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February 25, 2021 7:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. When should I be angry and everyone we all know that there's a time when using the wrong way. It's a problem occurs too frequently last too long. It's a problem ends up resulting in some recent joining us today on this additional fellowship in the work pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana doing pastoral Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world and during the holidays during holiday messages. I began to think about what I want to do the first of the year. So start looking at Scripture find that awful lot of stuff that I was very interested in, found the topic that I wonder do and was about to launch it last week. I was going to launch this series last week and we had covert problem and so we didn't have church last week and the disclaimer is it the events of this past week had anything to do with this sermon series that I'm about to embark on your find out as I go along.
Just how obvious this is when we start by way of some questions.
Have you ever done something that you wish you hadn't done when you're angry. Have you ever said something when you are angry you wish you could take back. Have you ever made a bad decision when you're angry. Have you ever won the friendship or marriage or family relationship or business relationship because of anger. Have you ever seen a person hurt because of someone else's anger physically or emotionally or psychologically. It's amazing what we do when were angry. Anger produces child abuse, divorce murder, family splits and relationships are severed. I read this past week that anger can be more responsible for heart problems than smoking and high blood pressure.
Solomon says that in the book of Proverbs, a hot temper person commits many sins here we are sinful people living on a cursed planet with innumerable opportunities to be angry. We all have triggers that trigger the anger we feel will been unfairly treated refill blamed by somebody I we feel ignored or misunderstood. We feel belittled or ignored when significant. We feel entitled or something we didn't get it in our expectations are met. Someone gives us unsolicited advice and Deb. We feel that someone has treated us in a very condescending way we are criticized by others.
Someone hasn't respected our limits were given ultimatums or threats sometimes were pushed and slapped and hit sometimes our space, and territory has been invaded. Sometimes we don't feel safe and we get angry even to start with some of you angry right now. Angry.
Specifically, we have countless opportunities every day to be angry every single day. Big things and little things. Someone cut you off the line and traffic get angry as someone misunderstood what you said someone ignored her feeling someone broke her trust someone live you, even the littlest things. Sometimes you find out some time to find out too late and erotic toilet paper in your angry clerk in the storage room you are in a hurry and you had red light after red light after redline after redline. Your boss doesn't appreciate you the way he or she should somebody track dirt in your fresh and clean house the driver in front of you is driving so slow you get the point. We get off angry. Anger is not good for us or for others, so I decided to do a sermon series. That's how much God says about it on anger what is anger American heritage dictionary says anger is a strong feeling of displeasure or hostility. I don't know if there are too many words and we have more synonyms for English and anger and rage, furious, indignant, mad, seething, infuriated, aggravated I really annoyed bothered, frustrated, huffy inflammatory irascible provoke route up quick-tempered to adopt peeved hot all synonyms of anger. So what I'd like to do in this week. In the weeks the economist one answer some questions. What does God say about anger because he say and when should I be angry and when should I not be angry anymore for me. How do you express anger. I think we all know that there's a time when anger brings real problems if we use in the wrong way.
It's a problem if it occurs too frequently. It's a problem with the last too long. It's a problem in ends up resulting in somewhat sinful behavior. Some of us even using anger to manipulate our lives and to control people. Some of us use anger just regurgitate negative emotions we have some of us even use it to relieve stress. Some of us use of the key people at a safe distance. Some of us avoid having to face her deeper more painful problem so we get outburst of anger. Sometimes we use anger to draw away attention to the real issues in our life.
Sometimes we use anger to fill dominant, powerful and intimidating of others.
Sometimes we use it to take revenge.
Sometimes we do it become angry to avoid change or avoid having to face the unknown. A lot of times we use anger to feel superior to others Saturday when I want to do is I want to set a foundation for this one a deal with the question what does God think I'm going to do with virtually all but one verse entirely in one book. The book of Proverbs and so I like you to open your Bible to Proverbs chapter 12 Proverbs chapter 12, even before the events of this past week or this past month or this past year. It just seems to me that the more I observe this culture, the more I'm convinced that we are a very angry culture and even more alarming to me is the church of Jesus Christ is for angry people and that's what I really wanted to address it. He says in Proverbs chapter 12 verse 15 he said the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens the Council of fools anger is known at once, so if you're one of those nice explosive people. I will let everybody know I feel you have outburst of anger. I want to give you an assessment from God. Your full answer your he said that's what a fool does you know right away is a fool because the collie has outburst of anger. That's an interesting verse from his point of view explosive anger reveals who we are.
Go with me to Proverbs 15 in verse 18. Here Solomon says a hot tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger columns dispute you call me back or you stir up strife. This is hard for us. We live in a culture, especially through the media of our culture.
How many of you turn on national news because you want the person on the news the call me I want to be calm down.
Return on why ministers up as a business. The business is the stir us up to make you angry.
You see, that's what we do. He says the hot tempered man stirs up strife. He said that's the way this happens.
Thirdly, we can see something else about it. In chapter 19 in verse 19. This verse is insightful. Solomon says, a man of great anger shall bear the penalty as a principal from God. He said for you if you rescue him. You only have to do it again what he saying there anger can can become your identity, it becomes your identity. I don't want to say that. So you hide behind other words, not up. I'm just a truth teller.
I tell people the truth, but maybe not the way God intends for you to do that in the book of Ephesians, Paul says that we are to speak the truth in love now it's interesting as I know a lot of true speakers and I've never had a hint of love from I just tell the truth and by the way there people that only speak words aloud because they're afraid that those words will be accepted and will be rejected so they never tells him there's a balance at the point of it is is what he is saying right here that I think is pretty fascinating in a drawl penalty. If you rescue him don't have to do it again.
This is a very important point. I'll get you a little bit later more so when we are angry we almost always justified.
I mean almost always when you're angry or I'm angry, you justify your anger and I hope after you see what God says you can find out you don't have any justification you think you do. I have a right to be angry. Maybe not as much as you think you see and we'll talk about that in a moment but he says that the becomes a person's identity. You can't. You keep rescuing him and he keeps going back to the same thing for some of you anglers bring that sin that so easily entangles you, you are faced angry outburst. Your whole life is he that becomes a very important thing.
Let's look at chapter 22 in verse 25 of Proverbs 24 and 25 actually here's what Solomon writes. Here's first thing he says do not associate with a man given to anger or go with a hot tempered man what Scott Thomas stay away from angry people stay away that's in your personal life that I actually actually would be just as to his immediate stay away from angry people even tell you why.
He said oh you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself. Anger is contagious. Never heard of things like mob rule.
See a mob of people in a time what time in the chaos why the anger is contagious. Everyone is getting fired up Benjamin. Anger becomes a contagious thing you might have grown up in a very explosive household and you might be explosive yourself.
Studies of shown that the princes people were in anger when they were children were abused by their parents or their father have a much greater chance of doing want to their own children using outburst of anger. God says it's contagious. Anger is contagious.
See, that's the point of it you can you can be contagious and get a whole group of people or a nation, even following you if you if you just listen to or read the messages that Adolf Hitler said from the late 1920s through the 1930s of his anger and frustration, and a whole nation believe them whole nation bought into it. One of the things I'd read years ago that was really disturbing when it came to Hitler was over 80% of what we would call born-again evangelical Christians in Germany supported right up to the war. How is a madman angry madman and start working.
It's contagious. He says you gotta be careful that don't associate with people who are like that. Go to chapter 29 with me and God's pretty clear here.
He says in verse 22 and angry man stirs up strife in a hot tempered man abounds in transgression anger results in upbeat clear as I can sin anger results in sin. That's what happens when were angry. It's dangerous for us. We are sinful people. The reason to become sinful goes over the top is Jeremiah talks about in Jeremiah 79 Jeremias is the heart of a man is desperately wicked.
It is deceitful above all things. Well that's my heart, my soul was nature or something to say. My got his again is desperately wicked and it's deceitful above everything else. Who knows your heart to see you so now you can see how you justify your anger to my heart is telling me home and be angrier when this in your heart. She gotta be careful with that because can result in sins as I started out by saying that if we ever done things said things when you're angry you wish you had. Of course we all have. That's the point. That's what happens when we become angry so there dangerous consequences to handling anger in the wrong way, but there are some benefits and expressing it correctly. Go with me to Proverbs 15 verse one here Solomon says a general answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. He said the tongue of the wise make knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools Bob Fawley how do you feel about that verse when you're angry. Verse everything about when you're angry when God says a general answer turns away wrath, no I want them angry is the way this works is about a harsh word stirs up more anger or I've seen this over the years is in all the years of the marriage counseling and marriage is struggling. The pattern is so clear conflict in marriage is an interesting thing. Most of the time and marriages are struggling.
The conflict is not major.
Some are minor, but every time you have another conflict that escalates. I've said this often is an analogy, but it almost starts out like a couple was just sort of throwing spit balls at each other and hey hey, so do you admit would spit but what am I going to do you want one thing to go from spitballs and then someone brings out a club menu, bring out your club and then they bring out a gun. Now they have these because you have a history together and you injustice together. You remember only six to the new bring out a gun next to you know you have cannons and finally its nuke now and then you can tell when that explodes you start screaming words like always and never all the way. This may give us some piece of advice. Only God always endeavors is the only being that always does the same thing and never does anything else, not your spouse, what caused that escalation.
You see, what caused it, and we justified you see that idea that that becomes an extremely important part of this whole thing a general answer turns away wrath.
Harsh words stir up anger. That's why they call whole section of counseling, conflict resolution, you have been off the resolve conflict.
I was hitting the hips the funniest things I ever heard was right, graduating seminary, a guy wrote a book, who was considered to be a Christian expert on marriage and is here one little book was a little thick but it was on conflict resolution and he said he think about the key how to stop conflict in your homes. Otherwise, work knowing you know for everybody including me and he said he and his wife when a conflict is rising. Always ask permission from their spouse to express their anger when I'm angry I'm not looking for permission and of my wife said to me, could I have permission what you think. I'd say now.
I mean, you asked for permission you asking angry person can have permission, five, that sounds fine, but that doesn't work because when were angry. That's the point we find ourselves extremely angry. Secondly, the good chapter 30 with me in verse 33 beautiful analogy.
Solomon writes in 3033 for the churning of milk produces butter. I love the cycle and the processing of the nose will bring forth blood by just put my thumb in your nose if you press and long enough I get some but other. He said so. The churning of anger produces strife, anger makes things worse worse for the people you're angry at works for you makes things worse. It doesn't make things better.
That's a God saying you can't do it that way.
There is spiritual benefit, but only in expressing anger the right way there dangerous consequences with glee mishandled. Most importantly, what I want to say this morning is this this is very important to be able to express anger correctly or even to have anger correctly, you have to see life the way God you have to see life the way God and to tell you if you're like me are almost everyone I know you don't do this you don't see life the way God's listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss minimum broadcasting or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs is no Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the 100 support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.
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