Did Jesus really mean what he said? when he talked about having murder in our hearts. Hey friends, Michael Brown. Welcome to today's broadcast as we continue in the words of Jesus. And now we begin to get into the heart.
of the Sermon on the Mount And words that strike us to the core. These words that are words of spirit and life. These words that are words to live by. These words which we're to have on our heart and our mind. They are life transforming and they are flesh.
killing. May God give us ears to hear. May He give us a heart to respond. The words of Jesus sometimes are so radical. That our tendency is to basically say, well, he didn't really mean what he said.
Now we understand he used hyperbole. He used exaggerated figures and things like that, like swallowing a camel or something like that while straining out a gnat. These are ridiculous images meant to convey a point. What we'll see later as we talk about the Sermon on the Mount, when he talked about cutting off the hand or the foot, he was making extreme points, and in that sense, he was using hyperbole or metaphorical speech, but he absolutely meant what he said. The heart and soul of it.
He absolutely meant what he said. And we who are followers of Jesus, friends, we are called to live differently. We're called to be of a different spirit. We are called to operate by a different set of rules. the rules of the kingdom.
And the Sermon on the Mount lays out the conduct of the kingdom of God, the conduct of children of God.
So Jesus says this. Matthew 5, 21. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago You shall not murder. Low tiered sock. in the ten commandments You shall not murder.
We know that murder is a direct assault on the image of God because human beings are created in the image of God.
So killing an animal, if you kill an animal just for no good reason, just for the fun of killing an animal, that's a cruel thing, but it's not an assault. an image of God. if there is war or something like that. and your enemy is invading your country, trying to wipe you out and destroy you, an ungodly enemy, and that person is killed in battle. It's not considered murder.
It is not the wrongful taking of a human life, it is rightly defending oneself against murder. But the sin of murder Genesis 9, 6 says, whoever sheds man's blood by man shall his blood be shed. Talking about murder. For in the image of God human beings were created.
So if you kill the human being, you forfeit your life. And my understanding would be either life in prison without parole or death penalty. And the only reason that people would argue for life in prison without parole is that sometimes our system gets things wrong and you could put someone to death innocently. If you have life in prison without parole, then there's the potential of righting or wrong. But even putting that aside, putting aside debate about death penalty, putting aside debate about any of those things, that's not what I want to focus on.
Hear me. Jesus is saying, you heard it said, don't murder. Don't murder.
Alright. But But He's going deeper. You shall not murder anyone who murders who will be subject to judgment. That's true. That's righteous.
That's under the law of Moses. It's under the Sinai covenant. It's true. It's righteous. It's biblical.
But I tell you Now he's going to take this further. This is part of how he fulfills the law. He brings it to its highest level of meaning. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Now some texts say angry with a brother or sister without cause. What's clearly meant is an unrighteous attitude. That the angry at this person, you want to hurt them. You want to lash out at them. You want to do damage to them.
You don't want good things to happen. You want bad things to happen. That's murder in our hearts. That is murder in our hearts. He said, You'll be subject to judgment.
Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raqqa. is answerable to the court. Raqqa is an Aramaic word. and it's a term of extreme derision. It's just a really ugly insult that you're hurling at a brother or sister.
We don't. Do that. As the people of God. This is what Jesus is telling us. We don't do that because what's behind it, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Out of the abundance of the heart, The mouth speaks. When we speak evil, ugly words about a brother or a sister, in particular, all right, let's not even talk about the world. Let's just deal with what Jesus is saying here about a brother or sister. When we speak in ugly, disparaging terms, in mocking terms, in dismissive, ugly terms, that is coming out of the abundance of our heart, and that is a murderous spirit now coming through our lips. That's why Scripture says death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And Jesus is illustrating it, saying, you're going to be answerable to the court. In other words, that's an offense that can be punished, but then look at this. And anyone who says, you fool. Which is a complete rejection of that person morally, spiritually, intellectually.
You fool. will be in danger. of the fire of hell. That even if You argue for some level of hyperbole. Even if you argue for some level of Jesus speaking in extreme terms, what's the point he's making?
We don't talk like that. because that is murderous. We can murder people with our words. Yeah, there's a... There is a whole movement today that says speech is violence.
In other words, if I say that a man cannot marry a man in God's sight, well, that's you're doing violence to me. Or if I say a biological male cannot become a biological male can never become a true female, well, that's you're doing violence with your words. No, that's not doing violence with words. That's speaking the truth. And the truth is what it is.
But we can do violence with our words. We can hurt people. We can destroy people. It happens every day on the internet. that that we get into these digital Feeding frenzies and become digital lynch mobs, and it happens all the time.
And, and, It's only by the mercy of God that he hasn't much more severely judged the church for this level of sin in our midst.
Now, I want to read to you from James, Jacob. the third chapter, where he talks about the tongue. I'm just going to read these verses through. And let the Lord speak to you as I'm asking Him to speak to me as I read these verses over and over on a regular basis. that many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
for we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, We guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also. Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire. A world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, stained in the whole body.
setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell. for every kind of beast and bird of reptile and sea creature can be tamed, and has been tamed by mankind but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil. full of deadly poison. With it, we bless our Lord and Father.
And with it, we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. By the way, This Verse 9. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. We do that on social media all the time. We mock people we don't like.
Th think of think of Christian, conservatives, Christians who vote Republican. Mocking Joe Biden, President Biden, former President Biden's Declining cognitive abilities. It's one thing if you said that's why I voted for Trump versus Biden. All clear. It's one thing if you said He cannot Governed properly.
He needs to be removed from office, and we're concerned about the good of our country. Got it all clear. No argument about that. He was not capable of leading the way he needed to as president. But the memes mocking him, the videos that we would repost, we're laughing, ha ha ha ha.
It's not like w when he You know, he just a slip of the tongue and it came out silly and you laugh in the past. No, I'm talking about when you laugh and mock his declining cognitive abilities. That you praise, oh praise the Lord, and then remark, no, out of the same mouth. is praise and cursing it shouldn't be. From the same mouth comes blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh water and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Who is wise and understanding among you?
By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy And selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. See, this is the attitudes from the inside are going to come out through our lips. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly and spiritual demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder in every vile practice.
But the wisdom from above is first pure. than peaceable Gentle, open to reason. Full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere, and a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace. By those who who make peace. Let this be who we are.
Let this be our legacy, not hateful speech. We can speak out against evil. We can be bold, we can be uncompromised, but let us do it in the Spirit of God without murder and hatred. In our Horse.
So let's go back now. to the words of Jesus. Matthew 5, 23. Therefore. If you are offering your gift at the altar, And there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, meaning something legitimate.
There may be people that hate you for no reason or have issues with you. If you're if you pastor a long car large congregation or have a business with a lot of employees, there's always going to be somebody with a gripe if you're a public figure, somebody's complaining about you. But if there's something legitimate, If you're offering your gift at the altar, so what's the equivalent now? Because we don't have a temple of sacrifice. If you're going to.
church service to worship God. Go into a prayer meeting. about to be involved in some some godly work. If you're offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that your brother or sister has something against you. Leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them, then come and offer your gift. In other words, If there's a legitimate gripe, and this is also presuming that you haven't done everything you can do to fix it, all right?
So if someone has a legitimate gripe with you, You're going to worship God. No, no, you got unfinished business. You've got unfinished business here. First, first go and make things right as much as you're able. There are certain things you do your best to make them right.
Won't have it, you go on with your life. You've done what you can. But here's a warning. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. If there's a way to make peace, you make peace.
If there's a way to make things right, you make things right rather than Letting them escalate. If there's a way to de-escalate without compromise, let me say this again: if there's a way to to de-escalate without Compromise. That's the route that we take. 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 truly i tell you you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. This is in the context of saying don't murder.
So don't murder, don't have hatred in your heart. Don't don't Have scornful wrong attitudes in your heart towards a brother or sister don't speak evil of them You can speak the truth in love, but you don't disparage and despise and attack in those words. We don't do that. as the people of God. And if there are disputes, Do what you can to make things right and de-escalate without compromise.
If you've done what you can, you go on and bless the Lord. But we are called, as Jesus said, to be peacemakers. Saw that earlier in the Beatitudes. Peacemakers. Not troublemakers.
If trouble comes through the gospel, so be it. but by our demeanor and actions let us be peacemakers rather than troublemakers. All right, we come back next broadcast. We'll talk about the extreme ways that Jesus told us to deal with sin in the flesh. We'll look at that.
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Hmm.
