Well, this morning we consider the Sixth Commandment as summarized by the Heidelberg Catechism. The Sixth Commandment, Thou shalt not murder. Lord's Day 40 of the Heidelberg Catechism. In connection with that, we want to read a familiar episode, a familiar story about David and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11. 2 Samuel 11, 1-17. 2 Samuel 11, beginning at verse 1. Hear now the Word of God. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Reba, but David remained in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite? Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. She had purified herself from her uncleanness. Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, I am pregnant. So David sent this word to Joab, Send me Uriah the Hittite, and Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, go down to your house and wash your feet. So Uriah left the palace and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house. When David was told that Uriah did not go home, he asked him, haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home? Uriah said to David, The ark in Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing. Then David said to him, Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening, Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants. He did not go home. In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah, in which in it he wrote, Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him, so he will be struck down and die. So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell. Moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. And I invite you to turn with me in the back of this altar hymnal to page 53, Lord's Day 40. Lord's Day 40, questions and answers 105, 106, and 107. Lord's Day 40, page 53. Let's confess together what we believe as we recite these answers. Question 105, what is God's will for us in the Sixth Commandment? I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor, not by my thoughts, my words, my look, or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds. And I am not to be party to this in others. Rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with a sword. Does this commandment refer only to killing? By forbidding murder, God teaches us that He hates the root of murder. Envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness. In God's sight, all such are murder. Is it enough, then, that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger, God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to Him, to protect Him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies. Dear people of God, we are familiar with the phrase, cost of living, aren't we? Cost of living. Boys and girls, when we talk about the cost of living, we're talking about how much it costs to maintain our lives with regard to our physical needs. What does it cost to clothe ourselves, to feed ourselves, to have shelter, and all of our other expenses included in. And every year it seems that it costs more to live than the year before. But while the cost of living increases, it seems that the value of life decreases. The war continues with regard to abortion and euthanasia and assisted suicide. Not to mention that the violence that grows resulting in the loss of innocent lives. Also, there are those who would like to take it upon themselves to determine the value of life by the quality of life. If one no longer has a quality of life, if their life is nothing in a sense, if they don't contribute anymore to society, well then the value of that life must also be gone. So let's just do away with them altogether. But our God has made it clear that life is precious and is indeed valuable when He said, As we are instructed about how we are to love our neighbor as ourselves in the second table of the law, before being taught to respect our neighbor's marriage and possessions and honor, we are commanded to love and respect our neighbor's life. God's Word again says, You shall not murder. You see, beloved, the Word of God is indeed a two-edged sword, as Hebrews says, a sword that cuts away all that isn't holy and all that isn't true. But the Word of God is also, as the commandments demonstrate, a shield which protects the marriage and possessions and honor of my neighbor. But before those things, it lifts a protecting shield over life. As Christians, we believe what is called the sanctity of human life. And that's because God has sanctified human life. He has set it apart from animal life and plant life. How? By giving it a sacred character. Indeed, all of life is from God, but to human life, God gave of Himself. He gave His breath. He gave His image. Genesis 2, verse 7 says, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed it into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. And why was Noah commanded to prevent murder? Genesis 9, verse 6 says, Whoever sheds a man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man. You see, when the life of man is attacked, then the very image of God is also attacked. But as the Catechism explains, reflecting the clear teaching of Scripture, this commandment is also talking about so much more than simply the violent ending of death. As Christians, God calls us to grateful living through upholding life. You see, in no way are we to undervalue that which is valuable to God. And as we consider this Word of God, let's notice that upholding life includes restraining the act of destroying life, removing the root of destroying life, and renewing the practice of promoting life. Now when we think of murder, when we think of murder, most of us probably first of all think of killing another by shooting or beating or stabbing them in some way. It's an aggressive and violent act that ends in death as we know it. And therefore, with that kind of an understanding of murder, then we might all feel a little bit safe with regard to this commandment. Because we would never do this kind of thing. We haven't committed this crime. We have not violated this commandment, at least with that kind of an understanding. And when we think of murderers, we think of those who have killed in cold blood who now live in the state or the federal penitentiary. But we must understand that God in His wisdom has listed in the commandment the most violent act, but all lesser forms of the act are also included. Now as far as murder as we think of it goes, there is premeditated murder. There is voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. We know that one can be guilty of taking the life of another by negligence. In Deuteronomy 22, verse 8, it says, When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it. Boys and girls, a parapet is not a fuzzy, four-legged little creature. A parapet was like a guardrail around the edge of a flat roof where people actually walked and spent part of their day living on the roof. And the guardrail was there so that no one would accidentally fall off the roof. Our equivalent today might be to put some sort of a guardrail around a patio or a balcony, but also to put a fence around our swimming pools that no one might fall in, not knowing the pool is there. And as well, we know that there are many unjust ways that life can be taken. Again, when we think of this, we think of the loss of life as we know it. But again, this commandment is much broader and is talking about much more than simply stopping the beating heart. Again, number 105, what is God's will for us in the sixth commandment? I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor, not by my thoughts, my words, my look, or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds. And I am not to be party to this and others. Rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. This answer speaks of restraining the act of destroying life. Anytime injury is done to another, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, publicly, privately, whether they are conscious or unconscious of it, that is an act of or an act toward murder. Anytime, anything that harms the image of God in another or myself is murder and is a violation of the Sixth Commandment. Now notice that indeed the Catechism specifies killing my neighbor. But before that, it includes in its definition, belittling, insulting, and hating my neighbor. You see, it is any attack against another human being, any abuse of his person, Anything hurtful or shameful, or any injury done to him, or any physical abuse, we do to ourselves. Belittling, treating another as nothing, leads to insulting. Insulting leads to hating. Hating may then move to bloodshed. And what then are the tools of destruction used to commit murder? Thoughts, words, looks, gestures, as well as actual deeds. Maybe we should each take a moment now to reconsider whether or not, or maybe I should say how, we have violated this commandment. Thoughts, words, looks, gestures, as well as the actual deeds. You see, as we consider the rest of the commandments to follow, it should be obvious that interfering in another's marriage or stealing from another or attacking another's reputation are acts of dishonoring or belittling them. Gossiping about another is the act of disfiguring their reputation and damaging them in the sight of others. Hitting someone. Boys and girls, listen. Close. Hitting someone, even when brothers and sisters get angry and hit each other, is an act of murder. Shaking your fist at another out of anger or any obscene gestures like that is an act of murder. Intentionally ignoring another by turning your back on them so that you won't have to talk to them, or snubbing another as if to say, well, you're not worth my time, is an act of murder. Thinking bad or nasty thoughts about another, even if they never find out, is an act of stripping them of their dignity as image bearers of God. Maybe you have heard the phrase, if looks could kill. Well, guess what? Nasty looks can kill, and they are considered murder. Beloved, the examples are endless, And again, we must each apply this to ourselves. But anything that attacks another as an image-bearer of God, whether it be an attack on their reputation or on their physical body or on their mind, whatever it may be, is an act of murder. And all of this, with any sort of revenge, is to be laid aside and to be restrained in the believer. As we consider the catechism's treatment of murder in answer 105, We can see, I trust, how David was guilty of murder long before Uriah was dead. And we could count, too, how many of the other commandments he violated. Lying, cheating, stealing, adultery. We can name them one by one. But they all fit in with the final act. Murder. The moment David's thoughts went out toward Bathsheba, he was guilty. But notice how he did progress in his sin. His words gave the order to go get Bathsheba. As he slid downhill, there was the act of adultery. There was deception to Uriah to cover up the sin and make the child seem like Uriah's. And all of this was an attack against Uriah in some way. Our Lord Jesus Christ also makes it clear in Matthew chapter 5 that murder includes more than simply taking a human life. He says, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raka, shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. Now, Raka, it is like calling one a blockhead, or emptyhead, or ignorant. And to call one a fool is like calling them an idiot, or a moron or a scoundrel. Words, I'm afraid, that are probably too much used even among many of us. This is a blatant attack against the image of God and is worthy of hell. How easy is it to murder? One commentator said, one can curse another by his thoughts, destroy by looks, shoot down by significant gestures, and kill by the razor-sharp sword of the tongue. Again, this gives each one of us a reason to pause, doesn't it? And engage in personal reflection. But the catechism adds that I am not to do this by myself or to be party to this and others. In other words, I am not to be an accessory to the crime. When it came to the actual taking of Uriah's life, although the arrow of the enemy caused the fatal blow, it was David who gave the order to put him in that danger. We think about abortion. The doctors commit the act, to be sure. But what about the mothers and the fathers and the parents or the parents that desire it? What about the lawmakers who make the laws allowing it? What about the citizens who do not rise up to fight against it? And the same can be said about other forms of taking life that are continually becoming more and more socially acceptable. Boys and girls, this includes you if you are standing by as one of your friends is insulting or calling another one names or hurting someone else. You just stand there and you watch your every bit as guilty of breaking this commandment. Beloved, we are commanded to be pro-life and to seek to uphold life. But this also includes our own life. The Catechism says that I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. I think in our day, this is where we must really spend some time focusing on ourselves. What we do to ourselves. And the things that we are prone to engage in, whether it be for excitement's sake or just for the thrill of it. Remember, the summary of the law says that I love my neighbor as myself. We are called to love ourselves, which of course usually isn't a big problem because more often than not, we love ourselves more than we should. It's not to be an arrogant or a proud or a boastful, conceited love, but a humble love and respect for ourselves also made in the image of God. You see, God not only places a shield of protection over others from me, but He places that shield over me from me. Now in the most radical form, this is talking about suicide. Deciding myself when my life will end. That, of course, like all taking of life, is putting myself in the place of God. But this also includes restraining from hurting myself or putting myself in danger. Romans 13 verse 14 says, But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. You see, we are called to take ourselves into protective custody. Of course, there are those who run away from danger at all costs, even if it may hurt someone else. But there are also those who desire to look for and challenge danger. We see this even in some of the popular television shows on today. But you see, this lacks true reverence for life. And it puts God to the test. which Jesus said in Matthew 4, you shall not do. Self-murder includes many things. For example, recklessness in driving, dangerous speeding, excessive indulgence in alcohol, food, drugs, TV, even sports, or anything that involves wasting your life away and not taking care of the body God gave you, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whether by eating too much or eating too little. And then there's also spiritual suicide, putting ourselves in situations that tempt us or cause us to compromise our faith. And most of all, failing to take a daily dose of the Word of God. Congregation, this commandment, commands us to restrain the act of destroying life. And the government then is also called to do this. The magistrate. Capital punishment was instituted by Noah in the verse that we quoted earlier. You see, there is legitimate, God-ordained taking of life. The worst and most violent offenders are to be put away to protect the rest of society, to uphold the life of society, to keep other innocent life from being taken. You see, without order, social life would not be possible and the magistrate, the government, must exercise the sword to fill the wicked with fear and to warn those who would be tempted to take life that it may very well be at the cost of their own life. Job said the Lord gives and the Lord takes away and this includes life. And therefore we are to restrain from the act of destroying life. But that act is only the fruit of something deeper, isn't it? Upholding life also includes removing the root of destroying life. Question 106. Does this commandment refer only to killing? By forbidding murder, God teaches us that He hates the root of murder, envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness. In God's sight, all such are murder. You see, this is the heart of the matter that our Lord was talking about, that murder is more than just the act, but it also includes the attitude. We like to stick with that which we can see, but don't forget, God looks at the heart. David found that out, didn't he? No matter how clever he was at covering up his crime, and even trying to get Uriah to come into the situation and make it look like his child, because of God's spiritual x-ray vision, Nathan the prophet could still come to David and truthfully say, you are the man. Anger and hatred are the foundation of murder. 1 John 3 verse 15 says, whoever takes his brother, who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. This is strong language, isn't it? Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. Congregation, not one of us, and I confidently say this, not one of us here is innocent of this. Somewhere, at some time, we have all sprouted the root of murder, be it envy, hatred, anger, or vindictiveness, which is the desire for revenge. It may have been at home, or in the office, or in school, or on the playground, or even in church. Maybe some of you are sitting here right now violating this commandment. Murdering in your heart. And because of this, you see, because we have all harbored this at some time, we have all at some point in time clung to the weapons of murder through our thoughts or words or looks or gestures. Even deeds. And therefore, we must consider the truth that the mass murderer is no more guilty than each one of us. We can think of the mass murder spree at Columbine High or the shootings in Santee about two years ago or what David Westerfield is guilty of or the Lacey Peterson case. We can think of Al-Qaeda, terrorists, September 11, innocent lives lost. Those are all terrible. but the truth is one who has ever desired revenge even for a little thing is every bit as guilty not in the eyes of the world we know we know there are degrees when it comes to the court system and we can't rationalize this but in the sight of god it's true it is sin that deserves eternal punishment. Envy. Envy wants something that someone else has, but also wants them to be stripped of it, that they no longer have it. Hatred desires that another no longer exist. Anger wants to do damage or to hurt another. And vindictiveness is a desire for revenge and wants to get back at another to get even, maybe to even hurt another as that other made you suffer. Let's be honest. How often haven't we envied the bread in our neighbor's mouth or the car in his garage? Who of us has never let the sun go down on our anger? Which of us never desired to stick it to another in revenge? We fight this in the family. We fight it in church. We fight it in the council room. We fight it in school, in the office, at work. We shake our heads at disbelief, at mass murderers and rapists, while in reality we ought to do no less when we look in the mirror. You see, not one of us stands innocent here. The finger points to us and says, you are the man, you are the woman, you are the child. each and every one of us. That root of murder is deep within our hearts apart from the grace of God. Beloved, hatred may not make us criminals in the eyes of the world, but it makes us sinners before the eyes of God. And the fact that that root in us doesn't produce fruit, the fact that it doesn't produce the actual deed of physical killing another is not our doing, but only by the mercy and the grace of God in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. I know, congregation, this is hard stuff to swallow. And if you don't recognize this in your life, then your heart is very hard and deceived because our sin and hatred for God and His Christ led to His willingly giving Himself into the hands of murderers to die for the sins of His people. And that's where it's at for you and me. That's our comfort. That's the difference between us as God's people and the mass murderer. That Jesus Christ died for our sins. Even the sin of murder. I should say the unrepentant mass murderer. But as those who believe by the grace of God, we can hear this commandment and we can be obedient because we know that God gives His grace to His redeemed people. Here with this, as with all the commandments, we are reminded of our need for grace. And as well, we are reminded of God's giving of His grace. And through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, He makes us able then to fulfill the positive requirement of this commandment. There is a thou shalt not, but there is also a thou shalt. We are called to grateful living through upholding life by renewing the practice of promoting life. Question 107. Is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger, God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to Him, to protect Him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies. Those washed in the blood of Jesus and regenerated by the Holy Spirit are being renewed more and more every day in the image of God, which includes a desire for life, but also an understanding of the preciousness of life. You see, the opposite of envy, anger, and hatred is love. Love is the weightiest matter of the law. You see, beloved, we must not be content with simply abstaining, simply staying away from envy, anger, and hatred, and revenge. When the old man is put off, the new man is put on, and that new life must be demonstrated by the action of love. And the works of the flesh, as Paul says in Galatians 5, which include the root of murder, the works of the flesh are replaced with the fruit of the Spirit, which include patience, peace, gentleness, mercy, and all kindness. You see, beloved, contrary to what we might think, proof of love for one's neighbor is not in the fact that we don't offend him or don't hurt him or don't kill him. That's nice, of course, for him. But there are plenty of selfish motives for not doing those things. But proof of my love for my neighbor is to be found in my actions on behalf of him, for him, for his benefit. My love is to be demonstrated toward him in seeking his good and his welfare and his safety. In fact, promoting His life. Trying to make it better, if you will. And this includes doing this for my neighbor, my enemy, and especially my enemy. We know, of course, that this is easy to demonstrate to our family members or to our friends or to our pleasant neighbors, those whom we get along with well, but this is to be no less demonstrated for those who are annoying or those who try to take advantage of me or my enemies who try to hurt me. And the rule that I am to follow is from Matthew 7, verse 12, Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. What is the greatest and most important way to promote my neighbor's life? There's many physical ways or social ways, aren't there? But in addition to that, the greatest and the most important way to promote my neighbor's life is to tell my neighbor of the greatest message. The message of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Because love desires my neighbor's salvation. Not his condemnation and not his damnation, but his salvation. And the only way to truly promote life then is to have life eternally and abundantly. And that, beloved, is mine only in Christ Jesus. You see, the world today places a high dollar value on art. Sometimes it's staggering what people pay for images painted on canvas. The world places a high dollar value on that while destroying the greatest art of all, those created in the image of God. You see, mankind has no idea how much this treasure of life is really worth. God has placed a high value on human life created in His image and that value is seen on Mount Calvary. On the cross, God gave His very life in His only begotten Son as the price of the precious blood of Jesus was shed to pay the redemption price for His people. And God the Holy Spirit sanctifies His people into perfection for eternal glory. Jesus Christ gave His life for those who deserve death. Even for those who had taken the life of others. How beautiful. Even for we who are murderers. What is life in Jesus Christ? It is the salvation of your soul and body and nothing less. But whoever places a higher value on this life than on life in Christ will lose their soul. Jesus said, for whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Beloved, God is the author of life. He is the source of life. To live apart from God is death, but to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, by grace through faith, is true value. It's sweet communion. What is the true cost of living? The blood of Jesus Christ. What is the true value of life? Eternal glory. Amen. Shall we pray? Dear Heavenly Father, as we bow before You again, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your Word preached. We thank You that You care for us enough to continue to give us, to feed us with Your Holy Word. And may it be that you would feed us until we are never more in want on that day when we join you in your heavenly courts. We confess, Lord, that sometimes your word is difficult, even as we consider the commandments of our God. Difficult for us to accept, difficult for us to confess, yes, that is me. But we thank you, Lord, for the truth of your word, for the convicting nature of your word through your Holy Spirit. And therefore, too, for the new light that you give to your people in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the confidence and the assurance that we may have that all of our sins are forgiven us in Jesus Christ. Strengthen us, O Lord, in faith, in hope, in love. Increase, O Lord, our living before you in a way that pleases you. Coram Deo. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.