The Art of Anger Management
Counter-Culture • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsLife in the church is countercultural to the norms of our society, especially when it comes to anger and murder. Embracing the teachings of Christianity is controlling our tongues, reconciling with those we wronged, and forgiving everyone of their debts.
Notes
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Near the end of Christ’s earthly ministry, Jesus instructed his disciples in keeping the law by preparing a meal in celebrating the Passover. Around their lowly table place before them was freshly bake unleavened bread, the sweet scent of wine, and joy of the disciple and Jesus gathering together in remembering of all God has done for Israel.
Near the end of Christ’s earthly ministry, Jesus instructed his disciples in keeping the law by preparing a meal in celebrating the Passover. Around their lowly table place before them was freshly bake unleavened bread, the sweet scent of wine, and joy of the disciple and Jesus gathering together in remembering of all God has done for Israel.
3. Live in an angry society that leads to violence and homicide. Are we any better?
4. Reading of over anger/murder, judgement/hell/prison, confrontation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
During the midst of the meal, Satan enters the heart of Judas Iscariot (one of the twelve disciples) to betray the Son of Man and while this all happening. Jesus tells him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” While the eleven are with Jesus, he begins to pray for them.
During the midst of the meal, Satan enters into the heart of Judas to betray the Son of Man and while this all happening. Jesus
5. Application and potential
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
John 17:1
6. Declare the dominate thought
Jesus prayer to his Heavenly Father for his church to become a counterculture people. Christians who have recieved God’s word. Who are hated because of the one whom they imitate and conform too. A people known of being in a worldly culture specific to geography, ethics and time, but rejecting the world’s stand of truth and goodness. At this moment, Jesus is establishing a new culture - a way of people who present a different ethic, morality, and way to God. In this prayer, Jesus is bring out a new exodus unto the world and for the surrounding nations to be convicted by the power of the kingdom through the counterculture of his church.
Do you understand what it means to be a Christian. It’s to be countercultural. We are to be salt and light to the world, it what makes us distinct. Our purpose during this series to know where to draw a line in the sand over issues as life, sexual ethics, violence and more. In hope, we will embody Jesus vision for the kingdom. A truly sold out community who are united in heart and spirit over the ways of Christ.
Now before I get to head of myself, I want to say this. Our purpose is not to repair American culture and to Christianize it. I know many believers are concerned about the way of how our world is shifting and moving away from the practices of Jesus, but we have to realize. The American culture can’t follow Jesus, only people can. Implementing the ways of Christ by laws will not affect the hearts of those who walk in darkness. Even Jesus doesn’t take this approach to Rome to Christianize the pagan around him, rather Jesus raises up a new people. A countercultural church who follows him and in doing so, attracts and changes the culture through one person at a time. But if we’re not paying attention and keep our guard up, we will start conforming the culture around us.
But many Christians accept the idea of being countercultural, by
A few days ago, I saw on television another a new story of a mass shooting this one took place in Milwaukee and six were killed including the gunman. The horrible part was the gunman was a fellow co-worker and eventually anger and wrath entered into his heart which led him to take the lives are those we worked with on a day-to-day basis.
Which is numbing us to the fact that we truly live in a angry culture which leads to terrible violence and homicide. Jump online to social media and people are attacking each other with foul language and name calling. The issue is so large that even Pope Francis is calling Catholics to give up online trolling for Lent this year. The anger culture seems to be expanding and reaching all areas of our lives, our sporting events, politics, local communities, even the ones which hit close to home, our friends, family, and church.
I guess I have to ask us, “Are we any better than our angry culture around us?” You might say, “I don’t aggravate people online. I never get angry over the smallest things. At least my anger doesn’t lead me to act out violently or murder anyone.” But if you believe you get a get out jail free card because you are better than majority of the world’s culture then you’re in for a rude awaking over the what constitutes as anger and it’s effect on us. Jesus teaches extensively over this topic of anger in the gospel of Matthew, which is found in your bible in the section covering the sermon on the mount.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
2. Our purpose isn't to repair the world's culture, but be one with the culture of Christ.
Maybe that is all true, but from Jesus lesson on the sermon on the mount, he is going to deal with the issue of anger like no one has ever done before.
Matthew 5:21-
During the teaching lessons to his disciples, Jesus reminds them of Old Testament and receiving the law through the prophet Moses. God made us distinct countercultural people from the surrounding nations by commanding his people to never murder. Only God has the authority to condemn life or spare it, and for the Israelites to take it into their own hands would make them no different than the pagan nations around them.
2. Our purpose isn't to repair the world's culture, but be one with the culture of Christ.
3. Live in an angry society that leads to violence and homicide. Are we any better?
Now Jesus is elevating the standards and equates anger with murder. They all lead to the same consequence judgement, hell, being lock up in prison. Even calling someone a fool deserves the hell of fire. Now reflecting over our lives?
3. Live in an angry society that leads to violence and homicide. Are we any better?
With Jesus words in mind, certainly everyone here can admit we are all murders. We most certainly became angry with people and even called them a name or too. Jesus says when we do this, we essential committed the spiritual act of murdering them in our hearts. This is why the punishment is lifted higher as well. Carrying hatred and wrath for people cannot be contained in the church. We should only see that in the culture of the world around us.
Then, Jesus continues his teaching with what happens to a person who is not forgiven. He is thrown into prison until he can pay the last penny. Which in the penny that Jesus is speaking about is a Roman copper coin, worth in American currency as 75 cents. He can’t pay his debt because he’s in jail and the only way for freedom to occur is for someone else to pay his debt.
4. Reading of over anger/murder, judgement/hell/prison, confrontation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
5. Application and potential
But what does this have to do being countercultural? It has everything to doing being different by not murdering people with our hearts but truly loving and forgiving them. Possibly you and me have been abused by people’s anger or perhaps we have the anger issue. Thankfully Jesus gives us a remedy to our sickness and teaches us how to repair our minds, soul, and heart.
6. Declare the dominate thought
First by,
1. Introduce the Counter-Culture series through Jesus' High Priestly Prayer ()
Control your temper by taming your tongue (; ,)
Control your temper by taming your tongue (; ,)
2. Our purpose isn't to repair the world's culture, but be one with the culture of Christ.
Confrontation in love bridges the gap of our mistakes ()
3. Live in an angry society that leads to violence and homicide. Are we any better?
One of the biggest hurdles we have to jump is calming the thing that enables our anger to live which first comes from our words.
2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
4. Reading of over anger/murder, judgement/hell/prison, confrontation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
We cannot do this alone, this small thing is set on fire by the power of hell. Without Jesus taming your tongue you are prone to using it for destruction. That’s why we have to offer up our bodies and even months to the Lord. For he is the only one who can equip us to combat the power of the tongue.
A heart of forgiveness brings reconciliation (; )
But Austin, “I’ve been battling my mouth for years, I’m not able too control what I say.” What the word of God says is we are heavy influence by what we hear and if you’re surround by good and wholesome things, you will start speaking like that too.
No more excuses, you can do this. We can restrain our tongue and keep ourselves from useless anger that only provokes others and ourselves to sin and you can do it because you belong to counter-cultural king who can help you.
But if you tongue keeps spilling out evil and anger daily, it’s not a mouth problem you have but a heart issue.
11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
Matthew
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
Matthew 15:
So what’s got to happen is you take the “I” off the throne of your life, and place king Jesus there. Once we do this Jesus takes over our mind, goals, and mission and we start speaking as he would. In doing so we will control our temper by taming our tongues.
Secondly, because we are prone to getting anger, we need to...
Fix our mistakes by confronting in love ()
Fix our mistakes by confronting in love ()
A heart of forgiveness brings reconciliation (; )
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
When we do flip our top, the Christian response is to go quickly and make peace. Admitting your wrong and apologizing for the abuse or anger you had. The most harmful action we can take is no action and letting the feelings fester up and as Jesus taught in his story. We are liable to prison if we cause to harm the wrong individual. So what we are to do is bring the gift to them, a heartfelt apology or if it’s you spouse or children. Bring go get them a present and fix your mistake that way showing them you truly love them and that your’re sorry for your actions. Counter-cultural Christian know when they are in the wrong and make amends.
Lastly,
A heart of forgiveness brings reconciliation (; )
A heart of forgiveness brings reconciliation (; )
Forgiveness can overcome the hatred that’s in the world and Jesus teaches his church to forgive unconditionally.
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
We are to forgive because we are murders and without our forgives we will be liable to judgement and hell fire, but Jesus paid that last penny, so we can be free.
Could you imagine the power of our witness and testimony if I could declare that God is stronger than my emotions and spiritual weakness. He can strengthen you and me to being something radical that the world is in need of seeing and believing.
We can move away from a culture of hate into a culture of Christ because...
God's counter-culture of reconciliation begins through taming the tongue and confronting others in love.
God's counter-culture of reconciliation begins through taming the tongue and confronting others in love.
6. Declare the dominate thought
2. Our purpose isn't to repair the world's culture, but be one with the culture of Christ.
5. Application and potential
6. Declare the dominate thought
4. Reading of over anger/murder, judgement/hell/prison, confrontation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
5. Application and potential
6. Declare the dominate thought
2. Our purpose isn't to repair the world's culture, but be one with the culture of Christ.
3. Live in an angry society that leads to violence and homicide. Are we any better?
4. Reading of over anger/murder, judgement/hell/prison, confrontation, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
5. Application and potential
6. Declare the dominate thought