Wesley Memorial Church (High Point, NC) Sermons & Podcast

Pastor Jeff and the group continue the conversation.

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Jesus gives us practical advice to 1) avoid anger and 2) if anger has harmed a relationship, make it right as best you can. That is more pleasing to God than any sacrifice on an altar. God sees the heart, the unseen. Get to the source, not the symptom.

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,24leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Jesus affirms that you should not murder. He does not ignore that, but goes to the deeper issue: anger.

The Law helps lead us back to Christ, and in Christ we are freed from the law. He did not negate the law, but He fulfilled it. Now we do not submit ourselves to the law, but to Christ, under the new covenant in which we are directed by the God’s Spirit in us, which we receive by faith.

One main way the Christian is salt and light is to be a people of grace and mercy.

““Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

True peacemaking is a prophetic act, and yet Jesus links peacemakers with persecution and that is to be expected bc they “persecuted the prophets who were before you”

Peacemaking is not pacifism. When the United States first entered World War I, the president of Columbia University in New York City sent a questionnaire to the entire faculty asking them what they proposed to do to help with the war effort. One member of the faculty, a pacifist, sent it back with this answer: "Mind my own business."

That may be what a pacifist does. But it is not what a peacemaker does. A peacemaker knows that dealing with the conflict is his business. Peacemaking is not a passive characteristic. The language Jesus uses is active; a peacemaker is one who attacks the situation, who confronts it head on.

Pastor Jeff and the group finish up The Chronicles of Narnia.

Pastor Jeff and the group continue their discussion.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.