Last night our youth pastor spoke using Matthew 5:21-26 as his text. I wanted to write about this because not only have their been timed that I have not forgiven others but there have been times when others have not forgiven me. This will be along post but I hope you can benefit from it if you read it through. I have given several messages over this text to my memory although I believe the last time I preached on this text was way back in 2006 when I lived in PA. Anyway this passage just got me to thinking about how we often act and react as Christians. I wish I could say I have always acted and reacted perfectly but the truth is I have not. I have also witnessed others not acting or reacting appropriately to problems and situation. Some of these have been just regular church attenders all the way up to pastors in the church.
In Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus starts out by telling us that murder is against the law. This seems weird because it is kind of like duh. In addition we know that murder is wrong and against the law and in reality none of us are thinking about going out and murdering someone.
But the next thing you know Jesus starts talking about being angry. What we are reading when Christ starts talking about anger is that we have indeed misinterpreted the law. Which is really no surprise because we do this quite often when we don’t want to obey scripture we just misinterpret it so it does not apply to us. What we have done is taken the law and applied it to only murder to say well murder is really the sin but that is not what Christ teaches us.
You see murder runs so much deeper than the actual act of murder. Murder is often hidden within us and anger is murder. Have you ever thought that anger is a sin. I remember thinking I had righteous anger once and a young lady checked me on it. I of course at that time defended myself but later came to realize she was right how could I say I had a right to be angry. Anger and its components is sin bitterness, indignation, striking out against someone, slandering someone, saying things that hurt others, saying things that will cause someone to think negative of someone else, rage, desiring hurt for someone else, killing another person’s happiness these are all sin. and it does not matter how much we try to justify it they are all sin.
In addition we see the progression of anger in these verses. When we do not deal with anger or the components as mentioned above it just sits in us and festers up. Soon we cant forget what someone has done to us and soon all we want is revenge. We want that person to pay.
Secondly the next thing we know is our has caused us to despise others. Now we begin to make fund of and belittle other people every chance we get. We are so filled with pride that we think we can get away with our sinful behavior. Now we are waling all over and trampling others and we literally begin to tell ourselves that the person we are angry with deserves any bad thing that may happen to them.
Finally when not dealt with he move to the point that our anger causes us to try to destroy another person and their reputation. We want to destroy them morally, intellectually, and spiritually.
All too often we try to justify our anger. We think somehow we have the right to be angry with someone because after all they hurt us or they did something to us. Yet how often Christ forgives us when we have continually turned our back on Him. Too often Christians have hurt feelings between each other or neighbors, or spouses, or friends and they refuse to deal with their feelings. Instead they have anger and in reality murder in their heart.
Here is the deal. God’s word makes it clear that our anger will be judged and yet we refuse to do anything about it. He even makes it clear that our anger is judged by danger of hell fire. Yet we justify our anger and excuse. We justify our unforgiveness and think it is ok. Now before you think I have done nothing wrong you need to bear with me.
Here is the deal if we have anger or unforgiveness then we need to be reconciled. In fact reconciliation must always precede worship. In fact even if we are waling into church to worship and realize there is a problem with a brother or sister we need to turn around from worship and be reconciled. Christ is saying that reconciliation is more important than worship. How often do we his our unforgiviness in worship. We go to church and we sing nice little worship songs that make us feel all nice and warm inside, we may even raise our hands and its all fake because deep down inside we have unfrogiveness in our heart and therefore our worship is in vain.
God does not accept the worship of a person that has anger or unforgiveness in their heart towards him or towards any of His people. If we have broken fellowship with others we have broken fellowship with God. If we are not right with another person then we are not right with God. If we have bad feelings towards another person that we have bad feelings towards God. This is strong. We cant just hope to be right with God when we are no right with others. If we want to be reconciled with God we must be reconciled with God.
Instead of thinking about the damage that we feel has been done to use we must be reconciled to others. If not we are merely wasting our time. I cant help but think how often I have come into worship God in vain all because of unfrogiveness. What is wrong with picking up a phone, or writing an email, or writing a letter.
I know what it is like to feel wronged and still ask forgiveness, and not have it recriprocated but that is what I love about about verse 23 is it does not tell us if we remember that we have a problem with out brother but it says we remember our brother has a problem with us. Man that blows me away. If we remember that our brother has a problem with us then we are supposed seek reconciliation.
I just want to challenge you if you have unforgiveness in your heart or you know someone is upset with you why not get make it right? Just some thoughts from a former Youth Pastor and a future Pastor.