-- { Matthew 5:21-26 }  ²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.  -- NRSV

Dear Friend, grace and peace be unto you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.  Amen.

This sermon series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is about learning who we are, as children of God and followers of Jesus. In knowing who we are, we are enabled by God's grace to make godly decisions and know what to do to live God's Kingdom now.

Civilized societies have always considered murder to be a very serious crime worthy of judgment. But anger has been a different matter. Jesus, however, raised the stakes, so to speak on the subject. He said that if you and I are to live God's Kingdom now, that anger (and some manuscripts add "without cause") is the same as murder, and should not be a part of our life.

At this point in Jesus' sermon on the mount He focuses on some of the Ten Commandments, expanding their meaning, so that it becomes clear that there is no way anyone can live up to God's standard. Everyone will stand guilty of breaking God's Law and have to stand trial to be judged by the Creator of the Universe. When Jesus uses the word "brother," He is referring to anyone and everyone. It is a universal word for every human being.

The Law

God's law against murder is the Fifth Commandment - "You shall not kill - murder." It is a law to protect God's most precious creation, humankind. To take your own life in suicide or kill another is against all God created you to be. You and I are precious and given the gift of life to live it to God's glory. It is a terrible thing to take a life. In the movie "Unforgiven," Clint Eastwood said something to the effect, "It is a terrible thing to take a life. You take all that a man has and all that he will ever have." The follower of Jesus never takes a life easily, whether in war, through the justice system or in self-defense.

The real meaning is anger

Murder is deeper than an outward act, Jesus says. It is an inward act of bitterness. Murder is born from within, from an uncontrolled spirit, from an impulsive urge, from an inner anger. Anger itself is the real sin, the sin that leads to breaking the Law of God in an outward manner.

Striking out at a person is clearly forbidden for you and me as followers of Jesus, but so is having bad feelings against another. Anger - any bad feelings whatsoever against another person is a serious sin.

The growth of anger

The growth of anger is very dangerous. Unresolved anger can fester and build to an explosive point. If it explodes it can result in actual murder or injury to someone. There are three ways in which your anger can grow.

1. You can brood on a hurt. You become selfish - thinking only of yourself. You refuse to forgive the one who hurt you. You will not absorb the hurt like Jesus did. You want revenge.

2. You can hold "Raca" (contempt). You become arrogant and despise the other person. You walk over or trample the person who hurt you and say they deserve whatever comes to them. And you hope for the worst.

3. You can create a curse. You grow in hate to the point of seeking to destroy another person - destroy their reputation morally, intellectually and spiritually.

There is a justified anger, however. In fact you and I must be angry with some things in life. We need to be angry at injustice in the world. We may even be angry at persons who perpetrate injustice. But this justified anger is always disciplined and under control. It is never selfish. It is never shown because of what has happened to one's self. It is an anger that is purposeful. 

If you or I become angry for a righteous reason, we must seek to correct the situation in the most peaceful way possible. We are called to be peacemakers, not war makers. Anyone can be a war maker but being a peacemaker is living God's Kingdom now.

The judgment of anger

It is a very serious matter to hold feelings against another person. Your anger can bring judgment on your life and you may end up in a court. The ultimate danger of course is that such an attitude of life could end you up in the "fire of hell." This simply means being separated from God forever. That would not be a comfortable place, fire or no fire.

The answer to anger is reconciliation

Jesus had two surprising things to say about being tempted to anger.

1. You are to seek reconciliation. Jesus emphasized that reconciliation with the one you hurt needs to take place before you resume your worship of Him. This is what "sharing the peace" is all about. We do this following confession and extend peace to all those we greet. It is a handshake of reconciliation. It doesn't matter what you have done to me or I to you, when we share the peace, we are saying that we forgive one another and will move on in the peace of the Lord. This may be the most healing element in our worship service. And remember, when we first started doing it, how hard it was.
   
   You and I cannot hope to be right with God if we are not right with one another. Each local church is a training ground for learning how to be reconciled with those we have hurt and those who have hurt us, because, honestly, we all get hurt at times in a church fellowship. We must forgive. It is our mandate from the Cross. It is living God's Kingdom now.

2. You are to seek reconciliation while there is an openness for it. In other words, don't wait to long before you try to be reconciled. You should attempt reconciliation immediately. Paul says to do it before the sun goes down.
   
   There are two purposes for this immediate attempt at reconciliation. First, to heal the broken relationship, and second, to be able to continue sincere worship of the Lord. Your worship and prayer life will suffer if you do not seek reconciliation. 
   
   In many "Twelve Step" programs there is a part where members are to seek reconciliation with persons they have hurt or had hard feelings against. These may go back for years. I remember years ago a young man I hadn't seen for quite some time came by the church and apologized for his anger against me. He realized that I had not done what he thought I had done. I didn't even know he was angry. But this was important for his healing.

The danger of holding anger

Holding your anger in will be very damaging to you personally. 

1. You will be in earthly danger. You can create barriers that can lead to serious actions ranging from law suits, to imprisonment. You can ruin the life God has given you to live His Kingdom now.
2. You will be in eternal danger. The day of final judgment is coming and the grudges you hold against others will be exposed. How will you explain these to your Creator?

The terrible end of anger is sure judgment

Jesus made three strong points about our being judged.

1. You will be judged by God in the end. You can bet on it. 

2. You will not be able to escape judgment. No one in this life will be able to deliver you from God's judgment.

3. You can judge yourself right now and turn from your anger and be reconciled to those who have hurt you. Jesus is with you to help you to do this and live God's Kingdom now. Jesus took all your sins, including your anger, onto the Cross and nailed them there. Your faith in Him replaces your sins with His righteousness and you are judged not guilt and ushered into God's Forever Family. This is who you are. With Jesus as part of your life you can live God's Kingdom now!

Martin Luther added a positive note to what Jesus said. He said that "We are to fear and love God so that we do not hurt our neighbor in any way, but help him in all his physical needs." Absorb any anger you may have against a person and live to bless them. Live God's Kingdom now.

In Jesus Name,