Be Angry, But Do Not Sin

Everyone has their Pet Peeve... One of mine is ……telemarketers.

Is there any group more persistent than telemarketers?

Like the determined character in a horror movie, once a telemarketing company has you in its sights, it won’t stop chasing you until you agree to buy some product you have no interest in.

In a time when people tend to carry smartphones everywhere, telemarketers can strike you anytime and are seemingly impervious to disinterest or outright anger.

Tell them you’re not interested? They’ll call back.

Ask them to take your number off their list?

They might… or they might not and call once again to inflict their torture.

If they encounter your answering machine … they may leave a recorded message... but you can be assured ……they will call again.

Even If you are registered with the “do not call” service, ...as we have...chances are … that you will still receive a call.

I had a message left on my answering machine ……3 or 4 times a week for almost a year ... that assured me it was my last chance ...for a lower rate on my credit card.

I recently read ... if the message on your answering machine... begins with the tone of a disconnected line ……that most of these calls will cease.

I guess I need to give that…… a try. (Pause)

What gets to you?

Your neighbor's son or daughter…… playing music too loud.

At the family gatherings… a certain relative insists on being the center … of attention.

You are on time ... and you wish others ...would be ……as courteous.

You are extremely neat with all you do ...and wish the other members of the household … were as together... as you. (Pause)

You feel you have a right... to be angry ... So ……You ...become angry.

Yet ...what are you going to do ...with that anger?

Will you stay angry ...until the responsible parties ...acknowledge ...their guilt?

Well...You may wait ...a very long time.

Will you stay angry ...until you feel... you have sufficiently …Quote... “paid them back”?

Well...Who got…… paid back?

Will you get even ...by sharing their crime ...with others?

Congratulations, …you have just enlarged ...the problem.

Will you explode at them... because you cannot take the injustice ...any longer?

Well……Not much ...got solved did it?

Anger is a subtle ...emotion.

It often is veiled ...behind other emotions ...because ...we are afraid ...to acknowledge they even exist.

Perhaps ... you have been told ...it is wrong ...to get angry.

Maybe you feel justified... with your anger ... but do not know …... what to do ...with it.

(Sarcastic) We certainly... are not able to confront the person ...who made us angry …… good heavens... no.

We would rather… keep our anger... than do that.

Most people ...when they are full of anger... become ... Very passive.

That is safer, ...or so we think.

We still might get even... but in more acceptable ways than throwing a chair... or shouting at the top... of our voice.

We procrastinate, ...show up late, ...lower our performance, ...dress sloppy, ...obstruct progress, ...cut with humor, ...shut off... criticize to our understanding friends... or use other indirect methods ...of getting even.

At home ...some feel freer ……about exploding.

They treat those … they say they love... With less respect…then they would treat…a stranger.

At church …or in the workplace... we are more devious ...or indirect.

Anger …is one of the hardest emotions ...for Christians ...to deal with ... Due to the confusion ...regarding it.

We often... do not acknowledge we have it ...because…… we feel ...we are not supposed ...to have it... In the first place.

So, we call it something else, ...deceive ourselves, …and tear apart the body of Christ... with unloving responses ... or unloving actions.

There has to be a better way …… and Beloved ...(Slow) there is.

The apostle Paul... gives us some steps ...when dealing with angry …… he writes:

BIBLE "Be angry... but do not sin; ... do not let the sun go down ...on your anger... and do not make room ...for the devil" END (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Be Angry… But do not sin! (Pause)

According to a news article... "The average person ...feels some degree of anger … or its lower-grade cousin, ...frustration... ten to fourteen times... a day."

All the more reason …to identify It ...accept it......and address it.

Beloved……The Scriptures tell us... that God too ...gets angry.

Where God's love is refused … Where God's holiness is mocked, ... God cannot... remain indifferent.

To do so ...would make Him... impersonal … rather than ...compassionate.

The more you appreciate God's love, ... Then … the more … you can respect ...God’s anger.

And God's love ...is just as true ...in the Old Testament ... as God's anger is ...in the New Testament.