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[595.84 --> 597.22] Anger is not inherently wrong.
[597.22 --> 602.52] However, it can lead to a mountain of pain.
[602.98 --> 604.50] It must be kept in check.
[604.64 --> 606.30] It must eventually be dealt with.
[606.34 --> 607.16] And I would even suggest
[607.16 --> 608.80] if you do not deal with the anger,
[608.92 --> 609.70] it's very unlikely
[609.70 --> 611.08] that you will be able to reconcile
[611.08 --> 612.70] with a brother or sister
[612.70 --> 613.66] with whom you have conflict.
[614.76 --> 616.28] That's why in Ephesians 4,
[616.88 --> 618.12] when Paul is giving instruction
[618.12 --> 619.00] to a different church,
[619.06 --> 619.46] he says,
[619.82 --> 621.88] in your anger, do not sin.
[622.78 --> 623.58] Because he knows,
[623.70 --> 624.70] as we all know,
[624.94 --> 626.12] that when we are angry,
[626.12 --> 627.70] when we are truly fired up,
[627.90 --> 630.42] we make some of the worst decisions.
[630.54 --> 631.16] Tell me I'm wrong.
[632.14 --> 633.24] Just think of the last time
[633.24 --> 634.32] you really got upset.
[635.78 --> 637.30] You're going to say some words
[637.30 --> 639.78] you never wish came out of your mouth
[639.78 --> 640.56] when you're angry.
[641.54 --> 642.84] You're going to send an email
[642.84 --> 644.66] or a text you desperately wish
[644.66 --> 645.34] you could unsend.
[645.44 --> 647.10] In fact, the reason that Google
[647.10 --> 648.22] and your phones give you
[648.22 --> 649.22] the unsend function
[649.22 --> 650.14] is because they know
[650.14 --> 651.42] how dysfunctional we are.
[651.82 --> 652.40] It's like, man,
[652.48 --> 653.74] that guy should never have sent
[653.74 --> 654.76] that email to his coworkers.
[654.76 --> 656.26] Let's let him unsend it.
[656.84 --> 657.98] It's not worth keeping.
[658.18 --> 658.98] Let's unsend this.
[659.14 --> 660.64] It's because when we say things
[660.64 --> 661.18] when we're angry,
[661.40 --> 662.70] we make things we regret.
[664.62 --> 665.42] And in our anger,
[665.54 --> 666.42] let's just name this,
[666.82 --> 668.22] that's when we really want
[668.22 --> 669.44] to exact revenge.
[670.58 --> 672.06] We want to retaliate.
[672.54 --> 674.04] We want to hit back
[674.04 --> 676.02] the person who hit us.
[677.06 --> 678.44] In fact, let me just remind us
[678.44 --> 679.22] that the definition
[679.22 --> 680.16] that we're working with
[680.16 --> 680.72] in this series
[680.72 --> 681.54] is that forgiveness
[681.54 --> 683.28] is renouncing revenge
[683.28 --> 684.88] and being open
[684.88 --> 685.66] to reconciliation.
[686.66 --> 687.18] And in light of that,
[687.24 --> 688.62] I want to read how Paul then
[688.62 --> 689.76] in verse 17 to 19
[689.76 --> 691.82] specifically speaks
[691.82 --> 693.62] into that anger response
[693.62 --> 694.20] for revenge.
[694.32 --> 694.82] He says,
[695.70 --> 697.42] Do not repay anyone
[697.42 --> 698.42] evil for evil.
[699.52 --> 700.70] Be careful to do
[700.70 --> 701.20] what is right
[701.20 --> 702.12] in the eyes of everyone.
[702.38 --> 703.52] If it is possible,
[704.04 --> 705.80] as far as it depends on you,
[705.96 --> 707.66] live at peace with everyone.
[707.66 --> 710.18] Do not take revenge,
[710.30 --> 711.06] my dear friends,
[711.58 --> 712.24] but leave room
[712.24 --> 713.06] for God's wrath,
[713.18 --> 714.00] for it is written,
[714.58 --> 716.44] it is mine to avenge,
[716.84 --> 718.40] and I will repay,
[718.56 --> 719.22] says the Lord.
[720.38 --> 721.34] Now there's a lot
[721.34 --> 722.02] in these short verses,
[722.10 --> 722.62] we're going to unpack
[722.62 --> 723.12] them together.
[723.46 --> 724.66] But you can see Paul
[724.66 --> 726.40] curbing that desire
[726.40 --> 727.32] to exact revenge
[727.32 --> 727.92] on somebody.
[728.46 --> 729.30] Curbing that desire
[729.30 --> 730.90] to you retaliating
[730.90 --> 731.54] on someone.
[732.12 --> 733.58] And I should highlight
[733.58 --> 734.56] that we live in a culture
[734.56 --> 735.68] where increasingly,
[735.68 --> 738.04] it's okay just to get revenge,
[738.14 --> 738.64] to get even,
[738.72 --> 739.66] to punish someone back
[739.66 --> 740.64] for how they punished you.
[740.98 --> 742.20] And I was reminded this week,