I decided to call this message "How Not to Murder Someone". Now I seriously that doubt many of you are actually contemplating murder in the narrow sense of the word. This past week WICS television posted a picture of a snowman on their weather page. The snowman had a knife buried in its chest. The caption read, "Die Winter Die!" With yet another half foot of snow coming today, no snowman is safe!
We know that the apostle John, of all the disciples, was the closest to Jesus. As John writes to us, he tells us that Jesus defined murder as the escalation of attitudes, emotions, and responses that often culminate in violence. By Jesus' definition, murder is an epidemic problem!
In Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV) Jesus says, "You have heard that is was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable of judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire."
So by Jesus' definition, what is murder? Murder can certainly be a violent, life-terminating act. But more often murder is an emotional state of mind. Our jealousy has been aroused. We've been wronged. An injustice has occurred. We entertain thoughts of violence long before we commit acts of violence. Murder can take the form of verbal attack-- insults. The anger spills over like boiling water on the stove, inflicting untold pain and causing permanent, three-dimensional burns. These burns are relational scars. Have you ever seen someone who has been murdered by scalding hot words? She is left lifeless and numb, her soul ravaged by the violent words of a parent, friend, or boss.
So what do we do about murder? Jesus continues in Matthew 5:23-26 (ESV), "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny."
True religion ought to curb incidences of murder. Jesus suggests that our first act of worship is reconciliation. If you are at the altar and you are angry, lay down your gift and go tend to the work of reconciliation. But this isn't what typically happens. More often than not, religion is a leading cause of murder. We turn to religion to justify our murderous rage, to justify our anger, and to build our case. We weaponize the truth of God's word. We use the Bible or some sermon link to destroy people, rather than reconcile them to God or to ourselves. Murderous religion vilifies, labels, insults, spews, and destroys. But true religion (authentic worship) reconciles.
In 1 John 3:11-18 we find some guidelines on how not to murder someone.
How Not to Murder: Remember the Greatest Commandment
1 John 3:11 (ESV) says, "For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." Later in 1 John 4:7-8 (ESV) John says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Love is the defining attribute of a folllower of Christ. Jesus said in John 13:35 (ESV), "By this all people will know thay you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." You don't get any more elementary than that! In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV) Paul says, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." In 1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV) Paul says, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Why love? That is not the question. The question is why do we have so much faith in murder? When have you ever seen murderous acts, murderous attitudes, or verbal attacks ever bring about good in a situation? You might be able to control a person with fear, but you won't change her. You certainly won't redeem her, and you'll never reconcile her. Love is the first and greatest commandment. And perfect love drives out fear. Love is God's tactic, so why isn't it ours? Are we wiser than God?
John's counsel in 1 John 4:7 (ESV) is, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:12 (ESV) tells us, "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." We can show people the face of the devil, or we can show them the face of God.
How Not to Murder: Form Righteous, not Evil Intentions
1 John 3:12-13 (ESV) says, "We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you."
In Genesis 4 we find the story of Cain and Abel. Abel offered a sacrifice that pleased God, but Cain's offering offended God. Instead of learning from the incident, Cain became enraged at his brother, so much so that he wanted to kill Abel! In Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV) God confronted Cain's intentions. He said, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."
To prevent murder, it has to be confronted long before it becomes an act. Whether you care about someone or not, don't let his anger and bitterness simmer day after day. Anger doesn't just engulf a person, it engulfs marriages, families, workplaces, communities, and even nations. When someone's face falls, ask why. Get to the root. Discover the injustice, hurt, pain, or loss. Instead of saying, "Yeah, you have a right to be angry forever!", be a peacemaker who fosters reconciliation. Help him gain perspective and give him godly advice. And never ignore a person with evil intentions. Head off violence before it happens. If someone has plans to hurt someone, confront them directly and immediately. You might have to notify proper authorities (parents, teachers, pastor, police, government).
Now if you are the angry person, consider what God told Cain. "Its (sin's) desire is for you, but you must rule over it." One way to conquer sin is to stop soothing yourself with evil thoughts. Instead, seek what's righteous and good. I love Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8 (ESV). "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Set your imagination on righteousness. By thinking differently, or even by developing new skills, you can bring your emotions and temperament into the servant role instead of the master role.
How Not to Murder: Adopt an Eternal, not a Worldly Mindset
1 John 3:14-15 (ESV) tells us, "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
We have two choices. We can abide in eternal life, or we can abide in death. We can abide in love, or we can abide in hatred. When you have eternal life, you approach life from a radically different perspective. Yes, you experience injustice. Yes, you experience loss and pain. Everyone does! But you know the best is still ahead.
In Mark 10:29-30 (ESV) Jesus tells Peter, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life." That perspective frees us to give, sacrifice, and accept loss. But the worldly-minded person wants theirs now. There is no hope but for this life. There is only desperation. Such a person is willing do whatever it takes to get ahead in this life. They'll lie a little, cheat a little, steal, covet, con, or kill. They might very well love, so long as they receive love's reward in this life. The hope of eternal life frees us to pay most any price now.
How Not to Murder: Practice Costly, not Cheap Love
1 John 3:16 (ESV) says, "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." 1 John 4:9-11 John says, "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
When we recognize how much God has loved us and forgiven us, it's pretty hard to go on hating people and holding grudges against them. In Luke 7:47 Jesus explains how those who are forgiven little, love little. And those who are forgiven much, love much. Isn't that true in life? Our love reflects the depth to which we've both grasped, and received God's forgiveness. If God has poured out his love on your life, let that same love spill over into the lives of others! God's costly love converted us from being enemies to being lovers of God. If that is true for us, why can't it be true for others?
A lot of time we talk about costly love, as if hatred isn't somehow more costly. Ultimately it costs you more to hate than to love, both in this life, and in the sheer fact that in hating, you risk forfeiting eternal life. Costly love is the better gamble, and it has a proven track record.
How Not to Murder: Err on the Side of Action
1 John 3:17-18 (ESV) says, "But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."
There is a story about St. Francis of Assisi. In a particular village, a wolf had been tormenting the townspeople. Fearing for their lives, they gathered up swords and clubs and had resolved to go out and kill the wolf. But St. Francis insisted that they let him go out and speak to the wolf first. St. Francis learned that the wolf wasn't as evil as they supposed, but hungry. When St. Francis Assisi returned to the village he rebuked the people and admonished them, "Feed your wolf."
You know that God causes the sun to rise, and the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. In Romans Paul tells us that God's kindness leads us to repentance. If you don't like your wolf, feed him. It may not convert him, but you'll certainly live in peace.
Let's summarize. How do you not murder someone? Remember, love is the greatest commandment. Make it your intention to always love. Love freely, knowing nothing will be lost in this life, and certainly not in eternity. Love as Christ loved. Don't just talk about love, practice love. Sin desires to master you, but you must rule over it!