Anger

The Right Side up Life / Matthew 5:21–27

Intro

Jesus words to us int The Sotm forced you to ask questions and causes you to face our own issues. No one else will ask you to deal with your internal conversations. Jesus will

If you call yourself a Christian this morning, you cannot get away with, I just needed to blow off some steam. Our passage today doesn’t let us.

Anger itself is not sin. Jesus was angry and did not sin. But, anger makes it really easy to sin.

Because of two connected ideas

Anger points at something

Anger constricts everything

Anger constricts. Reconciliation expands. Jesus offers a better way.

Matthew 5:21–22 ESV

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 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.

When we hear the words, “I say to you,” one we should probably pay attention. And, Jesus is not changing the law, He is showing us what righteousness looks like in Him.

But Jesus is looking for perfection, for wholeheartedness. He knows that the internal drives the external actions. It is one thing to have not murdered. But honestly that is a pretty low bar.

And His Commands test the durability of our hearts. What are they made of. Great that you haven’t murdered anyone,

But how have you spoken about your neighbor?

About your co worker?

About that family member that is particularly difficult

That person who votes for who know who

Or even, you know who.

Anger constricts. That is all it can do

Anger constricts because it is a focusing agent. Not all anger is bad or sin. Anger is necessary for human action. There should be some things that anger us.

Anger constricts worship

When anger takes the center stage, really the only one we end up worshiping, because it is constricting, is ourselves. We may be angry about something but when we exhibit anger and it constricts, the focus ends up on us. And we shout and yell at others because they have gotten in our way.

Matthew 5:23–24 ESV

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Reconciliation Expands.

There is no limit to what it can do. Reconciliation brings back what was broken. Reconciliation is the superglue of human relationships. It doesn’t just put the pieces together. It actually binds us back. It builds back relationships when we let God reconcile

Reconciliation is the cornerstone of worship.

And without the act of reconciliation we would not be able to worship. Primarily because God has reconciled Himself to us in Christ. But also reconciling with one another restores worship to God. Reconciliation matters so much that this passage focuses entirely on the haste of it. Jesus tells us if you are going to be hasty, don’t be hasty toward anger. Be hasty toward reconciliation.

Run, don’t walk, toward reconciliation

Matthew 5:25–26 ESV

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. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Come to terms quickly.

Ephesians 2:4–7 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Anger will always want to take more than is offered. Reconciliation will always offer more than has been taken.

So today, to deal with your anger.

First, bring it to God. If you are angry, tell Him. Place it before the cross.

Second, tell someone else. Talk through your anger with someone who is safe.

Third. Run to reconcile. Don’t walk, run. Come to terms.