5:21-26 | Anger
You Shall Not Murder
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God wants us to respect life
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No. 6 of the Ten Commandments | Exodus 20:13
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We were made in the image of God | Genesis 9:5-6
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To be a murderer was to put yourself to death
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A command that is kept no problem by the vast majority of people
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It's a command everyone is in agreement with
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We can all feel good about ourselves for not being murderers
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You Shall Not Be Angry
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A much more difficult command to keep
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We live in a very angry world - it's contagious
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We think that being angry means we care
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We feel justified in being angry
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We get angry when we take a stand against whatever threat or pain is affecting us
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Something made me angry
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We must be careful with our anger
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Angry and insulting language is worthy of judgement and hell fire
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We see a sort of progression in punishment
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Literally the fire of Gehenna
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Place associated with Molech and child sacrifice
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Traditionally held to have become a dumping ground of trash and corpses to be burned
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Is Jesus forbidding all forms of anger?
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No, though it is a good question to ask
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Jesus himself uses the very same words he condemns in reference to the Pharisees | 23:17
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Ephesians 4:25-26 | We should be angry at times!
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But do not sin
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Don't nurse it
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Give no opportunity to the devil | James 1:20
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Jesus is speaking of the hateful anger that tears apart and kills relationships between Christian brothers
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Having the heart of a murderer
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It is the first step in murder
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Cain was angry before he murdered Abel | Genesis 4:5, 8
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Whoever hates his brother is a murderer | 1 John 3:11-15
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Amos 1:11
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Ezekiel 35:5
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Anger of this type is forbidden in all expressions
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Jesus' examples of an angry and hateful brother are extremely tame
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Just because our anger isn't expressed in actions and curse words, doesn’t mean it's any less sinful, no matter how innocently expressed.
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E.g. we hide our anger behind 'family friendly' insults. Cursing is a sin but I can you a jerk, dummy, moron, idiot,
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Dealing With Those Who Are Angry With Us
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If a brother has something against you…
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Our anger can easily breed more anger
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We need to learn how to deal with it in others as well
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Blessed are the peacemakers
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Getting reconciliation is of utmost importance
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Our worship is useless untill we have reconciled | 1 John 4:19-21
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Our worship doesn't fix the issue
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Can we come to God for forgiveness if we never try and find it in others?
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There is no excuse as to how far away or how long ago the issue is
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In order to reconcile we must have humility and courage
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Apologizing is never a fun thing
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We don't like admitting when we're wrong
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There are consequences for not reconciling
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Thrown in jail
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Will Jesus be our accuser in the last day, or will we have reconciled?
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We must show persistence
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Even while on the way to the court we are still looking to reconcile the relationship
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It's not too late to reconcile
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If there is no opportunity, then make one
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Invitation
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God has every reason to be angry at us
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We have broken his covenant
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We are a constant source of disappointment
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We are deserving of his wrath
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Yet God chooses to reconcile us to him
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We need to be like God in our relationships with others
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