Anger & Forgiveness | Follow-Walking in the Way of Jesus | Sunday April 12, 2026

Now forgiveness is not presenting something didn't happen. It's not saying it didn't matter. It's not saying that it doesn't deserve justice. It's releasing the right to hold on to it. Because as long as we hold on to offense, we're not just holding on to the past, we're holding on to a power at work within us. And anger quietly binds us. But when we forgive, we're freed from carrying the weight of justice. We're released from the corrosive power of resentment, and we step back into alignment with the grace we received. That's why Paul says in Romans, don't avenge yourselves. Leave it to God's wrath. [01:18:05] (42 seconds)  #ForgivenessIsRelease

Jesus knows something about the human heart, that unresolved justice becomes unresolved anger, and that anger does not stay contained. Anger shapes how we see people, how we relate to God, and how we live. If we're angry at all the injustices, we will live our lives not in connection with others, not in trust with others. We will live our lives trying to control situations so that it doesn't fall apart again. And underlying all of that is not just fear, but a deep seated anger at the injustice that we faced. But it's a defensive anger. [01:16:34] (40 seconds)  #UnresolvedJusticeBreedsAnger

The difference between discipleship and religion is really, really important. And that's what we want to identify as is not as religious people, but as disciples of Jesus. Not as good Christians, but as followers of Christ. And and and the distinction is kinda subtle. But discipleship is dynamic where religion is static. Religion just says, here's the things I do. Discipleship says, this is the change that's happening. Discipleship can look a lot like religion, but it comes at it from a different place. It refuses to be bound to time and place. [00:45:27] (39 seconds)  #DiscipleshipNotReligion

He's kind of reclaiming that position, that function that Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel all did, is that they would give demonstration of a spiritual reality. And so Jesus will show them by what happens next, what the fig tree represents, that it's a life or a system with all the signs of vitality, but none of the substance. Religion versus fruitfulness. And so he curses it because it was already dead. He's essentially saying, if it's not bearing fruit, it's not alive. [00:52:14] (40 seconds)  #FruitOverForm

Jesus comes in in that kind of spirit, seeing the oppression of the people bound by an unjust system, and that's when he gets angry. He walks into a system full of leaves. There's activity, there's structure, there's tradition, but there is no fruit. There is no freedom from sin. There is no forgiveness for sin. There is no restoration, justice, and compassion. And Jesus gets angry and he's righteous in it. This is not a fit of rage. This is not Jesus being surprised what's going on because we just read, [00:58:22] (37 seconds)  #RighteousAngerForTheOppressed

At the cross, he secured the fruit we could not produce on our own, that he implanted his spirit upon our faith in him that produces fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. That is all the potential of that is all within us to be seen and bring about freedom. And at the cross, he made forgiveness possible and necessary. So we don't come to this place to prove anything. We come to receive and be reminded of what's already been accomplished, that Jesus freed us to worship today and every day. [01:20:08] (40 seconds)  #CrossProducesFruit

Jesus took all the anger and wrath of God on himself so that you and I could know forgiveness and know its power, so that we could receive it, and so that we could give it. This is what empowers us to worship. The cross does. At the cross, Jesus removed the barrier to our worship that we can come into this place on the basis of his sacrifice, not on the sacrifice of a system of animals or blood. At the cross, he reconciled us to God so that we can pray to the father, so that we can know his goodness. [01:19:35] (33 seconds)  #CrossEnablesForgiveness

I'm caught in the sin. People are mad at me. I'm mad at myself. I'm gonna do better. No. You're not. You're not. If you keep believing that though, you are gonna drift away from god. When Hebrews says come boldly, he's saying come on the basis of what I've done without fear, without shame, that I might pour out my blessing on you. It's number two. Jesus makes devotion delightful. Through the cross, Jesus restores relationship, not religion. The fig tree had leaves but no fruit. It looked alive, but it was empty. [01:13:01] (42 seconds)  #ComeBoldlyByGrace