No apology

After a couple of drafts and one or two challenges and suggestions from friends, here's how I began my sermon on "You shall not murder" today:

(The real thing may have differed a bit from these notes. The whole sermon should appear on our church website this week d.v.)

I'm going to say some difficult and controversial things today.

I know that.

I don't mean to be nasty or to over simplify or generalise or exaggerate.

You might not agree with everything I say.

You may not always understand quite where I’m coming from or what I'm getting at sometimes.

That's okay.

I'm just trying to say what I reckon the Bible says or implies about some very important and very topical subjects.

Please do feel free to come and put me right at the end.

Or ask me any question.

And if you're a guest or a visitor, it’s not quite like this every week.

Why not come back another time and give us another go?!

So, my text today is this:

The 6^th of the 10 Commandments:

God said: "You shall not murder."

This is a very short command: “No murder” with very deep and wide ranging implications.

If there’s were time, I'd deal with war, capital punishment, abortion, suicide, euthanasia, assisted-suicide, self-harm, character assassinations, keep-fit, food, drink, drugs, health and safety and the environment and a few other things beside.

Many of us will have been personally affected by these things.

Perhaps you’re struggling with one of them at the moment.

I’m not trying to make your grief or trauma worse but to bring God’s loving, holy word to bare on some of the darkest places of life today.

If you’d like to talk or pray with someone about any of the issues raised today, we can arrange that: come and have a word with me, or the vicar, or our pastoral worker.

Murderous judgements

Abortion is a suicidal frenzy. The wrath of God is coming against it. But abortion itself is also a judgement of God. Is that not obvious? How could it be otherwise? These people are so mad that they will murder their own babies and God will let them do it. He will give them over to it. They must be under the judgement of God. (See Romans 1).

Murder

In addition to being a murder, a murder is always:

(1) A suicide - since we kill our humanity in killing others

(2) Regicide - since human beings are to be Rulers of creation

(3) Deicide - since human beings are made in the image of God

Murder is very bad and very silly.

No murder

Murder is unlawful killing - killing that is not authorised by God, that is contrary to his law.

Some forms of killing are good - the execution of some criminals by the state, for example.

The murder of the unborn child. Life begins at conception. The Bible proves that in the womb a child can be a believer in covenant relationship with God. We should work on the assumption that the children of believers are believers.

Some facts and statistics. You can see their heartbeat and little fingers. Many women have abortions, some have multiple abortions. Many babies are murdered in this way. God will not hold us guiltless.

Abortion has been introduced by stealth. We have a system of abortion on demand.

My wife was more or less offered an abortion when she went to the GP to say she was pregnant with our son: "what do you want to do now / do you want to have the baby?"

Viable babies are aborted.

Disabled people are not worthless and better off dead.

Rape is awful but two wrongs don't make a right.

Abortion is not the woman's right to choose. What about the Father? What about the child? What about God? Society? etc.

Some so called feminist Christians celebrate abortion as the liberation of women. Better for them to have a mill-stone strapped to them and to be thrown into the depths of the sea.

Abortion is a gross sin and a terrible crime which should be illegal.

Abortion is not some kind of unforgivable sin. God is rich rich rich in mercy.

Christians must stand against abortion, loving mothers and babies. They should provide information and help including adoption e.g. for children born as a result of fathers raping their daughters.

The only circumstance in which an abortion is acceptable is if the mother's life is at risk. Even then it is not required.

No suicide. God is the Lord of Life. He gives and he takes away. Blessed be his name.

No character assasinations.

We often murder people in our hearts.

Repentance is a kind of lawful death to self. For the murdered and the murderer there is the hope or terror of resurrection.

Jesus was murdered but he rose again and is the Lord of Life and death.