Dealing with Anger
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An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
Good Morning! We are talking about storm proofing our lives. We understand from recent events, that the key to surviving a storm is to be prepared for it. Just like weather storms, the storms of our lives, things like disappointments, hurts, pain, betrayal, temptation and anger, are storms that brew inside of us and when left unchecked can spin out of control and damage our lives and the lives of others.
This morning we are going to look at anger. The morning I am preaching to myself. I struggle with anger issues. I confess that I am better than I used to be, but there are times in my life that anger raises its ugly head and the bible has a lot to say about anger.
If we quickly take a stroll through the wisdom literature of the bible, we anger as a prominent topic.
A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty;
rescue them, and you will have to do it again.
Whoever is patient has great understanding,
but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
Prover
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
Proverbs 22:
Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.
An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
The Bible shows us that God gets angry:
At Horeb you aroused the Lord’s wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you.
Deuteron
But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down.
So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son.
Just a few of the passages describing God being angry with man for our sins.
Anger is a natural emotion. God himself expresses anger. But, when anger becomes our primary emotion, when it is used inappropriately, it distorts the way we view the world around us. You know what I mean?
What are the thoughts that flow through your mind when you are angry? Are they pleasant and rational? Or are they seeking to hurt others as they have hurt you?
Anger is a warning sign. Anger is there to help us understand potentially destructive attitudes in us. Most of the time our anger manifests it self as a secondary emotion. Emotions that usually proceed anger are fear, hurt and frustration. These are energy draining emotions. We don’t want to address these because they take time, energy and vulnerability to address. So, what do we do? We become angry.
Sometimes anger is the proper response to an action or event. Anger lets us know there is a problem. It calls us to ask, what about this situation is making me angry?
But, Anger can lead to sinful action, if not handled correctly.
The believer should understand that there is appropriate and inappropriate anger and attempt to insure that his or her anger, like God’s, is proper to the situation.
Cain’s anger was used wrongly. ()
Let’s look at a few verses dealing with Unrighteous Anger.
Sometimes
Cain’s anger was used wrongly. ()
Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
Sometimes anger is the proper response to an action or event. Anger let’s know there is a problem.
Anger can lead to sinful action, if not handled correctly.
Cain’s anger was used wrongly. ()
The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
If you stay calm, you are wise, but if you have a hot temper, you only show how stupid you are.
On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas—to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at. But when the attendants delivered the king’s command, Queen Vashti refused to come. Then the king became furious and burned with anger.
NIRV
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
It is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities.
Proberbs 14:29
Righteous Anger is also spoken of in the Bible. Moses ()/ Jesus and the Pharisees (), Jesus clears the Temple ()
When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.
Mark 3:5
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
Jesus relates murder to anger. ()
So, there are three characteristics we see in righteous anger:
Righteous Anger is also spoken of in the Bible. Moses ()/ Jesus and the Pharisees (), Jesus clears the Temple ()
So, there are three characteristics we see in righteous anger:
It must be controlled.
It does not have hatred, malice or resentment.
Its motivation must be unselfish.
We are going to end here. Today, I wanted us to understand that anger is a natural emotion, but that in our lives it manifests itself as a secondary emotion. I wanted us to see example of righteous and unrighteous anger and remind us that both righteous and unrighteous anger can go south quickly. Paul understands this and cautions us to be angry when appropriate, but not to sin during it. ()
Paul calls us to be angry when appropriate, but not to sin during it. ()
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
See Paul understood that any anger can take us places we do not want to go. He reminds us to not sin, because he knows that it is easy to fall into sinful behaviors when we are angry.
He reminds us to not hold on to our anger and allow it to stew. He know that the more you think about it and internalize it, you begin to allow your anger to grow and become sinful. To give the devil a place to begin destroying you.
This weeks action is found in
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,