Special Study 09/09/2013 CHRIST’S DECLARATION ON ANGER Matthew 5:22 “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment.” Jesus being God as well as Man (John 1:1-3,14) was, with the Father, the original giver of the law. He had the revelation, the inspiration, the insight, the authority, the right to expound and explain the real meaning of the law in every detail. Hearing His declaration on anger, His hearers could say, “Never man spake like this Man” (John 7:46). Christ condemns anger, the evil, injurious, dangerous temper that precedes doing harm to others. Anger, the inward hot displeasure, the internal heat of wrath, indignation against our brother or neighbour was condemned by Christ, the final Judge of all flesh. The Pharisees so interpreted God’s law as to overlook anger in every form and also to excuse angry people of all blame. Their interpretation made them feel that they were righteous when indeed they were guilty, condemned before God and under the judgement of God. Satisfied and complacent, their conscience went to sleep at the threshold of the eternal furnace of fire. False interpretation is deceptive and dangerous to our souls. 1.JEWISH ANGER UNDER JUDGMENT Matthew 5:22; Genesis 4:5-7; 27:41,44,45; 39:19; 1 Samuel 17:28,29; 18:7-9; 2 Kings 5:8-12; 2 Chronicles 16:7-10; 25:7-10; 1 Samuel 20:30; 2 Samuel 16:5-8; Luke 4:28,29. Neither the Jewish anger of the Israelites nor the jungle anger of the Gentiles is excusable or justifiable before God. “ But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” By our “brother” here, we are to understand every man or woman, a servant or superior. Anger, here, is an injurious, negative passion of the soul. Being “angry without a cause” – anger without any provocation, anger for no cause, anger for no good cause, anger for a groundless, unnecessary thing – is sinful. Anger without any good cause or purpose aimed at; anger, merely to gratify a brutish passion, to hurt or harm another person, is sinful. To be hardy and headstrong in anger, to be abusive and outrageous in anger as to use words like “Raca”, or “fool” – expressions of contempt – will expose us to the “danger of hell fire.” Do you find yourself flaring into a raging temper when a person has done something to you? Seek the face of God until you are free from such anger in order to be free from eternal judgment. 2.JUDICIAL ANGER OF JESUS Mark 3:1-5; Matthew 23:15-20; Psalm 7:11; Luke 14:17-21,24; John 2:13-17; Matthew 16:21-23; Psalm 2:10-12; Revelation 6:12-17. “And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts ...” This incident is from the life and ministry of Christ. He had faithfully taught the truth of the love and mercy of God. He had offered the gospel and had given every opportunity to receive grace and salvation, yet they rejected and refused the light. They did not only reject His salvation, they hindered others from receiving salvation and eternal life. “Ye shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13; Luke 11:52). They hardened their hearts and hardened others too. Jesus was “grieved for the hardness of their hearts” and “He looked round about on them with anger”. On another occasion, He also spoke of these hardened Pharisees in strong terms. He referred to them as “blind” and as “fools” (Matthew 23:16-19). How can we reconcile Christ’s message in Matthew 5:22 with His pronouncement in Matthew 23:16,17? When our Lord pronounced those woes in Matthew 23, He did so in a judicial manner. As God’s appointed Judge, He was pronouncing final judgment upon the Pharisees. 3.JUSTIFIABLE ANGER OF THE JUST Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:26; Nehemiah 5:1-13; 3:15-21,28-31; Jeremiah 6:10,11; 2 Samuel 12:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:34-38; Luke 24:17-27; Galatians 3:1-3; Exodus 32:7-14,19-22,30-33. “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Our anger must be against sin, only against sin; we must not be angry with the sinner. There should be no intention to injure, hurt, retaliate or revenge. We are angry at sin, evil, injustice and corruption but we are full of sorrow and prayerful mourning for the sinner. “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). We hate evil, yet we do not desire the destruction of the evil-doer; we desire his repentance as well as the protection of God’s people from his corrupting influence. We should feel a sense of anger, a feeling of displeasure, as we view sin, unrighteousness and everything that is evil. God hates evil and so must we. God’s anger is displayed against sin in every form, so must we display anger against sin wherever it is found and in whosoever it is found. The holier we become, the more anger we shall feel against sin and the more eager we shall be to see sinners saved, cleansed, transformed and obedient to God’s Word! * * * * * * * Congregational Songs: SEARCH ME, O GOD 1.Search me, O God, and know my heart today; Try me, O Lord, and know my thoughts I pray; See if there be some wicked way in me, Cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free. 2.I praise Thee, Lord for cleansing me from sin; Fulfil Thy Word, and make me pure within; Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame Grant my desire to magnify Thy name. 3.Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine; Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine; Take all my will, my passion, self and pride; I now surrender - Lord, in me abide. 4.O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; Send a revival - start the work in me: Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need; For blessing now, O Lord, I humbly plead. I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR 1. I need Thee ev’ry hour, Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford. I need Thee, oh, I need Thee, Ev’ry hour I need Thee; Oh, bless me now, my Saviour, I come to Thee! 2. I need Thee every hour, Stay Thou near by; Temptations lose their power When Thou art nigh. 3. I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, Or life is vain. 4. I need Thee every hour, Teach me Thy will; And Thy rich promises In me fulfil. 5. I need Thee every hour, Most Holy One; Oh, make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son!
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 11:32:24 +0000
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