Anger: Walking in Wisdom

Good morning, church.

Just making sure I'm on so you can hear me.

Well, we're continuing our series in the Old Testament book of Proverbs this morning.

Proverbs is a book about what it means to be truly wise.

And for the rest of the summer, we're looking at some of the key themes of this book.

We said a couple weeks ago that sort of the main bulk of Proverbs, chapters 10 through

Proverbs 10 · chapter mention

31, was put together a lot like that sort of tightly woven tapestry, giving us this integrated

picture of what a whole life of wisdom looks like.

And this morning, we're going to pull another one of those threads and consider another angle

on what it means to really be wise.

So I want to start this morning by reading just sort of a series of Proverbs.

And we're going to start at Proverbs chapter 14, verse 29.

Proverbs 14:29

That's page 538 in the Pew Bible, if you want to turn with me there.

Page 538, we're going to start in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 29.

Proverbs 14:29

If you're new to a Bible, the big numbers are the chapters and the small numbers are the

verses.

And I'm going to just sort of read through a collection of Proverbs to consider an important

theme together this morning.

So let's start.

Proverbs 14, 29.

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

15, 18.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

16, 32.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he

who takes a city.

19, 11.

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

19, 19.

A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to

do it again.

Chapter 22, verse 24 and 25.

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn

his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

29, 11.

A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

29, 22.

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Why don't we pray, and then we'll consider these verses a bit more deeply.

Father, we do thank you that we get this chance this morning on this day, what we call the Lord's

day, the day when we remember, Lord Jesus, your resurrection from the dead and the beginning

of our new life.

Lord, we thank you that we can now gather around your word.

We thank you that you continue to speak to us and instruct us and teach us through scripture.

God, we ask that by your spirit you would allow these passages to come alive in our hearts.

Lord, that you would change us and transform us more and more into the image of your son,

so that as we've sung this morning, we might bring glory to you and know true joy in our hearts.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, so you can probably tell from the verses we just read together that our topic this morning

is a topic of anger.

According to Proverbs, if we're going to be wise, if we're going to live life well,

we need to reckon with the reality of anger in our lives and in the lives of others.

Now, I don't know whether you think anger is an issue for you or not.

You know, we can hear stories of parents getting into fistfights at their kids' little league games,

and we think, whoa, they've got anger issues.

I'm not that bad.

You know, sometimes anger is easy to spot, right?

But when it comes to ourselves, we can often think that we're pretty patient people.

That was true of me before I got married.

I thought I was a pretty patient person.

I actually probably would have called myself a really patient person.

But in reality, now I know, that's just because I had very little responsibility,

and there was nothing in my life that sort of challenged my incredibly self-centered approach

to all of my decisions and what I did.

So, yeah, I could do whatever I wanted to do whenever I wanted to do it,

so I didn't get upset all that much.

But then enter marriage, and then enter children,

and suddenly I'm not the all-patient person I thought I was.

But keep in mind, too, anger comes in all sorts of forms.

A couple friends of ours that Beth and I know from college who are married,

whenever they get into an argument, it's like someone just turned the volume up to 11 immediately.

They're loud, they're passionate, they're vocal.

The first time we sort of spent the weekend with them, I kind of got a little nervous.

I talked to Beth later, and I was like, are they okay?

Like, do we need to connect them with a counselor or something?

Are they doing all right?

So, yeah, and some people it's easy to spot anger.

But, you know, what about the couple, or what about the person who instead just gets really quiet?

Who refuses to interact?

Who shuts the other person out?

Who lets it all simmer underneath and never lets it go?

It might not look like uncontrolled anger at first,

and yet it's just as real and just as deadly.

Anger can look like shouting, but it can also look like the silent treatment, right?

In fact, when anger goes wrong, it takes lots of forms.

Irritation, complaining, bitterness, or just sort of low-grade impatience.

So, friends, what Proverbs has to say about anger is really for all of us.

And we're going to look at three things this morning related to anger from Proverbs that these verses show us.

We're going to look first at the cost of uncontrolled anger.

And then second, we're going to see what can help us in our anger.

And then last, we're going to see what can heal us in our anger.

So first, let's consider the cost of uncontrolled anger.

And I think we can categorize what Proverbs says here in a few ways.

First, Proverbs says if you're quick-tempered, one of the costs is you'll just do foolish things.

Proverbs 14.17 puts it quite bluntly.

A man of quick temper acts foolishly.

Also 14.29, whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Or as one translation puts it, a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.

You'll do things you later regret, and it will just keep piling up.

Now, I mean, we can all relate to that, right?

Don't raise your hand.

But how many of us have said things or done things when we're angry,

and later we think, what was I thinking?

I just decapitated all three of my children because they asked me for a cup of milk.

What is going on?

That was incredibly foolish.

I didn't literally decapitate my kids.

That never happened.

So being quick-tempered, uncontrolled anger causes us to just do foolish things.

That's one cost.

Second, if you're quick-tempered, you'll end up wrecking community.

Proverbs 15.18.

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,

but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

And 29.22.

A man of wrath stirs up strife,

and one given to anger causes much transgression.

You see, Proverbs is pointing us there to the social cost of being quick-tempered.

Think of that image of stirring up strife.

You know, when I was growing up,

I lived for a time in upstate New York,

and we lived near a lake,

and, you know, many times we would go out to the lake,

and it would be sort of crystal clear.

And if you waded out into the water calmly,

you'd be able to continue to see right down to the bottom.

See the fish, see the rocks.

It was all quite peaceful and serene.

However, if you stomped violently in the water,

boom, boom, boom, splash, splash, splash,

what happens?

You stir up all the dirt and all the sand,

and the once peaceful water is now this swirling mess,

and you can't see a thing.

Uncontrolled anger, according to Proverbs,

is like that in relationships.

It just stirs up strife and conflicts and fights and animosity.

Turns people against one another in neighborhoods and homes and churches.

In other words, uncontrolled anger wrecks havoc in community.

It creates strife among people who themselves aren't even that angry of people.

But third, if you're quick-tempered,

there's a deep personal cost.

Listen to Proverbs 25, 28.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

In Proverbs 19, 19 again.

A man of great wrath will pay the penalty,

for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.

In other words, uncontrolled anger, says Proverbs,

leaves you desolate and holds you captive.

25, 28 uses the image of a city broken into and left without walls.

And in the ancient world, a city's walls were its primary means of defense.

So a city without walls is a picture of weakness and vulnerability.

You're defenseless and you're desolate.

Anything, even the smallest army, could destroy you.

And it's like that when anger is uncontrolled.

The smallest thing can set you off, send you on a spiral, and destroy you.

But in Proverbs 19, 19, it gets even more serious if you look there.

What is this verse really describing?

Proverbs 19, 19, a man of great wrath will pay the penalty.

If you deliver him, you will only have to do it again, and again, and again.

Do you see what Proverbs is saying there?

That wrath, that anger, it's like an addiction.

It gets a hold on us, and it grips us so deeply

that even if you deliver someone from the penalty

or from the consequences of their angry actions,

they fall back into it again and again.

They go right back in.

They can't stop themselves from just falling back into it.

You know, that's why Proverbs gives the opposite advice

to what you sometimes hear when it comes to anger.

The popular advice on anger, how to deal with it,

is oftentimes, well, you just have to let it out.

Just let it out.

If you're angry, go punch a pillow.

Scream really loudly.

Just let it out.

Ventilate.

Release the pressure.

But friends, that advice is very short-sighted

because uncontrolled anger is actually like a muscle

that the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets,

and the stronger it gets, the more it will hold you captive.

Proverbs 29, 11 says,

A fool gives fool vent to his spirit,

but a wise man quietly holds it back.

So if letting it out isn't going to help, what will?

And this takes us to the second big thing

that Proverbs shows us about anger.

If that's the cost of uncontrolled anger,

what can help us in our anger?

What will help us become less and less quick-tempered

and more and more what Proverbs calls slow to anger?

The first thing it points to is the company you keep.

Proverbs 22, 24 through 25 again.

Make no friendship with a man given to anger,

nor go with a wrathful man,

lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Anger, you see, is something that you can learn.

Or as one translation puts it,

bad temper is contagious.

Don't get infected.

So when you're picking your friends,

when you're choosing who to hang out with,

ask yourself,

are my friends quick-tempered?

Are they easily just set off?

Are they angry, irritable, complaining,

always holding a grudge,

always blaming others,

always cutting people down?

Proverbs says choosing to spend time with people like that,

whether it's in person

or whether it's through the shows

and the media that we consume.

Anger is very profitable, friends, isn't it?

Proverbs says choosing

those sorts of things is like volunteering

to entangle yourself in a snare.

It's like seeing the bear trap

and jumping right in.

Boom.

If you have the choice,

don't go there.

Of course, you don't always have the choice, right?

It's different with family, isn't it?

You can't choose your family.

Sometimes family members get angry,

so your strategy has to be a little different.

If your child struggles with uncontrolled anger,

you can't just disown them.

Ah, Proverbs 22, 24 through 25.

Sorry, kiddo.

You're off on your own.

No.

As a parent,

your job is to move toward your child in love.

Listen to the cries of their hearts.

Yes, correct what needs to be corrected,

but also prayerfully call forth the good.

If your spouse struggles with anger,

much the same applies.

Pray for them.

Love them.

Stick with them.

Listen to the cries of their hearts.

Pray.

Of course, if the anger turns to physical abuse,

you need to be safe.

Separate yourself.

Get help.

Don't do it alone.

So in some of our relationships,

we won't be able to choose,

but in those where we do have a choice,

Proverbs is saying,

the one thing that will make you wise

when it comes to anger,

one thing that will help you become a person

who is slow to anger,

as opposed to quick-tempered,

is the company you keep.

But next, it's not just the company you keep,

but the words that you speak.

The words that you speak.

Proverbs 15, 1.

Proverbs 15, 1 says,

a soft or a gentle answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Now, of course, the primary point of this verse

is how to interact with angry people, right?

How do you do it?

Do you rise to the occasion?

Do you fight fire with fire?

Proverbs says,

No, a soft answer, a gentle answer.

That is a controlled and deliberate,

loving response

that really cares for the person in front of you

and doesn't just treat them

as a problem to be solved

or an issue to be dealt with,

much less an enemy or an opponent to be defeated.

That sort of answer,

a soft, a gentle answer,

Proverbs says,

diffuses the bomb of anger.

But on the flip side,

if you want to pull the pin,

well, go right ahead.

Give a harsh word.

View the situation as a contest to be won.

View the person as a problem

to be controlled and contained.

Answer that way.

Proverbs says,

Guaranteed, you can watch the anger escalate.

But you know,

I think this verse also applies

to how we speak to ourselves

in moments of anger.

Listen to Proverbs 20, 22.

Do not say,

I will repay evil.

Wait for the Lord

and he will deliver you.

Do not say.

Say to who?

Who are we speaking to here?

Well, obviously,

what we have in this verse

is an internal dialogue

of someone who's angry,

who's ready to deal out revenge.

And Proverbs is saying,

don't say,

I will repay evil.

Rather,

speak the soft word,

which is really

the stronger word

to yourself.

Wait for the Lord

and he will deliver you.

So Proverbs 15,

one,

this proverb

that many of us

have heard before,

a soft answer

turns away wrath,

but a harsh word

stirs up anger,

applies as much

to our internal

conversations with ourselves

as to our external

conversations with others.

So friends,

what do you say to others?

Or perhaps,

just as importantly,

what do you say to yourself

when you're angry?

I think in large part,

this is why stepping back

and taking a deep breath

can be so helpful

when our anger

is running out of control.

I mean,

the oxygen probably helps,

right?

But I think the deep breath

really helps

because it gives you

a moment to pause

and reframe the situation.

It gives you a moment

to get some perspective

and to start talking

to yourself differently

about what's really going on.

No,

your parents

aren't on a mission

to destroy

all your fun

and strip you

of all of your freedom.

Teenagers,

take a deep breath.

Tell yourself

the soft answer,

which is the strong answer

that,

you know,

my parents love me.

They're not perfect,

but they want my best.

And God,

my heavenly father,

has given me

my parents

for my good.

No,

your roommate

or your co-worker

doesn't always

fill in the blank,

right?

They always

cut me off.

Take a deep breath.

They aren't on a mission

to make your life miserable.

That's not the driving force

in their life.

Excuse yourself.

Take a walk around the block

if you need to,

but tell yourself

the soft answer,

which is the strong answer.

No,

that person is not perfect,

but they're not pure evil either.

And God will give me

the grace

to overlook the offense

and serve and love them

regardless.

Friends,

you see how the words

you speak

are so critical

when it comes to help

in our anger.

But there's a third help.

Not just the company you keep,

not just the words you speak,

but third,

Proverbs shows us

the benefits

of being slow to anger.

It casts before us

a vision of life,

of what it would be like,

the benefits

of being slow to anger.

You see,

the vision

that Proverbs

puts out before us

is not that the wise

are totally emotionless.

Biblically speaking,

the wise aren't complete stoics

striving to be unfeeling

to the world around them.

No,

that's not biblical wisdom.

There are actually times

when anger

is wholly appropriate.

God is angry

at evil

and injustice,

and it is perfectly good

and right.

After all,

how could God

be a God of love

if He wasn't opposed

to evil and wrong

and all that destroys

His good creation?

The opposite of love

isn't anger,

you know.

The opposite of love

is indifference.

Because we love,

because we care,

because we're deeply invested

in something's good,

because of that,

there's a right sort of anger.

An anger

at that which

threatens what we love

and what we value.

Proverbs says,

the wise person

isn't a person

who is never angry.

After all,

Jesus Himself got angry,

didn't He?

Read the Gospels.

Jesus got angry

at self-righteousness,

at hard-heartedness,

at injustice.

Jesus got very angry

at death.

The wise aren't never angry,

rather they are slow

to anger.

And one of the things

that will help us

become less quick-tempered

and more slow to anger

is to see the benefits

of being slow to anger.

Listen again

to Proverbs 14.29.

Whoever's slow to anger

has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper

exalts folly.

Those who are slow

to anger,

friends,

have deep understanding.

You see,

uncontrolled anger

prevents us

from seeing things

as they are.

It blocks our ability

to really understand

the world

in a deep way.

We're not thinking

straight when we're angry.

It clouds our reason.

But those who are

slow to anger,

the opposite is true.

They can really grasp

the deep logic of things.

They can really

understand

other people.

They can really

see reality

as it truly is.

And they can live

accordingly.

In the New Testament

epistle of James,

James 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

19 through 20,

James puts it this way.

He says,

Know this,

my beloved brothers

and sisters.

Let every person

be quick to listen,

slow to speak,

slow to anger.

For the anger of man

does not produce

the righteousness

of God.

So there's one benefit.

Deep understanding.

Here's another.

Proverbs 15.18.

A hot-tempered man

stirs up strife,

but he who is slow

to anger

quiets contention.

How do you make

that stomped through

muddy pond

crystal clear again?

How do you move

a friendship,

a family,

a church,

a city from strife

and contention

to peace and harmony?

How do you bring

healing to communities?

Only through being

slow to anger.

anger.

Friends,

think of the salt

and light we would be

in our city

and in our schools

and in our workplaces

if we,

the church,

were slow to anger.

It's so easy

to be cynical

and snarky,

isn't it?

I know

because I can be

as cynical

as the next guy.

What if we were

slow to anger

instead?

Listen to Proverbs 19.11.

Good sense

makes one

slow to anger

and it is his glory

to overlook

an offense.

There's glory

in overlooking

an offense.

Of course,

the world

doesn't always

see it that way.

It can seem weak

to overlook

an offense.

It can seem

unassertive.

Stand up for yourself,

we're told.

Or our friends

kind of egg us on.

You're not going

to take that,

are you?

Overheard

at every lunch period

in every high school

in New Haven County,

right?

You're not going

to take that

from them,

are you?

But then it just

gets translated

into different words

the older we get.

But I ask you,

what's more glorious?

To get sucked down

into the back

and forth

of you offend me,

I offend you,

the hamster wheel

of offense

where no one wins.

Is that full of glory?

Or is it more glorious

to overlook

an offense?

To remain

unshaken

and unthwarted

on the path

of loving

our neighbors

and loving

even our enemies

in Christ's name.

To be sure,

brothers and sisters,

there is glory

in being slow

to anger.

Proverbs 16, 32

puts it this way,

it says,

whoever is slow

to anger

is better

than the mighty

and he who rules

his spirit

than he who

takes the city.

The NIV

puts it this way,

better a patient

person

than a warrior,

one with self-control

and one who

takes the city.

Or one person

paraphrased it like this,

moderation

is better

than muscle,

self-control

better

than political

power.

You see,

friends,

what's going to last?

What will endure?

What is true

strength?

not the touchy,

quick-tempered,

irritable,

the always ready

for an argument,

the belligerent,

the boisterous,

the proud.

No.

But those who are

slow

to anger.

And you know,

that should not

surprise us.

After all,

it's not that God's

own character.

This is how Matt

began the service.

When God reveals

himself to Moses

in Exodus 34,

that's a pinnacle

moment.

That's a key moment

in the Old Testament.

What does God say

he's like?

Who is this God

who made us?

The Lord,

the Lord,

a God merciful

and gracious,

slow to anger

and abounding

in steadfast love

and faithfulness.

That's who God is.

Perhaps this is

the greatest benefit

of being slow

to anger.

That we,

as human beings,

created in God's

image,

when we are slow

to anger,

we get to display

his character

in the world

he has made.

We get to emulate

in our own

creaturely way

the creator

who made us.

we get to

participate

in God's

own nature.

Don't you want

that sort of life?

Don't you want

that sort of spirit

who would participate

in the glory

of God

in that way

rather than

just getting sucked

down into the

back and forth

of offense?

Friends,

don't you want

to be slow

to anger?

So the company

we keep,

the words we speak,

the benefits

of being slow

to anger,

they all help.

They all help us

become less

quick-tempered

and more slow

to anger.

But you know,

at the end of the day,

that's not enough.

We need more

than just help

for our anger.

The reality is

we need healing.

Because you can get

with the right people

and you can keep

telling yourself

the right things

and you can even

have a vision

of what it would

all look like

and how glorious

it would be,

but at the end

of the day,

you and I need

something even deeper

and something

more profound.

And this is our third

and our last point.

What can really

heal our anger?

What will truly

make us

slow to anger?

Well, first you have

to admit that you

have an anger problem.

David Powelson,

a counselor

and an author,

wrote a book

on anger

called Good and Angry

and I think the second

or third chapter

is called

Do I Really Have

an Anger Problem?

Question mark.

And the chapter

is this long.

Yes.

Chapter done.

And you know,

now that we've been

walking through

these verses on anger,

we see that our anger

issues are bigger

than we thought.

Because the problem

with anger

isn't just

that we get angry

at the wrong things,

it's also that we

don't get angry

at the right things.

Yeah?

We can be totally

enraged

when someone

offends us

and in the same moment

completely indifferent

when we hear

of radical injustice

and incredible suffering

happening in the world.

But wisdom

in anger,

doing anger rightly

means that we're

slow to anger

at the right things

at the right time

in the right way.

But instead,

we blow up

when our kids

don't get the playing time

we think they deserve.

And in the same moment,

we could functionally

care less

that there are kids

in our own backyard

who barely have enough

to eat.

And friends,

doesn't that show us

that something

is deeply,

deeply wrong,

not just with the world,

but with us.

Friends,

if we want to know

healing for our anger,

we've got to admit

that our hearts

are broken,

that something's gone wrong

inside of us,

that we've turned inward

in a kind of

God-ignoring selfishness

that pervades

all that we do,

which is what the Bible

calls sin.

And because of that condition,

we end up loving

the wrong things

in the wrong way.

We said that anger

is opposition

to that which

threatens what we love.

Think about it.

At the most basic level,

when do you get angry?

When your will

is blocked,

right?

I want something,

something stands in my way

or stops me from getting it

and I get angry.

Example,

I want potato chips.

My roommate

has eaten

all of the potato chips.

I now want

to destroy

my roommate.

In that moment,

you loved the pleasure

of eating potato chips

that was threatened,

even stolen

by your roommate

and you got angry.

Of course,

that's a

silly example,

isn't it?

But it gets more

subtle than that

and it gets more serious,

doesn't it?

You're on your way

to an important

lunch meeting.

You're five minutes away

but suddenly traffic

is at a standstill

and you're not moving

and you keep looking

at the clock,

two minutes,

three minutes,

four minutes go by

and you can just feel

the anger

start to boil.

Why?

Because I need to be

at this lunch meeting

on time.

Okay,

but why anger?

You've been late

to lunch meetings before.

You've been stuck

in traffic before.

No anger.

What's different now?

What is it that you love,

that you value,

that's being threatened

in this moment

and that's igniting

your anger?

Is it your reputation?

What will my boss,

what will my new

co-workers think of me

if I'm late

for this lunch meeting?

And then you start

to spin it out,

don't you?

I bet I'm the only one

who is dumb enough

to take the highway

to get to this restaurant.

I'm going to show up

and look like a total idiot.

I'm going to miss

the whole thing.

I'm not going to get

the promotion

until you sit in traffic

and you get angry

because your reputation

is on the line.

Or maybe it's not

your reputation this time,

maybe it's your

relational status.

You're on your way

to a date

and you're sick

of being the single one

among all your friends

and this stupid traffic

is keeping you

from something

that might actually

rescue you

from the hell

of your singleness

and so you get angry

now look,

it's okay

to want to make

a good impression

on your boss.

It's okay

to want to find a spouse

but if those things

get threatened

and you find yourself

boiling with anger

and you're cutting people

off in traffic

and you're yelling

obscenities

at the person

in front of you

who won't move up

the three inches

that they can possibly

move up,

you know something

has gone haywire.

What is it

that's going to

heal your anger?

What is it

that will cool

our quick tempered hearts

to be truly

and rightly

slow to anger?

Well Proverbs

puts it this way.

It says,

the fear of the Lord

is the beginning

of wisdom.

In other words,

the beginning,

the wellspring,

the source,

the foundation

of being able

to do anger wisely,

to be truly

slow to anger

is that the Lord

has to be the thing

you value

and cherish

and love

before and above

all else.

God has to be

bigger

and more precious

to you

than your reputation

and God has to be

bigger

and more worthy

to you

than your relational status.

God has to be

the thing

around which

everything else

orbits in your life.

That's what the fear,

that's what the awe

of the Lord means,

that he is the blazing sun

and everything else

is just stars.

And there's only one way

you get that kind

of fear of the Lord.

There's only one way

you get the fear

of the Lord

so deep in your soul

that it makes you

slow to anger.

It's when you see

that he's been

slow to anger.

And he's been

slow to anger

not just theoretically.

He's been slow

to anger

not just

as an abstract

attribute

of his divine

perfections,

but he has been

slow to anger

with you

personally.

Consider it,

friends.

the God

who made you

in complete

freedom

without any need,

the God

who upholds you

in your existence

every second

of every day,

who is the

infinite ocean

of bliss

and the source

of all that is good,

this God

who upholds you

in your being

every second

of every day

deserves your

unrelenting

thanks and praise.

And yet,

we live

99%

of our lives

basically

ignoring God.

And then,

when something

goes wrong

and doesn't

meet our

expectations

for how we

think our

lives should go,

we spend

the other

1% of our

lives

blaming God

and getting

angry at him.

Proverbs 19.3

says,

when a man's

folly

brings his

way to ruin,

his heart

rages

against the

Lord.

Is that

not such

an insightful

view of

the human

condition?

Our

folly

brings us

to ruin

and yet

we rage

against God.

And friends,

would not

our perfectly

good and

holy God

be perfectly

just

to give

us

exactly

what we

functionally

ask for

every second

of every

day?

To be

separated

from him

forever.

Would it

not be

utterly

and perfectly

good and

just of

God to

give us

what our

hard-hearted

rebellion

against him

deserves?

And yet,

that is not

what God

does.

Instead,

God takes

on human

flesh for

you and

absorbs the

rightful anger

that our

sins deserve

on a

wooden

implement

of torture.

He's

mocked

and beaten

and torn

to shreds.

when God

was completely

just to

annihilate me

in his

anger,

he forgives

me instead.

He doesn't

excuse my

sin.

He doesn't

ignore my

sin.

He paid

for it

and forgave

me.

Do you

see how

God has

been infinitely

patient with

you,

friends?

Infinitely

slow to

anger

when you

didn't

deserve

it.

And so

how could

this Lord,

the Lord

Jesus,

not be

the center

of your

life now?

How could

you love

or prize

or value

anything

more than

him?

The one

who's been

so slow

to anger

with you

and so

loving

and so

kind.

And so

kind.

And you

know,

the more

and more

Christ

takes up

residence

in our

hearts

by his

spirit,

the more

and more

what Christ

has done

for us

fills

our

affections,

you know,

the more

your reputation

and the more

your relational

status,

the more

your whatever

will start

to find

its rightful

place in

orbit around

him.

And when

things start

to threaten

those peripheral

things now,

you'll be

slow to

anger.

You may

still experience

disappointment,

you may

still experience

frustration,

yes,

but rage,

the uncontrolled

anger will

subside because

the one thing

that you prize

above all

else,

the love

of God

in Christ

for you

can never

be threatened.

Nothing

can touch

it.

Friends,

do you know

that love?

Is that

the burning

center of

your soul?

Do you see

how your

heavenly

father has

been so

incredibly

slow to

anger with

you and

how he

continues to

be so

every moment

of every

day?

And how

this love

of God

in Christ

is open

for all

who will

turn from

sin and

entrust

themselves to

Christ.

Do you

see that?

Do you

know that?

If so,

friends,

then let it

heal you

of your

anger.

God,

let it

make us

wise.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.

Oh, God,

we do pray

that you

would come

now by

your

spirit,

and you

would impress

upon us

the truths

of these

words that

we've been

considering from

Proverbs,

and Lord,

that we

would see

running in

and through

each one

of them

the character

and the

love of

our Lord

Jesus

Christ.

God, I

pray for

those who

are here

this morning

who, like

me and

like so

many, just

struggle with

anger.

God, I

pray that by

your spirit

you would

become the

blazing sun

in the center

of our

universe once

again.

Oh, God,

flood us

with a rich

sense of

your glory

and the way

in which you've

been so patient

and so kind

and so slow

to anger

with us.

And God,

for those who

are here

who maybe

don't know

that love,

Lord, for

whom it

seems like

a far-off

thing,

God, for

those who

are here

and, Lord,

would think

of that kind

of intimate

relationship

with you

as something

that seems

strange and

almost impossible

and something

they could

never attain.

Lord, I

pray that you

would help

them to see

that you

have become

the way

and the

truth

and the

life

and that

we can

truly come

to the

Father,

Lord Jesus,

through you.

Oh, God,

I pray that

you would

give them

the grace

to place

their trust

in you,

to commit

their lives

to you

and so

know the

peace that

you give.

God,

help us

as a church

to live

in these

ways,

we pray.

In Jesus'

name,

amen.

and

sign

the

gift

of

who