I want to leave you with a gift. If you make it yours, it will increasingly prosper you with eternal riches and continually enrich you with non-stop dividends during earth-time.
Anger is often born of hurt. If you are having a hard time dealing with hurt and anger, don’t sleep on it. This is not a suggestion (Ephesians 4:26-27) but a command. If you take it to bed with you it will fester and smolder all through the night and you won’t get up next morning in a good mood. We must deal with it (Ephesians 4:31-32) immediately. A prudent man (Proverbs 12:16) ignores an insult. Another aspect to this, is why did the Sovereign God allow it? Was it to teach us something about ourselves? What is inside us that could trigger anger? Is it pride? Is it long-ago hurts and emotional wounds which we’ve never dealt with? Why do we get angry? We can say that we have forgiven the offender but if we are still talking about it, that’s not forgiveness, that’s revenge. Everyone we talk to will get a bad opinion about the offender.
Dr. C. Stanley – “Years ago he loved and served the Lord but didn’t realize, until God revealed it, that he was angry with God because his father had died when Charles was 9 months old. So as soon as he was aware, he made it right with the Lord”.
Unforgiveness will damage us emotionally, physically and spiritually. No matter how busy we are with good works, we can never have peace while we are angry. Anger will burst out unexpectedly in certain situations where people have no intention of offending us.
To forgive means that I willingly take the hurt and pain which the offender deserves because of what they did. Instead of concentrating on what I think they deserve, I go immediately to the Lord and reject the sin of allowing anger to take over. I will never speak of it again to anyone but God and I will do nothing to damage the offender’s reputation. If you are having serious difficulty with forgiveness speak to one wise and godly person who will walk with you through it and, of course, will keep your confidence. It doesn’t matter if the offender ever apologizes or not, that’s between them and God. But this is not about them – it’s about me and whether I will choose to obey God or not. The Holy spirit with all (Galatians 5:22-23) the lovely characteristics of Jesus is with us so we have the power to forgive, to deal wisely with anger.
Are there some situations where we can be angry (Ephesians 4:26) and not sin? Most definitely because God is angry (Psalms 7:11) with the wicked every day. Righteous anger is roused by injustice, child abuse, the sex trade, fraud, exploitation and we despise governments where politicians live fat, greedy lavishly indulgent lives at the expense of their deprived and desperately needy citizens. This anger expresses concern for others. Sin is when our anger is about personal damage done to ourselves. Righteous anger must not lead us to foolishly join violent protests and damaging marches. We long for leaders who are (Exodus 18:21) God-fearing persons of truth who hate dishonest gain.
We can learn from Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:1-12) and how he handled righteous anger.
Artaxerxes, king of Persia allowed the Jews to go back to their homeland but extracted from them exorbitant taxes. The poor Jews could not pay the tax so they had to borrow from wealthy Jews. These loans were being given to fellow Jews at a high rate of interest, which had been (Exodus 22:23-26) totally forbidden by God. Most of the poor could not come up with the interest and so were forced to give their lands and then their sons and daughters as slaves to the loan sharks. Nehemiah was very angry and he called them to account before God. He demanded that they stop the interest and return all they had taken that very day or expect the Lord’s severe judgment. His demand was met with obedience.
We do not, like Nehemiah, have government authority but we do have continual access to the highest Authority in the universe. So we take our indignation to God and trust Him to transform it into Spirit-led intercession for the only hope - - the spread of the Gospel of Salvation through Christ Jesus.
Why is it vitally essential that we forgive and don’t hold any angry grudges? When Jesus had suffered beyond all human comprehension and totally satisfied the wrath of God, He spoke those 3 most important and priceless words ever uttered in all history – “It is finished”. Instantly the veil of the temple (Mark 15:38) was torn open from top to bottom, exposing the holy of holies, the place of the Schekinah glory of God’s Presence – and – nobody died! Why? Because Jesus had just died, and so immense and all encompassing was His atonement, that every person who trusts in Him for personal salvation (John 11:26) will never die.
Come with me to observe and worship the Lamb of Calvary. He took our guilt so we could have a clear conscience, He took our deserving so there would be no holy handwriting against us, He took all our sin and made it so much His own that we can have an unblemished history before God; therefore, He had to take our full punishment. He completely satisfied the wrath of God so that (Romans 8:1) we will never face it. Now, at the Cross where in His fathomless, unsearchable, incomprehensible LOVE God gave - - - do we dare ask why we should forgive others?
If we have truly repented over some sin due to carelessness and not allowing the ‘mind of Christ’ to rule in us, we know God has forgiven us but we wonder how we could be so foolish. Just about then the Lord blesses us in a very special way. I experienced this recently when I had stupidly let my thoughts wander unguarded for a few brief moments. In our surprise and gratitude we need to remember that God’s blessings are never because of our deserving but only because of the all-encompassing, all-powerful Blood of Jesus which has purchased such an incredible position for us in the Presence of the Triune God.
The sweetness, beauty, mystery and wonder of our supremely sovereign (Isaiah 46:9-11) transcendent God is a fragrant strength, a power-filled fragrance constantly poured daily into our lives.
In the light of these glorious truths, examine closely – unforgiveness, anger, sinful habits, idolatrous preferences, etc. which usurp God’s rightful place. Are they worth it? Do they fit who we are in Christ? How can we remain steadfastly faithful and loyal to Jesus in times of recurring painful memories, unfair treatment recently or long ago, severe difficulty, fearful danger and even brutal persecution?
In myself I know I’m a coward – BUT – the power is of God (2 Corinthians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9) not of us, never in ourselves. God alone is the Source of all power, there is no power apart from Him. We are (Colossians 1:11) strengthened according to the might of His glorious power.
I want to leave you with a gift. If you make it yours it will increasingly prosper you with eternal riches and continually enrich you with non-stop dividends during earth-time. “Godly wisdom (Proverbs 3:15, Proverbs 8:11) is more valuable than anything you could desire”.
This morning I was filled with wonder that WHO HE IS would love who I am and that WHO HE IS would want (John 21:17) who I am to love HIM!!!!!