1. Matthew 5:21-26 (NKJV) 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

2. Matthew 5:21-26 (NKJV) 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

3. SERMON ON THE MOUNT: MATTERS OF THE HEART Matthew 5:21-26

4. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  We continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7  Our last study together looked at 5:17-20  Jesus spoke about fulfilling the law, which is very important to what He would teach over the next few verses

5. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  All of what Jesus teaches here is centered around how we should live our lives  Jesus began by looking at what kind of a person we ought to be  He now begins to give some insight on how we can avoid falling into the trap of sin in our lives

6. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  1. Starting Point (v. 21)  It’s always good to have a starting point, or a point of reference  Jesus does this in verse 21 by referring back to the Law of Moses  Jesus begins much in the same way any rabbi would

7. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  1. Starting Point (v. 21)  He had already assured them that He was not there to destroy the law, but to fulfill it  Therefore He would uphold the law while He was on the earth  This command to not murder was a command that they knew, so He begins here

8. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  2. Getting Tough (v. 22)  What Jesus does next is to go beyond the plain words of the law  Jesus wants to show the deeper meaning in the law  Jesus says that not only is murder wrong, but getting angry without a cause is as well

9. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  2. Getting Tough (v. 22)  Notice the progression here…  Angry without cause = judgment  “Raca” (empty headed; senseless) = council  “Fool” (stupid; blockhead) = hell fire  All 3 things are punishable offenses that are wrong

10. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  2. Getting Tough (v. 22)  You’re only in danger of going over the edge of a cliff when you get near it  Jesus doesn’t want us to get close to the edge of sin  The action of sin always begins with a thought of the heart (Matt. 12:34-35; 15:18-20)

11. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  2. Getting Tough (v. 22)  Jesus wants us to see beyond this basic command of not murdering  We need to be proactive when it comes to temptation and stay as far away from it as we can  Doing what God commands will keep us far from sin

12. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  3. Relationships Matter (vs. 23-24)  Jesus goes on to let us know exactly how important He views our relationship with others  What He says in verses 23-24 is based upon what He just stated in verse 22  We need to settle our disputes with others!

13. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  3. Relationships Matter (vs. 23-24)  It’s so important to Jesus that He says we should do that first, even before we worship  Christ does not want a dispute to lead to something worse (Eph. 4:26-27)  How we treat others matters (Matt. 22:39; I Jn. 4:20-21)

14. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  4. Live wisely (vs. 25-26)  While we may certainly have our disputes with our brethren, we also can have them with our adversaries as well  Jesus tells us that we should come to an agreement while on the way to the courts  When you do that, you can come to any agreement that you 2 may see fit

15. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  4. Live wisely (vs. 25-26)  If you allow it to go before a judge, then it must go according to the law  That means that you will have to abide by the rulings and punishments of the law  We should live our lives in a way that we desire to settle any dispute quickly & fairly

16. SOM: Matters Of The Heart  4. Live wisely (vs. 25-26)  Ultimately, peace should be our aim and goal in dealing with others  Contrast that with the one who is angry, upset and calling names  It’s really all about our attitude towards others in this life