Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins

When God Is "Angry" Yes, I know, the Bible says, “God is love,” 1 John 4:8. All the traits of God’s personality are centered on this wonderful principle: God Loves You and God Loves Me! It is also true that no one has ever manifested the principles of God’s love more than Jesus Christ. However, in Mark 3:5 Jesus is said to have “looked on them with anger.” Jesus? Angry? Yes, that’s what it says. Does it surprise you to hear of Jesus being angry? Our mental picture of Him may not include “anger,” but love and anger can go together. In fact there are times in which anger is virtually demanded. Why was Jesus angry? Because on that occasion the people’s hypocrisy was easily seen. They had accused Jesus’ disciples of violating God’s Law when they had not done so. They were watching, looking for another way to accuse Him. A man with a withered hand approached Jesus, and the Jews all watched to see if He would heal the man’s hand. It is clear that they were hoping He would do so in order that they could accuse Jesus of violating their Sabbath laws. They had altered God’s Sabbath laws and they had sinned in so doing. Here was a man whose “withered” hand kept him from providing for his family, but Jesus’ opponents could only see an opportunity to accuse Jesus of sin. Their hard hearts were the source and the target of Jesus’ anger, and it was certainly deserved. Does it surprise you to learn that Psalm 7:11 says, “God is angry with the wicked every day”? Does God hate the wicked? No, He loves all men, but He hates wickedness. What about those who continually practice wickedness and evil in these modern times? Would it make sense to think of God not being angry about the atrocities of Hitler’s cohorts in the early 1940’s? What about the purveyors of pornography? What about those whose hearts are so hard that taking the life of an innocent child is acceptable and should be encouraged? You and I can recognize that such evil must be opposed and eradicated. When the facts are made known, anger was a logical motivation for Jesus’ response. What kind of action is appropriate? You may be aware that scripture says that anger can exist without sin. In Ephesians 4:26 we read: “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” While anger and sin often go together, that is not necessarily true in every case. Jesus did not sin when He was angry (see our opening paragraph). Nor is God guilty of sin when He is “angry with the wicked every day.”  Anger need not result in inappropriate behavior. An evil response to evil deeds can become an avenue for one to “get even,” or to justify an evil intent in our heart. That does not make it right to use anger as a tool for personal grievances. Note that Jesus’ anger in Mark 3 was prompted by a doctrinal matter. God’s doctrine should and must be defended by those who love Him. Anger may be integral to our actions, but it need not and must not eventuate in sin. If the Bible is true – and it is! – then it is high time for Christians to express anger and opposition to some of the attitudes apparent in our society. Millions think abortion is a “right” that women possess. Human life – and that is what is destroyed in an abortion – is to be respected and protected, not murdered. Alcoholism is rampant in our society, and some defend it as an appropriate choice in a difficult world. It solves nothing and causes even more sorrow and pain. Filth in words and actions is commonplace in the film industry, and Christians must neither contribute to nor give our approval to it. Properly utilized, anger can serve as motivation for us to accomplish much good, and it is time for us to show some anger! Arrogance motivates some to make light of the doctrine of Christ, and we are told to oppose them with the “truth”, 1 Timothy 1:10, 2:4-7. In our opposition and anger toward such behavior, we must not allow anger to result in sin. Love is a better motivation for us to obey the Lord and to be diligent in our deeds. “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Carl Garner

Be What You Claim To Be! As a senior in high school, there were classes that this writer enjoyed very much and actually excelled in!  No, it was not English!  Seeing that New Hampshire is less firm than most states in the use of the alphabet (leaving out the letter R when convenient), one would think that it would have been easier to excel in literary skills, but that is not always the case.  Many teachers encourage and motivate their students in the things that may come naturally or things that a student may be passionate about.  For this writer, Andy Phelps and John Taylor were such teachers.  Mr. Phelps was a wood-shop teacher while Mr. Taylor taught machines and automotives.  Both of these teachers were great teachers, as well as mentors to this writer in numerous ways. When the night was complete and all the votes were in, this writer brought home first place in the Franklin Jr. Sr. High School Creativity Fair in the “woodworking” division as well as honorable mention in the “Metals” division.  Though awards were given in these areas, this writer has never claimed to be a carpenter, craftsman, or machinist.  Having the tools and some know-how does not make one a professional or give the privilege of wearing the name of one trained and qualified in a given field. It was a Tuesday evening and many showed up to witness the new births.  The butterflies were alive and well and that night, two new babes would be born.  On November 10, 1992, my wife, Pam, and I would be born into the family of God.  Directly after coming up out of the water, the Lord added us to His church and we became citizens of the Kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5-8; Acts 2:41, 47).** Being a Christian is much more than obeying the gospel (Hear - Romans 10:17, Believe – John 8:24, Repent – Luke 13:3, Confess Christ –Matthew 10:32-33, and Baptism – Acts 2:38). It’s living a life that is genuine (Phil. 1:27; 2 Pet. 3:11).  When the Lord adds one to His church (Acts 2:41, 47), that person can profess to be a Christian, a child of God and our actions ought to speak the same. A police officer once pulled over a man after a display of road rage.  A lady was in front of him applying her make-up while the light was red.  The light then turned green but the lady was not quite done applying her eyeliner.  After yelling profanities and honking his horn, the lady looked up to see the light turning yellow and proceeded to race through the light.  The man, being in a hurry, followed her.  Looking in the rear view mirror the man saw the red and blue lights and heard that distinctive sound of a police vehicle.  When the officer approached the man’s car, he proceeded to explain to the officer that the reason why he went through the light was the fault of the lady in front of him who was carelessly applying make-up and not paying attention at all.  The officer asked for the usual, his license, registration and proof of insurance.  The man was very surprised when the officer gave him back his information and said, “Here you go, sir, I thought that your car may have been stolen.”  The man exclaimed, “Stolen?  Why in the world would you think that?”  The officer said, “I noticed that you have one of those ‘religious fish’ stickers on your car and when I heard the profanities and saw your actions, it did not match with the symbol of Christianity.”    Let others see Jesus in you.  Make a special effort to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).  In other words, be what you claim to be! Fred C. Nowell Jr.