“The Danger Of Anger”
INTRODUCTION: Ephesians 4:31-32
We have already taken a look at “Bitterness” and “Unforgiveness”. This morning we want to take a look at another problem we often face in this verse … “ANGER”.
The word “anger” is used in over 256 verses in the Bible.
“Anger” is something that we can ALL identify with. At one time or another, we have ALL gotten angry at someone or something to one degree or another. Some people have an “anger management problem” and need help keeping their anger under control. I think we will learn some things this morning that will help us in times of “anger”.
Let’s take a look at our PRIMARY TEXT this morning – Ephesians 4:26
I. THE PURPOSE OF ANGER
Ephesians 4:26 tells us to “be ye angry” … YET … 4:31 tells us to “let all … anger … be put away from you.” Which is it?
To answer this question, we have to see what ANGER really is. We think of ANGER as being a BAD thing … but it’s not. What’s BAD about anger is the way we EXPRESS it, sometimes.
ANGER is NEUTRAL … there’s nothing wrong with ANGER itself. ANGER has a good and useful purpose … if it is used correctly. If it is NOT USED CORRECTLY, it can lead to sin (4:26) … when it is mixed with “malice” (4:31).
ANGER is a physical state of readiness … when we are angry, our body gets prepared to ACT … it is a God-given instinct for SURVIVAL. ANGER supplies POWER and PREPAREDNESS to our bodies.
EX.: What happens if you see a stranger fighting with your child or grandchild. Maybe they are trying to force them into their car. You get MAD … you get ANGRY!
NOW … is ANGER a good thing? You bet it is! What happens? Your heart beats faster … the adrenaline begins to flow … more sugar is released in your body … your blood pressure rises … the pupils of your eyes open wide … you become highly alert. You’re body is prepared for action … power becomes available for you to assert yourself.
The PURPOSE of ANGER is POWER and PREPAREDNESS. ANGER can be very beneficial, when used the right way. “Be ye angry!”
II. THE PROBLEM WITH ANGER
ANGER can also be very DANGEROUS. “and sin not”. When all that POWER is mishandled, and not brought under control, it can be very destructive. If anger is EXPRESSED improperly, it can have very severe consequences.
The reason why we look upon ANGER in a negative way, is because it is usually expressed in AGGRESSION and HOSTILITY. We see this illustrated many times in the Bible.
MOSES spent 40 days & 40 nights up on Mt. Sinai, where God gave him the 10 Commandments, and the Laws of God. While he was up there, the Children of Israel got tired of waiting, and Aaron made them a golden calf to worship. When Moses came down and saw it, he was ANGRY! Exodus 32:19-20
Moses lost it! He didn’t control his anger, but he let it control him. He lost it again when God told him to SPEAK to the rock and water would come from it to quench their thirst. The people complained against Moses for leading them into the desert to die of thirst. Moses got MAD and STRUCK the rock with his rod … TWICE. Because of the angry disobedience of Moses, he wasn’t allowed to enter into the Promised Land.
You see, there can be a DANGER with ANGER … if we let it CONTROL us … and we lose CONTROL over it. “Danger” and “anger” are very close … only a “d” difference between them. When we let the “d” (DEVIL) get in front of our “anger”, it spells “danger”.
See Ephesians 4:27
III. THE PERMISSION OF ANGER
Sometimes ANGER is PERMISSIBLE … it is PERMITTED. “Be ye angry, AND SIN NOT.” Jesus got ANGRY … but He never sinned when He did.
Mark 3:1-5 – all turn
We don’t normally think of Jesus as being “angry”. BUT …we have to remember, that ANGER isn’t wrong … it’s the way we EXPRESS our ANGER that can make it a sin. The Pharisees were ANGRY that Jesus didn’t observe the Sabbath days like they wanted Him to (2:23-24)
When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath day, they were so ANGRY that they sought to kill Him. Luke 6:11 – “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.” We can easily accept the fact that the Pharisees were ANGRY at Jesus … but it’s hard to accept the fact that Jesus was ANGRY at them. We tend to think of Jesus as kind, compassionate & loving … and never ANGRY.
Let’s take a look at the ANGER of Jesus.
1.- He Had The Right Motive – The Pharisees were ANGRY at Jesus for the WRONG MOTIVE … it was SELFISH anger … Jesus was a threat to their authority & leadership.
Jesus was never ANGRY because of what anybody ever did to Him. I’m sure Jesus was HURT when He saw the unbelief of the people (He wept over their unbelief at the raising of Lazarus from the dead) … but He wasn’t ANGRY. I’m sure Jesus was HURT when Peter denied Him 3 times … but He wasn’t ANGRY. I’m sure Jesus was HURT when the Jews mocked Him while He hung on the cross … but He wasn’t ANGRY (He asked God to forgive them!).
Jesus was ANGRY over the RIGHT THINGS … for the RIGHT REASONS. Jesus was never ANGRY at PEOPLE … but He did get ANGRY at the sins they were committing against God … 3:5 – “being grieved for the hardness of their heart”.
Jesus got ANGRY when an injustice was done against other people … and against God. BUT … Jesus never got ANGRY for sins committed against HIM. Isn’t this where much of OUR ANGER comes from? We get angry when people sin against US … when we don’t get OUR way … when we are irritated or displeased at what they have done to US. THEN … it becomes a SINFUL ANGER, when we lose our temper and lash out in bitterness and vengeance.
ROAD RAGE is a good example of this … we get mad at what the other driver has done to US. It makes some people so enraged that they want to KILL.
We can learn from Jesus to be ANGRY about the things that really matter. Too often we get ANGRY over trivial things, that really aren’t all that important. When Jesus got ANGRY, it was because Jesus was ANGRY with the RIGHT MOTIVE … for the RIGHT REASONS.
2.- He Controlled His Anger – Jesus could have called down fire from Heaven & destroyed them all. BUT … He didn’t … He CONTROLLED His ANGER. What did He do? He GLORIFIED GOD! (3:5b)
REMEMBER what we said about BITTERNESS … and FORGIVENESS … and LOVE? It is a CHOICE. You CHOOSE to be bitter … or forgiving … or to love. Forgiveness and love aren’t based on a warm, fuzzy feeling … but on a CHOICE. ANGER is a CHOICE … a DECISION.
We tend to blame people & circumstances for our ANGER. “THEY made me mad!” No, “THEY” didn’t … you CHOSE to get mad! How you respond to your ANGER is YOUR CHOICE. They might CONTRIBUTE to your stress … BUT … how you RESPOND and express your feelings is entirely up to you.
YOU choose your anger response … YOU are in charge of your anger … NOT some event, circumstance, or other person. It’s YOUR anger. You can use it to solve your problem … or make your problem worse. REMEMBER … the difference between “anger” and “danger” is the “d” … if you allow the Devil to use your anger for SIN.
Jesus never took His ANGER out on innocent people. We often take out our anger on the innocent … especially those whom we love the most … and who love us the most. Somebody makes us MAD … we keep it bottled up inside … we come home and yell at our wife/husband/kids … slam the door … kick the cat. Jesus focused His ANGER on the PROBLEM … and He never lost the FOCUS of His ANGER.
Let’s take another look at the ANGER of Jesus … so we can see how it can be used for GOOD … and not for EVIL.
Mark 11:15-17
NOTICE:
1.- He Had The Right Motive – “My Father’s house” – This wasn’t a personal offense that He got ANGRY about … it was ANGER over an injustice committed against GOD.
2.- He Controlled His Anger – Jesus didn’t call down fire from Heaven to consume them. He didn’t bring down judgment on them … He simply used His ANGER to correct a wrong.
ANGER … in and of itself … isn’t wrong. It’s how you USE your ANGER that can make it a sin.
IV. THE PERIOD OF ANGER
Let’s go back to our main text – Ephesians 4:26b – “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
There are several things you can do with your ANGER (just like “bitterness”).
1.- Keep It In – You can’t IGNORE anger … it won’t let you. If you try to keep it in, it will eat you up from the inside out … ulcers, blood pressure, heart attack, depression. When you bury ANGER inside of you, you aren’t burying it DEAD … you’re burying it ALIVE.
2.- Let It Out – If you try to keep it inside, sooner or later, your ANGER will EXPLODE. You can share it with others … spread it around! It will ferment inside of you until it comes out in bitterness, rage, violence or hate.
3.- Control It – REMEMBER, not all ANGER is bad … it’s bad only when you lose control over it. It’s YOUR CHOICE … YOU’RE DECISION … you have the CONTROL.
The IMPORTANT thing is to CONTROL IT QUICKLY … “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” The sooner you turn your ANGER over to God, the sooner you can put it to GOOD use. AND … the less chance the Devil has of turn turning it from “anger” to “danger”. Learn to balance the books by the end of the day.
V. THE PRACTICE OF ANGER
There are times when we SHOULD get ANGRY. “Be ye angry.” Sometimes we don’t get ANGRY enough … at the RIGHT things. We’ll get angry when we don’t get our way … when we are criticized or condemned … when a wrong has been done to us. And the focus is on offenses against US. Let’s FOCUS our anger on those things that OFFEND GOD.
Let’s get ANGRY at:
o Our sinful habits that cause us to ruin our testimony for Christ.
o Our lack of faithfulness in praying, reading God’s Word … and Church attendance.
o The corruption we see in this world … pornography, crime, alcohol & drug abuse, AIDS, lust.
o The millions who are lost & dying & going to Hell because we won’t even invite them to Church, much less tell them about Christ.
YES … We NEED to be ANGRY … BUT we need to FOCUS our ANGER on what will glorify God.
CONCLUSION:
Maybe you have an ANGER problem this morning. Maybe you have ANGER buried deep within your heart that has been there a long time. You need to RELEASE it. NOT … VENT it … BUT RELEASE it to God. If you don’t, it will turn into bitterness, rage and vengeance. If you KEEP it, it will destroy you. You have to turn it over to God.
I want to leave you with these verses of Scripture – Colossians 3:12-15 – all turn
The next time you feel yourself getting ANGRY … PRACTICE love, forgiveness, kindness, and patience … AND … watch God use your ANGER for His glory.
STAND - PRAYER
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“The Danger Of Anger”
INTRODUCTION: Ephesians 4:31-32 – 4:26
I. THE PURPOSE OF ANGER
- Compare Ephesians 4:25 & 4:31 – Anger can be good … or bad.
- Anger is neutral … if used correctly, it is good … if used incorrectly, it can lead to sin.
- Anger is a physical state of readiness … how you express it can be good or bad.
II. THE PROBLEM WITH ANGER
- Anger is often expressed in aggression or hostility.
- Moses was angry & broke the tables of stone – Exodus 32:19-20
- Anger is dangerous when you don’t control it, but let it control you.
- There is only a “d” (Devil) between “anger” and “danger” – Ephesians 4:27
III. THE PERMISSION OF ANGER
- Sometimes anger is permitted … Jesus got angry.
- The anger of Jesus: Mark 3:1-5
1.- He Had The Right Motive – Jesus was never angry at what anybody ever did to Him.
- Jesus was angry when an injustice was done to other people or against God … with the right motives, for the right reasons.
2.- He Controlled His Anger – He glorified God – 3:5b
- Anger is a choice … a decision; nobody can MAKE you mad.
- You are in charge of your anger … it’s YOUR anger!
- Jesus never lost the FOCUS of His anger.
- The anger of Jesus: Mark 11:15-17
IV. THE PERIOD OF ANGER
- Ephesians 4:26b – What you can do with your anger:
1.- Keep It In – You bury it ALIVE!
2.- Let It Out – Share it … spread it around!
3.- Control It – The sooner you turn it over to God, the less chance the Devil has of using it for bad.
V. THE PRACTICE OF ANGER
- We need to get angry at the RIGHT things.
- Focus your anger on the things that offend God.
CONCLUSION:
- Release your anger to God – Colossians 3:12-15 – God can use your anger for His glory.
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
