Please take your Bibles and let's turn together to Exodus chapter 20. We're going to be in several passages today. But of course, as we continue our study of the Ten Commandments, we begin in Exodus chapter 20, verse 13, as we look at the Sixth Commandment. Exodus 20, verse 13, the Sixth Commandment says, you shall not murder. You shall not murder. This is in the form of a prohibition, something that is not to be done. However, as we saw last week, when a prohibition is given, something is affirmed. And so we see this in other of the Ten Commandments as well. For example, consider not only the Sixth Commandment, but the Seventh and Eighth Commandment. In the seventh commandment it says, you shall not commit adultery. What is affirmed there? Well, the sanctity of marriage is affirmed by that prohibition. The sanctity of the sexual union within marriage is affirmed by that prohibition. God has created and defined marriage. He has created and defined the sexual union which is good and holy within the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman. Marriage and the sexual union within marriage is sacred, it's holy. Therefore, the prohibition, do not commit adultery. We see this in the eighth commandment, in verse 15, you shall not steal. You shall not steal. What is affirmed by that prohibition? Well, the sanctity of work, the sanctity of labor, and the right to personal property. God created and commanded labor in the beginning in the Garden of Eden. And when we labor and obtain property and wealth in the ways that are in accordance with the commandments of God, we have the right to that property and wealth. Work is sacred. Labor is sacred. And the possession of property is not unholy, but holy. Therefore, the prohibition, you shall not steal. And so we see this in the sixth commandment. You shall not commit murder, in verse 13. Here we see the sanctity of human life. Human beings are made in the image of God, therefore human life is sacred. Therefore you shall not murder. And so in these commandments, prohibiting something, we also see that it affirms something that is holy and sacred. Now last week I introduced the sixth commandment and we saw that it affirms the sanctity of human life. Human life is to be highly valued. Why is human life to be highly valued? The answer goes back to the beginning, to creation. Because, remember, the moral law of God is rooted in creation itself. Man was made in God's image as the crowning glory of his creation. Genesis 1 verse 27, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. Genesis 2 verse 7, then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. or as one translation says, a living soul. So this is the reason for the sanctity of human life. And therefore, we are to seek to preserve human life, not destroy it. Positively stated, we should seek to love others and do them good, not injure them or harm them, and certainly not murder them. Now I want to read to you as I've done here and there along the way the Westminster Larger Catechism of what an explanation of what this commandment requires and what it forbids. And I'm going to read it in more modern English and as I read this Westminster Larger Catechism, I want you to keep these rules of interpreting the Ten Commandments in mind. First of all, remember that these commandments are a summary of the moral law. It's a summary of the moral law. It's not exhaustive. And there are categories spoken of here. So when there's a prohibition, all sins in the same category are also prohibited. And when there is a duty required or commanded that all related duties are required. As Philip Graham Rikens said in his book on the 10 commandments, this is what is called the inside outside rule as well. Keep this in mind. He said the 10 commandments are internal as well as external. They demand inward integrity as well as outward conformity. So according to an old Puritan proverb, man's law binds the hands only, God's law binds the heart. And so as I read the Westminster Larger Catechism of what duties are required by the Six Commandments and what sins are forbidden, Keep those things in mind. This is not a stretch of the Sixth Commandment. This is then saying with these rules of interpretations of categories and the inside-outside rule that it's referring to a whole category of things. So the catechism asks this question, question 135. What are the duties required in the Sixth Commandment? Listen carefully. The duties required in the sixth commandment are all manner of careful efforts and lawful endeavors to preserve the life of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices which tend to the unjust taking of anyone's life. This includes the following, the just defense of lives against violence. Patiently bearing the hand of God with quietness of mind and cheerfulness of spirit. Now I'm gonna come back to that probably next week because you might say, where does that fit into the sixth commandment? Patiently bearing the hand of God with quietness of mind and cheerfulness of spirit. Just put that in the back of your minds. Here's another thing this includes. Sober use of food, drink, medicine, sleep, labor, and recreations. charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, and kindness toward others, peaceable, mild, and courteous speech and behavior, forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and returning good for evil, and comforting and supporting the distressed and protecting and defending the innocent. So again, you see that it's not just not doing something, but it affirms something. And because this is rooted in creation, the sanctity of human life, then we're to do good to those who are made in the image of God. And this is very all-inclusive. This includes how we handle conflict, what we think about people, what we say about people, how we resolve conflict, the readiness to be reconciled. all this flowing from this commandment. But then question 136 asks, what are the sins forbidden in the Sixth Commandment? The sins forbidden in the Sixth Commandment are the following. All taking away of the life of ourselves or of others, except in cases of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense. neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of the preservation of life. So these are ways in which, or things that are forbidden, forbidden by the sixth commandment. Sinful anger, hatred, envy, and desire for revenge, all excessive passions and distracting cares, immoderate Use of food, drink, labor, and recreation. So excessive or intemperate use of food, drink, labor, and recreations. It also forbids, it says, provoking words, oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding, and whatever else tends to the destruction of the life of anyone. So you see again the breadth of the commandment. This is a summation of the moral law of God. So in this prohibition, you shall not murder, it forbids certain things, not just murder, the taking of life, but then all those things that would be in that category, things that would lead up to it, like hatred, anger, things that would be harmful to another person, like speaking against them. All this is under the category of the sixth commandment. The Puritan Thomas Watson in his work on the Ten Commandments wrote this, two things are understood here by the Sixth Commandment, not injuring another and not harming ourselves. So that puts it pretty simply, doesn't it? Not injuring another and not harming ourselves. Do not injure or harm others or ourselves, whether that be by physical murder or by some other means which may fall short of murder but sometimes leads to murder. So we may injure or harm ourselves and others in any number of ways. We must not injure or harm a person's body. That would be physical murder in the ultimate sense would be to harm someone to the point of death. So this would be a prohibition against injuring or harming another person's body. But more than that, we could even say this, we must not injure or harm another person's soul and do spiritual harm and destruction to a person. We might harm or injure a person by being a stumbling block or leading them astray in some way. And this would fall under the purview of the Sixth Commandment as well, as we'll see in the weeks to come. But we must also not injure or harm another person's name or reputation. Lying about someone, gossiping, slandering them. All these things fall under the category of the Sixth Commandment. So we must not injure them or harm them, we could say it this way, with our hands, in our hearts, or in our thoughts, or with our words. So you see the sixth commandment is you shall not murder, referring to physical harm, but it categorically refers to all kinds of injury or harm that might be done to someone. Now, you might ask, where do I get that in scripture? Because week after week, it seems often I've been explaining these commandments and saying, you can't just take, you shall not murder, that's only referring to physical murder. And some might say you're getting much more out of these commandments than you're meant to get. Let me show you why I say the Puritans were right. The Westminster Divines were right when they wrote the Westminster Larger Catechism. It comes from scripture. Let me give you some examples. Why do I broaden it beyond just the literal taking of human life, murdering someone? Well, Matthew chapter 5, verses 21 and 22. The Sermon on the Mount. The Lord Jesus himself said, you have heard that the ancients were told you shall not commit murder. Sound familiar? Sixth Commandment. And whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. So Jesus says it's not just referring to physical murder, but also to anger. which sometimes leads to injuring and harming someone in various ways, and sometimes even by physical murder. And then he says, and whoever says to his brother, you good for nothing, shall be guilty before the Supreme Court. And whoever says you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. So notice Jesus is saying here that anger is sin. It's not just do not murder, But anger, which is a precursor to murder, is sin. And he says you're guilty if you're angry with your brother. Or if you say certain things, you good for nothing, fool. So now he's saying your words violate this commandment. So we do not want to be like the religious hypocrites of Jesus' day who thought that they were more righteous than they really were because they held only to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law. So Jesus tells us this commandment is more than just physical murder. But the apostle John said so as well. 1 John 3 verse 15. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. Now where did the Apostle John get that from? Can you find any verse in the Old Testament that explicitly says that if you hate someone, you're a murderer? He gets it from the sixth commandment. And so it's very clear that if you hate someone, that is what we would call heart murder. Or take the book of James, James chapter four, verse two. James wrote this to the church, you lust and do not have, that is you have these covetous desires and you can't get what you want, so he says, so you commit murder. You're envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. As I've said often before, I really don't think that the Christians that James was writing to were actually physically murdering one another. For that would even call into question their salvation. There would be issues beyond just saying, hey, what's the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? No. He says you're covetous, you're desiring things, you don't get what you want, so you murder. What kind of murder was he talking about? Well, he just wrote in James 3 v. 9, with the tongue, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, with our tongues, we curse men who have been made in the image of God. See, He's bringing out. He didn't have to say it explicitly. I'm talking about Genesis 1.26. He wouldn't have talked about it in those terms, but you know what I mean. He's not having to say, I'm tying this to that commandment. No, it's rooted in creation. Men are made in the likeness of God. And when you bless God on the one hand, but with a forked tongue, you curse men made in the image of God, you sin. And the root of it is the sanctity of human life. So sins of the tongue violate this. And so how are they murdering one another in their quarrels and their conflicts and their covetousness? Probably not physical murder, but in this case with their tongues, word murder. And then in James 4, Verse 11, he says, Do not speak against one another, brethren, for he who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but the law, doer of the law, but a judge of it. So what is James here assuming here? He's assuming that when you speak against, when you use your words to harm, to injure your brother, you violated the law. What law? Well, of course, the law of love, but more specifically, the sixth commandment. And so you see here that we can't just read The sixth commandment, you shall not murder, and say, see, physical murder is all that it's talking about. When you extrapolate that out, when you read other scriptures, when you compare scripture with scripture, the understanding of these commandments here is summation of the moral law of God, there are categories, and the things that are prohibited, there are categories of other things prohibited, when things are commanded and required, everything in that category is required. And so we need to look at these commandments in a broader sense. And so let me give you four categories of ways that we harm or injure others, and sometimes ourselves, which would fall under this commandment, you shall not murder. Four categories. First, there's physical murder. And we know what that means. But there's also soul murder. There are ways that we do even far more injury to a person than physical murder when there is what we'll call soul murder. And then there's heart murder, and also word murder. So when you read the Sixth Commandment, we need to think of it in, just think of these four categories. There's physical murder, but there's soul murder, there's heart murder, and there's word murder. What is physical murder? Well, the unlawful killing of human life. And we considered that some last week, we'll consider it some more today. But then there's also soul murder. That which does harm or injury to the soul, does spiritual harm, and even destroys the soul and brings eternal death. In 2 Peter 2, verse 1. Peter writes, but false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false prophets among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies. Destructive heresies. Here is a form of murder where they introduce heresy that is destructive to the soul. And this can lead to the worst kind of death. eternal death in hell. But then there's heart murder. As I said, 1 John 3 verse 15, everyone who hates his brother, this is a heart issue, he hates his brother, is a murderer. But then there's word murder. Proverbs 18 verse 21 says, death and life are in the power of the tongue. The tongue can do some very deadly things, say some very deadly things. And death is in the power of the tongue to do great destruction. That's why Proverbs 12 verse 18 says, there is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword. And when we get to this particular type of murder in the weeks to come, word murder, we need to see it for what it is. They say, oh, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. No, it's like the thrust of a sword. It can be as destructive as the thrust of a sword. And that's why Jesus said, whoever says, these are words, you good for nothing, whoever says, you fool, shall be guilty. Guilty. So there is word murder. And so in understanding that this commandment broadly refers to harm and injury of various kinds, we should think in these terms, physical murder, soul murder, heart murder, word murder. And we must not injure or harm others in these ways. And there's also application to ourselves that we'll see in the weeks to come. We must not harm or injure ourselves. We can actually, obviously there's physical murder, we call it suicide, self-murder, but there are things you can do that are a type of soul murder that will be to your spiritual detriment. So all of these are forbidden by the sixth commandment and we will consider them all over the weeks to come. But this morning we want to drill down a little bit concerning physical murder. We want to drill down and understand that a little bit more. Before we go to soul murder, heart murder, word murder, we need to just continue to understand some things in the scriptures regarding physical murder. Now, we understand that premeditated murder is sin. Our laws call it first degree murder. We also understand that even if it is not premeditated, it can still be murder. A person may not be planning to murder someone, but he does so in a flash of anger, in an escalation of a circumstance. This is what we call a crime of passion, and it would fall under what our laws consider to be second-degree murder. But there are other ways in which we can be guilty of murder, physical murder. A person may plot a murder but never carry it out himself but involve others. And yet it's murder, physical murder. He may never lay hands on someone. But by means of his plot, he's guilty of murder. Remember in 1 Kings, wicked Jezebel, out of greed for Naboth's vineyards, murdered him without lifting her own hand against him. How did she do so? Well, 1 Kings 21 verses 9 and 10 says this, Now she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the people, and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, You cursed God and the king. So what is that violating? Well, they're bearing false witness. That's the ninth commandment. So she is setting up a scenario, a plot, in which these two worthless wicked men would falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and cursing the king. Then, she wrote, take him out and stone him to death. Jezebel was a murderer. responsible for Naboth's death by her wicked plan, although she did not carry it out herself. Remember King David, when he murdered Uriah, although he never laid hands on Uriah. In an attempt to cover up his adultery, King David had Uriah placed on the front line of a fierce battle with the Ammonites. 2 Samuel 11, verse 15. And though killed by the sword in battle by a foreigner, God lays responsibility of Uriah's death upon David. 2 Samuel 12 verse 9, God said to David, you have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. But he never did it himself. But still, this is murder. He plotted it. He planned it out. He himself never lifted a hand against Uriah. But by means of his wicked plot, God says, you struck him down. You are guilty of murder. Sometimes the blood of others can be on our hands because we do not act to protect and preserve life when it is in our power to do so. We just read in our scripture reading of Jesus on trial before Pilate. In John 19, verse four, it says, Pilate came out again and said to them, behold, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him. He found no guilt in Jesus. Nothing that would condemn him to death. And we just read in Matthew 27 verse 24 that Pilate took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd saying, I am innocent of this man's blood. See to that yourselves. And yet he was not innocent. of the murder of Jesus, but bore some culpability for his death, for it was in his power to protect and preserve the life of an innocent person. Yet he handed him over. So no amount of washing his hands would absolve him from the guilt of being, in a sense, an accessory to murder. Remember Saul before the Damascus Road. In Acts chapter 8 verse 1, Saul was in hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death. He was culpable because he was in agreement to putting an innocent man to death, to stoning him. And so we see that there are many ways that we can be culpable of physical murder. Now last time we also saw that the sixth commandment prohibits certain kinds of killing of human beings, but it does not prohibit all forms of killing in every circumstance. So we talked about how the commandment, you shall not murder, doesn't mean you shall not kill. Kill is not the best translation as some translations would have it. There are different words in Hebrew which have to do with killing. This particular word in Exodus 20 verse 13 that is translated murder by most of your translations is a particular word. It doesn't refer to just killing. And while murder is a form of killing, not all killing is murder. So we saw last time that there are lawful and justifiable killings which are not murder. So that leads to questions like this. Well, what is murder? And what is not murder? What is prohibited by the Sixth Commandment? And we've talked about some of that. We'll talk about it more in the future. But what is not prohibited by the Sixth Commandment? Let me answer that question. Again, as we're thinking about going through this commandment, we need to think about physical murder, but also soul murder, heart murder, and word murder. So we're still in the category of physical murder. And we need to make a clarification. What is not prohibited by this commandment? Let me just address two types of killing that are actually not murder. The first one is this. The sixth commandment doesn't forbid killing in self-defense. When that is necessary to preserve one's life, or the innocent life of another. Turn to Exodus chapter 22. Exodus chapter 22. After giving the moral law of God on tablets of stone, Then we have various civil laws that then explain in these civil laws what would fall into the category of these prohibitions and what would not. So in Exodus 22, verses two and three, it says this. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be blood guiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. So what is this referring to? What is this little case here that's being referred to that is obviously in reference to killing someone and what would be permissible And no blood guiltiness, they're not guilty of murder, but in certain cases, they might be guilty of murder. So what we see here is a distinction is made between breaking in at night and breaking in during the day. And the assumption is this, that at night, a person might not be able to ascertain a person's intentions for breaking in until it's too late. The cover of darkness would make it more difficult to assess the situation. So lethal force would be permissible. However, during the day, there is at least potentially an opportunity to assess the situation and ward off a would-be thief without lethal force. In other words, killing a person in self-defense was permissible if necessary to protect and preserve your own life and the wellbeing or life of another. Now our own nation's laws wrestles with this particular issue of self-defense. When is it lawful to kill another person and when is it not lawful? When is it not permissible? If you see a person outside your home, you look through the window and he's breaking into your vehicle, is it permissible to kill him? And the obvious answer is no. If you kill someone breaking into your car, if you look out your window and they're breaking into your car and you take out your gun and you shoot them and kill them, that's not permissible. That situation would not warrant lethal force. However, if a person breaks into your home, then the imminent danger might warrant killing in self-defense. And so that's what Exodus 22 is wrestling with. The issue of you want to preserve life and there are things that people do that lethal force is not warranted. You even want to preserve the life of a thief. You just don't kill him because he's stealing something. Someone's stealing a bike in your yard. You don't kill him for that. So part of the root of that is not only an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is unjust punishment for their crime, but also the fact that we're talking about a human being. And although they're committing a crime, they're still made in the image of God. But there are those situations in which, for your own protection, preservation of your life and others, that it is permissible and would not be murder if you killed the person. So there are many complex issues regarding the matter of self-defense. We should seek other means to preserve our lives short of killing a person if possible. However, there are certain circumstances which warrant the use of deadly force to protect one's own life and the life of others. So again, the laws in our country seek to determine when deadly force is permissible and when it is not. And it's, again, a difficult area. But my purpose is simply to demonstrate that the civil law in Israel which would have been completely consistent with the moral law found here in the Sixth Commandment, did not find a person guilty of murder if under certain circumstances he killed in self-defense. The implication is that it is lawful to kill another human being in order to protect and preserve your life, the life of your family, or the life of others. So the goal in that deadly use of force is the preservation of life. And sometimes that's necessary. The perpetrator has to be killed to preserve and protect the innocent victims. And so we see here that self-defense does not constitute murder. Remember the larger Westminster Catechism, what are the duties required in the Sixth Commandment? The duties required are the lawful endeavors to preserve the life of ourselves and others, and it would include the just defense of lives against violence. But what's forbidden? Well, all taking of life of ourselves or others except, it says, in cases of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense. So the Sixth Commandment does not forbid killing in self-defense when it is necessary to preserve one's life or the innocent life of another. In fact, we should seek to preserve and protect human life. More on that in a future week. But secondly, the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit capital punishment. The sixth commandment does not prohibit capital punishment. Turn with me to Genesis chapter nine. Genesis chapter nine. Verse six. Genesis chapter nine, verse six. God says to Noah, whoever sheds man's blood, by man, his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God, he made man. Now, a little bit of context. This is after the flood. Remember what is said before God judges the world with a great flood. Back in chapter six, verse 11, now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God and the earth was filled with violence. So from the first murder in Genesis chapter 4, Cain murdering Abel, to this point in human history, hatred, physical violence, and murder had filled the earth. The earth was filled with violence. There was no regard for human life. It was not treated as sacred. Consequently, God brings a worldwide flood and saves only Noah and his family, eight people in all. And when the floodwaters receded, in the wake of such violence and disregard for human life prior to the flood, God says to Noah, whoever sheds man's blood, by his blood shall be, by man shall his blood be shed for In the image of God, he made man. Now, this is a reference to what we call the death penalty for those who commit murder or capital punishment. It's a capital crime. A man sheds another man's blood. The just punishment is this, by man shall his blood be shed. And what is the reason for that? Explicitly, for in the image of God, he made man, the sanctity of human life. So this is even before the giving of the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone in Exodus. This predates Israel's establishment as a nation and the civil law given to them. As someone has written, God instituted capital punishment as a legitimate punitive option for every state. Its institution predates Israel's birth as a nation and Moses' divinely inspired directions for its governance, eliminating the possibility that it was mandated solely for Israel. God issued guidance on capital punishment to Earth's only surviving family. God's instructions to them provided the foundation for all subsequent governments. Capital punishment is reserved for the state, not the individual. There's no place for personal revenge in the administration of this punishment. The state has responsibility as God's civil servant on earth to protect its citizens and to punish those who harm them. Capital punishment provides the state the means to apply the appropriate punishment for murder. As it says in Romans 12 verse 19, never take out your own revenge, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. So the responsibility given to the state to punish those who do evil is one means by which God takes out his vengeance upon wickedness in the world. So the root of this capital punishment is found in Genesis 9, But now turn to Romans chapter 13, where now we have even more explanation of this in Romans chapter 13. Romans 13, the Apostle Paul begins that chapter in this way. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God. Now, by the way, this is not something just recorded here. Peter, the Apostle Peter wrote something similar in 1 Peter 2, 13 to 14, when he said, submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether to a king as one in authority or to governors as those sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do right. Or Titus 3 verse 1, remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed. But here in Romans 13, it says every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Let me just remind you, in the wake of so many things that we've experienced in the world and in our country, that those who are citizens of heaven should seek to be the best citizens on earth. That should be our goal. Rather than looking for opportunities for civil disobedience, Christians should practice civil obedience. Why? because the governing authorities are ordained by God. Now I know in this particular day, 2024, maybe someone will listen to this in 2050, I don't know if it's still around, someone might listen to it, a child, a grandchild and say, remember he was talking about that in the wake of COVID. I know we've been through a lot of things and we've learned a lot of things about spheres of authority The sphere of authority of the state and the church and the family and it's clarified a lot of things for us, but we need to understand the principle remains. We are to seek to be in subjection to the governing authorities. Why? For there is no authority, verse one, except from God and those which exist are established by God. That's hard for us to swallow, but it's there. The reason why we're to be in subjection to governing authorities Four, here's the explanation, because there is no authority except from God. This emphasizes that there's no authority on the face of the earth unless it is from God. That's the source. And the next phrase just cements it even more. And those which exist are established by God. The word established here means to be assigned to a particular task, to be appointed for something, to be set apart for a particular purpose. This means that governing authorities have been designated, appointed, determined, established by God ultimately. Civil government exists because of God's wisdom and God's sovereign choice for His purposes. Robert Haldane in his commentary in Romans said this, Let Christians then, in every country, instead of joining with the enemies of its established order, be thankful for the divine ordinance of civil government, and exert themselves to maintain obedience and peace. It is of the utmost importance from them in every country to understand their duty to civil government. In this way, they will most effectually commend the gospel to the world. So look at verse two. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. And they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. Now this is a very important verse. And in particular, I'm thinking of one particular part that will help us in understanding the Ten Commandments. Here he says, whoever resists authority, the word resists means to be opposed to, to be hostile toward. He says, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. What ordinance of God? Think about it. What ordinance of God? Does anybody know? I just preached on it. The fifth commandment. Connect the dots. Remember, what is the subject of the fifth commandment? He addresses honoring parents, but the subject can be said to be that of authority. And here the Apostle Paul, I believe alluding to that is speaking of the ordinance of God. By the way, that word ordinance in the Greek is used in Acts 7 verse 53 of the Ten Commandments. He says, you who receive the law as ordained, and the word translated ordained there, it's the same word for ordinance by angels, and yet did not keep it. He's referring to the 10 commandments. So understand that what he is now referring to in this, he's saying if you resist authority, he's referring back to the ordinance of God broadly understood by this summation of the fifth commandment, that first and foundational relationship of authority and submission, which then is not just addressing that alone, but other. Relationships of authority and submission. If you resist that authority, you're resisting the very ordinance of God. I believe he's referring back to the fifth commandment. And he says, and those who oppose will receive condemnation upon themselves. Why? The governing authorities are ministers of God. Look at verses three and four. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword for nothing. For it is a minister of God, repeating it again, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. It is a minister of God. It is, the word is a diakonos. For those who are in the new member class, we're talking about the offices of elder and deacon. Here's the word sometimes used in that formal office of deacon, but generally used as a servant. Here he says, that the governing authorities are a minister, a servant of God. And so in a broad sense, we could say that all governing authorities are servants of God, whether good or evil. Ultimately, God raises up nations, kings, presidents, governors for His purposes. Think about it in history and as we have recorded in the scriptures. God raised up Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome. And God uses them as a means to accomplish his sovereign purposes. Remember Jeremiah 25 verse nine? God said, and I will send Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about. God used, and he calls him his own servant, wicked Nebuchadnezzar, proud Nebuchadnezzar. For His purposes. Why? Because God works all things after the counsel of His will. Now do not think that this absolves wicked and godless men of their responsibility and culpability before God. It does not. But we understand that God uses all governing authorities as his ministers and servants to accomplish his sovereign will. But here in Romans 13, the Apostle Paul speaks to the good purpose for which God has ordained governing authorities in this fallen world when they act rightly and righteously. So in what specific ways are the governing authorities to be ministers or servants of God? Well, they are to be servants of God to bring fear, restraint, condemnation, judgment, and wrath upon those who practice evil. And so it's very clear in verses two to four that this is the case. Verse three, for rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. So they should be a cause for fear for those who do evil. And they are called to bear the sword, it says in verse four, to be an avenger who brings wrath. So this is a good and godly purpose of governing authorities. So here we find a legitimate, indeed, a necessary function of the governing authorities for which they have been divinely ordained. They're a servant of God for the good of the people, it says in verse four, to you for good, There exists for the praise of good behavior, verse three, and the punishment of evil behavior. So the governing authorities exist to punish wickedness, to punish evil behavior. Verse two, therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation, judgment, punishment upon themselves. Why? Verse four, the governing authorities are an avenger, who brings wrath, and the one who practices evil. So it follows then that the governing authorities exist to protect people from wicked and evil men and their behavior. Government is to protect people from those who would do evil in society. Verse four, it is a minister of God to you for good. And in order to protect its citizens, what is it to do? It is to deter wicked and evil behavior. There should be fear of doing evil. Rulers are there to be a cause of fear for evil behavior. Because fear of consequences is a major deterrent against sinful and wicked behavior. That's why automatically, without even thinking about it, you step on the brake when you suddenly see a police officer on the road. It's for fear of consequences. If I'm speeding, I'm gonna get a ticket. There's fear. That's a good thing. If there's fear of breaking the law and the consequences of it. Therefore, very important, When the governing authorities allow sin to run rampant without consequences, then you see wickedness increase rather than decrease. There is a need for restraint of wickedness in society, and God's will for governing authorities is that they be a cause of fear, that there are consequences for evil, wicked behavior. And that's one of the ways that God restrains the wickedness of totally depraved human hearts is through the governing authorities. Now, what is one way that they create fear? Verse four. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword for nothing. Bear the sword, what does that mean? It means that there is a legitimate use of force to restrain and punish evil. To bear the sword. Now, in that day, that's what you do. You bear the sword. If you do this, I can use it. The governing authorities had a right to use it. And it could be lethal force. Governing authorities have the authority and power to use force when necessary. In fact, it has the responsibility to do so, the obligation to do so. This is the obvious reason why police officers carry guns and use them when necessary. So this phrase, it does not bear the sword for nothing, shows us that capital punishment is a legitimate form of punishment and deterrent against evil in society. And when capital punishment and the appropriate use of even deadly force is used, it deters evil and proclaims that human life is sacred. So you see, the Sixth Commandment does not prohibit capital punishment. In fact, I would argue that the Sixth Commandment establishes capital punishment. Going back to Genesis 9 verse 6, going back to Genesis 1 and 2, the sanctity of human life and there are those circumstances in which there are certain crimes committed that to deter it in society for the preservation of life and the protection of human beings, a capital punishment must be administered. So you see how important it is just to know what murder is and what murder is not? Just to, again, just understand what are we talking about by this commandment? Now, I want you to understand how this intersects with the preservation and protection of human life. Thomas Watson wrote this in reference to this. He says, a felon, having committed six murders, The judge may be said to be guilty of five of them because he did not execute the felon for his first offense. So now you understand, you connect the dots, you understand, oh, we were just talking about self-defense. And there are situations in which, indeed, there are lawful killings for the preservation of human life. And therefore, when that's not administered, when that's not done, there's culpability. So when the governing authorities abandon the God-given responsibility of capital punishment or the use of deadly force for the preservation of life, they are culpable when the criminal goes free. I mean, think about how relevant this is today. This all from the Sixth Commandment. Think about how we hear in the news all the time of this person committed this heinous crime, and a judge let them go, and now they commit it again. And people are just immune to that. People don't understand that, yes, the judge is culpable. The governing authorities are culpable. So what we have to understand is the governing authorities will give an account to God for how they have discharged their duties. They will answer to God. God rules all rulers. And if they do not fulfill this role, then they stand under the condemnation and judgment of God. And it will destroy society. So what do we need to do? See, this is why it's so important to understand the Ten Commandments, the moral law of God, rooted in creation. It's not up for debate about these things. This is what God has created. It's rooted in creation. And what does the church need to do? We need to understand this. Society is like a boat with no anchor, just tossed here and there by winds and a hurricane and doesn't know where to go. And we need to take the moral law of God like an anchor and say, it's got to anchor us and moor us down in the midst of such chaos. And so what does the church need to do? The church needs to bring the moral law of God to bear upon the hearts and consciences of even unbelievers and the governing authorities. The governing authorities should know what is good and what is evil. Remember the law of God is written upon the heart, but so many's consciences are seared. So what the church needs to do is say, this commandment, you shall not murder. We need to understand all the implications of it, the ways in which murder is committed and the role of the governing authorities to deter such murder by killing those who would do so. We need to preach the word. We need to preach Jesus Christ and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to pray, but we need to be salt and light. and bring the moral law of God to bear upon the consciences of the governing authorities. For so many of them do not understand this basic truth. The reason why they are in authority, the reason why there are governing authorities is because they're named by God, but not for you to just be famous or have a name for yourselves. But the role of the governing authorities is to punish those who do evil. And so we need to say to them, this is what is evil in the sight of God. And you're going to be held accountable to whether or not you enforce punishments for those things. So what do we do if the governing authorities are not doing what they're ordained to do? Well, sadly, we shouldn't be surprised. We live in a fallen world. And most of the governing authorities do not know Christ. So we use the means we have within the law to change it, but we preach and teach the gospel. We speak the truth with authority from the scriptures. And we call the governing authorities to submit to the authority who is over all, the Lord, the God Almighty. We appeal to the conscience. For the law of God is written on the heart and we call them to repentance and we pray for them. We pray for them. Brethren, that's one thing we'll do tonight when we gather together is to pray for those in authority over us. You see the depths of God's commandments. The goodness of His commandments, do you see when you begin to understand this summation of the moral law of God, and you begin to see all of what it means, and we'll see even more, that it not only convicts us of sin, and we're going to be very convicted as we see soul murder even, and heart murder, and word murder. But it helps us to understand society as God has created it. And it helps us to be salt and light. Brothers and sisters, today people don't see the sanctity of human life. They say murder is wrong, but they don't know why. At the same time, when I say we evolved from animals, and we're nothing but evolved people now, And there is no God and no such thing as the image of God and yet they try to place value on human life with no basis to do so. But we have the answer, we know, we understand. No, the reason why murder is wrong is because of the sanctity of human life. Human beings made in the image of God. And so as I've said on other occasions, sometimes we need to preach man down when they elevate him too high. in their pride, say, no, we're sinners, guilty before a holy God. But then there are other occasions we need to preach man up, because they say we're nothing more than just the product of evolution. No, we're made in the image of God. And as we do so, then we can bring to bear upon their hearts the moral law of God, to convict of sin. and to give tranquility and peace to our society. Let's bow our heads together in prayer. Father, we thank you for the clarity that your moral law gives us. And as we have considered physical murder and the ways in which that is committed and the ways in which it's not and things that are permissible, times it's permissible to kill another human being, or may we understand these things and apply them rightly and may we as the church proclaim the sanctity of human life that man is made in your image and uniquely responsible to you, uniquely created for unique responsibilities and that we are to preserve and protect human life. And so Father, as we continue to go through this commandment, we pray that we would have the moral clarity even in our own hearts and lives to be able to be salt and light and witnesses, to hold up this mirror, to show the sinfulness of human beings, and to show that there is a savior, there is a redeemer, Jesus, the one who rescues from the wrath to come. So Lord, I pray, give us clarity as we understand your law, for it is good and holy. And it's in Jesus' name I pray, amen.