THE HEART OF MURDER
Matthew 5:21-26

Introduction:     Never before have so many been involved in killing. There are certainly an alarming number of people involved in direct killing right here in this so-called civilized country. We hear of increasing crime statistics in almost every major city in America every year. Duval County 's rate of 11 murders per 100,000 people is the only one in double digits among large counties according to the latest Florida Department of Law Enforcement statistics (JTU Sunday, July 16, 2006). But there is another kind of killing going on at an even more furious pace today. It is the killing that takes place within our hearts. You see, the heart of murder is the heart. When we think of killing, we normally think of taking another human life. But what exactly do we mean by killing? When God gave the Sixth Commandment, what did He have in mind? Did He mean war, capital punishment, or self-defense? Is the commandment which forbids us to kill simply a commandment not to take human life and is it limited to actions alone? Could God have in mind the attitudes and emotions behind the actions? Could He be thinking of things like hatred, jealousy, anger, greed, and callous words? If these murderous attitudes are included in God's definition of murder, we are in more serious trouble than we realize. Do you understand what evil lurks in your own heart? Could there be a murderer living in your own house, and could it be you? Understanding the implications of God's command against killing becomes extremely important if it encompasses attitudes as well as actions. If this prohibition takes into account evil thoughts, attitudes, and intentions, then we are all in serious trouble. The Ten Commandments that were given by God on Mount Sinai included as its Sixth the command against killing or murder. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clarified its meaning. As we consider its implications we may have to come face to face with things in our lives which we do not like to see or admit. But deal with them we must. What about you? Is there a murderer in you? Let's turn our attention to the Sermon on the Mount to see how Jesus applies the Sixth Commandment to the way we live our lives.

I.          ATTITUDES INFLUENCE OUR ACTIONS (VV.21-22)

Here Jesus was referring to the Sixth Commandment given by God on Mount Sinai . The literal translation of the word from the Hebrew is murder. It is clear in the Old Testament that God accepted capital punishment, war, and self-defense. What this commandment has in view is the taking of life for reckless reasons.

            A.        Man’s Life Is Sacred

Behind the Sixth Commandment is the view that all life is sacred. That is what God said in Genesis 9:6: "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man." It is clear from this passage of Scripture that life is sacred because it is made in the image of God. Therefore, to destroy life is not only a sin against man it is a sin against God. For the sin of murder, the penalty was death. Jesus said that the ancients understood that whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.

Thus far, the people who were listening to Jesus were thinking of murder in the literal and physical sense. But Jesus was about to give them a definition of murder that would turn their thinking upside down. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court, and whoever shall say to his brother, "Raca," shall be guilty before the Supreme Court, and whoever shall say, "You fool," shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell (V.22).

Jesus reveals an important principle we must consider - attitudes precede actions. Since we are not robots our attitudes and intentions are key to our actions. It is in this area that we come face to face with the murderer in each of us. It is apparent from Jesus' clarification of this commandment that we all may be guilty of violating it. Jesus cuts through to the real issue. He reveals that attitudes can be as harmful as actions. Attitudes lay the ground work for actions to follow. Through our attitudes we may be as guilty before God as if we had committed the very act.

Jesus speaks of the attitudes of anger, pride, ego, arrogance, and the like, as He expounds on God's commandment. And He imposes the same judgment on the one with these attitudes as on the one who commits the act itself. There is more than one way to kill a person. Attitudes also kill. They destroy a person's dignity. They destroy a person's self-worth. They kill a person's spirit.

            B.         Man’s Spirit Is Sacred

It is interesting the emphasis Jesus places on those attitudes that manifest themselves through our words. Take, for instance, the arrogant egoistic attitude which causes someone to call his brother raca. Raca means "empty-head" or "good for nothing." So when you arrogantly call someone an empty-head, block-head, good for nothing, worthless idiot, and things like these, check your attitude. Is it one of anger? Is it one of bitterness? Is it one of hatred? Jesus condemns these attitudes as worthy of the same judgment as murder. He goes on to say that the kind of murderous hate-filled attitudes which cause someone to call another person a fool causes the one having those attitudes to be deserving of hell. These are strong words indeed! But they come from the very mouth of Jesus. Look into your own heart. What do you see there? Is there evil lurking there? Do you find yourself with attitudes that you should not have? Are there people with whom you are angry? Are there people against whom you are bitter? Are there people you hate? (Illus: "He made me so mad I could have killed him.") Beware! There could be a murderer in you. What we see in Jesus' words is a definite connection between physical violence and verbal violence. We can shoot people with a gun or with our tongues. We can kill them with bullets made of lead or with bullets made of words. The origin is the same. It all comes from a hateful heart. The heart of murder is the heart! God has made men and women in His image. When we depreciate them by hurling hateful, hurtful, demeaning, insulting, and humiliating words at them, we sin against God. Who are we to decide that some people are not worthy or valuable?

II.         ATTITUDES IMPACT OUR WORSHIP (V23-24)

Jesus goes on to say that attitudes impact our worship. Every Jew was familiar with the ritual of offering sacrifices in order to atone for sin. They knew that sin separated them from fellowship with God. The offering of the sacrifice restored that fellowship and brought them back into a position of right relationship with God. What Jesus is pointing out is that a right relationship with God depends on our willingness to maintain a right relationship with one another. If we are not willing to live in right relationship with our brothers and sisters, then we are not fit to come and worship the God in whose image they are made. When we look at the prohibition against murder from this perspective, all of us must admit that we are guilty at times of violating it. There are murderous attitudes in all of us at times. They should grieve our spirits. What can we do about them?

            A.        Thorough Repentance

You must execute the murderer in you. In other words, you must have a commitment to deal a death blow to the attitudes which depreciate human dignity and worth. You must deal a death blow to attitudes and habit patterns which feeds those attitudes. Humility and repentance will always deal a death blow to arrogance and pride. And we need to kill those attitudes because arrogance and pride are attitudes that bring hatred to birth. The question, of course, is whether we are willing to truly repent of these sinful attitudes. If not, you will stand under the judgment of God.

            B.         Transformed Renewing

(Rom 12:2) "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Our minds must be renewed if we are to avoid murderous attitudes of heart. Those things on which we allow our minds to dwell, will determine our attitudes of heart. If we dwell on the negative in people - their faults, mistakes, imperfections, hang-ups, even sins - we will come out with wrong attitudes of heart. But if we dwell on the positive, we may begin to see them as God sees them. (1 Sam 16:7) "…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

Unfortunately it is hard for us to see the heart. Therefore we must choose to dwell upon the positive. That does not mean we do not see the negatives. But it means we do not dwell on the negatives. Rather, we dwell upon the positive. Listen to what the Lord says to us in (Phil 4:8) "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." These are the things on which we are to dwell. When we look at another person, we are to look for things that are true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely, of good repute. We are to try to find things of excellence and things worthy of praise. Everyone has good points. We should seek them out, and when we find them we should choose to dwell on those things. As you do, you are dealing one death blow after another to the murderous attitudes of pride, arrogance, anger, and hatred. As you continue to do this, you will successfully execute the murderer in you.

Conclusion:       It should be clear from Jesus evaluation that our attitudes are vital. His analysis of God's commandments went far beyond the letter of the law. He is telling us that it is not good enough to simply keep the letter of the law. Our obedience to God must begin with our heart and its attitudes. First, there must be a surrender of our hearts to God. Then our relationship with Christ must go beyond mere outward observance and service. Our hearts must be His. We must be those who serve from the heart. How is your heart?