Many times we think of anger as selfish
and a destructive emotion
that should be eradicated from our lives altogether,
but the fact is Jesus got angry
when men were hard,
when men were unbelieving,
unfeeling, unsympathetic,
and especially when they dishonored His Father.
The Apostle Paul could say to the Galatians
at a time when they were being duped
by false teachers,
"I wish those who unsettle you
would emasculate themselves."
Emasculate?
Brace yourselves.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon says,
"cut off your privy parts."
You say, "well, I never!"
Well, that's right.
You've never been stirred up like Paul has
when somebody comes in with teaching
and is trying to lead people away
and possibly to their damnation.
And he gets stirred!
And he knew what that word meant.
And he used it in mixed company.
Why?
Because he was angry.
And he was stirred up.
And when people came with false doctrine
he got that way.
And there are some things as Christians
that are worth getting bent out of shape about
and worth getting stirred up about.
Unfeeling people are called calloused.
Unfeeling people are Gentile-ish,
not Christian.
Passionless people,
passionless Christians
are pathetic Christians.
There are things in this world
worth getting stirred up about.
There is darkness out there.
There is wrong out there.
There is evil out there.
There are people taking advantage
and there are devilish doctrines.
And there are people trying to deceive
our brothers and sisters
and deceive your children.
You know when you've seen Mormons
and Jehovah's Witnesses
walking around your neighborhood.
That's worth getting bent out of shape about.
On a regular basis, I come up there -
Clark Street,
right to Martin Luther King
and I look across and on that wall
is this Catholic picture.
And I'm confronted by it all the time.
And Mary is big.
The "Queen of Heaven."
She's got this little, pathetic infant in her arms.
And Jesus is just emasculated of all of His majesty.
And I think of the day -
that day of mercy that we heard about -
when Jesus Christ comes
and all the idols come crashing down.
That wall is going to come crashing down.
And you ought to get stirred up about these things.
And when Jesus Christ is dishonored,
we ought to be, brethren.
Do you feel a fire arise in your own self over sin?
Brothers and sisters,
you ought to be angry.
Those of you that struggle with sexual sin,
you ought to be angry over yourself.
There's things worth getting stirred up about.
And Paul says be angry.
And if we're going to be like Christ,
then let us be like Him.
If we're going to be like God and put on that new man,
there should be things
that make that fire arise within us.
Now let's talk about the bad anger...
This excerpt is taken from the full sermon:
Good Anger & Bad Anger
by Tim Conway.
To hear the rest of the message,
visit Illbehonest.com.