ACBC 2017 ________________________________________________________________________ HOPE & HELP FOR HANDLING SINFUL ANGER I. God’s Design for Anger A. Definition Dictionary.com: a strong feeling of displeasure … aroused by a wrong Revised: A strong feeling of displeasure, aroused by a sense of injustice, that provokes action (to glorify God and appropriately address the wrong) B. God’s anger • Mt. 18:21,34-35 • He. 3:7-11 • Ps. 6:1; 7:11; 78:21,58-59 C. Jesus’ anger • Mk.3:1-6 • Mk. 10:14 • Jn. 2:13-17; Mt. 21:12 D. Paul’s anger • Gal. 2:11-21 II. Man’s Perversion of Anger A. Corrupt perception of what is an “injustice” • Because we are sinners, our minds do no operate as they should • Eph. 4:18 B. Corrupt goals in addressing the perceived injustice • Lk. 6:45 ________________________________________________________________________ Tim Keeter ([email protected]) — Hope & Help for Handling Sinful Anger 1 ACBC 2017 ________________________________________________________________________ C. Corrupt actions flowing from sinful treasures • Pr. 14:17,29 • Jas. 4:1-10 D. Corrupt “harvest” • Jas. 1:20; Eph. 4:27 • Ps. 37:8; 55:3 • Pr. 22:24-25; 29:22 ________________________________________________________________________ Tim Keeter ([email protected]) — Hope & Help for Handling Sinful Anger 2 ACBC 2017 ________________________________________________________________________ III. Hope and Help for the Sinfully Angry Person A. Verify what kind of injustice it is • “I am not infallible in my assessment of what is an ‘injustice’.” • Is this an injustice in God’s eyes? (Be specific) • Should I gather more information? • Should I seek wise counsel? B. Weigh the purpose of the response “What am I wanting?” “What is important to me?” “What should I be wanting?” “What should be important to me?” C. Weigh the nature of the response 1. When time permits, action should only occur after: a. Careful self-examination (Ps. 139:23-24; Mt. 7:3-5) 1) Do I have the facts right? (Pr. 18:13) 2) Should love hide it? Is it sinful? Is it hindering growth? (1 Pe. 4:8) 3) Is my timing right? (Pr. 15:23) ________________________________________________________________________ Tim Keeter ([email protected]) — Hope & Help for Handling Sinful Anger 3 ACBC 2017 ________________________________________________________________________ 4) Is my attitude right? (Eph. 4:15) 5) Are my goals God-centered? (Ps. 73:25-28; Ro. 11:36; 1 Co. 10:31) b. Prayerful/biblical evaluation (Pr. 15:22) 2. Righteous action will always be consistent with Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 4:2,29; Col. 4:6 • Jas. 1:19 • Eph. 4:26 • Ps. 4:4 • Ro. 12:21 D. Homework ideas • Journaling • Scripture memory / reading / meditation • Practice thankful prayer (1The. 5:18) • Practice how you discuss trials with others (God-honoring, hope-filled, content) • Think lists • Plans for addressing perceived injustices that are commonly experienced E. Case studies ________________________________________________________________________ Tim Keeter ([email protected]) — Hope & Help for Handling Sinful Anger 4 .