Sermon on the Mount Wk. 4

From Anger to Judgment: The Heart's Path

Bible Passage: Mt 5:21–26

Summary: In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus teaches about the dangers of anger, equating it with murder in the heart, and emphasizes the importance of reconciliation and humility before God and others.

Application: This sermon can help teens recognize the destructive nature of unchecked anger in their lives. It encourages them to reflect on their emotions and how pride can lead to harmful words and actions against others, ultimately stressing the importance of reconciliation and humility in their relationships.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that anger, if left unchecked, can escalate to serious consequences in relationships with others and with God. It reveals the spiritual heart issues behind our anger and the necessity for genuine repentance and reconciliation with others.

How this passage could point to Christ: In this passage, Christ is portrayed as the ultimate reconciler, who addresses the heart issues behind anger and provides a way for us to seek peace and forgiveness. He exemplifies humility and urges us to follow His lead in our interactions with others.

Big Idea: Unchecked anger, rooted in pride, leads to spiritual and relational destruction, but Christ calls us to humility and reconciliation.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider exploring the cultural context of anger in Jesus' time, which can provide insight into the severity of His teachings. Look at commentary resources in Logos to find discussions on the meanings of 'murder' and 'reconciliation' in this context. Additionally, you may want to investigate related verses on anger and judgment found throughout Scripture to deepen your application for teens.

Introduction:

Welcome to week 4 of our series on The Sermon On The Mount, within which we’ve said that Jesus is laying the blueprint of the Christian life to all new testament believers!

ANAKIN: You turned her against me.

OBI-WAN: You have done that yourself.

ANAKIN: You will not take her from me.

ANAKIN throws off his cloak.

OBI-WAN: Your anger and your lust for power have already done that.

OBI-WAN flings off his cloak.

OBI-WAN: (continuing) You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now . . . until

now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy

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

Remember last week, we discussed that Jesus came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. As we enter these next few passages of the SOTM, its going to become clear why Jesus made this distinction.

At this time, God’s Law was being misinterpreted and misapplied. Many of the pharisees and common people got to a point where they were still following the Law, but were missing God’s heart altogether. It became about doing the bare minimum rather than aiming to live in right relationship with God and His people.

Problem is, we still do this today. We take The ten commandments, and all of the things we think we know about God’s moral law, and we ask, “How many lines can I cross without crossing THE line?” When we do this, we are behaving just the same as the scribes and pharisees and Jewish people that Jesus is addressing in this passage.

Thats why when Jesus transitions into this teaching, he says, “You have heard it was said…”

Its important that we understand that Jesus is not saying this in a demeaning way towards the Law. Rather, He is pointing back to the original Law because Jesus’ commands in the SOTM are not doing away with the Law, but rather is drawing out the inner, true meaning of the Law.

Jesus begins this intersection of Old and New using the Sixth commandment. Which says that if you murder someone, your punishment will be the death penalty. That is the Law of Moses. It’s still a law for us today. Here is the new command of Jesus…

Matthew 5:22 “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.”

Jesus is doing two things in this verse.

First He is teaching us that unchecked anger has one destination, and that destination is destruction.

I’ve never gotten mad at someone and immediately been driven to do something nice to them…

Anger leads us to accusation, which leads us to judgment, which leads us to take action based off of our judgment, and not God’s. (Taking God’s Place)

This Judgement almost always manifests itself as an act of ill will or insult to another person, it could be physical, it could be emotional, relational, social, and even spiritual.

Jesus is saying that when we do this, when we allow our anger to lead us to judging someone else, we have commited murder in our heart.

There is no separation here of the severity Jesus places on actual physical murder, and the murder of the heart through anger.

Anger in the heart, is murder of the soul.

Matthew 5:23–24 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

In this case, Jesus is speaking to the one who is at fault of creating a divide in a relationship, most likely because of something stupid you did or said when you got angry at them.

Jesus is setting a precedent for a culture that was going through the motions to look Holy. There is something that is more important to God than just doing the weekly things that make you feel good in your relationship with Jesus.

Before you go to church and make a post about how faithful you are, before you give a tithe and feel better about yourself, before you go up on a stage or in front of people and serve in some way, before you come and cry down here at the alter during an emotional worship set, you better make sure that your priority as a follower of Jesus is treating people with Love.

He commands us to make our reconciliation with anyone we have wronged a higher priority than our outward worship of Him. If you are doing the “Christian thing” but treating people poorly, you are so so far from the heart and spirit of God.

Why does God set such a high priority on this: Jesus died so that man could be reconciled to God, and if we can be reconciled to God, we ought to do everything we can to be in right relationship with everyone around us.

Its The Gospel!

Matthew 5:25–26 “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. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

The ultimate picture: In our anger and pride, we have sinned against God, if you do not reconcile with Him in this life, you will spend the next suffering in separation from Him in Hell.

When we sin against others, we have the same command to reconcile to them quickly, lest we become a prisoner in our anger towards them, and the consequences of our wrong actions against them.

Big Idea: Unchecked anger, rooted in pride, leads to spiritual and relational destruction, but Christ calls us to humility and reconciliation.

What Should I Do?

Be Reconciled with Christ

Check your anger before you commit murder!

If you do act unrighteously towards someone because of anger, be quick to admit fault and do everything you can to be reconciled to them

Its not about getting out of the consequences of your actions, its about preserving your witness to the lost, and your unity within the body of Christ.

Small Group Questions

What does Jesus equate unchecked anger with in Matthew 5:21-26?

2. What does Jesus say is more important than religious rituals according to this passage?

3. How does this passage highlight the relationship between anger and murder according to Jesus?

4. In what ways can you recognize and address anger in your own life?

5. What steps can you take to pursue reconciliation with someone you have wronged?