Murder of the Heart

Intro

-Have you ever known someone that had “looks that could kill”?

-When I met Laura, her brother warned me that I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

-There’s this look that she can give sometimes, and it’s like “you better get it together, or else”

-At times, I’ve thought “man, she could murder me with that look”

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Refresh on Sermon Series

Refresh on Sermon Series

-What Did He Mean By That? How Do I Do That?

-Began this series picking up immediately following the Beatitudes.

-Jesus is speaking to and teaching his disciples.

-Salt & Light

-Christ being the fulfillment of the law.

-Jesus defended Himself against the charges that He defied the Law, by insisting that He indeed came to fulfill the Law and all of the OT prophesies.

-We learned that righteousness is not something that we can acheive on our own. It’s not works based, but rather through faith in Jesus.

-But rather, only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

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-Beginning today and for the next 5 weeks of this series, we are going to look at 6 OT teachings, where Jesus says “You have heard” or “It was said”

-We’ll see that Jesus takes these OT teachings, and dives deeper than man has ever went in regards to unpacking the true meaning behind these teachings.

Murder

-Beginning in V21, Jesus says “You have heard...” (recount of the 6th Commandment/Exodus 20:13)

-Meaning as He’s talking to His disciples here…they had heard from the Pharisees, the scribes, and the religeous teachers about the command to not commit murder, for that person will be subject to judgement.

-Let’s do a very brief study of this word “murder”

-We all know what murder is…unjustified killing of another person. When someone kills someone else.

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-Murders occur due to violent crimes, domestic situations, abortion, suicide, terrorism, ect.

-That’s murder.

-I do want to clarify something though: those who battle in war, law enforcement, those who protect and serve God’s people from the evildoers, those who justifiably protect themselves and their homes (self-defense)…that is not murder.

-As a matter of fact, God allowed the killing of evildoers. Check out . .

-Paul even addresses those that are subject to murder by way of capital punishment for their evildoing. ()

-Murder is subject to judgement.

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-The Pharisees thought that the 6th commandement “do not murder” meant that as long as they didn’t kill somebody, that they were good…they were righteous…they could just quick mark that one off the list.

-They were only concerned with the superficial matters.

-The outermost matters. They scratched the surface, and that was it.

-Rather than scuba dive, they just snorkeled on the top of the water.

-If we stop right there and we end the message, we leave here just like the Pharisees.

-With

-Convincing ourselves that we are good, that we haven’t killed anyone, so we got it all together.

-They (we) forget what David writes and says... “surely you desire integrity in the inner self...”

-Jesus explains in V22.

-He says “you’ve heard...”

-And then tells them “But I say...”

-He’s telling them “you’ve got it all wrong. Let me tell you what this really means. Let me give you the right interpretation.”

-You think you know what a murdererer is, let me tell you exactly who is a murderer.

The Meat (The Issues)

-The issue isn’t physical murder alone.

-The issue is what’s inside, that leads a man to murder.

-It’s the murder of the heart.

-Jesus gives 3 examples of murder of the heart in V22.

Ex.1-Anger

-You can’t justify yourself as innocent simply because you haven’t physically killed someone.

-Anger is huge in the hearts of men.

-I don’t know about you, but I tend to get angry at times.

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-I want you to understand, it’s ok to get angry.

-There is a righteous form of anger.

-If you remember, Jesus got angry at times.

-He flipped tables and threw people around.

-And obviously we know all about God’s judgement…what He done in the OT, and what will happen when the trumpet sounds and the Lord makes His return to earth to receive His people to Himself and bring judgement.

-There are some things going on in our world, that we need to get angry about.

-The things our children are exposed to, the trends that people are following, the tv shows that are filled with filth and sin....we ought to get angry about those things.

-We need to be angry at sin.

-But Jesus is talking about selfish anger here.

-It’s when we forget about the sin, and we build up anger and hatred at the sinner.

-We hate the sinner, rather than hate the sin.

-And Jesus says here that when you have a selfish anger and hatred toward a brother....you are just as guilty as a person who physically takes a life.

-If there is anger, hatred, an attitude of unforgivenness, a grudge, some beef against someone in your heart....consider yourself a murderer.

-Subject to the same punishment of murder.

-And that’s exactly right.

-Everyone of us here today…are guilty of murder.

-Rather than degrading and murdering a heart, a

-Insult

-The second example in V22, Jesus says whoever insults his brother.

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-Some translations use the word “Racca” which is a word for empty/worthless…a term of abuse…such as calling someone stupid, or those crazy 4 and 5 letter words that degrade a person and tear them down.

-Think about when someone cuts you off in traffic or pulls out in front of you…the actual term “Raca” isn’t exactly what comes out of your mouth, or the hand gesture that you may give them…but in essence, that is what it is.

-Jesus is saying…when you insult someone in such a way, you’re just as guilty as someone who commits a physical murder.

-But when done out of hatred and slandering of a person…it is sin and deems a man just as guilty of murder and subject to the judgement of hellfire.

-And when we call someone a derogatory name, we are not only insulting them…but we are also insulting God, who created that person in His image.

-We are saying

-Intentity Theft Illustration:

-Identity theft is a big deal in the world today.

-Technology and all of these evildoers who out there behind a computer stealing the identity of people and just wrecking havoc on families.

-In the same way, when we insult another person whether it be out loud or even as such think it…in our hearts we are murdering that person.

-We are wrecking havoc on that individual and at the same time, we are firing shots at who that person that God created.

-Fool

-Lastly Jesus addresses calling some a “fool” which was a very strong word.

-I remember as a child using that word very loosely and my grandparents would always scold me because of it.

-Obviously today I know a little more about that word than I did as a child.

-A fool is someone who rebels against God.

-Calling someone a fool, it if was true…obviously wasn’t a big deal.

-We see “fool” used throughout the bible (Psalms/Proverbs).

-Calling someone a fool (if it’s true), wasn’t the issue.

-Jesus even said to the Pharisees “You fools...”, but He did so out of sheer truth as they had rebelled against God.

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-But when done out of hatred and slandering of a person…it is sin and deems a man guilty of murder and subject to the judgement of hellfire.

Seek Reconciliation

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-Jesus says in V23-24 that if are presenting a sacrifice, offering a gift, bringing something to the alter....and you have something against someone, or you remember that someone has something against you....seek reconciliation before ever presenting a gift.

-Obedience in the heart is more important to God than any sacrifice.

-What Jesus is saying here is that you need to settle issues with others, before you bring anything to the Lord.

-And even if you aren’t angry at someone but you know someone is angry at you....seek reconciliation with them before coming to the Lord.

-Anger affects our worship.

-We can’t give a holy God our genuine worship, when we have hearts bound up with anger, hatred, ill feelings towards others.

-We have to go....and be reconciled and make things right with others before bringing anything to God.

Seek Reconciliation Quickly

-V25-26…Jesus is furthering the importance of reconcilation as He illustrates that we need to do so quickly.

-It’s like settling an issue out of court.

-A person can usually settle for a smaller penalty before going before the judge, rather than waiting and going to court.

-Jesus is speaking truth of the longer we wait to reconcile, the more in debt we become and the more severe the consequences.

-We can’t be the church that God has called us to be when we have bitterness and anger against others.

What Did He Mean By That?

-There is more to murder than what we believe.

-Murder is a heart issue.

-Anyone who hates the sinner, rather than the sin....has committed murder of the heart.

-It’s so important, it’s so crucial that we understand this morning that we shouldn’t hold anger against a person.

-Our anger should be at the sin, not the sinner.

-We must be able to separate the sin, from the sinner, or else we murder God’s creation through anger, slander, and foolish hatred.

-We murder the person that God created, that He gave life to, that He chose....rather than addressing the sin itself.

-And it’s punishable in the same manner as that of a physical murder.

-Murder goes deeper than just the external physical murder that we think of.

-And it’s punishable in the same manner as that of a physical murder.

-It’s a heart issue.

-Murder of the heart affects our worship.

-Jesus says that we are to seek out those that we have anger and issues toward, or those who have issues with us....and be reconciled.

How Do I Do That?

-Think about the cross for a moment.

-Before your horizontal relationships (earthly relationships) are ever able to line up…for your anger to be controlled.

-You must first have a right vertical relationship with God.

- tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short.

-Our righteousness, our right standing, our relationship with God comes only through the crimson blood of Jesus Christ, who has in turn made us white as snow.

-When you have a right relationship with Jesus, when you seek reconciliation with others, you humble yourself before God, pursuing the right vertical relationship....then your horizontal relationships will begin to lineup.

Challenge

-We can’t be the church that God has called us to be when we gather together in anger at one another.

-Families can’t worship God together when they have bitterness towards one another.

-Our lives will never lineup with God’s Word when we fail to separate the sin, from the sinner.

-This morning…maybe you need to step across the aisle or look to the person next you and ask for forgiveness over a grudge or a disagreement.

-Maybe you’ve been worshipping with bitterness in your heart.

-Maybe you’ve mumbled or thought of someone as a fool, or some form of “Raca”.

-This morning…I challenge you during our time of invitation to seek that person or that family out…and be reconciled.

-Maybe you know that someone has something against you.

-Seek that person out and apologize.

-And when you reach out and you’ve been reconciled…then maybe yall need to come to the alter this morning and give it all to the Lord and pray together.

-Truth is, each of us here this morning is a murderer.

-We’ve all said (or thought) some filthy things about another person.

-And because of that, we deserve death. We deserve an eternity in hell.

-There is nothing that you can do.

-Jesus has done it for you. He went to the cross. He died your death. He suffered your hell. So that you wouldn’t have to.

-And He’s offered you the gift of His righteousness.

-And