Anger Means Danger

Take your Bibles this morning. Let's turn to the book of Numbers chapter 20. Numbers chapter 20. Let's pray and ask God to give us insight into His Word and insight into our hearts. Father, we're here every week about this time. We may have a tendency to think this is just what we do on Sunday is listen to a sermon.

But I pray that today you would help us not just to listen to a sermon, but to hear your voice as it speaks to us in your word. this is an important transaction between us and you, the living God. This is where we need to take inventory of our hearts in light of your word. And then to change so that your glory will be seen in us. So I pray that today you would take what is said from this pulpit and use it in your people's lives.

Help us not to be complacent about this. Help us now, we pray, for your glory and our good. We'll thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, it's been a bad day. Been at work all day.

The press has gone down. Your boss has been on you. He's been telling you that your work has not just been what it should be. and on top of it all, he tells you that you're getting bumped to second shift. You go home to find the children writing on the walls. Your wife has been on the phone all day, and she's on it as you walk in the door, and you see that someone has broken the kitchen window.

That's it. I am fed up. I have had it up to here. Nuclear explosion, right? and someone might say well who would blame you with a day like that of course you lose your temper that what the big deal well this morning we want to return to the book of numbers to see what God says about anger about your temper and the kind of temper that finally goes nuclear right You lose it Now again, be reminded that the Old Testament is not about an ancient people. rather it's intended for us to convict to teach to convict to correct and to train in righteousness it is intended for god's people today and we need to remember that as we go to these old testament passages so this morning let's turn in your bibles to numbers 20 and this chapter you're going to find some truth that god has to say about anger about anger.

You follow as I read the first 13 verses of this chapter. And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month and the people stayed at Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there. Now there was no water for the congregation and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and the people quarreled with Moses and said would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness that we should die here both we and our cattle and why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place it is no it is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates and there is no water to drink then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces.

And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, take the staff and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron, your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle. And Moses took the staff from before the Lord as he commanded him.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, Here now, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice and water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their livestock And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron because you did not believe in me to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them these are the waters of Meribah where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord and through them he showed himself holy it's now been 40 years since the people left Egypt since this nation had left Egypt now we know that because if you drop down to verses 22 through 29 it talks about the death of Aaron and the fact that Aaron is buried on Mount Hor and then if you come up to if you look at chapter 33 verse 38 of this book you read this about about that death and burial and Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor at the command of the Lord and died there in the 40th year after the people of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month so you see from the time last time we were in numbers to this point now the 40 years have elapsed the 40 years of that curse where God said you're going to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of your refusal to obey me because of your lack of faith and you refusal to take the land now they've gone through the world they've been in the wilderness for 40 years now now we're at this point the next generation is here they have arrived here at Kadesh the final assembly point before they push into the promised land remember that's where they were last time that's where they were last time when they assembled to go into the land. Well, they're here again.

And they arrived here expecting to find water because there are many springs there, but what they find is that the water has dried up. Now let's see what God has for us in this chapter. First of all, recognize the temptation to anger. Recognize the temptation to anger. You see that in verses 2 through 8. Now the focus of the narrative is Moses losing his temper.

Moses starts beating the rock and yelling at the people. What you've got to see here is it's driving to this point. Moses loses his temper How did he get to this point How did he get to that point What was it that tempted him to blow his top Well for one thing as we start the people have assembled at Kadesh expecting to find water and there is none It's hot under that sun in that dry wilderness.

They have been walking through that hot desert sand and have arrived hot, tired, and thirsty. there is no water the springs are dry now don't forget because of god's curse many family and friends are dying they've been losing many can you imagine the number of funerals these people have had in the last 40 years have you ever thought about that it's not that they've been wandering in the wilderness but a whole generation has to die from 20 years and younger dies Can you imagine how many funerals that is in this nation of probably a couple million people? Wow, they've been burying people left and right in that desert. And under those conditions, these physically exhausted, emotionally drained people start to quarrel with Moses.

Now, they're not complaining. No, they are quarreling. And they're saying, you know, we wish we'd have died. We wish we'd have died like everybody else. Man, you brought us into the wilderness here? Again, it's the same things, isn't it, that they've said before.

You brought us into the wilderness here to die here? And our cattle as well? Why did we ever come up out of Egypt? Man, and they're just fighting with him and quarreling with him. Come on, Moses, what's the deal? Man, you have just blown it.

They are really, really on his case. And I would imagine that Moses is a little bit edgy. Right? I'd imagine he's a little bit edgy because remember from verse 1, he's just buried his sister. He's had a funeral within a few days before this. Now here's the point we need to look at.

Have you ever noticed, have you ever taken note as to what it is that leads to anger when you blow your top? What is it that gets you there? It's when everything's going your way, right? By the way, that's a key to understanding anger, isn't it? When everything's going your way, you don't get mad, do you? It's when things get difficult.

It happens when circumstances just pile up on you. You're driving along wondering how you can afford the house repairs and the kids are fighting in the backseat. Or you notice you start getting short-tempered when you're under a lot of physical pain. You know what I've noticed in my years now? Some of you think I'm young, but I am 64. I am getting old.

I've grown old in LaRue. Here's what I've noticed. That when you're in pain, the universe tends to end at the tip of your nose. You ever notice that? When you're in a lot of pain, the universe ends right here. You're that universe.

Physical pain often leads to short tempers. When you receive the news that your daughter just lost a baby and everything seems to be going wrong. When you find out your son just got his third speeding ticket in four weeks. Those kinds of things kind of make you mad. Now on top of that, never forget what we've noted earlier in our study in numbers. desires are always at the root and it's usually a desire for an alternative alternative reality right i want my i'm angry because my son should be a better driver i'm angry because i can't afford those house repairs i want something different i always remember that desires are always at work in our sin.

With these folks, what do they want? What do they want? They want it easy. They want comfort, right? And so anger wells up when things are just not going right. Sometimes you should be angry, right?

If your son gets three speeding tickets in four weeks, I'd say that's a pretty good reason to be angry. But sometimes you should not be angry. But the point is, the principle remains the same. We get angry when things aren't going the way we want them to go. Now notice what these two leaders do. What do Moses and Aaron do?

They go to the Lord. They go immediately to the Lord to seek his instruction. And God gives them the instructions they need to relieve the distress of the people. Moses is to take out of the Ark of the Covenant his staff. Now years and years and years ago God in order to show that Moses was the one who was to lead the people of God had that stuff staff bud It an almond branch And it started producing almond blossoms.

And that was an indication that Moses was the leader. That was, by God's command, put into the Ark of the Covenant to be a permanent thing there. And so God says, take that staff, right? Take that staff with you. It's a sign of God's power and authority. Okay?

So far, so good. Now, what are you going to do when you get angry? What are you going to do when you get angry? Let's look at verses 9 through 11. And Moses took the staff from before the Lord as he commanded him. The staff that signifies his authority.

Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, Here now, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank and their livestock. Now you see what Moses does here? He loses it.

He loses it. He did all right at first. He takes the staff. He assembles the people in front of the rock. But then trouble starts when instead of speaking to the rock, he starts yelling at the people. Right?

He speaks harshly to them. Listen, you rebels. Notice. Must what? We bring water out of this rock. And then he smashes the rock with the staff.

And what you see is a guy out of control. He is out of control. All right? This is, listen, from my recollection of these last 40 years, this is the first record of Moses losing his temper. All right, now he may have gotten mad before, but this is the first time, this is the first time in 40 years that we have a record of him losing his temper. Always before, whenever these people gave him grief, what would he do?

He would react with humility. He would react with patience. And at one point, we saw it last week, he reacted with intercession. And he said when God said okay I just going to wipe everybody out and I make a nation out of you And Moses intercedes for the people Just like it a picture of Jesus is it not Where he goes God don do that Don't do that. It'll ruin your reputation.

I don't think God just said, oh, yeah, you've got a good point there, and changes his mind. He's testing the man. And the man rises and he intercedes for the people. But here he loses his temper. Now, what would be your normal reaction to someone like Moses at this point? I know what I'd be tempted to say.

Who can blame the guy? Who can blame the guy? He is an old man. He's 120 years old. You young people, talk to older people and ask them, you know, is it a little bit hard? Do you get, I was talking to one of our young people the other day and he said, old people have a whole new set of problems, right? we we there are problems that we don't have when we're younger that we get when we're older right and you're 120 years old right here's an old man 120 living in a hot dry environment that would be enough for me right there right hot enough right they have been giving him grief for 40 years right these people have been giving him grief for 40 years those ungrateful whining wretches deserve it is what we would typically say don't you think and besides didn't they get their water didn't they get their water if anybody has a right to lose his temper moses does that's what we typically think, wouldn't we?

Boy, if anybody has a right to lose his temper, this guy does. Now, what about you? What is your attitude toward your anger and your temper? Now, without even knowing, without even living with you, I can already tell you what your attitude is. Your attitude is, it's not so bad. It's not, when I get angry, I've got good reasons, right?

Boy, when I get mad and I lose my temper, it's because you've really pushed me too far. Some might say to me, well, you just don't know what it's like to live in my house. A person can only take so much. Of course I lost my temper. Someone might say, yeah, I blow my top sometimes. I blow my top sometimes.

It may not look pretty but it gets the job done right May not look pretty but it sure gets the job done Now is that how God sees it Did he give Moses the right to blow it Does he look the other way when you lose your cool? Know this, God hates it when you lose your temper. How do I know that? Well, look at verses 12 and 13. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not believe in me to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of israel therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that i have given them who can blame the guy for losing his temper you know what god says because you lost your temper you're not going into the land that is serious business that is serious business god hates it when you lose your temper let me tell you why god hates that uncontrolled anger because it leads to disobedience it leads to disobedience moses here is accused of what do you notice what he's accused of one of the things that he's accused of is unbelief God says to him because you did not believe in me did you catch that he lost his temper what do you mean he doesn't believe in you what's fascinating is this is the same phrase used that's used in chapter 14 verse 11 where we were last week when the people refused to go into the land And God says, how long will they not believe in me?

The same term is used of Moses right here. God is saying that he's guilty of the same thing that they are, not believing in him. Now, how can that be? What is he talking about here? Listen. Now, I want you to take it apart. why do you lose your temper?

Why do you start yelling at your wife? Why do you start yelling at your kids? May I suggest something to you? Down deep in your heart, you're not quite thinking this, but it's there. You know what? If I start yelling and screaming at them, they'll suddenly say, Of course, you're right.

How could I have not seen that? Right? You say, well, I don't think that. Then why do you lose your temper? You're losing your temper because you think that'll get the job done. You just blow.

Right? That's at the heart of it. So Moses, Moses is standing there thinking, these ridiculously rebellious people, they need to get in line. And instead of trusting God, which was what's God doing here? God at this point is saying okay, you know these folks need water. So I want you to speak to the rock and give them water.

Now you might be saying God, that's not going to get them in line. That's not going to get them in line. They've got to understand just how bad they really are. They have to understand just how bad they are. Grace is not the answer. Right?

So instead of doing what God says he should do, he loses his temper. And notice, he calls them rebels. And he says, we have to give you water. God gave Moses and Aaron explicit instructions as to how to deal with this situation, and they didn't do it. and so there's the same judgment for sin denied entrance to the land of promise now by the way a little footnote here not a main point but a footnote notice that even though Moses lost it the people still got their water he did not speak to the rock he smashed it with his stick which isn't the way that God told them to do it but he gave them their water anyway that's God's grace to them now listen because of uncontrolled anger you're led down a path of disobedience when your passions of anger when you unleash your passions of anger you will transgress God's commandments a whole variety of commandments let's just think of a few Well you violate the commandment that God says vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord Most of the time when we losing our temper we getting our pound of flesh We making someone pay for what they done Particularly what they done to me By the way, do you ever notice that oftentimes your anger is not motivated by the fact that someone has dishonored the glory of God?

Most of the time, that's not why you get angry. Why do you get angry? because you don't get what you want. That's why you get angry. In fact, oftentimes someone can dishonor God in their actions, but it doesn't affect me, so I don't get angry. You ever notice that? Uncontrolled anger leads us down the path of disobedience.

We end up taking vengeance, or we're not loving one another like God commanded us. Now, of course, I understand sometimes anger must be expressed. The Bible clearly says in Ephesians 4.26, In your anger, do not sin. Which is to say, what? There is anger that's not sinful. Alright?

But uncontrolled anger is always sinful. When it's out of control, like this man. Like Moses. We're not loving one another when we're losing our temper with one another. Right? We start saying some things that we should not say.

Remember what Jesus said? when you call someone a blockhead, which is essentially another translation of when you say fool, you're in danger of hellfire. It's when you call someone an idiot. You blockhead. Right? You idiot. Boy, you're in big danger then.

Why? Because you're attacking the image of God. There's all kinds of things that happen when our anger is unleashed. Look at James chapter 1 for a moment. James 1. this is something that should be ringing in our ears all the time when we start feeling that emotion coming up James 1 verse 19 know this my beloved brothers let every person be quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls what does he say here uncontrolled anger will not achieve God righteousness you may get what you want but it will never achieve what God wants Parents when you fly off the handle with your kids you may achieve temporary peace in your house.

You may get compliance, but you won't get godly children. When you're at work, you can fly off the handle at work, and you may get better working conditions, or you may be treated fairly, but you won't get a godly reputation. Husbands, when you start yelling and screaming at your wife, when you lose your temper with your wife and tell her just how bad she really is as a wife, you're not going to lead your wife to godliness.

You may get what you want, but you may not lead her to godliness. So you see, anger leads us to disobedience, just like it did with Moses here. Just like it did with Moses. He's accused of unbelief. Here's the second reason God hates uncontrolled anger. He hates it because it results in a misrepresentation of God's character.

This is what sticks with me the most. He says, because you lost your temper, you did not uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel. It misrepresents God's character. You want to see God's commentary on this? Turn over to Deuteronomy 32. All right.

This is a little bit later as Moses, before he dies, is rehearsing the law of God. And he talks about this incident. Verse 50. in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people. Okay? You did not treat me as holy Look at Numbers chapter 27 just a few chapters later The Lord said verse 12 Numbers 27, 12, the Lord said to Moses, go up into this mountain of Abiram and see the land that I've given to the people of Israel.

When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered your people as your brother Aaron was because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes what is he saying he's saying God is holy God is holy he is pure and unapproachable and Moses distorted and misrepresented God to the people. Do you see that? I wanted you to uphold my holiness before them.

You know what he says, Moses? I want them to see my glory and the only thing they saw was an angry man. They didn't see my glory. But they sure saw your temper. You misrepresented me when you lost your temper. You obscured my holiness. that the people that day walked away with their thirst satisfied, but without growing in their knowledge of God.

They weren't thirsty, but they didn't know God any better either. And God eventually displayed his holiness. Why? How? Verse 13, in the judgment of Moses and Aaron. He did show himself holy in judging them. and disciplining them.

Now, this is the question you need to ask. Listen, let me challenge you. And this is really hard. I was thinking as Beck and I were driving in this morning, into church this morning, how strong emotions are in our lives. When I'm feeling a certain way, it just seems to be like that's the center of everything. Everything revolves around that emotion.

And I know this is difficult. but when you feel that emotion of anger rising in you and you feel like you're going to blow here's the question you need to ask will others see christ in me or are they going to see an angry person will they see christ or will they see an angry person parents are your children seeing angry people or they've seen someone who loves them and loves jesus and corrects them so that they'll follow him wives do your husband see angry women or christ-like submission husbands does your wife see an angry man or does she see christ what is important to you getting what you want or others seeing christ can you see why this is no trifling matter with god if you want to obscure the glory of god lose your temper that's what will stand out that's what people remember they won't see christ god wants us to magnify remember what matthew 5 16 says let your light so shine before men so that they see what? Whose good deeds? You tell me.

So that they see whose good deeds? I can wait. Someone take a chance. Your good deeds. Alright. So that they see your good deeds and then do what?

Glorify God. They see your good deeds, but they don't talk about you. They talk about your God. That's how we want to live. And if you want to obscure the glory of God, lose your temper. Lose your temper.

Now, right now, a ton of you are sitting here saying, you just described to me, what hope is there? well let me tell you what hope you have do you remember what the gospel reading was today do you remember that far back in the service remember where the gospel came from today came from colossians chapter one what do we read in colossians chapter one here's what we read today as the gospel and you who once were alienated and hostile in mind doing evil deeds he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him What hope do you have What hope do you have? Jesus, there's your hope. You say, I'm angry.

I do lose my temper. And I say to you, Jesus has paid for that and has reconciled you to God. And God sees you through Christ. if you have entrusted yourself to Jesus and you have said, Lord Jesus, I have no hope but you. I have no hope but you. You're reconciled to Him. So there's your first step of hope.

God loves me. I am okay with God. But God does not leave you there, does He? After Paul writes this in Colossians 1, notice what he says in Colossians 3, which Justin read to us this morning. Notice what he said in the first four verses. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. So, what hope is there for you? The first is this. Recognize that God is yours. that you don't have to make it up to God.

Some of you are sitting here thinking, oh, I've got to do better with my temper. I'd better do it. God's going to be mad at me. I'd better do better. Oh, man, if I don't, oh, man. No.

God loves you. Why? Because of Christ. But does he leave you there? No. He says, now because I love you, because you are mine, I want you to do this.

And by the way, if you sit there and struggle and constantly say to yourself, I've got to do better or else, you will not grow. The only way you're going to grow is if you're convinced that God is for you and not against you. And if you have entrusted yourself to Jesus, God is for you. That doesn't mean we can continue with a bad temper. It means, number one, get that.

Number two, do what he says in Colossians 3, verses 1 through 4. You've been raised with Christ. You've been raised to a new life. You've been raised to a new realm. You do have the capacity to change Do you believe that Do you believe that you can change God says yes You must believe that you can change Not because you're something phenomenal, but because you've been raised with Christ.

And he says, seek the things that are above and set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. What does he mean by doing that? When you're angry, you're seeking temporal things. When you lose your temper, right? You want ease. You want comfort.

You want another reality. You want children to obey you, not because that honors God, but because it makes life easy for you. And because your children are making your life difficult, you get angry. As opposed to, my children are disobeying God. They're headed down a path that's going to lead to a terrible life for them. I'm concerned for them.

I need to intervene. You see the difference? Set your mind on things above. Seek things above. All right? You need to be saying to yourself, I don't need all things to go my way.

I just need to honor God and glorify God in my painful situation. What does God want in this situation? What does he want? Right? How does God want me to change? Listen, when the pressure's on and you're getting squeezed, the real you comes out. you want to set your mind on things above then say okay god what's getting squeezed out of me right now that i need to change all right because you've died verse three with christ because you've been raised with jesus you can do it you can do it drop down to verse eight of chapter three notice what he says but now you must put them all away anger wrath malice slander and obscene talk from your mouth.

By the way, you know what I think he's saying there? Those are all anger words, including the last thing, obscene talk with your mouth. What happens to a lot of people when they get mad? What comes out of their mouth? Oftentimes it's pretty obscene, isn't it? All those things there, he says, put those away You got to make the effort of putting those away and then drop down to verse 12 And what else do you need to do Put that off and put on what Put on then as God chosen ones holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another.

And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you so you also must forgive and above all this put on love right put those things on by the way can i can you notice something in verse 12 again i want to make this point he doesn't say put on then compassionate hearts kindness humility meekness and patience and so become I'm God's chosen ones, holy and beloved. Do you see that? Is that what he says?

What does he say? He says, because you're chosen, because you're already holy, because you are already loved, put these things on. See? He's saying, you've got to be convinced that God loves you, and then you can do it. And so God calls us to change, and we can. We must.

You see? So, what has God said to you this morning? This is no inconsequential matter. Let's quit excusing our ungodly anger. Let's just quit excusing it and let's deal with it. Shall we?

Always remember this. God's holiness and glory can never be seen through the fog of your fury. you won't they'll see an angry person but they won't see God always keep that in mind but keep this in mind as well Jesus died for angry people and you are not beyond the pale and no amount of growth is going to make God love you more he already loves you and because he loves you you say, God, I want to honor you. Help me.

Help me. May God help us then to be the kind of people that magnify the holiness and the glory of God. Let's pray. Father, once more we come to you thanking you for your word, which is so explicit, so convicting. yet, Father, we find here grace as well. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace that says, yes, you are angry, but I've paid for that.

Now let's get to work. Help us to see that kind of grace. Help us to see that so that we will change. Lord God, thank you for your word. Help us now as we seek to become what we are. And we will thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.