Sermon Tone Analysis

“Play Angry”

At varying points throughout this season, and particularly this week, I heard “play angry!”

On its own, this sounds completely antithetical to Jesus’s teachings.

This doesn’t sound very Christian.

So as a believer, how does one reconcile playing angry with being Christian?

My faith, my identity in Christ should always trump what I do, right?

Well the good news is that playing angry and being Christian aren’t mutually exclusive.

Let’s see what the Lord has to say about it through His Word.

Pray

“Be Angry...”

This is how begins.

Notice, I said “begins.”

The command, “Be angry!” just doesn’t sound right, does it?

We are uncomfortable with a command like this.

We find ourselves trying to avoid or explain this command away, because anger does not sound godly.

But we must remember that there are two kinds of anger.

There is the “anger of man” which “does not achieve the righteousness of God” (), and the anger which is an expression of God’s righteousness.

We are commanded in our text to be angry in a way that is righteous, that is a reflection of God.

Anger is not always wrong.

Anger that is righteous has certain earmarks, by which it can be distinguished from unholy wrath.

So what does righteous anger look like?

Consider the following characteristics:

Righteous anger is God-like anger

Godly anger is God-like anger, it is an expression of the anger which has toward the actions of men.

It is an expression of the anger which has toward the actions of men.

God was angry at the unbelief of Moses, which caused him to resist obeying the command of God to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh, insisting that he let God’s people go ().

God is angered by the mistreatment of those who are helpless, the strangers, the widows, and the orphans ().

God was also angered by men turning from trusting and worshipping Him, to the worship of idols (; ; ; ).

God is angered by the grumbling and complaining of His people (, ), which is often expressed by resistance to His appointed leadership ().

Our Lord Jesus was also angry.

We are told of His anger at the Pharisees for their hardness of heart ().

That same anger seems to be expressed in the cleansing of the temple (), and in our Lord’s woe’s to the Pharisees in .

I believe it is also implied in our Lord’s rebuke of Peter, when he chided Him for speaking of His sacrificial death ().

Godly men were also angered by unrighteousness.

Moses, who was initially unshaken by Israel’s worship of the golden calf, became angry when he finally came down from the mountain and saw the extent of Israel’s sin (see ).

Earlier, Moses was angered by Pharaoh’s hardened heart, and his refusal to listen to God and to let the Israelites go ().

David was later angry when Nathan told him the story of the rich man who stole a poor man’s little lamb, not knowing that he was the villain ().

David was later angry when Nathan told him the story of the rich man who stole a poor man’s little lamb, not knowing that he was the villain ().

Paul was angered when he learned that false teaching had reached the saints in Galatia, and that some were embracing it.

The whole epistle of Paul to the Galatians is white hot with Paul’s expressed anger and outrage.

One example of Paul’s anger in Galatians can be seen when he rebuked Peter and others for their hypocrisy in dealing with their Gentile brethren (see ).

When Paul was illegally beaten and detained at Philippi, he refused to allow his persecutors to simply release him.

He demanded and received a public act of apology, which must have gone a long way in securing the protection of the church at Philippi from such injustice in the future ().

While the text does not say so, it would appear that David was angered by Goliath’s blasphemy.

1 Samuel 17:1-

1 Samuel 17:24-

1 Samuel 17:32-

Righteous Anger is Controlled/Focused

David understood that Goliath’s confidence and Israelites’ fears were misplaced.

1 samuel 17:24-25

1 samuel 17:33-

David also knew not to allow naysayers to discourage him or cause him to lose focus.

1 samuel 17:28-28

There are probably some schools who looked at this program at the beginning of the season and acted a lot like Eliab: FSU, Auburn, Lousiville, West Virginia, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Alabama.

They were saying, “FAU, you just want a little attention.

Sit down and let the big boys play.”

Western Kentucky is saying “we’re the two-time defending champions, we’re starting off 4-1 in conference for the 3rd year in the row, we have the only QB in the nation to throw for nearly 400yds, account for 5 TD all while completing over 70%.

We’re the defense averaging almost 5 3-and-outs per game.

Nice start, but move out the way.”

But they don’t know what we know.

We’re like David.

It took some time, but we’re beginning to understand:

1 samuel 17:45

Now, we know about David taking the pebble and knocking Goliath out.

Righteous Anger is Rallying

1 samuel

But it’s only rallying/motivating if we complete the job.

Righteous Anger is Finishing

1 samuel 17:

We have a job to do.

So if you’re gonna play angry, do it because there is someone - a philistine - who dares to get in the way of what God’s called you to do.

Remember, we’re supposed to shine so we can let God show us off.

We’re wanting His light to shine in and through us so that our teammates that may be lost, the people in the stands and watching on TV that haven’t made the decision to follow Christ, or our opponents that have yet to make Jesus their Lord and Savior, will know the God we serve is waiting to welcome them into His heavenly family.

I’d rather smack the fire out of someone than love them to hell.

So play angry - not at them, but for them.

Yesterday, coach Kiffin rang the bell.

Who’s gonna answer?