Sanctity of Life [Family Worship lesson in Deuteronomy 19:1–22:12]

How must Israel apply the sixth commandment to their life in the land? Deuteronomy 19:1–22:12 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seventy-six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Israel were to honor God’s holiness by treating His image in man as sacred. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson) Summary of the transcript of the audio: This devotional presents a comprehensive legal and ethical framework centered on the sanctity of human life, rooted in the Sixth Commandment’s prohibition of murder. It establishes systems of justice that distinguish between intentional murder, accidental manslaughter, and just war, emphasizing divine protection for the innocent through cities of refuge, impartial judicial procedures, and the condemnation of false testimony. The text underscores corporate responsibility for bloodshed, illustrated by the ritual of the heifer in a valley of flowing water, and enforces equitable justice through proportional penalties and safeguards against abuse. It also extends the principle of life’s value to include care for property, the environment, and vulnerable individuals—such as widows and orphans—while regulating warfare, inheritance, and holiness codes to preserve Israel’s distinct identity as a people set apart for God. Ultimately, the law reflects God’s holiness and the sacredness of human life, pointing forward to Christ, who alone fully embodies the divine regard for humanity and bears the curse of sin on behalf of His people.

Provision for God’s Presence [2025.02.02 Evening Sermon in Numbers 35]

The people among whom God dwells must be holy, and He provides it.

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God's Remedy for Anger [Children's Catechism 94—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children’s Catechism question 94—especially explaining what the Bible teaches about how to avoid angry passions to keep the sixth commandment.

Q94. What does the sixth commandment teach us? To avoid angry passions.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Why the 6th Commandment Is 6th [Children's Catechism 93—Theology Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Children’s Catechism question 93—especially explaining how the sixth commandment connects loving God with loving those whom He created in His own image.

Q93. What is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Hearing the Law from Jesus’s Mouth [2024.01.14 Morning Sermon in Matthew 5:21–26]

Jesus is not only the Lord Who thundered the law at Sinai, but the King Who has kept the law for us and is conforming us to it, and the Judge Who will make sure that only those who find His kingdom a heaven may at last enter.

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Theology Simply Explained—WSC68, The Principle of—and Priorities for—Preserving Life

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 68—especially explaining and applying how God’s plan to adopt renewed image bearers establishes the value of that image and demands that we preserve our life and others’ both eternally and temporally.

WSC68: What is required in the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Theology Simply Explained: WSC67 — “Valuing God's Image in Men's Lives Is the Head of the Second Table of the Law”

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 67—especially explaining and applying how the Satanic despising of God and Satanic murderousness are connected throughout Scripture, as are Christ’s love of God and His valuing of men’s lives.

WSC67: Which is the sixth commandment? The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Just Society of a Just God: Just Witnesses, Just Neighbors, and Just Judges [2022.09.18 Evening Sermon in Exodus 23:1–9]

Because God is just, His society must be just.

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Principles for Punishing Criminal Negligence with Life and Property [2022.08.07 Evening Sermon in Exodus 21:28–36]

Personal responsibility puts each man in charge of taking care of his own property in a way that guards the life and property of others.

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God's Society Values His Image in Humanity and His Honor in Parental Authority [2022.07.31 Evening Sermon in Exodus 21:12–27]

It is God's image in man that demands capital punishment for murder and God's honor in authority that requires that authorities be honored.

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God's Society Values His Image in Humanity and His Honor in Authority [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 21:12–27]

What will God’s new society be like? Exodus 21:12–27 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these sixteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Israelite society was to apply God’s moral law by having a civil law that guarded and valued His image in human life and His honor in established authorities. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Recognizing and Responding to God's Image in Others and Ourselves (2022.06.12 Evening Sermon in Exodus 20:12)

Valuing God in our interactions with others means especially valuing man as made in the image of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Recognizing and Responding to God's Image in Others (Family Worship lesson in Exodus 20:13)

What is the most basic requirement for honoring God in our interactions with others? Exodus 20:13 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that valuing God in others means especially valuing man as made in the image of God.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Prayer, Worship That Frees from Bondage to Earthly Desire (Jam 4:2–3, 2020.06.03 Prayer Meeting Devotional)

Being controlled by earthly desires disappoints us, debases us, and defiles us. But prayer as true worship satisfies us, strengthens us, and sanctifies us.