Are you keeping short accounts? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our (RE)FORMATION series with a message about reconciliation. 

Matthew 5:21-22
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. 

Jesus tells his followers that the real standard that God has begins in the heart. To what truths does this portion of the sermon on the mount point us?

1) It’s not about preparation, it’s about transformation.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law were disciplined and fastidious about keeping each regulation. Jesus tells his followers that they have to be even better than that. What hope do we have to do that?

We can’t be trained to live like this. We have to be transformed to live like this. 

Until our hearts have been humbled by the grace of God and transformed by the Holy Spirit, we can’t hope to live up to this standard.

2) It’s not the soil, it’s the seed.

Jesus is teaching that the only difference between a person who hates and a person who murders is the context they are living in. The seed is the same, only the soil is different.

Just because you were unquestionably wronged does not make you unquestionably right.

Offense can blind us to our own faults and produce a condescending sense of superiority. The Gospel removes the self-righteousness from our anger and moves us to love others, especially those who are wrong.

3) It’s not about proving who’s wrong, it’s about making things right.

Most people spend more energy proving others wrong than the energy they spend reconciling. Want a simple rule of thumb?

Keep short accounts with God and with others. 

Jesus tells us what we should do when we have hurt someone. In Matthew 18 Jesus talks about what we should do when someone has hurt us. Here’s the point:

Whether you’ve wronged someone, or they’ve wronged you, it’s always your move!