Understanding Anger: Divine Love and Our Rescue
Summary
### Summary
Welcome, everyone! Today, we delved into the complex and often misunderstood topic of anger, both human and divine. We began by acknowledging that everyone experiences anger and explored various ways people handle it, from rage cleaning to working out. The core question we tackled was, "What do you do with the mad that you feel?" This question is crucial because our responses to anger can lead to some of our biggest regrets.
We then transitioned to discussing God's anger, a topic that can be unsettling. We explored the idea that God's anger is not arbitrary but is a response to evil and injustice, much like a "mama bear" protecting her cubs. God's anger is an expression of His love and His desire to set things right. We examined the biblical concept of sin, not just as individual wrong actions but as a condition that compels destructive behavior.
The sermon also addressed the idea of salvation, emphasizing that it is not merely about escaping punishment but about being rescued from our own self-destructive tendencies. We discussed how God's wrath is often manifested by Him "giving us over" to our own desires, allowing us to experience the consequences of our actions. This is not because God is vindictive but because He respects our free will.
We concluded by focusing on the ultimate rescue mission: Jesus Christ. Jesus was "handed over" to be crucified, taking on the consequences of our sins so that we might be saved. This act of divine love offers us a way out of our self-destructive patterns and into a life aligned with God's will. The invitation today is to acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves from ourselves and to call on Jesus for rescue.
### Key Takeaways
1. Anger as a Reflection of Love: Anger often indicates what we value and love. Just as a "mama bear" fiercely protects her cubs, God's anger is directed at anything that threatens His creation. This divine anger is not arbitrary but is rooted in His love and desire to set things right. Understanding this can help us see God's anger as an extension of His love rather than a contradiction to it. [32:24]
2. The Nature of Sin: Sin is not just about individual wrong actions but is a condition that compels destructive behavior. This condition leads to actions, beliefs, and attitudes that are out of alignment with God's will. Recognizing sin as a deeper issue helps us understand why we need a comprehensive rescue, not just a fix for our actions but a transformation of our hearts. [34:01]
3. God's Wrath as Giving Over: One of the primary ways God's wrath is manifested is by giving us over to our own desires. This means allowing us to experience the consequences of our actions. This divine "giving over" is not about punishment for punishment's sake but about respecting our free will and letting us see the destructive nature of our choices. [47:12]
4. Jesus as the Ultimate Rescue: Jesus was "handed over" to be crucified, taking on the consequences of our sins. This act of divine love offers us a way out of our self-destructive patterns. Salvation is not just about escaping punishment but about being transformed and aligned with God's will. This rescue is available to us now, not just in the afterlife. [56:08]
5. The Hardest Rescue is from Ourselves: The most challenging thing to be rescued from is ourselves. Our own desires and self-deceptions often blind us to our need for rescue. Admitting that we cannot save ourselves is the first step toward true transformation. This requires humility and a willingness to call on Jesus for help. [57:32]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[23:10] - Introduction and Welcome to Newcomers
[24:23] - Mr. Rogers and Handling Anger
[25:22] - Different Ways People Handle Anger
[26:23] - The Question: What Do You Do with the Mad You Feel?
[27:48] - Series Overview: Somebody Save Me
[28:02] - The Need for Rescue and Salvation
[29:02] - Different Perspectives on Being Saved
[30:00] - Is God Angry at Us?
[31:08] - N.T. Wright on God's Anger
[32:24] - Anger as a Reflection of Love
[33:32] - The Nature of Sin
[34:01] - Sin as a Condition
[47:12] - God's Wrath as Giving Over
[56:08] - Jesus as the Ultimate Rescue
[57:32] - The Hardest Rescue is from Ourselves
[01:00:12] - Prayer and Conclusion
[01:06:37] - Final Blessing and Dismissal
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Luke 19:10 (NIV): "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
2. Romans 1:16-18 (NIV): "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.' The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness."
3. Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV): "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.'"
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Luke 19:10 reveal about Jesus' mission on earth?
2. According to Romans 1:16-18, what is the power of God that brings salvation, and to whom is it available?
3. In Exodus 34:6-7, how is God's character described, and what does He promise regarding the guilty?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding Jesus' mission to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10) shape our view of salvation? [28:47]
2. What does it mean that the "wrath of God is being revealed" in Romans 1:18, and how does this concept challenge or affirm your understanding of God's justice? [38:31]
3. How can we reconcile the compassionate and gracious nature of God described in Exodus 34:6-7 with His promise to not leave the guilty unpunished? [39:54]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt lost or in need of rescue. How did you respond, and what role did your faith play in that situation? [28:47]
2. The sermon mentioned that God's anger is an expression of His love, much like a "mama bear" protecting her cubs. How does this analogy help you understand God's anger towards sin and injustice? [32:24]
3. The idea of being "handed over" to our own desires was discussed as a form of God's wrath. Can you identify a situation in your life where pursuing your own desires led to negative consequences? How did you realize the need for God's intervention? [47:12]
4. Jesus' sacrifice was described as the ultimate rescue mission. How does this understanding of Jesus' crucifixion impact your daily life and decisions? [56:08]
5. The sermon emphasized that the hardest rescue is from ourselves. What are some self-destructive patterns you recognize in your life, and how can you seek Jesus' help to overcome them? [57:32]
6. How can you practically apply the concept of God's wrath being a form of "giving over" to your own life, especially in areas where you struggle with sin? [47:12]
7. The sermon concluded with a call to acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves. What steps can you take this week to rely more on Jesus for rescue rather than your own efforts? [57:32]
Devotional
Day 1: Anger as a Reflection of Love
Anger often indicates what we value and love. Just as a "mama bear" fiercely protects her cubs, God's anger is directed at anything that threatens His creation. This divine anger is not arbitrary but is rooted in His love and desire to set things right. Understanding this can help us see God's anger as an extension of His love rather than a contradiction to it. [32:24]
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: Think of a recent situation where you felt anger. What does this reveal about what you value and love? How can you channel this anger in a way that aligns with God's love and justice?
Day 2: The Nature of Sin
Sin is not just about individual wrong actions but is a condition that compels destructive behavior. This condition leads to actions, beliefs, and attitudes that are out of alignment with God's will. Recognizing sin as a deeper issue helps us understand why we need a comprehensive rescue, not just a fix for our actions but a transformation of our hearts. [34:01]
Romans 7:18-19 (ESV): "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."
Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you struggle with recurring sin. How can you invite God to transform your heart in this area, rather than just trying to change your behavior?
Day 3: God's Wrath as Giving Over
One of the primary ways God's wrath is manifested is by giving us over to our own desires. This means allowing us to experience the consequences of our actions. This divine "giving over" is not about punishment for punishment's sake but about respecting our free will and letting us see the destructive nature of our choices. [47:12]
Romans 1:24-25 (ESV): "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."
Reflection: Consider a time when you faced the consequences of your own choices. What did you learn from that experience about the nature of your desires and God's respect for your free will?
Day 4: Jesus as the Ultimate Rescue
Jesus was "handed over" to be crucified, taking on the consequences of our sins. This act of divine love offers us a way out of our self-destructive patterns. Salvation is not just about escaping punishment but about being transformed and aligned with God's will. This rescue is available to us now, not just in the afterlife. [56:08]
1 Peter 2:24 (ESV): "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."
Reflection: How does understanding Jesus' sacrifice as a rescue mission change your perspective on salvation? What steps can you take today to align your life more closely with God's will?
Day 5: The Hardest Rescue is from Ourselves
The most challenging thing to be rescued from is ourselves. Our own desires and self-deceptions often blind us to our need for rescue. Admitting that we cannot save ourselves is the first step toward true transformation. This requires humility and a willingness to call on Jesus for help. [57:32]
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV): "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.'"
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you are relying on your own strength rather than seeking God's help. How can you practice humility and ask Jesus to rescue you from this self-reliance today?
Quotes
1. "We do not have all the answers. This is not a group of people who have it all figured out. If you're looking to look at our lives and go, 'Man, these people are the people who have got it all kind of dialed in from everything from being a high school student to being a parent to a grandparent,' these people across these generations have it figured out. I just want to let you know, prepare to be disappointed. We do not have it figured out. We're aiming our lives at Jesus. We believe that's what we were made for. So we're chasing after him with conviction." [23:39] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The best part of the church is the people in this room. The people that gather, the people that call this place home. It's not everything. It's really, it's each other. And so if you're looking for a place to find community, to take a next step, man, this is what we're about. So I'm glad that you made it." [24:09] (13 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "The question for us is, what do you do with the mad that you feel? Because probably some of our biggest regrets, the things we wish we could do over, stem from a decision where we let our anger get the best of us. It was like, 'Oh gosh, my anger got the best of me.' Maybe we were right in our anger, but we mishandled how we went after it. We got that right, but the way we went after it was not so good." [26:23] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "Every single one of us at some point or other needs a rescue from something. And we need a rescue whenever the obstacle that we face is greater than our means of overcoming it. So whatever it is that we're facing, at some point we go, 'I can't, I need some help getting over this thing.' That's when a rescue is necessary." [27:48] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "The broad category for this idea of what we would call a rescue, the broad category for this in the Bible is the word salvation. Some of you have heard of this before. And hopefully you've been seeing, if you've been with us for the past couple weeks, it covers a lot of different things, you know, over a lot of different times in the Bible." [28:18] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Anger is the response to things that threaten valued things. This is why many of you are familiar with the expression 'mama bear.' Whenever something threatens the cubs of a mama bear, they always say you're pretty much generally safe. But if you get between a mama bear and her cubs, watch out. Some of you were raised by a mama bear. In so many words, it was like everything was a threat, and this mom made sure that nobody could come and nobody's going to harm my babies." [31:52] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "A God without anger cannot also be a God of love. I know that sounds so bizarre, but again, to use the mama bear example, if someone or something is threatening the cubs, if you don't care about them, then it's not a threat, and you don't even have, you're not angry at that thing. Does that make sense? You'd just be like, 'It doesn't matter what happens to them because I don't love them.'" [32:24] (18 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "The wrath of God, when we talk about the word wrath, this is my definition. It is not the 100% loctite definition. It's just helpful for this conversation. When we talk about wrath, it's anger activated and directed. So it's not just random anger. It's anger activated and directed at a particular thing." [38:46] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "The Bible is not so much the story, though it is, it's not so much the story of people finding a way to God. That's not really what it is. It's actually better described as the Bible being the story of God making his dwelling among the people, intending to walk among them, to be with them. This is where the rescue is. This is where the life is that's intended for people to have. That's much more of the story." [52:07] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "The hardest thing to be rescued from in the world? Myself. It's the hardest thing to be rescued from because it's nearly impossible to see the need for a rescue if I'm unable or unwilling to admit that I need a rescue. I'm tough. I got this. I can shape up. I can pull this off. It doesn't matter. I got this. I don't want anybody to know that I got some stuff going on, so I'm just gonna handle this on my own." [57:32] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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