About this episode

Pastor Jared Richard discusses the sixth commandment, emphasizing the value of human life and the moral implications of anger and hatred.

Preaching from Exodus 20:13, Pastor Jared Richard opens the sixth commandment — "You shall not murder" — and immediately pushes past the comfortable assumption that most of us are safe from its conviction. While many may not have committed physical murder, Pastor Jared argues that we live in a culture that has grown increasingly comfortable with the destruction of human life. From the rapid legalization of medically assisted suicide to abortion, to the casual glorification of violence in entertainment, we have built a culture of death that stands in direct opposition to God's heart. The commandment, rightly understood, is not merely a prohibition against killing — it is a call to value every human life as God values it, because life is His gift, human beings bear His image, and every person exists to worship Him. Pastor Jared then turns to the heart of the matter, following Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:21-24, where Christ makes clear that murderous anger, contempt, and hatred toward a neighbor carry the same moral weight before God as the physical act of murder. This is what John Calvin called "murder of the heart," and by this standard, none of us escape the conviction of the…

People in this episode

Host: Pastor Jared Richard

Topics covered

• human life
• sixth commandment
• murder
• forgiveness
• Christian values
• cultural issues

Keywords

• commandment
• murder
• human life
• forgiveness
• Christianity
• cultural issues
• violence
• Gospel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Exodus 20:13, Matthew 5:21-24

More episodes of Bay Leaf Baptist Church Weekly Sermons

• 5-31-26 // Honor Your Father and Mother // Exodus 20:12 // How Do We Honor Our Parents? · June 2, 2026 · 45 min
• 5-24-26 // God's Gracious Gift // Exodus 20:8-11 // Why Did God Give Us a Day of Rest? · May 26, 2026 · 38 min
• 5-17-26 // The Name Above Every Name // Exodus 20:7 // Why Must We Honor God’s Holy Name? · May 18, 2026 · 38 min
• 5-10-26 // Raising up Faithful Worshipers of God // Exodus 20:4-6 // What Legacy Are You Leaving? · May 11, 2026 · 44 min

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