Mathew 5:9 James 3:18 2 Cor 5:11-21

Goals
Understand Anger from Christian perspective. Develop an awareness of how anger occurs.

Become familiar with your triggers for the anger process.

Decrease destructive anger and Increase constructive anger. Learn how anger can transform you into being more like Christ. Assess whether or not you need additional help transforming anger.

Abuse

Emotional Hurting
Stress Bitterness

Anger Epidemic
Silent Treatment

Depression Yelling Anxiety Cynicism

Frustration

Violence Discord Fits of Rage Isolation Passive-Aggressive

The Call for Leadership

Distressed Debt Discontent
1 David

left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him [some would be come the Mighty Men].

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NIV)

Cain & Abel

Genesis 4:2-7 (NIV) 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

Anatomy of Anger

1. Trigger Event

4. Behavior Response

2.Interpretation of Event

3. Physiological Response & Emotion

DESTRUCTIVE ANGER

CONSTRUCTIVE ANGER

Cain & Abel: sin is crouching at the door and seeks to master you [Gen 4]. No acceptance and separation from humanity. In your anger do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Eph 4:25-32] Being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angrymans anger does not lead to righteous life [James 1:19-20] A fool gives full vent to his anger but a wise man keeps himself under control [Prov 29:11]

Anger towards False Worship: Clearing of the Temple [Matt 21:12-13; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:13-16] Anger towards Followers who Inhibit Children from coming to Him [Mk 10:14] Angered by Legalism (Mar 3:4; Matt 12:12-24; Luke 6:9-11)

Angered [filled with compassion] when he saw people helpless and harassed [Mt 9:36]
Anger/Frustration with His Friends: Garden of Gethsemane [Mark 14:37]

Acts of sinful nature are obvious: hated, discord, jealousy, fits of rage [Gal 5:19-21]
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. [Eph 4:31-32]

Anger at God: Why have you forsaken me? [Mark 14:36]

Anger towards Pharisees: Hypocrisy snakes, brood of vipers [Matt 23:27-33] Rebuke of Peter: get behind me Satan.. [Matt 16:23]

Constructive Anger
Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
Christians are not commanded to avoid anger completely. Quite the contrary we are commanded to be angry but do not sin in our anger. Now the question remains, What should we be angry about? Lets start with the same things that bring anger to God and Jesus. Also, notice how constructive anger has a sense of reconciliatory urgency [before the sun goes down].

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NASB)26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:26-27 (KJV) 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil.

Physical Violence Rage Abuse Emotionally Hurting Arguing/Yelling Becoming Passive/Aggressive

Most Destructive

Ignoring Silent Treatment Feeling Hurt

Less Destructive Still Inappropriate

Admitting Mistakes Listening & Understanding Accepting without Argument No conflict

Appropriate Responses

Angry Parenting
Colossians 3:21 (NIV) 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV) 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Constructive Anger
Anger is a Catalyst for Courage/HOPE
Anger can give us the energy and willingness to speak up, speak out, march, vote, protest, refuse to participate, picket, resist evil, blow the whistle [Civil Rights Movement].

Feeling appropriate anger helps to gain courage to move against injustice and oppression. Love that seeks redemption. As Christians, we should have some anger towards the same things that anger God/Jesus.

Constructive Anger
Anger as an Idol Detector When we extend our self into things, ideas, and people; and they become threatened, then we become threatened.

Because anger is often a response to perceived threats which are based upon our beliefs and values, that which makes us angry reveals much about our values.
Theologically speaking, all human attachment that has been allowed to gain the strength of meaning and importance that we should reserve for God is IDOLATRY. People who get angry when someone criticizes their sports team, politician, automobile are good examples of idol detection. Bens hair brush !

Constructive Anger
Anger and the Recovery of Self One of the most precious roles of anger is to be the defender of self, protector of self-integrity, and guardian of the selfs emotional boundaries. Persons victimized by unjust relationships and social structures often lose significant aspects of their identity. They lose their sense of self-worth the right to think, to feel and to act in ways that affect the world around them that has been taken way. Taking a persons temperature. A fever can be controlled with medicine, but that does not reveal why the fever persists in the first place. Determining the cause of a fever is important. Likewise, determining the roots of anger is important.

Constructive Anger
Anger As a Gateway Towards Intimacy Rather than being in opposition to love, our anger serves the purposes of love by being a feeling alarm signal or warning sign that something is wrong in one of our specific relationships, or within our institutions, or within our larger communities. When anger is acknowledged, we can then move to confrontation that may repair the relationship, leading to reconciliation with those persons to whom we want to be connected. Christians see evidence of this anger-intimacy in terms of their spiritual journey with God. Expressing anger towards God creates the space where reconciliation can occur. Until that anger is acknowledged, no distance is brought to the conscious mind.

TRANSFORMATIONAL VISION

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing 1 Timothy 2:8 (NIV).