Anger

Anger

June 29, 2014 Morning Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: We must be in control of our anger.

Focus Passage: Ephesians 4:26-27

Introduction: A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. "There's nothing wrong with losing my temper," she said. "I blow up, and then it's all over." "So does a shotgun," Sunday replied, "and look at the damage it leaves behind!" Billy Sunday

An author for Reader's Digest writes how he studied the Amish people in preparation for an article on them. In his observation at the school yard, he noted that the children never screamed or yelled. This amazed him. He spoke to the schoolmaster. He remarked how he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked why the schoolmaster thought that was so. The schoolmaster replied, "Well, have you ever heard an Amish adult yell?" Reader's Digest.

I. It’s OK to be angry

a. There are things to be angry about

b. Righteous indignation; murder, rape, injustice, people or things that thwart God’s purposes

c. Too often, we get angry about things that really doesn’t matter

d. Many times, we simply choose to be angry about something

e. Ask yourself, “did the other person mean to harm me or hurt my feelings?”

II. Don’t let anger control you

a. When anger is in control, we sin

b. Hateful, spiteful words and actions

c. You do and say things that you would never do otherwise

d. Uncontrolled anger turns into grudges with can actually affect your health

III. Control your anger

a. Give the problem to God

b. Ask yourself, “why am I angry?”

c. Forgive the person

i. Forgiveness is a command

ii. Holding a grudge is a sin

iii. Refusing to forgive is an indicator that you have never properly been forgiven

d. Move on (build a bridge and get over it)

Application/Invitation: Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn't sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a kindly Lutheran pastor," Corrie wrote, "to whom I confessed my failure after two sleepless weeks." "Up in the church tower," he said, nodding out the window, "is a bell which is rung by pulling on a rope. But you know what? After the sexton lets go of the rope, the bell keeps on swinging. First ding, then dong. Slower and slower until there's a final dong and it stops. I believe the same thing is true of forgiveness. When we forgive, we take our hand off the rope. But if we've been tugging at our grievances for a long time, we mustn't be surprised if the old angry thoughts keep coming for a while. They're just the ding-dongs of the old bell slowing down." "And so it proved to be. There were a few more midnight reverberations, a couple of dings when the subject came up in my conversations, but the force -- which was my willingness in the matter -- had gone out of them. They came less and less often and at the last stopped altogether: we can trust God not only above our emotions, but also above our thoughts." Corrie ten Boom.

Give your anger to God. Ask God for forgiveness and then forgive others. Be quick to forgive. If you are holding a grudge, confess that to God and ask for forgiveness, then forgive the one with whom you’re angry.