Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning Church.

Today, we will be continuing on in part two of our study on Surpassing the Scribes - Called to a Higher Standard.

Last week, we looked at Verses 17-20 where Jesus informed the crowd before Him at the Sermon on the Mount that He had not come to destroy the law but rather to fulfill it.

We looked at how the law, still to this day, has it’s place in the believer’s life or at least it ought to have.

It is our guidebook to living the Christian life.

It is what teaches us about our God and His righteousness and holiness and it’s what drives us to be more like Him.

The key to understanding the law, as it applies to us today, is to understand that we are not under the law, meaning the keeping of the law cannot, shall not, will not bring salvation but simply that the law is what shows us our need for a savior and then guides us to be more like our Lord Jesus Christ for He and He alone is the only one in all of history who has kept the letter of the law.

Therefore, we look to Him for salvation and we look to His word to grow more like Him.

As the Psalmist said in...

David said in...

The reason, the goal, the objective of the law in the life of the believer is to drive them from sin and to a deeper relationship with the Savior.

That’s the goal of the law.

That’s why it is still needed even today and maybe today more than ever before, considering the depth of immorality that this world has plunged into.

Today, we will be finishing out Matthew Chapter 5, looking at Verses 21-48, and for sake of time we are simply going to take a flyover view of this passage instead taking each and breaking it down every week.

Jesus teaches over six different specifics here in the second half of Chapter five and in doing so, He intensifies the commands of the Old Testament.

If you will remember, last week we talked about how Jesus never lessened the command of the law but rather deepened it.

So too, will He do so here today.

I will say that we are going to be looking at some things today that tend to be very touchy subjects.

My goal is to simply tell you what the word of God says and if there are issues you find with what God’s word says, then I would encourage you to come at the end of service, kneel here at this altar and take those problems up with God because at the end of the day I didn’t write the Book, I’ve simply been called to teach and preach it and I try to do so with the utmost sincerity.

With that being said, I would ask you if you have your Bibles turned to Matthew Chapter 5 and Verse 21, would you say, Amen.

Temper and the Tongue — (Vs.

21-26)

“Raca” — means literally “empty” but it’s speaking in an intellectual sense.

Basically it would be like saying either…you’re ignorant, or you’re an idiot.

The NLT actually even translates it, “idiot”.

“Thou fool” — speaks of being "stupid or dull" when used speaking of a person, the word means morally worthless, a scoundrel, a more serious reproach than "Raca;" the latter scorns a man's mind and calls him stupid; mōros scorns his heart and character; hence the Lord's more severe condemnation; — Vine's Dictionary

Notice the progression in the teaching here.

Jesus begins with whosoever is angry without cause shall be in danger of the judgment — John Phillips said, “this is speaking of a reference to the lower court, the council of three in a local synagogue who had jurisdiction over lesser offenses.”

Then Jesus says, as the temper flares and the tongue rages, if you shall say to your brother Raca, then you shall be in danger of the council.

The council referred to the next level of the judicial system.

The Supreme Court of the Sanhedrin Council.

Then He goes on to say, whosoever shall call their brother a fool shall be in danger of hell fire!

When Jesus says here hell fire, John Phillips says… “Literally, the reference was to the fiery valley of Hinnom just outside Jerusalem, where the refuse of the city was dumped and bodies of criminals were burned.

No greater shame could be imagined by a Jew than to be so cremated.”

Every Scribe and Pharisee understood that the punishment for murder was death but Jesus addresses the deeper underlying condition that brings about murder.

It starts with a heated temper and an untamed tongue and if not dealt with, it will fester into a feud that can possibly end in murder!

Warren Wiersbe — Anger is such a foolish thing.

It makes us destroyers instead of builders.

It robs us of freedom and makes us prisoners.

To hate someone is to commit murder in our hearts for the Bible says in...

He goes on to say… “It has well been said that the person who refuses to forgive his brother destroys the very bridge over which he himself must walk.”

So what is the key to keeping oneself from murder?

Look what Jesus says to do…Verse 23-26.

What does He say to do?

He says to deal with it, right?

To deal with the temper and the tongue!

Remember, Jesus just finished teaching on different attitudes that ought to be found in the believer, right?

Well, anger isn’t one of them.

Anger should be put out of our hearts and our minds because nothing good ever comes from it.

Jesus begins with the Temper and the Tongue, next, He deals with the very touchy subject of Desire and Divorce in Verses 27-32.

Desire and Divorce — (Vs.

27-32)

“Looketh” — is the Greek word (blepō) and it means to "observe, discern, perceive," frequently implying special contemplation.

Listen, men and women alike, this isn’t speaking of a quick glance.

It’s speaking of a longing look, a lost gaze, a desiring daze.

It’s looking at another woman or for women, another man, and contemplating what it would be like to be with that person in a sexual manner.

The word “Lust” used here is the Greek word (epithymeō) and it means to desire or to yearn for.

It describes having affections for something.

When we look at another person and lust after them, when we undress them with our eyes and imagine what could be, Jesus says we’ve already committed adultery in our hearts.

Does that mean we should follow through with the desire since we’ve already committed the deed?

Absolutely not!

At this point the only person we have harmed is ourselves, but if you follow through with the deed, then it brings shame and harm to others!

Think of King David on that roof top with Bathsheba.

If he’d of just left it at a look of lust, neither Bathsheba or Uriah would have been harmed but no, he took it to the next level and caused Bathsheba to commit adultery and then he murdered one of most loyal servants Uriah!

All because of a lustful look.

Jesus says we must deal with our lustful hearts.

Now, what He’s not saying here is to go plucking your eye out or cutting your hand off.

These are representative of the things that bring about the sin of adultery.

With the eyes we do look and with the hand we do touch.

What He is saying here though is that adultery is an extremely serious matter and should be dealt with accordingly.

If you have a problem with lust then do not allow yourself to gaze upon an attractive woman and especially don’t engage in touching another woman.

Same goes for the women.

For men, it’s more the eyes.

For women, it’s more the touch.

Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been able to enjoy the touch of your husbands hand.

The last thing you need to do is find yourself in a situation engaging the touch of another man.

Listen, you can’t walk through an unopened door.

Do you understand what I’m saying?

Don’t allow yourself to give into the desires of lust.

When Paul told Timothy here to “flee youthful lusts” you know what that word means?

It means to run away from, to escape to avoid danger!

Listen, we all know and remember what those youthful lusts feel like and there’s a time and place for those and it’s with your wife or your husband!

Those feelings are to be enjoyed with one person and one person only and that is the one you vowed a vow to when you said “I do”.

The Bible speaks of this in...

Do not be distracted this morning with the danger of adultery.

Flee it.

Run from it and to the Lord for He is our strong tower!

Not only does Jesus deal with adultery but He goes on to also deal with divorce which had been taken out of context and apparently was raging flippantly as it is our day and time as well.

Look at Verses 31-32.

Today, many, not all but many, say, “ah, well if this one doesn’t work I’ll just move on to the next one!”

Listen to me this morning friend, that’s not how God intended on marriage to be!

He intended on marriage to be between one woman and one man for one lifetime.

In the OT Book of Malachi in Chapter 2 and Verse 16 the Bible even goes as far as to say...

God hates divorce except in the case of adultery.

The problem that Jesus was dealing with though is that during this day and time there were two differing views on marriage.

The background of the Lord's teaching about marriage was the prevalent permissiveness and immorality of the Judeo-Greco-Roman world in which He lived—a world much like the one in which we live.

Among the Jews, two voices were raised to interpret the Mosaic teaching on divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1): the voices of Shammai and Hillel.

The school of Shammai heeded the prophet Malachi, who recorded God's voice ringing down the centuries, "I hate divorce."

Hillel's school, on the other hand, was liberal in the extreme, teaching that a man could divorce his wife for almost anything he found displeasing in her, while a woman had no rights at all.

Jewish divorce laws, according to this interpretation, were one-sided and chauvinistic.

The Greeks expected a respectable woman to live in seclusion and never to appear on the streets unchaperoned or take part in social life.