“Live and Let Live” (Exodus 20:13) - The 10 Commandments for Today VI -

“Live and Let Live” (Exodus 20:13)

- The 10 Commandments for Today VI -

Three Simple Rules

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Movement, had three simple rules that he lived by. Do no harm, Do good, Stay in love with God. It sounds pretty simple. Even a child can understand what it means. But if you have tried to live by these three rules, you would find that they are not easy rules at all. Likewise, the sixth commandment (“You shall not murder”) sounds very simple. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as murderers. We say, “At least I haven’t murdered anyone!” But keeping the sixth commandment means more than not murdering anyone. When we study this commandment carefully, we find that no commandment is more brutally violated. Then, what does it really mean to keep the sixth commandment? What would be its full implications for today?

Do No Harm

First, keeping the sixth commandment means doing no harm. Jesus says, in Matthew 5:21-22, “You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder” (MSG). Apostle John also says, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1Jn 3:15). Do you ever get so angry that you’re out of control? Do you ever hate someone so much? I did. The sixth commandment covers our inward attitudes as well as outward actions. The Heidelberg Catechism rightly explains it in this way: “God hates the root of murder, such as envy, hatred, anger, and desire of revenge. He regards all these as murder” (A. 106). How easy we are to commit “murder of the heart”! So, the very first step to keep the sixth commandment is to do no harm in the heart. We easily feel it when others hurt us, but we do not notice how much we hurt others. Thomas a Kempis in his book The Imitation of Christ says, “A person who honestly examines his own behavior would never judge other people harshly.” If we truly resolve to do no harm, we can no longer gossip. We can no longer speak ill of others. We can no longer take revenge and must honor each as a child of God. It sounds simple, but it is not easy, because it does demand a radical trust in God’s presence and power. To do no harm is an act of disarming, laying aside our weapons and leaving room for God’s intervention.

God gave me a very special gift on my 29^th birthday. On that day I attended a one-day revival meeting held at my seminary. It was not a big gathering. There were about fifty seminarians. The guest speaker was an anointed preacher. After the message, he began to pray for each one of us. It was a prophetic prayer. I was amazed by the prayer that he prayed for me. For a long time I had several unresolved questions within me, and on that day God answered those questions through his prayer. I was so grateful. Right after that, I became curious about how the preacher would pray for others. So I eavesdropped. I knew most of the participants there because we studied together. In my mind I automatically classified each of them into several groups: ‘He is a devout Christian,’ ‘She is an almost Christian,’ and ‘I don’t know why this guy is here at seminary’ and so on. In particular, there was one person whom I didn’t like. Frankly speaking, I hated him. I even thought he was not worthy to study theology and become a pastor. But I was shocked when I heard how God blessed him through the preacher’s prophetic prayer. God loved him so much, took delight in him, and had a wonderful plan for him. The way God saw him was totally different from mine. That day God removed my prejudice, pride and judgmental spirit. It was the best birthday gift that I had ever had. Keeping the sixth commandment means doing no harm. And it starts in the heart.

Do Good

Secondly, keeping the sixth commandment means doing good. Martin Luther said, “This commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when he fails to do good to his neighbor, or, though he has the opportunity, fails to prevent, protect, and save him from suffering bodily harm or injury.” Doing good is a proactive way of living. It means loving our neighbor. It means showing kindness and mercy to those who are hard to love. It means to commit ourselves to seeking good for those who consider us less than a child of God. That is what it means to do good. Probably, you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The priest and Levite saw the Jewish man in need, but they made a decision to avoid him. They broke the sixth commandment, not by killing, but by leaving the man to die when they could have helped him live. But when the Samaritan saw the man, he was filled with compassion. He got involved. He invested his own valuable time and money to provide what was needed. The most remarkable thing is that he did all this for someone who considered him less than a child of God. In those days Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But the Good Samaritan treated his enemy the same way he would treat a friend. There are many ways to keep the sixth commandment by doing good. We can pray for peace in the troubled parts of the world. We can be the voices for the voiceless – the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly. We can care for the sick and the dying. We can work to make laws that bring justice and promote life. We are called to protect life, one life at a time. We must at least do what we can. I am so grateful that many of you have already been doing something you can.

Every year hundreds of unwanted babies are abandoned on the streets of Seoul, South Korea. One pastor decided to save one baby at a time. Pastor Lee built the Drop Box outside his home for unwanted babies. The Drop Box sign reads, “This is a facility for the protection of life. If you can’t take care of your disabled babies, don’t throw them away or leave them on the street. Bring them here.” Pastor Lee’s son, Eun-man, was born with cerebral palsy and a severely disfigured face. This experience inspired him to become the father of many other disabled children in South Korea. Since 2009, Pastor Lee’s baby box has saved 600 children. He and his wife have adopted ten (the maximum number of children South Koreans can adopt) and also have up to 20 children in their care. Pastor Lee says, “The reason I decided to become their father was because God has adopted me.” He does pray, Lord, “I will die for these children.” I think Pastor Lee is a perfect example of what it means to keep the sixth commandment by doing good.

Stay in Love with God

How can we keep the sixth commandment? If you are prone to get angry, if there is someone you secretly resent, if there is murder in your heart, if you fail to do good to your enemies, then you are the ones who break the sixth commandment. The Bible says that anyone who is guilty of “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy…” will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:20-21). All of us are sinners. All of us are murderers. We are all in urgent need of the grace of God. John Wesley often referred to himself as a "brand plucked out of the fire" (Zecheriah 3:2). When Wesley was five years old, a fire broke out in his house. At that time he was left stranded on the second floor. He was rescued by a parishioner standing on another man’s shoulders. Only moments after he was rescued, the entire house exploded in flames. Ever after, for the rest of his life, John Wesley always remembered that moment, gave thank to God for his mercy, and referred to himself as a brand plucked out of the fire. God always said to the Israelites, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there” (ex. Deut 24:18). God wants us to remember who we are and who God is. Once we were dead because of our disobedience and our many murderous sins. We were by nature children of wrath. But because of God’s great love for us, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. The Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast!” (Eph 2:8-9) How can we keep the sixth commandment? By looking to Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us. When we remember how he saved us, how he lifted us out of the pit of despair and set our feet on solid ground, we will become humble, and with deep gratitude we will live and let others live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When I Think about the Lord

(James Huey)

When I Think about the Lord,
How He saved me, how He raised me,
How He filled me with the Holy Ghost.
How He healed me to the uttermost.

When I Think about the Lord,
How He picked me up and turned me around,
How He set my feet on solid ground

It makes me wanna shout, Hallelujah,
Thank you Jesus!
LORD, you’re worthy

of all the glory, and all the honor,
And all the praise...