Good & Angry #1 -- Injustice
Good & Angry #1 • Sermon • Submitted
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Angry people are overrun with an acute sensitivity to INJUSTICE.
Angry people are overrun with an acute sensitivity to INJUSTICE.
True, with every school/church/movie theater shooting, we look with disbelief… confounded and confused...
True with every car bomb or suicide bomber, we are aghast with how such things can happen.
While the issues that led all such individuals to act as they have are complicated, the underlying fuel for all of them is this: anger.
All acts of violence contain within and behind them the emotion of anger. All of them.
As such, you would think schools, places of employment, civic organizations, the arts, athletes and sports leaders, and churches would all put forward an overall strategy and plan to eradicate the world from anger… but when you consider all of those areas, there are actually ways in which each depends on and believes they do best when anger is in play.
As such, you would think schools, places of employment, civic organizations, the arts, athletes and sports leaders, and churches would all put forward an overall strategy and plan to eradicate the world from anger… but when you consider all of those areas, there are actually ways in which each depends on and believes they do best when anger is in play.
Wherever you find competition, you’ll find an appeal for the necessity of anger.
“Gooood Skywalker… I feel the hate within you… give into your anger… your anger gives you focus.”
And there we stand as individuals and as a culture what to do — certainly our anger is necessary when living in a world with so many evils — evils defined as anyone or anything that disagrees with you and/or your tribe.
While at the same time, here we stand in an angry world — where we don’t know what to do. And with anger within us — where we don’t know what to do. And that alone is enough to make a person… you guessed it — angry.
Over the next three weeks I’m going to look at three of the primary items that reside behind our anger.
Over the next three weeks I’m going to look at three of the primary items that reside behind our anger.
What are you angry about? ---- most people don’t know. And they aren’t being conveniently confused. The genuinely don’t know.
I’m going to show you how the Bible addresses three of the core items that fuel your anger:
I’m going to show you how the Bible addresses three of the core items that fuel your anger:
Injustice
Insecurity
Injury
This morning I want to spend the rest of my addressing the injustices of the world and our lives.
God is good.
God is good.
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
Matt
The young man asked a what question… Jesus gave a who answer.
We now know good and evil
We now know good and evil
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
God’s desire was that we desire The Lord and knowing him; instead we traded him for knowledge of what is good and evil.
Anger immediately emerges with that knowledge.
Anger immediately emerges with that knowledge.
In so doing, the Lord is supplanted as The Judge over all He has created, we we make ourselves as the judge of all things.
Angry people are overrun with an acute sensitivity to INJUSTICE.
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.
And how does the sermon end? Around where anger leads us: judgment.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Angry people are overrun with an acute sensitivity to INJUSTICE.
Angry people are overrun with an acute sensitivity to INJUSTICE.
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 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, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 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 contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Cain — FARMER; Able — SHEPHERD
“Cain” means I’m gonna get good stuff; “Able” means I’m gonna get the short end of the stick.
There are no snakes doing the tempting here… straight from the heart Cain kills his brother in ANGER.
Cain is used to things going his way… and this sacrifice doesn’t.
God had “No regard” for Cain’s offering.
Cain gets “very angry” and throws a tantrum.
God aims to disciple Cain, but Cain won’t have it… so he plays the game “I’m going to get you just after you got me.”
Cain is a getter! And when he doesn’t get what he wants (to be commended by God) he gets what he can (to get even with God).
And he kills his brother, Able.
This is such an Odd story...
This is such an Odd story...
How were they to know what they should bring to please God?
How were they to know what they should bring to please God?
To this point in the story, we don’t know. Through Leviticus we come to know… but here, we don’t.
It could be an issue with first fruits:
Able brought something costly and prepared.
Cain brought what was handy.
It could be they were both just trying things out wondering, “I wonder if offering this is correct?
That is a large percentage of our journey with the Lord… offering what we offer, hoping it is acceptable to the Lord.
God is a good and just God… gracious.
God is a good and just God… gracious.
God makes choices… that is the way of life. You have to make choices. God’s choices are monumentally consequential.
God makes choices… that is the way of life. You have to make choices. God’s choices are monumentally consequential.
God offers a gracious choice; Cain perceives an unjust choice.
When you know good and evil — such opinions are accessible and usable.
God didn’t actually reject, scold, belittle Cain… Cain tried, and it didn’t go well. Able tried and it did.
God didn’t actually reject, scold, belittle Cain… Cain tried, and it didn’t go well. Able tried and it did.
Cain could have simply taken the que, not primarily to follow his younger brother’s lead, but to take the que to pay attention to what God graciously accepts and offers.
Instead, He keeps score.
Reminds me of a story Jesus told — — Parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
They “grumbled” with each other.
Isn’t it amazing the words we use other than the word angry to describe that we are angry?
God offered them the grace to know him; he chose them to work with and for him!
They/we focus on how unfair and unjust the world is...
And the world is unjust and unfair...
And the world is unjust and unfair...
I’m going to offer you a seed worth planting deep in your heart… and watering it… and fertilizing it… and giving it time to grow --
I’m going to offer you a seed worth planting deep in your heart… and watering it… and fertilizing it… and giving it time to grow --
KNOWING GOD IS BETTER THAN KNOWING WHAT IS FAIR AND JUST
KNOWING GOD IS BETTER THAN KNOWING WHAT IS FAIR AND JUST
Jesus is our Good Judge.
Jesus is our Good Judge.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Knowing God is better than judging good and evil.
Then the psalmist lists the unfair unjust ways others get while he gets the short end of the stick...
Until finally, the psalmist gets worn out by the whole thing… counting, weighting, and scorekeeping — these are exhausting.
Close — Sing Giver of Life
Close — Sing Giver of Life
Aren’t you tired?
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Psalm 73.
Anger will wear a person out — fatigue
Anger will wear a person out — no longer useful
And that is where many of you are — angry… tired… and useless.
All of that because you have forgotten the great value of knowing God beyond all of the injustices of life:
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.
Psalm 73: