Expelling Anger Series

Matthew 5:21-26 [21]"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. [23] So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, [24] leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. [25] Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. [26] Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. (ESV)

Once there was a little boy was doing his homework, and he asked: “Dad, what causes people to go to war? Why do people kill each other in war?” “Well,” he said, “son, it’s like this. If you want to know what causes war,” he said, “for example, in World War I,” he said, “Germany invaded Belgium.”. Just then, the boy’s mother came in and said, “No, no, , that’s not the way it is. Here’s the way that war started.” The Father said to her, “Look, do you want to answer the question or do you want me to answer the question? Did he ask you or did he ask me? Besides that, you don’t know anything about it. Why don’t you butt out of this conversation?” She said, “What do you mean I don’t know anything about it?” She turned around, and slammed the door. The Father then continued: “Now son, let me tell you how wars start.” Before he could continue, the boy said, “No thanks, Dad. I understand it all now” (Rogers, A. (2017). It’s What’s inside that Counts. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Mt 5:20–22). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.)

Why does anger, murder, wars and the like occur? Jesus says in Matthew 15 that it is out of a person’s own heart that “come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders” (Matt. 15:19). We do not sin simply because of Satan or because of social deprivation, stressful situations, bad influences, or any other external cause. Those things may tempt us to sin and make sinning easier, but when we commit sin-or even intend to commit sin-it is because we decide to sin. Sin is an act of the will. Jesus’ hearers were aware of the prevalence and seriousness of this sin. No doubt most of them were in full agreement with capital punishment for the crime but were convinced that they were innocent of that particular evil.

After specifying God’s standard of holiness in Matthew 5:20, Jesus now applies this standard attacking self-righteousness by charging that no one is truly innocent of murder. The anger that lies behind murder-anger which many people think is not really a sin-is one of the worst of sins. Although most children do not act out the ultimate result of anger, the anger that exists in all our hearts, even displayed in the youngest, shows the common problem that we must all attend to and realize our common need for deliverance.

Anger, unchecked and uncorrected, affects 3 things: 1) Our view of ourselves (Matthew 5:21-22), 2) Our worship of God (Matthew 5:23-24), and 3) Our relation to others (Matthew 5:25-26).

In order to Expel Anger, we need to realize:

1) The Effect on Our View of Ourselves. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Matthew 5:21-22 [21]"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' [22] But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. (ESV) “We’ll spend most of our time on this first point”

The first of six illustrations of heart-righteousness that Jesus gives in Matthew 5 deals with the sin of murder. He says in verse [21]"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; “Those of old”, the ancients refers to the rabbis and scribes of old who had devised the many traditions with which Judaism had become encumbered and which had virtually replaced the authority of the Scriptures. “Murder” is the correct rendering since the underlying Hebrew (ratsach, sometimes translated “kill”) did not include killing in self-defense, wars ordered by Yahweh, capital punishment following due process of law, or accidental manslaughter Understanding the full scope of this term is the issue. According to rabbinic tradition, and to the beliefs of most cultures and religions, murder is strictly limited to the act of physically taking another person’s life. Jesus had already warned that God’s righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20). (Blomberg, Craig: Matthew. electronic ed. Nashville : Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1992 (Logos Library System; The New American Commentary 22), S. 106).