“Anger Issues” Matthew 5:21-26

Anger

“Anger Issues” Matthew 5:21-26

Anger seems to fill the world around us. Angry people protesting, angry people hurting each other. Anger tears apart individual lives, families, communities, and nations. Anger is fueled by economic inequality, racial prejudice, bullying, jealousy and so many other things. People are angry at work, at home, on the road, and even at church.

We all suffer with anger to some degree, at least I do. So, this sermon is to myself as much as anyone else. I get angry at my poor health and those who are supposed to be helping me with it. I get angry when I think about past wrongs that have been done to me. I get angry because people don’t come to church like they should, and the church is not growing fast enough. I get angry with myself when I do or say something stupid.

Anger is such a primal thing that it can consume us. The second sin recorded in Genesis was fueled by anger.

We may even have a just reason to be angry. “Without cause”

Even God gets angry.

Genesis 4:3-7
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So, Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Numbers 14:18&19
 The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

Mark 3:1-6
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

John 2:13-17
The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.   14In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.   15And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.   16And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”   17His disciples remembered that it was written, £“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Micah 7:18&19
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

So why is Jesus confronting anger? James put it this way.

James 1:19-21
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Your anger may be justified, even righteous, but it seldom accomplishes anything good.

Colossians 3:8-10
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

So what can we do about it?

Ephesians 4:25-32
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin;

do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I challenge myself and I challenge you to stop focusing on the things that anger you and instead focus on the blessings that God has poured out upon us each day. There really is so much more to be thankful for than there is to be angry about. “for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.”