The Angry Heart | The Heart Matters | Jake Poole | November 9 2025 (8:45am)

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Calls Us to Examine Anger in Our Hearts

Jesus teaches that anger is not just an external action but an internal condition of the heart, equating harboring anger with the very seed of murder. He challenges us to look beyond our outward behavior and examine the hidden places within, warning that unchecked anger can destroy relationships, poison our joy, and consume our peace. The call is not to minimize, spiritualize, or justify our anger, but to recognize its destructive potential and bring it into the light before it takes root and grows. Jesus invites us to take a spiritual MRI of our hearts, not just an x-ray of our actions, and to deal with anger before it becomes action. [34:49]

Matthew 5:21-24 (ESV)
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Reflection: Who is someone you have been harboring anger or bitterness toward in your heart, even if you’ve never acted on it? What would it look like to honestly acknowledge this before God today?

Day 2: Lament—Bringing Our Anger and Grief to God

God invites us to bring our raw, unfiltered anger and grief to Him through the ancient practice of lament. Instead of letting anger curdle into bitterness, we are called to pour out our pain, frustration, and even our desire for justice directly to God, trusting Him with our deepest wounds. Lament is not venting aimlessly but moving through a process: bringing our complaint, asking God to act, and reaffirming our trust in His justice and love. In this sacred space, God meets us, receives our honesty, and begins to transform our anger into healing and grace. [58:16]

Psalm 109:1-4 (ESV)
“Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.”

Reflection: What is one specific situation or person that has caused you deep anger or grief? Can you take time today to honestly lament this before God, telling Him exactly how you feel and what you long for Him to do?

Day 3: Confession—Receiving God’s Mercy for Our Anger

When we recognize that our anger has become selfish, prideful, or destructive, God calls us not to minimize or justify it but to confess it honestly before Him. Because Jesus absorbed the wrath of God on the cross, we can come without fear of condemnation and receive forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration. Confession breaks the cycle of shame and anger, opening the way for God’s mercy to heal us and set us free from the grip of bitterness. There is no shame in God’s presence—only grace for those who come with open hearts. [01:02:30]

1 John 1:9 (ESV)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Reflection: Is there a place where you have justified or hidden your anger instead of confessing it? What would it look like to bring this honestly to God and receive His forgiveness today?

Day 4: Reconciliation—Making Things Right with Others

God’s desire is not only for us to be right with Him but also to be reconciled with others. Jesus teaches that if we know someone has something against us, we are to seek them out and make it right—even before we continue in worship. Reconciliation may require humility, courage, and vulnerability, but it is the path to healing and freedom from the foothold of anger. Whether we have wronged someone or know they are angry with us, Jesus calls us to act quickly, not letting the sun go down on our anger, so that bitterness does not take root. [01:06:19]

Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV)
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Reflection: Is there someone you need to seek out today to ask forgiveness or to reconcile with? What step can you take before the day ends to move toward peace in that relationship?

Day 5: Trusting God with Justice and Transformation

Letting go of anger does not mean ignoring injustice or pretending pain doesn’t exist; it means entrusting our wounds, our need for justice, and our desire for control to God. Scripture reminds us that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He alone is able to bring true justice in His time and way. As we surrender our anger and trust God with our hearts, He meets us with healing, unconditional love, and the power to live differently from the world—quick to lament, quick to confess, and quick to seek reconciliation. [01:14:52]

Romans 12:19 (ESV)
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

Reflection: Where are you still trying to control the outcome or hold onto anger as a form of justice? How can you surrender this to God today, trusting Him to bring justice and healing in His way?

Sermon Summary

Over the past weeks, we’ve been exploring how the true battleground of our spiritual lives is not our outward behavior, but the hidden places of our hearts. Today, we turned our attention to one of the most destructive forces in that inner world: anger. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 challenge us to look beyond the obvious sins of action, like murder, and instead examine the seeds of anger and contempt that can quietly take root within us. He teaches that harboring anger, even if it never erupts into violence, is spiritually dangerous—it is the very seed of destruction, capable of poisoning our relationships, our witness, and our own peace.

Anger is everywhere in our world, and it’s easy to minimize, justify, or spiritualize it. We often tell ourselves that as long as we don’t act on our anger, it’s harmless. But Jesus exposes this as a lie. He calls us to a deeper honesty, to see that anger—whether it’s the explosive, obvious kind (thumos) or the slow-burning, hidden kind (orge)—is a matter of the heart. The first is easy to spot: outbursts, shouting, and rage that leave others walking on eggshells. The second is more insidious: sarcasm, contempt, passive aggression, and the quiet rehearsing of old wounds. Both are dangerous, and both are addressed by Jesus.

He warns us that contempt and condemnation—stripping others of their value, writing them off as “fools” or “nobodies”—is a form of spiritual violence. It’s not just about what we say or do, but about the posture of our hearts toward others. Righteous anger grieves over sin and seeks restoration; self-righteous anger seeks to destroy, to cancel, to feel superior. Jesus calls us to a radical humility: to lament our pain and anger before God, to confess where we have harbored bitterness, and to seek reconciliation quickly, before anger can take root and give the enemy a foothold.

The way forward is not to suppress or deny our anger, but to bring it honestly to God in lament, to trust Him with our pain and our desire for justice, and to act quickly to make things right with others. This is the path to freedom, healing, and unity—a testimony to the world of God’s transforming love.

Key Takeaways

1. Anger’s true danger is in the heart Anger, whether explosive or hidden, is not just a behavioral issue but a spiritual one. Jesus teaches that harboring anger is the seed of destruction, capable of poisoning our relationships and our own souls. The real threat is not what we do outwardly, but what we allow to fester inwardly. [35:16]
2. Contempt devalues God’s image in others When we allow anger to turn into contempt, we strip others of their God-given value. This can happen through words, attitudes, or even silent judgments. Jesus warns that such contempt is spiritually serious, as it denies the dignity of those made in God’s image and distances us from God’s heart. [42:43]
3. Lament is the first step to healing God invites us to bring our raw, unfiltered anger and grief to Him in lament. This ancient practice allows us to process pain honestly, release our grip on revenge, and trust God with justice. Lament is not venting for its own sake, but a movement toward trust and surrender, where God meets us with grace. [58:16]
4. Confession and reconciliation break anger’s power We are called not to minimize or justify our anger, but to confess it—first to God, then, if needed, to those we have hurt. True freedom comes when we humble ourselves, seek forgiveness, and pursue reconciliation quickly. This breaks the cycle of shame and bitterness, and opens the door to healing and restored relationships. [63:38]
5. Acting quickly prevents spiritual footholds Paul’s instruction not to let the sun go down on our anger is more than practical advice—it’s spiritual wisdom. Delayed reconciliation gives the enemy a foothold in our hearts. By acting quickly to make things right, we close the door to bitterness and division, and become a people set apart by love and unity. [64:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:50] - The Heart Matters: The Inner Life
[27:08] - Jesus’ Words on Anger (Matthew 5)
[29:27] - The Potato Chip: Anger’s Unexpected Fruit
[30:35] - Anger in Our World Today
[32:04] - How We Minimize and Justify Anger
[33:35] - The Pharisees and Outward Righteousness
[34:49] - Anger as the Seed of Destruction
[37:00] - Two Types of Anger: Thumos and Orge
[39:58] - Hidden Anger: Orge and Its Effects
[42:00] - Contempt and Devaluing Others
[47:26] - Righteous vs. Self-Righteous Anger
[56:36] - Three Steps: Lament, Confess, Reconcile
[58:16] - The Practice of Lament
[63:38] - Confession and Making Things Right
[69:25] - Guided Lament and Prayer
[87:47] - A People Set Apart by Love
[89:05] - Closing and Next Steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:21-26 (ESV) — > “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Observation Questions

What two types of anger did Jesus address in Matthew 5, and how are they described in the sermon? ([37:00])
According to Jesus, what is the spiritual danger of harboring anger, even if it never leads to outward violence? ([35:16])
What does Jesus say we should do if we remember someone has something against us while we are worshiping? ([27:53])
How does the sermon describe the difference between “righteous anger” and “self-righteous anger”? ([48:21])

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus equate anger in the heart with the act of murder? What does this reveal about how God views our inner life compared to our outward actions? ([34:49])
The sermon talks about contempt as “stripping others of their God-given value.” Why is this so spiritually serious, and how does it affect our relationship with God and others? ([42:43])
The practice of lament is described as a way to process anger and grief. Why might lament be a necessary first step before reconciliation or forgiveness can happen? ([58:16])
Paul’s instruction to “not let the sun go down on your anger” is highlighted as spiritual wisdom. What are the potential consequences of delaying reconciliation, according to the sermon? ([01:04:19])

Application Questions

The sermon describes two types of anger: explosive (thumos) and hidden (orge). Which type do you most often struggle with, and how does it show up in your life or relationships? ([39:58])
Think of a recent situation where you felt anger. Did you minimize, justify, or spiritualize your anger? What would it look like to be honest about it before God instead? ([32:16])
The sermon says that contempt devalues God’s image in others. Is there someone in your life you have written off, looked down on, or treated as “less than”? What would it look like to restore their value in your heart? ([44:55])
Lament is described as bringing your raw anger and grief to God. When was the last time you honestly lamented before God? What keeps you from doing this, and how could you make space for lament this week? ([58:16])
Confession and reconciliation are said to break anger’s power. Is there someone you need to confess your anger to or seek forgiveness from? What is one step you could take toward reconciliation this week? ([01:03:38])
Paul warns not to let the sun go down on your anger. Are there unresolved conflicts or bitterness you’ve been holding onto? What would it look like to act quickly to make things right, even if it feels uncomfortable? ([01:04:19])
The sermon says that the way forward is not to suppress or deny anger, but to bring it honestly to God and act quickly to make things right. What is one practical change you want to make in how you handle anger, starting this week? ([56:36])

Sermon Clips

Jesus starts to pull back the layers of our heart. And he says, You say that you haven't murdered. You say that you haven't taken someone's life. But what if we don't just take the spiritual x-ray of your behavior? What if we take a spiritual MRI of your heart? See, you don't understand the reality is what Jesus is saying is that anger isn't just a harmless impulse. If you allow anger to take root in your heart, it's actually the very seed of murder inside of you. [00:34:39] (29 seconds) #HeartMRITruth

Righteous anger seeks restoration, and it seeks the healing and the change in the person's life. But self-righteous anger seeks their destruction and their end for the person. When we have this self-righteous anger, we don't want to help them. We want to condemn them. We don't want to pray for them. We want to cancel them, and we want to destroy them, and we want to silence them. [00:48:21] (27 seconds) #SelfRighteousAngerKills

And I want to tell you first that you're right. You can't change it. But I want to encourage us this morning that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of you. And that same power that's in you can raise you from the grave of anger that you're living in. Jesus doesn't just diagnose your anger in this text. He actually can cure it. [00:56:04] (26 seconds) #GriefTurnsToAnger

Paul says here, deal with it right now before nightfall because if you harbor anger, Paul tells us that the devil gets an opportunity in that moment. In the Greek, this word opportunity is tapas. It refers to a place or a location. It's when anger sort of festers in the heart and as it does, you're essentially giving, you're giving a foothold or an outpost for the enemy to have influence in that area of your life. And the longer you wait, the stronger the foothold becomes. [01:04:10] (32 seconds) #GoMakeItRight

Notice Jesus doesn't say pray about it and hope that God sort of takes away that moment. He doesn't say post something passive aggressive on social media. He doesn't say to tell everyone else so that you can sort of build your case about how wrong that person is. He just says go to the person, find them, and work it out. [01:05:06] (21 seconds) #HumilityHealsHearts

Here's the reality is your vertical relationship with God cannot be right unless your horizontal relationship with others are made right. You actually can't worship God with your hands if you're holding onto a grudge because someone else has done something to you in your life. So don't wait. Don't wait for them to come to you. The third step is to go make it right today. [01:07:15] (26 seconds)

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