Swimming with Elephants

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Swimming with Elephants
crossroads church fall 2007
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The weaker I get, the stronger I become.2
Corinthians 129
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What makes you angry?
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What is anger? - agitation, fury, rage, seethe,
lividity, outrage, resentment, wrath,
exasperation, indignation, vexation,
animosity, annoyance, irritability, hostility
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- anger is an experience that occurs when a
goal, value, or expectation that I have chosen
has been blocked or when my sense of personal
worth is threatened this experience involves
emotions, physiology, and cognitive processes,
and it expresses itself towards myself,
others, or the environment
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- you and I get angry when something thats
important to us isnt turning out the way wed
like or when were not being treated the way we
like
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How do we deal with anger? - spewers - explode,
tear into, blast, let em have it - stewers -
think, and think, and think, and think -
assertive - self-control, mature, bold, humble
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Of the 7 deadly sins, anger is possibly the most
fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over
grievances long past, to roll over your tongue
the prospect of bitter confrontations still to
come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both
the pain you are given and the pain you are
giving back--in many ways it is a feast fit for a
king. The chief drawback is that what you are
wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the
feast is you. Frederick Buechner, Wishful
Thinking
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Anger in the Bible, pt 1 - God got angry and
gets angry God got angry with Moses "Don't you
have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with
words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In
fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet
you. When he sees you he's going to be glad.
Exodus 414
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Anger in the Bible, pt 1 - God got angry and
gets angry 21b I seriously considered dumping my
anger on them, right there in the desert. 22 But
I thought better of it and acted out of who I
was, not by what I felt, so that I might be
honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had
seen me bring them out. Ezekiel 2021b-22
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- Jesus got angry 15 They arrived at Jerusalem.
Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started
throwing out everyone who had set up shop there,
buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of
the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon
merchants. 16 He didn't let anyone even carry a
basket through the Temple. 17 And then he taught
them, quoting this text "My house was designated
a house of prayer for the nations You've turned
it into a hangout for thieves. Mark 1115-17
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- Paul warns against anger 26 Go ahead and be
angry. You do well to be angry but don't use
your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay
angry. Don't go to bed angry. 27 Don't give the
Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
Ephesians 426-27 26a In your anger do not sin. .
. (NIV)
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Two Kinds of Anger - sometimes were angry
because Gods will is hijacked social
injustice, spiritual/cultural issues and we
experience sinless anger - sometimes were angry
because our will is hijacked our expectations
arent met and we experience sinful anger
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- anger is not inherently bad
fight/flight can serve as a healthy warning -
anger is not inherently sinful seven deadly
sins - wrath what will you do with your anger?
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The man who gets angry at the right things and
with the right people, and in the right way and
at the right time and for the right length of
time, is commended. - Aristotle
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Anger in the Bible, pt 2 Go ahead and be angry.
You do well to be angry but don't use your anger
as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't
go to bed angry. Ephesians 426 It is obvious
what kind of life develops out of trying to get
your own way all the time . . . a brutal temper
. . . Galatians 519, 20 Fathers, don't
exasperate your children by coming down hard on
them. Ephesians 64
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But you know better now, so make sure it's all
gone for good bad temper, irritability,
meanness, profanity, dirty talk. Colossians
38 Post this at all the intersections, dear
friends Lead with your ears, follow up with your
tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.
God's righteousness doesn't grow from human
anger. James 119-20 John 181-11 (v11, Jesus
ordered Peter, Put back your sword. Do you think
for a minute I'm not going to drink this cup the
Father gave me?)
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- all of these passages address anger in the
context of relationships - anger is a powerful,
God-given emotion that can be perverted and
be destructive to my love for God and my love
for others
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Two Relational Biggies 1. Bitterness
bitterness is lasting anger over something
that has happened in our past
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like a weed, bitterness grows, spreads,
consumes Make sure no one gets left out of
God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds
of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to
seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. Hebrews
1215
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2. Unforgiveness bitterness is the way we
respond to the world unforgiveness is
directed on a specific person or group who
has hurt us unforgiveness is sometimes called
justice since I cant force anyone to do
anything, I stay locked into my anger, and
into my old ways of coping with my anger
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unforgiveness leads me to play the victim
unforgiveness cuts me off from Gods
forgiveness 14 "In prayer there is a connection
between what God does and what you do. You can't
get forgiveness from God, for instance, without
also forgiving others. 15 If you refuse to do
your part, you cut yourself off from God's
part.Matthew 614-15
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Maturity - maturity is the freedom to step back
and look at the bigger picture - maturity is
making relationships a priority over rights and
expectations - maturity is putting the Kingdom of
God above the kingdom of me
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33 When they got to the place called Skull Hill,
they crucified him, along with the criminals, one
on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus
prayed, "Father, forgive them they don't know
what they're doing." Dividing up his clothes,
they threw dice for them. 35 The people stood
there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made
faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him
save himself! The Messiah of God ha! The Chosen
ha!
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36 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at
him, making a game of it. They toasted him with
sour wine 37 "So you're King of the Jews! Save
yourself!" 38 Printed over him was a sign this
is the king of the jews. Luke 2333-38
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- "Father, forgive them they don't know what
they're doing."
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Swimming with Elephants
crossroads church fall 2007