by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Job 3:1-11<\/p>\n
I. A young man asked me, “Why is suicide a sin?”<\/p>\n
A. At first it seems a strange question because the answer is so obvious.<\/p>\n
B. But the young man was struggling with how to explain this to someone he knows.<\/p>\n C. You can’t turn in your Bibles to a passage that says “You shall not take your own\nlife.”\n
II. Suicide is murder<\/p>\n A. Suicide is the ending of your own life. An individual decides his life should not\ncontinue.\n B. But this is no different from a person who decides to end the life of another\nperson.\n
C. You shall not murder – Exodus 20:13<\/p>\n 1. Not to be confused with a government administering the death penalty for\na crime – Romans 13:4\n
a. Governments were given the right to execute evildoers by God.<\/p>\n b. The act is only done after careful consideration that evil had been\ncommitted that is worthy of death.\n
2. The person committing suicide cannot claim the right<\/p>\n
a. He has not been given the right to end his own life by God<\/p>\n b. He is not in the position to accurately weigh whether a death\nsentence should be applied.\n D. Once you acknowledge that suicide is a form of murder, then it is straight forward\nto prove that murder, including suicide, is a sin – I John 3:15\n
III. A better question: “Why would someone want to end his life?”<\/p>\n
A. Despair<\/p>\n
1. Today we usually call it “depression”<\/p>\n
a. It is the attitude that life is not worth living.<\/p>\n b. It is the decision that there is no future and no hope of a better\ntomorrow.\n
2. Job – Job 3:3-4, 11<\/p>\n
a. In his sufferings, Job wished he never had been born.<\/p>\n
b. Yet, in the depths of his despair Job did not commit suicide<\/p>\n c. Job 2:10 – Some things are out of our control, including the choice\nof when our lives should end.\n
3. Elijah – I Kings 19:4<\/p>\n a. After successfully proving that God existed, Jezebel threatened to\nkill him.\n b. Elijah gave up hope. He saw himself as the only faithful follower of\nGod left in the world, and he was a failure.\n
c. After his best effort, he could not turn Israel from their idolatry<\/p>\n d. Notice that Elijah wished for death, but he did not attempt to take\nhis own life. \n e. Even in despair, he knew that the decision was God’s alone to\nmake.\n f. And God countered Elijah’s lack of hope by giving him important\nchores that would affect the future of Israel. He also pointed out\nthat Elijah’s view was wrong; there were 7,000 faithful people in\nIsrael. (Thus was Elijah a good judge of whether his life was worth\ncontinuing? NO!)\n
4. Judas – Matthew 27:3-5<\/p>\n a. Judas was a man always looking for a way to make quick cash,\nlegally or illegally.\n b. He had observed how Jesus always managed to escape when the\nJews attempted to arrest Him or kill Him\n c. Perhaps Judas thought to cash in on this by offering to betray the\nChrist, fully expecting Jesus to simply walk away as He had done in\nthe past.\n
d. But it didn’t as planned<\/p>\n
(1) Jesus was arrested and condemned to die<\/p>\n
(2) Judas could not face his own guilt and he hanged himself<\/p>\n
5. Compare Judas to Saul – Acts 7:57-8:1<\/p>\n a. Saul was present at the death of Stephen. He encouraged the mob\nin their murder of a righteous man.\n b. He lead the persecution of the church, dragging many into prison\nand to their death – Acts 8:3\n
c. But Jesus sought out Saul and Saul was granted salvation.<\/p>\n
d. Looking back on this Saul, now called Paul, said – I Timothy 1:12-15<\/p>\n e. Paul didn’t wallow in self-pit or despair for long. When he learned\nthe truth he took hold of the opportunity to redeem himself in the\neyes of God.\n 6. Christianity is a religion of hope; a hope that does not disappoint – Romans\n5:5\n
a. At one time we did not have God and had no hope – Ephesians 2:12<\/p>\n
b. Now we are called to hold on to our hope – Hebrews 10:23<\/p>\n c. Those who commit suicide are declaring that they have given up\nhope in God.\n
B. Control<\/p>\n 1. The reason many people in the Bible committed suicide was a vain attempt\nto control their destiny.\n
2. Abimelech – Judges 9:53-54<\/p>\n
a. Abimelech was fatally struck by a rock thrown by a woman.<\/p>\n b. He did not want it to be known that a woman killed him, so he\nordered his armor bearer to strike him dead.\n c. But it didn’t work. We remember that a woman was the cause of\nAbimelech’s death – II Samuel 11:21\n
d. He tried to change history and failed<\/p>\n
3. Saul – I Samuel 31:4<\/p>\n a. Saul was in the midst of battle, his sons were killed, and he was\nfatally shot by a Philistine archer\n
b. Saul feared that the Philistines would abuse his body after his death<\/p>\n
c. But it didn’t work – I Samuel 31:8-10<\/p>\n d. You see, once you are dead, you have no control. You give up all\npossibility of affecting the world.\n
4. Ahithophel – II Samuel 17:23<\/p>\n a. Absalom rebelled against his father, King David. One of David’s\nadvisors, Ahithophel turned traitor and began advising Absalom.\n b. However, in a critical matter Absalom took the advice of another\nover Ahithophel.\n c. Ahithophel knew disaster was coming, so he decided to control his\nown death.\n d. Funny thing is, nothing changed. He would have died one way or\nanother.\n e. By taking himself out of the picture early on, he insured the defeat\nof Absalom by removing any possible good advice he might have\ngained.\n
5. Zimri – I Kings 16:18<\/p>\n a. He killed King Elah of Israel, but soon faced defeat at the hands of\na rival general\n b. Zimri chose the method of his death, but in his death he gave his\nenemy exactly what he desired.\n
c. Zimri’s suicide only made Omri’s triumph easier.<\/p>\n
6. Suicide doesn’t give men control.<\/p>\n
a. It is a means of abandoning any control of your future.<\/p>\n
b. It makes no change. It cannot cause an improvement.<\/p>\n
c. It is a coward’s escape.<\/p>\n
d. Oh! But do they truly escape? – Revelation 21:8<\/p>\n
C. Revenge<\/p>\n
1. Jonah – Jonah 4:1-3<\/p>\n
a. Jonah was commanded to preach to his hated enemies.<\/p>\n b. He did not desire their salvation, so he tried to rebel; but in the end\nJonah was forced to deliver God’s message.\n c. The message filled Jonah with glee, in 40 days the capital of his\nenemies, Nineveh, would be destroyed.\n d. But to his dismay, the people listened to his warning and repented\nof their sins!\n
e. Jonah would have rather died than to see Nineveh survive.<\/p>\n 2. Often people committing suicide are trying to strike back at others whom\nthey perceive as causing them harm.\n
a. Christians are warned – Romans 12:19<\/p>\n
b. These people are trying to take matters into their own hands.<\/p>\n c. They believe they know better than God what to be done and when\nit should be done.\n
3. Revenge is the motivation behind suicide bombers<\/p>\n a. Here is a way they believe they can strike back at their most hated\nenemies.\n b. If they die in the process, they deceive themselves into believing\nGod will be happy with their deed.\n
c. Such woefully foolish people!<\/p>\n
(1) Their deaths guarantee facing an angry God<\/p>\n (2) They killed others and themselves – murderers will not enter\nheaven; especially murderers trying to take matters into\ntheir own hands rather than giving place for the wrath of\nGod.\n d. Remember when the disciples sought to take vengeance on a village\nthat insulted Jesus? – Luke 9:55-56\n
IV. Suicide holds no solution<\/p>\n
A. It fixes no problems<\/p>\n
B. It gives no control<\/p>\n
C. It is not heroic, but cowardly<\/p>\n
D. It brings wrath upon the one seeking vengeance<\/p>\n
E. It brings no comfort to the suffering soul<\/p>\n
V. The true solution<\/p>\n
A. When the jailer sought to take his life – Acts 16:28<\/p>\n
1. The cry brought the jailer back to his senses<\/p>\n
2. He wanted to know how he might be saved from his predicament<\/p>\n 3. Perhaps he was only focused on his immediate problems, but Paul pointed\nhim to a greater need – Acts 16:31\n
B. How can a man believe in what he never heard? – Romans 10:14<\/p>\n 1. So we find the jailer and his household learning about Jesus in the middle\nof the night – Acts 16:32\n
2. That word made a difference! – Acts 16:33<\/p>\n C. Here, then, is the solution to your problems, no matter how overwhelming they\nmay seem.\n
1. Suicide doesn’t bring joy into anyone’s life<\/p>\n
2. But Jesus is the key to eternal joy<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 3:1-11 I. A young man asked me, “Why is suicide a sin?” A. At first it seems a strange question because the answer is so obvious. B. But the young man was struggling with how to explain this to someone he knows. C. You can’t turn in your Bibles to a passage that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[397,406,399,39],"class_list":["post-7280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-depression","tag-murder","tag-revenge","tag-suicide"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":80814,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-a-member-of-the-church-go-to-hell-if-he-commits-suicide\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":0},"title":"Why does a member of the church go to hell if he commits suicide?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have lost a friend by suicide.\u00a0 Why does a member of the church go to hell if he commits suicide?\u00a0 For many people, you can't know for sure, but I think you should. Answer: I'm sorry to hear that you lost a friend. Such events leave everyone with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37758,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-physician-assisted-suicide-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":1},"title":"Is physician-assisted suicide a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is physician-assisted suicide, otherwise known as medical aid in dying or death with dignity, a sin? What if the person is severely suffering from a terminal illness? If I was suffering I would want to eliminate my suffering. Answer: Throughout mankind's history, God has demanded that life be respected.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54207,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-find-your-article-on-why-suicide-is-a-sin-to-be-completely-unsympathetic-and-untrue\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":2},"title":"I find your article on why suicide is a sin to be completely unsympathetic and untrue","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I feel compelled by God to send you these words of enlightenment. As a Christian person who suffers from deep depression (on medication and under a doctor's care), I find\u00a0your article to be completely unsympathetic and untrue. There are many, many other Christian writings out there that contradict what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-suicide-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":3},"title":"Why is suicide a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why is suicide a sin? Answer: At first, it seems to be a strange question because the answer is so obvious. But the young man who asked this is struggling with how to explain it to someone he knows. The difficulty is that you can't turn in your Bibles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3985,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-person-doesnt-want-to-live-why-is-suicide-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":4},"title":"If a person doesn’t want to live, why is suicide wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My friend took her own life six years ago when we were both 17. She left me a note that said, \"I have so many things I want to tell you, but I don't know how to say. If we can meet each other in this world again, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22130,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-god-be-loving-if-he-doesnt-let-people-escape-unbearable-situations-through-suicide\/","url_meta":{"origin":7280,"position":5},"title":"How can God be loving if He doesn’t let people escape unbearable situations through suicide?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In\u00a0your sermon on suicide, you state: E.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It brings no comfort to the suffering soul. If one takes their own life, then one's unendurable physical or emotional pain is taken away immediately. 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