What's Law Got to Do with It?
Notes
Transcript
SCRIPTURE ANNOUNCEMENT
SCRIPTURE ANNOUNCEMENT
Exodus 21:22-25.
SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION
SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION
The Israelites are camped at Mt. Sinai as God gives them His law.
He has already given them the 10 Commandments… God’s Law for His people.
Now… God is speaking to Moses on the mountain, as he fleshes out the meaning of those 10 Commandments, and how they are to be applied to different situations.
RE-ANNOUNCE SCRIPTURE
RE-ANNOUNCE SCRIPTURE
22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
God, we thank You for Your salvation through the sacrifice of Christ.
Now, as Your people, our desire is to be obedient to Your Word, which brings about holiness which results in us living together in harmony as we seek first Your kingdom, and Your righteousness.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit in us, would you cause us to be able to understand Your Word in our minds, and obey it through our lives, so that others may see our good works, and give glory to You!
Amen.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Canada… has some weird laws!
I found these on a few different websites this week.
It seems as though they WERE, and in some cases ARE still laws today.
Although they may not be enforced.
In Petrolia, Ontario, it is illegal to whistle.
In the bylaws on the town's website, it says,
"yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing is prohibited at all times".
It’s illegal to have tall snowmen in the town of Souris, Prince Edward Island.
It is against the law to build a snowman taller than 30-inches.
In Toronto, it is illegal to drag your dead horse down Yonge Street on Sundays.
Sorry to burst your bubble if you had that on the agenda for this afternoon.
A law I can totally get behind…
In Fredericton, New Brunswick, it against the law to ‘wear’ a snake in public, or carry a pet lizard.
Snakes are disgusting!
The fact that Satan disguised himself as one is all I need to prove how nasty they are.
This next is so sad to me…
In Ottawa, it is illegal to eat ice cream on Bank Street on Sundays.
If that’s true, the people who live in that area must be so sad!
My sermon title this morning is…
What's Law Got to Do with It?
What's Law Got to Do with It?
These laws are strange, and we may not understand why all of them have been put in place…
But we must understand that laws are good.
By holding all people to the same standards… and giving consequences to those who do not obey… our system of law is able to redeem some of the brokenness in our world caused by sin… so that we can live in peace and order.
FCF
FCF
If we did not have laws and consequences that all people must live by,
then everyone would be left to determine what is right and wrong themselves.
There would be no standard by which to determine who is in the wrong,
or how to go about making it right.
We would live in fear and chaos!
PROPOSITION
PROPOSITION
But God gives His perfect law so that there will be peace and justice.
Sometimes these laws seem as silly or strange to us as some of the weird laws I read a moment ago.
Though those specific situations may not be relevant to us anymore…
there are principles within the laws that will always be relevant…
because they show us what God values.
TRANSITION STATEMENT
Since God is the only true standard of righteousness, we must value what He values.
This morning we are going to see that we ought to value human life, authority, and one another’s possessions.
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MAIN POINTS
MAIN POINTS
First…
We Must Value Human Life
We Must Value Human Life
EXPLANATION
EXPLANATION
God has created all mankind in His own image.
Therefore we must value all human lives.
We do this by seeking justice for everyone…
No matter who it is
No matter who it is
This passage explictly speaks of the value of all people:
MEN
12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.
SLAVES: EITHER MALE OR FEMALE
20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
WOMEN & BABIES IN THE WOMB
22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.
MAN & WOMAN… AS WELL AS CHILDREN…
28 “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.
31 If it gores a man’s son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.
It doesn’t matter who it is, all human lives are valuable in God’s sight.
Becaues of that, they are worthy of protection and deserve justice…
No matter how big or small the offense
No matter how big or small the offense
23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
In the research I did this week, there seems to be no evidence that this was followed literally, except in the case of the death penalty.
If you take someone’s life intentionally, you pay for it with your own.
An examples of this in when an Amalekite claims to have killed King Saul, David has him killed.
But in the smaller cases, we have no biblical evidence of judges ordering someone to have their hand chopped off because they chopped someone else’s hand off, or burning someone because they were burned.
That doesn’t mean it never happened.
The point is…
The punishment needed to fit the crime.
The compensation needed to match the harm done.
This is not about “GETTING EVEN”…
It is about making the situation right through compensation.
The victim receives justice because:
The guilty person is held accountable… and
The compensation they receive is equal and fair.
The guilty party receives justice because:
He/she receives the penalty they deserve, but not more than they deserve.
After paying what the law required, they were now “off the hook.”
Summary
Through the law, God shows that He values life,
no matter who it is; and
no matter how big or small the offense
ILLUSTRATION
It is hard to estimate the number of lives killed by the Nazi Regime.
Some estimate the total deaths to be 20 million or more.
For 12 years, from 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany invaded many Eurpean countries, killing millions.
After the Nazis were defeated, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union debated what was the best method to punish the Nazi leaders who remained.
They agreed to join together and formed an Internation Military Tribunal, and held a trial in Nuremburg, Germany, now known as the Nuremburg Trials.
For about a year they tried 24 of the most important surviving leaders of Nazi Germany.
At the end of the trial,
19 of the defendants were convicted, and 3 were acquitted.
Of those convicted:
12 were sentenced to death;
3 were sentenced to life in prison;
4 to prison terms ranging from 10-20 years.
On October 16, 1946, the executions were carried out by hanging in the courthouse gymnasium.
Summary/Transition
The lives of those who were killed could never be brought back.
But in order for there to be peace and closure, justice needed to be served.
These severe punishments were handed out based on the universal truth that human life is valuable.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
Murder is a violent act that maybe none of us will ever commit.
Does that mean we are not guilty?
Let’s look at what Jesus said in…
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 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.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
If I follow the letter of the law, I can:
hate someone as much as I want,
insult them as much as I want, and
curse them as much as I want…
and as long as I don’t murder them, I would not be guilty.
Key Point
But Jesus is showing us the HEART of the Law.
The HEART of the law is to value human life, no matter who it is.
When we truly value others, we seek to make it right when we sin against them…
no matter how big or how small the offense.
Summary
Is there someone in your life who you have sinned against?
Maybe there’s someone that you continually treat badly because
you don’t like them, or
because they think, or act, or look different from you.
God values each and every human being, and so should we.
He has given His Law so that we can see when we have sinned, and can go and make it right.
You can’t take back what has been done, but through confession and forgiveness, you can both have peace.
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The next thing we must value is…
We Must Value Authority
We Must Value Authority
EXPLANATION
EXPLANATION
All authority on earth is given by God for the purpose of maintianing order.
Since He places these authorities for our benefit, we should value them as well.
We should value authority…
Within your home
Within your home
15 “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
The idea conveyed in striking is with an intent to kill.
Likewise with a curse, it has in mind a death threat.
That is why the punishment is so severe.
Even to issue a death threat to your parents could cost you your life.
This is the exact opposite of the way fathers and mothers were supposed to be treated.
The 5th Commandment says:
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Your days are not going to be very long if you curse them, because it is going to cost you your life!
We must value the authority God has given us in our homes.
They are there to protect us and guide us as we grow into mature men and women.
We must also value authority…
Within your community
Within your community
Exodus 21:22 (ESV)
22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.
Back in Exodus 18, Moses is encouraged by his father-in-law Jethro to appoint judges over the people.
To this point, Moses was handling all the cases himself.
With more judges,
Moses’ load is lightened, and
the people get their verdict faster.
So they found men who feared God, were trustworthy, and hated bribes, and gave them authority as they could handle.
Now they have a position of authority.
Now they are judging between people.
But they had God’s Word to guide them to make wise judgements.
and the people had to obey them.
Summary
God has placed authorities in our lives to protect us, and we must value them.
ILLUSTRATION
Here in Leamington, is Point Pelee National Park.
It is a beautiful park, and we love spending time there, as do many of you.
One of the most unique features of the park is the tip.
It is the southernmost part of all of Canada.
It can also be very dangerous.
At the tip the water can often be choppy, and it’s also dangerous because it is the point where two dangerous currents collide.
It is so dangerous that there are signs prohibiting swimming, and you could be fined $10,000 if you disobey.
If you have been there before, then you have probably seen a sign there, that tells the story of 16 year old boy named Jeremy.
He and his brother Jeff both decided to ignore the sign warning them not to swim, and both were pulled away from shore.
Jeff was fighting to swim back to shore for 30 minutes, and was beginning to go under because his legs were giving out, before a good samaritan rescued him.
Jeremy however, disappeared beneath the waves and drowned.
His body was recovered a week later.
Transition
Sadly, this has happened many times over the years as people disregard the warnings.
We must value authority becuase it has been placed in our lives to protect us.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
The first place where we learn to obey authority is in our homes growing up.
Our father and mother, though not perfect:
tried to teach us right from wrong…
tried to protect us… and
tried to raise us to be successful adults.
Of course parents make mistakes and mess up, but they did what they thought was best.
Obedience to our father and mother is the first place where we learn to be subject to authority.
If we reject their authority, then we will reject any authority in any other area of our lives as well.
This is why God holds parents in such high regard.
Paul, writing to the church in Rome tells them in…
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
We are to value and submit to authority, because IT COMES FROM GOD!
This is not blind submission — obeying everything without question.
Those in authority are sinful as well, so it is possible for them to put laws in place that go AGAINST God’s Word.
In these instances we are not bound by human authority.
We have an example of this in the beginning of Exodus, where Pharaoh commanded the midwives to kill all the Hebrew babies.
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.
But so long as it is not against God’s Word, we are to value the authority God has placed in our lives.
Ultimately, a rejection of the authority that God has placed over us, is a rejection of HIS authority.
Summary
God has placed authority in our homes and in our communities in order to protect people.
We must value and obey those authorities.
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Another thing we must value is…
We Must Value One Another’s Possessions
We Must Value One Another’s Possessions
EXPLANATION
EXPLANATION
WE NEED STUFF!
We need clothing, food, and shelter.
We need to have some way of providing for our families.
We need toys and hobbies to enjoy.
Okay, maybe we don’t need toys and hobbies, but they sure can be refreshing and relaxing!
God blesses us with possessions in this life.
Because we need these things, God has included laws about how to make things right in regard to people’s possessions.
33 “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
35 “When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. 36 Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.
In all of these cases, we realize that the owner is responsible for any and all damages caused as a result of his actions, or the actions of his property, in this case, the animals.
We are responsible for our actions.
When someone else suffers loss or damage caused by our mistake or negligence, we must repay, because they have suffered loss.
It wouldn’t be fair for them to have to replace it themselves when it was someone else’s fault.
Summary
Our possessions are given to us by God to sustain us,
and so they must be valued and compensated for.
ILLUSTRATION
Zaccheus was an incredibly rich man.
He had earned his wealth collecting taxes in Jericho.
In fact, Zaccheus was so good at his job, he was promoted to chief tax collector.
Zaccheus had heard the stories floating around about a man named Jesus:
his teaching, and the miracles he performed intrigued him,
and he wanted to meet him.
As luck would have it, Jesus came to Jericho and Zaccheus heard about it.
He found where Jesus was but could not see because he was short.
So he ran ahead and climbed a tree.
When Jesus reached the tree he was in, he said,
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
We have no idea what Jesus and Zaccheus talked about, but we know that Zaccheus believed in Christ, and His life was changed forever.
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Summary
When Zaccheus’s eyes were opened to the truth of God’s Word, he realized his sin in stealing from others.
He had gained an understanding of the value of the possessions he had taken, and was willing to make it right.
APPLICATION
APPLICATION
We must value one another’s possessions and seek to take responsibility for damages when we are ultimately responsible for them.
The reason we do this should not be for the sake of the possession itself, but for the sake of the person who’s it was.
See… our possessions have value because we give them value.
If a company makes a whole bunch of products everybody hates, they will have no value, because nobody will buy them.
They have simply wasted money.
A possessions value comes from the one who possesses it.
Maybe you have things that you can think of right now that are worth far more to you than their monetary value.
It wouldn’t be worth that to anyone else, but it has value because of what it means to you.
We should seek to make things right when we cause damage, because those possessions have value.
BUT…
our motivation should be out of a value for human life.
The thing that we have taken or caused damage to may not have much or any value to us,
but that is not the primary concern.
Our concern should be for the person,
and our desire should be to make it right and be reconciled to one another.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
God’s law brings wholeness… a sense of justice.
For the one who was wronged, they receive compensation/closure.
For the one who wronged, they are able to make it right.
But is a sense of justice what should be our motivation?
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
HIA
Dirk Willems was born in Asperen, Gelderland, Netherlands.
He was rebaptized as a young man, and grew in his devotion to his new found faith as he shared it with others.
Since this was a rejection of infant baptism practiced by Catholics at the time, this led to his condemnation, and Dirk was arrested.
While in prison for his faith, Dirk was able to escape using a rope made out of knotted rags.
The prison was surrounded with water, and it was winter, so Dirk began running across the frozen water.
It was not very thick, but he was able to run across since he had been living on prison rations.
A guard saw Dirk running away and chased after him, but he fell through the ice and began screaming for help.
Dirk had a decision to make in that moment… what did he value more? His freedom, or another man’s life?
Motivated by his love for his fellow man, Dirk turned back and saved the guard.
Dirk's act of compassion led to his recapture, and he was later burned at the stake.
His story has become a symbol of selflessness and forgiveness in the face of persecution, emphasizing the values of the Anabaptist faith.
In order for us to value what God values, we must be motivated by love.
Love is what motivated Christ to die for us, even though we were ungodly.
In view of His mercy toward us, may it give us joy to show mercy to others.
Let’s pray.