Introduction: The High Standard of Righteousness

So, open up your Bibles to Matthew 5, starting at verse 21. If you remember, this is what we studied last week, and we’ll cover the entire section this time. I want to remind you that in Matthew 5:20, right before this, Jesus said something startling. He said, unless you are more righteous than the most righteous people you can think of—the scribes and Pharisees—you won’t see the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus goes on to show that every single one of us is condemned under the law. The standard of righteousness God has for us is higher than we could ever keep. It’s not enough to just avoid murder; you can’t even be angry with your brother. By that standard, every single person is instantly condemned. That is why the songs we just sang focus on our only hope of being righteous before God: having someone else’s righteousness imputed to us, namely Jesus’s. That’s the good news.

And God doesn’t just forgive us. He doesn’t simply say, “You have Jesus’s righteousness, so I don’t care anymore.” Rather, He changes us from the heart so we can actually begin to live up to this righteous standard, one that even exceeds anything the scribes and Pharisees ever imagined.

God’s Children Aren’t Angry from the Heart

We learned last week (first point) that God’s children aren’t angry. Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

The reason the murderer and the angry person are in the same category is because anger is murderous in principle. When you see that, you ought to realize, “I need a Savior.” None of us can claim our good deeds outweigh our bad. According to God’s standard, if you’ve been angry, you’re guilty.

So we don’t want to say, “God, give me what I deserve.” Imagine a murderer whose crime is caught on tape and shown to the jury. There’s no denying it. Similarly, the omniscient God sees into our hearts; if anger is there, He knows it. It makes us as guilty as the murderer.

But the gospel we sang about says that, for all who have faith, God nails that record of debt to the cross. It’s as if the tape has a nail right through it. He punishes Jesus in our place, so we cannot be condemned if we come to Him in faith. That’s why anger is so bad: anger basically says, “I want you to have what you deserve.” We replay the offense over and over. Yet, we ourselves don’t want God to replay our sin. Isaiah 43:25 says God blots out our transgressions and will not remember our sins. Hebrews 8:12 quotes Jeremiah 31:34: “I will remember their sins no more.” That’s the good news for those who believe.

However, that only applies to some in this room. There are people who still have God’s wrath abiding on them because they haven’t turned to Christ. In this passage, we’ll see a test to help us know if we truly believe. If we believe God forgave all our debt—that He no longer holds our sins against us—then we will be quick to cover over others’ sins against us as well. That’s why God’s children aren’t angry; they love. And that leads us to the next point.

Seeking Reconciliation

Jesus continues in Matthew 5 by saying, “Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to the hell of fire. Therefore…” And you might expect Him to address the person who’s angry. But instead, He says:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

He changes from speaking to the angry person to addressing the one who realizes someone else is angry with him! If your brother has something against you, maybe he’s angry at you. Anger is murderous in principle, liable to judgment. If I love my brother, I’ll go on a rescue mission. Maybe I did sin against him; if so, I need to humble myself and ask for forgiveness. Even if I didn’t, out of love, I should go humbly pursue reconciliation.

That’s the higher standard of love: don’t be angry yourself, but also don’t let your brother remain angry at you if you can help it. Jesus is describing what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. If someone is in danger because of their anger, you go and help. If you’re at the altar—doing the most righteous act you can think of—and remember your brother has something against you, Jesus says reconciliation is more important in that moment than continuing your act of worship.

Hypocrisy in Worship

For the original Jewish audience, bringing an offering to the temple altar was an act of faith and worship. It was good and right. But Jesus says even that most important act of worship should be interrupted if you realize there is a broken relationship you can make right.

How does that apply to us? It means outward acts of obedience—even worship—must flow from a pure heart, not hypocrisy. If there is known sin, or if someone’s angry at you, you should pursue reconciliation. Don’t put it off. It’s actually more pressing to go fix the relationship first than to continue outwardly “worshiping” God.

This reminds me of 1 Samuel 15, where God told King Saul to wipe out the Amalekites. Saul disobeyed but tried to cover it up with outward sacrifices. Samuel told him, “Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? … To obey is better than sacrifice.” We don’t offer animal sacrifices anymore, but our acts of worship—singing, reading the Bible, serving—must come from an obedient heart. If we harbor unconfessed sin or anger, we’re not truly honoring God.

Godless Discord Has Consequences

There’s urgency in Jesus’s words. He says:

“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge…and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Unresolved conflict escalates. Anger grows. People take each other to court. The angry heart doesn’t usually become merciful later; it tries to exact every last bit of justice. So if you know someone is angry at you, go on a rescue mission. When anger festers, mercy is missing. Christians, however, are marked by mercy and love, not anger.

Jesus is driving at the heart. It’s not just “don’t murder”; He says “don’t be angry,” and if your brother is angry at you, help him overcome it. None of us can hear this and say it doesn’t apply. This passage reveals our hearts. We all have capacity for anger and broken relationships. We should not let it simmer.

Conclusion: Love One Another from the Heart

We can’t achieve this standard by mere self-effort. The only way to love like this is by reflecting on the love and mercy God has shown us. When God saved you, He changed your heart and made you able to love like He loves. First John 4:7 says:

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Jesus raises the bar: not being angry is just the start. We must love our neighbors as ourselves. We don’t do that to earn God’s love; we love because He first loved us. As a test, if you find yourself unwilling to love others, it says something about whether you truly believe the gospel. We read in 1 John 4:19–21:

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

That sums up this passage in Matthew 5. God’s children aren’t angry; they seek reconciliation, because they’ve experienced the greatest reconciliation of all—being forgiven by God. Let’s examine our hearts, repent of anger, and pursue peace.

Closing Prayer and Discussion

Let’s pray: Lord, I ask that true love would characterize every one of us. We’ve all heard the gospel, and You have power to change hearts. Grant faith and cause us to be marked by love for one another—a love that refuses to tolerate anger but instead pursues reconciliation, as far as it depends on us.

Now, in our discussion groups, let’s be honest. We want to help one another apply Your Word, not protect our image. May we speak and listen in love and measure everything by the truth of Scripture. In Jesus’s name, Amen.