Redeemer Church
March 22

      • Psalm 149:1ESV

  • Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

      • Psalm 130:3–5ESV

      • Psalm 130:6–7ESV

  • Holy Forever

      • Matthew 5:21–26ESV

      • Psalm 14:1ESV

      • Romans 7:14ESV

      • Psalm 51:4ESV

      • Isaiah 1:13–17ESV

      • 1 John 4:20ESV

  • How Great Thou Art

      • Jude 25NKJV

  • Context
    We are in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7).
    • Jesus has:
    Declared the Beatitudes (5:1–12) — the character of kingdom citizens
    Declared believers salt and light (5:13–16)
    Clarified He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (5:17–20)
    And then comes the tension:
    “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”
    Question:
    What kind of righteousness could possibly exceed the most externally religious people in Israel?
    Matthew 5:21–26 is the first answer.
    Let me ask you something honestly...
    Have you ever said,
    “Well… at least I’ve never murdered anyone”?
    often our baseline for righteousness...isn’t it?
    May not be perfect, but not that bad.
    That is a pretty safe category right?
    If we were to line up all the commandments
    What one would nearly everyone say is the most heinous and wicked?
    Thou shalt not Murder
    May struggle with many things:
    Patience
    words
    maybe our thoughts
    But Murder??
    I’m good there.
    When you think about murder, what does that commandment prohibit?
    Killing, taking a life, violence, abortion, etc.
    Isn’t it interesting how easily we can define the boundaries??
    We know where the line is...
    We are pretty sure that we have never crossed that one.
    But this morning, we are looking at the sermon Where Jesus
    Takes this commandment
    and tells us what it really means.

    I. The External Command vs. the Internal Reality (vv. 21–22)

    A. What They Heard

    “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’…” (Exodus 20:13)
    Now let’s be very clear:
    This is true
    This is good
    This is holy
    This is the very Law of God, revealed at Sinai
    Jesus is not dismissing this command.
    He is not softening it.
    He is not replacing it.
    But He does say:
    “You have heard…”
    Not the typical, “It is written…”
    But “you have heard…”
    Which raises a question:
    Heard from whom?
    From teachers
    From scribes
    From Pharisees
    From a long tradition of interpretation
    Over time, the command had been handled, explained, and—subtly—narrowed.
    Reduced from a matter of the heart
    To a matter of external action only
    So that righteousness became measurable like this:
    As long as:
    You didn’t take a life
    You didn’t physically murder
    You were considered “obedient”
    Even “righteous”
    And that kind of righteousness… feels
    attainable.
    Safe.
    Comfortable.
    Notice what they had heard for the reasoning to not murder
    “You will be liable to judgement.”
    Don’t murder, because if you do, you will go to prison or be put to death.
    Don’t murder, for fear that you will be punished.
    Notice how this doesn’t even consider the heart of God at all??

    B. What Jesus Says

    “But I say to you…”
    Those words carry weight.
    Jesus is NOT opposing Moses.
    He is NOT correcting the Law.
    He is confronting something else:
    A misreading of the Law
    A man-centered interpretation
    A tradition that made the commandment manageable
    In other words:
    Not Moses vs. Jesus
    But Pharisees vs. the true meaning of Moses
    Jesus is saying:
    “You have heard what they told you the command means…
    but let Me tell you what it has always meant.”
    And watch what He does:
    He doesn’t add a new command
    He doesn’t raise the standard beyond what God required
    He reveals the depth that was already there
    He moves from:
    Action → Attitude
    Behavior → Heart
    The visible → The invisible
    “And I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother…”
    Now we feel the shift.
    He names 3 things here:
    Anger
    Insult (“Raca”)
    Contempt (“You fool”)
    These are not random examples.
    They are expressions of the same root.
    ANGER:
    Let me ask, was there anyone but me who felt a bit of anger trying to get your family ready to be at church on time??
    What about when someone says or does something that you don’t like and it just burns you up?
    Anger is Internal Hostility toward someone.
    They may never even know about it...
    It eats away at our souls and we stew on it
    We become bitter don’t we?
    Jesus says, those who are angry with their brother,
    Liable to judgement
    INSULT
    Raca
    This is not a Greek word originally
    Aramaic term of contempt
    Would have been common in Jesus’ day
    Basic meaning:
    Empty headed
    worthless
    good for nothing
    idiot
    This is a COLD, bitterness toward someone.
    Raca wasn’t usually shouted
    often muttered
    may show up in:
    eye rolls
    dismissive tones
    talking behind someone’s back
    speaking of them like they are worthless
    This is the kind of sin
    that can live quite comfy in a respectable church setting...
    Not to face
    Behind back
    We know that everyone is made in the image of God
    To say Raca, would be to treat that image as insignificant
    Jesus says those who insult their brother,
    will be liable to the council
    CONTEMPT
    “You fool!”
    “Fool of a Took”
    When Jesus says,
    “Whoever says, You Fool! will be liable to the hell of fire...”
    This isn’t just calling someone dumb
    Not just saying, you are not smart.
    That would be far too shallow for the weight of judgement that Jesus attaches here...
    In scripture, Fool is a moral and spiritual category
    Not intellectual
    Psalm 14:1 ESV
    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
    All throughout Proverbs, the fool is not someone with low IQ
    IS Someone who rejects wisdom and does not fear the Lord
    So, Biblically A fool could be
    Highly intelligent
    socially successful
    maybe even outwardly religious
    But MORALLY rebellious against God
    Think of Richard Dawkins...
    When someone says, “ You fool” in this context
    It is:
    a moral verdict
    spiritual condemnation
    Declaring to them:
    You are worthless before God
    You are outside of the Lord’s favor
    Where Raca is this silent bitterness about someone’s intellect
    Fool is condemning someone’s standing before God.
    This is why it is sooooo serious
    right only belongs to God
    God judges the heart
    God declares righteousness or Guilt
    God alone can see into our hearts perfectly
    Jesus isn’t talking about Playground insults
    something far more dangerous
    Looking at another and saying or thinking in your heart:
    You are worthless
    Beyond redemption
    This goes WAY beyond anger
    Condemnation
    Placing yourself in the seat of God alone.
    Look at the progression here...and this is how it usually goes in life...
    Anger - I am against you
    Raca - You are beneath me
    You fool - I condemn you
    This is not about our words
    It is about a heart that is
    Judging
    dismissing
    condemning
    Jesus says, the one who says “You Fool!”, is liable to the Hell of fire.
    This is not exaggeration.
    This is diagnosis of our hearts
    This is vital to understand, so listen closely
    Jesus is not saying:
    “Anger is just as bad as murder”
    He is saying:
    Murder and anger come from the same heart condition
    Murder is anger and hatred fully grown
    And that’s what the Law was always addressing.
    Because God has never been concerned merely with what we do—
    He has always been concerned with who we are.
    Jesus is teaching us something foundational about the Law:
    The Law was never merely external
    It was always spiritual
    Romans 7:14 ESV
    For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
    It always demanded:
    Not just restraint
    But right affections
    Jesus is telling his disciples
    God’s standard is not:
    “Don’t kill”
    It is:
    “Love your neighbor perfectly”
    Which means:
    No hatred
    No contempt
    No dismissing the image of God in another person
    The Law was always aimed at the heart.
    The Pharisees made it manageable.
    Jesus makes it inescapable.
    When does anger usually show up in your life?
    What situations tend to bring it out?
    And when it comes out… what do your words reveal about what’s underneath?
    *** ORANGE EXAMPLE***
    H. Application
    Now feel the weight of what Jesus has done.
    The question is no longer:
    “Have I murdered?”
    The question becomes:
    “What lives in my heart toward others?”
    Do I harbor anger?
    Bitterness?
    Contempt?
    Quiet resentment?
    Because if I do…
    Then I haven’t kept this command nearly as well as I thought.
    This text does not lower the Law.
    It removes every place we try to hide from it.
    And it begins to dismantle self-righteousness at the root.

    II. The Urgency of Reconciliation (vv. 23–24)

    Jesus gives us a picture:
    You’re at the altar
    You’ve brought your offering
    You are in the very act of worship
    And then—something happens.
    You remember…
    Not that you have something against someone—
    …but that someone has something against you
    And what does Jesus say?
    Not: “Finish the offering first”
    Not: “Handle it later”
    Not: “As long as your heart is sincere, continue”
    He says:
    Stop.
    Leave the gift there.
    Go.
    Be reconciled.
    Then come back.
    There is an interruption of worship for the sake of reconciliation.
    To feel this, we have to step into their world.
    Under Old Covenant worship:
    The altar was central
    Sacrifices were commanded by God
    The system was not optional—it was covenant obedience
    You didn’t casually walk away from the altar.
    And yet Jesus says:
    There is something that, in that moment, takes priority
    Not over worship itself—
    but over unfinished, unreconciled worship
    Reconciliation with your brother is not a distraction from worship
    It is bound up with it
    This would have been deeply unsettling.
    Because it confronts a subtle assumption:
    That we can be right with God vertically
    While remaining fractured horizontally
    Jesus is pressing this truth:
    God is not pleased with:
    Worship that is outwardly active
    But relationally lacking
    Because:
    Sin against your brother is not merely horizontal
    It is ultimately against God
    Psalm 51:4 ESV
    Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
    Your brother bears God’s image
    So unresolved anger, bitterness, division—
    Is not a side issue.
    It is a worship issue.
    Let me ask you:
    Do we ever try to worship God while quietly ignoring conflict with others?
    Have you ever sat in a service…
    singing, listening, praying…
    …while knowing something isn’t right between you and someone else?
    I believe that God rejects offerings from hands that refuse justice and righteousness
    Isaiah 1:13–17 ESV
    Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
    1 John 4:20 ESV
    If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
    These are not disconnected themes.
    They are the same thread:
    Love for God and love for brother cannot be separated
    “It is vain to pretend to worship God if we do not love our neighbor.” — John Calvin
    True righteousness:
    Pursues reconciliation
    Takes initiative
    Does not wait passively
    Refuses to nurture or justify bitterness
    Notice:
    Jesus does not say:
    “If your brother is right…”
    He says:
    “If your brother has something against you…”
    Which means:
    Even perceived offense matters
    Even strained relationship matters
    the instinct of the flesh says:
    “They started it”
    “They misunderstood”
    “They should come to me”
    But Jesus directs us toward something radically different:
    Not: “They should come”
    But: “I will go.”
    Because in the kingdom of Christ:
    Reconciliation is not optional
    It is a mark of those who understand grace

    III. The Danger of Delayed Repentance (vv. 25–26)

    The Illustration
    Legal dispute
    On the way to court
    Urgency to settle
    Jesus is saying:
    Don’t delay reconciliation
    Don’t delay repentance
    Because judgment is real
    If you can settle the legal dispute as brothers
    Nobody goes to prison
    This points beyond human courts:
    To divine judgment
    Unresolved sin:
    Hardens the heart...expand
    Invites judgment...both from earthly courts and God
    Why do we delay dealing with sin?
    What are we hoping will happen if we ignore it?
    Sin never resolves itself.
    It must be:
    Confessed
    Repented of
    Reconciled
    “Delay in repentance is the soul’s most dangerous disease.” — Charles Spurgeon
    Application
    Why does this matter for us?
    Jesus is teaching his disciples
    But this teaching is for us as well
    He is telling us what the law means
    The law Says “Do not Murder”
    but at it’s heart, The law says.
    Do not:
    Nurse anger
    Justify bitterness
    Delay obedience
    What is Jesus teaching?
    1. Total Depravity (of the heart)
    Sin is not just external
    It resides within
    2. The True Nature of the Law
    The Law demands:
    Heart purity
    Perfect love
    3. The Necessity of Reconciliation
    Vertical and horizontal cannot be separated
    4. The Urgency of Repentance
    Delay is dangerous
    Now let’s return to the question from Last week
    What kind of righteousness exceeds the Pharisees?
    Not:
    More rules
    Better behavior
    Rather:
    A transformed heart that reflects the righteousness of Christ
    Because:
    The Pharisees avoided murder
    But Jesus requires:
    No anger
    No hatred
    No contempt
    And here’s the weight of it:
    Who among us can say we’ve kept this perfectly?
    (Pause.)
    This text is meant to do something:
    ...Crush self-righteousness
    So that we run to Christ.
    Jesus never harbored sinful anger
    Jesus never spoke contempt
    Jesus perfectly loved
    And then:
    He died for angry people
    He died for bitter people
    He died for you and for me
    Kingdom righteousness is not merely the absence of murder, but the presence of a heart transformed by Christ
    one that
    rejects anger,
    pursues reconciliation,
    and reflects His love.
    COMMUNION
    That is the only reason, that we can come to the table this morning
    Because Christ has accomplished what we could not.
    He paid the price that we couldn’t afford
    He lived his life as a ransom for us
    In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth he outlines for us the Lord’s Supper
    Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
    We all come to this table today,
    Broken
    Beating our chests saying woe is me for I am a sinner!!
    But GOD
    Saw fit to save us while we were still sinners.
    He bled and died so that we could be free
    Let us bow our heads in silent reflection this morning
    Not to peer in ourselves to see if we are worthy to come
    But to look at our glorious savior who made it possible for us to come today.
    If you are a redeemed child of God this morning, ...invite...
    IF not...
    lets Take a moment to seek God’s face today
    And I will close us in prayer before we come.
  • Context
    We are in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7).
    • Jesus has:
    Declared the Beatitudes (5:1–12) — the character of kingdom citizens
    Declared believers salt and light (5:13–16)
    Clarified He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (5:17–20)
    And then comes the tension:
    “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”
    Question:
    What kind of righteousness could possibly exceed the most externally religious people in Israel?
    Matthew 5:21–26 is the first answer.
    Let me ask you something honestly...
    Have you ever said,
    “Well… at least I’ve never murdered anyone”?
    often our baseline for righteousness...isn’t it?
    May not be perfect, but not that bad.
    That is a pretty safe category right?
    If we were to line up all the commandments
    What one would nearly everyone say is the most heinous and wicked?
    Thou shalt not Murder
    May struggle with many things:
    Patience
    words
    maybe our thoughts
    But Murder??
    I’m good there.
    When you think about murder, what does that commandment prohibit?
    Killing, taking a life, violence, abortion, etc.
    Isn’t it interesting how easily we can define the boundaries??
    We know where the line is...
    We are pretty sure that we have never crossed that one.
    But this morning, we are looking at the sermon Where Jesus
    Takes this commandment
    and tells us what it really means.

    I. The External Command vs. the Internal Reality (vv. 21–22)

    A. What They Heard

    “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’…” (Exodus 20:13)
    Now let’s be very clear:
    This is true
    This is good
    This is holy
    This is the very Law of God, revealed at Sinai
    Jesus is not dismissing this command.
    He is not softening it.
    He is not replacing it.
    But He does say:
    “You have heard…”
    Not the typical, “It is written…”
    But “you have heard…”
    Which raises a question:
    Heard from whom?
    From teachers
    From scribes
    From Pharisees
    From a long tradition of interpretation
    Over time, the command had been handled, explained, and—subtly—narrowed.
    Reduced from a matter of the heart
    To a matter of external action only
    So that righteousness became measurable like this:
    As long as:
    You didn’t take a life
    You didn’t physically murder
    You were considered “obedient”
    Even “righteous”
    And that kind of righteousness… feels
    attainable.
    Safe.
    Comfortable.
    Notice what they had heard for the reasoning to not murder
    “You will be liable to judgement.”
    Don’t murder, because if you do, you will go to prison or be put to death.
    Don’t murder, for fear that you will be punished.
    Notice how this doesn’t even consider the heart of God at all??

    B. What Jesus Says

    “But I say to you…”
    Those words carry weight.
    Jesus is NOT opposing Moses.
    He is NOT correcting the Law.
    He is confronting something else:
    A misreading of the Law
    A man-centered interpretation
    A tradition that made the commandment manageable
    In other words:
    Not Moses vs. Jesus
    But Pharisees vs. the true meaning of Moses
    Jesus is saying:
    “You have heard what they told you the command means…
    but let Me tell you what it has always meant.”
    And watch what He does:
    He doesn’t add a new command
    He doesn’t raise the standard beyond what God required
    He reveals the depth that was already there
    He moves from:
    Action → Attitude
    Behavior → Heart
    The visible → The invisible
    “And I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother…”
    Now we feel the shift.
    He names 3 things here:
    Anger
    Insult (“Raca”)
    Contempt (“You fool”)
    These are not random examples.
    They are expressions of the same root.
    ANGER:
    Let me ask, was there anyone but me who felt a bit of anger trying to get your family ready to be at church on time??
    What about when someone says or does something that you don’t like and it just burns you up?
    Anger is Internal Hostility toward someone.
    They may never even know about it...
    It eats away at our souls and we stew on it
    We become bitter don’t we?
    Jesus says, those who are angry with their brother,
    Liable to judgement
    INSULT
    Raca
    This is not a Greek word originally
    Aramaic term of contempt
    Would have been common in Jesus’ day
    Basic meaning:
    Empty headed
    worthless
    good for nothing
    idiot
    This is a COLD, bitterness toward someone.
    Raca wasn’t usually shouted
    often muttered
    may show up in:
    eye rolls
    dismissive tones
    talking behind someone’s back
    speaking of them like they are worthless
    This is the kind of sin
    that can live quite comfy in a respectable church setting...
    Not to face
    Behind back
    We know that everyone is made in the image of God
    To say Raca, would be to treat that image as insignificant
    Jesus says those who insult their brother,
    will be liable to the council
    CONTEMPT
    “You fool!”
    “Fool of a Took”
    When Jesus says,
    “Whoever says, You Fool! will be liable to the hell of fire...”
    This isn’t just calling someone dumb
    Not just saying, you are not smart.
    That would be far too shallow for the weight of judgement that Jesus attaches here...
    In scripture, Fool is a moral and spiritual category
    Not intellectual
    Psalm 14:1 ESV
    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
    All throughout Proverbs, the fool is not someone with low IQ
    IS Someone who rejects wisdom and does not fear the Lord
    So, Biblically A fool could be
    Highly intelligent
    socially successful
    maybe even outwardly religious
    But MORALLY rebellious against God
    Think of Richard Dawkins...
    When someone says, “ You fool” in this context
    It is:
    a moral verdict
    spiritual condemnation
    Declaring to them:
    You are worthless before God
    You are outside of the Lord’s favor
    Where Raca is this silent bitterness about someone’s intellect
    Fool is condemning someone’s standing before God.
    This is why it is sooooo serious
    right only belongs to God
    God judges the heart
    God declares righteousness or Guilt
    God alone can see into our hearts perfectly
    Jesus isn’t talking about Playground insults
    something far more dangerous
    Looking at another and saying or thinking in your heart:
    You are worthless
    Beyond redemption
    This goes WAY beyond anger
    Condemnation
    Placing yourself in the seat of God alone.
    Look at the progression here...and this is how it usually goes in life...
    Anger - I am against you
    Raca - You are beneath me
    You fool - I condemn you
    This is not about our words
    It is about a heart that is
    Judging
    dismissing
    condemning
    Jesus says, the one who says “You Fool!”, is liable to the Hell of fire.
    This is not exaggeration.
    This is diagnosis of our hearts
    This is vital to understand, so listen closely
    Jesus is not saying:
    “Anger is just as bad as murder”
    He is saying:
    Murder and anger come from the same heart condition
    Murder is anger and hatred fully grown
    And that’s what the Law was always addressing.
    Because God has never been concerned merely with what we do—
    He has always been concerned with who we are.
    Jesus is teaching us something foundational about the Law:
    The Law was never merely external
    It was always spiritual
    Romans 7:14 ESV
    For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
    It always demanded:
    Not just restraint
    But right affections
    Jesus is telling his disciples
    God’s standard is not:
    “Don’t kill”
    It is:
    “Love your neighbor perfectly”
    Which means:
    No hatred
    No contempt
    No dismissing the image of God in another person
    The Law was always aimed at the heart.
    The Pharisees made it manageable.
    Jesus makes it inescapable.
    When does anger usually show up in your life?
    What situations tend to bring it out?
    And when it comes out… what do your words reveal about what’s underneath?
    *** ORANGE EXAMPLE***
    H. Application
    Now feel the weight of what Jesus has done.
    The question is no longer:
    “Have I murdered?”
    The question becomes:
    “What lives in my heart toward others?”
    Do I harbor anger?
    Bitterness?
    Contempt?
    Quiet resentment?
    Because if I do…
    Then I haven’t kept this command nearly as well as I thought.
    This text does not lower the Law.
    It removes every place we try to hide from it.
    And it begins to dismantle self-righteousness at the root.

    II. The Urgency of Reconciliation (vv. 23–24)

    Jesus gives us a picture:
    You’re at the altar
    You’ve brought your offering
    You are in the very act of worship
    And then—something happens.
    You remember…
    Not that you have something against someone—
    …but that someone has something against you
    And what does Jesus say?
    Not: “Finish the offering first”
    Not: “Handle it later”
    Not: “As long as your heart is sincere, continue”
    He says:
    Stop.
    Leave the gift there.
    Go.
    Be reconciled.
    Then come back.
    There is an interruption of worship for the sake of reconciliation.
    To feel this, we have to step into their world.
    Under Old Covenant worship:
    The altar was central
    Sacrifices were commanded by God
    The system was not optional—it was covenant obedience
    You didn’t casually walk away from the altar.
    And yet Jesus says:
    There is something that, in that moment, takes priority
    Not over worship itself—
    but over unfinished, unreconciled worship
    Reconciliation with your brother is not a distraction from worship
    It is bound up with it
    This would have been deeply unsettling.
    Because it confronts a subtle assumption:
    That we can be right with God vertically
    While remaining fractured horizontally
    Jesus is pressing this truth:
    God is not pleased with:
    Worship that is outwardly active
    But relationally lacking
    Because:
    Sin against your brother is not merely horizontal
    It is ultimately against God
    Psalm 51:4 ESV
    Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
    Your brother bears God’s image
    So unresolved anger, bitterness, division—
    Is not a side issue.
    It is a worship issue.
    Let me ask you:
    Do we ever try to worship God while quietly ignoring conflict with others?
    Have you ever sat in a service…
    singing, listening, praying…
    …while knowing something isn’t right between you and someone else?
    I believe that God rejects offerings from hands that refuse justice and righteousness
    Isaiah 1:13–17 ESV
    Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
    1 John 4:20 ESV
    If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
    These are not disconnected themes.
    They are the same thread:
    Love for God and love for brother cannot be separated
    “It is vain to pretend to worship God if we do not love our neighbor.” — John Calvin
    True righteousness:
    Pursues reconciliation
    Takes initiative
    Does not wait passively
    Refuses to nurture or justify bitterness
    Notice:
    Jesus does not say:
    “If your brother is right…”
    He says:
    “If your brother has something against you…”
    Which means:
    Even perceived offense matters
    Even strained relationship matters
    the instinct of the flesh says:
    “They started it”
    “They misunderstood”
    “They should come to me”
    But Jesus directs us toward something radically different:
    Not: “They should come”
    But: “I will go.”
    Because in the kingdom of Christ:
    Reconciliation is not optional
    It is a mark of those who understand grace

    III. The Danger of Delayed Repentance (vv. 25–26)

    The Illustration
    Legal dispute
    On the way to court
    Urgency to settle
    Jesus is saying:
    Don’t delay reconciliation
    Don’t delay repentance
    Because judgment is real
    If you can settle the legal dispute as brothers
    Nobody goes to prison
    This points beyond human courts:
    To divine judgment
    Unresolved sin:
    Hardens the heart...expand
    Invites judgment...both from earthly courts and God
    Why do we delay dealing with sin?
    What are we hoping will happen if we ignore it?
    Sin never resolves itself.
    It must be:
    Confessed
    Repented of
    Reconciled
    “Delay in repentance is the soul’s most dangerous disease.” — Charles Spurgeon
    Application
    Why does this matter for us?
    Jesus is teaching his disciples
    But this teaching is for us as well
    He is telling us what the law means
    The law Says “Do not Murder”
    but at it’s heart, The law says.
    Do not:
    Nurse anger
    Justify bitterness
    Delay obedience
    What is Jesus teaching?
    1. Total Depravity (of the heart)
    Sin is not just external
    It resides within
    2. The True Nature of the Law
    The Law demands:
    Heart purity
    Perfect love
    3. The Necessity of Reconciliation
    Vertical and horizontal cannot be separated
    4. The Urgency of Repentance
    Delay is dangerous
    Now let’s return to the question from Last week
    What kind of righteousness exceeds the Pharisees?
    Not:
    More rules
    Better behavior
    Rather:
    A transformed heart that reflects the righteousness of Christ
    Because:
    The Pharisees avoided murder
    But Jesus requires:
    No anger
    No hatred
    No contempt
    And here’s the weight of it:
    Who among us can say we’ve kept this perfectly?
    (Pause.)
    This text is meant to do something:
    ...Crush self-righteousness
    So that we run to Christ.
    Jesus never harbored sinful anger
    Jesus never spoke contempt
    Jesus perfectly loved
    And then:
    He died for angry people
    He died for bitter people
    He died for you and for me
    Kingdom righteousness is not merely the absence of murder, but the presence of a heart transformed by Christ
    one that
    rejects anger,
    pursues reconciliation,
    and reflects His love.
    COMMUNION
    That is the only reason, that we can come to the table this morning
    Because Christ has accomplished what we could not.
    He paid the price that we couldn’t afford
    He lived his life as a ransom for us
    In Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth he outlines for us the Lord’s Supper
    Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
    We all come to this table today,
    Broken
    Beating our chests saying woe is me for I am a sinner!!
    But GOD
    Saw fit to save us while we were still sinners.
    He bled and died so that we could be free
    Let us bow our heads in silent reflection this morning
    Not to peer in ourselves to see if we are worthy to come
    But to look at our glorious savior who made it possible for us to come today.
    If you are a redeemed child of God this morning, ...invite...
    IF not...
    lets Take a moment to seek God’s face today
    And I will close us in prayer before we come.
Redeemer Church
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