Disciples reconcile
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
How to go to hell
How to go to hell
Matthew 5:21–22 (NIV)
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Murder->Anger->Contempt
Death sentence->Court->Hell
(In one sense there’s a silliness about going to court for anger - but then Jesus quickly reveals he’s talking about God the Judge -
36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
God cares about how you speak.
18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
The fence isn’t at murder. It’s contempt - thinking, feeling and speaking less of a person -
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
This is worse than you think.
No footnote - what is hell?
Gehenna - a shortened form of the Valley of Ben Hinnom:
3 He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire, engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
It was a place of appalling evil.
32 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call it Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 33 Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds and the wild animals, and there will be no one to frighten them away.
God would judge and bring death.
24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
An ongoing, maggoty, rubbish-burning condemnation. Chucked out and burned up. (This is a further step from tasteless salt being chucked out).
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Jesus, the light bringer. Jesus, God who has dhown up to take charge. Jesus, who calls all of us to turn to God - to repent.
He draws the line not at murder, not even at anger, but belittling another human made in God’s image:
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
I once preached this passage as a sermon on anger, I said true things - but I missed the point - it’s not even about anger - but about belittling other humans. This is harder and much more serious. How do you go to hell? - Keep belittling other humans made in God’s image.
[We are not going to talk about righteous anger, or the but what about when God is angry, or when Jesus calls the pharisees blind fools - write a question - because we need to hear Jesus words - we have so ingrained that it doesn’t matter how we speak.
[there are good helps for anger - but we don’t get that here directly…]
So what’s the word from Jesus? Don’t be angry? Don’t have contempt? Stay away from murder?
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
This is the first thing Jesus tells us to do here.
Stop worship - be reconciled
Stop worship - be reconciled
If I were to summarisethe next four verses - 2 words: Reconcile Now!
Verses 23-24 give us the first instruction - don’t be angry, don’t have contempt, avoid hell -
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
You’ve come all the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. 5 day journey. It’s a thanksgiving gift for deliverance, or healing, or your farming success -
And then you remember you have personal conflict - or atually, someone does with you -
You don’t decide they should ‘get over it’, move on, it’s their problem… NO
Stop seeking God and seek peace with that person.
24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
You take the first step. You’ve sinned against them, it is not their problem but your problem.
Don’t raise your hands to God if you haven’t reached out to your fellow human whom you’ve done wrong to.
What’s an equivalent? Don’t gather happily on a Sunday for church without making amends - don’t wrongly claim peace with God if you won’t make peace with others. Don’t line up for communion if you happily belittle others in your heart and words (whether to them or about them).
God hates this two-faced behaviour. He says to Israel:
11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.
12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”
Given that we are in Lent - this is a sobering reminder -
[But what about? Abuse - yes, be careful - we’ll talk a bit moreabout this in two weeks when we look at marriage and divorce; can’t make someone else reconcile - NO, but you should seek it]
Can’t we just let bygones be bygones - can’t we just be happy with a truce - a frozen cessation of hostilities -
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
You will need to make yourself small. You will need to be ready maybe to face insult your self. It might include shame. It will make you vulnerable.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Jesus isn’t just saying this. Jesus is God come among us as the peacemaker with God’s enemies:
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
You and I have no moral high ground, and much peace making to do.
What a great word from Jesus - not just ‘don’t be angry’, but be reconciled.
// all these plans - then husband died - no option /
Be Reconciled NOW
Be Reconciled NOW
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Not ‘settle matters’ - be in good relationship with them -
Don’t get caught in the detail. There’s a chain of conseuqences out of your control. You don’t have tomorrow. You have now.
Be reconciled now.
You want an item for your bucket list from Jesus - be reconciled now.
To God - and to others.
[strangely enough - I suggest you will find that seeking peace will fight anger and contempt; seeing others as made in God’s image will bring meekness and humility - and remembering Jesus died for you when you were God’s enemy will remove a moral high horse -
Take the initiative - hold out an open hand -
Who do you need to seek out today?