Sermon on 28 July 2019 by Brother Paul Lee
Proverbs 12:16 - “A fool’s wrath is known at once, But a prudent man covers shame.”
This topic is about showing anger. We can be angry over things, but we cannot let anger take over us. We should have control over our anger.
Psalms 37:8 - “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.”
Proverbs 14:29 - “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”
Proverbs 27:4 - “Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.”
Proverbs 29:11 - “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back.”
Proverbs 29:22 - “An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.”
Ecclesiastes 7:9 - “Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool.”
Ephesians 4:26-27 - “And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
Many verses in the Bible reminds us how anger causes us to sin. Showing anger will lead us to becoming foolish, harming ourselves and others, committing all kinds of sins easily and giving foothold to the devil. We are letting anger become our master.
Galatians 5:19-23 - “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Outburst of anger is a sin. If we have outbursts of anger in us all the time, we aren’t able to inherit the Kingdom of God. We are God’s temple and we should guard against sin. We need to be masters over our anger and control it. The fruit of the Spirit needs to be in our life evidently. The common ways of showing anger is through loud and fierce tone, through harsh words, through our hands and legs and through the use of phones. We need to be wary of how to express our anger.
Beware when we become angry. Do not fall into sin by showing outburst of anger through the lack of self control. If God were to deal with our sin in anger, we would die.
Jeremiah 10:24 - “So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.”
Examples of showing anger which leads to sin:
1. Cain
Cain was angry that his offering wasn’t accepted. He had the thought to kill Abel. Even though God spoke to him, he still went ahead to kill Abel.
Genesis 4:6-7 - ““Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.””
Sometimes, we feel angry. However, should we entertain the anger?
2. Simeon and Levi
They responded to their anger by tricking their enemy. While their enemies were in pain undergoing circumcision, they killed all of their enemies.
3. Moses
Moses struck the rock the second time even though he was only instructed to speak to the rock. He allowed anger to overtake him and that isn’t pleasing to God.
4. King Saul
Pride set in and his heart started drawing away from God because of his status. When he saw how God prospered David, he was angry. Instead of acknowledging his sin to God, he let anger take over him. Every time he saw David, he wanted to kill him with a spear.
It is important that we don’t fall into the same footsteps of these people.
Anger and Murder
Matthew 5:21-26 - ““You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.”
Jesus warned us that when anger is at our doorstep and when we allow it to rule us, we are in the danger of judgement. When no one is watching us, the tendency to commit sin is much higher. Before talking about overcoming anger, we must understand why we show anger. The root of anger is when things are not in accordance to our expectations. Anger comes in because things don’t go in our way. However, this shouldn’t be a reason why we should show our anger.
How can we overcome our anger?
1. Recognise
Psalms 4:4 - “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Interlude”
God tells us not to react first. We should recognise our anger. Think and remain calm and still. Go through a night of thought process before acting out. Don’t let anger control us.
2. Avoid
Proverbs 22:24-25 - “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.”
We should avoid angry people else we may learn from them. You will bring forth these kind of conversations to the people around you too. It is liken unto adding fuel to fire.
3. Deflect
Proverbs 15:1 - “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”
Be gentle with our words. It is liken unto pouring water onto fire instead of adding fuel. Therefore, a gentle answer can deflect anger.
4. Focus
Psalms 103:8-10 - “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”
You must know who you are serving. God is compassionate, merciful and slow to get angry. Being His children, we must focus on Him and grow like Christ. We cannot let anger control us.
5. Replace
Ephesians 4:31-32 - “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Put off, renew and put on. We need to replace what’s bad with good. When a person is addicted to smoking, if he just stops smoking and don’t do anything else, the tendency of picking up a cigarette is high. He needs to engage himself in other activities to remove the bad habit. To not be angry, we need to learn how to forgive and to be tender hearted.
Colossians 3:5-10 - “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
If you want to get rid of our anger, we need to put on kindness and forgiveness. Be like Christ. Understand God’s heart and intent for all to dwell in love and unity. Anger causes division. Even if we have disagreement, we need to come together in truth and love and discuss the issue. It is important to be truthful and transparent to each other in love and gentleness.
Let’s avoid:
1. Gossiping
Proverbs 25:23 - “As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!”
2. Stirring up anger
Proverbs 30:33 - “As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.”
When we try to manage our own anger, we also don’t want to stir others to be angry. God values us to be united. Friction occurs easily so we should avoid it so we can come together in unity and in Christ.
3. Special instructions to parents
Ephesians 6:4 - “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”
It is important to read the Bible and see what God speaks to us. When we discipline our child, we must discipline them in truth and in love, not provoking them. Our actions should be like how God loves His children. Learn how to be like God and love our children in a way that He loves His children.
Let’s take the real test after today. Would you show your anger towards strangers, neighbours, colleagues, employees, employers, family members, church members, church leaders, government and to God? It is important to know that God is our provider and it is more than enough. We need to come to God with a heart of thanksgivings.
We tend to be quite quick tempered and when things don’t come our way, we get angry. We need to learn to be kindhearted and be patient with one another.
James 1:19-27 - “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
Pastor Justin’s summary:
It is a timely message and a wonderful truth. We should ponder upon this message and it is an everyday work that we need to focus on. Why is it foolish to show anger? We cannot be an effective vessel if we are angry as we block all the blessings. It is important for us to understand that the Kingdom of God is not about material things but joy, peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. Anger will not produce righteousness. If you are always angry, God knows. Straightaway, you are in the Kingdom of darkness. It is a serious matter and God treats this seriously. If we want to be used by God effectively, we need to get rid of anger. The New Testament talks to us about victory over sin. I pray that we will all be humble and to look within ourselves. The grace of God is upon us right now to teach us. You have no right to be angry because your life belongs to Christ. It is the grace of God that trains you to another person.
Amen.
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