I. Introduction
He set down in his assigned, first class seat and as the plane prepared to start down the tarmac the stewardess approached Mohammad Ali and said, "Mr. Ali I need you to buckle your seatbelt." Ali looked back with his famous swaggy smile and said "Superman don't need no seatbelt." The quick thinking stewardess replied, "Superman don't need no plane either . . . buckle your seatbelt." The truth is none of us are superman or wonder woman. All of us are vulnerable. All of us are at risk. We are risk to danger and in particular to anger danger. We can all get mad. In this generation of perpetual offense we have a tendency to be so at risk to getting our feelings hurt and our undies in wad over any and everything. That wouldn't be an issue except according to the Scripture I want to examine today teach us that there is anger danger. Our anger does more than just cause us to lose sleep or lose our appetite. Anger actually starts us down a path that we may not even be aware of that is deadly and if we don't have offense defense we go gladly along down the path and then discover too late that we fell for the trap. Remember . . . last week we said the word for offense in the NT is a reference to the part of the trap the bait is attached to.
Later in this series we will talk about the idea that there are times we are supposed to get angry. But today I want to deal with the anger that isn't appropriate and see what it does in our life and in our walk with Christ.
I want us to read a portion of Scripture that is about believers. It is important to understand who is being addressed. Jesus is talking about His followers. So, He is talking to us! Jesus' disciples ask Him to tell them how to know the end was nearing. I want you to watch the progression that takes place . . .
(SLIDE 2-11) Text: Matthew 24:3-13
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (MAN THIS IS A BAD LIST!)
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Right in the middle of this horrid list Jesus says all this bad stuff wars, famines, earthquakes and that is just the beginning of sorrows. What? You mean it is going to get worse from here? I didn't think it could get any worse. And listed in the list of worse is that many will be offended, believers will betray one another, hate one another and then they are deceived and ultimately lose their love for Christ and fall away.
So, I want us to slow down, wake up, scream "Anger Danger!" See what anger, offense does to us.
Watch the progression Jesus shares.
Offense leads to betrayal. Because if you offended me I no longer feel the need to carry your burden. I no longer feel the need to protect you. I no longer feel the need to keep your business your business. When I am offended will say things I wouldn't say otherwise. I will share things I wouldn't share otherwise. Then betrayal leads to hate. So it progresses - anger danger - I was offended but now I can't even stand to see you. I don't want to be around you. I will duck to another aisle at the grocery store. I will wait in the car in the parking lot until I know you have cleared the lobby and then I will enter. I will leave service before you so I don't have to talk or make eye contact. I can't say your name without the snarl at the end of it. Offenses of the heart that are not dealt with end up leading to betrayal and betrayals not dealt with end up in hatred. Then hate leads to becoming vulnerable to deception. Because if they said they loved me but they offended me so badly then their word must not be true and if their word isn't true then the ONE they represent must be a liar too. If God's people are going to act like that then whey would I want to be one of them. Surely if one is like that they are all like that. Then deception leads to falling away or walking away from Christ.
Here is the truth I need you to see . . .
Offense is the on-ramp to a path of destruction.
It is hard to believe but the end which is falling away or falling out of love with God finds its origin, genesis and beginning in offense.
So according to Jesus here is what happens and some of you are going to fight this, resist this, struggle with this but I read it to you word for word . . . If I fall out of love with God's people, then ultimately I fall out of love with God.
Could it be we fall out of love with Christ because we fall out of love with one another? Could it be that our love for Jesus wains because our love for one another wains? According to Jesus you can't separate the two.
Julie and I have talked before and made statements like this "church people don't seem to want to do as much together." Maybe it is because we have started down the progression and we have fallen for the trap and our anger has led us to falling away! Maybe our love for God is waxing cold because I don't love the people I am on the path with. Maybe my worship is dry and lifeless because when I walk in the door I am loveless towards the people I am worshipping with. Maybe the reason we spend less time at church is because offense has opened the door for us to believe we don't need time with each other. Maybe my lack of connection with God is a direct result of my lack of connection with God's people!
“An offended heart is the breeding ground of deception." John Bevere
A deceived heart is a destroyed heart.
Anger danger. Have you started down this path?
A change of scenery doesn't equal a change of heart!
The secondary dilemma is that our answer or idea of solution for anger seems to be if we become offended on this path we will just change paths. I will run to another group of friends. I will run to a different church. The problem is we take the anger with us and it infects the new path, the new group, the new church.
There is a old parable that tells about a wise man who stood on a hill outside a new Western town. As new settlers came from the East, the wise man was the first person they met before coming into the settlement. They asked eagerly what the people of the town were like. He answered them with a question: "What were the people like in the town you just left?" Some said, "The town we came from was wicked. The people were rude gossips who took advantage of innocent people. It was filled with thieves and liars." The wise man answer, "This town is the same as the one you left." They thanked the man for saving them from the trouble they had just come out of. Then they moved on further west. Another group of settlers arrived and asked the same question. The wise man asked them the same question in response, "What were the people like in the town you just left?" These responded, "It was wonderful! We had dear friends. Everyone looked out for the others' interests. There was never any lack because we all cared for one another. If someone had a big project, the entire community gathered to help. It was a hard decision to leave, but we felt compelled to make way for future generations by going west as pioneers." The wise man said to them exactly what he had said to the other group: "This town is the same as the one you left." The people responded with joy, 'Let's settle here!"
The way you leave a church or a relationship is the way you will enter into your next church or relationship. You don't get rid of an infection by moving. You get rid of an infection by getting well. We will talk about next week - how to get well. We need to get well because anger is dangerous.
Solomon understood the danger of anger. Listen to what he said about it.
Proverbs 18:19 (TLB)
It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you out like iron bars.
Anger builds walls. Maybe our lack of offense defense has walled us in to isolation, deception, vulnerability and you aren't superman or wonder woman we are all susceptible to this. And it starts with offense. Some of you are living behind bars and some of you are trying to get into a barred city. But we must all recognize the danger of our anger.
Some of you think you are too big for anger. Jesus wasn't talking to you. You can handle it. I can hate everyone in the room but I am so close to Jesus I can still worship and be effective in my walk. Really. How can you love the head and hate the body? Anger/offense is the onramp to destruction. You can't handle it. It will destroy not only your relationship with those around you but the One in you.
Pray for those who would admit they are on the progression. It may be you have just been offended or maybe you are further down the road to hate, or betrayal or falling away.
