March 8, 2009
Sermon #774
Be Angry and Don’t Sin
Introduction: Have you ever lost your temper and then felt guilty because you did? Well you should! Loosing your temper, striking out either physically or verbally, is a perversion of a gift of God and any perversion of good is sin. Last week in my sermon, I said that I was angry at certain things but I said that the anger was justified. The Scripture says…
Ephesians 4:17 - 28 (NKJV) 17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20But you have not so learned Christ, 21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27nor give place to the devil. 28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
Anger is not sinful, God has anger, and our anger is part of His nature. It is what we do with our anger that makes it sin.
There is a valid anger
God is angry
Psalm 7:6 - 11 (NKJV) 6Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded! 7So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; For their sakes, therefore, return on high. 8The Lord shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me. 9Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. 10 My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
ILL: The Bible tells us 375 times about God being angry.
Jesus got angry
Mark 3:1 - 6 (NKJV) 1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
ILL: I would not like to see the face of Jesus filled with anger! I’ve never seen Him depicted that way.
John 2:13 - 17 (NKJV) 13Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
What do you get angry about?
ILL: A professor at Campbell College rebuked Evangelist Charles Howard for getting emotional when he was preaching. Some times latter the two were at a ball game and Campbell was loosing. The professor’s son was on the team and the professor got very excited and angry. Charles Howard told the professor, “You get emotional about the wrong things.”
Anger is always the result of a real or perceived injustice – the closer you are to the one treating you unjustly the greater the anger!
II. Anger at a perceived injustice
2 Kings 5:9 - 13 (NKJV) 9Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
Naaman thought Elisha’s response to his need was foolish
Naaman thought Elisha’s response to his need was disrespectful
Naaman thought Elisha’s response to his need was an opportunity to show God’s power
Naaman did not have all the facts!
ILL: Years ago, before Mary and I had received our call to ministry we were building a house. I mean we were actually building the house. I came to the building site to find our two small girls in the yard alone. I mean no one was with them. I took the girls to Mary’s mother’s home. Mary came into her Mother’s house with one of her girl friends and they were laughing. I blew up at her. She had left our daughters alone and in danger. I yelled at Mary, she yelled back at me, my hand went up and I slapped her. It was not until much latter that I found out that Mary had left the girls with my mother and she had forgotten that they were there playing in the yard and had left them. Wow! Something I have regretted all the rest of my life. I actually struck the person I love most in life in anger – all because I have a preconceived injustice and did not know the facts.
What I did:
Had stress from the overload of working and trying to build the house
Had feelings of frustration and disappointment fueled by anger
Built the anger in my mind
What I should have done
Halt the anger
Gather the facts
III. Impulsive anger only builds
1 Samuel 20:28 - 34 (NKJV) 28So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.” 30Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. 34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.
ILL: Someone wrote: “Anger is one letter short of danger”
ILL: Will Rogers said, “People fly into a rage always make a bad landing.
ILL: Look at the anatomy of Impulsive anger.
Saul had an explosive anger
His anger moved from David to his own son, Jonathan
His anger moved to verbal abuse even calling his wife names
His perceived wrong was that he began to believe that David would take Jonathan’s crown.
Now he ties to kill Jonathan?
Jonathan now receives the spirit of Saul’s anger!
Both David and Jonathan used the only available strategy – withdrawal!
If you have a verbal or physical abusive spouse (or lover) – love them enough to leave them rather than let them hurt you and destroy their self-esteem.
IV. What about normal anger?
Normal Anger? Of course – real or perceived injustice in any relationship. We all have it!
Luke 22:20 - 40 (NKJV) 20Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 21But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” 23Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. 24Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
28“But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” 31And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” 35And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing.”
36Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. 37For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For the things concerning Me have an end.” 38So they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” 39Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
They “began to question”
There was a “dispute” = argument
Simon is angry “I will go with you to prison and to death” (Peter’s ego has been bruised that always creates anger)
ILL: Gary Chapman, the author of “The five languages of love” was a speaker at the Christian Writers Conference I just attended and who sparked the idea for this message says that when we “give each other the right to feel anger, we are giving each other the right to be human.”
Acknowledge your anger to the other
Recognize that verbal or physical explosions are not appropriate responses
Seek an explanation before passing judgment
Seek a resolution
Affirm your love after an argument
Conclusion:
Luke 17:1 - 4 (NKJV) 1Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. 3Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
“If your brother sins” real or perceived wrong = anger
“Rebuke” confront the problem = lay a weight against it
“Repents” gives an explanation or stops the action
“Forgive” = affirm your love.
That is what God has done for us in Christ!
