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In church this morning, the Pastor announced that they put stent in his leg, but it didn’t help. He’s still in a lot of pain. He has experienced this before and thinks the blockage is further up. It’s back to the doctor for him to see if, next time, they can get it right.
I run 4 ¼ miles before church. It is a little draining. I notice it when we stand up to sing. For a few seconds, the world starts to go gray and I feel a little woozy. Then it passes and I’m OK. I think it’s because my blood pressure is probably a little on the low side. When I stand up, it takes a few seconds for my heart to increase the pressure to push the blood to my brain. For a few seconds, my brain is operating on a reduced oxygen flow.
They brought in someone to sing this morning. As they introduced her, I noticed that she was slightly built and seemed a bit shy. But when she sat down to play the piano and sing that impression disappeared. She really brought the sound out of that piano. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a microphone so I could not hear her voice over the sound of the piano.
There’s a message to speakers there. When you go into a new setting, test all the equipment and setup to make sure it produces what you want.
This morning the pastor covered Matthew 5:21-26 in his series on the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:21-26
"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
The pastor said that Jesus is talking about the 6th commandment, “"You shall not murder.” The pastor asked, when the Bible says do not commit murder, did God also include war, abortion, killing in self-defense? The pastor said that in this passage, Jesus is talking about attitudes as well as actions.
The Pastor said that murder is a sin against both man and God. Jesus is saying, that if you are angry with someone, then you are just as guilty of the 6th commandment before God as if you had killed them.
The Pastor said the name “Raca” means empty head, good for nothing. Jesus even goes so far as to say that calling someone a fool is worthy of the fires of hell. The Pastor said that we all need to repent and stop our arrogance and pride.
He said that some people enjoy being angry. They don’t want to repent, they want to hold on to their anger.
Jesus says that God will judge those with anger in their heart as if they had committed murder. The Pastor urged the congregation to dwell on the positive and look for the good in your fellow man. Jesus goes beyond the letter of the law. Our obedience must begin in the heart and mind. The pastor’s final question was, “Have you checked you attitude lately?”
Posted by Ted at February 22, 2004 3:48 PM