Ten - Part 7 [Notes]

July 14th, 2024

The Ten Commandments are probably the best-known list of "rules" ever recorded, but there is so much more to these commands than meets the eye; they provide a framework for understanding who God is and what it means to be a holy nation. Join us for "Ten," and together, we will discover just how amazing the gift of the Ten Commandments is!

Takeaway: Murder starts in the heart.

Thou shalt not kill.
– Exodus 20:13 (KJV)

Do not murder.
– Exodus 20:13 (CSV)

Every living creature will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.
– Genesis 9:3 (HCSB)

Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image
– Genesis 9:6 (HCSB)

Murder: the unlawful, premeditated killing of one human being by another.
– Oxford Languages

…murder [is] the unlawful killing of a human being with malice.
– U.S. Department of Justice

“Murder” is the correct rendering since the underlying Hebrew (ratsach, sometimes translated “kill”) did not include killing in self-defense, wars ordered by Yahweh, capital punishment following due process of law, or accidental manslaughter.
– C. Blomberg

“Both war and the death penalty are vexed questions which have always perplexed sensitive Christian consciences. And there have always been Christians on both sides of both fences. What needs always to be asserted by Christians in these debates is that, if the concept of the ‘just war’ is tenable and if the retention of the death penalty is justifiable, the reason is not because human life is ever cheap and readily disposable but the very opposite, namely that it is precious as the life of creatures made in God’s image.
– J.R. Stott

Murder starts in the heart.

“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.
– Matthew 5:21-22

Jesus illustrates his point that not just murder but also anger is sinful in two additional, parallel ways. First, he considers those who accost their fellow believers with the epithet “Raca” (a quasi-swear word in Aramaic). The expression probably meant something like empty-headed. So too those who call someone a “fool” commit a sin. This word (mōros) carries overtones of immorality and godlessness as well as idiocy.
– B.M. Newman

Because the root of human killing lies in the human heart, because every insignificant insult leveled at another person “dispatches” (i.e., kills) that person, there is also a judgment—namely, God’s judgment—for things that for human courts are too insignificant.
– U. Luz

A strong feeling that makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or unkind that has happened.
– Cambridge Dictionary

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.
– 1 John 4:20-21 (HCSB)

Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the Devil an opportunity.
– Ephesians 4:26-27 (HCSB)

Be angry and do not sin; on your bed, reflect in your heart and be still.
– Psalm 4:4 (HCSB)

All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.
– Ephesians 4:31-32 (HCSB)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.
– Galatians 5:19-25 (HCSB)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
– 1 John 3:15 (HCSB)

Discussion Questions //

What are some things that make you angry? How was anger expressed in your home when you were growing up? Do you think it was expressed in a healthy way? Explain your answer.
Read Matthew 5:21-22 and 1 John 3:15.
Not all anger is bad. Even Jesus, who was without sin, became angry. What do you think is the difference between “good anger” and “bad” anger?”
Read Proverbs 25:21, Proverbs 10:12 and Proverbs 15:1-2. What are some ways we can overcome anger with kindness?
Read Galatians 5:19-26. What insights can you glean from these verses about how to overcome inappropriate anger in our lives?

Worship Setlist //

Take You at Your Word // Same God // Another in the Fire // Gratitude

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