Pastor Steve Barke; GOOD and ANGRY!

Well, Happy New Year. So I ask Renee say one thing for me today. Don't tell him what year this is or what year did Mark its marked by but this is 5780 years since the creation of Adam according to the Jewish tradition and what of course we say, this is 2019 years since the birth of Christ according to the Christian tradition, but they're pretty close to know. It's amazing to take both of those and by golly the Bible just lines up with with all that history. You can read about Russia Shawna and Leviticus 23 23 through 32. I have an unusual prologue before the sermon even starts today is something that we were praying for for a long time. Right the last two decades Christians in the Middle East or suffering greatly. They were being kicked out there were being killed and driven out of their Homeland and we would pray and we'd say Lord. We're just a little church. There's nothing we can do about this, but we would ask that he would move the Nations that have the power to rescue our Christian brothers and sisters. And in a very unusual way we've kind of turn the corner. There's a lot to be done, but I want to share with you something that our president said now, if you're not a big fan of our president, you can give praise the Lord cuz you can say all look even a blind hog finds a acorn once in a while or if you are a fan of of the present that you might appreciate this but here's the thing is when we were praying for this. 10 years ago 15 years ago if the Lord had said, yeah, I'm going to have somebody go to the UN. And argue for Religious Freedom and that person is going to be Donald Trump. We were got no way we would have never thought that he might answer that prayers for Donald Trump. But God does work in mysterious ways. I just want to share some of what he said cuz I didn't see it on the news and I think it support because it's exactly what we were praying for. So President Trump's address last week, maybe this week before that Mark the first time that an American leader convened a un meeting on religious freedom. These are his words. The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government. They come from God our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful prosperous and virtuous Society than the right to follow one one's religious convictions. He goes on to say today. With one clear voice the United States of America calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution as president protecting religious. Freedom is one of my highest priorities. It is estimated that 11 Christians are killed every day for following the teachings of Christ. Who would even think that's possible in this day and age?

We are urging Every Nation to increase the prosecution and Punishment of crimes against religious communities. This includes measures to prevent the intentional destruction of religious sites and Relics. The United States is forming a coalition of us businesses for the protection of religious freedom. Too often people in positions of power preach diversity while silencing shunning or censoring the faithful true tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express our deeply held religious beliefs.

It's the last one today. I asked all nations to join us in this urgent moral duty. We ask the governments of the world honor the Eternal right of every person to follow their conscience live by their faith and give glory to God. The United States has a vital role in this crucial Mission and that remarkable. I mean, that's what we were praying for. Now he's talking about it. I'll get you a copy that he's talking about it, but we still have to see it, you know, so we got to keep our prayers vigilant. That's just Preamble. The sermon today is about anger and it's a little bit of relates to this because we saw people suffering and it made us angry, but there was nothing we could do but there's a time in history when saw cuts open Cuts up oxen when he gets good and angry so are some of the day is called good and angry and it's an honor of one of my nephews when he was about 2 years old when he get frustrated and upset. He'd say, I'm good and angry. And that was so cute back that makes about 40 now. It's not so cute. I want to make fun of this impediment. You gets really really angry.

But you might not know this little story. So I'll just give you a quick update in my own words are but a lot scripture here, but you can read this in first Samuel 11 and saw I've been working is filled with his two oxen and he comes home and when he comes home everybody is morning. All is everybody in his hometown is mourning and grieving and what is going on, and this is what happened is a super large group of ammonites in the king said that we're going to take you out or we're going to plunder you entirely you going to be gone unless you come to us for terms of peace. And they said okay, what are your terms of Peace? Nahash the king of the ammonites offer them terms of peace. I will make peace with you on this condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every man and make you a disgrace upon all Israel. They didn't have the means to fight back. I thought it was over in so they can you imagine the humiliation of lining up the men. and armies Of the ammonites just gouging out an eye. Look what it says here the spirit of the Lord the spirit of God Came Upon Saul mightily. When he heard these words and he became extremely angry. He took a team of the auction and cut them into pieces and sent them through the territory of all Israel by messenger saying whoever does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel the same shall be done to his oxen. Then fear of the Lord fell out all the people and they came out as one man and saw assembled an army of 330,000 Israelites.

And they did not lose their eyes. And saw actually ended up being King. I was always excited to read about Saul the first time I read through as a young man because Saul was taller than anybody else.

But then he didn't have very good career. So we kind of sad to read as I was a young man. I remember doing that.

But notice the power of anger anger is really one of the most powerful you and emotions and because of that we have to be so careful with it most of the time we're trying to contain but there is a time for righteous indignation. Jesus was good and angry remember when he turned over the tables. Eddie brandish the whip And you know what made him. So angry. He said my house. My father's house was jealous for his father's house my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.

And they had put all the buying and selling in the Gentile Court. So the Jews could worship their but the Gentiles had to put up with all these animals and it was no place that they could worship. We also see that God the father that we go. We also see what was coming back. We also said that God the father and the Holy Spirit could be good and angry. Sometimes this reference out of numbers is a group of faction of had decided to work against Moses and the Lord just opened up the ground and swallow all the people and there's never been anything like that. And then the last one is the Holy Spirit.

When ananias and Sapphira, this is in the New Testament. Sometimes we think all the New Testament, you know, Old Testament harsh but the New Testament this is you know, Christ mild and tender. Well the Holy Spirit took ananias and Sapphira and slew them right in the church because I have lied. to the Holy Spirit So there is a time for righteous indignation.

What else made Jesus angry was when Peter placed his will above God's will? Remember after you're amazing confession who Jesus was Jesus said in the son of man is going to have to be crucified and cheese and Peter says no, no, it must never happen. And Jesus said to Peter and said get behind me Satan. Your your thoughts are your own not God's thoughts.

He also got angry at the Pharisees for pretty putting undue legal burdens. I got people adding to the word to make it more burdensome for people adding to the gospel adding to the Bible to make it less accessible to people that burns uses up. And so he called them whitewashed tombs and a brood of vipers. Another thing that got him very upset was causing a little one who believes in him to stumble or descend. You know like Buddhism. It's all about being dispassionate. We are going to decide if your study little Buddhism. It's like if you can just really be dispassionate that can be good and evil all around you, but just But Jesus was not dispassionate. He says look you cause one of these little ones to stumble. It'd be better if you had a millstone tied around the neck your neck and thrown into the sea. Jesus got worked up. So we having us this amazing power of anger, but most of the time we got to control it. But when the Holy Spirit brings anger to us if it's of the spirit, then we don't always want to muffle it. We don't want to miss what it's capable of doing for us and in doing in this world.

So this time I'm talking about anger. We're going to look at some different passages from anger to help us try to understand our own anger how to relate to it how to use it effectively how to not get caught up on it next week. I'm going to talk about the duty of joy. Everything about anger today, which is one of my favorite topics. It really is cuz it's such a strong emotion. But we we we tend to reject it entirely and then joy as an obligation as a duty that we owe to God is what we talked about next week following week. I might have a friend come and preach that David daubenspeck be there in the following week and then I'll probably start another book or some one series, but here's a really important passage out of Ephesians 4:26 in your anger. Do not sin. This is important being angry is not per se sitting 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. So you don't want to you don't want to do what you want without things quickly and you don't want to brood over it. You know, sometimes when I'm angry somebody I can just take a shower and think about everything they did to me that day. Right? So we don't want to brood over it. It is possible to be angry and justly angry and not to send but we want to resolve those quickly. And then he says get rid of all bitterness rage and anger brawling and slander and every form of malice be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. So Christians shouldn't be marked by our anger. But that doesn't mean we should never be angry.

James says it well says look, we got to have control over this my dear brothers take note of this.

My dear brothers take note of this everyone that should apply to everybody here. Everyone everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to become angry.

For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you.

Galatians 5. This is what Derek read for us. And you know, he made a great point. Is he doesn't just give us a list but he gives us his Spirit to overcome. He gives us his Spirit to empower us and you know when you bear fruit, that's just what happens if a plant is biting. Fruits going to come that's what plants do. They don't even have to work at it. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious sexual immorality impurity debauchery idolatry idolatry and Witchcraft hatred Discord jealousy fits of Rage. So if you have fits of Rage, it's probably not righteous indignation. It's probably something you got to get control of and it's from Walking In the Flesh walking in the spirit on on the other hand gives us another side of things. So fits of Rage selfish ambition dissensions factions and envy drunkenness orgies and the like I warned you as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God someday. I could give a whole sermon on what that means to inherit the kingdom of God, but I don't think it means you lose your salvation. That's the cliff notes on that. But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace, patience kindness gentleness goodness, faithfulness gentleness extra gentleness in there just cuz I think some of you guys are kind of rough. And self-control against such things there is no law. So we should be typified our lives should be expressed and self-control and our anger should be in self-control. So even when the Bible says, you know, it's okay to spank kids. And you know spare the rod spoil the child still we know you never discipline a child out of anger.

So we need to have self control Even in our anger Jesus when he was flipping out over those tables and brandishing that whip he was not out of control. He was not out of control. So we need to be in self-control if we're ever going to use anger and an anger is a power that we can use.

Anger always represents Adam and this is probably the most insightful thing I have today. So make sure you follow it anger always reppin that it represented a man. So if there's something that's making me angry. That means I don't think you should be doing that. So let's think of an example here. I suppose I loan my car to a family member and everytime they bring it back. I came to get to a gas station. Oh, that's making me angry. So that's probably pretty just expectacion. That's probably a pretty easy boundary to put up say okay. That's the last time you do that. Otherwise, you never borrow the car again. Her left, the cars are going without me.

Wake me up side effects with my illustrations had a really impressive. Anger always represents a demand. So if you can isolate that demand like let's say You're really angry your kids cuz they're always spilling milk. Love your kids are 3 years old. Guess what? That's what three year old kids do. So it's not a reasonable demand get him one of those floppy cups or something. I don't know sippy cups. floppy disks and sippy cups What you want to be able to articulate the demand that you have like here's a curfew. I'm articulating it. It's a reasonable curfew. Maybe not maybe it's a 5 p.m. Curfew and that's not reasonable. But you want to evaluate look this is my house. These are my kids. I can set a curfew they're living off the family land here. So that's probably a reasonable and we don't want to kids out, you know all night doing crazy stuff. So that's probably a very reasonable to man. And so once you articulate what it is, it's making you angry and sometimes you'll get like you'll get like it's just so silly like save somebody's practicing a shofar when they got something. She didn't really practice last night you can tell but

But the guy just want you I want you articulate what the demand is then you can sort it out. Like what would Jesus do? Then you want to ask God's wisdom. Is this something I need to stand up for? How many times I mean it's always easier to compromise on the curfew? It's always easier to compromise on the reuleaux. You can't have those substances in this house. Okay, you did it. Okay. I caught you know if it's a reasonable demand we don't have to compromise. Sometimes we need to stand our ground. Know as much as angry as Adam and there's also difficult people that the Lord uses in our lives to stretch our self-control, especially with this challenge of anger and they revealed blind spots that already exists and they challenge us to New Growth. and what makes a difficult person I think I got these from

Pastor Rick Warren But they all started with the so maybe they're pretty easy to remember but what makes a difficult person demanding people are difficult.

But if it's your coach that might be a judge demand. Dishonest people that's very challenging disagreeable people defensive people demeaning people. You probably have your list infected public some people coming to mind right now, maybe so But recognize hey, this person is maybe put in my life to let me grow in this area. Hey Lord, is my opportunity? It's a growth opportunity. Thank you, Lauren. I want to talk a little bit more about the anger and how we can Master it and not let it Master us. every time I hurry up So what must we do when we have disc difficult people? We have to realize we can't please everybody. Jesus said I seek not to please myself, but him who sent me. So if somebody's making an unreasonable demand, you can't keep capitulating where they call that today and labeling, right? So you got to be able to hold your ground and say look this is what I think the Lord wants me to do. He wants me to put a firm boundary. It's what you really need.

This verse just always kind of gets under my skin woe to you when all people speak. Well of you. Jesus is anticipating look you stand for my principles and you can offend people and really that ought to happen people ought to notice.

Peter says do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult, but with blessing because to this you were called.

So that you may inherit a blessing. The Proverbs tells us a fool shows his annoyance at once but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

That can be tough.

I think we have to set up a boundary and refused to cave in. Don't let the world squeeze you into its own mold. That's a Phillips translation, but it really is do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Do we have backbone need Backbone in this world that is trying to squeeze this. And it seems like more and more. Simply let your yes be yes and your no be no anything beyond this comes from the evil one resolved not to argue. We don't have to get mired down and religious debates are political debates to say yes or no. Jesus knowing their evil intent said you Hypocrites why you trying to trap me? You didn't argue on the merits ever bring it and he just called him out. And you guys you guys are really asking you trying to trap me.

Proverbs tells us as charcoal to Embers and wood to a fire. So is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

so we won't be careful to know who to avoid look at it how Paul writes to Thai distances warn a divisive person once And then warned him a second time after that have nothing to do with him. So if you know somebody is really argumentative he brings up all your time and maybe you found this on the internet have to be engaged in this argument that just brings me down. God does not want us ensnared in such worthless conflicts with a result conflicts quickly. Don't let the dog out. Don't let the sun go down on an argument and do not give the devil a foothold.

There is an enemy we have out there. And he is looking for the times when even the times when we might be justly angry where he can push us a little too far and make us unreasonable and alienate us from some relationship is really important to us.

Remember, he says look if you want to offer up an offering at the temple and you know, your brother has something against you go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.

James tells us again. My dear brothers take note of this. Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to become angry. Respond with love. Love means giving a person. What he needs not just what he deserves. I highly recommend the book boundaries by cloud and Townsend. That's really good. It's it's talks about when to say yes and when to say no and how did not feel guilty about it. And so loving loving a person doesn't mean always giving them what they asked sometimes loving a person means giving him a boundary. And having the resolved and it takes result because as soon as you put up a boundary that person's coming at it with everything. They've got I bet I go from preaching to Medellin now.

You know, you might want to go back to that list about what's a difficult person and think of anybody's got you in mine. About that, but we don't want to be difficult people. Now I have one more closing thought the hopefully pulls a lot of this together.

about a year ago Tim and I went down to San Diego with a friend of mine and we saw What they're introducing into the schools in San Diego? The SEC said that they're introducing. And I guess I got a little snippet on that.

Where the chance to meet this Jeannie Bryant and that she's a well-informed Observer. That's what she does and she described the Statewide sex education curriculum enforced by the San Diego School District. These sexually perverse educational directives are raining in our schools. And not only in San Diego Bryant noted said the San Diego School Board districts admission that the program uses p*** to teach kids about sex. and defended its use

she groups working on implementing. This curriculum are the pro-homosexual advocates for youth. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU what brings them all together? These are groups that really just a pose whatever is in the Bible. If you want to know what the common denominator is often times just look at their feelings towards the Bible. The material these are all bullet points from from Jenny Bryant obituary does not medically scientifically or biologically accurate and in the seminar, she showed all these inaccuracies. Abortion is taught as a form of birth control in our schools. Parental consent is not needed to obtain any services in the San Diego schools sex is taught as kid-friendly and viewed as more of a sport something for self pleasure. My thought is this how to make us angry. And some I pray that this stuff gets out of our schools. And if this stuff doesn't get out of our schools that our kids get out of our schools. And you can well that's a big prayer. How's that going to be answered? I don't know. I would have never guessed Donald Trump. And I want to notice I want everybody to notice and hear me real clear. I'm not saying that all gay teachers or LGBT people should be out of our Public Schools. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just anybody with this agenda to sexualize kids at a young age. I don't care what their preferences they need to get out of there. Okay, and we need to be angry about that because that's a reasonable reasonable demand and we know that Jesus who says look whoever causes one of these little ones to believe in me to stumble it be better for him to have a millstone tied around its neck and be thrown into the sea is just no excuse for bringing us into our children. So this is we prayed before that the nation's by move whatever. Dacious prayer that was but maybe we should pray today that you did the kids will get out of the school or this agenda will get out of the school and praise. God want you. Here's one thing we can do. little bit of a charter school and be careful about the charter school because not all charter schools are the same. In fact, I'm disappointed. Even our charter school here is teaching yoga classes. I know the girl who's teaching at she's a sweet woman. She loves she loves the kids spread than the Lord, but that doesn't know what she's dealing with. So I want you to pray about that for me too, cuz I kind of want to bring that up, but I don't know how to do it to pray for that. But this is the last time that classes taught here and I don't have any right to to say why they shouldn't teach that really separate renting than the space.

Pray for that pray for the charter schools to thrive. I was talking to Justin just this morning and he says it is so political and the battle between the the teachers union and the charter schools is just Raging Raging in the the governor's much less sympathetic than the last one was that's putting it mildly. So does that make you angry?

What's good news?

Well, that is good news will see how that goes. Praise the Lord.

That's our focus on the family that's sponsoring that and they've gotten a little bit of blowback for that to haven't they let's go ahead and never underestimate the power of God's people. when we pray and don't and don't allow yourself to lose the outrage. Remember when when saw came back the spirit of God fell on him mightily and he was extremely angry. So it's just so easy to be complacent when we think about, you know, all the stuff that our kids watch and see it. It it it it it it it up not to say hey. Wait a minute. What are you bringing that stuff to our kids? What? What is your purpose can't you just do that in college while mentary school? So I'll let's join our hearts together. Father we know that you live in the Praises of your people. We know that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much. We know that you can do above and beyond whatever we could comprehend. We know that your sympathies are with us on this one. We know that it breaks your heart when when little ones are comp.