Anger At God II - Part 2 of 2

O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, Thou the praise of my God and King, Thou triumphs of his grace. This is LeSaire Bradley Jr. welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. We're continuing our study on the subject, anger at God. I realize this is one that is rather lengthy but it covers a lot of territory and the scriptures say a lot that we need to understand about that subject since it has become commonplace in our society today even among some counselors to tell people it's all right to be angry at God.

I hope that you will visit our website and if you would like to make a donation you can do that at BaptistBibleHour.org. Now somebody says we ought to have tremendous compassion for Jonah and feel very sorry for him. Well, in a sense, feel sorry for anybody that gets out of control like he did. But what's his real problem?

Anger. He says, I feel like dying. You know what the lesson is in that? That sometimes when people get to the point they're going around all droopy and say, I'm just so depressed, I don't even know why I'm living, I'd just as soon be dead. Nobody here ever said that, did they? But I've heard reports that once in a while people get down in the pit just like that. I don't even know why I'm alive.

In fact, if I dropped dead nobody would even miss me. What's the problem? It's anger. Anger. I didn't get my way.

I don't like it. I prayed and God didn't answer my prayer, God didn't move on my schedule, God didn't intervene and prevent all these catastrophes from touching my life and I'm mad. So I'd just soon be dead. It's better for me to die than to live. Who are we to decide that it's better for us to die than to live?

Who are we? It's tragic today that we're living in a time that people can now call a certain doctor and ask not to be helped to live but to die. Friends, this is a violation of every biblical principle. God is the giver of life and it's just as wicked whether you're taking the life of an unborn child or an adult who says I'm tired of living and I want assistance to get out of this world. God is the sovereign God of the universe and when we get into frame of mind that we've decided it's time to be gone, it's better for me to die than to live, we're in rebellion against God.

God is the one who has the right to determine that. Then said the Lord, doest thou well to be angry? I can't help but wonder what some of the modern counselors would do with this passage if they just take time to look at it when they say that it's all right to be angry with God. Did God say to Jonah, now understand your problem and you just let it all out until you feel better? No, what's he saying? Doest thou well to be angry? And it's evident as you read the context that he's not doing well and it's not pleasing to God. So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city and there made him a booth and sat under it in the shadow till he might see what would become of the city. Now he's in a full pout right now.

He goes out to the edge of the city, builds him a little booth. See, one thing when people get angry, the next thing is isolation. I'm signing off. If I'm not going to blow up, I'm going to clam up. I'm not talking. No need to talk to me. I'm not answering you. Here I am. I'm in my little booth.

I'm all sat down out here and I'm not budging till I get my way. Jonah wanted to see Nineveh burned up and he had hope still that God would change his mind and destroy this wicked city. See, he didn't like the city because of its wickedness. He didn't like the city because these were gentiles and he was a Jew and there was a built-in prejudice against them and he at least felt, if there is going to be a bonfire here, I want to be present when it happens. Now what kind of a spirit was this?

Obviously no concern and compassion for the people, no desire to see God's name honored by their repentance and by God's gracious forgiveness. He just bent on having his way and the Lord prepared a gourd and made it come up over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief. How gracious is God! In spite of the fact that Jonah was in the wrong frame of mind, Jonah was rebellious, Jonah was angry, Jonah was sinning, yet God was mindful of his situation and he prepared a gourd to grow up over him and prepare a shadow for him and Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day and it smote the gourd that it withered and it came to pass when the sun did rise that God prepared of him at east wind and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted and wished himself to die and said, it is better for me to die than to live and here he is all upset again. One little positive thing happens, he gets a little vine growing up over his head and oh he's feeling better. He was exceedingly glad, just thrilled to death over his vine, over the gourd that came, but the same God that gave him the gourd gave him a worm to eat it up. And aren't we a lot like Jonah when the Lord gives us the gourd we're just thrilled to death, oh yes this is wonderful, everything's going well and then when the Lord sends the worm and eats it up we go oh things are really bad this just doesn't seem fair during the while this is happening to me that's all I ever have is trouble.

Other people seem to have a smooth life but not me I just have one trouble after another. Get to the place I'm afraid to pick up the telephones I know it's going to be bad news and if I am having a good day today I know it can't last it's going to get worse tomorrow know that for sure see there there we are just just just like old Jonah. He fainted, wished himself to die, what's the real problem? He's angry. God had not done things his way. He wanted to see these wicked people die. Now yes they they deserved God's judgment they were sinners they were rebellious against God but God had not put Jonah in charge of these matters he had given him a commission to go there and preach and all we are required to do is what God called us to do. God called us to do what God calls us to do we're not to try to join ourselves to the throne of God and begin to run his business and tell him Lord here's what you need to do and here's when you need to do it that's not our prerogative and God said to Jonah doest thou well to be angry for the gourd and he said I do well to be angry even unto death you talk about a stubborn old codger I mean even with the Lord talking to him and pointing out the fact that he's not doing well to be angry he said I'm entitled to be angry and that what so often is in our human nature there may be somebody sitting there listening to me this morning there's preaching you don't know what you're talking about if you just knew all of my problems if you knew all the things that happened to me you'd know that I am absolutely justified to be angry and upset that's the way Jonah responds to the Lord I I'm entitled to be angry then said the Lord thou hast had pity on the gourd for the which thou hast not labored neither made us it grow which came up in a night and perished in a night and should not I spare Nineveh that great city wherein are more than six four thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand and also much cattle here you are worried about the gourd you didn't labor for it you had nothing to do with it getting here it was a gift to you and yet you have pity on the gourd that the worm ate but when it comes to compassion on all the people that live in this city that don't know their left hand from their right spiritually you have no compassion for them whatever you see he was angry over small things that led to something big he was angry over the wrong thing compassionate and concerned about a gourd that a worm eats and yet full of resentment and bitterness and anger toward the inhabitants of the city may we learn some important lessons from these biblical examples we see of individuals who are angry toward God and if you find in your heart the slightest inclination to charge God to become angry at the creator of heaven and earth may you be humbled by the consideration of these portions of scriptures to acknowledge it before him and pray for forgiveness now having seen the cause of this anger toward God let's talk about the cure how are we going to deal with it if we find that the tendency toward this anger is in us or if it's already developed unto the point that there's real deep-seated bitterness within how are we going to cope with it how are we going to root it out how are we going to deal with this bitterness first thing you must recognize that God is holy Psalm 22 verse 1 you'll recognize immediately that these are words that were spoken by our savior when he was on the cross but experimentally they're applicable to us in our travel and walk here my God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring oh my God I cry in the daytime but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent but thou art holy oh thou that inhabit us the praises of Israel now here's the point we want to emphasize in this prayer the prayer is coming up before God why hast thou forsaken me Lord I'm praying but I hear no answer I'm asking for help but it seems that there is no response why are you so far from me oh I cry in the daytime and out here it's not I come to the end of the night season but you're not hearing me so what's the response what's the conclusion does the psalmist say it's just not fair and therefore I'm angry no but thou art holy oh thou that inhabit us the praises of Israel I may not understand Lord thy delay in responding I may not understand why I'm praying but it seems the heavens are brass but I'm going to recognize thou art holy I'm not offering a complaint I'm expressing the burdens of my heart but I'm not complaining against thee thou art a holy God see as basic as that truth is multitudes in the world today have not come to see that truth that God is holy secondly there must be a recognition that he is sovereign now we've brought a number of messages from psalm 115 the third verse let's let's look at that again just as a reminder because I think the additional emphasis upon these things can be very beneficial to us but our God is in the heavens he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased here's the summary of the truth of God's sovereignty where is God our God is in the heavens he's on the throne of the universe what has he done has he been attempting to do things that he could not do has he done some things that were inappropriate some have carried this concept so far that not only is it appropriate for you to be angry at God but you may have to forgive God for some of the things that have troubled you that's to imply that God made a mistake God did something that was wrong I want to tell you friends God has never made a mistake God has never done anything wrong there's no reason for anybody ever to contemplate forgiving God what God does is right God works his will you see our God is in the heavens he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased well I see that in the book but I have problems because I look back at my life and I say I don't understand though this event if God's a God of love why wasn't he protecting me and sheltering me from some of these dark scenes that have made life so difficult but when you recognize God is sovereign you understand that God has been at work all the time even when you thought that he was not and that God's design is to teach you and mold you and make you in a way that will ultimately be to his praise so not only must we recognize that God is holy and that God is sovereign we must recognize that what he does is right let's look at what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 11 verse 25 at that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee oh father lord of heaven and earth how does Jesus speak concerning his heavenly father here is a recognition of the absolute sovereignty of his father I thank thee oh father lord of heaven and earth because thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them unto babes someone may respond and say well that just doesn't seem fair why would God hide some things from the wise and prudent and reveal them unto babes I'm not going to attempt to give you any answer save the one that Jesus gave I think if you try to give something more than what he gave it's pure speculation what was the answer verse 26 even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight that ought to end every controversy for the child of God I can't understand it it may not seem fair to me but I'm sure since God is holy and God is sovereign that whatever he has done and whatever he is doing is right and appropriate and is to his glory and ultimately to my good people have lost sight of that today your multitudes talk you would think that everything is totally out of control that the world is just going off into a destructive course and that nobody can do anything about it and that there are things that God himself can't help we've even heard that thought express you talk about anxiety it's at its highest level you talk about fear and worry if you if you could be convinced that this this world was on an uncharted course and that God couldn't do anything about it my how dreadful the thought but we're talking about the sovereign God of glory who is in control who is working his will and then furthermore we need to understand that the trials that come to us are designed to conform us to his image Romans chapter 8 the 28th verse and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose what a wonderful promise but the time somebody has tried to dissect this verse make it sound palatable to the natural mind they miss the sweetness and comfort of it we know that all things work together for good does that say that everything that happens is good absolutely not was it good that joseph's brothers hated him no was it good that they sold him as a slave no did God bring good out of it yes he had joseph where he needed to be at the right time to provide for his family in a day of famine you say well I can't put all that together don't even try just believe what the word of God says Deuteronomy chapter 29 says the secret things belong to God see you can't understand all the marvelous ways of God but you can believe it that's where faith comes in believing what God says even when you don't understand it you see what I can do very well when I'm here in church listening to a sermon on the subject I can believe that all things work together for good to them that love God and to the called according to his purpose but when when I've got troubles at home or when I'm sick I'm hurting I'm suffering and it seemed like my little world's falling apart I have a hard time believing that sure you do that's the reason James has counted all joy when you fall into divers temptations he didn't say you were going to be ecstatically happy you were going to say hallelujah thank God for all the troubles I've got but he means you counted joy you put it over on the positive side of the register know that knowing that God uses these things for your ultimate good he works these things together to those that love God and are the called according to his purpose and then furthermore we must submit obediently what was the appropriate course for Jonah to take to do what God said now although his spirit was still not right he ultimately arrived at the right place and in spite of the failure on the part of the messenger God blessed the message and there were astounding results what are we to do we are to submit obediently you know I've actually heard of people that say well I tell you I'm just gonna quit going to church because I've gone through the years and and my life's just not turning out like I wanted to I don't think there's a bit of use in going well for a person who thinks like that there probably isn't because if their motive in going to church was I'm going to negotiate a better deal with the Lord I'm going to go so I can be rich and prosperous healthy and happy and I've kept up my part of the bargain and God's let me down see your whole concept was wrong what's our purpose in going to church it's to worship God to praise God what's the purpose of our life to honor God to obey him to serve him to follow the lordship of Jesus Christ knowing that the savior went to Calvary died for us gave us all purchases with his own precious blood so is there any sacrifice too great for us to make and we sit back and say this is just too demanding I just can't possibly make this kind of a commitment it ought to be a delight to us to commit ourselves wholly and totally to him and all we're concerned about is what does the master say I want to follow him let's look at Psalm 39 verse 9 I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou ditched it here is submission here's obedience I closed my mouth I did not complain troubles came afflictions came but I did not reply I was not angry against God I continued to go on course Jesus said it is my meat to do the will of him that sent me and if that was the meat if that was the purpose if that was the desire if that was the whole intent of the savior while it was here should we not follow that example how then are we going to deal with the anger that may sometimes plague us and well up in our hearts what's the cure for it recognizing that God is holy that God is sovereign that whatever he does is right though it may perplex us at the moment and we can't understand it there is a reason the sovereign God of the universe is in control trials are designed to conform us to his image he's weaning us away from the world he's humbling us he is the potter we are the clay he's making something out of us maybe not what we intended ourselves but he is the one who's the potter and he is the one who has purposed a fashionist in a manner that will bring glory to his name and then we must submit obediently what a difference it'll make if we view life with all of its disappointments all of its trials and its heartaches from a biblical perspective what a contrast in this thinking and that which is prevalent not only in the secular world but in the religious world today somebody's had a tough time and I'm not belittling those experiences I know I've talked to enough hurting people to understand that some of the extremely difficult tribulations through which people pass seem almost unbearable but a person goes to a counselor who doesn't take the biblical approach and they probe into the life of this individual and find that there was some kind of childhood abuse in fact if they're not able to find anything at first they ultimately bring forward repressed memories things that happen that the person never knew happened to them before isn't that a marvelous benefit that something you didn't know happened to you somebody helps you find it out and so all of these things are brought to the surface and here's somebody who says I'm angry and they say you're entitled to be you're absolutely justified to be angry in some cases they say well I'm I'm angry at my parents I was angry when I came in here but now that you've helped to put it in perspective I'm more angry than I ever was they say we think it'd be a good idea to vent all of that and you just go look them up and tell them what you think of them does that fit the category of where we started in Ephesians chapter 4 to let no corrupt communication come out of your mouth to be tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you or the next step is you have every right to be angry at God he can take it just tell him how angry you are does that honor God does that recognize his sovereignty and then somebody else is told it's really your anger that keeps you going don't turn loose of it that's where you get your energy just hang on to it does that honor God absolutely not I want to tell you friends it's time that God's people began to think as God would have them think and the only way we're going to determine what that appropriate thinking is is not by reading somebody's column in the daily newspaper and not by listening to what the opinions are on the latest and most popular talk show but by coming to the Word of God it's the only way our minds can be renewed and that we can conform our thinking and consequently our conduct to that which will honor God and bring glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this touches every area and avenue of our life how lovely it is to be in the avenue of our life how sad that multitudes are doing exactly what Asa did that in the time of anger and in the time when sickness came as a consequence of anger he sought not the Lord but to the physicians where are you going to go in the day of trouble will you turn to God may this be a point in your life may today be the day that you acknowledge to the almighty creator of heaven and earth Lord I have sinned I've been out on the edge of the city limits with Jonah sitting in my little booth angry at God and family members and people all around me and Lord I see that this anger is a sin and I confess it and I'm thankful to know that thou has made a promise that if we confess our sins our faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness let today be a turning point in your life glad you've been with us today hope that you will pray that our needs will be supplied and if you would like to make a donation you can go to our website at baptistbiblehour.org till we greet you next time this is the Sarah Bradley Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you it is my story this is my song praising my savior all the day long this is my story this is my song praising my savior praising my savior