1. [Angry Toddler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_UVgmPDMRY
2. Matthew 5.21-24
a. Remember WE have offended someone in this Scenario
b. "Coping with difficult people is always a problem; especially if the difficult person happens to be you." -John Maxwell
3. Anger is one thing that Jesus describes, but he also gives us some key direction that he demonstrated for us
a. Questions about the cross -- was it a whole cross or just the cross beam? [Pics of cross in Jerusalem; crossbeam; tree with cross beam; was it attached to a stake or a tree? (Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"-- Galatians 3.13 cf. " a hanged man is cursed by God" Deuteronomy 21.23c)
(Curse of Law is condemnation because we cannot keep it -- Jesus did it for us and took our punishment/curse).
b. Vertical aspect of the cross is a reminder of his (and our) relationship with the Father (I and I and the Father are one. John 10.30; Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. John 14.9b)
c. Horizontal aspect of the cross is a reminder of the relationship Jesus (and we) have with People -- For Jesus, this was the imperfect side
* Ire of the Jews
* Indifference of the Pagans
* Insecurity of the Disciples
4. Jesus bore the imperfections of the horizontal in order to remove them
I. The Heart FOR God in the Vertical
A. Greatest Command -- Luke 10.25-28; Deuteronomy 6.4-6
1. Expect to see it in worship
2. Seen in offerings and the altar at the temple
B. A Pre-requisite to Acceptable Worship -- Dealing with Others Properly
1. [Servant Leadership: It's not about "I" or "We," it is about "Them"
It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Joe was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualizing his upcoming shot when a voice came over the clubhouse loudspeaker - "Would the gentleman on the woman's tee please back up to the men's tee, please!"
Joe was still deep in his routine, seemingly impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement - "Would the man on the women's tee kindly back up the men's tee!"
Joe had had enough. He shouted, "Would the announcer in the clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!"
I played golf as a teenager. I am very familiar with not being as far down the golf course as I am expected to be after my first shot! And sometimes, I'm not as far along spiritually as others think I should be. There are some others who are not as far along spiritually as I think they should be.
What is to be our attitude toward these "weak" brethren? Sometimes the situation calls for some words of gentle rebuke (Heb. 5:12-14). Sometimes the situation calls for patient forbearance (Rom. 14:1). In all things, our goal is to encourage and build up.
"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." (Romans 15:1-2).
2. God: "People are of more importance than gifts, even to him."
13 Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9.13 cf. For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6.6)
3. We are in powerful positions -- we have a hand in determining the eternal destinies of people
a. We can cause people to sin -- 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18.5-6
b. We can inflict angry words -- Matthew 5.21-22
c. We can Restore -- Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6.1-2
[I read that when President Bush was governor of Texas he had to deal with a lot of conflict. He came into office with a legislature that was in the opposite party. Early in his term he met with the opposition leader of the legislative branch with the hopes of building a cooperative coalition for the future.
The meeting was a failure. There was no trust and no agreement. There was plenty of conflict.
At the end of the session as Bush got up to leave he suddenly reached over and grabbed the opposition boss with both hands on his neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
The man was completely stunned. He got red faced and stammered "What did you do THAT for?"
Bush said, "If I can't get your cooperation and help, I'm at least going to get a kiss!"
The opposition leader broke up laughing and that was the beginning of friendship and the end of conflict.
II. The Heart OF God in the Horizontal
Buddy Bell tells the story of an older lady named Adele and her neighbors. Adele's neighbors were responsible people. When her grass went uncut and grew hip-deep, Adele's neighbors hired a young boy to mow the grass for her. When her pipes froze in the winter and water rushed down the street, they called the utility company and had her water turned off. When her mail poured out of the slot on her front door, they called the police. They did everything responsibly for Adele -- except check and make sure she was alive.
The police broke through the side door of her little blue house. Inside they found the skeletal remains of athis72 year old woman. They estimated that she had been dead for as long as four years.
When interviewed, one neighbor made a great understatement. "This is not a very friendly neighborhood. We are not very close."
Adele's next door neighbor who lived twenty feet away said, "I am as much to blame as anyone. She was alone and needed someone to talk to but I was working two jobs. I got sick of her coming over at all hours of night. Eventually I stopped answering the door."
One is a lonely number.
A. Neighbors and Non-Neighbors -- Leviticus 19.17-18
17 "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
1. Love Neighbor -- commanded
2. Permits us to HATE enemies?
B. God's View of Neighbors -- BE ONE -- Luke 10.29-37
1. Priest and Levite
a. Once-in-a-lifetime worship opportunity?
b. Clean/unclean issues -- half dead = dying; bloody
2. Samaritan gives aid
3. WHO is the Neighbor? -- the Merciful one -- do the same; BE the neighbor and quit splitting hairs over who is your neighbor
4. Note the higher priority
a. God did not commend the Priest and Levite for maintaining ceremonial purity in order to worship
b. He commends the merciful Samaritan (enemy of Israel) -- who actually properly keeps Torah
c. The Priest's privilege of serving in the temple was a lesser priority than taking the opportunity to serve a person in need
1. Our tendency is to compartmentalize and exclude God from parts of our lives
a. [Church and State; Science; Schools; Marriage and Family; Entertainment
b. As a result, we hold to God in acceptable times (Sunday mornings) and to sin at the others:
There was once a famous snake charmer. His trick was that he taught his giant snake to wrap around him and retreat. He'd say, "COIL!" The snake would wrap around, and around his body all the way up to his face where it would HISSSS! Then the snake charmer would say, "RETREAT!" And on command the snake would uncoil and slither across the floor. This became such a great trick that he went on tour. One night he and the snake went on stage in front of the biggest crowd ever. Like always he said, "COIL!" and the snake coiled around him. Everyone gasped. Then he said "RETREAT!" Nothing happened. Again he said, "RETREAT!" Still nothing. "RETREAT, RETREAT!" And there in front of that crowd the snake began to squeeze on the snake charmer tighter and tighter until the man died.
After the show, backstage, a man told a newspaper reporter, "I remember when he got the snake. It was just a baby. So small he could have crushed it in his hand. Put he played with it and let it grow. It finally crushed him."
Don't go the route of anger/sin. Don't embrace it. Don't harbor it. Don't nurse it. Don't befriend it. Don't play with it in your mind. Crush it while you still can.
2. God: Walk with me in every sphere of life -- put God in and take sin/anger out
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, Ephesians 4.1
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, Philippians 1.27a
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1.9-10
12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2.12
3. Be a Sanctified People -- And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6.11
4. Be a Sanctifying People -- reconciling with others before God and men
