Another week has come and gone and we praise the Lord for His goodness and His love. Whether you are in church in your heart, your home, or in a building, know that God loves you and wants the best for you throughout all your days. As always, may God richly bless you today!! H Trent!
"Fighting the Battle of Anger"
Scripture: Numbers 20:2-13
Introduction: Today I would lie to take a look at an emotion that has a tendency to run away with us. I am going to talk about anger. Anger by itself is not a bad emotion. It's an emotional alarm system that says we are feeling hostility. However, when anger takes control of us, we can do some pretty nasty and terrible things. You have heard the saying of being blinded by anger? Even Christians, like anyone else, can experience times when tempers flare. Today we are going to look at a time when Moses experienced anger from the people of Israel, from himself, and from the Lord. I see four powerful lessons we can learn from this passage of Scripture that will help us control our anger. Would you please turn in your Bible to Numbers the 2oth chapter starting at verse 2.
1. Restrain Yourself When Dealing With Angry People (v2-5).
There is an old saying that says misery loves company, and believe me, angry people incite others. Look at verse 2. Everyone here in the congregation is reinforcing each other's frustration and anger. They then decide to get together and let Moses and Aaron have it. How many of us have ever been in this situation, on one side or the other? Well, they're in this big meeting pointing fingers at Moses. Now, if you are an anger-prone person, being confronted like this is the perfect formula for a serious shouting match or even worse. When angry people come at us, things have a tendency to escalate. In situations like this it's almost easy for us to allow ourselves to come right back at them. We need to restrain ourselves when angry people engage us, or they will drag us right into the fray. Moses did the perfect thing. He listened to them and didn't retort. He didn't defend himself, he didn't lash out. He was probably boiling inside, but he restrained himself.
2. Get Before God About Upsetting Situations (v6-8).
Verse 6 tells us that Moses and Aaron left the presence of the people and fell facedown before the Lord at the doorway to the tabernacle. They both got pounded by the people and they wanted to get next to God before they did anything. I believe that this was a very good move. When people are angry at us and criticize us, the sensible thing to do is to retreat before the Lord, to get away from the source of agitation and settle yourself down. Maybe we don't have the opportunity to retreat physically at the moment, that's okay. Speak out to God through your mind. Then maintain control of your thoughts and listen for God. The tabernacle was where God would speak with Moses. Today, we have access to God at anytime, and at anyplace. God told Moses exactly what to do. He gave him simple instructions with miraculous results. When we retreat in our anger and bring it before the Lord, He will answer us. We only have to listen.
3. Obey God's Instructions Completely (v9).
Now, up to this point, Moses was doing everything right. Now comes the part where Moses is supposed to do what God told him to do. He took the rod, that was good. He gathered the people before the rock, that was also good. But, here's where thing go south for Moses. Now God had just told Moses to speak to the rock and it would give forth water. What did Moses do? He blasted the people, raised the rod, and struck the rock. He did the exact opposite of what God told him to do. Moses anger bubbled over and got the best of him. Does that sound like any of us? Ever let anger get the best of you? Well, it happens to us when we let our anger get out of control. You see, Moses obeyed God's instructions only so far, and then he started to listen to himself and do what he thought was best. He acted out of anger instead of listening to God. I think many of us do the same thing because maybe we don't think God is handling the situation the way we think it should be handled. Partial obedience to God is sin and it's dangerous. God has asked us to trust Him. When we try to take over, bad circumstances happen because we cannot see the other side as God can. Can you think of a time when you didn't obey God completely? May I ask you, think about what it cost you?
4. Realize That Unrighteous Angry Behavior Is Always Harmful (v12-13).
There are times when we think that our angry behavior is no big deal. God happens to think otherwise. Look at verse 12. God told Moses and Aaron that their angry behavior would prevent them from leading Israel into the Promised Land. This verse reveals that Moses did not believe God. If we read further, verse 24 says that Moses rebelled against God. Moses compromised the holiness of God. If we were to turn to 1 Corinthians 10:4 you would understand that the rock Moses struck was a symbol of Christ. Moses struck this symbol in anger not treating it as holy (Deut 32:49-52). As Christians, how we handle our anger ultimately reflects upon God. People will form opinions about God based on how we behave, especially when we are angry. They will see how we treat our spouses, our children, our co-workers. We need to ask ourselves, how are we representing God when we are angry?
Conclusion:
Perhaps some of us are fighting a battle with anger right now. Maybe someone is angry with you and you are at a crossroads. Do what Moses and Aaron did before they sinned. Get on your face before the Lord. Let His glory surround you, and then expect to hear a word from Him. Manage your anger in the power of the Lord and blessing instead of loss will be yours.
Pastor Harold Trent.
"Fighting the Battle of Anger"
Scripture: Numbers 20:2-13
Introduction: Today I would lie to take a look at an emotion that has a tendency to run away with us. I am going to talk about anger. Anger by itself is not a bad emotion. It's an emotional alarm system that says we are feeling hostility. However, when anger takes control of us, we can do some pretty nasty and terrible things. You have heard the saying of being blinded by anger? Even Christians, like anyone else, can experience times when tempers flare. Today we are going to look at a time when Moses experienced anger from the people of Israel, from himself, and from the Lord. I see four powerful lessons we can learn from this passage of Scripture that will help us control our anger. Would you please turn in your Bible to Numbers the 2oth chapter starting at verse 2.
1. Restrain Yourself When Dealing With Angry People (v2-5).
There is an old saying that says misery loves company, and believe me, angry people incite others. Look at verse 2. Everyone here in the congregation is reinforcing each other's frustration and anger. They then decide to get together and let Moses and Aaron have it. How many of us have ever been in this situation, on one side or the other? Well, they're in this big meeting pointing fingers at Moses. Now, if you are an anger-prone person, being confronted like this is the perfect formula for a serious shouting match or even worse. When angry people come at us, things have a tendency to escalate. In situations like this it's almost easy for us to allow ourselves to come right back at them. We need to restrain ourselves when angry people engage us, or they will drag us right into the fray. Moses did the perfect thing. He listened to them and didn't retort. He didn't defend himself, he didn't lash out. He was probably boiling inside, but he restrained himself.
2. Get Before God About Upsetting Situations (v6-8).
Verse 6 tells us that Moses and Aaron left the presence of the people and fell facedown before the Lord at the doorway to the tabernacle. They both got pounded by the people and they wanted to get next to God before they did anything. I believe that this was a very good move. When people are angry at us and criticize us, the sensible thing to do is to retreat before the Lord, to get away from the source of agitation and settle yourself down. Maybe we don't have the opportunity to retreat physically at the moment, that's okay. Speak out to God through your mind. Then maintain control of your thoughts and listen for God. The tabernacle was where God would speak with Moses. Today, we have access to God at anytime, and at anyplace. God told Moses exactly what to do. He gave him simple instructions with miraculous results. When we retreat in our anger and bring it before the Lord, He will answer us. We only have to listen.
3. Obey God's Instructions Completely (v9).
Now, up to this point, Moses was doing everything right. Now comes the part where Moses is supposed to do what God told him to do. He took the rod, that was good. He gathered the people before the rock, that was also good. But, here's where thing go south for Moses. Now God had just told Moses to speak to the rock and it would give forth water. What did Moses do? He blasted the people, raised the rod, and struck the rock. He did the exact opposite of what God told him to do. Moses anger bubbled over and got the best of him. Does that sound like any of us? Ever let anger get the best of you? Well, it happens to us when we let our anger get out of control. You see, Moses obeyed God's instructions only so far, and then he started to listen to himself and do what he thought was best. He acted out of anger instead of listening to God. I think many of us do the same thing because maybe we don't think God is handling the situation the way we think it should be handled. Partial obedience to God is sin and it's dangerous. God has asked us to trust Him. When we try to take over, bad circumstances happen because we cannot see the other side as God can. Can you think of a time when you didn't obey God completely? May I ask you, think about what it cost you?
4. Realize That Unrighteous Angry Behavior Is Always Harmful (v12-13).
There are times when we think that our angry behavior is no big deal. God happens to think otherwise. Look at verse 12. God told Moses and Aaron that their angry behavior would prevent them from leading Israel into the Promised Land. This verse reveals that Moses did not believe God. If we read further, verse 24 says that Moses rebelled against God. Moses compromised the holiness of God. If we were to turn to 1 Corinthians 10:4 you would understand that the rock Moses struck was a symbol of Christ. Moses struck this symbol in anger not treating it as holy (Deut 32:49-52). As Christians, how we handle our anger ultimately reflects upon God. People will form opinions about God based on how we behave, especially when we are angry. They will see how we treat our spouses, our children, our co-workers. We need to ask ourselves, how are we representing God when we are angry?
Conclusion:
Perhaps some of us are fighting a battle with anger right now. Maybe someone is angry with you and you are at a crossroads. Do what Moses and Aaron did before they sinned. Get on your face before the Lord. Let His glory surround you, and then expect to hear a word from Him. Manage your anger in the power of the Lord and blessing instead of loss will be yours.
Pastor Harold Trent.
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