MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
BE ANGRY, BUT DO NOT SIN!
TEXT: Proverbs 14:17, 15:18, 18:13,19:11 &19; Mark 3:1-5; Eph. 26-32; Matt. 5;21
ILL. The story is told that in the latter 1800's, Alfred Lord Tennyson invited a Russian nobleman to his estate. Early one morning this nobleman took off with dogs & guns & servants to go hunting.
At mid day he returned & Lord Tennyson asked him how he did. He answered, "Not very well. I shot two peasants." Lord Tennyson thought for a moment & then said, “No, we pronounce it with a ‘ph' here. It is ‘pheasants.' You shot two pheasants."
"No," the nobleman replied, "I shot two peasants. They were insolent towards me, so I shot them."
ILL. We smile in disbelief at a story like that. But more & more we’re hearing news reports like this: “There was a construction blockage on the road, narrowing traffic to only one lane, creating long backups as cars from each direction took turns getting past the blockage.
“Well, this driver patiently waited his turn. But just as he was about to get past the blockage, a car came up fast on the shoulder, passing all the waiting cars, & crowded just in front of him. Then after doing that, the driver turned around with a smirk on his face & made an obscene gesture.
“Well, that infuriated the first driver. So when traffic was stopped at the next bottleneck, he got out of his car, took his gun & shot the man who had crowded in front of him.”
A. I don’t think you would do anything like that. But have you ever lost your temper? Do you ever do things you wish you hadn't done, or say things you wish you had never said?
Well, the Bible has something to say about overcoming anger. Proverbs 19:11 says, "A man's wisdom gives him patience. It is to his glory to overlook an offense."
Now here is what it is saying - If someone offends you, & if you are a man of wisdom then you can overlook it, & not allow the situation to become a major event that overwhelms you.
B. As I studied the Bible about the subject of anger, I discovered 4 types of anger – sinful anger, sudden anger, stubborn anger, & justifiable anger.
So let’s look at those 4 types of anger.
I. SINFUL ANGER IS TO BE CONDEMNED
The first type of anger is sinful anger. Not all anger is sinful, & we'll talk about that in just a minute. But some anger is. So let me give you some tests to help you determine whether your anger is sinful or not.
A. In Matthew 5:21, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, & anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."
That passage tells us some things about anger that should help us realize when our anger is sinful.
Notice that it says, "Anyone who is angry with his brother." Now if you're a brother or sister to someone it indicates that you are a member of the same family, whether a human family or the family of God. If we're brothers & sisters, we ought to be lifting each other up, supporting & helping each other. We should not spend our time being angry at one another.
The King James Ver. speaks about being angry at your brother "without a cause." If we’re angry & don't have a justifiable reason for being angry, then this tells us that our anger is sinful.
And if you're angry at your brother, that indicates that you are focusing your anger on a person. We should never focus our anger on people, but rather on the sins they commit.
Jesus was never angry at people, but He was angry at their sins. So look beyond the person. We must love the person, but hate their sin.
B. In Romans 12:19 Paul says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord."
So another test of our anger is this: Is it an anger that seeks revenge? Are we always trying to get even? The Bible teaches that God is the one who has the right of vengeance. Not us. "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord. We don't have the right to repay anyone. But rather, turn that over to God.
SUM. So here are 4 tests to tell whether or not our anger is sinful.
1. Is it anger directed towards a person?
2. Is it anger without a justifiable cause?
3. Is it anger that seeks revenge?
4. Is it anger that has an unforgiving spirit?
If any of the answers to those questions is "yes," then our anger is sinful. And the Bible says that it is to be condemned.
SUM. If it is sinful, then we need to repent, to turn away from it, & allow God to forgive us so that we can become forgiving, too.
II. SUDDEN ANGER IS TO BE CONTROLLED
A. Secondly, there is sudden anger, & the Bible says that it is to be controlled.
Proverbs 14:17 says, "A quick tempered man does foolish things." We already knew that because we've experienced that in our own lives. We may blame our quick temper on our red hair or on our heritage. After all, we're Irish or something like that. We may even be proud of it.
Proverbs 15:18 says, "A hot tempered man stirs up dissension." That simply means that if you have a short fuse, if you're always losing your temper, if you're walking around with a chip on your shoulder, then you're going to leave a trail of hurt feelings & unhappiness behind you.
So if we have a short fuse, we're likely to do a lot of foolish things. When we lose our temper we'll say things we know we shouldn't have said, & do things that we'll be sorry for later.
ILL. Chuck Swindoll said, "I got so angry that I gave him a piece of my mind, & it was a piece that I couldn't afford to lose."
Proverbs 18:13 says, "He who answers before listening that is his folly & his shame." He is talking about jumping to conclusions. We hear just a little bit of what is said, & we instantly jump to a conclusion, & oftentimes it is the wrong conclusion.
ILL. Have you heard about the dog named "August" who was barking at a mule named "Conclusion"? One day he jumped at Conclusion & bit him, & Conclusion kicked back at August. That was the last day of August. Think about that for a moment.
Proverbs 19:19 says, "A hot tempered man must pay the penalty." Doctors tell us that consistently losing our temper brings about high blood pressure & a fast beating heart. It could even bring premature death.
A hot temper could also mean loss of family & friends. The penalties of losing our temper are many.
So we need to recognize that we have a problem with temper. As long as we deny it, as long as we blame it on heritage or short fuse or whatever we choose to blame, we'll never improve.
So we must confess our problem to God & ask for His help. "Lord, I'm losing my temper, & I've done it many times before. Please help me see what is causing it to happen, & then help me to overcome it."
SUM. The Bible teaches that when the Holy Spirit guides our life, that one fruit of the spirit is self control. And if you have a sudden temper, you need to control it.
III. STUBBORN ANGER IS TO BE CONQUERED
The third type of anger is stubborn anger. It is an anger that just stays there, day after day after day.
A. One of the passages that deals with such anger begins in Ephesians 4:26. The KJV says, "Be ye angry, & sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath." And the next verse says, "And do not give the devil a foothold."
ILL. One day you go home & you're angry. You're carrying a chip on your shoulder, just waiting for someone to knock it off. Then your wife says something you don't particularly appreciate, & soon heated words are being exchanged.
It really doesn't amount to much, but you're determined to get your way, & she is determined to get her way.
So the argument continues. The sun goes down & nighttime comes. Then in bed she faces that way & you face this way, & you both make very sure that you don't touch each other.
Do you realize what has happened? The Bible says that you have opened the door, & said, "Mr. Devil, come right on in. We'll make you welcome here."
B. In vs. 31, Paul mentions what happens when Satan begins to do his dirty work. The first result is "bitterness." You begin to think about all the bad things people do & say to you, all the insults, all of the inconsiderate things that go on.
Then Paul says, "After bitterness comes rage & anger." "Rage" is bitterness boiling & bubbling inside of you. And "anger" is rage being expressed. It is no longer just inside you.
Now you begin to slam the doors. Now you begin to say all kinds of things, until finally it becomes "brawling," which means "shouting loudly," & "slander" or "insults."
And the end result, Paul says, is "malice." And "malice" means that you really desire to harm. That's why we hear about someone shooting his wife & turning the gun on himself. Because the ultimate end of stubborn anger is malice.
SUM. Paul said, "Here is the way to get rid of stubborn anger. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath." Vs. 32 says, "Be kind & compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
So first of all, there is sinful anger, & it must be condemned. Then there is sudden anger, & it must be controlled. Then there is stubborn anger, & it must be conquered.
IV. JUSTIFIABLE ANGER MUST BE CHANNELED
Finally, there is justifiable anger. And that must be channeled in the right direction for God. Remember, Eph. 4:26 says, "Be ye angry. . ." It is okay to be angry, but do not sin.
A. Let me read Mark 3:1-5. This is a passage that deals with a situation in the life of Jesus that I think is revealing.
It says: "Another time he went into the synagogue, & a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them (the synagogue officials) were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
"And Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.' Then Jesus asked them, 'Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent.
"He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts..."
You see, the focus of His anger is their hearts. He is angry because of their stubborn hearts. The devil has established a foothold in their lives. And Jesus is angry at their stubbornness.
Then Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, & his hand was completely restored.
SUM. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points, even as we are tempted, but He never sinned. So this passage teaches that Jesus became angry but it wasn't sinful anger. It was holy or justifiable anger.
B. Maybe an infusion of justified anger is the very thing that the church needs. To become angry at the corruption in the world; to become angry at the forces of evil; to become angry at pornography that reaches into every segment of society.
To become angry at the millions of abortions. To become angry at the increase in crime. To become angry at the abuse of alcohol & drugs in our society.
It is time for the church to become angry, with a justifiable anger, a holy anger, that is channeled in the right places.
So be angry, but don't sin. Don't allow the devil to have a foothold in your life. But channel that anger so it can accomplish victories for Jesus.
INVITATION: We offer His invitation this morning. He stands ready & willing to come into your heart & into your life. If you'll confess your faith in Him, repent of your sins, & be faithful to him in Christian baptism, He has promised to forgive your sins.
If you are already an immersed believer in Jesus, then we invite you to join with us in the ministry that God has given us here. Whatever your decision, we offer the invitation of Jesus. Will you come as we stand & sing?
