2. Have you ever disturbed one? Why do they call it “mad as a hornet”? If you’ve ever disturbed a hornet’s nest, you know the answer to this. –Hornets will attack with a vengeance! –It seems the whole nest “gets after you”!

3. Know Anyone With Anger Issues? Most of us know someone who has trouble with “anger”. Maybe you have (or have had) trouble controlling your anger. None of us are immune from its danger.

4. Is It Sinful To Be Angry? Christians are commanded to put away anger, wrath, malice, slander. (Colossians 3:8) On the other hand the Scripture says, “Be angry and yet do not sin”. (Ephesians 4:26) Is there a contradiction?

5. Is It Sinful To Be Angry? God is justly angry with the ungodly. (Romans 1:18) Jesus had righteous indignation against sinners who dishonored God’s will (Mark 3:5; John 2:13ff) but was silent when mistreated. (Matthew 26:63; 1 Peter 2:21ff)

6. Is It Sinful To Be Angry? Mankind is silent when sin is praised and God is dishonored, but gets mad when he is personally offended. We need to imitate God’s way and not man’s (Isaiah 55:8-9). So not all anger is sinful, but some is and we must overcome it!

7. How To Overcome “Sinful” Anger Determine Why You Are Angry

8. Why Are You Angry? because you were rebuked for sin? because you did not get your way? because someone sinned against you? because of wickedness? because of false teachers/doctrines?

9. Why Are You Angry? Is it for a righteous or unrighteous cause? God expected Cain to overcome his anger and you must to (Genesis 4:7). Even if you have a righteous reason to be angry, you must resolve it in the right manner.

10. How To Overcome “Sinful” Anger Determine Why You Are Angry Don’t Respond Immediately –Pray and Think First

11. Proverbs 15:28-29 “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

12. Don’t Respond Immediately This will take a lot of self-control because if we are easily offended when rebuked, we will likely let our anger get out of control as it did with Cain when he killed Abel. (Genesis 4:8)

13. Don’t Respond Immediately We can be just as guilty as Cain if we hate our brother in our heart. (1 John 3:15) If you respond to rebukes with profanity, threats, or verbal abuse, you will have to give an account for it on Judgment Day (Matt. 12:34-37).

14. Don’t Respond Immediately If you are truly guilty, confess your sins – to God (1 John 1:9) – to the offended party (James 5:16)

15. How To Overcome “Sinful” Anger Determine Why You Are Angry Don’t Respond Immediately –Pray and Think First Don’t Delay Too Long –Resentment May Build in Your Heart

16. Don’t Delay Too Long Others may not ever deal with their anger from a real or imagined grievance, which –leads them to be bitter towards their FamilyBoss CoworkerBrethren Neighbor

17. Don’t Delay Too Long We must resolve issues with brethren who have something against us before worship (Matthew 5:21-24). If your brother in Christ has sinned against you, rebuke him. If he repents forgive him (Luke 17:3-4).

18. Don’t Delay Too Long You can replace bitterness with kindness and resentment with forgiveness as God has towards us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:31-32). “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath!”

19. Sinful and Righteous Anger There are two kinds of anger and ways to manage both. Sinful Anger - We must overcome! Righteous Anger – We must resolve properly.

20. Anger is one letter short of danger! It is not sinful to be angry since God and His Son rebuked sinners in their wrath. Even if you have righteous anger, you cannot use it for sinful purposes.

21. Anger is one letter short of danger! We can’t blow up an abortion clinic or murder a doctor for killing babies. We can’t set fire to church buildings that teach error or kill false teachers. We can’t decide to bomb San Francisco because of homosexuality.

22. Conclusion Because we hate every false way (Psalms 119:104), we can use God’s word to cast down speculations and everything that is raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:3-6) including abortion, false teaching, and homosexuality.

23. Conclusion Why do you get angry? Is it for holy or unholy reasons? Do you think before you speak or do you respond with abusive words? Do you deal with your grievances against others or do you delay and build up resentment in your heart?

24. Conclusion Are you angry at God for some reason? God doesn’t tempt us to do evil, the devil does (Ephesians 4:27; James 1:13). We have offended God by the fact that we are sinners, but He loves us so much that He still sent His Son to die for our sins. (Romans 5:8)

25. Conclusion The Jews crucified Jesus yet He still said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). But if you refuse the Lord’s invitation to obey the gospel, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the righteous Day of Judgment (Acts 2:38; Romans 2:5-11).