All of the sermons below are rough drafts. Some or a lot of changes have been made.

Please feel free to use all or part of it because all sermons have been preached at least once.

As a buddy of mine says there are no orignal sermons when it come to the lord.

We serve a Loving  JESUS. 

Sermons

HANDLING ANGER

      Matthew 5:21-26 (NLT) 

    "You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' [22] But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

       I want to briefly explain the setting that prompted Jesus to teach on the subject of anger.

In (Mt. 5:20), Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

       Imagine for a moment how disturbing that statement must have been for the Jewish citizens of that day.  In their eyes, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were the most spiritually minded people of their day. 

They were looked up too much like Ministers, Rabbi’s, and Rev. are in our day.

      They were the spiritual leaders.  They were the shepherds of the people of God.  Everyone looked up to them for guidance in the laws of God.

However, Jesus said to the people, “that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

       People who heard Jesus say that must have been wondering, “How can we possibly become more righteous than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law?”

       Well Jesus answers that question in (Mt. 5:21-5:48).   Jesus outlined some examples. 

Six times He will say, “You have heard it said…but I say to you. 

       With these words Jesus shows the true intent of God’s law. 

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law lived and taught one way, however Jesus points out that they didn’t go far enough. 

They obeyed the laws outwardly, however, Jesus wants His disciples to obey them inwardly as well. 

Not only does God measure our actions by His Word but also our attitudes. 

Not only are there external measurements but internal measurements as well.

IF WE WANT OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO SURPASS THAT OF THE PHARISEES AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW, AND IF WE WANT TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THEN WE MUST LEARN HOW TO HANDLE OUR ANGER.

 WE WILL LOOK AT TWO POINTS ON THE SUBJECT OF ANGER.

                    FIRST, AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST BE AWARE OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF UNRIGHTEOUS ANGER.

       In (Mt. 5:21-22), Jesus quoted (Ex. 20:13) to show us that murder is a series offense. 

It is an ungodly act of violence that is totally against the will of God.

       If Jesus had stopped right there, all of us would probably clap our hands and cry out, “Amen, that’s right, murder is wrong. 

“Show no mercy to those who take innocent lives."

       But when Jesus went on to say in (v. 22) that being angry with your brother is just as serious as murder.

Our amen’s would soon stop because each one of us just became guilty before God.

       Killing is a terrible sin, but unrighteous or unjustified anger is a great sin as well because it also violates God’s command to love.

       You need to remember that righteous or justified anger is not forbidden in the Bible. 

       Example:

Jesus in (Jn. 2) became angry with the dishonest merchants who were polluting God’s temple.  However, in His anger, He did not sin.

Ephes. 4:26 (NLT) 

    And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you." (Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry,)

     When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai and saw the people worshipping a golden calf, he had every right to be angry.

      When Jonathan became angry with his father Saul for treating David shamefully (1 Sam. 20:34), he had every right to be angry.

Some anger, my friends, is not wrong.  If we have valid reasons to get upset, then our angry feelings are not immoral. 

On the other hand, other anger is wrong and destructive.

                 ANGER THAT IS UNJUSTIFIED IS WRONG.

      For example, When Abel offered a better sacrifice to God, his brother Cain became angry.  His anger was prompted by his jealousy.   That is unjustifiable anger.

Example:

In Dadeville, Alabama, a man shot and killed another man because he was a better Bible quoter.  They were arguing over a subject, and one man became so jealous and angry because he couldn’t keep up scripturally with the other man, he shot and killed him.

                ANGER THAT PROMPTS US TO SAY HATEFUL THINGS TO OTHERS IS WRONG AND DESTRUCTIVE.

       Jesus warns us of the destructive potential of words. 

Matthew 5:22 (NLT) 

    But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.

       When we are angry and say hurtful things to others, we are sinning.

       We need to be very careful with the words that we offer to others.

       We must remind ourselves daily that angry outbursts of lethal words can damage people and destroy personal relationships.

My friends, in the heat of our conflicts, we must avoid saying things that can do absolutely unbelievable damage to the person we are talking to as well as the relationship itself. 

Angry words can cause serious damage.

      Parents be carefully with the words you use when you are disciplining your children.  Angry words can affect them for the rest of their lives. 

     Husbands and wives, be carefully with the words you say to one another. 

      Christians, be very careful with the words you say to your brothers and sisters.  Angry words can destroy relationships and cause others to abandon their faith. 

Take the advice James gives us.

James 1:26 (NLT) 

    If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

                ANGER THAT IS NOT RESOLVED AND STILL LINGERS IN OUR HEARTS IS WRONG AND SINFUL.

Ephes. 4:31 (NLT) 

    Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior.

           If we have anger lingering in our lives, then we have sin reigning in our hearts.

       If we add a “d” to the word anger we have the word “danger.”

 We are in a dangerous situation if we have anger stored up in our hearts.

                 SECOND, AS CHRISTIANS, WE MUST LEARN HOW TO HANDLE ANGER CONSTRUCTIVELY.

       Here are a few ways to handle anger constructively.

                 FIRST, BEFORE WE GET ANGRY, WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES THIS QUESTION, "DO I HAVE A VAILD REASON TO GET ANGRY?"

    If we do not have a valid reason to get angry, then we must drop it!

  Proverbs 17:14 (NLT) 

    Beginning a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

  Proverbs 19:11 (NLT) 

    People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs.

           SECOND, IF WE HAVE A VALID REASON TO GET ANGRY, THEN WE SHOULD VERBALIZE OUR ANGRY FEELINGS.

       When anger strikes, we should not hold it inside or deny it exists.

       When anger strikes, we should not explode and say things that we will later regret.

       Instead, we should verbalize it in a positive and gentle way.

  Proverbs 15:1 (NLT) 

    A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.

       Go to the person you are angry with and tell him or her your feelings.  Do this in a loving way.

 Matthew 5:23 (NLT) 

    "So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,

       Some of you may think that the best way to resolve anger is to go exclusively to God and ask Him to work it out. 

But God is saying that if we truly want to work out our anger then we must go to the person we are having trouble with first and get it all worked out, and then come to Him.

                LASTLY, FORGIVE THE PERSON WHO MADE YOU ANGRY.

  Mark 11:25 (NLT) 

    But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

 Forgiveness means that you pardon the person of his or her offense; you give up all feelings of getting even; you let go of all the hurt that he or she has caused; and you keep no records of wrongs.  Forgiveness means it over; it is complete; it is finished.

       If we have anger in our hearts then we had better forgive…………….soon it will be too late.

My friends it is time that we become loving Christians and not hold the hatred in our hearts.

We as a family in Christ need to show the world how real Christians live their lives.

Amen  

Fellowship Dinner  will be on 11-16-08 after church come and join us it will be our holiday mean this month.

come join us we would love to have you with us!    {all are welcome}

Quilting

is done every Tuesday at 9am here at the church on the second floor. Come join the ladies and have fun and fellowship.