“The Roots of Anger”
Ephesians 4:26&27
Nowadays it seems that the world is full of angry people . Workplace shootings, defiant children, gang violence, road rage, even angry outbursts from professional athletes are common place. In a society that enjoys such prosperity financially, technologically and in so many other ways, why is anger so prevalent in our daily lives?
Few people want to admit that they have a problem with anger. Most of us readily see the mismanagement of anger on the part of others , but seldom recognize it in ourselves. Most of the methods we see of responding to anger are destructive and frightening . It would help us to understand…
I. The Nature of Anger Ephesians 4:26&27 In your anger do not sin:
Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. We tend to think of anger as a negative emotion
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uncomfortable with it . Created in God’s image. He intended for us to have this emotion: “safety valve.” Express emotionally charged feelings.
A. Can be Destructive James 1:20 …man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
Incredible potential for harm
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can scar lives , damage self-esteem; vicious cycle of hostility breeding hostility; abusive behavior, uncontrollable anger
 hell on earth. Explosive father – “walking on eggshells” destroy family .
Firing someone in a rage and loose a valuable employee. The anger of man never achieves the purposes of God. Anger is the other side of love.
Love draws you toward another person. Anger sets you against the person. But anger has positive purposes and can be channeled toward good outcomes.
B. Can be Constructive
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sometimes a legitimate response:
Matthew 21:12&13 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’” Jesus was righteously angry; moved to action.
Some things to get angry about :
1) mocking God or His Word (TV preachers perverting scripture). 2)
Gossip unnecessary hurting someone who is not there to defend themselves. 3) Social injustice
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too often we show a lack of pity or anger. Anger is constructive if it moves us to correct injustice . We are uncomfortable with anger because it is…
C. An Emotional Response
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anger is an emotion but involves body (adrenaline rush, heart rate, blood pressure) , mind (swirling thoughts, accusations, defenses) and will (choice to throw something, hit something, yell at someone, withdrawal in silence) . Anger is a response to some event in life that causes us irritation, frustration, pain or other displeasure ; the emotions, thoughts and physical

tenseness we experience when we believe that something or someone is treating us or someone else unfairly . (He comes home
2 late, she fails to record a check, he forgets to take out the garbage, you agree to meet at 6:30 and it’s 7:15, she promised to clean her room but left without touching it).
Common human experience of intense anger and the seemingly inability to handle it
 leads to inappropriate behavior . We, and those around us, suffer physically and emotionally from destructive responses to anger . Lack of understanding in processing anger has been a key ingredient in family dysfunction
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marital and family turmoil, even spilling over to work settings.
When we are angry it is easy to make…
II. The Jump to Sin vs.26
In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry… Don’t let anger smolder  “closet”.
Many people, particularly Christians suffer from “closet syndrome”.
A. Ignore the Real Cause
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Anger is a mysterious and complex emotion
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leads us away from the primary source. (kicking the lawnmower; mother yelling at children ). 1 st emotion: disappointment, hurt, rejection, embarrassment, sadness, abandonment, fear. These feelings are so unsettling
 jump to anger, 2 nd emotion we are much more comfortable with. First emotio ns put us on “tilt” anger is easier to deal with.
Wives sad, feel unloved, devalued
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greet husband at the door with anger.
“If he cared he’d call. He knows how hard I work to have dinner ready on time. He has no concern for me. All he thinks about is w ork. Obviously I don’t mean much to him. Why did I ever marry such a selfish man?” Husbands “I mow the grass, wash the car, and take care of baby so she can go shopping with her mother and I
don’t even get a thanks!” Angry with God  feel we’ve been treated unfairly. Anger is the emotion that arises whenever we encounter what we perceive to be wrong . The emotional, physiological and cognitive dimensions of anger leap to the front burner of our experience when we encounter injustice. (Teenager thinks parents have been unfair
 unloving, unkind. Mower ‘not working right’ 
machine or manufacturer has done him wrong. Honk at traffic light
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other driver not doing right, should have been paying attention.) Sin enters in the way we express our anger. Many times…
B. We Explode Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Easy to go from anger to sin
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spiteful, revenge, bitterness, unforgiveness, verbal abuse .
Anger can dominate a home, people lash out under the influence of anger
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devastating cycle. We “go off” on people. Or…
C. We Stuff vs.26
Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry… Uncomfortable with angry feelings , don’t know what to do with them; think anger is an unspiritual emotion – taboo; stuff

3 feelings in the closet . Anger can produce denial ; maintaining our
“cool.” Know you’re mad but still don’t show it . Calm on the outside – burning with anger on the inside (driving
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smile & wave – seething but acting like it doesn’t bother me) . Sometimes we’re just too tired to deal with the issue that is producing the anger – no time to address the problem
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stuff it in the closet.
So we go about everyday calmly, quietly, continuously filling our closet.
So what? What happens when we stuff this powerful emotion into our closet?
We tend to think that over time these feelings will dissipate – de-intensify. Opposite is really the case .
III. The High Price of Anger vs.27
…and do not give the devil a foothold.
Give Satan a place : a spot (particular locality ), that is, location
(as a position, home, tract, etc.); condition , opportunity ; room. Anger improperly dealt with gives an…
A. Opening to Satan
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stuffing anger into our closet gives the evil one opportunity to stir things up . He energizes those feelings
– intensifies closet
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blows up
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loose control. Satan loves filled closets.
If you store your anger Satan has an opportunity to intensify it.
(Slighted at work
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think about it , try to get even). Many of us are walking around with closets ¾ full; dreaming of ways to get even, tell them off, teach them a lesson . It’s only a matter of time until we blow.
B. Destructive to Others hurt others, shake kids, say destructive things Proverbs 16:28 A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. When we vent our anger inappropriately Satan attacks those around us.
C. Destructive to Us
 emotionally: easily discouraged, fatigued, anger is the chief saboteur of the mind. Physically: headaches, high blood pressure, ulcers. Socially: ot hers know, you don’t hide it as well as you thought you did. Irritable (walking on eggshells) , unwilling to talk through issues for fear of exploding, critical, vengeful, demanding, unforgiving. Spiritually: instead of the Holy Spirit dominating
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anger, paralyzes His work, clouds our judgment and spiritual sensitivity .
When we are angry we want to nurse it ; feels good, but it keeps us at
210
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ready to boil over ; giving opportunities to Satan. Facing the real hurt is a hard thing to do
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takes the Holy Spirit. If we recognize and take the issue to God
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temperature goes down; out of the danger zone.
Anger in itself is not evil or sinful, not part of our fallen nature, or Satan’s work in our lives
 it is evidence that we are made in God’s image “idiot li ght” on the dashboard  tells us something’s wrong. Red flag – we’ve been hurt . Ask yourself: “What’s really going on?” “Who let you down?”
Who embarrassed, disappointed, made you sad? We need to find the roots of anger; bring to God instead of living just below the boiling point.