Prophetic Anger Week 4
0 ratings
· 28 viewsNotes
Transcript
Preface to the scripture
Jeremiah
Jeremiah is a Prophet meaning that these are in some ways the literal words of God being spoken through Jeremiah
He has lived through Exile with these people, he has come of Exile and has been there as the new temple got rebuilt
The temple is the gathering place for many, the water fountain of the office so to speak
Jeremiah is standing publically where people are gathered, holding whatever the Old Testament equivalent of a megaphone would be and speaking these words
People
When they were going to the temple they were ignoring the people that were being oppressed on the outside of the temple
Their worship of Yahweh was disconnected with their actions
Their religion was a slice of the pie not the whole pie
Their theology was on Sunday and not throughout the week
Scripture
Scripture
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another,
6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt,
7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
8 Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail.
9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,
10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations?
11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord.
Wow - these words would have gotten him killed and later in chapter 26th people try to kill him over these words
Jeremiah is incredibly angry - think about that, we often skip over the
Pause for a second and just think about the last time you were angry, about anything
We all get angry about something
We all get angry about something
The reality of us as people is that Anger is unavoidable, but it is controllable
5 Core emotions Anger is one of them
regardless of what culture we are in, or where we are raised, we know how what anger looks like “Ekman”
We all express anger and often times it would feel like we don’t necessarily choose what we are angry about
So often the things that I get angry about are personal and they are usually not worthwhile reasons to be angry
I will get angry about the silliest things
about being cut off in traffic
or disagreeing about what to have for dinner
being in patient because I have to wait
Maybe we are angry because of the election
Oftentimes anger is a way that our grief present itself
That in feeling some sense of anger over a loss or a perceived loss
In the spirit of last week I will confess that I can be angry that we are still having to mask and distance and follow all of the procedures
But most of that stuff is about me
Its anger that is focused on me
Its being selfish with my anger
When I focus so much on the “me” I forget the “we”
Pastor John last week talked about reclaiming that language that reminds us that we are in this together “we the people”
That if my anger is used only to help “me” and not to help us it probably isn’t necessary
You see the ancient people had this view of a stoic God
A God that showed no emotion
The people sought to be more like God and as such they sought to limit any emotion
Jeremiah interrupts that narrative
Jeremiah is incredibly angry - think about that, we often skip over the significance here
Jeremiah is acting as a prophet relaying a message from God
Meaning that it is not just Jeremiah that is angry it is God that is angry
God being angry is terrifying
God’s anger vs. my anger
God’s anger vs. my anger
What’s God’s anger about?
God is mad that the people have forgotten the widows, and orphans
God is mad specifically that all of those things that they were doing inside the temple was preventing them from loving people on the outside of the temple
Their worship does not lead them to action
God’s anger is focused on other people
In fact an extension of Gods anger follows up this passage in
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”
Jesus references this exact passage years later
When more injustices are happening
When people come inside the temple and make it a marketplace
not only do they make it a marketplace they make it an unfair marketplace that once again hurts many of those that are on the outside
We are made in the image of God in likeness with God
Maybe God crafted us to be being that had anger
Maybe anger was a part of our design not an accident from it
Is my anger is about something that only matters to me is it righteous.
Or does my anger reflect Gods anger
The Prophetic series that we are in all really built off that first week, the beginning of the lineage of prophets with Abraham and God saying you and your people will be a blessing to other. Some times your people will struggle for peace, or being just, or being honest about the way that you
Use your Anger to be a Blessing
Use your Anger to be a Blessing
Anger is like a hammer
I have this hammer here
What I mean is that this hammer is capable of doing tremendous damage
It is also capable of building up entire houses
The hammer isn’t bad
In fact, it’s necessary for a lot of things
if we just decided that we didn’t want to use hammers anymore there would be a whole lot of repair project that would be left undone
Anger is the same way
It’s not all bad
but if it isn’t used right anger can cause tremendous damage
More damage then we could probably comprehend
but anger that is used properly to remind us of those that are on the margins
Anger that reminds us to fight for those who need fought for
Anger that remembers those that are hurting
Anger that ultimately inspires action
With all of the reasons that we have to be angry..
Please don’t allow this week to be an excuse to be angry about something that you were already angry about
Instead ask what might be at the bottom of that anger?
Is it serving me, or is it serving God?
Close in Prayer
Close in Prayer