text
stringlengths
7
443
[405.18 --> 407.34] And how do I deal with the anger I have
[407.34 --> 409.16] towards the hurt that this person
[409.16 --> 411.68] continues to do towards me?
[412.76 --> 414.34] It's an important question,
[414.42 --> 416.18] a question people have been asking us
[416.18 --> 417.30] throughout this series.
[417.44 --> 418.92] And so this morning, we're going to look at
[418.92 --> 421.34] what Romans 12 has to say.
[422.30 --> 424.60] Now, Romans 12, in my opinion,
[424.76 --> 426.54] is rapid-fire wisdom.
[426.80 --> 428.50] Like, one writer describes this
[428.50 --> 431.20] as Paul's rule for life and community.
[431.80 --> 433.96] And I might suggest that a good way of reading it
[433.96 --> 435.00] is actually like a list.
[435.42 --> 436.94] Like, it reads in paragraphs in our Bible,
[436.94 --> 439.02] but really, Paul's just giving lots
[439.02 --> 441.08] of very important wisdom
[441.08 --> 443.94] and virtues of how to live
[443.94 --> 444.96] in a broken community.
[445.08 --> 446.94] And it's important to underscore, by the way,
[447.10 --> 448.56] that Paul would not have written
[448.56 --> 449.68] this portion of the letter
[449.68 --> 452.02] if everything was going splendidly
[452.02 --> 453.04] in the church in Rome.
[453.68 --> 455.08] But we know that there is conflict,
[455.22 --> 456.24] we know that there is division,
[456.36 --> 457.32] we know that there is anger,
[457.44 --> 460.02] and so Paul gives a lot of this instruction
[460.02 --> 461.54] about conflict,
[462.36 --> 462.94] about revenge,
[462.94 --> 466.44] about how to bless those who persecute you
[466.44 --> 468.12] and not curse them.
[468.46 --> 468.76] Why?
[469.04 --> 470.80] Because that's what was happening
[470.80 --> 471.76] in the church.
[472.72 --> 475.00] So let's take a look at this passage.
[476.98 --> 478.98] First thing we see Paul doing
[478.98 --> 481.20] is starting with love.
[481.26 --> 483.70] He says, love must be sincere.
[484.26 --> 485.74] And look what he says right afterwards.
[486.72 --> 488.16] Hate what is evil,
[489.04 --> 491.16] cling to what is good.
[491.16 --> 493.16] It's not unintentional.
[494.14 --> 495.86] And it's important to connect this love
[495.86 --> 497.14] to the hate of evil.
[497.96 --> 498.98] Parents understand this.
[499.08 --> 500.72] It is a loving parent
[500.72 --> 502.50] will not let their older sibling,
[502.80 --> 503.48] older child,
[503.68 --> 505.22] pulverize a younger child.
[505.56 --> 505.70] Right?
[506.20 --> 506.98] They will intervene.
[507.74 --> 509.82] A loving spouse will not just let it go
[509.82 --> 511.46] if there's adultery in their marriage.
[511.74 --> 513.02] These things must be addressed.
[513.14 --> 513.86] They must be named.
[513.96 --> 515.46] They must be stood against.
[515.80 --> 517.56] And it is because we love
[517.56 --> 518.64] that we do that.
[518.64 --> 521.02] It is out of love
[521.02 --> 522.62] that we hate what is evil.
[523.30 --> 524.80] We hate the things that God hates,
[524.90 --> 525.54] you might say.
[526.00 --> 527.54] And this is where I want to name something
[527.54 --> 529.10] that we should have said earlier
[529.10 --> 529.74] in the series.
[530.32 --> 531.94] That is the role of anger.
[533.60 --> 535.60] Forgiveness is deeply attached
[535.60 --> 538.16] to this emotion of anger.
[538.50 --> 539.64] And I want to name, first of all,
[539.70 --> 541.92] that anger is not an inherently evil emotion.
[542.04 --> 543.44] It's something we're given in many ways
[543.44 --> 544.70] out of self-protection.
[544.70 --> 547.08] It's something that arises in us unexpectedly
[547.08 --> 548.34] when evil is done.
[548.96 --> 551.28] And it's often because you love someone
[551.28 --> 553.22] or you love a family member
[553.22 --> 554.52] or a friend or a co-worker
[554.52 --> 556.42] that you are so angry
[556.42 --> 558.08] when evil and misconduct
[558.66 --> 560.66] and damage is done in relationship.
[562.40 --> 563.86] Now, it's important to name
[563.86 --> 566.28] that in some senses,
[566.94 --> 570.32] it would be strange not to get angry
[570.32 --> 572.80] when you're manipulated by your mother
[572.80 --> 574.44] or lied to by your pastor
[574.44 --> 576.24] or abused by a family member.
[576.32 --> 576.92] These things,
[577.32 --> 579.46] we have this visceral, angry response
[579.46 --> 581.76] that mirrors Jesus' own anger.
[582.20 --> 582.36] Right?
[582.82 --> 583.52] In the Old Testament,
[583.66 --> 584.68] God gets angry at sin.
[584.76 --> 585.32] In the New Testament,
[585.46 --> 586.24] Jesus gets angry,
[586.42 --> 588.98] especially when a place of worship
[588.98 --> 590.66] exploits the poor.
[591.32 --> 592.72] And Jesus doesn't just stand by idly.
[592.80 --> 594.26] He gets angry and he acts.
[594.70 --> 595.72] It's a very important detail.