(Audio/Video/Text)
Title: Put Off/Put On Part Two: Self-Control
Intro:
What’s the angriest you’ve ever been?
1. Notable Variant English Translations:
NIV: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,”
NASB: BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Any Others of note?
2. Where does Paul draw this from in the O.T.?
Psalm 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.
Psalm 37:8
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
3. Any Additional Insights From the Original Greek Language?
“Be Angry” translates from orgizō (or-gid’-zo)
Two fold definition:
1. to provoke, to arouse to anger
2. to be provoked to anger, be angry, be wrath
So we see here this is both this is NOT a command to not get angry. In fact, it is a command that we WILL necessary make others angry and others WILL make us angry, amen?
What are some examples of “Righteous Anger”? (take answers)
Chuck Smith Offers 4:
- Anger at sin
- Anger at unrighteousness
- Anger at evil
- Anger at bigotry
- Others?
In terms of Biblical Examples of Righteous Anger, Jesus and moneychangers is probably the most notable example, listen to what Smith says about that event:
Jesus, when He came into the temple and saw the moneychangers there, saw the desecration of the house of God, saw the commercialism, was angry. And I think that He is equally angry with the commercialism today within Christianity.
He said, “My Father’s house is to be called a house of prayer. You have made it a den of thieves.” He drove them out, angry. Again, when He came into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and there was a man with a withered hand and the Pharisees watched to see what He was going to do, He said to the man with the withered hand, “Stand forth.”
And He looked upon that Pharisee crowd with anger, because they would because of their narrow bigotry keep this man from receiving the work of God, the healing of his withered hand that day.
He looked around upon them with anger. Anger because men through their traditions would hold back the work of God from other men because that is not the way we do it. That is not according to the bylaws of our denomination.
So this command is not so much about the anger itself, as much as it is about how we react to our own anger, or how we react to anger we cause others.
The Self Evident Challenge and Application:
Sometimes the author is very considerate in that they apply real world application right in the very text we are studying, and Paul does that here today with an application when he tells us
“Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the Devil”
How many of you believe this literally means “Don’t go to bed angry?” And how many of you have gone to bed angry. Husbands and wives, none of YOU have gone to bed angry with the person sleeping next to you? (Don’t answer that).
The best way I could illustrate the best practice is this: “Do not let the mud of your anger harden into clay.”
Mud is moldable, mud is soft, mud can still be shaped and moved. Clay is rigid, you cannot change its form, it must be broken into sharp shards that can cut and injure.
Another way to think of it is like this:
IF you let the go down on your anger (time sets in and you don’t deal with the anger appropriately) THEN you are giving a place to the devil in your heart to hold a grudge. Nothing good ever comes from a grudge. Usually they erupt after a period of build up.
Conclusions:
- Anger itself is not wrong. (Especially a righteous anger)
- If Anger is not addressed timely and appropriately, it will become something very dangerous.
- This command is about our RESPONSE to anger (Self Control.)
How to we express our anger without sin? (I struggle with this)
- Take a breath, count to ten, get away (When you come back you will still be angry, but less likely to outburst in wrath.)
- Follow Matthew 18
- Have someone to talk through the anger with that you trust, respect, and fear
- Others?
Pray
Q&A