(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

So verse number 21, it says, Ye have heard that it was said by them of all time, thou shall not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. The verse that I'll focus on is right there in 22. That says, But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger. And the title of my sermon is this. Anger can be dangerous. Anger can be dangerous. Go to Genesis chapter 4, please. Go to Genesis chapter 4. And while you're going to Genesis chapter number 4, I'm just going to read something. This was headline news last week. It says a 16-year-old boy dies after being stabbed during a brawl outside a strip mall on Long Island. It says the police are reviewing videos of a brawl looking for suspects responsible for the murder of a 16-year-old teenager that happened last Monday. Who kind of knows what story this is? Who heard of this before? All right, it looks like everybody has not heard of it, but this is what ended up happening. It gets a 16-year-old teenager from senior or from Oceanside High School. I guess what ended up happening is he got stabbed to death on a Monday, and then Tuesday his family, unfortunately, has to deal with planning his funeral. But it says that the teenager died during a senseless brawl caught on a cell phone, but some of the 50 or more teens gathered at an Oceanside strip mall after school on Monday. And what police said was a prearranged fistfight. The teenager was threatened, though, that he better be there. Then when he showed up, it was about six or seven teens that ended up attacking him from another school district. He was stabbed once in the chest and later died. There was shock and disgust at Oceanside High School that so many kids stood around and just shot the video. Here's a quote from the detective that's investigating the thing. He says they videoed his death instead of helping him. This can't go on. Your friends are dying while you stand there and video it. This is one of the parents. She said this. These kids, they have no humanity. And that's true. They have no love. They have no humanity. To be able to see some kid getting pounded, and this kid was a little guy. He wasn't some tall buff dude. He showed up probably for his own good. He figured maybe I can show up and fix this issue. But he was threatened by other teenagers bigger than himself. And he must have weighed probably about 110 pounds. Very little kid, young kid, 16 years old. He wasn't a threat. You look at him, and he looks like a child. And this is another quote from one of the parents that knew the family. It says they move here to give their family a better life. Poor young life gone too young. And I agree with that. It's ridiculous why they killed this kid. But we'll get into that. The family had just moved from nearby Freeport for a fresh start. And this is what ends up happening. We are heartbroken by this senseless tragedy, Ocean School superintendent Dr. Phillips said. And of course, it turns out later that it was an 18-year-old boy that ended up stabbing this 16-year-old kid. And it was over a girl that wasn't even his girlfriend. But you're right there in Genesis chapter 4, verse number 1, the Bible says this. And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was the keeper of sheep, but Cain was the tiller of the ground. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought to the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought to the first things of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering, he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Why was he wroth? Because he was bitter. What does it mean to be bitter? To have intense animosity. And why did he have intense animosity? Because he was envious of his brother. That's what ended up happening. And what is envy? Painful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. In other words, Cain was suffering internally. But it wasn't for a good reason. It was for a bad reason. Because he saw the joy of his brother, and he wanted that. He brought an offering. God didn't respect it. He got upset. He couldn't take rebuke. He was a prideful individual. And this is what ended up happening to that 16-year-old kid. He was walking some girl that asked them, hey, can you just walk with me? Sure enough, the boyfriend saw that and got upset. Kind of reminds me of Cain. Got very envious. Maybe she was happy, this young kid, this young guy. Ended up walking her home, having a good time talking. I guess the boyfriend found out. Sure enough, gets upset at the kid. Says, hey, come meet me. He didn't say he was going to meet him with seven other guys who were going to pound him to death. But guess what? That can happen to any of us, and I'll get into that in a second. But when it comes to anger, we have to ask ourselves, why art thou wroth? If we could look in verse number six, and the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth, and why is that countenance fallen? So the Lord's trying to help out Cain. He's trying to calm him down. He's trying to chill him out. He's trying to get to see the light. And what does Cain say? The Lord keeps going. If thou doest well, shall thou not be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lies at the door. And not to thee shall be his desire, and thou shall rule over him. So we say, look, why are you angry? That's what we should ask ourselves. Why are we angry? Is it because of envy, or is it because of evil? And we'll get into the fact that anger is not always wrong if you're angry at evil. Well, let's take a look at verse eight. And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against his brother and slew him. He murdered him. Now, can you imagine stabbing somebody? I mean, can you imagine stabbing somebody? I mean, just the thought of it, I don't know about you, but the thought of it makes me cringe. Like taking a knife, literally stabbing somebody in the heart to the point where he dies. I don't know about you, but I just can't imagine doing that. Now, I have to be an extremely angry individual to take a knife and stab some innocent person who's not out to harm me. He's not threatening me. He can't even do anything to me. But out of envy, the fact that he's happy, I'm not. He's going through a good time. I'm not. I'm going to get so angry, so riled up, that I'm going to take a knife and stab some innocent person until they're dead. That is some crazy stuff. But it's happening all over the US, all over the world. It's happening with young people, older people. And we need to be careful not to have the wrath of Cain ever in our lives. We need to catch ourselves, because a little living will mess up the whole lump. So if you have your Bible, go to Deuteronomy 1-1, please. Deuteronomy 1-1. And while you're going there, I'm just going to read a quote. And I like it. I agree with it. I think it's biblical. This is a quote I found on the internet. It says, anger is one letter short of danger. Anger is one letter short of danger. And I think that's exactly what Matthew 5.25 is teaching. It says once again, but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger. In danger. Danger of what? Of the judgment of God. You're right there in Deuteronomy 1-1. Let me just read something really quick. This is an article I found on the internet. The physical and mental toll of being angry all the time. Are you easily angered, often upset, or frequently consumed by fury over who knows what? Of course, your blood isn't literally boiling, but chronic anger could have a damaging impact not only in your relationships and personal life, but also your overall well-being, your health. And that makes sense because the Bible teaches us in 22-24, make no friendship with an angry man. So if you're wondering why nobody wants to be your friend, everybody's forsaking you. I mean, this is a commandment. You're coming to church and you have an anger problem because you're Irish or something. You know? Well, don't be too surprised if nobody wants to go somewhere and hang out with you, invite you, because the Bible commands us not to be friends with an angry person. Now, we all get angry from time to time, but these are people that have a real issue with anger to the point where they can't even kill somebody if you push them enough or if you make them envious enough or whatever the case may be. The article continues. Certainly, anger is the normal human emotion. Say amen if you agree with that. Amen. We all get angry, right? And getting upset from time to time doesn't do a person any mental physical harm. It doesn't make you this evil, wicked person if you get angry from time to time. I agree with that. It says anger, like experiencing anxiety or stress, can serve as a useful purpose, like hating evil. I added that, of course. Spurring change or actions such as one conflict, approaching a respectful manner improves the quality of the relationship. And that's Bible. What it's saying is this. Look, yeah, we're all going to get angry, but you know what? Approaching a respectful manner, you can improve the situation. You can improve the relationship. Proverbs 15 says that. A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. Continue reading. But in other cases, the frequency, duration, of intensity of anger can make it problematic. There are people who seem to be hostile by nature. That's all of us, by the way. Hostility has been shown to be a personality trait of some people. Everybody gets upset. This is some people, but this is what they're saying. And it's a longstanding trait that involves beliefs that others are unworthy. Here's the K mentality. Others are unworthy. These are people that get angry to the point where they look at you. They look at others, and they think that they're unworthy. And that's what causes their frustration. So they tend to be suspicious, cynical, jealous, bitter. And that's been linked to anger and aggression. These people tend to evaluate others more harshly, and they're slower to positive judgment. Don't be these people. Don't be this degree of evil, this degree of wicked. We all got anger. But to get to the point where you're cynical, you're always jealous, you're bitter, and that's the root of your anger, and not just that. You look at others more harshly than you look at yourself or anyone else or whatever the case may be, and they're slower for positive judgment. Everything just seems to be always half empty. They look at a situation, oh, man, I can't believe this. I can't believe that. I can't believe them. I can't believe her. I can't believe you said that. I can't believe you did that. It's like, come on, start with yourself. Take the beam out of your face first before you start worrying about other people. Careful with that anger. And of course, I'm angry, but for a good reason. Often, these people can't control their anger and rather control them. Cain, this 18-year-old that stabbed the 16-year-old, it becomes a problem when it's too frequent, too intense, too enduring, and when it stops working for you. In other words, anger can help us out. A lot of times, football players are told, hey, go out there. Play with some anger by leaving it off the field. Who's heard that before? Who's played football? There you go. Get that guy. Play with anger. Come on, get mad. Who's ever heard that? Well, that's not a bad thing. And it says this. Experts say this kind of toxic or uncontrolled anger is most concerning from a health standpoint. If you have intermittent episodes of really, really very severe anger, it can affect the heart. So what am I preaching today? Because I don't want you to murder, and I want you to be healthy people. Because being angry for the wrong reasons, being too angry, can affect your heart. Since Dr. Kuchar, an interventional cardiologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, is kind of a risk factor. It's not of, and by itself, a cause of artery disease or a cause of heart disease. But if the anger sustained and the blood pressure is affected and the heart rate is affected, that indirectly can lead to a coronary disease or disease of the heart muscle. The list of ways chronic anger can affect a person's well-being and even put the health of others in peril, yeah, like getting so mad you stab someone. This is linked to obesity, low self-esteem, migraines, drug and alcohol addiction, depression, sexual performance, increased heart attack risk, lower quality relationships, higher probability of abusing others emotionally or physically or both, higher blood pressure and strokes, and chronic anger also leads to increased anxiety, insomnia, mental brain fog, and fatigue, and it can reduce the immune system's ability to fend off threats, leading to an increased risk of infection and possible cancer. How would you like to die from cancer because you're too angry of a person? You can't control your anger. And see, sometimes I see my kids, they get really angry, like, ah! And I try to calm them down, like, calm down, because a little leaven will mess up the whole lump. And then we need to just catch ourselves and at least recognize that, hey, why am I mad? Is it envy or is it because of evil? You answer that question and deal with it accordingly. The Bible says in Proverbs 14, 30, a sound heart is the life of the flesh. A sound heart is usually because somebody is healthy and happy. So of course, the envy or envy is the rottenness of the bone. So what you just heard from these experts is actually biblical. You're full of envy, it can rot on you from the inside out, spiritually and physically. So we need to make sure that we don't become these people that think it's OK to just get upset and become an angry snapping turtle and think that you're cool and all that. Because there are some people that think that, hey, it's powerful when you get angry. That's how you get things done. It's better to be feared than loved. And that's true to some degree. But we need to be careful to let this thing get out of control. You're in Deuteronomy 1-1? Because wicked people, when they're not saved and they don't have the Holy Spirit, man, they really are going to suffer and struggle with this. But even if you're a good Christian today, and let's just say you're the most humble person on the planet, you need to be careful and take heed also because it can also affect you. Look down at your Bible. Deuteronomy chapter number 1, verse 1 says this. These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side, Jordan, in the wilderness. It says, and the Lord heard the voice of your words and was wroth and sware, saying, surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land which I swear to give unto your fathers. Say, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it. And to him will I give the land that he has trodden upon and to his children because he has wholly followed the Lord. Also, the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, saying, thou shall not go in thither. So what are we looking at here? This is Moses talking to the children of Israel. They're about to go into the promised land. But in the book of Numbers, God told them when they started to complain, hey, there's no water. Did you bring us out here just to die? God told them, speak unto the rock and it's going to give you water. Well, the children of Israel got Moses so upset, so angry, instead of speaking to the rock, he hit the rock and water came out. Well, that's not what God told him to do. He knew what God told him to do. He wanted Moses to glorify him, speak unto it. It's going to give you water. Instead, he gets mad and hits it. He gives them water and he says, because you disobeyed me, you're not going to see the promised land. He let his anger cause them some blessings. And as God's people, it can happen to us too. We can't allow our anger to cause us some blessings because who knows what's going to happen down the road and we need God on our side as much as possible. So we need to recognize when you're angry for the wrong reasons and when you're angry for the right reasons. Moses failed to do that and he couldn't control himself. And here in the book of Deuteronomy, he's reminding them of that story. And he's saying, look, he was angry with me because you guys, you guys made me angry. He's like, Danny told me that thou shall not go and thither. So this is doing two things. One is showing us that even humble servants of the Lord can also allow themselves to get so angry that they get punished by God. Cause that was a punishment that you cannot go into the promised land. But what else do we see here? We see that God himself is angry. Verse 34 says this, And the Lord heard the voice of your words and was wroth. That's very angry, wroth. So once again, if being wrothful or angry was such a bad thing and sinful, then the Lord wouldn't do it because in him is no darkness at all. In verse 37, it says it again. And also the Lord was angry. So we do have here the Lord being angry which shows that the anger is not always a bad thing. So if you have your Bibles, go to Mark 3, 1, please. Go to Mark 3, 1. And that's gonna be my first talking point. It's simply this. I gotta throw this out there before somebody says, oh, brother, I said that it's wrong to be angry. I'm not saying that at all. My first talking point is simply this. Anger's not always sinful. But we have to be able to recognize it so we don't allow ourselves to get worse and worse till we commit a really bad sin that's gonna cost us heavily down the road. This 18-year-old that stabbed that 16-year-old, it's gonna cost him heavily. I don't know, he planned not guilty, but I highly doubt it's gonna be found that guilty because everybody recorded it. 50 plus kids were there with cameras recording this, just laughing away. Oh, this guy's getting beat up, whoa, whoa, whoa. Not one of them decided to help at all. I don't know if they saw the knife. I don't know if they backed out. I can understand that situation. But hey, it should have been at least something done, 50 versus seven. They could have stopped it, but they chose not to. They thought it was better to just see this kid get pounded. But if you're right there, Mark 3, 1, I'm gonna read from Ephesians. Just to show that we are commanded to be angry, but we need to be angry for the right reasons. Ephesians 2, 23, this is Paul talking to Ephesians, and he says this, and be renewed. Maybe some of you agree with me, some of you don't, but I'm here to renew your mind in case you think, well, I think anger is something that's good. I think I use it for work and everything else, and it helps me out. It's been helping me out throughout my life. It gives me energy or whatever the case, and that's great, but make sure you're angry for the right reasons. Ephesians 4, 23 says this, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man, which after God is created into righteousness and true holiness, wherefore put in a way lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for every member one of another, be ye angry, but here's the thing, and sin not. So it is possible to be angry and not sin, or this wouldn't make any sense. So he's saying, look, be ye angry, but I'm sure he's saying, look, the bad stuff that you see, the evil stuff that you see, the sinful people that you see around you, you know what, be angry at that, but make sure you don't sin, and don't let the sun go down upon your wrath, meaning that you're mad now, go to bed, calm, relax, don't wake up the next day, letting this get you angry, because now you're at a different level of anger, and you need to just let it go, and start afresh and move into something new, other battles, whatever the case may be. And this is why Christ in the Bible said, whosoever is angry is brother without a cause. Without a cause, you're in danger. But once they get angry for a good cause, I guess a good example I can think of, or a very famous example is King Saul, when he got upset, he said he was filled with the spirit, he was upset, he was angry, and he went and fought a battle against his enemies, and he ended up defeating them. But if you're there in Mark chapter number three, verse one, it says, and he, this is referring to Jesus Christ, answered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there which had a withered hand, and they watched him whether he would heal on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. So there's the Jews trying to accuse Jesus Christ, they're trying to trick him, or just watch him, so they can say, hey, he did this, he did that, whatever, he's a bad guy, and says, and he saith unto the man which hath a withered hand, stand forth, and he saith unto them, it's a lawful to the good on the Sabbath day, so to do evil, to save life or to kill. But they held their peace, and when he had looked round about on them with what? Anger. If anger was always sinful, Christ wouldn't have done it. Being great for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, stretched forth that hand, and he stretched it out, and his hand would be stored whole as the other. Go to Matthew 5, 22 again, please, go to Matthew 5, 22. So we see clearly that Jesus Christ got angry. But why, because he was envious, or because of evil? Because of evil, the Pharisees, like it says right there, he got angry at them because they're mad at him because he's healing the man on the Sabbath. They didn't like that, they were hypocrites, they were full of sin, they were full of iniquity, they were children of the devil, and they were mad of Christ for doing the right thing, and he got mad at them for being mad at the wrong thing. But you guys go ahead and just go to do the Rodney 421. And like I said, the world wants you to think that anger's always wrong. But if you're a new Christian here, I don't know what your beliefs is on that, but anger's not always wrong. But here's a dumb quote, let me know if you know where this came from. I'm almost too embarrassed to read this, but I'll do it anyways. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Who knows where that quote came from? Where did it come from? Star Wars, specifically who? Darth Vader, Yoda, or Luke Skywalker? The all-wise Yoda, right? Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. There is some Bible in that quote, there really is, because think about it. Fear does lead to anger. The fact that I fear God leads me to anger. To hate the evil is what the Bible teaches. Let's look at the other part. Anger does lead to hate, because when the Lord gets angry, he starts to hate, and he hates workers of iniquity, does he not? And hate does lead to suffering, because when God starts to hate you, guess what, your life's gonna suffer. So there is Bible in Yoda's quote, but this isn't what he's referring to, though. He's trying to make you think that you should never be angry. That's what he's trying to do, or whoever wrote that stupid quote, well, it's actually a good one if you say it. Here's how it's biblical, but that's what they're trying to do. Brainwash their kids so they go around stabbing people, sending them to hell, because I don't think this kid was saved. I hope he was saved, but I don't think he was. I mean, as a young, oh man, I can't even, ugh. But here's some examples of how the world's trying to brainwash us. But let me remind you that the Lord, he does get angry. Here's a good reminder, Deuteronomy 4.21. Furthermore, the Lord was angry at me for your sakes. Let me show you another one. This is the Lord that was angry, Deuteronomy 9. He was afraid of the anger and high displeasure. The Lord was wroth against you to destroy you. Verse 20, the Lord was very angry with Aaron. So the Lord does get angry. 1 Kings 11, nine. And the Lord was angry with Solomon without a cause. That's not what it says. It says the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel. So this is when it's okay to get angry, when it's because of something evil. Solomon turned himself away from the Lord, and the Lord got angry at Solomon. By Matthew 5.22, you're there in Matthew 5.22. Let's read it again, but I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause. Why am I stressing that? Because that verse is under attack. Keep looking at your Bible. Let me read from these false Bibles. I'm gonna start with the New Living Translation. Follow along and look what this one says. But I say, if you're even angry with someone, you're subject to judgment. What's missing? Without a cause. Think it's a coincidence? No, don't think so. The NLB, New Life Version. Look what this one says. But I tell you that whoever is angry with his brother will be guilty and have to suffer. What's missing? Without a cause. NRSV, the New Revised Standard Version. But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, this one asks a sister in there. You guys are too dumb to realize that when he meant brother he's talking about everyone. But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment. Is that what that says? King James says without a cause. ASV, American Standard Version. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment. What's missing? Without a cause. Amplified Bible. But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbles malice against them shall be guilty before the court. Stupid, I know. Let's go to the experts. Jewish Bible. The CJB, right? We gotta get the Jews up in here. Let them show us what's up. The complete Jewish Bible. I don't even know what that Bible's about. By Matthew 5.22. But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment. What's it missing? Without a cause. ESV, English Standard Version. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. What's it missing? Without a cause. The New World Translation. The Jehovah's Witness Bible. What I like to call the New World Order Translation. Matthew 5.22. However, I say to you that everyone who continues to raffle, that's what it says, with his brother will be accountable to the court of justice. And whosoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable word of contempt will be accountable to the Supreme Court. Really? Where else whosoever says, you despicable fool will be liable to the fiery Gehenna. Wait a minute, fiery Gehenna? What's that? Guess I gotta go join the religion to figure it out. The NIV. Why'd I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother, what they think is leaving out without a cause, will be subject to judgment. The New King James, right? The New King James. Yeah, it's just like the King James. Well, let's see if it's true. Look down at your Bibles and follow along. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. What's the missing? Pretty much nothing. It's similar, right? Oh, there's a girl, whew, I almost threw mine away. Well, you know what? You should throw away your New King James because let me tell you why. If you like that Bible, that Bible is basically saying, no, it's actually saying that nobody in this room is safe. That's what it's teaching. Don't believe me? Go ahead and go, if you can, to 1 Chronicles 1.18. Go to 1 Chronicles 1.18. And this is just one and done for me with the New King James. Even if it was 99.99999999999%, accurate like the King James, this one verse I'm gonna show you, but there's actually three like it and we're gonna go over them just so you can see where I'm going with this. The New King James condemns everyone in this room. Raise your hand if you believe you're safe. You're like, I'm safe, I'm 100% sure. Well, the New King James is calling every single one of you a liar, every single one of you guys. You guys are down there in 1 Corinthians? 1 Chronicles, did I say Chronicles or Corinthians? I'm sorry, Corinthians. I meant to say 1 Corinthians 1.18. Sorry about that. Let me drink my coffee. Just kidding, it's water. Trying to preach and not cut off your head is hard, okay? 1 Corinthians 1.18, you look at your Bible. I'm just gonna quote the New King James and you tell me what's the difference. This is what it says. It says, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing to us who are being saved. Being saved, is that what your King James says? No, what does your King James say? That's who are saved, saved. This one's saying to us who are being saved. But that's not the only one. Let me just read the other ones. If you can, if you can get there quick enough, if you're fast enough, go to Acts 2.47. And if you're not that fast, it's okay. Just listen up or you can go to 2 Corinthians 2.15 and we'll move on to the next point. So I'm gonna read from Acts 2.47, New King James says this, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Being saved, that's what the King James says? Absolutely not, what does the King James say? Those who are saved. 2 Corinthians, I'm sorry, yeah, 2 Corinthians 2.15, for we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are, let me flip my page, being saved. Are we being saved or are we saved? So why in the world anybody who's listening to me right now would think it's okay to walk around with a new King James? It's condemning every single one of you guys. It's saying every single one of you guys is going to hell. Oh, and for those of you that raised your hand saying, oh, I'm on my way to heaven, brother, as a girl, it's calling you a liar. I'm not calling you a liar. The new King James is calling every single one of you a liar. So why walk around with it? It's only good to be burned. If you got your Bible, go to John 2.12, please. Go to John 2.12. Usually I have three points, but I'm doing two today. The first thing I want you guys to realize is that anger's not always sinful. That is being under attack. The Bible is clear that God gets angry, Christ got angry, great men of God get angry, but it also shows us that they got angry for the right reasons. They got angry because they were angry at evil. They weren't envious people, and the ones that did get angry because they were envious, they ended up suffering. But you guys go to John 2.12. My second point is this, how to deal with anger, just how to deal with anger, just some tips. It's not gonna be everything, but it'll be some good stuff. I use it, it helps. But here's what anger management website said. When you get angry, you get triggered. Who's heard of this one? Count to 10. I just threw that in there, but I don't know if that's biblical, okay? But also says, count to 10 and go for a short walk. This can help calm a person or distract them long enough to process the thoughts in a constructive way. If you can do so, I guess it's good to just kind of walk away. If you're being yelled at by your boss, don't walk away, okay? Don't walk away. Sorry, boss, I'm walking away because brothers are gonna tell me to leave right now. I learned that in church. No. Even if your boss is wrong and you're getting angry, just stand there, hands in front of you, and just nod yes, yes. You're an idiot, yes. You suck, yes. You're worse than blood on the planet, yes. I'm gonna fire you, but I need you, yes. Still got a job, yes. You take it, okay? Kids, when your parents are chewing you out, yes, sir, yes, yes, shut up and listen. Yes, yes, yes, yes, right, parents, amen? Shut up and listen, kids. When my parents are, shut up and listen, and listen. What's every good thing you do that things should receive of the Lord? You give them respect, hey, guess what? God's gonna allow you to be respected by people. You don't give your parents respect, kids? Guess what, that's gonna come back and people won't respect you. I'm afraid if I would give my parents respect, they're gonna treat me this and that and whatever. No, just shut up and listen, listen to mom and dad, and take whatever rebuke they're giving you and fix yourself. Well, this is what they said. In John 12, 12, I kinda see this. You know, it's a famous story of Christ making a whip. Go ahead and look down on it, it's good to review. John 2, 12, says after this, he went down to Capernaum, he and his mother and his brethren and his disciples, and they continued there many days, and the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found them in a temple of those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and the changers of money, or the changers of money sitting. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, I don't think he did that in the temple, he drove them all out of the temple and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers' money and overthrew the tables. So he shows up to the temple, people are selling things, that's sinful, and he doesn't just blow up right away. It is what it is. Be careful blowing up right away. The Bible says he that is soon angry, he that gets angry right away, he that is soon angry, I'm sorry, I can't remember exactly what it says, I think it says something where it's foolish, bottom line. To be a snapping dragon or a snapping turtle is not a good thing. And you see this with people that are in authority. If you have your Bible, go ahead and go to Nehemiah chapter number nine, go to Nehemiah chapter number nine, but I'm gonna read from Esther. This is an example of where there was a king, he got mad, but he didn't blow up right away. And even Nebuchadnezzar, when he found out of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he got angry, but he didn't throw him in the fire right away. He didn't do that. He had, I guess you could say, a little court session to figure out what was going on, and he did get super angry, which was wrong, but once again, when you get super angry, it's easy to kill. And he was like, hey, throw these guys into the fire. When he got really angry, so angry, that he told him, hey, turn that thing up. And it was so hot, the fire furnace was so hot that the soldiers ended up dying before they even got near the darn thing. But we need to watch out that we don't become this individual that just gets angry. And I think I go through anger once a week, I deal with it myself, maybe even once a day, but hopefully for some of us, it's not every single hour we get upset and we start going nuts. Just calm down, count to 10, start walking. But you guys stay where you're at. It says, then the king has the arabid's answer to say unto Esther the queen, who is he and where is he that dares presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen, and the king arising from the banquet of wine, and the king arising from the banquet of wine, in his wrath, in his wrath, went into the palace garden. So against this anger management, people are kind of correct. I don't know if he counted to 10 or if he just started walking. But he didn't explode, he didn't blow up. He controlled his anger. He went to the garden and he chilled until he figured out a constructive way of dealing with it. And that's an example unto us today, hey, this is what you need to kind of watch out for. And even Moses triggered the Lord. Lord, I don't want to go, I can't speak, I can't do this. Moses go, Moses go. Finally, he got angry and I guess he had to kind of, you know, blow up on Moses. But the Lord is slow to wrath and so shall we, amen. So let me continue to read from this article, you know, on anger management. It says, different techniques are effective for different people. But finding out a method that works can be instrumental in diffusing episodes of extreme anger. Some techniques include deep, slow breathing. Focus on each breath as it moves in and out. And try to spend more time exhaling and inhaling. Easing physical tension. Try tensing each body part for 10 seconds, then release it. Is that what the king did? But I wouldn't be surprised. Here's one that's biblical for sure. Mindfulness, meditation. Hmm, meditation. I wonder if the Bible talks about meditation. And thou shall meditate day and night and whatsoever thou doest shall prosper. True? Well, that's how Christ did it as well. What else they got here? Exercise. Maybe that's why Christ ended up going up a high mountain before he prayed. I don't know. Maybe it was helping him out, dealing with everything. Physical activity is a great way to use up excess adrenaline, a brisk run or walk, or combat sports such as boxing or martial arts can be useful outlets for aggressive or confrontational feelings. Find alternative channels for anger. It can help to express anger in a way that limits harm to others such as tearing newspaper, crushing ice cubes, or punching or screaming into a pillow. We all know when people got mad in the Bible, what did they do? Ah! They ripped things, right? Ah! So I gotta say, that's biblical, people. Find a pillow and punch it, all right? Or throw it at your spouse. It's just a pillow. Don't call the police. No. Create distractions. This is interesting. Distraction techniques such as, I'm not saying this is biblical, dancing or energetic music. Hey, I just say sing the hymns, okay? But this is biblical. Christ did it. Building, fixing, writing. Well, he ended up building a whoop. Can provide distance from the issue when preparing to bring up frustration with a peer. Yeah, he built something, all right? A whoop. And he brought up frustration with his peers. Psh, psh, psh, psh. Get this outta here! So go build something instead of breaking something. Also, focusing on solutions, random problems, increases the chances of the liquidation and reduces the likelihood of any angry reaction. And I saw a video of some guy that said that. He said, look, when you're just talking trash, you're an idiot. When you're giving criticism, it's okay if you're bringing in a solution. That's what this is saying. Hey, focus on the solutions. How can I fix this? Why spend all your energy being upset, getting crazy about it, instead of focus on just fixing a problem which can actually be beneficial? True? Amen. This is what they're saying if you don't believe me. I'm not a psychiatrist, I'm not the expert, I'm just quoting them, okay? If you don't like what I'm saying, it's actually them saying it. Ah! So you're right there, Nehemiah. Sorry about that, it looks like this dropped. You're not gonna get angry. But let's just deal with anger by remembering the Lord, okay? That's my tip, remember the Lord. So tip number one, when dealing with anger, remember the Lord. Whatever story you wanna use, just remember the Lord. He got angry at the Pharisees for evil, for getting upset at him for healing people. He made a whip and started to just beat people with it just to get them out because they were sitting against God selling things in his house. But right there in Nehemiah chapter number nine, let me just remind you of the Lord. Since thou art the Lord, the God who dischose Abram and brought us in forth out of Ur of the Chaldees and gave us in the name of Abraham, by then our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their necks and hearkened not to thy commandments and refused to obey. Neither were mindful, I'm sorry, I skipped to verse number 16. Neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, I'm on verse 17 right now, but hardened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art God, ready to pardon, gracious, merciful, slow to anger, doesn't finish there, and of great kindness, kindness. Christ is our example, the Lord is our example. And when we get angry, hey, if somebody makes us angry, we need to be ready to pardon. We need to be gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and treat them kindly once you forgive them, amen? Because it says of great kindness. It's good to be kind, but if you want to be like the Lord, we need to be people of great kindness, yes or no? Amen. So remember that when you're getting upset. But as far as the meditation part, that's key too. When Christ was tempted by the devil, what did he do? Quote, scripture. So let me remind you guys of a few scriptures that have to do with being angry. You don't have to follow along. I'm just gonna read and get through them as fast as I can. I'm 43 minutes into the sermon. It says, Proverbs 14. He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly, and a man of wicked devices is hated, Titus 1.7. For a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry. This is somebody who doesn't get angry quickly. Not giving a wine, no striker, no giving a filthy lucre. Why is it important for a bishop not to be soon angry? Because you're gonna get attacked, because you're gonna get humiliated, because people are gonna say things that you're not gonna like. It's gonna happen a lot, a lot. And I've seen pastors on the internet that actually get upset, and they're trying to brawl. You don't know me. You don't know nothing about me, what you got, man? I saw that when I was watching a video clip of these fake pastors from this TV show called Preachers of L.A. Who's ever heard of that show? Preachers of L.A. This one preacher was marching against police, whatever, and these gang members triggered him, and he's trying to fight gang members. This pastor is trying to fight gang members or somebody else in the crowd. He was a former Crip, so he's bringing that up. You don't know me. You don't know how hardcore I am. I'll knock you out. And this is a bishop, and even goes by the name Bishop. But I guess he didn't realize this verse, where it says, not a brawler, not soon angry. And I wonder why he wants to be a pastor for filthy lucre's sake. And also, he doesn't have any kids, by the way. Zero kids, but yet he's a bishop. Not a shocker. James 1-19 says, wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man working not the righteousness of God. Proverbs 14, 29, he that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. Proverbs 15, 18, a wrathful man is sure of strife, but he that is slow to anger a piece of strife. Psalms 103, eight, the Lord is merciful and gracious. Once again, slow to anger and plenty is the mercy. We should just forgive if somebody makes us mad. If they ask for forgiveness, be quick to forgive them. Joel 2-13, and rend your heart and not your garment. So don't rip your shirt, even though I said you might want to rip it if you're angry, okay? But don't rip it. Rip your heart, rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and once again, of great kindness. God is jealous, or God is jealous, and the Lord revenges. This is name one, one, two. Yes, the Lord revenges, the Lord revenges and is furious. Oh, I'm gonna be like the Lord. I'm gonna revenge and be furious. No, the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries. Did you get after that? Of course, he'll punish his children as well. His adversaries didn't reserve a wrath for his enemies. And if you think, oh, that's just how I'm gonna be, wrathful and vengeful and furious, well, verse three says this. The Lord is slow to anger and in great power, and will not at all quit the wicked. The Lord had his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Key thing is that the Lord is slow to anger. Not that he never gets angry, it's that he's slow to anger. And if you're somebody who's slow to anger, you're a pretty powerful person. You're a pretty powerful Christian, but in Proverbs 16, 32, he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty. He that rule is the spirit, the he that taketh a city. So I just finished with this one point. The last thing about A, how to deal with anger. The first one, just remember the Lord as best you can. Just remember what he did. He didn't blow up, he didn't kill anyone. He made a whoop, understand? He walked away. King Lazarus did the same thing. What else did we see in scripture? Use verses to help you out. Realize that anger is okay, but make sure you're not like Cain, angry because you're envious, but be like the Lord, angry because of evil. But one last thing, A, just have to practice this in your life, it'll help you from becoming this super wrathful person that can commit murder as well, and that can happen to anyone. You may not be the one that takes the knife and stabs someone, but look, I was already saved, then I ended up going to war, I was at war, I got frustrated with this one Marine, and he was literally sleeping on a job while we were doing security, and the bad guys supposedly are out there, so of course I got upset, and in my stupidity, in my wrath, I figured, how can I get rid of this guy? And some of you guys are gonna freak out or whatever, but here's what I thought, okay, whatever, you know? I just told him, look, get on top of the car and do security, on top of the truck. So I put him on top of the truck. What I was doing is I was making him a target. I was making him a target because I wanted to get rid of this kid because I thought he was gonna get me killed. So I had him on there and I put him on the very top of the truck, and I just wanted him to be a target, and that was wrong, that was sinful, that was wicked, but I came to my senses, and I'm like, Ledesma, get your butt down there, get off that truck, and get back in it. And of course, he's like, oh, thank you, Sergeant, thank you, thank you, thank you, you know? But he straightened up after that, so I think that'll help me out. But I was saved, that wasn't my unsafe stage, that was my saved stage, you understand? And that can happen to any of us. So we need to take heed unless we screw up that bad. I'm glad he didn't get shot, oh man, we've been horrible. But the last thing, hey, we gotta be people that are patient, patient. What does it mean to be patient? It means that you're able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, suffering, without becoming annoyed or anxious. That's just something that is hard to do, to suffer and be patient. And here's some verses to help you out with that. Ecclesiastes 7, 8, better is the hanging of a thing than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in that spirit to be angry. So he's saying, look, guys, practice patience so you're not this person that gets angry very quickly. James 5, 11, behold, we count them happy, which endure ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen at the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. He's saying, look, remember Job? That was a patient person, he suffered. He went through some suffering, but yet he didn't sin against the Lord by charging him foolishly. He's a good example of how to deal when things go bad. He didn't get upset, he actually walked away and then came back. I mean, he shaved his head. How long does it take to shave your head? What, an hour? No, I'm just kidding. It depends, 30 minutes. But he shaved his head, and then he had to dig his child out and bury them. But yet he didn't charge the Lord foolishly. First Thessalonians 5, 14 says this, now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that our unruly, comforted, feeble mind in this, support the weak. Be patient, be patient toward all men, especially new believers, new members, that are out there, zealous, knocking doors. They may not say what they wanted to say, exactly how they wanted to say it. Don't freak out. If they're open to correction, say, yeah, man, that doesn't make sense. Try again, it's okay. And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach. Patient, patient. If you can't remember all these points, at least remember that, A, why are you angry? Why are thou wrong? Because you're angry, because you're envious, or is it because of evil? What's the deal, what's going on? At least recognize that it's wrong to get angry without a cause, amen? And confess it and forsake it. Proverbs 28, 13, he that covet the sins shall not prosper, but who shall confess and forsake it? They shall have mercy. Psalm 37, seven, rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Friend, art thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass? Cease from anger and forsake wrath. And if anything, remember Genesis 4, seven, maybe this will help you out. What God told Cain when he was all messed up and raffle, very wrathful, he told him, if thou doest well, shall thou not be accepted? Isn't that something to remember? It's like, man, I'm so mad, I can't believe everybody's sitting around me. Well, if you do well, aren't you gonna be accepted? If you do the right thing, isn't God gonna be happy? And look, and even if these people who got you all upset, all mad, even if they never get their act straight, you know what, look what he told Cain. And if thou doest well, saying lie to the Lord, and unto thee shall be his desire, then thou shall rule over him. Just remember this, pay for people, hop them out, do what you can, but at the end of the day, if they don't wanna turn, if they're safe, you know what, their desires, God's gonna give them unto you. And at the end of your life, in the next world, you're probably gonna rule over them. So God's trying to motivate you, saying, look, worry about yourself, take care of yourself. Get angry at people, let it be for the right reasons, and if anything, just remember, if you do what's right, I'm gonna be pleased with you, and if this person has got you so upset, never gets right with God, then whatever that guy desires, I'm gonna give it to you, and then in the next world, I'll just let you rule over him. Hop out that one to keep you motivated and to keep you from becoming a lawful person, but just remember that, because anybody, anyone, David did it, you can say, oh, that was the Old Testament, whatever, you know, David committed murder, and I'm just making sure that the little kids that are here realize that, hey, if you don't control your anger, you can become this person that can possibly stab another person before you even turn 20. But let's just remember the Lord when it comes to anger, okay, let's pray, dear Father, we thank you for everything, we ask you to just bless his service, Lord, bless everyone who's here. Father, obviously we're gonna struggle with anger this week, might even struggle with it this afternoon, maybe tonight, who knows, Lord, but help us to remember you, Lord, help us to remember if we're actually wrathful or, you know, we're actually mad because of envy or evil, whatever the case, just help us, Lord, to realize it, help us to confess and forsake it and forgive us for it, and just help us to remember your word so we don't become these evil, wicked individuals like Cain. I ask you to just bless everyone in Jesus' precious name, amen.