Matthew 5:22

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.

Introduction

We have been listening to Jesus Speak on anger in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).

What did the Jesus’ apostles teach about this area?

Listen to Paul the Apostle in Ephesians 4:26

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.” Later in verse 31, he says: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

Main Points

“Don't let the sun go down on our anger” does not mean we have a right to angry till sunset!

It means take sin seriously. Unresolved anger will give the Devil a foothold to sour our relationships.

God warns us to not enjoy, embrace or fondle our murderous thoughts.

The apostles teach the same truths as Jesus. We are to have a “zero tolerance” for sin.

In Ephesians 5:1, Paul says: “Be imitators of God therefore and live a life of love.”

According to God’s Law, love does NO harm to neighbour.

In Jesus our King, the days of “beggaring” my neighbour with anger has come to an end.

The days of prospering my neighbor with forgiveness and reconciliation has begun.

So, how are we responding to Jesus and the apostle’s teaching to anger?

Lesson 1: Anger is the subtlest form of idolatry

Why? Because anger is our idolatrous attempt to control people for our own glory.

Have we not noticed the abusive pattern? Every time a parent, spouse or child throws on the home-front – everyone falls into place. It is the same in workplace – be it our bosses, colleagues, clients or patients – nobody messes up. It is, sadly, the same in church. Anytime a member, leader, elder or pastor throws a “churchy” tantrum in the name of God and church – everyone is kept silent. But we may ask: “Why is anger so wrong?”

Lesson 2: Anger deforms or distorts the image of God in us

It conforms us to the image of an idol – the angry person.  Many of us may have grown up in families where the wonderful image of God in us has been distorted or deformed by an angry father, mother, sibling or child. 

Lesson 3: If it is easier to please God than to please a person, that person has become an idol.

At least with God, we know what to please Him and what does not.  But with a person with idolatrous anger, we cannot do right. Many times in our relationships: marriages, family, church and ministry, we are “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” in Singlish. We become paralysed in our marriage, family and ministry. Why? Someone is tyrannising us with his or her anger. We then live with a slavery of the fear of men, not with a freedom of God.  

What can we do about this?

We need to “Repent of Toxic Silences about anger”.

Toxic silence about destructive anger protects perpetrators and shames the victims. In the end, condoning murderous anger – in church, marriage, family – not only protects perpetrators and shames the victims but it ultimately dishonors God. It’s the ultimate act of unlove. It negates healthy persons and relationships.  

How are we going to be radical disciples in this area of anger?

First is to confess that we have a sinful capacity of making our friends our enemies. Without God, have we not noticed that we become masters of making our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, children and parents our enemies? We insist and persist on being most unloving to the very people God gave us kindly to love!

Have you noticed that only Jesus is the master of making his enemies his friends?

It is Jesus who teaches us to love our enemies in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus radicalizes or “ups the standard”. Previously, Jews were expected to “love your neighbors”. Now, Jesus as God’s end-time Messiah says: “Love your enemies!” Loving our enemies, not just our neighbors, is what reflects God. The very nature of God in Christ is loving enemies. We reflect God our father when we turn our enemies into friends. 

We NOT just learn that from Jesus, we saw that in Jesus. He never considered us too troublesome or burdensome, too different or too difficult. When Jesus died on the Cross, he cried: “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” That is actual quotation from Psalm 22:1. It is not the cry of a fool, but wise = fears God at all costs. We are most human when we love enemies.

Summary & Reflection

If Jesus is not Lord of our moments, he is not Lord at all.

Give your angry moments to Jesus and release it the Spirit’s power.

And soon you will experience the beauty of anger-free moments, days, years and life.

Only Jesus can do that. Turn to Him and trust in Him.