Can you have victory over anger? Or are you stuck with it for life? Jesus moves into the “daily living” section of the Sermon on the Mount with a transforming practice that breaks the vicious cycle of anger.
Life in the Kingdom: Breaking Anger
November 17th, 2013 by Kasey Crawford
Today’s Passages: Matthew 5:21-26, 1 John 4:20, Romans 12:18
Review
The Sermon on the Mount is where Jesus sets forth a vision for a whole new way of life that is possible through following him- a life lived in God’s kingdom. The “kingdom” is when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. We “grab hold” of the kingdom through repentance (turning) and faith (action).
So the two most important questions in the life of a disciple are:
“What is God saying to me? (Repentance)”
“What am I going to do about it? (Faith)”
The broad structure of Jesus’ teaching carries the message that:
1) Soaking in our ______________ found in the beatitudes (Matt 5:1-11),
2) transforms us towards a ______________of being salt and light with a radical righteousness (Matthew 5:12-20)
3) that is walked out in our __________ ___________ (Matt 5:21-7:29)
New
Two things to look for in these teachings on daily living:
- The ___________ _____________of brokenness, which are the recurring results of what happens when God’s will is not done.
- A _______________ ________________ is a specific way that Jesus calls us to act that comes into agreement with God’s will for the situation.
Jesus gives us specific ways that we can line up our lives with God’s will in practices that ___________ the vicious cycles and ______________ His kingdom into our daily lives.
“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…” Matthew 5:21-22
We live in a world where ____________ is a vicious cycle that keeps going round and round and destroys relationships.
The anger-transforming practice is: pursue ________________.
“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…” Matt 5:23-24
It is more important to Jesus that we work on reconciling broken relationships than go to a ____________ _____________.
To empower yourself for this practice of daily living, soak in the reality of these beatitudes:
Blessed are the ____________…God has showed you massive undeserved mercy and forgiven an un-payable debt. And rather than give you what you deserve he pours kindness and goodness towards you every day.
Blessed are the ______________…God has gone to great lengths to make peace with you, to reconcile you back to Him. And part of why he died on the cross was to break down the wall of hostility between one another and bring reconciliation to our relationships, as he first did with us.
Living as a Disciple in the Kingdom…
What is God saying to you?
What are you going to do about it?
*Answers: identity, destiny, daily lives, vicious cycle, transforming practice, break, release, anger, reconciliation, worship service, merciful, peacemakers
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