Anger, A Misunderstood Emotion (Introduction)

Anger

A Misunderstood Emotion

Introduction

Statistics: 

·         25,000 people are killed by another person each year in America. A thousand of these murders take place at work

·         1 million or so workers injured each year in violent attacks by coworkers.

·         12-16% of marriages have physical fights

·         25% of women have been battered at one time in their lives.

·         23% of all crimes are considered violent crimes.

·         49% experience anger at work, with 1 of 6 wanting to hit someone.

·         1 million cases of child abuse confirmed in the US per year.

Personality Change in America:

§  Children born in 1958 89% were “never” or “sometimes irritable” and “Mild mannered

§  Now, Road Rage, Shopper Rage, Rage at Sporting Events, etc.

The Question:

                Do we have a right to be angry? 

·         With our government and its decisions? 

·         With moral decisions made by individuals?

·         With moral issues being legislatively legalized?

·         With injustices?  Such as the NJ teacher fired for giving a student his Bible.

·         With being mistreated? Such as victims of violent crimes.

·         When being endangered while driving?

·         When someone takes our parking spot?

Jonah: Doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah was a prophet of God.  He was commanded by God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach.  He, as many of his Jewish counterparts, hated the Ninevites because of the way they lived.

The Assyrians worshipped the vicious god Ashur and a multitude of other gods and goddesses. Assyrian brutality and cruelty were legendary. The Assyrians were known to impale their enemies on stakes in front of their towns and hang their heads from trees in the king’s gardens. They also tortured their captives—men, women, or children—by hacking off noses, ears, or fingers, gouging out their eyes, or tearing off their lips and hands. They reportedly covered the city wall with the skins of their victims. Rebellious subjects would be massacred by the hundreds, sometimes burned at the stake. Then their skulls would be placed in great piles by the roadside as a warning to others. Jonah decided that he would rather quit the prophetic ministry than preach to such people.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Jonah was the only prophet who fled God.

Jonah 1:1-3 (KJV) ¹ Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
² Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. ³ But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Jonah repents and calls out to God.

Jonah finds his need to obey God in the belly of the whale.  How often do we turn to God when our plans fail?  How often do we turn to God when we are in trouble? (Jonah 2)

Jonah preaches God’s message in Nineveh.

Jonah 3:1-4 (KJV) ¹ And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, ² Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. ³ So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. ⁴ And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

The people of Nineveh believe and repent.

Jonah 3:5 (KJV) ⁵ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Jonah 3:9-10 (KJV) ⁹ Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? ¹⁰ And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

 

Jonah responds in anger.

Jonah 4:1-3 (KJV) ¹ But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. ² And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. ³ Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

God’s ?...doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah 4:4 (KJV) ⁴ Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

·         Does Jonah have a right to be angry?

·         Is Jonah’s anger beneficial?

·         Is it good, is it best for Jonah?

Jonah’s mood was determined by his circumstances.

                When the circumstances pleased Jonah, he was happy.

Jonah 4:6 (KJV) ⁶ And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

                When the circumstances did not please Jonah, he was upset.

Jonah 4:7-8 (KJV) ⁷ But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. ⁸ And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

Jonah thinks anger is beneficial. 

Jonah falsely believes his anger is justified. 

Jonah 4:9 (KJV) ⁹ And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

God reminds Jonah of what is important.

Jonah 4:10-11 (KJV) ¹⁰ Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: ¹¹ And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

Lessons to be learned from Jonah.

1.          We respond in anger when God doesn’t do what we want Him to do.

             2.          We want the mercy and grace of God in our own lives, but the justice of God in the lives of others.

             3.          Anger is a heart problem.

Mark 7:14-15 (KJV) ¹⁴ And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
Mark 7:20-23 (KJV) ²⁰ And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²² Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: ²³ All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

God’s ?...doest thou well to be angry?

Jonah 4:4 (KJV) ⁴ Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

• Do we have a right to be angry?
• Is our anger beneficial?
• Is it good, is it best for us?

Some verses to consider…

Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Romans 12:21 (KJV) ²¹ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 15:13 (KJV) ¹³ Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

James 1:20 (KJV) ²⁰ For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

John 14:27 (KJV) ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) ⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.