[Jesus, in giving this Sermon on the Mount has shared the
Be-Attitudes with His listeners. He
then told them that they must be Salt and Light in this world.
He then told them that in order to be the Salt and Light they need to be
they must regard the source of their light, the Word of God, properly.
Now, Jesus addresses the basic building blocks of any influence these
Christians will hope to have in this world.
Jesus starts dealing with their relationships and the foundation of any
and all relationships.
Relationships deal with how we treat each other.
How we treat each other will either open doors of opportunity for us or
it will close those same doors tightly shut.]
In regard to our relationships, Jesus Says
A.
Take Responsibility (vs
21-22;
2 Tim
2.14-18;
John 5.39)
[- Ye have heard that it was said by
them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in
danger of the judgment: 22 But I
say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall
be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in
danger of hell fire. – This is how we recover a misguided heart.]
[The
Heart or the Heel – Have you ever applied your heel to a matter?
You know, when something happens and you dig in your heels.
Sometimes you may not only dig in your heels but you dig them into
someone, perhaps not literally, but emotionally and psychologically.
This that “I’m going to teach
you” kind of attitude.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount is
dealing with the heart of life not the heel of life.
He is focusing on what is happening on the inside rather than the outside
of a person. So often we give
people our heel, or the persuasion of our hurt, rather than the promotion of our
heart.
In the Sermon on the mount God reveals six (6) areas where the heart is
more important than the heel:]
o
[Murder (vs 21-26)]
o
[Adultery (Matt 5.27-30)]
o
[Divorce (Matt 5.31-32)]
o
[Honesty (Matt 5.33-37)]
o
[Revenge (Matt 5.38-42)]
o
[Conflict (Matt 5.43-48)]
[Each of these pour out of our heart or from the core of our
being. Often we may feel like they
pour out of our circumstances, but in reality they each pour out of our heart.
Situations and circumstances may provide the emotional seed for hurt
harboring hearts, but you must fertilize, water, and nurture that hurt for it to
grow into the monstrous plant that will ruin your relationships, witness, and
life.]
["Jesus is going to teach us that
righteousness begins on the inside of a person."
]
1.
God’s Direction or Religious Tradition (vs 21, 27, 31, 33,
38, 43; 2 Pet 1.20) [- Five times
Jesus says, "Ye have heard that is was
said. . .," or
"It hath been said . . .," etc . . .
- The religious leaders were teaching their interpretation of God's Word.
But, their interpretation was wrong.
Jesus is giving the correct meaning of the things that God asks for in
His Word.
It is not nearly as
important that you hear the jargon of our day as it is that you hear God.
Many have taught things that seem right and true as if they were
Scriptural truth, but under the scrutiny of diligent Bible study we discover
that they were just the opinions of people based on the sinful nature of human
beings.]
[Supernatural
Truths - The things that Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount are
supernatural in orientation.
Everything that Jesus says stands in opposition to the natural tendencies of
human beings. They are distinctly
and divinely unique. In many
regards they almost seem impossible.
The natural mind could spend a lifetime just trying to achieve just one
or two of these supernatural corrections.
Nonetheless, Jesus declares them all and they stand in stark contrast to
what people thought and religious leaders taught in Jesus day and ours.]
[Will you hear
God? – Many today would quickly invoke the word interpretation here and
start explaining away what God, through the God man, the Lord Jesus Christ, said
that day on that mount. Their
assumption is that if it is impossible for mankind to achieve the incredible
standards outlined by our Lord then we must seek to interpret the discourse
under a different light, to make it more manageable.
But God says,]
[2 Peter 1:20
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any
private interpretation. ]
[Christians need to stop trying to explain away what
God so clearly says, and need to let God work His truth into their lives.
Someone once said, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.”
But this is wrong, we ought to say, “God said it and that settles it.”
We don’t have to believe that anything God said is possible; God is going
to do just what He said He would do.
If God asks you to do something, then you need to know that He is going
to do it.]
[In our text, Jesus says six (6) times
ye have heard and in saying this authoritatively asks
“Will you hear God?” So the
question rises out of the chaos of the jargons of our day and God again asks us
“Will we hear God.”]
[Nothing is
more important for you and I today than that we would hear God, understand what
He says, no matter how lofty and supernatural His direction, and then strive to
allow Him to work His transformation into us.]
[So, let us put
aside our excuses and hear our Lord through this passage.]
2.
Our Duty (vs
21-22; 1 John 4.20-21;
Exo 20.13; John 3.16; Rom 5.8) [- Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. –
Relationships are undeniably important
in our lives. Nothing reflects
our relationship with God more than our relationships with other people.
God says,”
[1 John
4:20-21
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love
his brother also. ]
[God says in essence, if you love God, then you cannot
hate those who are made in the image of God.
If you love God, you must love your fellow man.
This does not mean you have to love what your fellow man is doing.
We do not have to love or endorse the sins of others, but we must love
the eternal soul of the person. As
a matter of fact, if you are a born again Christian and your fellowman is living
in a way that will condemn him to the eternal fires of hell, your godly love
will compel you to seek to rescue him, you will be forced to proclaim the gospel
to him.
Tolerance is not love, proclamation is.]
[Jesus reveals
in our text that our duty is to love and esteem our fellow man.
Notice what Jesus says in verse 21,
[Ye
have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:]
[Just what is a
murder? Murder is understood as
the taking of another’s life by violence.
a.
[In 2007 there were 16,929 known murders in America.
That's about 46 murders a day.
This figure does not include suicide and abortions.]
[God said in the Ten commandments
“Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20.13).
Through the diligent study of this command and those passages that
explain it we understand that this command means “Thou
shalt not murder.” Human life is
unique in God’s creation and it is to be protected and promoted.
Jesus clearly proclaims this age old command, but he challenges the
understanding of the command in the minds of his listeners.]
[The Character
of God - God’s commands are not
meant to be just brute commands.
God’s commands flow from the character of God.
Therefore, to fully understand God’s intentions in His commands we need
to understand the characteristic of God that led to the giving of the command.
What is it about our Heavenly Father that led Him to give us this
command? It is His esteem of
mankind that led to this command.
God says,]
[John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ]
[Romans 5:8 8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. ]
[Our Lord, understanding the heart behind the command,
goes on to say, in essence, that murder begins in the heart long before it
kills. Jesus says,]
[Matthew
5:22
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.]
b.
[Word
Studies:]
(1)
[Angry . . .without a
cause -
ὀργιζόμενος (gk) - only of human and satanic anger be or become
angry, be or become furious, be or become enraged.[3]
Notice here that our Lord
does not say you are wrong to just feel anger.
Anger is a God given emotion and there is justifiable anger.
But our Lord says that if you are angry without a cause.
This is just
to be angry, just because.]
(2)
[Raca -
ῥακά
(gk) - This word does not have an English equivalent, it generally means "A
valueless person." Once lexicon states, “indeclinable; raka;
transliterated from the Aramaic; used as a term of verbal abuse blockhead!
numskull! fool! (MT 5.22).”[4]]
(3)
[Fool -
μωρέ
(gk) – The Greek word sounds a
lot like our English moron. It
speaks of a morally wasted person.
“Silly, stupid, foolish, from which the Eng. word “moron” is derived. Used of
persons meaning morally worthless (Matt. 5:22). It is a more serious reproach
than raká (4469),
raca, which scorns a man by calling him stupid, whereas
mōrós scorns him
concerning his heart and character.”[5]]
[What
Is The Value Of A Person - In using the words that Jesus used He
focuses us upon the heart of the matter.
Jesus is guiding us to think about what we really think and feel about
our fellow man. Jesus is asking us
to realize what kind of value we place upon another human being.
In leading us to discover how we feel about those around us He is
comparing our esteem of other people with our Heavenly Fathers esteem of other
people. All murder begins at this
most basic level. Do you value life
as God values life? Do you love
mankind as God loves mankind?]
[So, Lets Ask
The Question! How Do You Feel About
Those God Loves?]
[Your
Duty - According to God’s commands and this Sermon on the Mount you
have a duty to properly love your fellow man and treat them as God would treat
them. But do you?]
ˇ
[Husband’s how do you regard your wife?]
ˇ
[Wives how do you regard your husband?]
ˇ
[Parents how do you regard your children?]
ˇ
[Children how do you regard your Parents?]
ˇ
[Neighbors how do you regard your fellowman?]
[As I asked these questions, almost everyone in here
thought of someone they know they do not treat as God would ask them to treat
them. Almost immediately after
realizing your error and feeling your conviction you immediately threw up your
favorite excuse or reason why you feel the way you do.
Understand, that Jesus is not asking for your reasons, He is directly
dealing with your mistreatment.
Your excuse is not a justification for your hatefulness and it stands in
opposition to the vary character of your Heavenly Father.
But you will protect it (your hateful feeling).
Nonetheless, Jesus says, you need to get this right in your life.]
[You will
never be able to be right with God until you get this right in your heart and
life. So what should you do?]
B.
Give Regard (vs 23-24) – [Therefore
if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee; 24 Leave there
thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother,
and then come and offer thy gift. - How to reconcile a murderous
(hateful) heart.]
1.
Listen (vs 23; Isa 59.2;
Matt 6.12-15; 1
John 4.20-21) [- Therefore
if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
ought against thee. – Notice here,
a.
[The Seeker – One
comes seeking God and God meets him with Spirit led conviction.
God has a way of speaking to us when we seek Him. Your Heavenly Father
desires your fellowship; He wants you to be near Him.
However, there are things that separate us from His fellowship.]
(1)
[Sin (Isa 59.2) ]
[Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have
hid his face from you, that he
will not hear. ]
(2)
[Unforgiving heart (Matt 6.12-15).]
[Matthew
6:12-15 And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15But if ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses. ]
(3)
[Hateful heart (1 John 4.20-21).]
[1 John
4:20-21 If a man say, I love God,
and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he
hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21And
this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
]
[Notice, that there is only one party approaching
God’s altar. Many think that if
that person, that did them wrong, would just come and apologize, then they could
forgive them. The responsibility
for your feelings and your hatefulness is yours, not theirs.]
2.
Leave (Eph 4.26
) – Leave there thy gift before the
altar, and go thy way; . . . - This is one of the few times in the Bible
when we are told that something is more important than worship.
Notice, that your sacrifice is to remain, awaiting your return.
This indicates that you are not to be gone long.
The Bible says,]
[Ephes. 4:26
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:]
[God wants your worship, but He wants you to worship
Him with a pure heart and so long as there is hatred and division in your heart
then your heart is not pure.]
3.
Love (1
Cor 6.1-8; Luke 6.29; Heb 12.14-15) [-
first be reconciled to thy brother, . . .
- You are never more like Jesus than when you are willing to forgive and to
make things right. Sometimes making
things right means suffering a wrong, or enduring an in justice.
We are reminded of,]
[1 Cor. 6:1-8
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust,
and not before the saints?
2Do ye
not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged
by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3Know
ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this
life? 4If
then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who
are least esteemed in the church.
5I
speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not
one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6But
brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7Now
therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with
another.
Why do ye not rather
take wrong? why do ye not rather
suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8Nay,
ye do wrong, and defraud, and that
your brethren. ]
[Luke 6:29
And unto him that smiteth thee on the
one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid
not to take thy coat also.]
[An unloving heart becomes a bitter heart (Heb
12.14-15)]
[Hebrews
12:14-15 Follow peace with all
men, and holiness, without
which no man shall see the Lord:
15Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness
springing up trouble you, and
thereby many be defiled; ]
4.
Linger (Psalm 133.1-3; Matt 18.20) [- . . .
and then come and offer thy gift .-
Once you are reconciled to your fellowman then you can be wholly reconciled to
your Lord and Savior.]
[Psalm
133:1-3 Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity!
2It
is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard: that
went down to the skirts of his garments;
3As
the dew of Hermon, and as the dew
that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord
commanded the blessing, even
life for evermore. ]
[Matthew
18:20 For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. ]
C.
Receive Restoration and Renewal
[- The Church of our Lord Jesus
Christ is struggling all across our nation today.
Many congregations have become so desperate that they have started
tolerating and endorsing sin in the midst of their Churches.
The need of the Body of Christ today is not that we tolerate immorality
in the Church; it is that we get back to those essentials that bring God’s
people together in unity and in the presence of our Lord.
We need to get back to the essentials of this Sermon on the Mount.]
[Hatred in our hearts will destroy our testimony, separate us
from our fellowship with God and drive our world away from us and our Lord.
The problem in our Churches is that there is often more hate in our
congregations then there is in our world.
So what do we so?]
1.
Restoration Begins In My Heart [– The call of our Lord
in this text and throughout the Sermon on the Mount is a call to self
examination. Ask yourself,]
a.
[How do I feel about my
spouse? Am I feeling what my
Heavenly Father says I should feel?]
b.
[How do I feel about my
parents? Am I feeling what my
Heavenly Father says I should feel?]
c.
[How do I feel about my
boss? Am I feeling what my Heavenly
Father says I should feel?]
d.
[How do I feel about my
neighbor? Am I feeling what my
Heavenly Father says I should feel?]
e.
[What are my excuses?
What does God say about my excuses?
Will I continue to protect my excuses?
2.
Renewal Begins with Jesus [- Perhaps you are here today
and you are not a born again Christian, then all of this sounds impossible.
But nothing is impossible with God.
You will find it difficult to give up your basic human right to hate,
especially those who have violated you somehow.
But the way to fulfillment and joy in life is through restoration and
peace. The source of all
restoration and peace is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Supernatural relationship in this life are the result of a supernatural
relationship with God. You need
Jesus in your life today.]
