Anger—It Wants You For Christmas
GNLCC 12/21/2003 Genesis 4:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 Text Matthew 2:16-18
We are now in the middle of the Christmas season. We are told "tis the season to be jolly" and "it will be a time of peace and good will to all." But if we would actually look into the Scriptures to discover what the first Christmas was really like, we would not simply find everybody with smiles on their faces, laughing and getting all they wanted for Christmas.
We would find hurt, disappointment, sorrow, pain, agony, rejection, fear, revenge and anger. All of these feelings and emotions are as much a part of the Christmas story as the good news from the angels, the babe lying in the manger, and the wise men presenting gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh.
We can become so busy thinking about what we want for Christmas, that we may not take the time to notice, that there is something out there that wants us for Christmas. That something is present throughout the Christmas story. It stalks us, follows closely with us and is ready to pounce upon us. That something is known as anger. It wants us for Christmas. How many of us know that thousands of people will spend this Christmas in jail, because of what they did in a moment of anger? Anger can be a cruel traveling companion at Christmas time.
There are times when we like to joke about our anger or we like to excuse it. We say things like , "well, he or she just has some hot blood inside Or, you know me, "I’ve always had a temper." Or, she’s just a hot head. How many of us have tried to justify our behavior by saying, "well I was mad" or "they should not have made me upset", or "she knew I didn’t mean it, because I was angry when I said it."
Do not get me wrong, about anger. Anger can be a powerful force to lead us to make some positive changes. Some people get so angry that drugs and alcohol have destroyed so many lives, that they feel called to minister to youth to keep them from following those destructive paths. Some of us get so angry of being broke, that we seek to enroll back in school to get better jobs. Anger can cause us to make changes for others when we see how they have been abused.
Anger in itself has a place to play in the life of a Christian. The bible tells us in Ephesians 6:26, we can be angry, but we are not to sin because of it. It also tells us to put a time limit on our anger. If we hold on to it overnight, we allow the devil to get a foothold in our lives. That’s like opening the door to a whole lot of things which are not of God to come walking into our lives.
In our Old Testament reading, Cain was so angry that God had said yes to his brother’s offering and no to his, that he could not even think straight. Abel had offered God his best, but Cain had just sort of offered God what he had on hand. Instead of attempting to change his behavior, he chose to get mad at his brother. Anger wanted to take control of Cain’s life. How often do we act as Cain did? At school we act up, and do not do our work. When we get the D’s and F’s we deserve, we get mad at the teacher and our parents for losing our privileges and being disciplined. On the job, we’ve been late more times than we can count and consistently leave early, and now now we’re mad at the manager because he did not recommend us for a promotion.
Our spouse has been asking us to do something or to stop doing something and we haven’t or we wouldn’t and now the person is gone and we’re angry they’re not here anymore. When these situations arise, just like God told Cain God is telling us, "Cain, sin is right there on your shoulder, and its trying to take over you, but you must master it." Cain had the option of killing the anger or killing his brother. What choices are you and I making today with anger. Will it be able to get us for this Christmas.
This Christmas is going to be filled with situations which will produce anger in our lives. Kids, some of your parents have already told you, don’t even ask for that because it costs to much. You’re angry about it. Some of you think you’re going to get something for Christmas, and even though your parents have not told you yet, you’re not going to get it. You’ll get angry about it. Some of us will look at other families and know they are going to have so much more than we will for Christmas, and we’re angry about it.
Some of us will dread the whole Christmas experience because we do not have the money to make it happen. We can get angry about it. Some of us will not have your spouse or ex-spouse to spend Christmas with and as much as we believe that father or that mother should be there to spend Christmas with his or her child, it will not happen. Some of us are going to hope that our mom or dad will show up to be with us on Christmas and its not going to happen. Some of us will be going to see relatives, we really do not want to see or we won’t see relatives that we really do want to see and it will lead to anger.
Our kids will be home for the holidays, and we think it’s a good time to do some serious house cleaning, but they think it’s a great time to sit back and do nothing but enjoy their Christmas gifts. We will think, they’re ungrateful and they will think we’re unreasonable and that’s going to lead to some anger in our homes. Anger wants each of us this Christmas, because it will spoil what God wants to do in our lives.
Will God be surprised by all the moments of anger? No He will not. Will God understand our anger? Yes He will. Will God change His remedy for anger. No He will not.
There is only one will real cure for anger and that is to make the choice to forgive those with whom we are angry. That is why the Bible tells us, not to let the sun go down on our anger. We choose how long we are going to stay angry. Have you ever been so angry, you were ready to go and do some serious damage, but somebody took you aside and said, "now before you do anything, let me tell you what really happened." Once you discovered the truth, you let that anger go in a minute. You’ve even said, "thank goodness I did not go an make a fool of myself." Anger does not have to win the battle.
Let’s look at the anger that was seeking individuals in the Christmas story and how two people handled it differently with totally different results. The first person is Joseph. Think about being Joseph for a minute. You are engaged to be married. Everybody know this thing is etched in stone. Your fiancé Mary, goes away for three months. She comes back and announces to you, she’s pregnant, and that God is the father of the child. You ask for details and she will not tell you, whose she’s been seeing, or what the guy’s name is, or how could she do this to you. All she tells you is that I’m pregnant, God did it, and this child will be the Savior of the world.
Now if you were Joseph would you have not gotten angry. Some of us can’t stand the thought of our boyfriend or girlfriend even looking at somebody else. Some of us, "if I can’t have you, nobody is going to have you." Joseph was angry, but his anger did not take full control of him. Some of us would have said, "I’m going to ruin you, I’m going to make you pay for this, I’m going to do x, y and z. I’m going to dog you out to the world.” But that’s not the route that Joseph decided to take. Anger wanted him for Christmas but Joseph didn’t go along with the plan. The Scriptures said, "Joseph being a righteous man, did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. Joseph was willing to give up his right to get revenge in the midst of his anger.
He obviously kept his anger and his words under control, so that he did not say anything to Mary which would have made her willingness to accept him impossibility. No doubt Mary was angry too that Joseph had not believed her. But their anger never led to a knock down dragged out fight. Anger was there to attempt to destroy Jesus’ family even before it began, but it did not get a foothold. Because of the righteous way in which Joseph was dealing with His anger, God sent an angel to let him know all that Mary said was true. As Christians, God expects us to handle our anger differently than letting it run wild in order to hurt or get even with somebody.
The other person in the Christmas Story that anger wanted was King Herod. From the outside, King Herod appeared a likeable person. He liked having nice things. He spent huge sums of money to adorn and beautify cities in his kingdom. He had started the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem in a beautiful way. Partly because he wanted to win some of the favor with the Jews. Surely he would be excited about the coming of the Messiah, the birth of the King of the Jews.
But there was a problem. You see even though Herod was a King over the Jews, he was not King of the Jews. He was not from the line of King David. He was not even a descendant of Jacob, but rather of his brother Esau. King Herod was an Edomite, which caused many of the Jews to hate him. Even though he had done much good for the Jews and the country, they never cared for him. Now, wise men are claiming that a star in the East has led them to his country because the true king of the Jews has been born.
Can you imagine the anger Herod was beginning to feel. He had gone out of his way to please the Jews, even to the point of rebuilding their temple for them and instead of accepting him as their king, they are all going crazy over some child born in some little hick town called Bethlehem. To him, they were just a bunch of ungrateful people. How many of us have gotten angry because people or family members did not appear grateful for the hard work and sacrifices we did on their behalf? Ever said, “I betcha I won’t do anything else for them.”
Now add that to a person with a temper and you’ve got trouble on your hands. Herod was a person with a temper problem. Sure he could be a likeable person, but he also could very easily yield to the destructive power of his anger. He had executed some of his own children and wives, because they had been seen as a threat to overthrow him. Emperor Augustus said it would be better to be Herod’s pig than to be his son, because a pig had a better chance of surviving in the Jewish community.
Herod’s anger was hiding with him just as it was hiding with Cain. Cain lied and told his brother, "come on let me show you something out in the field." Herod lied and told the wise men, "now you go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report back to me, so that I too may go and worship Him." Anger will cause us to also lie so that we can get into the place where we can finally get even.
Herod was so sure he had a sure fire scheme to get rid of this king new born king, that he was able to go on with life as usual. Until he found out that his plan was going to pieces. Each day he waited for the wise men to return. Word finally got back to him, that the wise men had left his country and gone home by a different route. Anger was about to get Him for Christmas.
The Scriptures tell us that he was so furious, at having been out tricked, that he ordered his soldiers to kill every baby boy in Jerusalem two years old and under. His anger led to the sorrow, the pain, the agony, the suffering, and the anguish of many families in Bethlehem that Christmas. Those families had not done anything wrong to deserve this , nor had their children. Can you imagine the anger and the rage those families must have felt. Just a few days earlier some had announced the joy of their son or daughter being born, and now they are devastated.
Have you ever stopped to think what your anger costs you? How many of us have been on punishment longer because of our anger? (Two weeks, why not make it three, why not make it four.) How many of us have lost jobs because of our anger? (I’m sick and tired of this job and I’m sick and tired of you.) How many of us have lost friends and family members because of our anger? ( I don’t need you)
How many of us have lost out on things God wanted to give to us because of our anger? How many of us recognize the only thing that kept Moses from realizing his dream of 40 years of entering the promised land was his anger? Sometimes we can see how our anger is hurting us, but still choose to hang on to our anger to make our point. We are hating people that do not even know we hate them. So who do you think is getting high blood pressure and ulcers inside each time we see the person.
Now it would be great if no one paid the cost for our anger except ourselves, but that’s not the case. When you get angry and get expelled from school, your parents pay a price. They lose money taking off work to go to meetings to get you put back in school. Not to mention the humiliation and embarrassment they feel. When you get angry and decide to quit your marriage, your kids carry a sentence with them for life.
When you call a person all kinds of names in anger, the pain is real and the wounds are deep, and simply saying "I’m sorry I was angry does not always remove the effect of the words." When you have to get even with somebody and end up in jail, your family pays a price for your absence. Every temper tantrum we have cost us and costs somebody else something. Adults have tantrums as well as children.
Now the bible tells us, to let go of anger before we go to sleep at night or it will give the devil and opportunity to get involved in our lives. Some of us have not heeded the warning, and look at how messed up we are today. Some of us are angry with our husband or our wives because of something somebody else did to us before they even came on the scene. We’re angry with the world, because of something bad that happened to us.
We’re angry with God, because He didn’t stop so and so from dying, or from having our families fall to pieces. Instead of putting anger to positive use, we’ve chosen to just let it sit and simmer. We become walking time bombs. Somebody is going to catch us at the wrong time and the explosion is going to be devastating. Like King Herod, we end up doing the unthinkable
But the good news of Jesus Christ is that it does not have to be that way. There was a time when God was angry with us, because of our rejection of him. We did what we wanted caring less about God. But God’s anger never caused God to stop loving us. God chose to dispose of His anger toward us, by forgiving us when we come to Jesus Christ. The whole meaning of Christmas is, it does not matter who you are or what you have done, God wants to be in relationship with you and His forgiveness is free. None of us can earn it.
Jesus had every right to be angry with us, because the only reason he was crucified was because of the wrong that we choose to do. Yet he took His anger and buried in his heart by saying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." It is by taking these words with us through the next few weeks that we will be able to keep our most dangerous companion under control. Right now, you can be set free by choosing to forgive the person you are angry with today. Let God help you.
The Holy Spirit can change any of us here today for the holidays and eternity. We do not need Johnny Walker Red, Colt 45, or any other kind spirits coming out of bottle to have a good holiday season. Instead why not attempt to get drunk with the fruit of the Spirit. For the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. My friends we do not have to be hot headed. We do not have to have tempers. We do not have to have the last word about everything.
We can choose to remember each day that not only does anger want us for Christmas, it wants us all the time. God warns us that sin is seeking to use this emotion to destroy us." But we must overcome it. How do I know we can be victorious? We can lean on Jesus, for the Scriptures tell us. "Greater is he that is within us, than he that is in the world."
Sermon Outline Pastor Rick
Anger –It Wants You For Christmas
12/21/03 Gen. 4:1-12 Mat 2:1-12 2:16-18
I. The Christmas Season
A. Tis The Season To Be…Peace On Earth
B. First Christmas ….Smiles, Laugh, Presents
C. Disappointment, Sorrow, Agony, Revenge
Fear, Anger
II. The One Who Wants Us For Christmas
A. The Stalker, Following So Closely
B. It Has Your Number
C. Surprised By How Quick The Arrival
D. Thousands, Jails, Christmas, Anger
E. The Excusing & The Joking
F. Hot Blood, Temper, Hot Head
H. Should Not Have Made Me Mad
I. Anger Can Lead To Positive Changes
J. From Destruction To Ministry
III. Anger In The Life Of A Christian
A. Ephesians 6:26--Be Angry But
B. Snap On A Time Limit---The Sun
C. Beware Of The Devil’s Foothold
D. Cain’s Story---Thinking Crooked
E. Our Behavior--Angry At Who
1. School, Job, Home
F. God Told Cain--It’s Waiting--
H. We’ve Got Options--Which Death Or Life
IV. Christmas Is Coming With Anger Opportunities
A. Don’t Ask For It---Expect It But No
B. Why Others Have More--Not Enough Money
C. Missing Spouses---Missing Parents,
D. Relatives Yes, Relatives No
E. Home--Cleaning---Home Break
F. Who’s Ungrateful?
G. Is God Surprised ? Understands? Change?
V. God’s Plan For Dealing With Anger
A. Make A Choice To Forgive
B. Make A Choice To Do It Quickly
C. We Choose To Let It Go---Stop Know This
VI. Anger In The Christmas Story
A. Two People---Different Results
B. Joseph----What If You Were Him
C. Engaged--Etched In Stone-- Gone 3 Months
D. I’m Pregnant By God With The Savior
E. I Want To Know His Name
F. Cause To Be Angry---
1. If I Cannot, No One Will
2. I’m Going To Ruin You, You Will Pay
G. Joseph Not Ruled By Anger
Mat 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
1. Kept His Words Under Control
2. Mary Kept Herself Under Control
3. No Drag Down Knock Out
4. Anger Was Out To Destroy The Family
5. God Intervened
VII. Christmas Story--King Herod & Anger
A. A Very Likeable Person From A Distance
B. Beautified Cities---Liked Things Nice
C. Rebuilding Of The Jewish Temple
D. Trying To Win The Favor Of The Jews
E. King Over Jews, But Not King Of Jews
F. Not David Or Jacob--But Esau
G. Edomites----All The Good Not Enough
H. All This Fuss Over A Star, A Child A King
I. Anger--Over Ungratefulness
J. Nothing Fires Us Up Like Ungratefulness
K. Herod And A Temper Problem
1. Execution Of Own Children & Wife
2. Augustus--Better A Pig Than A Son
L. Herod’s Dangerous Companion Just Hiding
1. Just Like Cain--It Led To A Lie And A Plot
Mat 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
M. A Sure Fire Scheme--Life As Normal
N. A Plan That Went To Pieces
O. The Anger Is Unleashed--A Furious Man
VII. The Cost Of Anger
A. The People In Bethlehem Were Innocent
B. Their Joy Turned To Sorrow
C. The Anger That Raged
D. Our Cost----The Length Of Our Punishment
E. The Jobs Gone, Friends, & Family Members
F. Moses 40 Year Dream--Gone Because Of
Anger--Caused Him To Forget About God
G. Hanging On To Anger--High Blood Pressure
And Ulcers
H. The Cost Of Our Anger To Others
1. Expelled From School---Parental Cost
2. Rejection Of Your Marital Vows--Kids
Cost
3. Not Doing Your Part--Family Cost
4. Names You Called--- Emotional Cost
5. Got To Even--Now In Jail
6. Every Temper Tantrum Costs
VIII. God’s Challenge To Us
A. Let Go Of Your Anger Before Going To
B. Did Not Heed The Warning & Now…
C. Angry At Spouses…..
D. Angry At Children…….
E. Angry At Parents………
G. Angry At God………..
H. Walking Time Bombs
IX. It’s Time To Make A Change
A. Good News Of Jesus Christ
B. God Was Angry With Good Reasons….
C. Christmas--Does Not Matter Who Or What
D. It’s Free
E. Jesus Took The Anger On The Cross
F. Father Forgive Them, For They Know Not
H. Choose To Be Free Today
I. Not The spirits Of Johnny Walker Red, Colt 45
J. The Fruit Of The Spirit Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
K. We Do Not Have To Be What We Were
L. Sin May Want Us
M. Greater Is He That Is In Us
