SUMMARY: It is rarely good to be angry. Whether justified or not, surrendering our anger to the Lord is the best way to keep wicked people from getting under our skin. The alternatives set us on a path to acting like them...and offending the Lord! We trade our anger for meekness as we are being made new. REFLECTION: Matthew 5:4-9 SERMON TEXT: Psalm 37 (ESV) 1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; 22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. 27 Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 33 The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. 36 But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. The question is…the question David is wrestling with here in Psalm 37, is: HOW CAN I STEWARD THIS ANGER WELL? HOW DO I KEEP FROM SPIRALING? HOW CAN I BE ANGRY AND GLORIFY GOD? Notes About ANGER There was never an angry man that thought his anger unjust. - Francis de Sales results in: * Strife (Gen 4:8; 1 Sa 20:30; Ps 124:2–3; Pr 29:22; Pr 30:33) * God's Judgment (Mat 5:22; Gen 49:5-7) * Sin (James 1:20; Ps 4:4, Pr 14:17; 2 Co 12:20; Eph 4:26) deal with it: * Becoming slow to anger (1 Cor 13:5; Ec 7:9; Tt 1:7; Jas 1:19) * Not taking revenge (Rom 12:19) * Renoucning anger (Eph 4:31; Ps 37:8; Col 3:8; 2 Ti 2:8) It's rarely good to be angry! It's never good to stew in anger! 1. FOCUS (vv 3-9) Look to God! * TRUST Psa 37:3; James 4:17 * DELIGHT Psa 37:4 * COMMIT Psa 37:5 * BE STILL Psa 37:6 2. REMEMBER (vv 10-22) The Justice of God and the end of the wicked. Gen 18:25; Deut 32:4; Job 8:3;34:10; Rev 15:4 3. BELIEVE (vv 23-29) Believe that God will sustain His people! Psa 37:25; Luke 11:13 4. REST (vv 30-34) Trust the Lord to defend you and fight your battles! psa 37:34 He can conquer His foes and HE CAN VANQUISH YOUR ANGER before it festers and spirals into all manner of SIN! REST! Take comfort in the fact that HE CAN HANDLE IT! 5. REFLECT (vv 35-40) Reflect on what God has done, and will do according to His Word. Psa 37:39 CONCLUSION: BECAUSE HE HAS CONQUERED DEATH, HELL, AND THE GRAVE * I KNOW THAT I CAN STEWARD THIS ANGER WELL…as I take it to Jesus. * I CAN KEEP FROM SPIRALING - I focus on Him not my anger. * I CAN BE ANGRY AND GLORIFY GOD - if I refuse to STEW, and choose to TRUST HIM, DELIGHT IN HIM, COMMIT TO HIM, AND QUIET MY OWN AGENDA TO BOW BEFORE HIS THRONE. It’s the same way we come to JESUS! Prayer: Lord, I surrender my anger to you. Specifically, my anger about: !