STICKS AND STONES
Matthew 5:21-26
Intro: As I was growing up, one of my favorite shows was the incredible Hulk. How many remember The Hulk? It was a series where the main star David Banner was turned into the Hulk when he got angry. I don’t remember how he got the affliction of turning into a monster when he got angry but I do know that the whole show was centered around David Banner who was a doctor searching for a cure for his affliction.
. Try as hard as he could, Dr. Banner couldn’t keep from getting angry. He would warn people when they were doing something to make him angry. He would say, Don’t make me angry, you won’t like me very much when I’m angry. Then he would turn into the incredible Hulk. A huge green monster of a man.
. All of this because of anger.
. Anger can seem to make monsters of all of us can’t it.
. Just like the Hulk, Anger can effect us in many ways.
. With the Hulk, the effect was that it turned him into a big green monster.
. In our scripture today, Jesus tells us that anger has its effects on us also.
. We are back in the Sermon on the Mount this morning and Jesus is still teaching that there is much more to the law than the written commandments.
. Jesus is expanding and confirming that it’s what’s in your heart that matters. That God wants to live in this world through us.
. When we allow anger to enter into our lives that it affects our relationships.
. It affects our relationship with our fellow man and our relationship with God.
. Remember that these relationships are what Jesus’ new commandments teach us. Love God, Love each other.
. Anger gets in the way of both of these relationships.
. Let’s read our scripture.
. Mt 5 21-26- You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’22But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of ahell.
23“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,24leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.26And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
. Anger affects our relationship with our fellow man.
. In verse 20, Jesus had just told the crowd there on the hillside that their righteousness had to be better than the righteousness of the religious leaders of the day.
. Then He said that you guys know the law. You know that it says that thou shall not murder someone.
. The Pharisees and Scribes would poke out their chests and proudly proclaim that they had never murdered anyone.
. They were in conformity with the letter of the law but still couldn’t grasp the spirit of the law.
. Back in verse 17, Jesus had just told them that he had not come to abolish the written law but that He had come to accomplish it’s purpose.
. He had come so that man would also understand the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law.
. Clarence Darrow, the famed criminal lawyer once joked: "Everyone is a potential murderer. I have not killed anyone - but I frequently get satisfaction out of obituary notices."
. That was basically the attitude of the religious leaders.
. They taught that you should not murder but never gave any thought to character assassination.
. Jesus says that there is more to this then just not killing someone.
. You have been told that if you murder, you will be judged for this. I tell you that there is more to this .
. In verse 22 Jesus says: ’22But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of ahell.
. Do you remember the old rhyme that goes like this.
. Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me.
. Jesus is saying that not only will murder harm people, our thoughts and words will also harm them.
. If you call someone a idiot or curse at them then you are guilty of sin and are no different than a murderer.
. You say WHOA, wait a minute Anthony. You say just because I get mad at someone that I’m as bad as a murderer?
. No I’m not saying that, Jesus is.
. When we impugn peoples character with name calling and slanderous remarks, when we publicly ridicule and make fun of them or call them stupid or dumb or empty headed, we are doing irreparable harm to that person .
. Proverbs 18:21 says, 21The tongue can bring death or life;
. Dietrich Bonhoeffer , the German theologian wrote in his classic book, The Cost Of Discipleship that, “ The angry word is a blow struck at our brother, a stab at his heart: it seeks to hit, to hurt and to destroy”
. Jesus says the motivations of the heart are more important than appearance. When our motive is to hurt, destroy, or exclude others, we share the same motive with one who murders.
. When we are angry with someone, then our relationship with that person is damaged.
. That is in direct conflict with the command of Jesus to love our fellow man. To love our neighbors as ourselves.
. When we harbor anger and ill will in our hearts, we can’t possibly fulfill the final command of to tell others about Him and make disciples.
. Leonardo Da Vinci once had a terrible falling out with a fellow artist just before he began work on the "Last Supper." The story is told that he determined to paint his enemy as Judas. It was a perfect likeness. But last of all, he set to work painting the likeness of Jesus. No matter how he tried, nothing seemed to please him. Finally, he realized that he could not paint the portrait of Jesus as long as his enemy had been painted into Judas’s place. Once that was corrected, then the face of Jesus came easily. Neither can we paint the face of Jesus in our lives as long as we hold bitterness in our hearts.
. We can’t tell others what Jesus has done for us when we have anger towards our fellow man in our hearts.
. Anger affects our relationship with our fellow man
. Anger also affects our relationship with God
. In verse 23 &24 Jesus says:
. “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,24leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.
. When people would come to the temple to worship, they would bring a animal to sacrifice on the alter as an act of worship to God.
. Jesus was saying that until you get yourself in a right relationship with your fellow man, you can’t worship God.
. This is one of those hard teachings of Jesus.
.I used to think that this only applied to taking communion. That you shouldn’t take communion until you resolved any conflicts that you had with your fellow man.
. That’s not what Jesus says.
. If you are in conflict with your fellow man, don’t come to church until you have tried to resolve that conflict.
. We can’t worship God if in our heart we have conflicts with our fellow man.
. God wants all of us. He wants all that we are when we come to worship Him.
. We can’t do that when there are conflicts between us and our fellow man.
. These conflicts put us out of the will of God.
. You have heard me say on many occasions that we have closed the double doors at the back of the church here. Not to keep anyone out because we welcome all peoples. These doors are closed to signify that we are ready to forget what is going on outside these walls and spend time worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ.
. When we have unresolved conflicts, we bring them in with us. Our worship becomes divided because our hearts are not right with our fellow man.
. In Isaiah 1: 11- 16 God says:
. What makes you think I want all your bsacrifices?”
says the LORD.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats.
12When you come to worship me,
who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
13Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
and your special days for fasting—
they are all sinful and false.
I want no more of your pious meetings.
14I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.
They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!
15When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.
Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,
for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.
16Wash yourselves and be clean!
. Our worship must be pure
. Anger and unresolved issues keep us out of fellowship with God.
. Jesus says that we are to resolve our issues and then come and worship.
. Finally Jesus gives an illustration telling us how to resolve these issues.
. Verses 25&26 say:
. “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.26And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.
. Don’t let your anger or conflicts linger folks. Take care of them
. When we let issues hang around, we never know what can happen.
. When President Bush was governor of Texas he had to deal with a lot of conflict. He came into office with a legislature that was in the opposite party. Early in his term he met with the opposition leader of the legislative branch with the hopes of building a cooperative coalition for the future.
The meeting was a failure. There was no trust and no agreement. There was plenty of conflict.
At the end of the session as Bush got up to leave he suddenly reached over and grabbed the opposition boss with both hands on his neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
The man was completely stunned. He got red faced and stammered "What did you do THAT for!".
Bush said, "If I can’t get your cooperation and help, I’m at least going to get a kiss!"
The opposition leader broke up laughing and that was the end of conflict and the beginning of friendship.
. The governor must have known about Jesus’ instructions to handle conflicts quickly.
. Folks, has anger caused you to have strained relationships with your fellowman?
. Is anger in the way of you having a life of loving relationships with your fellow man?
. Is anger and unresolved conflicts interfering with your worship?
. This morning you can leave them here at the alter and go to the one that you are in conflict with and resolve those issues.
. As Jesus teaches, this will bring you back into a close relationship to God.
. You know that in our humanity, this isn’t possible, but if we will allow the love that Jesus has for us to manifest itself within us, then this love and reconciliation is possible.
. Have you experienced that love this morning?
. Have you accepted Jesus Christ Today.
Sources: The Mcarthur New Testament Commentary, Matthew, John Mcarthur
Costly Grace, John Walker
The Holy Bible, NLT
