|
||||||
| Sermon #69 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire, MAT 5:21-22. The Lord Jesus is teaching us the spirit of the law in this portion of The Sermon on the Mount just as in LUK 6:35, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." The Lord Jesus is teaching us our need of the spirit of the law which is the Spirit of Christ. That Spirit of Christ teaches how He condescends to come unto unthankful, unworthy, hell-deserving sinners. He comes unto us to bring salvation. God wants to see that Spirit of Christ in us. We are predestined "to be conformed to the image of his Son," ROM 8:29. Even though somebody is treating us unkindly, our hearts must be conformed to that image of Christ in the spirit of the law. What is the result? The result is that we love our enemies; we pray for them. Scripture says, "...he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven," Luk 6:35b-37. The Lord Jesus is really talking to us about a judgmental spirit; we are passing judgment without seeing our own condemnation. The Lord is teaching us: "judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." This Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is the spirit of the law, i.e., we will be judged with what judgment we judge. We shall be forgiven as we forgive. "...forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...." Do we really stop to understand what the Lord Jesus taught us in the perfect prayer? He taught us that we shall receive forgiveness in the same proportion as we forgive. Can we carry a grudge? Can we hold something between us and a brother? Can we hold something between us and our fellow man? We shall be forgiven in the same proportion as we forgive. These are solemn words, very solemn words. The Lord is looking at our hearts. Continuing with LUK 6:38 we read, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." That's the spirit of the law. This is what the Lord Jesus is teaching us in our text. Jesus was delivering His church from the bondage of the traditions and commandments of the scribes and Pharisees when He said in MAT 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." He did not come to destroy or abolish the Ten Commandments. He came to teach and to fulfill the intent of those commandments. Jesus added nothing to the law, but He revealed its abuses and our need to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees in the intent and spiritual nature of the law. The Scriptures teach us in the Ten Commandments about the letter of the law against killing. The Pharisees were teaching the letter of the law. As long as you didn't literally murder someone, you had kept the letter of the law. That letter of the law kills. Why? It is the spirit of the law that gives life, and in the verses before us we are dealing with the spirit of the law, the intent of the law. Our text teaches the principle "That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause," has violated the sixth commandment by committing murder in his heart. The Lord Jesus says, "I came not to destroy the law but to fulfill." The commandment against killing is not abolished. It is not enough to keep that commandment in the letter of the law; we must keep it in the spirit of the law. If we have been angry with a brother without cause, we have committed murder in our heart. In our text, Jesus explained the distinction between the law of sin and the law of the Spirit in keeping the sixth commandment. The law of sin must be abolished, but the law of the spirit must be understood and taught. The Lord Jesus has added nothing to the law, but He has expounded the law by teaching the spirit of the law. In ROM 8:1-2 we read, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The Lord Jesus is explaining the distinction between the law of the spirit of life in Christ and the spirit of the law of sin and death. Jesus says our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees to be delivered from this law of sin and death. The law of sin and death dwells within our hearts by nature. Don't forget that Satan is the god of this world; it is his laws we are obeying when we hate a brother or are angry with a brother without cause. We can be under the law of sin and death; yet, in a literal sense, still obey the sixth commandment. The Lord Jesus teaches that the letter of the law alone is the law of sin and death, but the spirit of the law, i.e., that we love our brother, that we love our enemies, that we pray for them. The word "brother" in our text means our fellow man. The law of the Spirit is not abolishing the law. It is obedience not only in the letter, or literally, but also obedience from the heart. That obedience is the observance of the intent of the law from the heart. ROM 7:5 says, "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." What is this telling us? It means that we still had the motion of sin within our hearts, even though we may have been walking in the letter of the law. We may not have been committing adultery, but we may have been lusting in our heart. We may not have been committing murder, literally, but we may have been committing spiritual murder by the fact that we were angry without a cause. We were not living the spirit of the law. Verse 6 says, "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." You see, we are delivered from the legalistic sense of the law. The scribes and the Pharisees were doing the do's and the don'ts, literally, of their own laws. They obeyed the traditions of man which became the commandments of man. It says, "But now we are delivered from the law, [in a literal sense, in a legalistic sense] that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit...." We must serve the Lord in the newness of the spirit of the law and not in the oldness of the letter, i.e., the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees. Repentance, or circumcision, is of the heart—motivated by love. In ROM 2:28 we read, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh." This teaches that obedience in the literal sense alone is not the spirit of the law. Verse 29 continues, "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly [i.e. from the heart]; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." It is the law of sin striving with the law of the Spirit that causes the spiritual warfare in our soul. By nature of the fall, Satan's kingdom is set up in the heart of man, and he rules by the law of sin; therefore, we serve his laws. The law of sin which is set up in our heart by nature is at war against the law of the spirit which is the Spirit of Christ. ROM 7:20-22 says, "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. [This is the law of sin that dwells in the heart by nature.] I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man." The new man has a delight in the spirit of the law, but yet we find, in our fallen nature, old Satan is still present with that law of sin. We see how often those crafty devices of Satan work into evil thoughts against our brothers. He still lures us into things that are against the spirit and the intent of the law. Then we see how our heart is a cage of unclean birds; this brings about a spiritual warfare. Verses 23-25 say, "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, [Oh beloved, what a constant warfare there is in the heart of God's dear children!] and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." The Apostle Paul saw what a wretched condition man is in, in his fallen condition. He saw how Satan comes with his law of sin, and he wants to exalt his law of sin in the soul. Do you see how the law of sin is built right into us by our fallen nature. It is that god of this world who is executing his law within our hearts, and there we see the spiritual warfare. The apostle was well aware of the corruption of the fountain of sin in his own heart. In 2CO 3:5 we read, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." We must see and understand that we need the righteousness of Christ because the Lord looks at the heart. The inward man may delight in the law of God, but underneath there is still that law of sin striving and wrestling against the law of God. Verse 6 says, "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." The Lord Jesus teaches us in this text that it is not the letter of the law but the spirit of the law that we must obey, "for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life." We can obey the letter of the law so we don't literally murder our brother, and still our heart can be a cage of unclean birds filled with malice, hatred, and bitterness against our brother. Before the bar of heaven, we will still be guilty of breaking the sixth commandment.
FOR OUR FIRST POINT, let's consider what our Saviour meant by being angry with a brother without a cause. FOR OUR SECOND POINT , we will consider what our Saviour meant by saying to a brother, "Raca."FOR OUR THIRD POINT , let's consider what our Saviour meant by saying to a brother, "Thou fool." It is very important that we understand these three issues.FIRST , let's consider what our Saviour meant by being angry with a brother without a cause. We must understand Jesus is hereby teaching the spirit of the law in the sixth commandment: EXO 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill." Jesus is teaching in our text that if we are angry with a brother without a cause, we are guilty of violating the sixth commandment in the eyes of the Lord. This law of God is a hedge of protection around about our lives.We have to understand that the Lord, the God of life, has placed that law as a hedge around about us to protect our lives from the beginning. In GEN 9:5-6 we read, "And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." The Lord has set this commandment as the hedge around our lives because He has created man in His own image; man has a soul. This is not so of an animal. If we slaughter an animal to eat, the shedding of that blood is not shedding the blood of a living soul. It is not shedding the blood of one who has the image of God. The Lord has placed this commandment to show us that it is the hedge around our lives. We have to understand that we are not to kill, not only literally but spiritually; this law becomes the hedge, or protection of our lives, spiritually as well as literally. It is God's protection for us against destroying each other spiritually as well as literally. The law of the Jews was content with, "whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." This was to stand trial by the judges at the city of refuge, and to them that was sufficient recompense. The Lord teaches us that they who are angry with their brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Their error was in limiting this commandment to literal murder. The commandment is exceedingly broad. Rash anger, any malice, hatred, ill will, or scornful anger is heart-murder. Many people feel they can justify being angry; they excuse themselves because after all we are all fallen creatures. The following illustration makes this point. An army Chaplain preached an earnest sermon on the sin and folly of yielding to a hasty temper. The next day a Major confronted him in not a very good humor, saying: "Well sir! I think you used your office to annoy me with some very hard hits yesterday." The Chaplain replied, "I certainly thought of you while I was preparing my message, but I had no intention of being personal or sharp." The Major responded, "Well, it is no use; I have a hasty temper, and I cannot help it. I cannot control it; the thing is impossible." [He was justifying himself in his harsh temper.] The following Lord's Day the Chaplain preached on self-deception, and the vain excuses which men use to justify sin. He said, "a man will say it is impossible to control his temper, when he very well knows that if the same provocation happened in the presence of his sovereign or superior, he not only could, but would control himself entirely. Yet he dares to say that the continual presence of the King of kings imposes upon him neither restraint nor fear." The next day the Chaplain met the Major again, who said humbly, "You were right yesterday, Chaplain. Hereafter when you see me in danger of falling, remind me of the King." I thought this illustration deserved quoting. Often people justify a wrong attitude because the provocation was so severe or because they can get away with it. As this illustration pointed out, if the army major were in the presence of a general, would he dare to show the same fit of temper as if he were with a subordinate? The answer is no. How should we respond when we know we are in the presence of the King of kings who is constantly there? How can we justify a wrong attitude at anytime? Anger is an emotion such as joy, sorrow, fear, hatred, or love. An emotion in itself is not proper or improper. It is the motive that determines whether it is proper or not. Love or hatred could be either right or wrong, so it is with anger. There is such a thing as a righteous anger; if sin is the object, hatred is right and love would be wrong. Jesus says in our text not to be angry with a brother without cause, but we have to understand what that means. We must decipher the motivation of that anger. God the Father sent His Son out of His love for His elect. Yet, His Son was sent to appease His wrath. God the Father was justified in His wrath against sin, but He sent His Son to appease His wrath. In 1JO 4:10 we read, "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." There is such a thing as a just wrath, a just anger, but the Lord Jesus says you are not to be angry with your brother without a cause. Let's go into that. Jesus showed righteous wrath in JOH 2:13-17. This gives us some illustrations on what is justifiable wrath. What was the motive of His wrath? It was to work repentance. This Scripture says, "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." The Lord Jesus was demonstrating a just wrath. He was wroth over the fact that they were perverting the ways of the Lord and polluting His house. You and I have justifiable wrath if we are angry with a brother who is perverting the ways of the Lord. What is the motive of that wrath? It is repentance. Our motive isn't to destroy or harm. If we have an anger against a brother in order to do him harm, harm his character, or degrade his name before the people, then we are violating the sixth commandment. If, however, we are angry with a brother who is profaning the Lord, this generates a just anger. We may not be angry without a cause; the motivation of that wrath must be for God's honor. We are justified in hatred against sin. David said in PSA 139:21-22, "Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies." There is a just wrath, but the Lord Jesus says that we must not be wroth without a cause. David also realized how he needed the Lord to guard him in his actions. He realized the weakness in his own heart and that he had to be guarded against unjust wrath, against being angry without justification. First, David said how he hated them with a perfect hatred; then he says in the very next verses, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," V:23-24. The key in being angry is what is the motive. David saw that he was justified in hating those that hate the Lord, but he knew that his motivation had to be right. He asked the Lord to search his heart. David had experienced this need in the matter of Abigail. David had wanted to see if there was any wicked way in him; he wanted the Lord to lead him in the way of righteousness. It was a blessing how the Lord preserved David as we read in 1SA 25:32-34, "And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. [In this instance David's wrath was unjust; it was David's honor that was stepped upon, not the Lord's honor. He was coming to slay, to kill, and to murder, and the Lord preserved him. We must see that the motivation in anger must be right.] For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall." David was not coming to avenge the Lord; he was coming to avenge himself with his own hands. David was so thankful that the Lord had sent Abigail to spare him. He had an unjust wrath. David was angry for what? He was angry for his own honor "...from avenging myself with mine own hand." There is such a distinction between a just wrath and being angry without a cause; we must learn to discern the difference. There is a righteous anger when we must contend for the truth to bring repentance. The motivation must be for repentance, not for avenging ourselves with our own hand. The Apostle Paul was very harsh to the Corinthian church. The letter he sent, which is the First Book of Corinthians, was a sharp letter of reproof. When you read First Corinthians it is important to understand that everything in it is a reproof. The Apostle Paul said in 2CO 7:8-9, "For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing." Repentance is the key. When we send a letter of reproof, the motivation for that reproof must be to turn the person to repentance, not for avenging ourselves with our own hand. We must set forth the Words of the Lord to show them why we are angry at their deeds. The gospel shows the wrath of God upon sin. We may be angry with a person's sin, but our motivation must be that of turning them to repentance. God, the Father, is wroth against sin. He sent His Son for what? His Son was sent that He might give repentance. Verses 10-11 continue, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, [What does that mean? It means indignation against sin!] yea, what fear,[i.e. holy reverence for the Word of God] yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter." We find the same message in 2TH 3:6, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." When we see a brother who is walking disorderly, we may not treat them hospitably, we may not treat them kindly; we must show them that we are displeased with their sin. How? We show our displeasure by withdrawing ourselves. We may not keep company with them; the motivation of our heart will show in the way we act toward them. The fruit of this is seen in 2TH 3:14, "And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed." The motivation behind your action is that he might be made ashamed of his sin, and repent. Verse 15 goes on, "Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." This is justifiable anger; anger against sin. Any anger beyond that is a violation of the sixth commandment.
FOR OUR SECOND POINT, let's consider what our Saviour meant by saying to a brother, "Raca." Raca is a scornful word which proceeds from pride as its source. Raca means "Thou empty fellow." What this means is that we exalt ourself above our brother. PHI 2:3 says, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." When we have a little insight into our own heart, and if the Lord has ever opened our eyes to see the sinfulness that dwells within, then we can esteem every man above ourselves. Even as with the woman whom the Pharisees brought to Jesus after she was taken in the very act of adultery, when Jesus gave them but a glimpse into their own heart, they didn't have one stone to throw. Though we may have never violated the letter of the law; if the Lord shines even a glimpse of light in our own soul, we would never be able to say, "Raca," i.e., "thou empty fellow" to our fellow man. When we say "Raca" the motivation for saying this is pride. PRO 21:24 says, "Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath." Our text which tells us not to be angry with a brother without a cause continues on to say, "whosoever shall say to his brother Raca..." It is proud wrath when you speak unto your brother and call him "Raca", i.e., idiot, blockhead, dummy, dunce, fool or any name which demeans or goes against the character of your brother. Why? The motivation is to harm, to destroy their character, their person; it comes against the spirit of the sixth commandment. It is heart murder. Calling a brother "Raca" reveals what Jesus said in MAT 15:18-19, "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." The Lord Jesus is saying that out of the mouth proceeds that which is in the heart. When we say "Raca", we have slaughtered him, we have murdered our brother spiritually because in pride, we have exalted ourself above him. The sin of calling a brother "Raca" goes much deeper; it comes from hateful emotions of the heart. When we are calling our brother an empty fellow, i.e. an idiot, we are saying something that is demeaning; we are saying something that comes against his character. Anger which breaks out into disdainful, demeaning words, coming from a desire to harm the brother, is never a just wrath. These words come from the hateful emotions of the heart. As I pointed out, anger is an emotion. The Lord looks not on the outward appearance but on the heart. 1SA 16:7 says, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." When we spew out venom against our brother, the Lord looks at the source, the fountain; it is coming from the hateful emotions of the heart. As we begin to understand the law of the Spirit, we begin to realize that our best righteousness is but filthy rags. Oh, how much wrath we all have in our hearts that is not just wrath! Often we find that the law of sin is struggling within us against the law of the Spirit! The law of the Spirit brings humility as it begins to reveal the sinful motives of the heart; the true motives, the hatred, the selfishness, the harsh words as well as thoughts. When the Holy Spirit comes and opens the understanding of our hearts, we start to see all that is within the heart; this then works humility. I can say from experience that when the Lord opens our eyes to see our own heart, we don't have one stone to throw at anyone. I talked to a Christian some time ago who had to work with people who were on drugs. She told me how she had looked with disdain on these people. The Lord dealt with her to show her how that was so unjustifiable because it was only by the grace of God that she was not as they were. The more we see what another person has fallen into, the more our eyes should be opened to see what man is by nature. If we are blessed with God's grace, this will make our hearts return to God with humble gratitude for restraining grace, rather than rise in pride against our fellow man calling him "Raca." In JAM 3:7-10 we read, "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." Have we ever found out how often our tongue says things that smite us when we go home? Oh beloved, how often we lay in our bed chamber and remember that we have said something that wounded someone! Perhaps it was said to our wife, children, or husband. Has it ever caused our soul to smite us and make us realize that we have committed murder? We have said "Raca." What we have really said is "you empty person." We have exalted ourself above our fellow man. We often find our tongue is an unruly evil; it was used to smite our brother. Verse 9 continues, "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God." This is something that should bring a horrible sorrow and repentance in our soul; we should be able to come like the Apostle Paul confessing, "O wretched man that I am." We should learn to understand that we have committed heart murder. Verse 10 says, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." This is something we must strive against; this is something we must pray about; we must seek the Lord to be delivered from this. The Jews conspired against Jeremiah saying, "Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah...Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words," JER 18:18. To say unto thy brother "Raca" is being a railer or reviler. I Let's examin what it means to be a railer or reviler, and then see what the Word of God says about it. Do you know what it says? "They in no wise shall enter the kingdom of heaven." It is a damning sin! 1CO 5:11 says, "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." When you call your brother "Raca," i.e. when you are demeaning to your brother, you are a railer. It says to separate yourself from the company and have nothing to do with such a person. V:5 says, "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." It is a grievous thing. The word railer, as used in 1CO 5:11, and the word reviler, as used in 1CO 6:10, both come from the same Greek word Loidoros. 1CO 6:9-10 says, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." A railer is a person who lashes with his tongue; a railer is a person who brings infamy against his brother; a railer is a person who stirs up others against a brother. Have you ever noticed how some people try to get people on their side to destroy someone else's character? A railer is one who rallies, who brings infamy and discredit. Webster Dictionary says to rail is "to grate [rub hard, so as to offend], to banter [to play on words], to rally [to organize troops], To scoff; to use insolent and reproachful language. To reproach or censure in opprobrious terms [blasting with infamy; despise; render hateful]." When you render someone as hateful, you are a railer. To say unto thy brother "Raca" is to be a railer. It is not only heart and tongue murder, but it is a damning sin. 1CO 6:9-10 says, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
FOR OUR THIRD POINT let us consider what our Saviour meant by saying to a brother, "Thou fool." It is very important that we understand this. This admonition of Jesus is not meant for those who use the word fool to convince others of their vanity or folly. There is more than one Greek word that is translated into the English language as the word fool. They have quite distinct meanings. The word fool as used in our text is taken from the Greek word, Moros, which means "Dull or stupid, heedless, blockhead, absurd, fool." This is totally different than when you tell someone, "Don't be so foolish;" you are not violating that word of admonition. When you say "you acted like a fool," meaning you were very foolish and vain, and you are using the reproof for the one purpose of gaining repentance, you are not violating the spirit of this admonition. It is not a violation of the admonition of Christ, "whosoever shall say, Thou fool" when we use the word fool to admonish them of their vanities and their folly. The word fool as used by the Apostle Paul in 1CO 15:36 is taken from the Greek word Aphron, which means "ignorant, unbelieving, unwise." In the English they use the word fool, but it is a totally different word in the Greek from the word used by the Lord Jesus in our text. We read in 1CO 15:35-36, "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." Did the Apostle Paul violate the spirit of the law? No, he did not, even though he says unto them "thou fool." The motivation, the intent behind what he is saying is to show them their ignorance. He is reproving them for their folly; he is reproving them for being unbelieving and unwise. The Lord Jesus Christ called His own disciples fools for their human reasoning. There the word fools is taken from the Greek word Anoetos, which means unintelligent. In LUK 24:25-2O the Lord Jesus said to His disciples,"...O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" The Lord Jesus was not violating the spirit of the law. The Lord Jesus was not saying in a disdainful way that they were fools. He was using the word fools to open their understanding to see their ignorance. Using the word fool in this instance is to denote foolishness or vanity to excite repentance is not a violation of the sixth commandment. The Greek word used here means unintelligent. It is a complete different Greek word from what was used by Apostle Paul, but in the English language both are translated as fool. The Apostle James taught the emptiness of faith without works. The word vain, as used in JAM 2:20, means empty, or the same as Raca, but watch how he used it. "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" What he is telling us is that your faith is empty if you have faith without works. This is not bringing infamy against the person. He is showing the emptiness of his faith. The word fool as used in our text is taken from the Greek word, Moros. It is a completely different word which means "Dull or stupid, heedless, blockhead, absurd, fool." When we use the word fool in this sense, it is a step beyond using the word "Raca." "Raca" is saying "you empty person;" you are demeaning his person. In this use of the word "fool," you are telling the person he is stupid, a blockhead; he is absurd. These words are used for blasting with infamy; they are despising and hateful terms, which denotes the motive of the heart that makes them a violation of the sixth commandment. It is the motivation of the heart that makes it a violation because it is not said out of love to generate repentance to restore back into oneness with God. It is done in a hurtful state of infamy to bring infamy upon a person's name. The word "fool" in our text is a spiteful word which pronounces hatred and dishonor. This word "fool" pronounces a man to be without grace; there's the importance of it! It pronounces judgment upon him in a spiritual sense, it touches his spiritual condition. This reveals a haughty taunting of a brother, maliciously censuring him as abandoned of God. This is what is meant by fool in our text. It means you are an abandonment of God. This is a violation of the sixth commandment of God. We are judging our brother in his eternal state, and we may not pass judgment upon any man for his eternal state. Bitter words are as arrows which wound suddenly. When we call a brother "Raca" or "Thou fool," it is a result of being angry without a just cause. In PSA 64:2-3 we read, "Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words." You see when we do character assassination, we are destroying the character and personality of our brother. This is spiritual murder. IN CONCLUSION: Our lovely Saviour tells us in LUK 6:37-38, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." These are precious truths. Let's stop and understand what our Saviour is telling us here. He is pointing out to us that however vile our brother may be in our sight, regardless how vile we consider him, if we differ from him, it is only by the grace of God. Those seeds of corruption are in our heart. We may have not violated the same commandments in a literal way, but we still may have been guilty in a spiritual way. We must understand that in the eyes of the Lord, if we are to come and seek mercy, we must give mercy. If we come to seek mercy without giving mercy, we shall receive judgment without mercy. If we are unmerciful and condemn, we will be condemned. MAT 7:1-2 SAYS, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." LUK 6:35-37 tells us that if WE condemn not, WE will not be condemned. If we forgive, we shall be forgiven. If the Lord puts us in a position to see our brother in a deplorable condition, it should bring our heart out to that man; we should have a just wrath. We should show him the wrath of God upon sin. We should show him the sinfulness of sin, and we should plead with him to repent. When we say "Raca," or "Thou fool," then we come with character assassination; we will not receive mercy if we do not grant mercy. If we cannot forgive, we will not be forgiven. Why is this? Can we pass judgment and be guilty of the same offense in a spiritual sense? If we have broken one law, we are guilty of all. JAM 2:8-10 says, "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Our text says whosoever shall say to a brother, "Moros, [thou fool, means, "Dull or stupid— heedless— blockhead— absurd— fool, Thou child of hell.] shall be in danger of hell fire." With what judgment we judge, we shall be judged. When we say "thou fool" to our brother, we shall be in danger of hell fire. Do you know why? It is because we have judged that man to be under the condemnation of God for eternal destruction. We shall be judged with what measure we have meted out to others, and we shall be in danger of hell fire. This makes judging others a very solemn thing. Now we understand why we need the Spirit of Christ. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," ROM 8:9b. If we have never come into that Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of sacrifice, the Spirit of forgiveness, if we have never understood that Spirit of Christ, we are not His. When we receive but a glimpse into our own heart, we have not one stone to throw. Jesus said to the Pharisees who had brought Him a woman who was taken in adultery, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," JOH 8:7. This was a woman who deserved capital punishment by the law of God. Jesus was speaking to Pharisees, who according to the letter of the law had not broken one law, but they had broken the spirit of the law. We continue with V:8-9, "And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." The Lord threw a little light to them when He said "who is without sin." He opened their eyes to see the cage of unclean birds that lay within their own heart. I want to bring your attention to something that is interesting. Being convicted by their own conscience, they went out one by one. They did not all go out together. They went out one by one beginning with the eldest. This teaches us something; in other words, the old nature was convicted. As that old nature was convicted, they saw in their own heart who they were. Before we ever understand the sin of our actual sin, we must understand the old sin of Adam, that eldest, then we will understand the true nature of our actual sin. When we start to see how the fountain within our heart is corrupt, then we start to see how the law of sin rules in the heart. We then start to see that the prince of the world, the prince of the power of the air, sits on the throne of our hearts. Verses 10-11 say, "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Do you see the beauty of this? Do you see how we are not to condemn our fellow man? We cannot live with a condemning spirit. The Lord looks upon our hearts, and if we have a condemning spirit, we shall be condemned. Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive not and ye shall not be forgiven. This is what the Lord is teaching in the spirit of the law. This is why He says in our text that whosoever shall say to his brother, "Thou Fool," shall be in danger of hell fire. He is passing judgment upon his neighbour as a child of hell. In doing so, he makes himself a child of hell. When Jesus asked the woman, "where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" Now watch how He concluded, "go, and sin no more." You see, that is the key to all gospel: repentance, "go, and sin no more." It is a change of heart, a change of attitude, remorse over sin. You see a legal repentance is remorse over the consequences of sin, but it very seldom turns them from sin. A true evangelical repentance is remorse over having offended God; it is a remorse over having done such grievous insults to such a loving God. The result is they turn from sin. This is what the Lord Jesus said to the woman who was taken in adultery—"go, and sin no more." In other words He preached repentance. The Lord Jesus began His ministry with "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," MAT 4:17. What do we mean by "the kingdom of heaven is at hand"? EPH 2:1- 2 says, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Jesus' call to repentance is a call to turn from serving Satan and sin to enter into His service now, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, i.e., HEB 3:7 says, "Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice." V:8 continues, "Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness." By nature we serve the devil; by nature we serve the prince of the power of the air. If that kingdom of heaven is at hand, it means we must enter the service of the Lord today; it is at hand. Amen. |
|