Written ~ 01-05-2024
Read Matthew Chapter Five
Matthew 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But 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 hell.”
In Matthew chapter four after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, His ministry began. He set off to Capernaum a town beside the Sea of Galilee. There He chose His first disciples, Simon (Peter) and Andrew, then James and John (the sons of Zebedee). As Jesus began to travel around teaching in the synagogues and healing folks of various diseases and illnesses, a crowd of people began following Him. Matthew chapter five starts us off with Jesus gathering the crowds around to sit and listen to a message which is affectionately called, “The Sermon on the Mount.” This sermon consisted of the “Beatitudes,” Jesus spoke about how we are to be the “Salt and Light” of the world, He taught about anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge and loving your enemies. I would imagine the crowd was glued to every word that came out of His mouth, they had never heard someone speak about such things and the people were in awe.
Today we are going to focus on the message from verses 5:21-22… Anger.
Today’s world is filled with anger. You can see it on a lot a faces even when you’re just walking through the grocery store. Anger is everywhere, you don’t have to watch the news for very long to see the state the world is in today. But let’s narrow it down quite a bit more. Let’s look at our own lives. Let’s examine our own hearts, our own attitudes, our own expression of anger towards other people. Look at what the verses 5:21-22 say in The Message Bible,
21“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. 22 Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.”
The Bible talks about anger in several places and we are going to touch on a lot of those verses. We need to have a good understanding of how anger effects not only ourselves, but what it does to someone else when they are at the receiving end of your anger.
Ephesians 4:26-27 and 31-32… “Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
Psalm 37:8… “Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.”
Proverbs 15:1 and 18… “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. Hot tempers start fights; a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.”
James 1:19-20… “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”
Proverbs 19:11a… “Smart and sensible people know how to hold their tongue…”
Proverbs 29:11… “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”
Ecclesiastes 7:9… “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.”
Colossians 3:8… “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.”
You might be thinking as you read these passages, “But you don’t my situation!” Your blood may be at the boiling point and it’s just a matter of time before you explode with full force all of that pent up anger. The Word of God says that you may have reason to be angry and you should be angry, But Do Not Sin in that Anger. If anger gets you in trouble time and time again, it’s time to find a way to diffuse that seething curse swirling beneath the surface before it has a chance to reach your lips. The Scriptures we have read today are very clear that nothing good comes from being angry at someone and venting that anger on someone else is causing more damage than you may ever know. Even if you think that person deserves the spewing of your angry words, Hold Your Tongue.
The end of the verse in Matthew 5:22 says,
“The simple moral fact is that words kill.”
Being angry at anyone else, calling them an idiot or stupid, or whatever negative descriptive word you feel like using, it is as though we have committed murder. This is a serious offense! When you are looking at someone with such fueled anger that it causes you to lash out with obscenities or name calling, God is calling you a murderer. These differences that have you at such odds with another person must be reconciled. They must be forgiven. The Lord calls for peace. We just read in Proverbs 15:1 and 18… “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. Hot tempers start fights; a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.”
The only way these kindled fires are going to be diffused, for good, is if you can be unified through prayer and reading the Word of God. Does it mean the problems instantly go away? Probably not, but the control of a lashed out temper will bring the focus onto a solution not on the bonfire of rage. The only way, Biblically, to diffuse your anger is to confess it immediately, God is standing by, He is waiting for you to acknowledge the anger you are holding in and to release it into His hands before you cause irreversible damage.
If you are the one who is spewing out all sorts of negativity because of deep seeded anger. Folks it is time to get to the root of that anger and get it taken care of! Talking to someone, getting help through counseling or through a trusted, Biblically based friend or family member is imperative to have healing begin.
In Ephesians 4:27 it says, “Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.”
When you harbor anger of any kind and you are not willing to deal with the damage it is causing both to yourself and to those around you, you are allowing the Devil to rule your heart. You’re allowing the enemy to pull the strings in your life. And the Bible says, you are acting as a Fool when you allow anger to take over your life.
You might be so used to living in anger that you don’t even realize that your actions and the words you speak from your heart are fueling a bonfire of pent up rage. Think about the attitude and the words used in your daily activities… When you speak to one another… Are your words a continued spewing of negativity? Or do your actions and words encourage, build up, produce a positive atmosphere? Are your “flyby” comments uplifting? Do you create an atmosphere of joy when you come into a room? Or is your true attitude expressed with eye rolling and exasperated sighs?
Friends, we need to get a handle on unconfessed anger. God’s Word is clear that we are to live our lives full of praise, glory and honor because of what Christ did for us on the cross! If we continue to live in anger, we are not living our lives for the Lord. We are to reflect the light of Jesus. There is no compromise. Harboring unconfessed anger and living fully for the Lord cannot exist within the same heart. In 1 Timothy 2:8 it says, “…I want everyone to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger…” And in Psalm 24:14 it says, “…Turn away from evil (anger) and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it…”
Confess your anger and fill your heart, mind and soul of those things that give honor to God alone.
~AMEN~