Last week, we talked about how worry and our desire to master control over our lives goes hand in hand.
Worry impairs a Christian’s ability to walk in faith. It impedes our ability to move forward in our lives as Godly men and women.
In fact, God never intended for us to be in full control. Yes, He gave mankind full dominion over His creation, but not full control. There’s a difference between dominion and control. If God gives me dominion over something, I still answer to Him as the steward of His property, but that doesn’t give me full control over the circumstances that take place on that property, does it?
God is still in control, even when I think I’m in full control… Because His design for my life was for me to fully depend on Him and to learn not MASTER control, but SELF CONTROL.
The fruit of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL, not MASTER CONTROL.
Self-control is a complex issue, because there are so many things in our selves that want to be out of control, that need to be brought under submission:
Our Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Sexual Desires, Lying Tongues, Greed, Lust, Worry… Our ANGER.
Today we’re going to stop and talk about anger.
Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”
Malcolm was a man who had a hard time keeping his temper under control. He and his pastor decided to play 9 holes of golf together one morning, and after leaving three straight putts on the edge of the cup, Malcolm just lost it! He screamed out loud, "I missed! HOW IN THE WORLD COULD I MISS?!" With that he heaved his putter into a nearby lake, kicked a wheel on the golf cart and drove his fist into a nearby tree.
The pastor was absolutely shocked. He had never seen Malcolm express his anger like this before. Standing there in awe, he wondered how many counseling sessions it was going to take to set Malcolm straight. He figured, “I’ll put the fear of God into Malcolm.”
The pastor said, "Malcolm, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a terrible display of anger. Don’t you know that God doesn’t like it when we’re angry? In fact, I’ve heard that there are angels whose sole duty is to search out people who vent their anger the way you did, and to send lightning bolts from heaven to burn them to a crisp."
Malcolm was embarrassed. Heeding the warning of Pastor, on the next few holes, he managed to control himself. However, on the last three holes his putting failed him again. When the last putt veered off to the right just in front of the hole, Malcolm went crazy. "I missed!" he screamed. "How in the world could I miss?" He broke his club across his knee and threw it as far as he could, he kicked up several large clumps of dirt on the edge of the green, and once more drove his fist into a nearby tree.
Suddenly as the pastor stood there watching Malcolm in awe, the sky grew dark as an ominous cloud passed over. There was a rumble of thunder and an awesome blast of lightning shot down out of the sky. With a loud ZAPP the pastor was burned to a crisp!
At that, an eerie silence filled the golf course. Not even the birds dared to chirp… While Malcolm was wondering, “Why was the pastor stricken because of my anger problem?” It was then that he heard a far off voice from the heavens saying, "I missed! How in the world could I miss?"’
Friends, let’s not MISS the point today ourselves… God doesn’t like it when His people let our anger get out of control. Anger is a problem all of us deal with. To some degree, we can all relate to Malcolm. In fact…
· One out of every five Americans has an anger management problem.
· Anger related violence is the reason stated for 22% of the divorces in middle-class marriages.
· According to FBI statistics, 28% of the homicides in the US were brought on by arguments that occured in the home. Gang related killings accounted for only 7.6%.
So you have 4 times the chance of being killed by your own family than you do by gangs, all because of anger… That’s comforting to know!
Anger is contagious and dangerous…
It’s an emotion strong enough to cause people to do things in the heat of the moment that they would never consider doing otherwise.
? Can you remember a time when you said something you regretted saying in the heat of anger, or you did something you wouldn’t normally do, all because you let your anger get out of control?
I remember living in Washington as a 12 or 13 year old. My sister and I got in an argument. She had me so mad, I was chasing her around the dining room table to get my hands on her but she was faster than me. She just kept egging me on, getting me angrier and angrier. How was I going to get her back?
The scene changed a little however, when Shelly noticed a steak knife on the table. She picked it up and she slid it across the table toward me, to taunt me. That was the wrong thing to do, because I’m telling you, I was so mad at her, I grabbed that steak knife and held it up in the air like I was going to throw it at her. I was holding it just like I had seen on TV, with the blade tip between my thumb and finger, and without thinking at all, I let it fly…
It wasn’t actually till the knife left my fingers at lightning speed that I realized this was dangerous…
You see, in an instant of thoughtlessness, ANGER turned to DANGER…
That knife went flying through the air at light speed, right toward Shelly’s leg. Lucky for her, she had the smarts to jump out of the way, and that knife lodged itself in the wall right behind where her leg had been with a reverberating wobble.
I couldn’t believe what I had done! My anger reach such a boiling point that it translated into life and death danger for my own sister!
ANGER OUT OF CONTROL TRANSLATES TO DANGER.
Anger has been compared to the combustible explosions in a car engine that produces the power to make the car move. When those explosions are under control, they propel the car safely to its destination. But, if instead of controlling the flow of gas producing these orderly explosions -- we ignited all the gas in the tank at once -- we’d blow both the car and ourselves up.
Giving full vent to our anger is like igniting the entire gas tank, all at once!
Proverbs 29:11, “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”
As children of God, giving full vent to our anger is out of character…
Growing up, I remember my parent’s reaction to some of the dumber things I did… They’d say, “Brad, that type of behavior just doesn’t become you.” Angry outbursts do not become us, Christians. We’re above that in Christ Jesus. We’re called to take CONTROL of our SELVES by walking according to the Spirit of God and not according to the desires of our flesh…
But how do we do this? The Bible gives us some practical steps for anger management in Eph 4:26-27, “In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
I: IN YOUR ANGER DO NOT SIN:
Anger isn’t a forbidden emotion, but sinning while your angry is forbidden.
It’s ok for me to be angry about the fact that the electric company shut off the power to my house even though I paid the electric bill, but it’s not ok for me to call them up and cuss them out.
It’s ok for me to be angry at my spouse for living a life of sin that effects the whole family, but it’s not ok for me to go out and sin against them in return, because that’s not fitting for a man of woman of God.
I can be angry at Family Planning clinics that kill innocent children every day, but I can’t go blow up their clinics or kill their doctors, because in my anger, I cannot sin.
I live a life of SELF CONTROL.
I live by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
I walk with God on a daily basis and He instructs me in the ways of righteousness. I obey Him because I love Him. I love those who abuse me, and hurt me endlessly because Jesus died for me and loves me even though I sin every day.
Sinning in my anger is the result of listening to Lucifer, not walking with Jesus.
Repeat with me: Sinning in my anger is the result of listening to Lucifer, not walking with Jesus.
I refrain from sinning in my anger by walking with God and by practicing what the Word of God tells me concerning anger. By spending time with God, I develop good habits of dealing with my anger, instead of inheriting bad ones from the devil.
Disney song: Give a little whistle:
God desires our worship. When we worship, we stand in His presence. The devil flees and God influences our thoughts.
1 Tim 2:8, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”
Give a sacrifice of praise. (“Give a little whistle”).
Mark 3:1-5, “Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 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 and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”
How did Jesus handle anger? He managed it without sinning.
Should circumstances arise that call for anger, let it be as Christ’s anger (Mark 3:5) (Holy anger from the grief over the hardness of their hearts, not to care about their fellow man.) - without sin.
Natural feelings are not wrong unless they are out of control: exceeding their boundaries.
Whatever is a perversion of the original intent of the creator should be removed.
Do not be a slave to your anger. Instead rule over it.
II: DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR WRATH:
Here’s some practical advice from Paul: Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.
You get home and you’re tired. You’ve dealt with people and their personalities all day long.
Then you have to face the family.
Before the day ends, calm and relax yourself. Be reconciled with the offender, especially if it’s your spouse. Don’t keep anger into the darkness of night. Don’t make anger your bedfellow…
Satan is the prince of darkness, and he does most of his work at night, under the cover of darkness…
He loves you to take your anger to bed with you so he can toy you’re your mind all night long. It’s no wonder he has a hold on our dreams, being the prince of whatever you carry into the night.
Even if your anger is righteous anger, don’t commingle it with wrath and hatred.
Matt 5:21-24, “"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and 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. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
Anger / hatred / lack of concern for your brother is a sin against God in heaven.
Anger is the power of Satan unto condemnation, but reconciliation is the power of God unto salvation.
Satan will strive to influence your thoughts: causing you to ponder the transgression again and again.
He is a whisperer and a back-biter who will whisper hatred into your thoughts if you let him.
Do not listen to him when he comes to bring accusations against your brother. There will be a day when he accuses you to Jesus, and your willingness to forgive other’s transgressions will tip the scales in your favor when the accuser comes to Jesus on behalf of your sins. For, he who forgives not his brother will neither be forgiven.
Matt 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Col 3:8, “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
So, think positive. Don’t stew / dwell on the problem. Forget the trespass.
Phil 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.”
Even if it’s someone you really don’t like, I know you can find something positive to think about them if you try hard enough, and that’s what we must fix our minds on: the positive things.
The mind is a tempting place for Satan to attack, because everything you do stems from the thoughts you entertain in your mind.
Luke 6:45, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
III: DO NOT GIVE THE DEVIL A FOOTHOLD
Satan’s footholds are the little areas of your life that allow the enemy to advance on your position as a Christian.
Illustrate: A climber scaling a rock wall to infiltrate a castle...
Don’t give the enemy any way to advance against you as a man or woman of God!
“Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.” Benjamin Franklin
II Kings 5:10-14, “Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman’s servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ’Wash and be cleansed’!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”
If Naaman had continued in his anger and disobeyed the Lord’s servant, he may never have healed from his leprosy.
OUR SECRET WEAPON IS UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS: 70X7 forgiveness.
Exercise unconditional forgiveness.
Eph 4:30-32, “…do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
CONCLUSION: Satan loves us to be angry people. That’s how he advances in our lives and defeats us. But GOD has given us a Spirit of love, forgiveness and self-control.
