Are You Dealing With Your Anger? // Marks of A Jesus Follower

Transformed By God

Now church you know that we’re in the middle of our series called “Different.” This is the sermon on the mount which is found in Matthew chapter five six and seven. This is a sermon preached by Jesus and he’s calling on his disciples, those who are his followers and he says to them, “I want you to be different in how you live out your life because you’ve understood what God has done for you. Because you’ve grabbed a hold of the grace of God which changes you and transforms you. You now begin to live differently.”

So where does it start it starts with me recognising that I am poor of spirit which is the first of the of the beatitudes that He taught. Blessed are the poor in spirit. That there’s a holy God and I’ve offended the holy God. I have no credentials, I have no spiritual merit before him. I am destitute and desperate. God won’t you forgive? Won’t you do the supernatural work of making me right with yourself. And that’s where we start. And because now we have been transformed and changed, we now live new lives and it makes us different in the world.

And so this morning we’re in chapter 5 as we continue in our series. 5:21-26 please do turn there because we’re going to study that passage in greater detail. But before we do that there are two things that I want us to do. First i’m going to give you a statement and i’m going to invite you to either agree or disagree with the statement. And then the second thing that I want us to do is to listen to this personal question i’m going to ask you and I need you to think about it deeply as you listen throughout this sermon.

Dealing With Anger

So here’s the statement. You ready for it? The world doesn’t know what to do with anger. The world doesn’t know what to do with anger. Please in the comments section, please put there yes or no if you agree or you disagree with that statement. But let me give you some evidence as you’re thinking about that. There was a story that came out about three or four years ago about these two guys, on the road two bikers on the road. They upset each other, didn’t know each other. They upset each other, they had a fight. They stopped and had a fight and they actually drew out their guns and they shot each other and both of them died at that very spot. That’s what happens when some people get angry. They draw out guns and they shoot each other. How many stories have we heard and read about online about a father who is angry with his wife and then he shoots her dead and then he shoots the kids and then he turns the gun on himself? That’s how some people handle anger. So the world does not know how to deal with anger. Do you agree yes or no?

But here’s the personal question that I want you to think about. What do you do with your anger? What do you do with your anger? What do you do when you are angry? When you are raging mad, when you’re furious, when you are boiling inside with hatred and bitterness and anger, what do you do? How do you handle your anger? Well, some of us handle it in either one of these two ways. We bottle it all up. We take all that anger, that bitterness, that hatred, that rage and we bottle it up so neatly and we bury it deep, deep down in our hearts in our minds. And then we go ahead and pretend like it never happened. We pretend like we’re not angry. We pretend like we are okay. That’s one way some people handle anger and I wonder if that’s you this morning. Or maybe you’re on the opposite side, you blow up. Everybody knows that you have a short fuse and when you get angry it all comes out. You’re like The Incredible Hulk. You know The Incredible Hulk? Don’t make me angry you wouldn’t like me when i’m angry. Maybe that’s you. You blow up and people know. Pity the person who’s next to you when you have your anger tantrum.

So this morning we’re talking about anger, we’re talking about murder from this passage in verses 21 to 26 as we listen to Jesus teach on this sermon on the mount. And he’s going to do two things in these verses. Number one he’s going to tell us what the real issue is and then the second thing he’s going to give us a remedy on how to deal when things have gone wrong.

Jesus’ Teaching On Anger

So I hope that you’re with me. Matthew 5:21-26 and the first thing I want us to see is what Jesus points to the issue. And i’m going to read now verses 21 and 22 and as I read these verses listen to Jesus, and listen out for what the issue is that he wants to address. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother Raca is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, “You fool” will be in danger of the fire of hell.

So check this out church did you notice that verses 21 and 22 come after verses 17 to 20. Did you notice that? And you’re saying, “Of course I did, mfundisi. I can see that verses 21 and 22 come after verses 17 20. What’s your point?” And here’s the point Jesus has been talking about the law because some people were listening to Jesus and thought Jesus is doing away with the law. And the pharisees and the teachers of the lord angry with Jesus because they’re thinking Jesus is saying that you don’t need the law anymore. And so Jesus has been addressing both parties. And to those that thought he’s doing away with the law he says, “No we uphold the law.” If God has done this supernatural work in you, if he has transformed you, if you have come before him with brokenness and poverty of spirit, and God has had mercy on you it changes you. It makes you different. So how do you respond to a God who has done this supernatural work of grace in you? You listen to his word. You want to live out his word. You want to live in submission to his word. And so we uphold the law. And to the pharisees who say, “Listen the law is there to you bring into a right relationship with God,” would have heard Jesus say, “No you can’t keep the law, it’s impossible. You can’t keep the law, you need God to be at work in your life.”

If you have come before God with brokenness and poverty of spirit, and he has had mercy on you it changes you. It makes you different.

And so after listening to verses 17-20 what do you expect Jesus to say next? What do you expect him to say next? What is it? What he says next is to explain how we actually live out the law in verses 21 onwards till the end of chapter 7 of Matthew. He tells us how we live out the law. How we live our lives in obedience to God as a sign of our gratitude for his grace.

And so in verses 21 to 26 he speaks of three areas of life in the disciples life. The new area, the new life that God has given us and he says we deal with things differently in the area of murder and anger and insult. So that’s what we want to look now as Jesus explains what the issue is.

The Sin Of Murder

So come with me verse 21 he says you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder.” And everybody, you can see them sitting in the sun sitting down with Jesus and listening to this young rabbi sent by God teaching God’s word in a new way. You can see them saying to Jesus, “Yes, I agree.” They’re nodding their heads. “I agree when it comes to murder, I’ve heard this said before. It comes from the ten commandments that God gave to us as the Israelites. I’ve heard this before. I know this. Do not murder and i’m in agreement with you I have no problems with exodus 20:12 because that’s where it comes from, the sixth commandment.” And the pharisees and the teachers of the law would have been saying to Jesus, “Hey Jesus, shout out to you because I agree with you. I have no problems. With this sixth commandment given by God. In fact I have kept it I have not killed anybody. So I am righteous and it’s the word that they would have used to describe themselves. I am righteous i’m in the right standing with God. I have not killed anyone. I have obeyed God’s word. I have done God’s commandments.

So maybe this morning you and I attempted to come to the same conclusion and say, “Well I haven’t killed anybody and so i’m right with God when it comes to commandment number six. I have not murdered anyone.” Listen C4 if you were to go out onto the street and randomly ask people, “Are you a good person?” Nine times out of ten most people will say, “Yes I am a good person.” And then they’ll give you a list that proves why they’re good. I haven’t cheated. I haven’t stolen PPE money. I haven’t done any corrupt thing I will not be featuring at the Zondo Commission anytime soon. I am good. I have not stolen, I’ve not lied, I have not killed anyone. I’m not a murderer. I’m not as bad as those people who murder other people. In fact those people that murder other people they should be judged, they must be they must come under judgment. And so i’m agreeing with you Jesus we are on the same page here. Because, and listen to what Jesus says in verse 21, “Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” And so yes Jesus, they need to be judged the law must take its course those people must be thrown in prison and the key must be thrown very, very far away. They must be judged. But Jesus is not just speaking of judgment from the courts of law he’s speaking that God is the one who will judge. They are subject to God’s judgment because they’ve broken God’s law.

So murder is sin. I agree with you Jesus and God needs to deal with those people and hold them accountable. Because here’s the thing when you kill someone you’ve taken away a life that was given by God because God is the author of all life, the giver of all life. You have stood in the place of God and you have taken away somebody else’s life. You’ve played judge and jury and God over them. And when you do that it is a sin. And so most of the people listening to Jesus on this day will be saying, “Yes God needs to judge.” But here’s the thing C4, the command do not murder is just not about taking somebody’s life. It’s not about just killing someone. It’s more than that.

 

Loving Like God

And so watch this before we go any further. There were two arguments that people came up with when they read these words of Jesus. The one party was saying well, “Jesus is giving a new law. Out with the old and in with the new.” So he’s giving a new law to the Jesus follower, to the disciples. The other group of people were arguing saying, “Well Jesus is just saying words, he’s just adding on to the law. He’s adding his own thoughts to the law. But church let me remind you Jesus is not doing any one of those things Jesus is explaining. Jesus is shining the light on the law and says here’s what that commandment actually says here’s what it’s all about. He’s exposing the purpose of the law. So the law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai by God to God’s people, it was meant to do two things. Number one it was meant to expose our hearts. It was meant to expose the real me and what’s at the centre of me. And then the second thing it was meant to reveal who God is. The character of God, the attributes of God. It was meant to reveal God to us in the Law.

So God is a God of love and so when he says do not murder it means that I must love as he loves. And so if i’m in community and I’m with people how do I show that i don’t murder them? I love people. And so the opposite of murder is love and it’s being like God the heavenly father himself. It’s a call to love and so if it’s a call to love then I will not murder anyone. So everybody on this day will have been agreeing with Jesus, murder is wrong. Murder is wrong. And so Jesus says I want to show you what it is like if you loved. Yes you have done the minimal which is not to kill anybody but have you done the full extent of what God is speaking about? Which is to love.

Now I remember high school as a high school junior it was our first day of athletics. The coach came and he says, “Boys, I want to take you through all the disciplines in athletics and see where you can fit in.” And so we went through all those things. We did the running, we did the jumping. And then we came to the high jump and so he says, “Line up lets see who’s got talent to do high jump.” And so he set the bar so low the whole class jumped over. All the boys jumped over. But then the bar started going higher and higher and fewer and fewer of us could manage to go over the bar. And so that’s what Jesus is saying. The pharisees and the teachers of the law you heard do not murder and you thought it just meant don’t kill someone. The bar is too low, it is higher than that. It’s a call to love, it’s a call to be like God when you are with people and when you’re in community. Have you loved as God has loved you? Have you loved and displayed the character of God? Have you really kept the command do not murder. And then all of a sudden you see the reality of your heart. We see the reality of our lives when we look at God’s law.

 

The Root Cause Is Anger

But Jesus goes further than that. He’s saying I want to show you where it actually starts. I want to show you what the real issue is here. And so he takes us back. He takes us way back to Genesis:4. And we know this story. It’s about two brothers: one his name is Cain and he had a brother called Abel. And in Genesis chapter four listen to this in verse 5 what we’re told in the story: But Cain and his offering, God did not look with favour. So they brought an offering before God as a worship before God. And so God looked favourably on Abel’s offering, but on Cain not so favourably. Now watch what we’re told in verse five. So Cain was very angry. You can almost see him in the garden, you can almost see him pacing up and down. He is furious, he is mad, he is full of rage, he’s full of bitterness and he’s full of hatred towards his brother. And by the end of the chapter he actually murdered his brother.

And so Jesus is saying listen that is the root cause. The anger is the problem. Don’t just look at the murder and say, “I haven’t murdered anybody so i’m okay.” But have you loved? And more than that, what is happening with anger in your heart, the anger in your heart that you harbour? That you nurse? That you have tucked away deep inside of you? Because that will lead to some action. So murder is sin says Jesus. But notice here and yes we’ll all agree with him, but notice what he does. He says anger is sin before God. Notice what he says in verse 21 right at the end. “Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment but I tell you,” verse 22 “that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subject to judgment.” Same result, judgment. The judgment of God.

What is happening with the anger in your heart that you harbour? That you nurse? Because that will lead to some action.

So my dear friends have you ever been angry with anybody? Have you ever harboured bitterness and hatred against anyone? And as you’re working this out for yourself you’re saying, “I’m trying to come to grips with this.” And you’re saying, “Mfundisi, are you saying that i’m as somebody sitting in Sunshine City in prison for murder? Is that what you’re saying?” And for some of us as we coming into terms with it. And it is hard to come to terms what Jesus is saying we’ve got to come and say what Britney says in her song, Britney Spears. And I know that’s the last person you’re thinking you hear about on a Sunday morning right? Britney Spears has a song, i’m not so innocent.

And my dear friends that’s the conclusion we need to come to as we’re listening to Jesus, i’m not so innocent. Anger is sin, murder is sin. Jesus puts those two things in the same Whatsapp group and say they are of the same thing and they result in the same thing, the judgment of God.

So church watch this when I am angry, when I am furious and boiling and there’s bitterness in my heart and there’s hatred in my heart i’m not being like God. Because God created me to be like him in the world and i’m not loving my neighbour when i’m angry with them. When I harbour bitterness in my heart. When I say things in my mind and do things in my mind against this person maybe I won’t act on it but it is still a sin before God. And I know this morning this is hard to hear I know this is very strong language coming from Jesus but here’s what Jesus is doing. He’s saying if you are a disciple if you have experienced this supernatural work of God of grace, of forgiveness that God has done in your life you want to live differently. And so in the area of anger you need to know that it is sin against God. So here’s what we have found so far: murder is sin anger is sin.

 

A Warning About Throwing Insults

There’s another area of life that Jesus touches on here which affects you and I on a daily basis. It’s in verse 22. He says name calling and insults are a sin. Listen to what he says, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subject to judgment. Again anyone who says to a brother Raca is answerable to the Sanhedrin but anyone who says you fool will be in danger of the fire of hell.” So notice what Jesus is saying here church. Insults and name calling are a sin. Insults and name calling are a sin. Why? Because they are spilling over out of anger.

So some of us when we get angry we begin to call people names. We either vocalise these things or we call them names and insults and insult them deep inside our minds in the quietness of our own hearts. Whether it is vocalised or it’s deep within your heart Jesus is saying for the disciple who is different, that is a sin. It needs to be dealt with. And so he uses two words here, maybe they were popular words in his time. He uses the word ‘Raca’ and that word is an Aramaic word it means empty, empty head, airhead, stupid, idiot. Have you ever used any one of those words against someone? Jesus says it’s a sin. It comes out of your anger and your anger is sin before God. And then the second word he uses is, ‘you fool’ at the end of verse 22 which means moron, imbecile. Have you ever said that about somebody? Used that insult or use that name calling against somebody else?

You and I know of other words, derogatory words. When we compare other people to animals, to certain animals isn’t that the same thing that Jesus points to here? When you and I use other words other derogatory words other vulgar words that we can come up with, it doesn’t really matter what words, we say are they words of insult and name calling? Jesus says it is wrong. So he’s saying smear campaigns, he’s saying that character assassinations, have no place in the followers of Jesus. They have no place in the disciples lives. You and I are called to live differently. So watch this church, insults and name calling will lead you to be held accountable. Listen to what he says in verse 22. “Again anyone who says to his brother, raca is answerable to the Sanhedrin.” The Sanhedrin were a body of elders and teachers of the law who were given charge over the people of Israel to see over their affairs. So you’ll be brought before the elders and the teachers of the law for judgment.

How many times have we read of cases of people who have racially abused somebody and ended up in court? How many times have we heard of people who have uttered abuse against people and then they end up being charged in court? That’s what Jesus is speaking about here. Imagine that, as a Jesus follower, as somebody who says that I have found and I know what it means to have God work supernaturally in my life and yet you are brought before the courts for defamation of character. For calling people names. For assigning names to certain people because of who they are, because of your anger and bitterness. What an embarrassment. We drag the name of the Lord in the mud.

But worse than that you’re in danger says Jesus at the end of verse 22, you’re in danger of the fires of hell. So what’s really going on here? What is Jesus getting at? Listen when you insult someone, when you call names in that derogatory against somebody, when you assign names to some people you are saying that i’m better. That because you’ve made me mad i’m better than you. I have more value and more worth than you and I will strip value and worth from you. But you forget that they’re created in the image of God. You forget that God has given them life. That God has given them value and worth just as he has done for you. So the danger is that you sit in the place of God as a superior, as a judge, and your anger leads you to sin against the people that God has created. They’ve been given worth by God. “You’re in danger,” says Jesus.

So it’s a warning that Jesus gives. It’s a warning here and he’s saying pay attention. Sit up and pay attention to these things. What’s happening in your life because you as a Jesus follower, you ought to live differently? I’m calling you to live differently because I have done something, God has done some supernatural work within you. So you can’t continue to give insults and name calling because of your anger.

So think about this week in traffic perhaps. Did somebody cut you? Somebody did something and you’re not happy? Did you shout? Did you throw your arms out? Did you show them obscene signs? Did you say things and insult them in your mind. Maybe you’re saying, “Well I work from home pastor so that’s not me.” Well, can I draw a few areas of life. Maybe you have a spouse. Maybe you have a spouse and you said things to your spouse. Maybe you have said things as a parent to your children. Maybe to your friends and your family. And here’s what we do, we know don’t we? We just know the right words to say at the right time where it does the most damage. Don’t you find that to be true? You find the right words and you say them in the right way and you know they’re going to land and do the most damage to somebody else. Why? Because it’s my anger spilling over. I begin to insult, I begin to name call people around me. I’m no longer like God, loving people as God has called me to love. So Jesus is warning you, you are in danger of judgment. Judgment by God because those are God’s people created in God’s image. “You’re in danger of the fires of hell,” says Jesus.

 

Grace, Transformation & Reconciliation

So what do I do because i’ve done this? I’m guilty of this. What do I do? Jesus is saying to you and I we come to him. We come in our brokenness, in our poverty of spirit before God to say that we have failed once again won’t you wash us and cleanse us. Won’t you rebuild us and make us anew again Lord Jesus so that we can go out and live with your people. We have sinned. He’s not saying go and try harder, we can’t. He’s saying you need to come to a position and place where you are asking and longing for God to continue this work in your life, this work of grace and transformation. That’s what you need.

And so this morning you’re saying, “Well I know that I’ve blown it. I know that I have serious anger within me and it spills out or I bury it deep inside of me. What do I do?” The second thing that Jesus points to here is the remedy. Check it out in verses 23 to 26, “Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to him then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way or your adversary may hand you over to the judge and the judge may hand you over to the officer and the officer may throw you in prison” Verse 26. “I tell you the truth you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

So do you notice that Jesus uses two illustrations here? Two illustrations. The first one is in verses 23 and 24, anger at church. Yes, anger at church. There are a lot of angry people at church and so he wants to address that and he says here’s the remedy, here’s how you fix that. And then he talks about anger at court when you are wrong. What do you do? And he’s going to talk about that in verses 25 and 26. But both illustrations, here’s what I want you to see, both illustrations are pointing to the same thing. There’s one point to both stories. It is restoration, reconciliation, go and make things right. Don’t continue with brokenness and anger and bitterness. Go and fix things.

So let’s have a look. Anger at church. So you can picture this. Picture this for a while, you’re in the temple in Jerusalem you’ve been singing the songs, you’ve been praying the prayers together with people, God’s people. You have brought your heart before God in worship and now it’s time to bring your sacrifice either an animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin or it’s your gift offering before God to thank God for who he is. And there says Jesus verse 23, “There you remember that your brother has something against you, you’ve offended someone.” Don’t ignore it like it hasn’t happened because that’s what most of us do. We actually tell ourselves, “I don’t care. I don’t care if that person is offended, I don’t care. I’m going to continue living my best life. They must sort themselves out, I don’t care.”

And then for some of us we go one step further. We actually cut that person out. We actually write them out of our lives, we write people off because of the fight, because of the argument, because of this thing that has happened between you. And so Jesus says when you realise that, that that is the situation, that is the reality of what’s happened, don’t continue worshiping. Here’s what you do, verse 24, leave your gift right there where it is. Leave it there first go and be reconciled to him. What does Jesus saying? He’s saying there’s something more important than your worship at that moment. He’s saying there’s something more important than your sacrifice at that moment. There’s something more important than your quiet time, than your prayer time, than your devotions at that moment when you realise that I am in a broken relationship with so and so. There’s something against me, something went wrong between us there’s a broken relationship here. Jesus says leave everything, drop everything. The most important thing that you need to do is to go and sort it out because at that point God is not being glorified. God is not being honoured. And so all that we’re doing is just a waste of time. So go and sort things out.

And notice verse 24 he says first go it’s a command. First go, it’s urgent, it needs to be done now. Now here’s what you need to know my dear friends Jesus is preaching this sermon on the mount in Galilee and he’s talking about offering your gifts at the altar in the altar was in the temple in Jerusalem 126 kilometres away. So you’ve made this 126 kilometre journey to go and worship at the temple in Jerusalem, you realise that there’s somebody who you have offended. He says leave everything make 120 kilometre journey back sort things out and then come back. So is it about the kilometres that Jesus is interested in? No, he’s interested in the urgency of sorting things out when there’s brokenness, when there’s a fight in the church. When there’s disagreements, when we’ve fallen out with each other, go and sort it out and go and do it urgently says Jesus. Because nothing else is more important not even the offering. Not even the worship that you’ve come to bring before God. It doesn’t matter go and sort things out quickly.

 

Three Powerful Words

But you and I we are masters at hiding things and pretending that there is no offence, that we haven’t hurt one another or we haven’t been hurt by people. And so we go on these cold wars. You know these cold wars in churches? And people just don’t talk. They come to church and we don’t talk to each other. We avoid each other like the plague, like the Corona Virus. We avoid each other, there’s a cold war. Jesus says that is not glorifying to God. You need to go and sort things out. Leave everything on the side and go and do the hardest thing that might be the most difficult thing that you ever get to do. To say these three words, “I am sorry.” Those are three difficult words for some of us even this morning as we think about it. Those are the three difficult words to say because it means I need to put my pride to one side. It means I need to put my ego to one side and go and apologise and make things right. But Jesus is saying if God has done this supernatural work, if you came to him and say, “Lord won’t you do this work that only you can do because i’m poor in spirit.” Jesus says you are transformed you’re changed and so you live differently. You and I are people that say, “I am sorry.” If you are married these words must never leave your lips because we’re two sinners living together, I must be in the habit of saying, “I am sorry,” and fixing things so that I don’t harbour bitterness and anger and hatred in my heart because it’s a sin says Jesus.

Leave everything on the side and go and do the hardest thing, to say these three words, “I am sorry.”

So, C4 are there people right now in our church that you don’t speak to? People right now that have offended you and whom you have offended and things have not been sorted out? Well, straight after this Jesus is speaking to you, go and sort it out. Swallow your pride and go and sort it out because that’s what he’s calling you to do. That’s what disciples of Jesus do. Go and make things right nothing else is more important. And then there is brokenness in community outside of church. Listen, There settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way.” What is he saying? There’s always an opportunity to make this right. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Because this person is guilty. The judge says you’re guilty, hands you over to the officer who puts you in jail until you’ve paid the last penny. So if you’re guilty you have done wrong. So go and say, “I’m sorry.” Find ways to mend relationships that have gone sour.

And my dear friends as we listen this morning we’re saying to ourselves, “This is hard. I don’t know if I can do this. In fact i’m failing. I know that i’m failing to do this. There’s this bitterness, there is anger, there’s name calling, there’s insults that I’ve said about people. People are church people outside of church. There’s brokenness, I know my relationships are not right. I don’t know if I can do this.

 

Drawing Power From The Cross

Well, this morning Jesus who speaks these words is not saying go and try harder, he says the first place you come is to him, the one who’s going to die on the cross for murderers. The one who’s going to give up his life in the place of those who are harbouring anger towards other people. Those who have insulted and name called other people. He says i’m going to give my life to you, my life up for you so that you can be forgiven. And so we come to the foot of the cross with our lives and say we want to be different. And most of us are there where we’re saying,”I want to be different.” And so Jesus says, “It begins when you come to me and receive grace and mercy. It begins with me transforming and changing you so that you can go out and live differently.” And so maybe this morning as we’re going to pray just now you want to pray for courage to say, “Lord there is a relationship, I know about it. Give me the courage to be different and go and sort things out because that’s what brings you honour and glory.” Maybe you’re not a Christian this morning and you know that there’s things that are not right, relationships are not right. Well, Jesus is inviting you come and be right with him first. Let him transform you and then by his spirit you begin to live differently. So folks this morning shall we pray? If you’re a Jesus follower pray for courage that you would go and do like what Jesus is calling us to do. Come lets pray.