Thou shalt not kill. The Sixth Commandment. If you took a poll over what is the biggest commandment that you could break in the Ten Commandments, I believe most would think of the Sixth Commandment. Killing somebody. After all, killing somebody, it's over for them. If you lie, there's not as much consequence. If you steal something, perhaps there's not as much consequence, but to kill somebody. Here's what most people hear in that commandment, thou shalt not murder. That's what we think. Thou shalt not murder. And what a terrible thing It is to murder someone. You do something to them and they're no longer breathing. They're dead. They're gone. All they ever might've had is over. You've killed them. You've had no regard for their life. What a horrible, evil sin. And I dare say that most, if not all of us, have not been guilty of the sin of physical murder. Maybe some of you have, I hope not, but that's probably a commandment most people would think, well, I've kept that one. I've never murdered anybody. I've never taken a human life. Thou shalt not kill, amen to that. Psalm 119, 96, the psalmist said, I've seen an end of all perfection. but thy commandment is exceeding broad. And oh, how broad this commandment is. We can't even comprehend all that this means. Thou shalt not kill. It's wider and deeper than that which we think in seeing its end. Paul said in Romans 7, verse 14, with regard to the law, he said, we know that the law is spiritual. That commandment, along with all the other commandments, is spiritual. And what did Paul say about himself? I am carnal. I am fleshly. I am sinful to this extent, Paul said. And Paul was speaking as a believer. I'm sold under sin. You know, the law is so spiritual that if you break one commandment, you've broken all of them, according to James. Before any of us think, I've never murdered anybody. You murdered the son of God. Somebody says, no, I didn't. I wasn't even there. Yeah, but you would have. That's what God looks at. You would have. And when Peter said on the day of Pentecost, him being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and with wicked hands have crucified and slain, me and you are in that group. God looks at the heart. He knows what we would do. apart from his restraining grace. And as far as that goes, thou shalt not kill was never limited to physical murder in the first place. 1 John 3, 17 says, whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. To hate is to be guilty of the sin of Now, I suppose that these people thought, well, I'm okay here. I've not murdered. You've heard that it was said by them of old time. And the Lord quotes a scripture. This wasn't just something men said. This is what God said from the scripture. He said, you've heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, I love when he says that. He says, I'm the lawgiver, and I'm the only one who can tell you what it means. I say unto you, whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Whosoever shall say to his brother, rake it, shall be in danger of the council. But whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be in danger of judgment. Angry without a cause. Racism, prejudice, bigotry is anger without a cause. Take it farther, to not love your neighbor as yourself is to hate your neighbor in God's sight. It's to have no regard for your neighbor's life. It's to murder your neighbor. This is the exceeding broadness of the law that's spiritual, to be angry without a cause, without a just reason, to be envious and wish you had what they had, or wish you were in their position, to be jealous, to resent him because he has what you want to have and you don't have, coveting what is his, to wish him ill, to want to have it better than him. to wish his situation was your situation. And having no regard for what takes place with him is to murder in God's eyes. Anybody guilty? Whosoever shall say to his brother, Rakeh, vain, worthless, stupid. This is more against his intellect than his character. He's shallow. There's nothing to that idiot. Whoever says that is a murderer. When you say that, you feel yourself to be superior. You feel yourself to be better than that person. You're looking down upon them Having no regard for their life. That person's nothing more than a vain, shallow, worthless zero. God says that is murder. That's having no regard for the life of your brother. Isn't that what murder is? Having no regard for life. And look what he says. But whosoever says, say thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. Don't miss that word hellfire. There is a place called hell. And the Lord Jesus spoke much more of it than anyone else in the scripture. I suppose that's because he's the only one who really knew what it was. You know, Paul never even used the word in his writings. He thought it was so terrible he couldn't even use the word, but the Lord speaks of it. And he says that person who calls his brother a fool is in danger of Hellfire. Now, this is vilifying him. You are morally worthless. You're wretched. You're a moron. Once again, this statement comes from one who believes himself to be superior. I'm better than that. Anybody guilty? If the truth were told, we would all be convicted serial killers, wouldn't we? If that's what murder is. Verse 23 expands this thought even more. Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remembers that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. If your brother has something against you, if you've treated him as a fool or as an idiot, you've murdered him and he's got something against you. When you bring your gift to the altar and supposedly you're ready to worship and you remember your brother's got something against you, not that you've got against him, but he's got something against you. Leave your gift. Go first. Be reconciled to your brother. Humble yourself to your brother. Apologize to your brother for what you've done. Don't even think of giving that gift until you're first reconciled to your brother. To not do so is to murder him. That's part of the context. If someone is thinking, well, I tried to do that, but they still held me off, well, you certainly Did what you should have done, but do not think they're wrong for not forgiving me. I've asked for forgiveness. That's the wrong spirit. If they're Christians, it seems like it's their duty to forgive me. Why won't they forgive me? What kind of attitude is that? It's a rotten attitude. It's an ungodly attitude. It's the wrong, you don't, that's completely contrary to what my attitude Ought to be, as far as that goes, the scripture says a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Ask the Lord to enable him to forgive you, but don't think you're entitled to it. You're the one that initiated the problem. He says, if your brother has something against you, leave your gift at the altar, go and first get that taken care of. And then you come and offer your gift. Verse 25, this is still part of this against murder. Agree with an adversary, the one who's prosecuting you, the lawyer. He says you're guilty of murder. Your hands are red with the blood of killing others. And you're being charged with that. You know what you're to do? Agree. Agree with what God says. Agree with what God says in his word. You know, this is actually the only time this word is used in the scripture, this particular word agree. It means be well disposed. Be pleased with what he said. Now we're going to get back to what that means in a minute. But when this prosecutor comes your way with these accusations, you're a murderer. You're guilty of murder. Agree. Take sides with God against yourself. That's what repentance is. Take sides with God. He's right. I'm wrong. Agree with an adversary and do so quickly. Do it right now. Don't wait. Agree with what God says. What God says is better than anything me or you think or say or anything else. Agree with what God says. Aren't you thankful for the scriptures when we find out what God does say? And here he tells us what murder is. When that accusation is brought against me, agree and do so quickly. This is God's word. Whilst thou art in the way with him, on the way to court, less than any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, You say, well, I'm going to take my chance before the judge and see if I can get out of this. What's going to happen? The judge should deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the utmost farthing. Murder. Several weeks ago, I think it was a Bible study. We were talking about the Passover. I love the Passover where if you were in a house with the blood over the door, God said, I will pass over you. And I brought up this example. What if someone that very single day had committed cold blooded premeditated murder. What a horrible sin. What an evil sin. What a wicked sin. Now, if he was in the house with the blood over the door, did God come over that house and say, well, I can't forgive that. That's cold blooded murder. That's too bad. I'm going to get him anyway. No, he didn't say that. That person in the house with the blood over the door was completely safe. God said, when I pass, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And I remember after the lesson. I think, well, that sounds drastic. And I realized people could, all the different things people could get out of that. But Tom Shuler said to me, and it really hit me. He said, you know, everybody in the house that murdered that very day. And if you understand what murder is, you realize you murdered that very day. There was nothing but murderers in that house with the blood over the door. Every single one of them that very day with blood on their hands. And God said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you." Now that's the gospel. One thing God was looking for, not your intention to not murder anybody else anymore, not your sincerity, not anything in you. One thing he was looking for, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Agree with an adversary quickly. Don't wait. Don't wait till you feel it more. Just agree with what God says. That's the best thing I can say to you. Believe what God says and do so quickly. Now we know that what's thing so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world stand guilty before God. Let's just talk about this one sin, murder. Have you ever murdered somebody's character? By slander? Even by the expression on your face? You were letting everybody know what you really thought of that person. By innuendo? By silence when you should have spoken? Murder. Everybody in this room is guilty of murder. Agree with what God says. Take sides with God against yourself. This word agree, it's the only time this word is used in the scriptures. And it means be well disposed, rejoicing this. You don't agree simply because you don't have anywhere else to go. You submit because you have no choice. You have to, you've been caught and you have to, this is not talking about that. This is talking about complete agreement, joyous agreement, well-disposed agreement. Agree with your adversary quickly. Agree with his condemnation quickly. Well-disposed, happy with. Now how can that be? How can I have the prosecuting attorney have this accusation against me that's going to bring me before the judge. I'm going to be found guilty. I know I've done it. I'm going to sell out of court. I'm not going to go to the judge. I know I'll be found guilty. Now, when I hear this accusation, how can I agree with it and be well disposed to it and be even happy with it? And that's what the word means. You can look it up yourself. Happy with it. Well disposed. How can I agree with that? First Timothy chapter one, verse 15, my favorite verse of scripture. I'll quote it to you. You can look it up if you want it. My favorite verse of scripture. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, to save murderers. I am well disposed with how God saves murderers. If I am a murderer, as he describes, and I agree I am, That means he came to save me. Now, chew on that a moment. If you are a murderer, guilty as charged before God of murder, he came to save you. Now, if you're not guilty, you don't have any assurance that he did come to save you. You're a murderer, someone who's disregarded the lives of others, someone who's treated others unfairly, on and on, what God says murderer is. And if you see that about yourself, guilty as charged, he came to save you. And I'm certainly well disposed with how murderers are saved. Here's an example, and we touched on this Sunday. David was a murderer. And I'm not talking about even murdering somebody's character, the way we've all done it. I'm talking about somebody who literally murdered people, killed them, put them to death. You know what he did to Uriah? Comes in, he tries to get him to go in with Bathsheba so he can cover his own sin. Uriah's such a faithful man, he won't do it. So he gives Uriah a letter. It was his own death sentence. And he knew Uriah was so faithful that he would never open that letter. This is how, you know, he was one of the 300 mighty men. And he trusted Uriah to not open that letter that had his own death sentence in it. And Uriah comes to Joab and hands him the letter. And the letter said, put Joab in a place where you know he'll get killed, right at the wall, where people will shoot him with arrows or throw things on him, kill him, and then move away. And so not only did David make this command, he implicated Joab in it. And as a matter of fact, when we read what took place, Uriah wasn't the only one who was killed in that event. Many others were killed. What a murderer. Somebody says, could a believer do something like that? Was David a believer? You know he was. You know, when we ask questions like that, I have to conclude, you must not have ever read the Bible if you ask that, because you couldn't get that from the Bible. And as far as that goes, you don't have much of an understanding of the treachery of your own heart if you believe that. The heart is deceitful above all things, desperately, incurably wicked. That's my heart, that's your heart. Yes, a believer can do something like that. Now, agree with an adversary quickly. I am well disposed with, I'm pleased with, I'm in agreement with God's way of saving murderers. With God's way of saving sinners. Let me give you this scripture. Revelation chapter 13, verse eight, you probably know it, I quote it so often. Christ is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now I want you to think about that. Before the universe was created, before there was time, when all there was was God and the three persons of the blessed Trinity, Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And the only way a murderer like David could be saved is if his sin had already been put away before time began. And he had never been viewed independently of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And of course, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world had to come in time to be slain. But not only was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, he was the lamb raised from the foundation of the world. And he had to come in time and be raised from the dead. He actually died for murderers. Those sins were placed upon him. God's wrath killed him. He satisfied God. God raised him from the dead. And now this is how a murderer is saved. Did you know the only way you can really understand the Bible, the whole message of scripture, is in light of Revelation chapter 13, verse eight. The whole Bible is interpreted with that verse. As far as that goes, the only way you understand history is in light of Christ being the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That's God's eternal purpose. Always has been. And somebody like David, because of that, he can be saved because of the blood of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You see, if you're ever viewed as guilty, God won't save you. He said, I will by no means clear the guilty. What would you think of a judge who someone had committed premeditated cold blood murder, and they said, well, I'm a forgiving judge. Go back out into society. I'll forgive you. I'm a merciful judge. I'm a loving judge. Go back out. That would be an unjust judge. That would be a wicked judge. God is an absolutely just judge and he made the way to be just and justify an ungodly murderer like David or me or you. I'm well disposed with his way of salvation. Now, I'm well disposed I agree with, I love, I'm pleased with, electing grace. Now how's a sinner like David or me or you gonna be saved? One way. God must choose to save you. And that choice was made before the foundation of the world. And thank God that choice didn't have anything to do with any goodness or merit in me. That choice was holy because God willed to do it. Unconditional election is not a scriptural word, the word unconditional, but the concept certainly is for the children being not yet born. neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. Not of works. That's God's purpose. That salvation might not be according to your works and you wouldn't be rewarded according to your personal works, but of him that calleth. And I'm so well disposed to Christ agreeing to be my surety before time began and that eternal election of God and coming to this planet and taking upon himself flesh. And he never murdered anybody. He never thought ill of anybody. He never murdered. He lived a perfect, holy, righteous life. It wasn't even in his mind or in his thought or in his heart. He obeyed God's law perfectly. And when he went to the cross, there's a reason he went. My murders. My sins became his. He took them in his own body on the tree, and he bore the filth of my sin. He never sinned. He remained holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, even when he was made sin. But he bore my sin in his own body on the tree. And through that, you know what happened to my murder? I never did it. I stand before God as one who has never sinned. Now I'm well disposed with that, aren't you? I'm well disposed with the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God on Calvary's tree when he took full responsibility for my salvation. He kept the law for me. He put away my sin. I'm well disposed to that. I agree with that. Say, do you agree with that? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. It's what God did. And you know, I'm well disposed to the work of God the Holy Spirit in the new birth. You see, I know that by nature I'm dead in sins. I won't believe, I won't repent, I won't love, I won't, I'm dead. And God the Holy Spirit comes in time and births me and gives me spiritual life. And it's only when I have spiritual life that I can really see what I've been guilty of. You don't really understand sin until you're born again. When you're born again, born from above, born of God, you'll have some inkling of your own sinfulness, but you are so well disposed of what the adversary has to say. I do. I agree with God's work in salvation. I love God's work in salvation. We agree with our adversary quickly because the only hope a murderer has is that the salvation of the murderer is of the Lord. And we agree, and we do so quickly. Let's pray. Lord, we're to some small measure aware of our disregard for the lives of others, how we've killed people by slander, innuendo, anger without a cause, envy, jealousy, covetousness. Lord, we're aware that this describes us, but Lord, we agree with your description of us. And Lord, we so agree with your way of saving sinners. Deliver us from our own thoughts and our own understanding. Lord, we confess the sin of killing. How thankful we are that the law exposes what we are and doesn't give us any hope, but in what your son has done. We have nowhere else to look. We have nowhere else to turn. but to thy blessed son, and we give thanks for the salvation that's in him. Bless this word for your glory and for our good. In Christ's name we pray, amen.