command Six l killing

Finally! A commandment I know I haven’t broken!

I shalt never have murdered anyone

Not so fast

God’s Law is different from human or civil law

The whole purpose of the Law is to expose us to the fact we all are in desperate need of Grace and all desperately need to make a trade.

We need to trade our lame attempts at self-righteousness for the perfect righteousness of another.

Even the best of our deeds, intentions and works are “like filthy rags”

I’ll spare you exactly what filthy rags is alluded to here

Look it up

When Jesus preached the 10 commands, in Matthew 5-7, he said this about murder:

^“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults will his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Rut row

If you have every SAID or THOUGHT

She is so annoying

He thinks he is so much better than me

He always has to be the center of attention

He is so critical

She is so insecure

They are so fake

According to Jesus, we have broke the law, this command, and we are all mass murderers

We may pride ourselves and self-soothe with “at least I didn’t say it” or “at least I didn’t kill anybody” but Jesus says our thoughts matter just as much as our words.

We “kill” each other all the time

Twitter a weapon of choice

We have yet to even mention gossip & slander & life fixing words not spoken

Other weapons of choice

“In our envy of others, we kill their spontaneity

In our criticism of others, we kill their enthusiasm

In our refusal to affirm and encourage, we help kill their capactity to love

In our suspicians, we kill trust

In our broken commitments, we kill relationships

In our harsh thoughts and words, we kill each others capacity to be free and joyous

We are all perpetrators of death”

“Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.” EPH 4:29

Thanfully, Jesus kept this commandment for us.

Jesus, while being murdered on the cross, mocked, shamed, lied about, falsely accused and INNOCENT, said about his enemies, ‘Father, forgive them”

WHAT!?!?!?

Jesus prays for them, in real time, intercedes for His enemies, and confesses on their behalf

Thank You Jesus!

Because of Jesus’ perfect law keeping obedience:

God doesn’t see all of our nasty withdrawels, He only sees Jesus’ perfect and sufficient deposit

Every single one of our murderous thoughts, desires and words were taken with Jesus to the Cross

Every single word of Jesus’ intercession and petition on behalf of His enemies, is attributed to our lips, credited to us

Jesus was murdered, to pardon murderer

“No one is shot with a bullet, not first shot with a word

No one is shot with a word, not first shot with a thought

Killing begins as an internal issue of the heart.

We kill people all the time with our vicious judgements”