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In Matthew 5:21-22 says, You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘You must not murder anyone. Any person who commits murder will be judged.’ But I tell you, don’t be angry with anyone. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. If you are angry with others, you will be judged. And if you insult someone, you will be judged by the high court. And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell.
One of the Ten Commandments says, you must not murder anyone. Jesus went over and above this and said, that you shouldn't even be angry with anyone. He went on to say that you would be judged if you are angry with anyone and that you would be in danger of hell if you insult someone. These are pretty serious warnings. It seems like everyone is angry these days. Jesus was characterised by being patient, loving, kind and compassionate, not by being angry. Here are some other Bible verses about being angry: Ephesians 4:31 Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Colossians 3:8 But now put these things out of your life: anger, losing your temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and saying shameful things. Colossians 3:13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. So, next time you feel angry, talk to God about it and forgive, just like Jesus forgave you. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. Before Jesus came, God's chosen people, the Israelites, were living by the books of the Law the Prophets. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the book of Leviticus is full of rules and regulations on how to fulfil these commandments. The problem was, they couldn't keep them all.
One of the purposes of the Law was to demonstrate our need for God. We can't be righteous on our own. The Israelites had to offer animal sacrifices regularly to cleanse themselves from sin. When Jesus came, he made us righteous through his death and resurrection. The Enduring Word Commentary explains four ways that Jesus fulfils the Law and the Prophets:
The Open Generation Study in 2022 polled 25,000 young people aged 13-17 years-old across 26 countries. They were questioned about their views on community, the world, faith, the Bible, Christians and Jesus. Here are some stats about Australian teens:
If you do the Math - those who believe that Jesus was raised from the dead AND that Jesus is God in human form, that equates to 138,000 teenagers in Australia who are open to the Gospel. I think we often assume that our friends, peers and neighbours won't be interested in hearing more about Jesus. We also worry about what people will think of us if we share our faith, or that we won't do a good job of explaining it. The first step is to pray for the non-Christians around you. That's a long list, so maybe choose a couple of people to start with. Ask God to show you who to pray for, for opportunities to talk about Jesus, and for wisdom to know what to say. Matthew 5:14-16 says,
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. In John 8:12 Jesus said that he was the light of the world. Jesus is no longer on the earth in the form of a human. We are now called to be the light, just like he was. Jesus was known by his good deeds. He was a friend to the lonely, healed the sick, provided for the poor, and taught the Good News of the Gospel. Jesus said we would be known by our good deeds too. We should be the light in our households, friendship groups, schools, work places and community. |
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