Anger Management

7 - Introduction:

what can happen when we allow our anger to get the best of us?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlET-eWefbQ.

Summarize the Passage: There is not just Anger issues this has turned to hate.

8 - Hate is an Ongoing Problem.

- The Asian Jews who first stirred up the crowd in Jerusalem were angry because Paul had refused to teach that gentile believers uphold the Mosaic law.

False Claim he brought unclean outsiders in Temple. - Turned to hate by stirring up mob.

- The Military Tribune had Paul Flogged.

False Assumption that he was an Egyptian stirring up an insurrection. and not a Roman Citizen.

- Ananias had Paul struck in the mouth for a benign statement.

False - “Guilty before proven innocent.”

- Paul’s Anger towards the High Priest for injustice.

Did not realize he was the High Priest.

- Subsequently, the men waiting in ambush for Paul were guilty of sinful anger, having made oaths before God to kill an innocent man who threatened their beliefs and grasp for power

“Cancel Culture.” - Any slew of issues in our society.

Anger is an emotional response that wells up within us when we come up against a blocked goal or are confronted with a truth or an event that disturbs our comfort or way of life.

Anger not a bad emotion, but the opposite of Love is not Anger, but indifference, but perhaps also hate. Anger can be the tipping point. Anger is an expression of Love, when something or someone we love is hurt. But Anger can be mis-directed.

When we are faced with this emotion, we have two choices of how to respond: we can either lash out at those close to us or those we blame for our anger, or we can take those feelings to the Lord and ask him to show us how to respond in a godly manner that will benefit us and those around us.

9 - Fear can lead to Anger which can lead to Hate.

Quote Pulse about the lies that lay in our hurt. “Lies Lie in our Wounds.”

In all of the cases of Anger in this Story.

- The Jewish People Remember when the Greeks took over their land and had killed anyone who obeyed Moses law - “Specifically” circumcision and set up an Idol on the Temple Court. After the erected a dividing wall that made it a capital punishment for Gentiles to enter the Jewish section of the Temple courts. - This fear led to the Anger, and ultimately the Hate.

This hate caused Ananias to judge based on assumptions.

The Military Tribunal was fearing an uprising that he would have to manage.

Paul fearing for his life.

What fears do we have that lead to fate.

let’s look at any issue that we face. - Racial Tensions. This is based on all kinds of mis-trusts and fears because of real historical experiences, or being a part of the crowd swayed by fear mongering, and ultimately the anger people experience, often times rightfully for an injustice that has occured, if un-managed turns into hate.

What is helpful in this passage for Managing our Anger?

10 - Jesus calls us to Truth in a World of Hate.

Not All Anger is Wrong. - Righteous Anger.

We must take our thoughts captive by asking ourselves, “How does (or doesn’t) this situation align with the righteousness of God?” - Paul aligns his response to Scripture when he learns Ananias is High Priest. - The Asian Jews would have done well to remember that God’s purpose for them is to be a light to the Gentiles/Nations.

Do our words or actions come from a godly desire to bring repentance and restoration within the body of Christ or within our community, or are they an attempt to control others?

We can also ask ourselves whether our response to a rebuke is an attempt to justify ourselves, our actions, or our way of life at the expense of another, or if it is because we’ve been unjustly accused of wrongdoing.

And finally, we must ask ourselves, “How can I allow God to use this situation to bring glory and honor to his name?”

Putting off anger doesn’t mean burying our emotions. God gave us the ability to feel anger for a reason, and there are times when it would be morally and spiritually wrong not to become angered by a situation.

What helped Paul with his Anger in this moment?

11 - We Can Manage our Own Anger.

He Remembered the Truth. Jesus had called him to Jerusalem, He proved himself to be courageous and stand up for Jesus, so He was sending him to Rome.

He Spoke the Truth. The Truth didn’t necessarily make his life easier, but if we are focused on the Truth, then we are able to receive the pain of the truth better. - Respect for Company who was ademate about the Truth in an SEC investigation. The Truth does set you free.

The Gospel Truth oriented Paul’s life, and changed him from a Man of Hate to a Man of Grace.

Conclusion:

When you find yourself in Anger. Ask yourself Where is the fear? Are there any lies lying in that fear? What is the Truth? And how can I apply the Truth to restore, heal, and transform the fears that lead to Hate.