SERMON 7: “THE LAW AND ANGER”

Sermon Application Questions

1. Five times in Matthew 5:21-43 we encounter these words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said… But I say to you…” What was it that Jesus was seeking to correct in their faulty understanding of the Law?

2. Although the 6th commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:13 certainly prohibits murder, Jesus would have us to know we are in danger of violating the 6th commandment everyday even if we have never actually murdered someone.  Why? Discuss Matthew 15:18-19 in your answer.

3. Discuss ways in which we may violate the 6th commandment. For example, if we as parents discipline our children in anger whether through corporal punishment or verbal punishment, why is this sinful in the eyes of God?

4. According to Genesis 9:6, murder is such a serious violation of God’s law because man was made in the image of God.  Using this same principle of man as an “image bearer of God”, explain why character assassination, slander, and malicious words spoken from an evil heart is such a serious offense to God. 

5. Why must we seek to be reconciled with one another before we bring our gifts to God in worship? (1 Samuel 15:22)

6. God judges our love for Him by the way we love one another (1 John 4:19-21). We love God by loving others. If this is true, discuss how this should transform the way we act towards others even towards those who may have wronged us.

(Matthew 15:18-19 ESV) “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person {19}. For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”