Sermon Transcript:

My aunt and uncle have a cottage at Higgins Lake and as a kid we would always vacation there during the 4th of July week. One of the things I always looked forward to was going to Good Times party store. They had an array of candy that would make any kid blush. While there were many choices of candy, the best piece of candy there was the large white jawbreaker. Every year, we couldn’t wait to get one and go to town eating it. My cousins and I would compete in the ensuing months to see how fast we could eat through it. Now what’s awesome about these jawbreakers is the many layers that would be uncovered. As you ate through one layer, there would be another color and flavor that awaits. What looked as a giant ball of sugar turned out to be deeper layers of sugar and colors. It was fascinating as a kid to see the many layers a jawbreaker had. 

 As we continue through our series in Matthew at the Sermon at the Mount, we last left off where Jesus makes the proclamation of His coming fulfilment of the Law and Prophets. All of the Old Testament through the Mosaic Law and the Prophets pointed to Jesus coming to bring salvation through the history of redemption. Pastor Kevin connected the dots between law and grace through Christ and now Jesus will begin to expound deeper on the weighty matters of the law. The following verses 21-48 are meant to be read as whole, but we will walk through it in sections. Like the jawbreaker, Jesus will begin to explain the many layers of interpretation for each commandment. The first beginning with the commandment against murder.

Main Point: Unresolved anger defiles worship and denies the reconciling grace of God.

• Law against murder. (v.21)

Explanation: Jesus continues his preaching by explaining what the Jewish leaders taught.

Matthew 5:21, “21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’”

• This law was given to Moses by God at Mt. Sinai at the giving of the Decalogue and the entirety of the Law. It was said to Israel from Moses by God that breaking this commandment would bring judgment.
• The religious leaders during this time would have taught this as well. The use of “you have heard” represented only their interpretation of this law. They were only looking at the surface of the law, but not any deeper. Because the common language of this time was Aramaic, not many could speak or read the Old Testament aloud in its original Hebrew. It was really only the religious leaders who could read and interpret these matters for the Jewish people. So, the people were limited in their understanding of this commandment.

We must remember the purpose of the Law for the Israelites. The moral Law was not sin in itself, but revealed sin. Kevin preached through the previous passage of Matthew explaining that the Law itself was a means to put boundaries around sin, reveal the wickedness of our hearts, and lead us to grace in Christ. Jesus came to fulfill and satisfy the legal requirements of the Law. This was no different for the Jews, but the religious leaders missed the point. They treated the law as a means to gain righteousness through their own fleshly works to not outwardly murder.

• Murder in its act is sinful and heinous. This would have been pre-meditated murder at its core and was recorded early and often in the Old Testament its consequences. You will be liable to judgment.
• This judgment would result in an earthly punishment. It would mean judgment in the form of the death penalty from a human court. 

Exodus 21:12-14, “12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.”

Numbers 35:30, “30 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.”

• As human beings made in the image of God, we know deep within us the severity and horrible nature of murder. It is recorded early on in Genesis 9 what God feels about murder.

Genesis 9:6, “6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”

Illustration: We all have watched True-crime TV shows. If you have watched Dateline 20/20 or documentaries following cold cases, you can probably relate to the sick feeling or shock at the depravity you have just witnessed. Murder in any form is detestable and disgusting. What we want in the end is justice against those who have broken this commandment. We want a better outcome for those who were the victims. Those made in the image of God.

• The Jewish leaders would have agreed with Jesus here. They would have scoffed at the idea of murder being acceptable in any form. They could claim innocence here. They could say in their hearts, they haven’t actually murdered someone, so all is well.

Transition: Jesus then explains how the act of murder is correlated with anger.

•  Jesus’ interpretation of murder. (v.22)

Explanation: Jesus did not speak against the commandment of “You shall not murder” but goes into detail the inner workings of the heart associated with breaking this commandment. Since Jesus would fulfill the Law and the Prophets, He did not come to abolish this law or the rest of the commandments. Jesus flips what the religious leaders were teaching on its head. He contrasts what they have said to what He says murder is.

Matthew 5:22, “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.”

• In saying this, Jesus is speaking to the real purpose of the law. It was never meant to be an external obedience that could justify us before God. It was never meant to merely expose the outward righteousness demonstrated in “good deeds”. This commandment along with the others exposed the wickedness of the heart.

Jeremiah 17:9, “9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Matthew 15:18-19, “18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. “

Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:22 that anger precedes murder. It not only precedes it but is also equal to murder. Anger is the foundation of murder and with it carries divine judgment.

• This is a radical statement. After all, none of us here, at least that I know of, have committed murder in the flesh. It certainly happens in this fallen world, but we are innocent in this regard right? Well let me ask you. Have you ever been angry with someone without cause? Have you harbored bitterness in your heart against someone? Jesus is speaking to this.
• Do you remember the passage in James that brother Tony preached on about a month ago? Anger cannot satisfy the righteousness of God. If you are angry or have bitterness in your heart against your neighbor, you are violating the commandment of murder.
• The type of anger that Jesus is speaking about here is seething, ready to explode at the drop of a hat. It is the grudge that you have against someone that you are unwilling to let go. Jesus contrasts an earthly consequence of breaking this commandment with a divine judgment before a Holy God. He says that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.
• Jesus again speaks on His own authority, proclaiming that it isn’t enough that you don’t outwardly murder. You have anger in your heart. Sinners who have succumbed to anger have bitter hatred in their hearts against those created in the image of God. Like a seed of an apple tree is of the same essence as an apple, murder is simply the mature fruit that grows from the seed of anger. Because man can’t see the inward working of the heart, it cannot be tried in a court of law, but this sin is seen by God, who judges not only the outward action of sin, but the inward sin that bubbles beneath the surface. 
• Now, there are times when you should be angry. This should be a righteous anger against those that trample the statutes of God and make a mockery of Christ. When there is injustice or mistreatment of another brother or sister, we should have a righteous anger, but only that which we cast to the Lord to deal with. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. The book of Ephesians tells us to be angry and not sin. Jesus flips tables and calls the Jewish leaders fools at times. There is a caution to all of this, but we must remember, only Jesus can perfectly demonstrate anger without sin, because He is God. We are susceptible, because of the weakness of our flesh through our sin. We can’t live this out because we are weak.

Anger also doesn’t just sit quietly. There are further problems that come out of a place of anger. It creates a stranglehold on our emotions, causing outward bursts of insults and assaults against image-bearers of God. 

Matthew 5:22b, “whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council.”

• Jesus uses the word “raca” here for “insults” which means empty head, stupid fool, or lacking intelligence. We see this used far too often in a less serious manner. You might have heard Lucy call Charlie Brown a stupid blockhead before in the famous cartoon. These types of insults are far too commonly used considering the impact it has on ourselves and those that they are directed toward, but this is not something to take lightly. This is a serious sin. You are attacking the personhood of that individual when this type of insult is used.
• The judgment received here would be based on bringing this accusation to the courts. Jesus is probably referring to the judicial court. With anger correlating to divine judgment, Jesus is more than likely symbolizing a more ultimate judgment in this case. One that stands before a heavenly council where God will call anyone who uses this type of insult to a final judgment. Where our every thought and word spoken will be scrutinized closely.

But that’s not all. Jesus also addresses those who are willing to call others “fools.”

Matthew 5:22c, “and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

• The word for fool used here is similar to “raca” in that it paints those that are referred this way as stupid and foolish. This word is “moros” and is where we get the English word “moron” from. This reinforces the idea of a heart intent on murdering the character and bringing slander to the victim. This is sinful and also breaks the commandment against murder. 
• This particular insult becomes even weightier when Jesus describes the type of judgment associated with using this insult. Jesus says that whoever uses this against another image-bearer of God is liable to the hell of fire. The hell of fire here would have been understood as Gehenna. This is the place where Jerusalem’s rubbish was burnt. It was literally a pile of trash that would be set on fire when they accumulated too much. An early day waste management so to speak. This is used by Jewish writers and Jesus here, to imply the place of ultimate judgment.
• Jesus is saying here that those that are willing to undermine people created in His image through insults and slander are liable to facing eternal punishment. This is indeed a scary thought. How often are we quick to slander and paint others as stupid or foolish when we disagree with them? How often are we quick to label someone as moronic when they walk in darkness? The unfortunate truth is that this is something our culture puts a positive spin on.

Illustration: This behavior is far too common in our society today. We see this play out in the political realm but it goes even deeper than that. Let’s play a game of who said it?

• “Trump truly has the spirit, brain, appetite, temper, patience and wit of a child that you hate.” -John Oliver – Left wing British Comedian.
• “The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO, Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” -Donald J. Trump

Unfortunately, this has infiltrated into the church. When I see believers’ Facebook posts or conversations that have fixated on political jargon, openly criticizing and insulting others who do not follow their beliefs on those topics, we have ourselves a sin problem. When I see believers commend snappy insults or witty comebacks meant to humiliate and insult the character of others, we have ourselves a sin problem. When I see believers use vulgarities against other brothers in Christ, failing to repent from their own sin, we have ourselves a sin problem. It is murder in the heart. The enemy is crafty in that he has gotten brothers and sisters in Christ to commit murder in their heart out of a love for the world and the things in it. Satan’s subtle and dangerous twisting of sin causes more damage than we even know.

• The reality of sin is that we think we can hold onto little bits of it. We all know that the outward act of murder, lust, not keeping oaths, and hating our enemies is sinful. But it is all too easy to hold these feelings and sinful dispositions in our hearts, thinking we are hiding them from God.

It is like the jawbreaker again. We hold these laws up to show to the world our righteousness, but secretly we love going beyond what the commandment has placed borders around. We show to the world the untouched white side of our jawbreaker, while eating away at the inner parts of the jawbreaker on the other side. The many colors and flavors that await. These layers reveal our deceptive hearts. It is far too common in this society to be whitewashed and ignore the inner workings of the heart, and Jesus gives us the deeper conditions here.

• The truth of the matter is that all of us are guilty of murder. Jesus expands this commandment to ensure that none of us can satisfy it with our own righteousness. I’ve been angry. You’ve been angry. I have come to the realization and conviction in my own heart on how often I cast insults, whether outwardly or inwardly. We cannot solve the problem of murder in our hearts. It can only be accomplished through Jesus, who knew no sin, but became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God. None of this is done through the flesh. Sin in its nature seeks to grow and destroy our relationship with the Lord and with others.

James 1:13-15, “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

1 John 3:11-15, “11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

• As the Apostle John connects murder with death, we see it early in the Scriptures with the story of Cain and Abel. In this narrative, we see the symptoms of a dead spiritual state and a wicked heart intent on murder and bloodlust. Cain, who gets jealous of his brother’s offering, allows anger and bitterness to stir up in his heart. It is God who warns him,

Genesis 4:6-7, “6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

• But Cain couldn’t. And we can’t. We know that Cain follows through on his anger and murders his brother. God was calling Cain to reconciliation, but Cain submitted to his sin. Jesus calls all of us to reconciliation when feelings of anger and bitterness are strong within us. If we didn’t have Christ, we would murder our brother as well. We must repent and reconcile in Christ, lest we damage and defile our worship before God and fellowship with other believers.

Transition: The good news is that we have reconciliation in the gospel, if we repent and reconcile with those that we have offended and those that offended us.

• Reconciliation in the gospel. (v.23-26)

Explanation:  Jesus makes sure to connect the sin of murder in our hearts to disconnected fellowship and worship with Christ. Jesus uses the example of Temple worship.

Matthew 5:23-24, “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.”

• It was common for worship in the 1st century to bring your gift to the altar, which was presumably an animal sacrifice that the common man was able to bring to the Court of the Priests. It was the form of worship for the Jew, but Jesus says to lay it aside to remember the offense.
• Jesus even takes this a step further to consider not just your own grudge or anger toward a brother, but an offense brought against you by an accuser. Maybe it’s justifiable, maybe it’s not, but Jesus calls us to consider our accuser so that our worship with God isn’t broken. At any rate, an accuser signifies that there was an offense committed against that person at some point. He says that even if you are at the moment about to offer your gift at the altar, and it could be moments beforehand, to leave it there and go. Make it right. Reconcile.

Reconciliation must always take precedence over the outward acts of worship, because our conscience is affected and our unity is broken as a fellowship. When there is unreconciled sin before God, our hearts and minds cannot be centered on Christ. Our lives are muddied and mired by the brokenness, rather than forgiveness in Christ, even if you believe you are not at fault. A conversation must be had at some point.

• For Christians, we ought to consider our relationships with others outside of this church and with one another here. Is there reconciliation that needs to be made with another brother or sister in Christ because of your sin? Is there an accusation against you that needs to be tended to and cleared up? If the answer is yes, Jesus is clear that we leave our gift at the altar.
• There are two ways that worship in the offering of gifts is affected by anger.

1. The Lord’s Supper: Every week we partake together in the Lord’s Supper. We explain in detail the celebration that it is. It is a beautiful picture of the gospel. Through the symbols of the wafer and juice. We break bread to point us to the broken body of Christ on a cross. We drink the juice which points to the blood of Christ that cleanses us of sin. We get to participate together as a way to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This also comes with a warning.

1 Corinthians 11:27-34, “27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment...”

• If there is unrepentant sin or relationships that need to be mended, take care of those things first. Go. Leave now before this sermon is finished. There is no unity in the body when sin is not taken care of. There is no unity in the body when there is anger below the surface. There is no unity in the body when brothers and sisters in Christ cannot dwell in peace. We cannot truly worship God and live in sin.

1. Financial Offering: The other way we give is through our financial offering. We give back to God what He has given us to faithfully steward for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. When we give in this way, we are saying, “God use this gift to advance your Kingdom on earth.”

• While there is no specific command to not give if there is unrepentant sin, the Bible tells us to be cheerful givers without hypocrisy. I say leave even this gift at the altar if there is a broken relationship with another believer. Go and be united with your brother or sister in Christ.

Application: How then do we reconcile? First, we must submit ourselves to the Lord in surrender. We trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus came to this world preaching repentance. Jesus came to the world and lived a perfect life, that He might be the example set before us. Where we fall short in our anger. Where we fall short in our relationships with other believers, Jesus also lived it out perfectly. Every prophecy and every law were completely satisfied in Him. And He walked perfectly as the God-man to the point of death on a cross, that our sins would be placed upon Him. He took the full punishment and wrath of the Father for the forgiveness of sin to those who would put their faith and trust in that payment. The wages of sin is death, but Jesus made that payment. He made that payment, not that we would still walk in anger and bitterness, but that we would also offer the same forgiveness He transferred to us when we were justified. If we are justified, we then have the Spirit of God to walk in sanctification to live out our lives in love. That we would walk humbly and lay down our offense before our brother or sister and seek reconciliation in love.

• We must do this by the ministry of the Word through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. When we go to our brother and sister in Christ, bring the Word of God with you. In love, point one another to Christ. Seek forgiveness. Repent and reconcile. Be unified in Christ. 

1 John  4:7-10, “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Conclusion

Clarification: Jesus concludes his interpretation of murder through a final illustration.

Matthew 5:25-26, “25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

• This example of a man and his accuser on their way to a court represents a final call to not leave the matter of anger unresolved. It serves as a final warning to those who let this bitterness dwell. There will come a day when the clock runs out. Our story will be complete and our hearts will reveal where we ultimately stood with Christ and others. There will be many who say, Lord, Lord, look at what I have done for you. If there remains hatred or grudges before another person made in the image of God, we are ultimately rejecting God Himself. We will be handed over to the Judge who sits on the Throne who will judge every ounce of our being. We will not get out until the last penny is paid. A heart that truly loves God will humble themselves before a Holy and loving God. A heart that rejects God will lead to death and see the full wrath of His judgment when He returns. You will be liable to hellfire.

Final Application: If you are here this morning, and anger has been a problem for you, bring it to the Lord in repentance. Maybe you are angry with your parents, your children, your friend, your neighbor, or your boss. Maybe a brother or sister in Christ has hurt you. Maybe you are mad at God for the life circumstances you find yourself in. Jesus tells us to go and make it right. We have no right to sit back and hold close to any feelings of bitterness or anger in our hearts. It affects not only our own walk with the Lord but damages and destroys His church. Jesus paid for all of this, that we would walk in love, by trusting in the sufficiency and potency of the gospel. That we would remember the power of forgiveness and reconciliation offered through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Through Christ, we can forgive those who have hurt us deeply. Through Christ we can make right any wrong that we have done against another brother or sister. That through Christ, His love would cover a multitude of sins. You can be encouraged this morning if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. He has paid it all. He paid for the anger, the bitterness, the injustice, the pain and the sorrow that follows murder in the heart.

• Maybe you have walked down the path toward reconciliation, but the brother and sister refused. You have attempted to reconcile, but the door has been shut. The Bible tells us to be at peace with all men if it is possible. It’s not always possible folks, but we can try. Be in prayer for that brother or sister and seek God’s help that you wouldn’t fall back into bitterness and anger. None of this can be done through our strength, but only from the power of God through the work of the indwelt Spirit. Consider your heart before God and leave your gift at the altar if these feelings resurface. Repent and trust what Jesus accomplished in the gospel. Let’s pray.