不可杀人 You Shall Not Murder
出埃及记 Exo 20:13
Remember these points
I put these points at the top of my sermon-prep template to remind myself every week:
- Show that main point of passage relates to Jesus and his saving work
- (1 Cor 1:18) A truly gospel-centred message will not be acceptable in a synagogue or mosque
- Did I proclaim the gospel as the headline news of the sermon, rather than as a “by the way…”?
- Unbelievers are called to repent, believe, and be saved
- Believers are encouraged to abandon their old self, renew their minds, put on the new self in Christ
- Preach simple sermons, so that God’s people can see Christ more clearly and love him more dearly
News
Hook
Of the ten Commandments, which one do most everyone agree with?
This is the commemorative plague at the Poly, listing the names of the 14 women killed.
Just a week or so ago, it was the 35th anniversary of the massacre.
The 14 lights on Mont Royal during the 25th anniversary of the massacre.
Passage
In Hebrew, it’s just 2 words: No Killing
In this passage (Gen 4:1–16) about the first murder (Cain killing his brother Abel),
“brother” appeared 7x. This is to emphasise that any killing is against a brother (or sister).
“Blood” is plural. There’s an understanding that when we kill, we’re not only shedding the blood of the person killed,
but also the blood of all the potential children that the victim might have.
We’re robbing God of all these potential representatives, robbing God of the glory and praise that are due him.
Life is given by God, and is precious.
Only God can give life or take a life.
When we hurt God’s representative, we’re also hurting God.
Jesus not only upheld the sixth commandment, but he made it far more stringent (严格).
Summary:
“When his teenaged son Christopher, brain-damaged in an auto accident, developed a 106-degree (41 C) fever following weeks of unconsciousness, John Campbell asked the attending physician for help. The doctor’s response: Why bother? 何必呢？The boy’s life was effectively over. Campbell refused to accept this death sentence. He threatened legal action and the doctor finally relented. With treatment, Christopher’s temperature subsided almost immediately. Soon he regained consciousness and today he is learning to walk again.” “This story is one of many Wesley J. Smith recounts in Culture of Death.” “In this deeply felt but coolly argued book, he goes behind the scenes of our health care system to show how a new, self-proclaimed elite of “bioethicists” threaten patient welfare by undermining the Hippocratic Oath.”–Jacket.
She was only 29 years old, physically healthy.
She does suffer from mental illness.
Canada has already approved medically-assisted death,
and just last week or so, UK also passed a similar law.
We want to be God! We take killing so lightly.
与我有什么关系? So What?
- Life is given by God, and is very precious.
- We have life in order to bring glory to God,
so we can’t just murder someone. - When we murder, we’re trying to be God.
We deprive God of potential praise and worship because that person is dead. - Have you been angry at someone without cause? (Matt 5:22)
Have you insulted someone for no good reason?