Rev. David Holwick P The Holes of Life #4
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 24, 2009
Genesis 4:1-11
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I. It's a hole anyone of us can fall into.
A. Can you manage it?
Teresa Prenderville was a 32-year-old student in Valparaiso,
Indiana.
They say it began when another student asked if the seat next
to her was taken.
Prenderville allegedly told the man, "I'm going to put a cap
in you and send you to heaven" with such intensity, the man
started crying.
She then stormed out to the school's lobby, broke a display case,
and then punched a door so hard she bent its frame.
Police noted she was so agitated they had to restrain her after
her arrest for intimidation and criminal mischief.
The class she was taking? Anger Management.
#31037
B. We are an angry society.
1) Just turn on the news.
Peter Wood wrote a book that describes the coarsening of
political dialogue in America.
He calls it the New Anger.
In the past, plenty of people got angry.
But it was seen as a passion that needed to be restrained.
Self-control was considered a virtue.
People who were quick to get angry were considered weak
and unstable.
No more.
Turn on a cable news channel. Read a blog on the internet.
Everyone is angry -- and proud of it.
Anger has turned into a coping mechanism, a prize to
exhibit in public, a proof of righteous sincerity.
#10873
2) The Bible takes a different view.
a) It lifts up turning the other cheek.
b) It says a soft answer turns away wrath.
c) It says anger needs to be quenched.
C. Do you have a handle on anger, or is it handling you?
II. Cain got it rolling.
A. He and his brother Abel offer sacrifices to God.
1) Cain's is from the field, while Abel's is from the flock.
2) Cain's is rejected while Abel's is accepted by God.
B. What was the difference?
1) Some say it shows the necessity of blood sacrifice.
a) "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission
of sin."
b) But grain offerings were perfectly acceptable to God,
and sometimes took the place of blood sacrifices.
1> And the context shows that it was an offering
and not a sacrifice for sins.
2) Others point out that Abel offered God his best.
a) The text emphasizes that he brought the fat portions
and it was from the firstborn, both positive aspects.
b) Cain just brought an offering, with nothing special
noted.
3) The real key is their initial relationship with God.
a) Hebrews 11:4 points out:
"By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than
Cain did.
By faith he was commended as a righteous man,
when God spoke well of his offerings."
b) Their offerings reflected what was in their hearts.
C. Cain had bigger issues in his life than an offering.
1) Cain would have been accepted if his actions had been right.
a) Religious acts can't cover up defiant sin.
b) To be valid, offerings must accompany a repentant heart.
c) Cain wasn't truly repentant.
1> 1 John 3:12 even says he belonged to the Devil.
2) Cain's anger reveals his inner character.
a) That anger resulted in his brother's murder.
b) His brother had done nothing wrong against him, yet
he killed him.
1> Then he tried to cover it up.
2> Then, when questioned by God, he blew it off rather
callously.
III. Anger has always been a part of life.
A. Jesus himself got angry.
1) Spiritually blind people really ticked him off. Mark 3:1-5
a) Religious rules were more important to his critics
than healing a broken man.
2) Jesus was also indignant when children were shooed away
from him. Mark 10:14
3) We sometimes call this kind of anger "righteous indignation."
a) The Old Testament frequently ascribes it to God.
b) We like to ascribe it to ourselves. but that is usually
quite a stretch.
1> We should be mad about injustice and cruelty, but
we are really mad about impositions on us.
2> Lots of religious people become pretty good at
cloaking their rage with divine language.
3> Sometimes they vent their anger by playing the
passive victim.
A> But it still is selfish anger, and wrong.
B. The Bible shows human anger in a variety of situations.
1) Naaman was angered that the prophet Elisha didn't meet his
expectations for how to do a miracle. 2 Kings 5:12
2) Haman was enraged that Mordecai, Esther's uncle, didn't
kowtow to him. Esther 5:9
3) The Pharisees were furious when Jesus defied them and
healed a man on the Sabbath.
a) It upset them so much they began their plot to kill him.
b) Was healing so bad? No. But they couldn't let him win.
C. Anger often reflects deeper issues.
1) The specific event is usually just a trigger of the pent-up
emotions inside us.
2) When we are frustrated, or worn out, or feeling pressed
upon, anger is more likely to rise up.
3) Paul calls anger an act of the flesh. Gal 5:20
a) Notice how many of them are related to anger!
b) It is part of our sinful nature, which is of course
our normal human nature.
IV. Can we master anger?
A. The Old Testament tried to put limits on it.
1) Cities of refuge were established because of it. Deut 19:6
a) Anger often led to revenge, even when not justified.
b) Those who caused accidents could hide in these cities.
2) Some countries could still use them - in Turkey this year,
an entire extended family was wiped out.
a) It was a revenge killing, apparently due to a wedding,
of all things.
B. Paul says we can get rid of rage and anger. Eph 4:31
1) Don't fence it off, but deal with it.
a) As Paul suggests, try to do it quickly, before the sun
goes down.
Jeffrey Stratton heard of a Christian couple who had
a big fight.
The husband had hollered at her, and she hollered back.
They dressed for bed and the wife leaned over to the
husband and said, "Honey, we promised never to let
the sun go down on our wrath."
He replied, "The sun is still shining in China."
...Not exactly what Paul meant!
#35896
2) Controlling anger requires an act of the will.
a) We have more control over our emotions than we care
to admit.
b) It may require accepting unfairness or even
injustice.
1> But we do so for the sake of the relationship.
3) It also requires an alternative.
a) Paul says instead of anger, we should be kind and
compassionate instead, forgiving and loving.
C. Cain - sin is crouching over you but we can master it. Gen 4:7
1) Anger is like a gargoyle, or Snoopy the Vulture on his
doghouse.
a) It is always there, but we don't have to feed it.
2) The solution is spiritual.
a) Leave vengeance to God.
1> Sometimes, like Jesus at his trial, it is better
to say nothing at all.
2> Leave your frustrations with him as well.
b) Deal with issues quickly.
1> Don't let them fester.
2> You take the initiative to resolve it.
c) Take positive action to counter conflict.
1> Love is stronger than anger.
2> It has better fruit, too.
V. What is inside you?
A. Do an assessment of your anger.
1) What does it say about your spiritual maturity?
2) Do you cling to resentments?
B. Commit yourself to the Prince of Peace.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
This sermon series was inspired by one done by Rev. Jeffrey Stratton,
pastor of American Baptist East in Evansville, Indiana. This sermon
draws several points from Stratton's original.
#10873 "The New Anger," by Ken Connor, Baptist Press,
http://www.baptistpress.org, July 16, 2007.
#31037 "She Failed the Class," by Randy Cassingham, THIS IS TRUE internet
newsletter, April 23, 2006. Original source was the Northwest
Indiana Times newspaper.
#35896 "The Sun Is Still Shining In China," by Rev. Jeffrey Stratton;
American Baptist East; Evansville, Indiana, Kerux Sermon #19681,
"Crawling Out Of The Anger Hole," February 10, 2002.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Summary of Jeffrey Stratton's sermon:
I. We are an angry society.
A. Newspaper stories on incidents of rage.
B. Angry kids say, "I hate you!"
II. Anger in the Bible.
A. Jonah's anger.
B. Anger is God-given.
1) It can serve a useful purpose.
2) But we should deal with anger promptly.
III. Three ways to deal with anger.
A. Explode. 1 Sam 25:21-22, David and Nabal.
B. Go silent. Jer 15:17-18, pent up anger riled the prophet.
C. Manipulate others. Luke 6:11 - plotting Pharisees.
IV. Types of anger in the Bible.
A. Sudden anger.
1) It must be controlled.
2) Rage causes lots of problems for us.
B. Sinful anger.
1) It must be condemned. Matt 5:21
2) Anger without a legitimate reason is sinful.
a) Five-fold test of sinful anger:
1> Is it directed at a person?
2> Is it without a justifiable cause?
3> Does it seek revenge?
4> It is cherished?
5> Does it have an unforgiving spirit?
C. Stubborn anger.
1) It must be conquered.
2) It leads to bitterness, rage, brawling. Eph 5:31
D. Sanctified anger.
1) It must be channeled in the right direction.
2) Example of Jesus in Mark 3:1-5.
3) We should be angry at evil and injustice.
a) Lincoln's reaction to slavery in New Orleans.
V. Learn to handle your anger.
A. Seek to understand why you are angry.
B. Give yourself time to respond.
C. Release your anger to God.
D. Go and reconcile with the person you have issues with.
1) Live at peace with everyone (as much as possible). Rom 12:18
E. Give up the right to resentment and revenge.
VI. If you are a slave to anger, be healed by Jesus.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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