On Sunday I preached the third message in a sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount.  We covered the first of Jesus’ six antitheses:

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

In the aisle and in the Fellowship Hall, after the service, I was asked about God’s anger, about Christ in overturning tables in the temple, and about us calling people or things foolish, that God calls foolish. 

All good questions; with compound answers.

1. Human (fleshly) anger serves no good purpose.  It hurts us, it destroys our homes, it ruins our testimony, etc.  The verse list is long, but please search “anger” in your favorite Bible program if you aren’t convinced.
2. God’s anger is holy and always directed at sin and sinfulness.
   1. The phrase “righteous indignation” has been coined to represent humans who are angry at sin on God’s behalf.
   2. I’m certain Moses felt righteously indignant when he struck the rock at Meribah that resulted in his dying outside the Promised Land.
   3. I too feel pretty incensed at things like abortion and other flagrant injustice, but do I have the standing to “burn with anger?”
      1. In John 8 Jesus welcomes whoever is without sin to cast the first stone
      2. In Matthew 7 Jesus tells us to first remove the log from our own eye..
      3. Perhaps I had better look at my own heart before I verbally cut out someone else’s!
   4. Paul seems to acknowledge that anger arises outside of our control, but we can control how long it burns (Eph 4:26). 
   5. And James says we don’t have the standing to judge (condemn) anyone as that right is reserved for God alone. (4:11-12)

Please be berean.  Yes, the Bible is full of godly men and women who sometimes get angry.  It is also full of proverbial warnings about the folly of anger;  epistolary warnings about the dangers of anger; and, here we have our Savior saying, it’s no different than murder.  

If Moses wasn’t allowed, then I suspect I’m not allowed either.  I doubt any of us will ever experience the kind of temporal consequences he experienced and praise God Jesus already suffered our eternal consequence! 

Pastor Scott

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)