AT THE MOVIES: Kingdom Rules #6

Welcome

Good morning and welcome to River Rock Community Church. I am so glad that you are with us today. Hopefully you received a handout as you came in, if not those are available on the table out front along with clipboards and pens for your convenience.

Today we are continuing in our series…

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AT THE MOVIES: Kingdom Rules. And what we’re doing in this series is exploring the TEN COMMANDMENTS and using clips from various movies to help us better understand each command and connect them to our daily lives.

Now, I’ve said this before and I want to say it again…our SALVATION is not obtained by how well we keep these COMMANDMENTS. Salvation is by GOD’S GRACE ALONE THROUGH FAITH ALONE IN JESUS ALONE. When you and I put our faith and trust in JESUS as SAVIOR, we receive SALVATION…we receive forgiveness of sin and we are reconciled to GOD for all of eternity. We become KINGDOM CITIZENS through faith in JESUS.

What we’ve come to realize is that these TEN COMMANDS are KINGDOM RULES…RULES that GOD has given us to be good KINGDOM CITIZENS. See as FOLLOWERS OF JESUS, we are citizens of GOD’s KINGDOM. So we have these KINGDOM RULES that help us live GOD HONORING LIVES…and not just lives that HONOR GOD but these KINGDOM RULES help us to HONOR ONE ANOTHER TOO.

The first four KINGDOM RULES are focused on our relationship with GOD. And that makes sense when you stop to think about it. If we have our lives focused on HONORING GOD…if our relationship with HIM is good and growing, then the other relationships we have…the other areas of our lives will be poised for success too.

The balance of the KINGDOM RULES are focused on HONORING PEOPLE. That starts in the home when we HONOR OUR FATHER AND MOTHER. And that KINGDOM RULE is foundational for the remaining KINGDOM RULES because having honor for our parents leads us to have honor for others.

Today we are going to explore the next KINGDOM RULE…and for many of us, I would say that on the surface, this one is one that just about all of us will say…HEY, I’VE DONE PRETTY GOOD AT KEEPING THIS RULE because I am not in jail! But what we need to realize is that this KINGDOM RULE might be harder to keep than maybe we think.

So go ahead and open your BIBLE or the BIBLE APP to EXODUS chapter 20…Exodus 20 and we are going to read a very short verse here and then we will jump over to Matthew to help us unpack the fullness of this short passage. So let’s dig in, Exodus chapter 20 and verse 13…

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Exodus 20:13 (CSB) Do not murder.

Let me go ahead and ask this questions: QUICK SHOW OF HANDS - How many murderers are with us today? See, this one seems pretty straight forward. If we had broken this KINGDOM RULE, we wouldn’t be in this room today, right! We would likely be in prison or on the run.

The fact is that this KINGDOM RULE is something that just about everyone knows and understands…regardless of cultural or religious background. No matter where you go on this planet, just about everyone understands that taking human life…to MURDER someone is wrong. So if we know it’s wrong, why does God have to say it and what does God mean by stating these three simple words – Do not murder?

It’s not like there’s some hidden meaning in the command. The words are very clear, DO NT MURDER and this refers to the unlawful, premeditated killing of another person. It encompasses acts of intentional and unjustifiable homicide.

So many of us think, hey, I’ve never committed a homicide so I don’t have to worry about this one. But GOD never intended for that to be the ultimate goal. This command outlines GOD’S minimum requirement and standard for civilized society. But here’s the thing, there’s more to it than just the physical act of taking someone’s life.

What we see and what we know is that JESUS HIMSELF mentioned these KINGDOM RULES in HIS teaching. And usually HE brought clarity to them. That’s what we see when HE addressed this one during the most famous sermon in HISTORY…the SERMON ON THE MOUNT.

Let’s go ahead and take a look at this together in Matthew chapter 5…Matthew chapter 5 and we will start at verse 21…

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Matthew 5:21-24 (CSB) 21 You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.

Jesus starts off by pointing out the obvious…you have heard it said. And this was a true statement, the people who were in the audience that day had heard this COMMAND — DO NOT MURDER. They’d heard it from parents…they’d heard from the teachers and Pharisees…and they likely heard it from other people around them.

The same is true for us today…we have heard this one many times at home, at school, and in various situations in life. And we know it’s against the law!

So JESUS points out the rule and HE brings up the fact that anyone who breaks this rule will be subject to judgment. And here’s where it goes a little deeper. This judgment that JESUS is talking about is two-fold. There will be judgment by the local authorities and courts BUT there will also be judgment before GOD.

Here’s the truth…100% of people will face judgment…we have to stand before the LORD and face judgment. And either GOD will look at us and see the blood of JESUS and welcome us into HIS Eternal KINGDOM, or HE will look us at us and see sin riddled humans that ignored HIS grace and forgiveness through JESUS and cast us away for eternity.

So JESUS says look you’ve heard the rule and you are aware of the consequences that follow if you break the rule. Picking up with verse 22…

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22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.

JESUS takes this KINGDOM RULE and HE elevates it…HE raises the standard. And here’s the thing, it’s likely that this was the standard from the start. The problem is, humans like to do the bare minimum in many cases and the bare minimum is to just not commit homicide.

This is the external, visible act of murder. And we’ve seen that the PHARISEES had put emphasis on “LOOKING RIGHTEOUS” by keeping up appearances…as long as you appear righteous, then things are fine. While in reality your heart was unrighteous…your attitude was not pure and holy.

Jesus says look you have heard the command to not murder but I am telling you it’s bigger than just the physical action of taking someone’s life. This command is about more than just the external behavior.

Jesus brings it to a deeper level. Jesus says it’s about your attitude and emotions. It’s about the condition of your heart.

And notice that JESUS breaks this down a little…HE shows us the process of deterioration. It starts with ANGER…it’s an emotional reaction and response.

If we’re all being honest today, we all have moments where anger invades our hearts and influences our attitude and behavior. We’ve all been angry with someone. The thing is, as Paul warns in Ephesians 4…

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Ephesians 4:26 (CSB) 26 Be angry and do not sin.

It’s possible to be angry about something and not sin as a result of the anger. And generally speaking, the kind of anger that JESUS is talking about here is not that basic fleeting irritation that happens, it’s an anger that lingers and festers…it’s settled in your heart and it’s influencing the way you engage with the world around you.

And JESUS is specific, HE says don’t harbor anger toward BROTHERS and SISTERS…and in the context of the moment, HE was speaking to the JEWS and saying don’t harbor anger toward other JEWS.

And for us, it’s about not harboring anger toward other followers of JESUS, at the bare minimum. But we know that it goes beyond just other followers of JESUS…it includes everyone.

So JESUS shifts the whole view of this KINGDOM RULE. The COMMAND isn’t just the willful, intentional, premeditated act of taking a life. Murder, according to JESUS is the ANGER you have toward someone. Harboring anger and resentment is serious and leads to destructive attitudes…and if left unchecked it will eventually come out in destructive actions.

That’s what we saw in the movie clip we watched earlier right.

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In the movie UP, Carl is grieving the loss of his wife…his emotions are running high…he’s sad and hurt and even angry that his wife is gone. And then he experiences an intense moment of anger when the construction worker accidentally damages his mailbox. HIS ANGER RESULTS IN ACTIONS HE NEVER INTENDED. And while he doesn’t murder the worker, he still acts out physically.

And that physical outward expression of anger started in his heart…it started with his attitude and what was going on inside his heart. That’s what JESUS is talking about here. MURDER starts in the heart…it starts in the emotion and attitude. And it flows out in various ways.

Jesus goes further down this road over in LUKE and addresses the intent behind the words and actions that flow out of us…it reflects what is in our heart. Luke 6…verse 45 JESUS says…

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Luke 6:45 (CSB) 45 A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

JESUS says your words matter. Murder starts by having anger in your heart…anger that festers. And when you call someone a FOOL…and the word used by JESUS is RACA and it means empty-headed or worthless…the modern equivalent would be calling someone a MORON or IDIOT.

But JESUS says that this reflects contempt and hatred for another person…it’s basically saying that someone who is created in the image of GOD has no value…they are worthless. And look, GOD doesn’t view anyone as worthless.

Murder, in GOD’S view, is not just the physical act of taking a life. It’s having hatred and anger that is built up in our hearts. It’s the words we use to call them names and belittle them…the words we use to spread rumors or talk about them to other people. See when we do that we are murdering them in our hearts.

And that’s the point JESUS is making here. This command to NOT MURDER goes beyond our actions…it’s about the condition of my heart and your heart. HE’S saying that GOD is concerned with the condition of our heart…HE’S concerned about our inward purity and righteousness.

JESUS said, look, it’s not just the physical act of taking a life, it’s the condition of your heart and if you have anger in your heart toward another person…that’s the same in GOD’S eyes as murder and whoever does this subject to hellfire.

And what Jesus means by that is there a good chance that your eternity is in danger because if you can harbor that kind of hatred and act on it, then chances are you haven’t experienced the transformative work that occurs when you completely surrender your life to Him.

JESUS is communicating that you and I need to recognize the gravity of sin…not just in our actions but in our words and more importantly in our heart. And i can tell you that based on JESUS’ declaration here of murder…I am guilty of breaking this KINGDOM RULE. I have called people names and ripped them to shreds with my words. I have harbored anger toward people and according to JESUS, that makes me guilty.

It also makes me very thankful for the grace and mercy and forgiveness that I have through faith in JESUS. Like I have said before, our salvation is not based on or ability to perfectly keep all of these KINGDOM RULES.

It’s impossible to do that! I can’t earn salvation and you can’t earn salvation by being GOOD ENOUGH. We only get forgiveness and salvation through faith in JESUS.

So JESUS says look MURDER is not just the physical act, it’s something that happens in your heart. And then HE gives very practical direction on how to deal with this sin that dwells within us…how to make a shift. Look at this back in matthew 5…Verse 23.

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23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you 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 with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

If you come to worship and you know that you have anger toward someone that is unsettled…there’s conflict between you and someone else…you need to get things sorted out with that person first so that you can truly engage in worship.

See it’s hard to worship GOD in SPIRIT and TRUTH when your heart is hard toward another person. It’s hard to focus on loving GOD when you are angry with someone. SO JESUS says, you and I need to be sure that our hearts are clear of anger and hate and we need to make amends with others so we can truly worship.

We need to confess our sin to GOD and ask HIM to help us repair broken or damaged relationships so that our hearts are pure. And we need to go to the people that we have made angry or that have made us angry and seek or extend forgiveness. We need to do this so we don’t break this KINGDOM RULE of DO NOT MURDER.

This how we honor GOD…this is how we HONOR others…we let go of past hurt and anger and we extend forgiveness. And listen, when we do, it will change us…it will change our attitude and the way we engage with people and the way we engage with the LORD.

So today, the big question is…HOW IS YOUR HEART? Is it tied in knots due to anger? Are your relationships broken and strained because you have anger that you are allowing to fester? If so, you need to confess that GOD and then seek out the person or people that have you this anger toward and make things right…offer forgiveness or seek forgiveness. And let that anger GO and let GOD heal your heart.

Practically speaking we have a few things that we need to do in response to this text today.

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Guard your heart against anger.

Set aside time each day and maybe even throughout the day…and pray and ask GOD to help you to extend grace to people around you and reveal any anger or bitterness that might be welling up and festering in your heart. Ask GOD to create a CLEAN AND PURE and LOVING HEART in you so that you don’t have room for anger to live. Next…

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Watch your attitude and words.

Pray for GOD to help you guard your attitude and words. Again, emotions can lead us astray and in the moment our attitude can shift leading us to say things that damage people. Keep your attitude and words in check and remember that each person is made in the image of GOD and HE sees them as valuable and LOVES them as much as HE loves you. When you guard your heart…when you keep your attitude and words in check…you still might fall into a trap and experience anger. IF and when this happens you and I need to…

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Prioritize reconciliation.

Make right relationships a priority. When you have anger or conflict arise, deal with it quickly and seek to intentionally reconcile with people. Take steps to make amends and remove any anger or ill-will you have building up towards others. This might look like a conversation over coffee or a meal…a handwritten note or even a phone call. The point is to be intentional and have a plan so that you can reconcile with people before anger grows in your heart and leads you to sin.

When we do these things, it will help us to keep to this KINGDOM RULE…DO NOT MURDER. And when do this…when we keep this KINGDOM RULE we HONOR GOD and we HONOR OTHERS.

All of this starts by having a relationship with JESUS. If you are here today or watching online and you have not taken the step to accept JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR of your life, I want to encourage you to do that today. Accept the grace and forgiveness and hope that is found through faith in HIM. Just say this simple prayer today and commit your life to HIM.

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For all of us today, let’s keep our hearts free from anger and seek to serve GOD by loving others and living with forgiveness day in and day out.

Let’s pray.