“You shall not murder." (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)
God gave many commandments and laws to the children of Isreal, as recorded in the books of Moses. The Ten Commandments are a summary of how all people are to behave morally. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last six commandments deal with our relationships with eachother. (see Ten Commandents & Christ; Is This the Society We Wanted) During this part of His sermon on a mountain outside of Galilee, Jesus explains in more detail exactly what murder is. “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. (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT)
In a previous lesson we learned there are seven things God hates, These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19, see What God Will and Will Not Forgive) God is very serious about how we ought to treat eachother. We who are Christians are to be especially careful, because ...we are ambassadors [representatives] for Christ, (II Corinthians 5:20) And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:31)
Jesus is explaining that "murder" is more than just taking a person's life. Murder can also be destroying someone's character, lying to and about a person, creating conflicts among people. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (I John 4:12, 20-21; see I JOHN: Definition of Love)
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (Matthew 5:23-24 NLT) God does not play games and He doesn't want us to play games with Him. We can fool people, but we can't fool God! We are not to go before God trying to offer anything to Him, knowing someone has something against us. Just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're perfect!
When we are wrong, we have to confess our sins to eachother and then forgive ourselves. Whether the person forgives us or not is not as important as whether or not we do what God commands us to do. The goal is to Go and be reconciled to that person. However the situation is resolved, whether reconciled or not, if we do what God instructs us to do, we can rest assured that You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14 NLT) Now where there is remission [cancellation] of these [sins], there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:18)
Murder of someone's character, false witness who speaks lies is awful, because it could result in someone going to jail. We've heard many times in recent years how someone falsely accused someone of a crime, and the person spends decades in jail before DNA evidence can be tested to prove their innocence. But what about when someone is accused of doing something that they actually did, but continue to deny it? “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25-56 NLT)
Yet again, just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're perfect! The Lord hates a lying tongue! (Proverbs 6:17) And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (I John 2:1-2) “You shall not murder." Therefore, Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence! (I John 3:18-21 NLT)
The lessons of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"! Refer to the previous lessons, to study the entire sermon in context:The "Beattitudes" Lesson!; "Salt & Light" Lesson!; Importance of The Commandments!; "You Shall Not Murder" Lesson!; "You Shall Not Commit Adultery" Lesson!; 'Til Divorce Do Us Part?; Watch Our Mouth, and Responses!; Don't Be A Hypocrite, A Show-off!; God and His Kingdom First!; Don't Judge; Be An Example!; Follow The Leader!; Not Just Hearers, but Doers Also!
God gave many commandments and laws to the children of Isreal, as recorded in the books of Moses. The Ten Commandments are a summary of how all people are to behave morally. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The last six commandments deal with our relationships with eachother. (see Ten Commandents & Christ; Is This the Society We Wanted) During this part of His sermon on a mountain outside of Galilee, Jesus explains in more detail exactly what murder is. “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. (Matthew 5:21-22 NLT)
In a previous lesson we learned there are seven things God hates, These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19, see What God Will and Will Not Forgive) God is very serious about how we ought to treat eachother. We who are Christians are to be especially careful, because ...we are ambassadors [representatives] for Christ, (II Corinthians 5:20) And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. (Luke 6:31)
Jesus is explaining that "murder" is more than just taking a person's life. Murder can also be destroying someone's character, lying to and about a person, creating conflicts among people. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (I John 4:12, 20-21; see I JOHN: Definition of Love)
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. (Matthew 5:23-24 NLT) God does not play games and He doesn't want us to play games with Him. We can fool people, but we can't fool God! We are not to go before God trying to offer anything to Him, knowing someone has something against us. Just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're perfect!
When we are wrong, we have to confess our sins to eachother and then forgive ourselves. Whether the person forgives us or not is not as important as whether or not we do what God commands us to do. The goal is to Go and be reconciled to that person. However the situation is resolved, whether reconciled or not, if we do what God instructs us to do, we can rest assured that You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14 NLT) Now where there is remission [cancellation] of these [sins], there is no longer an offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:18)
Murder of someone's character, false witness who speaks lies is awful, because it could result in someone going to jail. We've heard many times in recent years how someone falsely accused someone of a crime, and the person spends decades in jail before DNA evidence can be tested to prove their innocence. But what about when someone is accused of doing something that they actually did, but continue to deny it? “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. (Matthew 5:25-56 NLT)
Yet again, just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're perfect! The Lord hates a lying tongue! (Proverbs 6:17) And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (I John 2:1-2) “You shall not murder." Therefore, Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence! (I John 3:18-21 NLT)
The lessons of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"! Refer to the previous lessons, to study the entire sermon in context:The "Beattitudes" Lesson!; "Salt & Light" Lesson!; Importance of The Commandments!; "You Shall Not Murder" Lesson!; "You Shall Not Commit Adultery" Lesson!; 'Til Divorce Do Us Part?; Watch Our Mouth, and Responses!; Don't Be A Hypocrite, A Show-off!; God and His Kingdom First!; Don't Judge; Be An Example!; Follow The Leader!; Not Just Hearers, but Doers Also!
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