The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7 — it’s here that King Jesus gives us a radical picture of what life in the Kingdom looks like. And It’s our hope that as we meditate on Jesus’ words that we might become people who more closely follow His Way and that we’ll experience a life that truly flourishes in the process…

The SOTM - declares that the pathway to human flourishing is best found in the following of the way of the person of Jesus.

Matthew 5:21-26

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ [you idiot] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there 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 to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “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. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

“Theological Time-Out”

Jesus gives a shocking reference point to what this righteousness should be like - look like. It must be greater than that of the pharisees and scribes! On the one hand this is shockingly bad news, because in Jesus’s day the scribes and pharisees WERE the righteous untouchables! They were obviously far superior in righteousness to the mere masses. They were, in one children’s Bible, rightly described as the “extra-super-holy people”. To have a righteousness that surpassed them would have been impossible for the average person…

In the SOTM - next few verses we’re going to see a refrain: "You have heard it said, but I say to you”.

— this is Jesus declaring his deity again…no prophet/teacher would do this without understanding the consequences of claiming to speak for God. Jesus is expanding on the Law of God - declaring the original intent wasn’t just about our outward obedience, but a refining of our inner disposition and intentions…that’s to then flow outward into our actions and our obedience…

Jesus isn’t just repeating the words of God and calling people toward repentance / renewal. Rather, he is making a bolder claim.

He then rattles of 6 examples - exegesis examples of what it looks like to live out God’s kind of righteousness…

There are 3 parts to each exegesis example:
The Torah statement
Jesus’ explanation of it’s true intent
And practical application

Jesus put anger and murder in the same category. He saw a direct connection that we usually deny. In this and other relational matters, like adultery, Jesus taught that intention is a significant part of wrongdoing. Anger leads quickly to a whole range of emotions and actions. When anger is not righteous (see Ephesians 4:26; James 1:19), it becomes destructive.

==Being angry and insulting another person made in God’s image, not just the outward physical act of murder, is wrong and worthy of judgment.

one’s attitudes and speech are just as important as refraining from physical violence. our actions flow from our heart.

This is a reality check for most of us.…
Mismanaged heat is a dangerous thing Jesus is saying.

in our angry world...

Raymond Novaco, a psychology professor at UC Irvine said:
“We’re living, in effect, in a big anger incubator.”

Quote:
“While toxic anger destroys the good in order to promote evil, healthy anger seeks to destroy evil in order to promote and protect the good. Toxic anger works against shalom. Instead of promoting life as healthy anger does, toxic anger destroys and diminishes life. It is not restorative; it is retaliatory and punitive, vengeful and aggressive, and unrestrained. Toxic anger doesn’t leave things better. It makes things worse.”

-Scott Sauls in his book: A Gentle Answer “our secret weapon in an age of us against them” *fully recommend this book

Ephesians 4:26 says, "In your anger, do not sin."

Anger in and of itself is not necessarily a sin. The Scriptures tells us that even God gets angry. "But watch out," says Apostle Paul. You'd better find out what lies behind your anger before it leads to something else. That’s what Jesus is highlighting…

For many of us, our problem is not anger.
Our problem is what lies behind the anger.

Richard Walters is a psychiatrist - says:
"People will be murdered today because of someone's anger. Others will die from physical ailments resulting from their angry feelings. Countless relationships die little by little as resentment gnaws away at the foundations of love and trust. Anger is a devastating force, and its consequences should sicken us. Anger related destruction of the human life and spirit is an incredible national disaster."


Proverbs 14:17 says, "An angry person does foolish things."
Proverbs 29:22 says, "A hot tempered man commits many sins."


Truth is: we are emotional beings, made in the image of God. And those emotions are meant to be expressed. Emotions aren’t meant to be hidden, buried, or stuffed. They’re meant to be expressed—but in healthy, God-like ways, of course.

Ephesians 4 tells us, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (v. 26-27).

Anger is like a warning light on the dashboard of your car: It tells you something is wrong, that something’s not working the way it’s supposed to.
You don’t always know what it is right away, but you know you’d better find out and tend to it before something bad happens. Anger is a signal that something is not right—with the world, with a situation, with a relationship, OR with us.

**Truth:
Anger becomes sinful when it becomes hurtful instead of helpful.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matt. 5:21-22a).

Most of us are not likely to commit murder when things don’t go our way. But there are many ways to hurt people—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

When you’re feeling angry — recognize that as a warning light flashing. And it matters what you then do with it.

Let anger drive you to be helpful and not hurtful.

Bring your anger to God and let him help you in managing it appropriately - nudging you to change (if unhealthy patterns/habits exist within you) - nudging you to direct that passion in positive ways that are helpful to others…

Whether you joined us on-site or online, thanks for being with us tonight!
May you have a blessed week ahead friends.

Join us next week as we continue our new series in the Sermon on the Mount for the summer months. (read Matthew chapters 5-7)

Check out the Elements app for upcoming events, and we look forward to gathering again next weekend.