Dr. Rick Mandl - August 24, 2020
Are You A Murderer?
Are You A Murderer?
Thursday, August 24, 2020
Hey church family... One of the shortest and simplest of the Ten Commandments is the sixth one: Found in Exodus 20:13 it simply says "You shall not murder." If you’re like a lot of people, when you hear that commandment, you think, Okay, the other commandments are relevant to my life, but I don't have to pay much attention to this one, because it has absolutely nothing to do with me. It’s easy to think that until you consider Jesus words in His Sermon on the Mount.
In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus said, “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” With those words, our Lord broadened and widened the definition and consequences of murder. It’s as though He was saying, "You think murder is simply an action that begins in the hands; I'm telling you it's an attitude that starts in the heart."
The Greek word for anger in verse 22 refers to a brooding, seething, nurtured anger. It's holding a grudge against someone. Most of us haven't gone out and killed someone, but by this expanded definition, there’s a good chance that we've all committed murder. Verses 23-24 reveal the remedy for this attitude: Jesus said, "So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift."
Read through your Bible and you’ll discover fairly quickly that worship is something that is important to God. But in this case, Jesus says if you’re coming to worship and you realize that there’s an issue of forgiveness that needs to be worked out between you and someone else. Jesus says, TIME OUT... Go and deal with that issue that needs to be resolved first and then come back and worship God afterwards. It’s okay, God will wait for you to make things right. That’s how important forgiveness and reconciliation are to God.
We've all committed murder in some form or fashion. Any time we tear down or destroy another person, it's serious, and we must deal with it. If you have hate in your heart, it will eventually destroy you as it eats away at your spiritual life and hurts others in the body of Christ. No one gets away with murder.
When it comes to this issue let's ask the Lord for clean hands and a pure heart. Receive the forgiveness that He so freely gives to you and me, and then share that with others. May we all commit to do what God calls us to do in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
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