed to. But Jesus calls us to radical love and reconciliation. Right?
Collin Hansen:He teaches us to turn the other cheek, to give the very cloak off our back for to the person who's in need. If we're asked to walk 1 mile, go 2. This is the Jesus we follow. See, we can't allow the sin of another cause us to sin. And this is not to say that you that when you're wronged, you can't feel hurt by that wrong.
Collin Hansen:But Jesus' teaching here is clear. We cannot respond in anger. We must seek a higher way. We must be a people who seek reconciliation as it's stated in verse 24 of this chapter in Matthew. Otherwise, we are liable for god's judgment for the murder in our hearts, The unrighteous anger.
Collin Hansen:But, even this, I don't think gets completely to the heart of what jesus is saying here. It's not just enough to not murder. It's even not just enough to not get angry. See, if we look at a do not or you shall not statement, that means there is an affirmative statement that can go with it. So the opposite of taking someone's life is giving someone life.
Collin Hansen:And so I tell you, church, for us to get to the heart, we must be, as christians, life givers. We must be life givers. Matthew 522 does not just say that those who are angry are liable for, does not just say that those who are angry are liable for judgment. Jesus continues and speaks of anyone who insults another or speaks down upon another. Let's look at that text, verse 22.
Collin Hansen:But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. And whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire. See, this teaching points us back to the original heart of the 6th commandment. We do not murder.
Collin Hansen:We do not harbor anger in our hearts because everyone around us is made in the image of God and we are accountable for life. But if we claim to value life yet look down on someone we deem less than us, then we stand liable. If we claim to value life, yet view ourselves as more important than another, then we stand liable. And if we claim to value life yet do not speak for that person who does not have a voice, we stand liable. Matthew 2540 states, as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me.
Collin Hansen:Who's the me? Jesus. See, the the heart of Jesus' commands here simply does not tell us to reflect on our day and ask, okay. Did I murder? Nope.
Collin Hansen:Good. Did I did I did I lash out angrily? Nope. I am good. That's that's not what it's getting at.
Collin Hansen:Right? No. This command, it's a call to life. We are to be a people who speak and bring life wherever we go. In fact, Paul in Ephesians 4 verse 29, he states to not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up.
Collin Hansen:Our aim here is not simply to avoid murder and angry and say that we're good, but no, our aim here is to be life givers in this dark world. Matthew 5. You are the light of the world. May the How did I build others up rather than tear them down? How did I build others up rather than tear them down?
Collin Hansen:How was I a light in this dark world? I know you probably saw, thou shall not murder, you shall not murder. The topic of pro life is probably coming up. Well, here it is. This right here is what it means to be pro life in our day to day.
Collin Hansen:If my heart is to value life as God values life, then I need to seek the things God calls me to seek. So wait. May we be a people who show mercy, seek peace and reconciliation with all people. May we love others. Be truthful.
Collin Hansen:Approach every individual we come in contact with with integrity, pointing to the dignity and worth they all possess. Maybe we even sacrifice at the cost of our own comfort. And this one too. Maybe may we be willing to learn when we're wrong. May we be a people who hold fast to the spirit of God.
Collin Hansen:If this is our aim, then we are truly being pro life, and we will be life givers to the world around us. So here's the thing. You're not pro life if you vote one way and then hate your brother or sister Or if you if you don't stand up for the marginalized person around you. Or you're not pro life if you can't forgive that person who's wronged you or seek to reconcile with that family member who maybe has walked out against you. See, being pro life is a mindset that leads to loving actions and speaking life into others.
Collin Hansen:In fact, Hebrews 9 talks about Christians. How do you keep one another from the deceitfulness of sin? It says to exhort. Speak life into that brother or sister. So even if we wanna follow the path of righteousness, we need to be a people who speak life.
Collin Hansen:It's a heart that asks, how can I build up and love those I encounter today? This isn't to say hear hear me. This isn't to say that you have to be involved in every nonprofit or cause that speaks value and worth into people. But it's a call for you, each one of you, myself included, to pray for God, to for guidance on where to put my efforts today. Who do I need to love?
Collin Hansen:Who do I need to speak up for? Who do I need to extend forgiveness to or seek reconciliation with? Who do I need to build up? See, we must be a people who seek to value the image of god and the people we interact with and every person on the planet. This is what it means to be pro life and to be life givers in the world around us.
Collin Hansen:But christian, we have a very unique perspective on this Because we can be life givers because we have experienced life through Jesus. Jesus states in John 146, I am the way, the truth and the life. John 651, he states, I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Collin Hansen:If you have experienced Jesus, if you've been given life in Christ, as Sydney so eloquently spoke of earlier, You in within you possess the very life that can change the world around you. Christian, if you've been transformed by the gospel and you've been given the gift of eternal life through Jesus when you did not deserve it, you can truly be a life giver. Why? Because you've been given life when you did not deserve it. You've experienced hope when there was no hope to be found and you have been forgiven when nothing in you deemed you worthy of god's forgiveness.
Collin Hansen:It's like, this this blows my mind. Like, God looked at me. He looked at you and he and he looked down and for no reason other than that he is loving, he looked down and he saw you. He saw me, the sinner that I am. He said, you, I want you.
Collin Hansen:I wanna give you life. Not just I'm not just gonna hand it to you and there you go. No. A cost must be paid. So I'm going to send my son to live the life that you could not live, sinner, that perfect life, the only one worthy of my love.
Collin Hansen:And he's going to be obedient to the point that he's going to go to the cross. He's going to take on all the wrath that you deserve, the punishment you deserve, that I deserve. I literally just broke this commandment this morning. He says, I'm gonna take that on for you to give you life. And I do that because Jesus didn't just die.
Collin Hansen:He rose again on the 3rd day, defeating death so that you, me, can be reconciled to God and given eternal life. We can extend forgiveness because we have experienced forgiveness. You can reconcile with that person who you don't wanna reconcile with because God has reconciled himself to you. And I know there's that friend, that loved one, or whoever it may be, who you've who you've like, they've gotten on your last nerve for, like, the 70th time. You can pursue love with them because you do that with God every day, And he gives you love.
Collin Hansen:You've been given more than you ever deserved. Now use that blessing to be a blessing, and allow the work that Christ has done within you to change the world around you. What a gift you have been given. May we be life givers for the glory of God to the world around us. But hear me.
Collin Hansen:If you sit in this room and you have never experienced the transformative work of Christ, if you've never experienced this life, understand this is for you today. As Sydney said, no matter how far off you are, no matter the shame that you feel, no matter what you've done, no one is too far off from this life that Christ offers. And today is the day that you turn and submit and follow Christ. And it is not a promise that everything in your life will go perfectly, but it is a promise that everything you go through in life, you will go through with a hope and love and joy and peace that goes beyond all understanding because you have been given life. Let's pray.
Collin Hansen:Dear heavenly father, Lord, I admit I fall short and would stand liable for this every single day. But father, thank you for the work of Christ. That father, on that judgement day, we'll not have to stand liable, because you have taken that punishment for me. Father, we rejoice in the truth of the gospel. Lord, we pray that that truth, that life you have given us, that you've given me, would be the very thing to compel us to be life givers in the world around us every single day for your glory.
Collin Hansen:Lord, we love you. Pray all these things in your name. Amen.