Anger - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Everything I do is like the anger will see in a moment that's true. He says being angry and then warning you cannot say warning if you say your anger just like God giving my anger just like God is wise. He tells as soon as going out today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work.

I really don't get angry and you have another sleep.

It's just anger. It could be a minor frustration over somebody's driving habits. It could be irritation.

They think kids are once again not, it could be that that you have a situation at work seems grossly unfair. See, there's something going on here, marital conflict, husbands, wives hurting each other is a lot of anger in our world Christian counselor manual written by J Adams years ago said this anger is a problem for every Christian. Sinful anger is probably involved in 95% of all counseling, case it's amazing how pervasive anger is just imagine what your life would be like with anger. Just imagine how much better it would be cheap. Anger not only hurts other people, but I believe anger hurts more than it hurts other people. Mark Twain said this, he said. Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored in to anything on which it is poured. Anger is destructive to us personally in the New Testament, there are three words are used for anger one is numerous 20 times you got the idea for omission of its heat it means to boil over. That's the literal meaning of it, it means rage.

It's that kind of anger.

I hope you don't have that but some people certainly do. Secondly, there's a word or gay juice 45 times the common word for anger. It's an inside attitude. It deals with frustration, resentment that we end up having on the inside. The last one is egg and act cases and that is the words five times and it means somebody who has a just a lot of resentment about things so I want to look at that today I will. The first person want to look at is a verse that I believe Christians use to justify unrighteous anger and they love using this verse. So open your Bibles to Ephesians 4 will start to beginning in verse one, but then will get to the verse I really want to look at Ephesians 4 now he starts at Ephesians 4 nieces. Therefore I the prisoner of the Lord. It's a prison epistle import you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you have been called pulverize us every every letter he writes is the same in this structure in the first maybe up to half of the letter Paul will tell you what Christ has done for you what your position is in Christ all of the benefits that Christ is giving you. And then the last part of the letter or the last half of the letter Paul will change you say now how you going to live on the basis of everything you received. How are you going to live your life now and so this time uses the metaphor of walking he said, I implore you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling with which you been called you been called by God to be a child of God's okay. He seemed to her that you are now high ground of your life.

How are you going to make choices of how you live now, here's what he says right then as walking as a child of God, he said with all humility and gentleness, with patients showing tolerance for one another in love. There's a lot of words there. He said this is what I want you to do first thing I want you to do live your life, he said with humility Greek word there is interesting if the Greek word actually means to to think with loneliness is a compound word to think with loneliness. Humility is bedrock to the Christian perspective of the world.

Now the Greeks and the Romans at this time hated a lot of people today they detested humility they they thought anybody who it would be good describe as humble is not in achieving worthwhile human being. They champion more like pride and he says with humility, know what I'm saying is bedrock. Remember when Jesus said, come unto me all you that are heavy laden, I'll give you rest is all by the way, I'm humble.

It's an amazing statement.

I'm humble. It's going to be easy now. Jesus son of God is a son of God as humble what you think man should be.

There's anyone it would be prideful would be the son of God is not a cinema humble member. Moses wrote that Moses was the most humble man on earth which I wonder a bike as you wrote it to know it almost seems probable that, but the point is its bedrock to us, not to the Greeks at all.

He said with humility and with gentleness, which is translated meekness that means power under control. The imagery, the Greeks used for. It was if you take the horses a powerful yes is it stronger than we are. Yes, but if you put a bit in a brighter wanted. Can you control it. Yes, that's called gentleness, weakness, power under control.

Then he said with patients and that's macro through Mia. It means very very very long tempered. You need to be very, very, very long tempered as I described. And please don't do what so many Christians do.

Hey, I got red hair. I can't help it. What I come from a whole line of very explosive people so God says you should belong tempered, you should very much be a patient person he said and then he says tolerant you know what that means is not just the word tolerant you have to be tolerant of somebody alive yet to be tolerant of everybody does that describe you.

I'm tolerant of everybody to see what he said. Then he goes on after that. He said for one another in love. That's agape. That's how God loves us. That's the unconditional choice to love somebody and that's exactly what he said you should be.

So when you put it all together what he ends up saying you should be humble, general patient, tolerant and choosing the love one another and connect unconditionally. That's the context. Now let's get to the verse 26 this is the verse lots of Christians use as an excuse be angry. By way it is a commandment you commanded by God to be angry while see my view what's going to get odder just a moment here. Look at verse 31 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Is that hard for you to understand were commanded in 26 to be angry and were commandment. 31 the put it aside which is both disease talking about something else or there's two different subjects here because there's two different kinds of anger I been doing a series on open-heart surgery and I talked about the human heart and I said that it is deceitful to the person who has it. More than anything.

That's what Jeremiah wrote deceitful above all things, is he said it is wicked. My heart now.

Once we come to Christ were new creature in Christ. But we still operate in the flesh under the authority of her old old heart. So God wants to do open-heart surgery on us with his word to tell us some things we should do and shouldn't do. In other words, when it comes anger.

There's two kinds of anger. There's the anger of God and the anger men and most all the anger that you and I have is the anger man almost all of his you know when were having it weakness often express that none of everything I do is like the anger of God will will see in a moment. If that's true, he says be angry and then a warning, yet did not sin that's kind interesting warning if you say your anger is just like gods and I'm giving my anger just like God. He says yes but you better not sin wisely tell us because we have a high propensity to sin.

When were angry anybody here ever said something you shouldn't of said when you were angry. Anybody see what happens when were angry he says what child you gotta really watch out for what it is you're doing.

He said this is terrible James chapter 1 verse 20 says the anger of man does not achieve the right lessons God's anger. But it doesn't, he says. And right after that he was still's muscular no longer, but rather must labor performing with his own hands, what is good so that he will have something to share with the one who has need that might be a particular issue going on than made people angry but now he goes right back on subject in verse 29.

If you're going to be angry. Don't sin if you going to be angry.

Let's test it. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth while that word unwholesome. You could translate unkind now. When asked when you really angry is that the kind of work you get.

You've never said in unwholesome or unkind word, think about what you most likely to say things that are unwholesome and unkind when you're angry.

That's the whole point when were really angry and frustrated. That's when we talk this way.

He says no I'm explain this. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth. Only such a word that is as is good for edification. According to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear that sound like you when you're angry. I mean I'm really angry. Now I gotta think about this. I'm only going to give a word that will edify the other person only that, I'm just going to give them a warning that I'm going to give a word.

It's filled with grace for them.

That sound like you when you're angry because of a dozen of the anger you have is not from God. The anger you have comes from your human heart flesh while he sets out how bad this is. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with him you been sealed to the day of redemption. When you and I display anger and we use words from our own flesh and heart we grieve the Spirit of God who lives in us.

That's not at all what God wants from us see in so many Christians want to justify know you told me to be angry.

I'm angry. That's this is not right at all. He then goes on to let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Anything that's why am angry is anger for the idea of conveying my bitterness my slander my clamp and isn't that what anger is no God.

Anger is not like that at all. That's not godly that's fleshly anger. He said here's what God wants. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ is forgiven you will. When people really get you riled up really disappoint you, and you get really angry at them.

The ever stop and think and you can you can make this case, you should be angry at sin will talk about that little bit more in a moment. You should be.

But the point of it is the me ask you do you sin but don't sit why do you sin. Yes okay so what does Christ do. You are so disappointing. I had to see it with a hammer.

I gotta make sure you lose every penny you have got to get you this price tag. I got no steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end.

Snow every morning every morning God forgives me while he reinstates me while he's kind to me. You see, that's all. Christ forgave us he continues to forgive us as his children know what he said here kind to one another, tenderhearted, and you forgive each other, just as God in Christ is forgiven you, so if you want to have the anger of God. You also have to have the forgiveness of God. That's the whole point you have a choice here. See one of the problems with being angry. His you have so much material to be angry at me thinking that the planets cursed is anyone here ever been angry at the government, a man at yeah why, of course, you been angry in almost every situation you ever stood in the line and got angry because a longer standing in the line of course. Anger, like I said away a guy cut you off and drives you didn't get what if you want to be angry, you're in the right place presumably angry 24 seven. Your whole life. Your whole life can be a life of anger and what happens once you take anger and you hold it in your heart for any period of time. You become something even worse. Bitter you become bitter and there's nothing more tragic to see that a person lives in her 70s or 80s. If you were to describe the mortgage sales while they bitter.

You know what they did to me when I was 18. My father said to me you know what they did you know that crazy maple is beside, I'm guessing, innuendo, bitter does that sound like the Christian life to you is that sound what it means to follow Jesus know God knows anger would just it's corrosive in our lives. It's like cancer, it needs us up. He wore just don't do this at all. So he tells us here. You can use this as an excuse because I'm really really really he said being just like guys does God ever get angry.

Yes, he got angry when he came most Moses came down and saw the worshiping.

The goal Was got angry so was Moses when they mistreated their own widows and orphans. The guy got angry.

Yes, a good thing. Think of Moses.

Do you ever get angry.

Well, not really.

Well yes, once think of what Moses did you know the story. He has 2 million people there taken out of Egypt now. Isn't it wonderful to have 2 million.

Thankful grateful people who just sing praise to you, and God all the time.

That's what they know. That wasn't what they did. It all they did was wine complain you took aside to tell us. I hate this food.

I don't like any of it all. That's all they did.

You want Moses did. Every time he did that he fell on his knees and he interceded in prayer for them even when God was angry at the Moses interceded and face God and said God don't do this, don't display your anger and guess how long Moses did it 40 years. So how would you like that responded by 2 million. I'm grateful unfaithful people for 40 years and all 40 years. All they did was whine and complain and then at the end they did at the end of Moses. He got so frustrated by that out when I read it the first time I'm chairing for Moses.

He took a staff and he just struck the rock twice.

Bone only hits the rock where the water comes from because he so frustrated guides and Moses you can do uniting going into the promised land.

God held him accountable for that after 40 years of displaying tremendous long-suffering and patient. He finally loses the school and God's as you will grow the promise. See there is a way. There is a godly anger.

There's no doubt about it, but are angry are anger must be a lawful lot like God so I want to go with me. Now let's go to the book of James.

The book of James. In chapter 4 that was interesting about this in chapter 4.

Is this James asked this question, what is the source of the quarrels and conflicts among you while you angry see what causes your anger is a great question. Good question for us.

He said it is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members while your pleasures, means your inner desires you could transfer paraphrase that your heart is it because your heart wants what it wants and wages war against your members, your flesh, isn't that the case isn't that why you're angry and fighting with people isn't that it you almost want to say no. Knowing I don't think so because you know these people then were not very good. James is not is not the case at all.

Elliott Larson maybe has the best definition for anger. I've written a long time. Elliott Larson says anger always comes from frustrated expectations. That's what we get angry. By the way, that's what marital conflict is you get frustrated expectations. I expected more from my wife. I expected more from announcement I expect you to act and you don't get it.

You get angry and then all you have to be as apparent. Wow look if you ever got upgrades all the way someone do a teenager and you think they met every expectation I could ever had and got a patent in a that's that's amazing is frustrating. It's all part of who we are and we have these unmet expectations. You see I expect I expect to be treated by my government a certain way. I expect to go to the hospital be treated in a certain way when I'm not treated the way I expect.

I get frustrated and I get angry. He said that's what ends up happening. That's when James says so James goes on. He says you lost and you do not have the watch so you commit murder. What weight he's read his writing to a church so they got mad at me to get angry at each other and they started killing each other no, this is hyperbole, but some interesting about this.

Who is this James, do you know he's James, the Lord's brother, he is an unbeliever until the resurrection.

He does not convert to Christ until the resurrection. When he saw his brother raising the dead became a believer. He became the lead Elder of the Jerusalem church is a pretty amazing guy and he's writing this and I think when he wrote that he knows it's hyperbole, but I think he remembered something. Remember in Jesus Christ talking space in the sermon the Mount.

He said you see Francis Stossel not murder but I say if you've ever had anger in your heart you are a murderer while you think James might've heard at all those 30 years he spent with Jesus.

Yeah, I remember him saying I didn't know what he meant to see, and he says so he uses it here uses the hyperbole Jesus Christ as our anger condemns us before God. Just like murder.

Murder is obviously worse because the ramifications for humans. He said he said you lost you. Have you commit murder. You are envious cannot obtain, so you fight unmet expectations. He said that's what that's why we fight.

That's why we have to go get her. If you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like to listen to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have 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 a monthly fourth is the one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is of the sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible church visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for.

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