Murdered Anyone Lately?

I want to ask you this question, okay? Have you murdered anyone this week? That's the question. I want to begin by reading to you this statement. Listen very carefully. In 1980, the United States Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 decision in Stone v. Graham that the school children of Kentucky have the constitutional right not to be assaulted by the presence of the Ten Commandments on their classroom walls. The Court's majority revealed its rationale in part with remarkable secular frankness. These are their words.

If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the school children to read, to meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey the commandments. However desirable this might be as a matter of private devotion, it is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause, end quote. In short, the United States Supreme Court said that the display of the Ten Commandments was not permitted because there might be some students who will obey them.

December, 1997, same state, Heath High School. One young man walks in, five guns, 600 rounds of ammunition, kills three girls, 15, 14, and 17, wounds five of the students. And I wonder if that High Court of our land would remember back in 1980 when they made that absurd decision for fear that those Ten Commandments might change or affect the life of another student. The young man, Michael Corneil, evidently did not have the opportunity to read Thou Shalt Not Murder. So he murdered. Have you murdered anyone lately?

A lot of times we sit back and say, you know, I would never do that. And we've got to be careful about that because that was the exact same attitude the Pharisees had back in Matthew chapter 5. Murder? Us? Are you kidding? We're law-abiding citizens. We would never murder. And yet Jesus would say these words, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will have no part in the kingdom of heaven. A remarkable statement. Because the Pharisees would say we are the keepers of the law.

We are the protectors of the law. We are the preservers of the law. Down through all the years we are the ones that keep it. And so in Matthew chapter 5 verses 21 and following Christ gives six crucial illustrations about how these law keepers, how these Pharisees had fallen so far short of God's holy standard. You see Christ came and said look, you need to understand that until heaven and earth pass away that not even the smallest letter of my word is invalid. Even the smallest stroke of a pen that writes the word, my words, are going to last until heaven and earth pass away.

And what you have done is that you have rewritten my law. You have abolished my law in effect. You have lowered the standard. So I have come to put the standard back where it needs to be. And Christ gives six crucial illustrations all beginning with the same similar phrase. You have heard that it was said by the ancients of old. Or maybe your text says you have heard that it was said by them of old. There are some texts that say you have heard that it was said to them of old. I'm not so sure that's exactly the correct meaning.

Because you see that would imply that it was the law of Moses that was spoken to them. But there are famous rabbis who are called fathers of antiquity, men of long ago. And I believe that this is what Jesus is referring to. You have heard that it was said by the rabbis of old. You have heard that it was said by the men who were ancient. That best fits the context. It's a designation related to their oral teaching that glossed over the true law of God as they added their own thoughts to the revelation of the Old Testament.

And Christ would come and contradict the teaching of the rabbis. Because it bypassed the truth of God's holy word. So when Jesus came he did not contradict his words with God's words or the Old Testament with the New Testament. Instead he came to contradict the rabbis' traditional interpretation which had been given to the people down to the ages. We have three points we want to cover with you over the next several weeks that we meet together. They're the same three points. We will first of all examine the rabbinical tradition.

Then we will see what the biblical teaching is. And then we will understand what our personal transformation should be. Three very simple points. Point number one, the rabbinical tradition.

Matthew 5 verse number 21. You have heard that it was said by the ancients of old, you shall not commit murder. And whoever commits murder shall be liable to the courts. Now stop right there. You can imagine what must have been going through the minds of these Pharisees as they listened to the words of Jesus. They had heard them up to this point. And Christ comes on and says, you have heard that it was said by those men of old, you shall not murder. And for the crowd you hear, amen. So be it. That's true.

We shall not murder. That is the law of Moses. But notice with me this. Their law emphasized the act. It emphasized the act only. You see, they believed that because they never murdered anyone, they were holy. They really believed that they were righteous because they never took a gun and shot somebody. Or took a knife and slashed somebody. Or took a rock and stoned somebody. They really believed that they were a holy kind of people because they didn't commit the act of murder. And it was that religious superficiality that Jesus attacked in Matthew 520.

That unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees. And what is that? That they believed that because they did not do the act, they were righteous. And Christ says, your righteousness must exceed that.

Now you know the law. If you were with us in our study of the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20, verse number 13, commandment number 6, you shall not murder. So you say, well that sounds right to me. That's what the text says. Jesus comes along and quotes the law of Moses, given by God Himself. You shall not murder. But the traditional Jewish penalty fell short of the divine standard. That's what you've got to understand. Read on. It says what? You shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.

Where did God say that? God never said that. They said it. What's the penalty for murder? Death. Genesis 9, 6. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God He made man. The traditional or their traditional penalty for murder was liability before the civil court. Which apparently would use its own judgment when it came to the punishment. But no, God's holy character was never taken into consideration. Murder is a violation of the sacredness of life. God says you're not to murder.

Why? Because I am the God of life and I'm into life. So He speaks of the sacredness of human life. Murder is wrong because God is life. God hates those who shed innocent blood. Proverbs 6, verses 16 and 19. And those who murder are outside God's kingdom according to Revelation 22, 15. John 8, 44 says that Satan is the original murderer. The point is this. That the Pharisees didn't commit murder because if they did, they would be in trouble with the law of the land. Folks, that's why or that's not why you don't murder somebody.

You see, their superficial attitude overlooked the hearts of man. That's the problem. But it leads me to point number two.

The rabbinical tradition emphasized the act and excluded the attitude. That's point number two. It excluded the attitude. They had forgotten Psalm 51, verse number six. That God desires truth in the inward parts. In 1 Samuel 16, 7 that man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. 1 Kings 8, 39. Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men. 1 Chronicles 28, 9. The Lord searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts. You see, Jesus was into the heart of man.

That's why when came to him a man who asked, what is the greatest commandment? He could say that you need to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength. Everything on the inside. Because you see, if you love God on the inside, if it's all real inside, it will manifest itself on the outside. And he goes on to say the second is like unto the first.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But the commandment deals with the inner part of man. In loving him or loving God as we should. So what does Jesus say? That's point number two, the biblical teaching.

Christ has to correct their error. He has to take that rabbinical tradition and turn it around. And explain to them what is the real true meaning of murder. You see? So follow along with me as I read. But I say to you, I like that. You have heard that it was said by them of old, but I want to tell you what the truth is. This is God speaking. This is where the rubber meets the road. What you have heard before doesn't matter. This is what matters because this is the truth. You have heard that it was said by the ancients of old.

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. And whoever shall say to his brother, Rakah, shall be guilty before the supreme court. And whoever shall say, you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Now can you imagine the silence in the crowd that day as Christ would address the issue of anger in the heart of a man? Notice with me first of all his indictments.

To Jesus the issue was not murder. To Jesus the issue was what? Anger in the heart. Anger in the heart is the root of murder. Murder is the fruit of anger. You see that? And so Jesus deals with that which is the real true issue in man. Is what's going on in the inside of him. You can't justify yourself because you don't murder. If there is hatred in the heart, you're the same as a murderer. You are guilty before the court. Before the Sanhedrin. You are guilty to be burned in the fiery Gehenna. Jesus says.

We read this. We find ourselves extremely convicted. Because all of us find ourselves guilty. For while we would never shoot someone, we have all become angry. Locked someone. Brewed inside with a simmering, smoldering bitterness. And Jesus attacks that attitude. Because that's what the root of murder is. Think of it this way. There's no difference between your anger. And the girl who strangled her newborn and flushed it in the toilet. In God's eyes. There's no difference in the bitterness and the smoldering resentment.

That wells up within us. That might cause us to lash out in verbal abuse against someone else. As those two young couple or two 17 year old kids. Who gutted and murdered that real estate man in Central Park. No difference whatsoever. But we smugly sit back and say. Man I'm glad I'm not like that guy. I'm glad I don't do those kinds of things. And what are we like? Just like the Pharisee in Luke 18. Oh I'm glad I'm not like the tax collector. I'm glad I'm not like the swindler. I'm glad I'm not like the adulterer.

Oh man I am so good. I'm glad I'm not like those guys. And God's trying to help us to understand. That the issue is not what you do. The issue is who you are on the inside. And then Jesus says this.

And whoever shall say to his brother. Rakah. Shall be guilty before the Supreme Court. Now what does that mean? Rakah. When's the last time you said to somebody. Rakah. Well. Believe me. You have said that. You might not have used the word Rakah. But you have said something very similar. Is that not true? It's a word that speaks of derision. It's a word that speaks of malicious abuse. And slander. There's no exact modern equivalent. It deals with the empty headedness of an individual. Calling you numbskull.

You lame brain. You empty headed idiot. Those kinds of things. And of course there are some more adjectives to describe. What we would say. But we would slander another creature made in the image of God. But those who would slander their brother are guilty. The text says before the Supreme Court. Now the Supreme Court was the Sanhedrin. The group of 70 men. Who tried the most serious offenses. And pronounced the most severe penalties. Including death by stoning. But Christ goes on. And says this.

And whoever shall say, you fool. Shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. You fool. Moray. Get our English word moron. You moron. It's a condemnation of one's character. Now in our day and age we look at these words and think.

Rakah and you fool. I mean Jesus called His disciples fools. Right? Jesus would call the Pharisees fools. Does that mean because Christ called somebody a fool. That he should be thrown into the Gehenna fire? No. Because sometimes we are fools. The fool has said in his heart there is no God. The fool is one who lives as if there is no God. The fool is one who does not live a life of faith. Who turns his back on God. So when Christ called people a fool. He was actually explaining the real true character.

That was their life. But we're talking about a crescendo of abuse here. From going to a point where anger begins to well up inside of me. That I begin to slander my brother. So much so that I begin to condemn his character. And tear him down with my words. As abusive as they can be. And Jesus says.

That those people are guilty of fiery hell. The word is Gehenna. And the Jews of that day would know exactly what Jesus Christ was speaking of. It's a geographical reference to the valley of Hinnom. And that was on the southwest side of the old city of Jerusalem. It was used as a city dump. And in that dump, trash would continually burn. Fire and smoke and stench would never cease. And it was identified in the minds of the people who were listening. As a dirty, filthy, rotten, accursed place. And it was used by Jesus 11 times.

To describe eternal torment in hell. And Jesus says. You have heard that it was said. By them of old. Just don't do the act. But I say to you. That if in your heart. You are angry with your brother. You're a murderer. And of course you say, well wait a minute. Wait a minute. That makes me guilty. That's right. I'm hoping that's your attitude. Because you see with the Pharisees that wasn't their attitude. Which leads us to point number three.

Your personal transformation. Three things. Recognition. Rejection. And reconciliation. What can I do in my life. What needs to take place in my life. So that I am not a murderer. Jesus says number one.

There needs to be a recognition. Of where anger is. Remember over in Mark chapter 7. Just a couple of pages over. Mark chapter 7. Jesus said this. That which proceeds out of the man. Verse number 21. 20 and 21. That is what defiles the man. For from within out of the heart of men proceed the evil thoughts. Fornications. Thefts. Murders. Adulteries. Deeds of coveting. And wickedness as well as deceit. Sensuality. Envy. Slander. Pride. And foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.

Jesus says look. Recognize. Recognize what causes anger. You know what causes anger? The depravity of man. Once there is a recognition. There needs to be a rejection. Colossians chapter 3 verses 8 and 9. Paul would say to those in Colossae these words. But now you also put them all aside. Anger. Wrath. Malice. Slander. And abusive speech from your mouth. Paul is saying everything that makes you a murderer. Get rid of it. Take it off. Throw it away. Do not lie to one another. Since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.

He says look. The word put off, put on. Is terminology used to describe the taking off and putting on of clothes. Discard those things. Reject those things. The only way that can happen. Is that the spirit of God in your heart begins to convict you of your sin. And help you realize the consequences. Of such a devastating kind of attitude. Which leads me to that third aspect.

Once there's been a recognition. Then there's been a rejection. There needs to be a reconciliation. And this is back in our text in Matthew chapter 5. If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar. And there remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your offering there before the altar. And go your way. First be reconciled to your brother.

And then come and present your offering. Did you understand that? And it grieves me that people come to church. With anger. Unresolved conflict. Thinking that they can actually come and worship God. And God says you can't do that.

Go and make it right. You say well what if I go and make it right. And they don't care about me. That's okay. You've done your job. The point is. Have you done that? Folks it's always the Christian's responsibility to take the initiative. Always. If a holy God. Who never sinned. Took the initiative to be reconciled with people like you and me. Who are vile worthless sinners. How much more should we. Go to another brother. Go to our enemy. Go to our opponent. And do all we can to reconcile with that brother.

Or that enemy. That we might somehow. Give them a picture of Jesus Christ. That's how you live. Like a child of the king.