God's Boundaries for Abundant Living - Stop the Violence!, Part 2

What does 1/7 grader a soccer mom a respectable businessman and a serial killer all have in common more than you might think today's fresh perspective on the six commandment is going to be an eye-opener for all of us are not welcome to this Friday edition of Living on the Edge with shipping strip serves as our Bible teacher of his daily international discipleship program.

In chips in this series God's boundaries for abundant living. Have you ever thought to yourself that a truly violent act is something you could never do, then you'll be surprised to learn that you may personally be involved in acts of violence never even stewardship for part two of his talk from Exodus chapter 20 verse 13 Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, beginning in verse 21 you heard what was said to people long ago do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. Solaris the truth but I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother rock is answerable and answerable to the Sanhedrin, but anyone who says you full will be in danger of the fire of hell. Now before we move on and we get into the application that cannot been asking to bring you ready pull it out was to little Bible study and Bible study is making observations. What does it say doing some examination to say what does it mean in the making application. What's it mean to me and so let us go through in the start with but I tell you, anyone who is angry, put a circle around angry with his brother and then put a box around subject to judgment. You see a parallel curve so you have anyone is angry will be subject to judgment and then drop down and anyone who says to his brother put a circle around the word Rocca is answerable to the Sanhedrin and put a box around Sanhedrin so circle around Rocca in a box around Sanhedrin and then as you move on. But anyone who says you fool put a circle around you full will be in danger of put a box around the phrase the fire of hell and let me see if I can help explain what's happening in this text that might lift it and give you some insight. Jesus says you've heard it said about murder and you know the letter of the law and the actual killing of someone but I say to you, option or level I. Anyone who is angry with his brother. There's a couple different Greek words for anger. This is the kind of anger that is a smoldering anger. This is not the kind of anger were something happens and you blow up quickly. This is the this word is for an anger that smelters this is an anger. This rooted in bitterness and resentment. This is the kind of anger that you know when a certain people's names come to your mind, your stomach begins to tighten up. This is the kind of things it over, sometimes weeks or months or even years. You have this perverted sense that they have so hurt you and so violated you and done things so unmentionable to you that you have actual anger fantasies at times.

You know you don't really want to get killed but if they were like a mild auto accident it would be like okay you know and you never admit that if they lost their job.

It would be sort of cool if the person that they ran off with would leave them like they left you it would kinda bring a little grin to your face.

This is a smoldering type of resentful resentment or anger or bitterness.

This rooted in vengeance and willing to pay someone back and Jesus says you've heard it said do not murder, but I want to tell you. Level I if you have this type of ongoing anger in your heart than what's he say what's the box around your subject to judgment in the word here for judgment was one of the lower courts in the local Jewish village.

He says that kind of anger means that you are liable and ought to have to go before the local village judge and deal with that issue. Because by my estimation, you are guilty of a type of murder and that he mom sits around to he says but again I say, anyone who says to his brother Rocca and his is a very hard word to translate Berkeley in his commentary says it's it it's to despise with arrogant contempt. The word literally means you brainless one. The first type of anger is an emotional anger in your heart the second. Now it moves to your list. This is where you say things that cut people you put them down your critical your cynical this is someone you brainless one.

You embarrass them in front of people.

This is where you use your time to do lethal weapon for and you cut them up and you stabbed him in the back and you use your tongue to destroy them to hurt them and to pound their self-esteem and make him feel less than into embarrass them.

He says anyone is, says Rocca to his brother should go before the Sanhedrin, and if Sanhedrin is the next step up from the village judge.

That's like the Supreme Court and then he goes on to the next worthy have circled. Anyone who says to his brother, you moron or what's a translation here you full it's from we get our word moron. The Greek word is more us and in our word moron often means a lack of intellectual ability. That's not what this word means. This word means you immoral one that this is using your tongue to say to a person you are immoral.

This is using gossip and slander to paint a picture of someone else that they are wrong that their motives are bad that there anymore that they're doing things wrong. This is where you murder their reputation and you slander and gossip and say just enough information to put people in a very negative light in the eyes and Jesus says when you murder a man's reputation or woman's reputation. When you pass on untested truth when you have anger in your heart when you use your tongue to cut down people in blowups or outrage or passive aggressively trying to jab people here and there to put them down and raise you up, he says take my word, you are guilty of murder murder has occurred in your heart you have slayed people with your lips you have defiled what the image of God in them.

You have made them to appear or you have damaged them in such a way. Maybe they didn't physically die but emotionally and intellectually and spiritually, and relationally you have committed murder and Jesus says it's very very serious. A level I means you should go to the local judge a level II is you should be brought before the Supreme Court and a level III.

When you assassinate a willful, malicious, slander and gossip get that you're guilty of the hellfire. You know about you, but these 10 Commandments are kinda tough to take on the first three relics were like whoa you know God is so great. No other God in the worship of true worship and then you know his name, and you realize well use it casually and on the Sabbath and you realize while we I didn't realize gift, but they realize how much I violated it in this morning.

You know we we talked about how you know honoring your father and your mother and I don't know about you but when I got to this when I thought you know maybe I'm get a sort of skim tonight.

You know what I mean is like I haven't had a lot of problems killing people.

I didn't think I mean it's not like I think you know God I'm sorry for what I did. You know, 10 years ago. I'm sorry for what I did 20 years ago. But you know I just don't have murder in my background I didn't think until I study this text carefully and when you study this text and you hear the heart of Jesus, and you here see all murder, malicious, intentional murder, what, where is it began coming.

People don't just wake up and say see middle of the summer might be a good day to kill someone. Murder begins with unresolved anger.

Murder begins when things don't get resolved and then stuff starts playing in your mind and then you understand where most murders occur most the most dangerous place for a police officer in America. It's not it's not a gang shooting the most dangerous place I get a good good buddy that is on the boardwalk to the Bible as a policeman for several years. He said what you would dread his the domestic violence call when you got a call that there is shouting and people having problems. He said that's where you can get killed and he said most of the people.

It's in a rage and they got a gun or something or a knife land around the house and people never woke up that morning and shut off the little button on the alarm and said well honey I think will probably kill you tonight. Sorry ready. It's just a normal day and they get up and it can be over something silly is who's going to get to watch which TV program and there's all this unresolved anger and then they start getting after one another and screaming and shouting and then in a moment of rage.

Someone gets a gun or someone does something. Can people die and Jesus is saying I want to cut it off at the pass and I want to deal with your heart and the way to do with your heart is.

I'm gonna help you see where it comes out your lips and then I'm going to move it and say that when you assassinate another person's character. I want you to know that with me. You're on very very dangerous ground. So what you do when that happens, he goes on, he says.

Therefore, if your offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you. Did you notice the shift is talk about your unresolved anger. This is now.

If you come if you come to a place like this or come to a church service and you're there and you want to offer your gift in the gift maybe you as a living sacrifice. It might be earlier like we sent him to sing praises to God, it might be you just can't wait. And God has blessed you and you think a man I've been working all week and I'm gonna take a good chunk of this percentage.

I want to offer this gift to you because I want to see your work. Go forward. He says when you come before him before you offer a prayer or offer your money or offer your song or offer your bodies a living sacrifice. If you're there and you're prompted by my spirit to remember someone has something against you is that here's a spiritual thing. Stop. Stop your quiet time). Stop reading your Bible right then walk out of the worship service. If you need to go find your brother and make it right. Relational harmony anger resolved chaos between family members bitterness that has gone on for years people that don't talk to one another.

People who say negative things just as a matter of habit and find a little group of people that they can say negative things about this group and that we what we all do it with my little group would agree with this is all about how unfair we been treated. From our perspective will find little group that we can say in wine and bemoaning poured out, and make someone else. The object and they get shrunk and God says cleanup. It's deftly it's as deftly to emotions. It's deftly to your spiritual life.

It's deftly to the body of Christ is when people out now.

Murder one another and so if your brother has something against you, not even you have something against him wherever his initiative here initiative is anybody who says it's sensitive enough to God to realize there's a problem, leave your gift there in front of the altar first: be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. If it means apologizing, apologize if it means seeking forgiveness, seek forgiveness if it means you know I understand you have this against me. I want you know I forgive you if it means repenting if it means restitution.

It means that maybe this is the only night you were to come to this meeting at this time so that you get on the phone tonight and make a phone call and tell someone you're sorry you think through the letter that you need to write to maybe want your kids or friend or one your parents and is as far as it depends on you get your slate clean and you get up early in the morning you write that letter and as far as it depends on you, before God and man. You lay that out.

Maybe that's what you heard. I don't know the six command is about preserving life by way of conclusion. I put it in a box for emphasis, because human life is most precious of all commodities on the planet. God provides boundaries to protect it. Above all else, and by way of review are you ready here's the prohibition and want to give the application the prohibition is please stop the violence. No murder by violent hands stopped and maybe you haven't physically killed someone.

Are you ready, maybe you have maybe you sit in here and you're thinking my lands. It was 1972, 1964 and we were in trouble and I didn't even think of it, and I didn't. I wasn't a Christian and was even about human life and I talk my girlfriend to going to New York and have an abortion on accessory to murder and it's about me have never got it right. Or maybe your woman here and all the while I been talking just images are coming back to your mind and no one knows you haven't received forgiveness. You haven't been able to deal with that you haven't been able to make it right. God brought you here tonight not to condemn you but to restore you and to forgive you and let you know you not beyond his reach.

You're not a second-class citizen. You know what amazes me about most of the Bible was written by murders. Did you know that Moses, David, Paul, Paul wrote over half the New Testament was a murder.

David wrote the most precious material. I think we have in Scripture. In terms of God's heart and the Psalms and Moses read wrote the first five books of the Bible and in moments of anger and in moments of ignorance and in moments where they were out of control.

They killed God forgave and God restored and God used. That's his message to you. The blood of Christ is sufficient. Once you receive it. No murder right by violent hands and by way I'm going to just metal around a little bit if you don't like it. It's okay to come back tomorrow night, but I like I want to ask you and application of question do your viewing habits demonstrate that you cherish and value every person's value in life because they're made in the image of God. See I got I don't understand this.

Okay, I'm naïve. I came to Christ late. Maybe I'm just kinda not step of the program. How in the world can you understand the six commandment and understand the value and sacredness of human life and go rent videos and DVDs and spend money were all they do is blow up people and in slow motion. Now you have the bullets come through in the blood spreads and they fall back in slow motion and and then you and then buy stuff for your kids in Sago Nintendo and watch them go to an arcade were you go to every single booth in almost every single time.

What is it some guy kicking and screaming and shooting and you understand that's how they train our military to desensitize them for human life so that when they get on the battlefield. They can kill so that you have the courage to kill. They have them do video games they show them multiple desensitization of human life where they get used too human life being destroyed and I got Christians that I know the oldest was a guy movie your lethal weapon 48.

What is it that finds satisfaction in the human heart other than a perverted dark side of my heart and yours and watching other people blow up other people in slow motion and we call that entertainment.

I don't get it. Candidly, I don't think God gives.

I think it violates the six command how in the world what I ever do anything that makes me think less of human life. Why in the world. What I put anything in my hands or my kids hands the teach them how to kill and destroy and annihilate so that you score points mean people, let's do the math here.

You think that 19-year-old kid grew up in a vacuum.

How in the world.

What how many TV programs how many video games. How many movies how much peer pressure have to happen in a human being's life is a born today man just like killing someone or Therese Beardsley human life means nothing and then the next day) kill two young girls.

He didn't wake up that they can get there he got there because we been on a gradual, continual downward trend of devaluing life and I'll tell you what, salt and light. Let's get salty salt and light.

Let's get right and let's say life matters in every way. No murdering by violent hands.

Second application. No murder by angry hearts. Let me ask you about why tonight I'm going to give you time to relax were early were doing great. You get to just bow your head. Listen to the spirit of God. But here's the question. The Spirit would ask. Are there any grudges you've been harboring you have any smoldering anger at a boss when your kids and parents at X mate former business partner is is or is there someone down. And if you got really honest tonight. Is there is there a name or a face that comes your mind that you got some level of resentment or garage and tonight God says hi, you say you don't understand what you let it go. Now I don't understand and I know they don't deserve it. I'm not asking to let it go because they deserve it. I'm asking to let it go because the person is destroying is you, not them.

I'm asking let it go on the authority of Christ because he says as you have freely received really give I'm asking let it go because Jesus was matter-of-fact and clear that if you do not forgive your brother I will not forget. Let it go.

Make it right. No murder by violent hands. No murder by angry hearts and finally no murder by lethal lips and this is this is one we sort of just since everybody does it have your lips assassinated someone's character, you need to go back and tell someone I'm sorry for go tell someone you said something to that.

You know I heard that it's untested out of its true or not I was in this meeting and got out the minute I pass on information and I'm sorry. Have your lips shot down someone self-esteem. Have your lips murdered someone else's reputation. Have you listened to someone else would be right and put down and talk negatively about another person without putting up the stop sign. By the way, this is how gossips stops in the body of Christ to see what people do is they will find will find people to listen: spiritual garbage cans and no find people who listen and then them to spew out garbage and you what you need to do any let them know I'm a garbage can I get a lid when I start talking about another person you hold the lid like this. It says stop and use it. Really, when suddenly in his smile is really hurt their feelings. And you say you know something you know there's a scriptural passage says if I'm not a part of problem and not part of the solution.

I don't think I should be hearing this, so if you needing to sounds like you need to go talk to what's her name or what's his name, but I don't think I'm the person you talk to. Sounds like there's some relational issues, and I think Matthew 18 says you go first and if they won't listen.

They need me to go with you later that I don't receive this kind of stuff you think that would help the body of Christ you think that cleanup will tie when you only have to have someone I had someone do that to me for learned and boy was I embarrassed you know what we when you're assassinating a person's character. It seems so justified in your mind right.

It seems so right and you're so right in there so wrong and you're in such denial like and when you're saying it doesn't even feel or even seem like sin until someone takes the lid off the top of the garbage can you try to dump into and puts it in front of you and says, and you boy this is ugly and this is me and yet I think you're right.

This is an appropriate menu go apologize when I learned United stop that stuff is make a little pact with the Lord every time you make it known to me or someone else makes it known to me that my lips have assassinated another's character passed on truth, that is untested or done something that harms another person.

I will go to that person and ask them to forgive me and apologize. You do that half a dozen times I'll tell you what it is a powerful antidote to murdering with your lips. First John 19 may never be more precious for some of us than tonight. If any of us would agree foot confess means of getting any of us would come into alignment with what reality is about our present situation. If any of us would confess our sins, God is faithful and he is just not only to forgive but to cleanse you to cleanse me of all unrighteousness and the greatest ending of our night is not some big wrong wrong hour sing a big song. The greatest ending of this night is for you to bow your head confess when and where specifically you have murdered with your lips or with your hands or in your heart and become a forgiven Moses a forgiven David or a forgiven Paul that walks out these doors fresh and clean as white wool, fresh and clean as snow that just dropped in a conscience that is pure and a life that God wants to use as a fellow forgiven sinner just like them just like the let me ask you what you need right now in this moment. If you can.

I encourage you go ahead and bow your head if it's appropriate even shut your eyes, let what you have just heard from God's word sink in. Think about it. Where have you murdered with your hands where you murdered with your angry heart and who or where have you murdered with your lips. Even in the quietness you know, I know it's it's radio and time is precious, but maybe there can be a moment of quiet between you and me and God. Right now asking to bring it to your mind, it'll be clear it'll be specific, I want you know you can be clean right now where you are.

Tell God in your own words of God. I am sorry own it. Confess agree. And right now I want you to claim his forgiveness, not because you gonna try harder not because you make promises totally based on the work of Jesus, his death is fully man and fully God on the cross he is paid for your sin and I want you to agree with him that that pays for all your sin and then say Lord I believe. Thank you for cleansing me right now. And then what I want you to do is take the next step. What might you need to do to make things right crew do you need to confess to crew do you need to see who you need to close the loop with in order to seal the deal with God Almighty God, I pray for every person listening to my voice that you would give him an open and tender heart toward you and that you would help them believe that you are slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness that you love and long to forgive that you're neither shocked nor surprised by what they have done and today is their day to be cleansed, forgiven and have a new start. I prayed in Jesus name.

If you just prayed with Chip.

I hope that you are fully assured of God's forgiveness because of Jesus's sacrifice were now free to begin again with a clean slate.

What an awesome God we have an outer strip with a quick thought. I want to take just a moment to talk about something today. It's very important you might engage with Living on the Edge and obviously you are you know you may be listening to me on it on an app or radio one Place.com or maybe you were in a small group study or you took a course online or maybe even read a book that I had the privilege of writing God and to my amazement, and it humbles me is using Living on the Edge in incredible ways and I just have to say we get testimonies from people about restoration and healing and God using them to help other people and then I want to tell you very very candidly that we are very serious about using the money and the resources that God gives very carefully and very wisely, but I also want to bring to your intention that it actually takes money for airtime in these teams that create these resources and all the things that happen behind Living on the Edge.

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Chip continues our current series God's boundaries for abundant living should make plans to join us that for Chip of the entire team. This is Dave Drury saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge