What is Sin - Part 5 : Murder, Anger and Resentment

WHAT IS SIN?

Part 5 - Murder, Anger and Resentment

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew  5:21-26

“²¹"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'

²²But I tell you that anyone who is (unjustly) angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

[Raca and ‘you fool’ were both Hebrew expressions of extreme anger. Raca is an Aramaic word for contempt or resentment]

 ²³"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

INTRODUCTION

·        Anger, resentment and ridicule is the same as murder

·        You may or may not escape earthly law (the Sanhedrin), but you cannot escape God and His law

·        Jesus tells us, do not give an offering to God expecting that to make your offense against your brother void

·        The ONLY solution for our offense, is to make it right with our brother

I.                   SIN

a.      Sin is...

                                                             i.      Romans 5:20 “²⁰The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1.      Many feel “they” have not sinned; Adam did, so why are they suffering.

2.      God gave the Ten Commandments so that all men may see how far they fall from His standards.

3.      As much as a man has sinned, God’s grace is greater.  And the greater the sins, the greater His grace.

                                                          ii.      Luke 7:36-50 “³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

 ⁴⁰Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
      "Tell me, teacher," he said.

 ⁴¹"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

 ⁴³Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
      "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

 ⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.

⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.

⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

 ⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

 ⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

1.      Where sin is increased, grace is increased all the more.

a.      We are made righteous only in Christ, justified by faith in Him, not by obeying the Law.

                                                                                                                                     i.      The woman heard of Jesus

                                                                                                                                  ii.      She went to Him

                                                                                                                               iii.      She cried at His feet

                                                                                                                                 iv.      She loved (action) Him with tears, washing His feet, and pouring perfume on Him

1.      She said no magic words...

2.      She didn’t ask for anything

3.      Nevertheless, Christ knew her heart, and gave her everything... forgiveness.

b.     No One is Righteous

                                                             i.      Romans 3:19-20 “¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.”

1.      Trying to keep the Ten Commandments will NOT make you righteous.

2.      Some try to say you MUST keep this command, or you must keep that...BUT the scriptures say, if you break one, you have broken them all...

3.      You may keep some of the commands, but you CANNOT keep them all!  ONLY CHRIST HAS!

a.      “I came not to do away with the Law, but fulfill it.”

b.     How do “we” fulfill the law?

                                                                                                                                     i.      Romans 13:8 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.”

                                                                                                                                  ii.      Matthew 22:36-40 “ ³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

c.      If you are doing anything other than this (loving your brother, neighbor and even your enemy)...your efforts are futile.

                                                          ii.      Galatians 3:10-13 “¹⁰All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."

¹¹Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith.” ¹²The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." ¹³Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...”

c.      Types of Sin

                                                             i.      Sins of Commission

1.      We sin in thoughts, words and deeds

a.      Matthew 22:36-40 “³⁶"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

                                                                                                                                     i.      Heart, soul & mind...thoughts, words and deeds

                                                          ii.      Sins of Omission

1.      Sinning by what you DON’T do

a.      James 4:17 “¹⁷Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.”

b.     Matthew 25:40-46 “ ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

 ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

                                                       iii.      Unintentional Sins

1.      Sins we did not mean to commit, still happen...

a.      Numbers 15:29 “²⁹ One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien.”

d.     No One does Right

                                                             i.      John 3:20-21 “²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

                                                          ii.      Romans 3:23 “²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

                                                       iii.      I John 1:8-10 “ ⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

e.      What we must do about it

                                                             i.      Ecclesiastes 7:20 “²⁰ There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”

II.               MURDER, ANGER & RESENTMENT

a.      The Law

                                                             i.      Exodus 20:13 “...thou shalt not commit murder...

b.     Jesus clarifies

                                                             i.      Unjust anger and resentment are the same as murder...

1.      In the Bible, the type of anger which is not sinful is more properly called "righteous indignation". Righteous indignation does not produce emotion. Thus, whenever emotion is involved, sinful anger is the cause.

The Bible uses two Greek words for anger: orge, referring to mental anger, and thumos, for passionate and emotional anger.

It is possible, but not common, to have mental anger without an emotional response. In Ephesians 4:31, both types of anger are related to bitterness.

Anger is a sin which promotes sins against other people, such as gossip, self-righteous judging, slander, complaining.

Both anger and righteous indignation are reactions to events or circumstances. If the mental reaction is unjustifiable, it becomes a reaction such as irritation, exasperation, or irrationality.

However, if a reaction is justifiable, it is never irrational. An example would be righteous indignation regarding heresy, or purposeful deviation from the truth of God’s Word.

III.            OFFERINGS DO NOT CLEANSE YOU

Some think they can purchase forgiveness, pay a financial penance and be forgiven, or give an offering to the Lord and their wrong will be made right.

Offerings will not cleanse you, ONLY the blood of Jesus.  No other sacrifice can be made, other than the one that has already been made, the perfect sacrifice.

Tithes, offerings and alms are commanded, but they are to be done in obedience, not for receiving forgiveness.

CONCLUSION

The Word of God shows us that anger and resentment of others is the same as murder.

We see righteous indignation (or righteous anger) is anger towards unrighteousness and the effects of sin; an anger which does not bring emotions.

EXAMPLES

·        In Mark 10:14, Jesus became opposed to the disciples when they forbade the children to be brought unto Him. This was not anger, it was an understanding of a wrong.

·        Jesus expressed righteous indignation in Matthew 23:13-36 when he condemned the scribes and Pharisees.

·        Another example of righteous indignation is a Christian's mental attitude toward criminal activity. You can pursue, prosecute, and sentence a criminal without compromising such principles as grace, forgiveness, or impersonal love. You are aware that the criminal's act is wrong and that he must be stopped. That is righteous indignation. But you don't hate the criminal or fall apart emotionally because of sinful anger. Impersonal love is a result of Christian growth and allows believers to have a regard for even the most obnoxious people that does not depend on their character or behavior.

It is righteous indignation that allows God to be "angry" about sin but to love us anyway. His love for us depends on His character, not on ours.

Anger is associated with grieving the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30-31 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Notice the contrast here between conditions of anger and the results of impersonal love.

Anger is a violation of the Christian's code of conduct as a member of the Body of Christ.

Colossians 3:8,9 "But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, {and} abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices"

Anger hinders effective prayer.

1 Timothy 2:8 "Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension."

Anger is always accompanied by other sins.

Proverbs 29:22 "An angry person stirs up strife, and a hot tempered person abounds in transgression."

Anger promotes the sins of gossip, self-righteous judging, maligning, revenge, complaining, bitterness, and many others.

Hebrews 12:15 "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled."

1.      Recognize the sin of anger and confess to the Lord when you become angry. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9.

This way, you will maintain your walk with the Lord and be controlled (filled) by the Holy Spirit.

2. Continue to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Forgiveness is an important part of grace being used by a believer. The more you are oriented to God's plan of Grace, the more adept you will be at using the assets He provides.

3. Practice trusting God (or, using Faith). God says, "Cast your care on Me, because I care for you." When you are in bad situations, tell the Lord about it and let Him handle it.

Ephesians 4:26-27 “²⁶"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.”