17 August 2014
I. Introduction
[Show video
clip "Grudge" through 2:40]
-- so does
that sound familiar anybody? -- can anybody relate to what that guy was saying
in the video clip?
-- yeah --
here I was --we have made it now to the end of our sermon series on The Seven
Deadly Sins -- and this has been a really convicting series of messages for me
-- it's really opened my eyes to a lot of things I didn't realize I was
struggling with
-- but I
thought today might be different -- today we're ending the series with the sin
of wrath or anger -- and I was just telling someone this week that I'm not an
angry person -- I don't angry -- maybe just once a year at the most, I'll get
really, really angry -- but I just don't have a problem with anger
-- and then
I started working on this message and I watched that clip and I realized,
"I have more problems with anger than I realized" -- not major
"stomp through the house and yell and throw things" anger, but
everyday anger
-- and, as one
author pointed out, most of our anger is with small things -- cabinets left
open -- standing in line for a long time at the store -- getting stuck in
traffic -- lost keys -- someone in front of us not using their blinker -- that
kind of stuff
-- everyday
kind of anger -- and when you think about wrath or anger as being a deadly sin,
this is the reason why -- anger is a deadly sin because this little, everyday
anger opens the door for more sin -- this little everyday anger turns us into
monsters
-- it makes
us do and say things we shouldn't -- it corrupts who we are -- as people and as
Christians -- and it ruins our witness for Christ
-- this
little every day anger just builds up in our lives, just waiting to erupt --
and then one day, some little thing just sets us off, and we explode -- maybe
not to the same extent as people with major problems with anger and anger abuse
-- but to the point where we want to see another person harmed -- maybe not
physically, but surely emotionally
-- we want
to see another person get what's coming to them -- and we find ourselves filled
with such hatred about what someone has done to us or what God has to done to
us that we just want someone to hurt like we do
-- so this
morning, as we look at this final deadly sin of anger, don't think about the
major episodes of anger you read about -- the anger that leads to road rage and
killing someone because they cut you off in traffic -- or the anger that leads
someone to abuse another person or to walk into a school or movie theater and
randomly start shooting
-- instead,
think about the anger you deal with -- the anger hidden deep in your soul --
the minor irritations that cause you to react and that make you do things you
know you shouldn't do -- this is the anger most of us deal with -- and this is
the anger that is the most insidious, because it is hidden in our very lives
II. Scripture Lesson (James 1:19-21)
-- with
that said, let's turn now to our Scripture for this morning -- we're going to
be in the Book of James -- James 1, starting at verse 19 -- and if you know
anything about James, you'll know this is the place to go to find frank and
honest discussion about everyday life and the way we should act and live as
Christians
-- James
1:19-21
James 1:19-21 (NIV)
19 My dear brothers,
take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow
to become angry,
20 for man's anger
does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
21 Therefore, get rid
of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word
planted in you, which can save you.
-- the
first thing we see in these verses is that James is writing to his "dear
brothers" -- specifically, he is writing to the Jews scattered throughout
the Roman empire -- these are his brothers
because they are related to him by heritage and culture and descendancy
-- but they
are his brothers in another sense also -- these are Jewish believers -- so when
James uses that word brother, he is referring to us also, because we are
included in the family of faith through Christ Jesus
-- now I
bring this up to remind you of what we just talked about -- anger is not just a
problem with unbelievers -- anger can be a problem with us, too, and James is
very careful to make sure we are aware of this as he opens his thought on the
subject
-- James
says take note of this -- this isn't about someone else -- this isn't about the
unbeliever on the street -- this is about you -- when I'm talking about someone
with anger problems, don't think about your neighbor -- think about yourself
-- now I
guess before we delve into the subject of anger, we really need to define what
we're talking about -- what is anger?
-- seems
like an easy question, but you might be surprised -- as I was going through
this, I found out I had the wrong definition of anger in my mind -- it wasn't
what I thought
-- when I
define anger, I think about someone getting mad and lashing out -- yelling at
someone or talking to them sarcastically or harshly -- sometimes getting
violent and punching the wall or throwing things or slamming pots down on backyard
decks -- I'll say, "Man, that person is angry," but that's not anger
-- that's the result of anger
-- it's
kind of like the wind -- try to define what wind is -- and, nine times out of
ten, you'll start talking about its effects -- you'll say things like,
"the wind is what blows the trees around and makes the leaves rustle"
-- "the wind is what you feel on your face" -- "that noise you
hear is the wind" -- but none of that is the wind -- what you're
describing is the effect of the wind on your environment
-- it's the
same way with anger -- when we try to define anger -- when we picture in our
minds -- we usually think about the effects of anger, not what anger actually
is
-- so what
is anger? -- anger is an emotion, just like love or sadness -- it is a feeling
-- anger is an emotional response to some stimulus in your life -- a goal, a
value, an expectation -- and it's important to note that anger is God-given -- anger,
in and of itself, is not wrong
-- the
problem with anger is what we do with it -- anger becomes a sin when we allow
the anger to express itself in unhealthy ways
-- since
anger is God-given, this lets us know there is a healthy and Godly response to
this emotion -- God gave us anger for a reason -- and if you think about the
reasons for our anger, you'll realize we become angry primarily when we or
someone we care about is hurt or threatened -- when something comes along and harms
or threatens to harm us physically, spiritually, or emotionally
-- the
emotion of anger initiates our body's "fight-or-flight" response -- it
triggers an adrenaline rush -- the emotion of anger helps us focus our actions
and energy and control our response in threatening situations -- when you're
angry, physical pain actually decreases, and you are able to move and act on
adrenaline alone -- God gave us anger to empower us to protect ourselves and
defend those around us from physical, spiritual, or emotional harm
-- in the
church we call this "righteous anger" -- and expressing the emotion
of anger in a manner like this is not a sin -- think about Jesus' response to
the money changers in the temple -- He became angry because of a spiritual
injustice -- the money changers and those selling livestock to gain profit were
doing so at the expense of true worshipers -- they were taking advantage of
people and lying to them -- they had corrupted God's law for personal gain --
and they were blaspheming God through their actions
-- this
made Jesus angry and He responded by turning over their tables and running them
out of the temple courtyard -- the important thing to note there is that Jesus
did not attack them personally or physically -- He attacked the problem and focused
His energy and efforts on correcting the injustice that was occurring in a way
that was righteous and Godly
-- but if
there is righteous response to anger, then there must also be an unrighteous
response -- a sinful anger -- which is what James is talking about in this
passage
-- now,
remember, we're not talking about the obvious explosions of anger we all know
is sinful and unrighteous -- what concerns us today is the everyday anger we
choose to respond to in an ungodly and unrighteous manner
-- "Let’s
say that someone you love hurts your feelings -- God gave you those feelings --
It hurt -- You're angry -- That is not sinful." -- that is a normal
emotional response
-- "but
let's say you yell back at them. -- That was a choice you made -- that was your
decision, your will. -- You could have made another choice" -- a more
Godly choice
-- you could
have controlled your emotions -- you
could have chosen not to react in like manner -- emotions are never sinful, but
your response to them can be -- "sin is your decision to take things into
your own hands -- You always have control over your own sin."1
-- anger
becomes a sin when we choose to react from a sense of vengeance -- when we feel
personally wronged and we want to give it back -- we want to make the other
person pay -- we want them to suffer like we are suffering -- or we just feel
like we need to make a scene or do something physically to express our hurt and
displeasure with what is going on -- like the guy in the video clip getting
back at the cashier by leaving his buggy in the store and storming out or when
we slam doors or yell in frustration
-- but we
need to realize this is a choice we are making -- a choice to respond by
sinning
-- so what
is the Godly way to respond to this emotion of anger? -- look back at what
James says here
-- James 1:19-20
19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be
quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life
that God desires.
-- be quick
to listen and slow to speak -- in other words don't react -- when you get angry
-- when you start to feel that anger welling up inside of you, stop -- take a
breath -- count to 10 -- let your body relax and your mind think about the
situation for a moment -- what is a better way to respond? -- how does God want
you to react to this situation?
-- William
Arthur Ward wrote, “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not
people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses.” -- redirect your
anger productively -- focus your energy on the problem, not the person or
situation you perceive as causing the problem
-- sounds
easy, doesn't it? -- piece of cake -- brings us to the question we should
always ask ourselves, "Yes, but how?"
-- verse 21
21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that
is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
-- James
seems to shift here to an unrelated topic -- in verse 21 he says get rid of all
your moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent in your life -- now what
does that have to do with anger or our response to anger?
-- I have a
friend who went out to Colorado a couple of weeks ago for a class -- I was
talking to him this week and he was telling me what bad shape the forests were
in that area -- they've been having an extended drought in that part of
Colorado that weakened the trees and made them susceptible to disease and
insects -- well, pine beetles had come in and killed acres and acres of trees
-- he said there were whole mountains that were just covered with standing and
fallen dead trees and there were branches and other debris just piled up all
around them -- he said it was hard to walk through the forests for all the fuel
on the ground
-- and he
was telling me how there were a lot of areas that wildfires had gotten to -- entire
forests had just been burned to a crisp -- because of the drought and the
insects and the disease, these forests were just brittle and ripe for a fire
and then a thunderstorm came in and one lightning strike -- one little spark --
and the whole forest erupted into a conflagration -- he said it's a really
dangerous situation out there and the whole place could just go up in a moment
-- that's
exactly what James is saying here in this verse -- when we let broken attitudes
and dry spirits and brittle hurts and frustrations -- moral filth and sin --
build up in our lives, we become a tinder box -- and all it takes is just one
spark -- one little, minor incident like having to stand in line at the grocery
store too long or a harsh word from a family member -- and we erupt in the fire
of anger 2
-- so James
says get rid of all of that -- confess it -- repent of it -- give it over to
God -- don't build up fuel in your life that might catch on fire with anger
-- instead,
he says, turn to the word -- accept the word planted in you -- let God show you
how to respond in these situations -- it's a Christian cliche now, but it's
still true -- ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?" and do it -- God's
word dwelling inside of you will show you how you should respond -- the issue
is whether we choose to follow His path or whether we choose to react in anger
on our own
III. Closing
-- when
something bad happens, we can get enraged and furious and a lot of times we
explode into action, thinking some wrong needs to be righted and we're the
person to do it, regardless of the consequences -- let me close by sharing with
you a story from Ann Finkbeiner that shows a better way -- that demonstrates
how to respond instead of react to angry situations
-- Ann
interviewed a woman about her son’s death years after the incident -- this
woman's son had been killed when he surprised an escaped convict at a
construction site he worked at -- Ann asked the if she thought she was over it.
-- instead
of answering the question, the woman instead talked about her immediate
response to the incident -- she had made up her mind she was going to kill the
convict who had murdered her son -- she was going to walk into the courtroom
with a gun and kill him and she didn't care what happened to her personally --
but she didn't -- she couldn't -- and the murderer was sentenced to 67 years --
but even with the verdict, her anger did not subside
-- however,
rather than react in anger and lash out at others, this woman channeled her
anger into productivity -- she became a vocal proponent of gun control and worked
on national political platforms to that end -- she ran for state office, won
awards, and organized a gun control group -- Thirteen years after her son died,
her state banned Saturday-night-specials, partly through the efforts of her
organization.
-- In 1996,
when the murderer was about to be paroled on a technicality, she xeroxed a
truth-in-sentencing form and got 8,000 signatures, and the parole was denied --
even in her seventies, she continued to work passionately on the issue of gun
control -- writing newspaper articles and being interviewed in the national
news on the issue
-- rather
than exploding in rage, she responded righteously and fought against injustice
to right the wrong that took her son's life3
-- anger is
an emotion, given by God to help us in our lives -- it is only a sin when we
choose to react in ungodly ways
-- so how
do we respond to anger in a Godly manner? -- how do we choose to live
righteously in this area of our lives?
-- first,
we have to admit we have a problem -- don't be like me -- don't think that just
because you don't have rip-roaring hissy fits all the time that you don't have
an anger problem, but recognize the everyday issues with anger we all face --
I've got a handout for you with a checklist to think about to see if you really
do have an anger problem or not -- take a moment today or this week and fill it
out and see how you do
--
secondly, anticipate problem areas -- What situations can you avoid? -- What
people or situations do we struggle with that causes us to lose our temper? --
consider how you're feeling before you put yourself in those places -- if
you're feeling out of time and frustrated and irritable, probably not a good
time to head to the store or to get in traffic if you can avoid it -- learn
from your past mistakes and don't repeat them
-- third --
when you start to feel angry, take a breath -- count to 10 or 100 or 1000 --
whatever it takes -- be quick to listen and slow to speak -- and then turn to
God -- commit that situation to Him and ask Him to show you how to respond in a
righteous manner -- as James said, accepted the word planted in you, which can
save you
-- fourth,
hate the sin and not the sinner -- in other words, focus on the problem and not
the person and realize the problem may be you -- it might be internal -- and
the situation you are in is just causing it to catch fire
-- lastly,
"practice the presence of Christ -- be aware that God is present and hears
every word [and sees every action] -- Christ is not only present with us when
we are in church -- He is present in your household and with you at work -- He
hears every idle word and sees every thought -- If I practice the presence of
Christ, I may chose my
words differently" -- if I remember God is watching, we
may be less prone to erupt in anger and do something that embarrasses us and
brings dishonor to God4
-- the key
word for today is choose -- choose to respond to your God-given emotion of
anger in a righteous way and choose not to sin through your actions
-- let us
pray
1 Father Mark Hamlet,
http://www.fathermarkhamlet.com/the-seven-deadly-sins-anger/
2 Murray Pura,
"Majestic and Wild"
3 Ann Finkbeiner, http://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2012/01/04/the-seven-deadly-sins-anger/
4 Modified from a sermon
by Jeff Sims, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/good-and-angry-jeff-simms-sermon-on-anger-58925.asp
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