The Remedy for an Angry Heart #2

Beloved, there should be room in your heart to show undeserved kindness to others, even to those who have offended you. This is the nature of God. This is what Christ calls us to.

This is the nature of being a Christian. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, God has forgiven all of your sins. Today, tomorrow, and for eternity.

And he throws them as far as the east is from the west. So, shouldn't we extend the same forgiveness toward others? Hello, I'm Bill Wright, and today on The Truth Pulpit, Pastor Don Green wraps up a series titled, Why Are You So Angry? Today, Don specifically teaches from Ephesians chapter 4, as he addresses the remedy for an angry heart.

Now here is Don with insights from God's Word, here on The Truth Pulpit. Look at verse 31. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Kind of a comprehensive summary statement there at the end. Malice describing an attitude of ill will against someone. It's wishing that something bad would happen to them, or having the sense that it would be great if they got hurt.

Or, I hope they get paid back for what they've done to me. That kind of retaliatory spirit that would inflict harm on them mentally, even if you wouldn't do it with your hands. What are we to think, beloved, about all of those character impulses that are in our hearts? Whether it's matters of settled character qualities, or just momentary impulses that flash up in various situations. Paul says, let them all be put away from you.

Every one of them. The things that happened years ago with your parents, put it away. The issues, the chronic issues with your spouse that make you bitter and unhappy, put it away. The disappointment that your children didn't turn out the way that you raised them to be, put that away.

Put all of that stuff away. The boss that cheated you. The neighbor that was unkind to you.

The people who sued you, perhaps. And you have that pocket of resentment in your heart. Paul says, fling open the windows, shake out the rugs, let all of that be cleansed out, and let the fresh air of grace now permeate your life.

Listen, here's one of the things that will help you do that. If you remember that, God has always been sovereign over all of your circumstances. God has been sovereign even over those who have done wrong to you and inflicted harm to you. All of that. And by the way, we're not even talking about, we're not even raising the issue of the harm that you've done to others, are we?

I haven't even mentioned that. Which that alone would be enough to change the way we think about these things. I'm just being sympathetic as we say these things. And being mindful of the fact that we live in a world where you've been wronged.

Okay, understand that. That wrong occurred to you under the greater sovereign plan of God in your life to accomplish good in you and for you and to work through those things in order to accomplish His will in your life. God worked through the hands of lawless, godless men to crucify Christ in order to accomplish your redemption. Christ Himself suffered under the hands of godless men who wronged Him.

And Scripture says in Acts chapter 2 that that was according to the foreknowledge and predetermined plan of God to bring about a good result. Well, view what's happened in your life from that same perspective. And if you've been hurt and wronged then do us all a favor. Show us, show us what a Christian does who's been wronged like that and how a Christian manifests a gracious, godly, humble spirit despite what has happened in your past.

Show us what that's like. Live this passage out. And rather than magnifying the wrongs that have been done to you, magnify the grace of the one of our Lord Jesus who was gracious to you in your sins.

And say, I'm not going to be marked by that bitterness anymore. I'm going to put it away in light of what Christ has done for me. Beloved on all of us, the Bible is conducting exploratory surgery on your heart. It's just opened up your heart with this verse and said what's in here? Let's take a look around. And you are meant to get specific in dealing with yourself in response to these things.

Where is it? What area of your life is it where these things manifest themselves? What relationships provoke anger and deadly words out of your heart and mouth in life? That is where this Scripture is putting light on and saying deal with this today. What is there in your past that causes continual bitter feelings and resentment? You see, the whole point here is for you not to start rehearsing the human wrongs again, but rather to turn it to a meditation on the grace that God has shown to you despite your sins.

And when you start thinking rightly, vertically, the horizontal aspects of it will work themselves out. And so Scripture is bringing this to mind not to whip you but to graciously bring you to a point of spiritual growth. Wouldn't it be great? Wouldn't it be great to be a person and you're going through life and you're not weighed down by all of the bitterness that's marked you up until this point? Wouldn't it be great to put that aside?

Well, you know what? You're commanded to do that. Let it all be put away, Paul says, because it is inconsistent with the new life you have in Christ. Now at the same time, at the same time, this is one of the many reasons that I love God's Word. This isn't Scripture coming to you and without sympathy saying get over it. That's not the spirit of what God's Word is saying to us here at all.

It's not like that at all. It's saying remember Christ. Remember how God has dealt with you? And as you remember the objective way in which God has measured out grace to you, free and abounding and clear, then as you understand that, then it moves your heart so that these human bitternesses are not so important to you anymore. It changes your whole perspective on them.

It gives you a perspective to truly change. And so while Scripture does tell you turn away from your anger, it gives you more to feed your heart and to respond with as we move into verse 32 in our second point. It says turn toward God's kindness. Turn toward God's kindness. So you turn away from your anger and say, okay, that's not it. But if you only did that, it would just leave a vacuum in your heart that was waiting to be filled with something else.

And unless you replace your bitterness with a conscious meditation on the goodness and kindness of God, the other stuff will seep back in. Point number two, turn toward God's kindness. You see, spiritual growth, looking out, and I think I know the names of almost everybody that's in here, I know that collectively you are a group who desire spiritual growth. I believe that about you. I believe that you want to grow in Christ and you want to honor him with your life.

Well, here's the thing that I want you to see. Spiritual growth, if that's your goal and desire in life, spiritual growth is far more than avoiding bad conduct and keeping up good appearances before the good people at church. Not that there are any good people, but you know what I'm saying. It's about more than avoiding bad conduct and keeping up appearances. It's going to, spiritual growth is going to the reality of who you are inside. And spiritual growth gives you the avenue to develop heart virtues to replace your prior hostilities. Look at verse 32 with me. Paul says, be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. And understand, you know, as you look at this, understand that we're talking about, we're seeing a contrast that's built up here that is completely separate from, distinct from what the world honors.

What the world would, you know, the world gives credence and likes to see a man and vengeance and rage and all of that. And what Scripture says is that that's completely different than what it's like inside the church. This word for kindness, be kind to one another and to the one another, especially emphasizing relationships inside the body of Christ. Paul here is writing to Christians and saying, you be kind to one another. Now, that kindness should spill out into our relationships with the lost as well, but there's a particular emphasis on the way that we relate to one another in the church. And kindness is a quality that God demonstrates toward all people. He has a gracious and forbearing attitude toward sinners. Mark this, he does good even to those who reject him. Look over at Matthew chapter 5 verse 45.

I want you to see this. We'll look at verses 43 through 45 just to set a context. Because remember that it's saying, just as God in Christ has forgiven you. Well, if God's kindness is the pattern that we are to follow after, then it helps us to know something about what his pattern of kindness is. Verse 43 of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus says, I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Are there people that you've been bitter against who've wronged you? Okay, love them, pray for them. You can do that, right? You can get down on your knees and intercede for God to be kind to them and to show favor to them just like he did to you. You can do that. That is within your capability. This is not something that's impossible for you to do. You can get down on your knees and pray for those who've hurt you.

You can do that. And you must because Jesus says, that's what you're to do. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.

Why? So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. So that you would reflect the character of God who has been gracious to you. And what does he do? Verse 45, Matthew 5, what does he do? He causes his son to rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. He is indiscriminate in his common grace.

Just like you and I enjoy a sunny day and cool breezes and we say, oh, this is a great weather here today. And it's good to be a Christian in weather like this. God doesn't withhold that from those who reject him. He gives the same blessings in that external common grace sense to them that he does to us.

And says, you be like that. Verse 46, if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?

Don't even Gentiles do the same? Jesus says unsaved people can be good to those who are good to them. Unsaved people can congratulate and praise and be loving toward those who do everything that they want them to do.

He says there's nothing special about that. What will distinguish you as a Christian is when you manifest that kind of kind attitude toward those who've wronged you. God shows grace even to those who despise him and will never turn to him. That's exceedingly kind. That's really, really good. That's commendable.

That's something to be lauded. That's something that's just so good because you can see that it comes from inside the nature of God rather than being prompted by the person who is on the receiving end of the goodness. Scripture says you be kind like that.

Beloved, there should be room in your heart to show undeserved kindness to others even to those who have offended you. This is the nature of God. This is what Christ calls us to.

This is the nature of being a Christian. Go back to Ephesians 4 32. Be kind to one another. Be tenderhearted.

It's a term that the New Testament uses to refer to God's mercy to sinners. And here it's calling us to be sympathetically oriented. To be graciously minded toward the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So we would be oriented toward caring and toward helping them in their need. And finally there is this climactic command in verse 32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

You see, beloved, I'll say it one more time. This all flows from what God has done for us in Christ. Your fundamental thinking about life should be governed by the fact that you have been on the receiving end of undeserved mercy from God in Christ.

That shapes everything else. If you think that somehow you deserve that, you can't possibly respond rightly to this passage. Can't possibly respond rightly because if you think you deserve it, then you're going to think you deserve things from other people as well.

That's not what it's saying at all. When you have it settled in your mind, I have been on the receiving end of undeserved grace. God has been kind to me. God was compassionate to me in my sin and rebellion against Him.

In my deceitful character, in my lustful ways, in my anger and my pride and my boastfulness. God showed mercy to me and forgave me and didn't take that into account when He dealt with me. Then your whole perspective on life is redefined for you. And that's what Christianity should do. That's what being born again should do. It should redefine the entire way that you think about life.

It reshapes everything. Look over at Colossians chapter 3, if you would, just to the right in your Bible. Jump over Philippians to Colossians chapter 3, a parallel passage to what we're looking at here today. You let go of the wrongs. And say, that's not going to define my disposition toward life is what's happened to me in the past. That's not going to define my disposition on life anymore. What will define my disposition on life is the way that God has dealt with me. The way that Christ has had mercy on me and sacrificed for me. That will define who I am going forward. Colossians 3 verse 12 says, So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bearing with one another. Forgiving each other. Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. You know there's another passage that we should look at. Matthew chapter 18.

To just kind of seal this and help us to see how important and critical this was to the Lord in His ministry. Matthew chapter 18. The Lord gave an extended parable on this point that kind of drives the point home. Matthew 18 verse 21.

This is an extended passage so bear with me as I read it. Peter came and said to Him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said, I don't say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Exponentially more, Peter. Your forgiving attitude should not be measured in counting arithmetically.

It should be exponential. The grace of God has been exponentially, geometrically poured out on you that goes far beyond what you deserve. It's in the total opposite direction of what you deserve, Peter. That geometric grace, Peter, is the grace that you should show to those who have wronged you. Verse 23. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him as an inexhaustible debt. But since he did not have the means to repay, his Lord commanded him to be sold. Along with his wife and children and all that he had in repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him saying, Have patience with me and I'll repay you everything. And the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him that debt. A debt that that slave never could have paid on his own.

Walks away and the debt is forgiven. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, maybe a couple, three months wages. And he seized him and began to choke him saying, Pay back what you owe. So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him saying, Have patience with me and I'll repay you. But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. It's entirely inappropriate, isn't it?

That's obvious that that's wrong. So when his fellow slaves, verse 31, saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their Lord all that had happened. And then summoning him, his Lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you?

Free and abounding? Yes, they can never make it right. This can never be restored to what it should have been originally. But didn't I forgive you freely, abundantly, when you could not pay me back? Then you should have acted in the same way against someone who had done a lesser wrong to you than what you had done to me. Seeing sin as a debt that needed to be paid. And his Lord, verse 34, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. The idea being that there is severe discipline waiting for the professing Christian who does not forgive. Verse 35, My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is reflective of a principle of mercy.

And when you have received that mercy, it is incumbent upon you to show that mercy. Don't receive forgiveness from God and then withhold it from men. That's not right. That's wrong. That's sinful. That has to change.

That has to be put away. And the motivation for it comes from remembering the way that God has dealt with you in Christ. So, going back to Ephesians 4 now, we see the motivation.

We've been talking about this motivation all along and this brings us to our final point. We said that you need to turn away from your anger, turn toward the kindness of God, which leads us more specifically, point number three, to turn toward the cross of Christ. To turn toward the cross of Christ. Look at it there at the end of verse 32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Notice the parallel that he draws, just as. Here is the pattern by which you forgive others. You look at the way that God has dealt with you in Christ, a full and complete pardon of all of your sins, and you say, oh, that's my pattern for dealing with men around me. I wronged God and he was gracious and forgave me the debt of my sin. Well then, I need to look at the men who have wronged me and graciously forgive them as well.

And beloved, I beg you. I beg you at this point not to say, but you don't know what that person did. That's not the point. That has nothing to do with this discussion. Because what that person did to you on a human level is not the same eternal violation that you have made of God's character with your sins throughout your life.

It's not the same. Your sins against God are greater than what someone has done to you. And as a result of that, because you have received a greater mercy at which God could have exacted eternal punishment in hell from your soul. When you remember that, you say, ah, of course I'll be forgiving. How could I do anything else? When God has been so generously gracious to me, how could I be selfish and shriveled in my forgiveness toward others?

Pretty challenging. Why do you do this? You pursue it because that's the way that God has forgiven you. He's forgiven all of my sins.

The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Well, there we have another great reminder that we must continually ask ourselves whether we're grieving or pleasing God with our words, attitudes, and actions. And Don, it seems that we can easily get caught up in our self-centeredness and self-righteous behavior forgetting how we should treat others.

Yeah, that's very true, Bill. And you know, my friend, it's just a reminder, I guess, once more, of how much we need the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need his ongoing cleansing work for his blood to be continually supplied and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We fall short of the glory of God, even as Christians. And so we look to Christ, we look to his shed blood, we look to his righteousness for our reconciliation with God, and we trust the Holy Spirit to work out his fruit in our lives, that we might be conformed to the image of Christ and be changed from one image of glory to another as God changes our selfish ways into conformity with the image of his dear Son. Thanks, Don. Friend, we hope this series has been helpful in your relationship with Christ and others. Join us next week for a new series here on The Truth Pulpit. Now for Don Green, I'm Bill Wright, and we'll catch you next time for more from The Truth Pulpit.