Is It Worth It?
Pastor Carolyn J. Blue
Text: Ephesians 4:25-27 – 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
NLT
25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.
26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[d] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
Genesis 4: 3-7 – 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
NLT
3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord.
4 Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift,
5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?
7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Problem: “Satan can use anger in life to gain inroads into life and eventually control that life through the anger.” J. Robert Clinton
Antidote: “Get help if anger controls you. This may require inner healing. Also, recognize the benefits of anger.” J. Robert Clinton
The Bible refers to “a Foothold” of the Devil. A window of Opportunity.
- Anger.
- Interestingly anger is Not always Sinful.
- While anger itself is not sin, it certainly can Become Sin
- When does Anger become Sin?
Anger has a Progression.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Anger becomes sin when an Unforgiving spirit takes root.
- How do we Respond to anger?
a.. Expressing it for all to see.
- Suppressing anger.
- Repressing anger.
4. What’s God’s way of Dealing with anger?
- Confess it. Tell God About our anger.
God has a way of Dealing with that anger.
- Forgiveness.
- Resist.
Reflective Questions:
- What are the triggers of anger that easily beset you?
- Hurts or Offends?
- Fear or Worry?
- Frustrations or Misunderstandings?
- What does James say that man’s anger produces? (James 1:20)
- What are the ways you naturally express anger?
- Do you silently stuff those feelings?
- Do you explosively express those feelings?
- What can the church do to better protect itself from the grip of the enemy around this issue?
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, grant us wisdom to understand the triggers of anger that so easily beset our souls; that distract Your mission and hinder Your church. Teach us how to appropriately express our anger that leads to emotional health and relational intimacy. Father, help us to be humble enough to seek help when we are under the grip of the enemy and stuck in our anger. Teach us to keep short accounts and to speak the truth in love. Keep our hearts soft in your grace and not hard with anger. Father, grant us the grace to get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Father, give us the power to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen.
Notes
By: Sister Makeba Shaw
- When God created us, think about what he gave us. We also must think about the consequences of sin and what was taken from us
- Listening to the voice of a stranger instead of the voice of God. we must be able to discern the difference
- God created light: know that we must love in the light of God
- It was because of one sin: It was Eve. The moment Adam ate, that’s when it all began!
- It had to happen. Had it not happened, there would be no us. We were not the chosen people. Because of his sin, we were given grace.
- Just because we see someone else doing something, doesn’t mean we should do it. We must listen to God’s instruction. He expects us to follow them (not ignore, tweak or give to others)
- Matthew 7: 1-3
- God is showing his majesty in the story of creation and darkness has to obey him
- He created everything from nothing. Only He and He alone can do this. He is the source.
- Sin leads to spiritual death and causes separation between us and God
- Enemy has no power and cannot make us do anything. He wars through the mind so we must put on the whole armor
- We think the good will always be here but Genesis shows us that it can be taken away
- Romans 2:4
- One of the strongholds of men is the women they select
- Genesis 1:26- Our image= Father, Son and Holy Ghost
- Eve was in Adam the entire time and God had to “perform surgery” to take her from his rib. That’s why there are two references to the creation of man
- Because we are made in His image and His word has power, understand that our words also have power.
- We have what we say (good, bad or indifferent)
- Ephesians 4:25-27
- Genesis 4:3-7
- Satan can use agner to gain endroad and control that life through anger
- The antidote (answer) is get help if anger controls you
- foothold of the devil: window of opportunity
- it’s not always sin. The bible says “be angry, but sin not”
- while anger itself is not sin, it certainly can become sin.
- When does anger become sin? -When an unforgiving spirit takes root
- Ephesians 4:31
- But- Is it worth it?
- This feeling is progressive
- How do we respond to the anger?- Expressing it for all to see (fly off the handle)
- How do we respond to anger? -Suppression (conscious act to attempt self-control)
- How do we respond to anger?- Repression (unconscious denial of the emotion)
- Appropriate way to approach anger- Confess to God, forgive the person & resist/have self-control
- Reflective question: what are your triggers?
- Ephesians 4:26- Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath
- Don’t take God’s kindness for granted! You don’t want God to withdraw His hand from you
- Stay in the WORD! Keep the worship music going and pray.
- James 1:20- Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires
- If you are walking in the spirit of anger, it’s not of God
- Prayer to remove the spirit of anger: request from pastor
***Homework***
1. WHY SHOULD I HAVE THE NEW LIFE?
- a. You are a sinner (born with a sinful nature): Angel Veronda
-
- Rom. 5:12
- Psalm 51:5
-
- b. You are an enemy of God: Josiah Isaiah Kiya
-
- Rom. 5:10
- Hab. 1:13a
-
- c. You will die: Malika Aiyanah
-
- Gen. 2:17
- Eze. 18:4,20.
- Rom. 6:23.
- Luke 13:3,5
-
- d. You cannot enter The Kingdom of Heaven: Min Blue Brinson
-
- John 3:5.
- Matt. 7:21
-
2. WHAT HAPPENS?
- a. Jesus will come into your life: Millisa Taylor
-
- Rev. 3:20
-
- b. Jesus will renew your life Brenda Kwabena
-
- i. Daily Renewal:- 2Cor. 4:16
- ii. Spirit and mind:- Eph. 4:20-24. Rom 12:2
- iii. Knowledge:- Col. 3:10
-
- c. Jesus will cleanse you: Erika Katrina
-
- Jer. 33:8.
- Eze. 36:25-27.
- 1 John 1:7,9.
-
- d. You will be identified: Shiyana Prophetess Hines
-
- John 10:3
-
- e. You will be reconciled: Makeba Aliah
-
- 2Cor. 5:18-19
-
- f. You will be one of His brethren: Tamika Kwanisha
-
- Mark 3:35
- Matt. 12: 48-50
-
- g. You will be a son: Kemeka Patrica
-
- Rom. 8:14-17.
- Gal. 4:4-7.
- John 1:12-13
-
3. THE EFFECTS OF THE NEW LIFE
- a. You will be changed: Brea Amber
-
- Eph. 4:23-25.
-