The Fire Inside Us
Untamed: When anger takes control • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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SERIES: UNTAMED: WHEN ANGER TAKES CONTROL
Week 1: The Fire Inside Us
Week 1: The Fire Inside Us
I WANT TO start with a simple question THIS MORNING....
Have you ever been driving down the road,
minding your own business,
when suddenly someone cuts you off?
You slam the brakes.
Your heart starts pounding.
Your hands grip the steering wheel tighter.
And suddenly a wave of anger rises up inside you.
Now here’s the strange thing.
Just a moment earlier you were calm.
You might have been listening to worship music.
You might have been thinking about your day.
But one moment… one action…
and suddenly something inside you ignites.
Anger has a way of doing that.
It rises quickly.
It surprises us.
And if we’re not careful,
it takes control before we even realize what’s happening.
But anger doesn’t just show up on the road.
It shows up in marriages.
It shows up in parenting.
It shows up at work.
It shows up in churches.
It shows up in our hearts.
ANGER IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR MOST OF US
THE BIBLE MENTIONS ANGER SPECIFICALLY
OVER 200 TIMES
WHICH MEANS THIS IS A HUGE DEAL
EXTENDED PERIODS OF ANGER....
RAISE YOUR HEART RATE
RAISE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
ADRENILINE ENTERS THE BLOOD STREAM
IT CAN LEAD TO CARDIAC ARREST
ANGER WILL SHORTEN YOUR LIFE
IT CLOUDS YOUR BRAIN FUNCTION
IT LOWERS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
IT INCREASE YOUR RISK OF STROKE BY OVER 50%
ANGER IS CONSIDERED THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF ROAD SIDE ACCIDENTS WITH AGRESSIVE DRIVING CONSTITUTING 66% OF TRAFFIC FATALITIES
ANYBODY STRUGGLE WITH ANGER???
I KNOW WHAT YOUR THINGING RIGHT NOW...
I NEED TO SEND THIS TO MY FATHER IN LAW
HERE’S THE THING ABOUT CHRISITIANS...
CHRISTIANS DON’T GET ANGRY
WE GET FRUSTRATED
WE GET AGGRIVATED
TODAY WE ARE BEGINNING a new series:
Untamed: When Anger Takes Control.
Over the next SEVERAL weeks we’re going to TALK ABOUT:
where anger comes from
why it grows
what damage it can cause
when anger might be righteous
and how God transforms it.
And the truth that will guide this entire series is this:
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Human anger DOES NOT produce the kind of life God desires.
THIS LAST WEDNESDAY IN MARRIAGE CLASS WE TALKED ABOUT DEALING WITH ANGER...
ONE OF THE THINGS WE DUSCUSSED WAS THAT....
“YOU CAN BE RIGHT, BUT YOUR ANGER CAN MAKE YOU WRONG BEFORE GOD”
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
ANY OF THE MARRIED COUPLES IN THE HOUSE KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT...
OUR SPOUSES CAN BE RIGHT
BUT THE TONE AND ANGER IN THEIR VOICE, MAKES THEM WRONG...
OH MY LORD.......HELP US
BEFORE we DIVE INTO TALKING about THIS....
controlling anger,
we need to understand something important.
Anger itself... is not automatically sinful.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
1. Anger Is a God-Given Emotion
1. Anger Is a God-Given Emotion
Listen to the words of Paul:
26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
I LOVE HOW THE NLT SAYS IT.....
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
“Be Angry” Is Actually a Command
“Be Angry” Is Actually a Command
PAUL SAID.....
“Be angry and do not sin.”
The Greek phrase is ὀργίζεσθε (orgízesthe).
What surprised me was that.....
this verb is an imperative.
That means Paul is technically saying:
“Be angry.”
That sounds shocking at first.
LIKE....Why would the Bible command anger?
But Paul isn’t commanding people to become angry people.
Instead he is acknowledging something important:
THAT....Anger is a normal human response TO....... wrong.
The command is actually about...
how we handle anger once it appears.
The word Paul uses for anger is ὀργή (orgē).
This word doesn’t describe a sudden explosion.
It actually refers to a
deep, settled anger that grows over time.
OH COME ON....I KNOW NO ONE IS DEALING WITH THIS RIGHT NOW......
Ancient Greek writers often used orgē to describe
anger that slowly builds
until it becomes bitterness.
CHURCH....
That is why the second part of the verse warns:
“Do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
Paul is warning against
anger that settles in the heart
WATCH THIS.....
and stays there.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY....
YOU REMEMBER THAT THING THAT YOU KEEP BRINGING UP FROM THE PAST
THAT THING THAT IS EATING YOU ALIVE
OR ALWAYS SEEMS TO MAKE IT’S WAY INTO EVERY CONVERSATION OR ARGUMENT
THIS IS THE TYPE OF ANGER THAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT...
THE DANGEROUS ANGER THAT LINGERS
In the phrase:
“Do not let the sun go down on your anger”
The word for anger here is slightly different: παροργισμός (parorgismos).
IT means:
“provoked anger” or
“irritation that has been stirred up.”
The idea is:
Something happened that provoked you.
Paul IS WARNING US:
Don’t let that provoked anger linger long enough to grow into resentment
Notice what Paul does not say.
He does not say:
“Never be angry.”
he says:
“Be angry… and do not sin.”
That tells us something important CHURCH.
THAT....Anger itself is not the problem.
Anger is an emotion that God built into human beings.
God created us with emotions like:
joy
grief
love
compassion
fear
and anger.
ANGER CAN BE A GOOD THING,
IN FACT GOD CREATED THAT EMOTION IN US FOR GOOD....
PASTOR CHRIS....HOW CAN ANGER BE A GOOD THING?
Sometimes anger rises when something is wrong.
When injustice happens.
When someone we love is hurt.
When something good is threatened.
Anger can actually be a signal that
something is broken in the world.
YOU SHOULD remember something important.
Even God expresses anger toward evil and injustice.
“Imagine the scene FOR A MOMENT.
People are coming to the temple to worship God.
But instead of quiet prayer and reverence,
the temple courts sound like a noisy marketplace.
Animals are being sold.
Money is being exchanged.
People are being taken advantage of financially.
And Jesus walks into that scene.
He sees people exploiting worshippers in a place meant for prayer.
And something rises inside Him.
Not selfish anger.
Not pride.
But righteous anger.
Scripture says (DON’T READ JUST SKIP AND TALK)
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Jesus overturned the tables and drove the merchants out of the temple.
Why?
Because sometimes anger is the right response when ....
something sacred is being corrupted.”
HERE’S THE THING THOUGH..... God’s anger is always:
righteous
IT’S ALWAYS controlled
AND IT’S ALWAYS purposeful.
The problem is not the existence of anger.
The problem is when anger becomes untamed.
WHEN ANGER BEGINS TO CONTROL YOU
2. Untamed Anger Is Dangerous
2. Untamed Anger Is Dangerous
CHURCH...Anger is powerful.
In many ways anger is like fire.
HERE’S THE THING THOUGH....
WE KNOW THAT Fire can be incredibly useful.
Fire warms homes.
Fire cooks food.
Fire provides light in the darkness.
But WE ALSO KNOW,
ESPECIALLY LIVING IN CALAVERAS COUNTY THAT... when fire escapes its boundaries…
It becomes destructive.
It consumes everything in its path.
Anger works the same way.
When anger is controlled,
it can motivate justice.
But when anger becomes untamed,
it destroys relationships.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
22 An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
29 People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.
CHURCH....ANGER UNTAMED IS DEADILY TO EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.
Think about how many broken relationships began with anger.
MAYBE EVEN IN YOUR OWN LIFE....
YOU MAY BE EXPERIENCING BROKENNESS AND DESTRUCTION IN YOUR MARRIAGE....BECAUSE OF UNTAMED ANGER
Think about the harshest words that have ever been spoken.
EITHER TOWARD YOU OR FROM YOU
Many of them were spoken in anger.
Think about the regrets SOME people carry for years.
Often those regrets trace back to a moment when anger took control.
Anger is powerful.
And here is a truth we need to remember throughout this series:
Anger is a powerful servant,
but a terrible master.
When anger begins to control us,
it leads us places we never intended to go.
That’s why scripture warns us repeatedly about
the danger of uncontrolled anger.
And that’s why James said:
20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Left unchecked,
human anger does not lead to righteousness.
It leads to destruction.
3. God Calls Us to Handle Anger Wisely
3. God Calls Us to Handle Anger Wisely
Paul continues in the verse we read earlier AND SAYS....
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
SOMETIMES WE MAKE JOKES ABOUT THIS...
LIKE....DON’T GO TO BED ANGRY
STAY UP AND FIGHT.....LOL
BUT WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THIS...
Paul is not creating a literal bedtime rule.
He is teaching something deeper.
HE IS SAYING.....
Don’t let anger settle into your heart.
Because anger that lingers begins to grow.
OH COME ON SOMEBODY.....
Anger becomes resentment.
Resentment becomes bitterness.
Bitterness becomes division.
Unresolved anger spreads through our hearts and relationships.
That is why scripture calls believers to live differently.
AS A BELIEVER YOU CAN’T NOT FORGIVE
IT IS A REQUIREMENT AS A CHRISTIAN
WE ARE CALLED TO FORGIVE....
God calls us to become people who reflect His character.
And when God describes Himself in scripture, He says:
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
HE SAYS, HE IS....
Slow to anger.
Not emotionless.
Not indifferent.
But patient.
Measured.
Wise.
CHURCH....
God invites us to grow into that same kind of character.....AMEN
WORSHIP TEAM JOIN ME.....
let me ask you something honestly this morning.
What does anger look like in your life?
Do you explode when you get angry?
Do you withdraw and let resentment simmer quietly?
Do you replay arguments in your mind long after they happened?
Are you carrying anger from years ago?
Some people today are carrying anger toward:
a spouse
a parent
a coworker
a church leader
a friend
or even toward God.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND....
AS that anger quietly sits in the heart.
IT CORRODES
AND IT SLOWLY KILLS
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE CLASS THIS LAST WEEK WAS.....
HOW ULTIMATELY UNCONTROLLED ANGER IS CAUSED BY SELFISHNESS...OR OWN SELFISH DESIRES.
WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IN WEEK 3...BUT
Today is not about pretending anger doesn’t exist.
Today is about recognizing it.
Because the first step toward transformation
is honesty.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
Anger often begins with something small.
A comment.
A disagreement.
A misunderstanding.
A hurt feeling.
At first it’s just a spark.
But if that spark isn’t handled carefully,
it spreads.
Wildfires don’t start big.
They start with a single spark in dry grass.
And if nothing stops it,
that spark spreads across miles of land
destroying everything in its path.
Anger works the same way.
A small spark becomes resentment.
Resentment becomes bitterness.
Bitterness becomes division.
And before long relationships that took years to build...... are destroyed.
OH LORD HELP US TO GRAB A HOLD OF THE SEVERITY OF THIS......
STAND TO YOUR FEET
STAND TO YOUR FEET
Altar Call – “Surrendering Untamed Anger”
Altar Call – “Surrendering Untamed Anger”
EVERY HEAD BOWED AND EYE CLOSED
Before we LEAVE TODAY,
I want to ask you a very honest question.
What anger are you carrying right now?
Maybe it’s anger toward someone who hurt you.
Maybe it’s anger toward a family member.
Maybe it’s anger toward someone who betrayed your trust.
Maybe it’s anger you’ve carried for years.
Or maybe you’re angry at God because something in your life didn’t turn out the way you hoped.
today God IS inviting you to release something you’ve been holding onto.
anger will come—
but it does not have to control you.
And maybe today you recognize something.
Maybe anger has been controlling your heart.
Maybe it’s been affecting your relationships.
Maybe it’s been stealing your peace.
But here is the good news:
Jesus doesn’t just forgive our sins.
He heals our hearts.
SO.... today THESE ALTARS ARE OPEN
HE INVITES US to bring our anger to Him.
NOT TO hide it.
Not TO pretend it doesn’t exist.
But TO surrender it.
So AS THE WORSHIP TEAM PLAYS.
WOULD YOU COME TODAY
LETS WORSHIP
.....................AFTER THE ALTAR CALL.....................
RESPONDING TODAY:
is the beginning of freedom.
This is the beginning of healing.
So this week I want to challenge you to pay attention to something.
Notice when anger STARTS TO CREEP IN
WHEN THAT HAPPENS
Pause and ask yourself:
Why am I angry?
What is happening in my heart?
Because transformation begins
when we start paying attention to....
what God wants to change.
over the NEXT SEVERAL weeks,
we’re going to learn together how God can transform even our anger. AMEN
“Lord, you see every heart in this room.
You see the wounds,
the frustrations,
the disappointments,
YOU SEE the anger that people carry.
FATHER today we bring those things to you.
Lord, WOULD YOU begin healing OUR hearts.
Replace THE anger with peace.
Replace THE bitterness with grace.
Teach us to become people who reflect your character—
people who are slow to anger and rich in love.
Lord we need you, and we know this...
I believe many of us know that without you, we can do nothing
So Lord, We surrender our heart to you today
We give you all the praise and glory and honor
In Jesus’ name we pray......., Amen.”
