Youth Group Lesson Teachers Notes: Christian Emotions- Anger

Christian Emotions

Anger

Define to differentiate 

What is anger? Ask Teens

Anger defined: A violent passion of the mind excited by a real or supposed injury

Some synonyms of anger in the Bible

Wrath, Violent anger, the effects of anger, or in some case refers to the just punishment of a crime

malice, Extreme enmity of heart, or malevolence, unprovoked spite (worse than anger)

hatred, Great dislike or aversion, hate, enmity

indignation, Anger or extreme anger mingled with contempt disgust or abhorrence also 2nd Corinthians 7:11 a holy displeasure at ones self for sin

Is anger good or bad? Ask teens

Psalm 139:21-24, right after David tells God there’s people I hate he asks God to try his heart, he’s confident his hatred is just. Why? Psalm 5:4-5, Deuteronomy 6:13-15. If God can be angry it cannot be all bad...

What about the New Testament?

Of the 234 uses of the word anger in the Bible guess how many are in the New Testament? FIVE The word angry in the Bible 44 times New Testament SEVEN

The first use of the word anger in the New Testament? Mark 3:5 Jesus Himself experienced anger. Other examples Titus 1:7, Ephesians 4:26

So is anger and hatred ok then? Galatians 5:19-21 hatred is listed as a work of the flesh right next to witchcraft, now Matthew 5:22. 

Look back at Ephesians 4:26, sin not- anger is an inescapable emotion that even Jesus Christ and God the Father experience, anger in itself is not always sin but there are some types of anger that are always wrong 

1. Unchecked anger, which leads one to sin. Thy wrath- wrath is the manifestation of anger God says be angry but don’t let that anger drive you to actions or thoughts which are sinful. Ask teens what sins does anger cause you to commit?

2. Unfounded anger Matthew 5:22 said without cause, so many times we get angry over dumb things, or we get angry at someone for something they didn’t even do before we know all the facts. 

3. Anger caused by our sin, I hate my dad he made me..... pride, rebellion, etc caused that anger to exist and that is not ok.

What anger is acceptable? 

1. Anger toward hard hearts, yours or others, now not being angry with them but with the hardness of their hearts, an anger that stems from love, you don’t want someone to go to hell but they won’t listen to the gospel and it’s understandable to get frustrated about that. Or as Paul so eloquently put it in Romans 7:14-24, concerning himself. Look back to 2nd Corinthians 7:11   Does it anger you that the vast majority of so called Christians are doing absolutely nothing to reach the lost?
2. Anger towards sin Galatians 5:24, 1st Corinthians 15:31 kill your flesh every day. Does it upset you when you know you’ve done wrong? Or are you the people in 1st Timothy 4:2 “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”
3. Anger towards any unrighteous unjust or ungodly thing. This would be the hatred that David spoke of in Psalm 139:21-24