ANGER IS A THREAT TO SELF-CONTROL
Text: Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Ephesians 4:25-32 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. (26) Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (27) and do not make room for the devil. (28) Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. (29) Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. (30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. (31) Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, (32) and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 5:1- 2: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,2 and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (NRSV).
All throughout Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, we are told about election and election interference. No, I’m not talking about political election, I mean those chosen--elected by God to be saved and Satan’s election interference! God has chosen for us to be saved and united with Him. Our adversary has chosen to separate people from God by deceptive illusions that cause them not to see the light of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4) to get them lost in the hopes that they would be lost for eternity.
Currently, there is an obvious war going on between good and evil in both the unseen realm and the fruits of it that we can physically see in real time.
Satan’s biggest weapons in his arsenal that come from the flesh which as Paul said are Galatians 5:19-21 sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, (21) envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Are these not the areas where Satan has strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4)?
One of those weapons that Satan has used very well through all generations is “fits of anger”.
I once read a sentence sermon that went like this: "He who angers you controls you". Anger can make us lose control. Anger is dangerous is because it can hinder the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22 -23) if it is left unchecked.
Paul warns us not to let the sun go down our anger in Ephesians 4:26. Paul's reasoning for not letting the sun go down on anger makes sense and Ephesians 4:27 explains why, letting the sun go down on our anger could give the devil the advantage of a foothold (NIV).
NEW MANAGEMENT
Was there ever a time in your life when you were a mess?
1) Satan’s Strongholds: A spiritual stronghold is a fortified position. When a lost person argues against the Gospel, they do it from the fortified position (2 Corinthians 10:4- 5)---arguments of the devil who has “blinded them”. God uses Christians to tear down those “strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4) that Satan uses to keep others captive. How did God use Christians to tear down these stongholds in your life? How is God using you to tear down these “stongholds” in the lives of others?
2) Anger is a stronghold: Two of the most common arguments made by Atheists are “First, there is no God; Second, I hate him”. (James M. Hamilton, Jr. Revelation; The Spirit Speaks to the Churches. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2012, p. 315). Satan uses anger to stir people up and cause divisions when people disagree!
3) Salvation is a stronghold: God’s unbreakable and eternal stronghold is salvation. If an atheist could claim that there is no salvation, no Heaven, no Hell, then there would be no consequences which would mean that according to scripture you are lost. In John 10:29 Jesus tells us that those whom God has given Him can never be snatched out of His hand (John 10:29).
4) Keeping the lie going: Satan wants to keep people blinded from the light of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4) that would set them free. In John 3:5, Jesus said to Nicodemus "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (NRSV). That is why Jesus said, “know the truth and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32). How many people get mad when you tell them that Satan has lied to them and deceived them?
