BE RESOLUTE ABOUT LIFE’S VALUE

 

1/15/2012

1.     COMMANDMENT AND FULFILLMENT (DEUTERONOMY 5: 6-21; MATTHEW 5: 17-26)

6'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

7'You shall have no other gods before Me.

·         It is interesting to note that man first became a polytheist before he became an atheist.

·         It was not until the time of David that atheism came in. 

Psalms 14:1a

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."

NASB

·         This is one the earliest accounts of atheism.

·         Since we get our view of human life from the true God, it stands to reason that our views would alter under any form of idolatry.

8'You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 9'You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

·         Moses goes into detail when He forbids the making of any likeness of anything that could be worshipped.

Ephesians 5:5

5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God

NASB

·         Covetousness is idolatry.

o       Anything that stands between you and God is an idol.

o       Anything that takes first place in your heart is an idol.

10 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

11'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

·         God says He will not hold guiltless those who take His name in vain

12'Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13'Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15'And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

16'Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.

·         Although not all fathers and mothers are worthy of this respect; a nation that does not observe this commandment will not be blessed.

17'You shall not murder.

·         The word for "murder" is the Hebrew ratsach. 

·         This word has in it the thought of premeditated killing, of anger, and of personal grievance.

·         It is self evident how this violates the sanctity of life.

18'You shall not commit adultery.

·         We live in a sex-mad world. 

·         Every conceivable product is advertised by sex. 

·         It is around us on every hand. 

·         God's commandment still stands today. 

·         This is one of the great sins that is pulling our nation down today.

·         This is self directed; it intends to gratify

19'You shall not steal.

·         When we withhold from God that which is His, it is the same as stealing from God.

20'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

·         What are the possible results of bearing false witness?

o       Damaged reputation.

o       Incarceration or punishment of some kind

o       In some dire cases, death.

·         Is this not showing contempt for that person’s life?

·         Would that person’s life be forever altered as a result?

21'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

NASB

·         This shows that it is a sin just to desire for what belongs to another.

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Matthew 5:17-26

17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.

·         As Christ set forth true righteousness, He proved that it was in harmony with the O.T. - further, He proved that without Him, the O.T. was incomplete and unfulfilled!

·         When He demanded (5:16) good works from His followers, they had already been pronounced "blessed." 

·         They had confessed their sins and had received from God imputed righteousness. 

·         In such a context "good works" are the works of gratitude for salvation already received, NOT the basis of receiving salvation itself.

18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

·         The keeping of the Law and teaching it to others in the manner in which it should be taught is very important. 

20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

·         From V.21 Jesus illustrates how the righteousness of those who would be His subjects would exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.

21 "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 "Truly I say to you, you shall not come out of there, until you have paid up the last cent.

NASB

·         The Ten Commandments have been described as vertical and horizontal in our relationships.

·         If we neglect the vertical it will lead us to develop values that will impair our horizontal.

·         If we neglect the horizontal we would harm or damage the quality of life of those around us and thus violate God’s desire for us to have an abundant life.

·         This would violate the sanctity of their lives.

2.     REFUGE FOR JUSTICE (DEUTERONOMY 19: 1-13)

19:1 "When the LORD your God cuts off the nations, whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set aside three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess. 3 You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land, which the LORD your God will give you as a possession, so that any manslayer may flee there.

4 "Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously —  5 as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies —  he may flee to one of these cities and live; 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. 7 Therefore, I command you, saying, 'You shall set aside three cities for yourself.' 8 "And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers —  9 if you carefully observe all this commandment, which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in His ways always —  then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. 10 So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and bloodguiltiness be on you.

11 "But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.

NASB

CITIES OF REFUGE

In the New Testament, the cities of refuge apparently became a type, or symbolic illustration, of the salvation that is found in Christ: "We...have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (Heb 6:18). In other words, when the sinner flees to Christ Jesus for refuge he is safe from the divine Avenger of Blood. The apostle Paul wrote, "Having now been justified by his [Christ's] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Rom 5:9) and "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). Regardless of his sin, the sinner may find asylum and sanctuary in Christ; all who flee to Him find refuge "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). The believer is safe forever in the heavenly city of refuge because the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, will never die: "He ever lives to make intercession for him" (Heb 7:25).

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

3.     SAFEGUARDS OF LIFE (DEUTERONOMY 24:6-22)

6 "No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

7 "If a man is caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently, or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

·         As we stated earlier, these things would damage or mar the quality of lives of others.

8 "Be careful against an infection of leprosy, that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests shall teach you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. 9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

·         Spiritually speaking this is a type of value system that leads to uncleanness and can be taught by example to lead others astray and must be dealt with in God’s way

10 "When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13 When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.

14 "You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. 15 You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he may not cry against you to the LORD and it become sin in you.

16 "Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 "You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow's garment in pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

19 "When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

NASB

·         God was taking care of those who were helpless, those less fortunate ones.  God had a good poverty program, and the interesting thing is that it worked.