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Killers 3 – Homicide is Fratricide is Deicide is Suicide
Killing is bad! I am sure you can agree with this statement. But killing is worse than you think.
God created a world with no killing. Since the fall into sin, God allows killing in specific areas such as sacrifice for sin, self-defense, and punishment for killing. Although He allows these types of killings, He did not endorse them in His original creation. And God definitely does NOT allow murder. He says “Do not murder” in the 10 commandments. (Exodus 20:13)
Not only is killing worse than you think, it is also easier that you think. We need to ask God to deliver our hearts from homicide.
Welcome to Redemption Church. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad you are here.
Killers Title
We are in the 3rd week of our Killers series.
In week 1 we invited you to find the killer. Jesus told us about a thief that comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. A killer is a person or thing that takes life. Somewhere in your life, there is a killer.
In week2, last week, we told you about Killer Clowns. Not every killer is an evil genius. We are often killed in foolish ways by foolish things. The Devil is a foolish killer clown .
Today I would like to make a statement that should be non-controversial: killing is bad.
Killing is bad
God created a world without killing. It would be amazing to live in a world without the need to kill… That world exists but it is not here and now. Heaven is a place with no death.
God actually allows killing… for example sacrifice for sin, self-defense, and the wages for taking someones life.
God allows killing, but it was not endorsed in His original creative plan.
However God’s Word does not allow for murder…
Exodus 20:13 (NIV2011) “You shall not murder.
The thief who steals, kills, and destroys is a murderer. In our modern world, we call a murder a homicide.
Homicide – the deliberate & unlawful killing of a person.
The 1st Homicide is recorded in Genesis 4.
Genesis 4:8 (NIV2011) Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Cain lured Able out into a field with the deliberate plan to murder.
Now we know that killing is bad, but maybe it’s worse than you can even imagine.
Genesis 4:10 (NIV2011) The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
The blood of the murdered cries out to God from the ground.
This was the first homicide. Now we can’t go a day without hearing of a homicide. Every single murdered person’s blood still cries out to God from the ground where it was spilled.
In Genesis 4:9 God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?”
Now Cain & Able were brothers in the sense that they had the same parents. But consider today that God may be teaching us something deeper.
Homicide is Fratricide
Fratricide is the killing of a sibling.
Sharing a common parent (father or mother) makes you a brother or sister. ARE WE BROTHERS & SISTERS? Do we share a common parent.
Ephesians 4:6 (NIV2011) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Luke 3:38 (NIV2011) the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
In the lineage of Jesus, it declares that Adam is the son of God, making everyone that follows after Adam a son of God.
Paul collaborates this idea that we are all children of God.
Acts 17:28 (NIV2011) ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
If God is the father of us all, we are all children of God. We are all brothers & sisters.
Homicide is Fratricide
Every time someone murders, they are killing a brother or sister.
Killing is bad enough, but now to kill a brother or sister. It is much worse.
Can we talk about why racism is dumb for a moment? We divide ourselves over our skin color & nationality, but really we are all brothers and sisters.
When a white man hates a black man, he is hating his brother.
When a black man hates a white man, he is hating his brother.
The black man, the white man, they are both equally God’s offspring.
Racial supremacy is really dumb. Trying to claim superiority based on a skin color is a pointless claim.
You can’t get any more supreme than this… You and I are children of the King!
Killing anyone is killing a fellow child of God. Killing is that bad… but it is even worse.
Homicide is Fratricide is Deicide
Deicide is to kill God.
Would you try to kill God? Sounds like a dangerous thing to try. How could you possibly kill the one who ever lives and is eternal?
When you murder another, you are killing God.
Genesis 1:27 (NIV2011) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Every man and woman bears the very image of God. Nothing else in creation bears the image of God.
Not… beautiful art or nature, not the technological breakthroughs of man, not fancy church buildings, not wonderfully sung music… ONLY PEOPLE BEAR THE IMAGE OF GOD.
Every person bears the image of God. They were created in His image.
When you murder another person, you are destroying God’s image.
Killing is bad, but it is worse than you think.
Homicide is Fratricide is Deicide is Suicide
- Suicide is to kill your own self.
- When you murder someone you are actually killing a brother or sister.
- When you murder someone you are actually killing God’s image.
- When you murder someone you are actually killing yourself.
When Cain killed Able, he also destroyed his own life. He wandered the rest of his life. He lived under a curse for the rest of his days.
Genesis 4:14 (NIV2011) Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
After killing Able, Cain felt like a dead man. He felt as if he would be killed himself.
Genesis 4:15 (NIV2011) But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.”
- Cain had basically ended his own life when he ended the life of Able.
- God says that if anyone murders Cain that they will have basically ended their own life.
It is as Jesus said to Peter after Peter had tried to kill a soldier.
Matthew 26:52 (NIV2011) “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.
To swing that sword at someone else is to really swing it at yourself.
Killing is bad.
How do we kill?
- Not killing is harder than you think.
- It is more than making sure you don’t point a gun at someone and pull the trigger, or accidentally beat them with a baseball bat, or push them off a cliff.
Killing is worse than you think… it is also easier than you think.
1 John 3:15 (NIV2011) Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
Hatred kills!
Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV2011) “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Anger kills!
Words kill!
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV2011) The tongue has the power of life and death…
Murder flows from the heart
- Our society talks a lot about how guns kill people
- How we need to pass legislation to stop drug addictions that lead to overdose deaths
- How we need to control some external thing to keep it from killing others.
We don’t talk enough about the heart. Jesus tells us that murder flows from the heart.
The blood of Able cried out to God… The blood of every victim cries out to God…
So God sent Jesus to us. Jesus shed His blood. Restoring every brother and sister. Restoring the image of God in us. Saving our life.
- Is there Homicide in your heart?
- Are you killing a brother with your attitude?
- With your words of gossip and criticism are you destroying God’s image bearer?
- Are you actually killing yourself by not forgiving, but continuing to live in anger?
- Killing is bad.
1 John 3:11 (NIV2011) For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
- Is love flowing in your heart?
- Or is hatred flowing in your heart?
- Who have you been killing? Let’s repent of that today.