What about repeat offenders, who just keep doing the same thing over and over? What about boundaries? What about abusive or toxic relationships? What about injustice? What about consequences?

Transcript

June 8-9, 2019

Pastor Joe Wittwer

Let it Go!

#6—What about…?

Introduction and offering

ILL: On Christmas day, the whole family was at our house to celebrate. Just before dinner, my son Andy mentioned that I had gotten an email from someone who was upset about my message at our Christmas Eve services. I was still recovering from doing 6 services, and should have just let it go. But I was curious what he had objected to and asked Andy. When Andy told me, it just ticked me off—especially when Andy read the part that said, “Don’t you dare” talk about this particular subject. I got all huffy. “Don’t you dare? Really! Well, don’t you dare tell me what I can and can’t speak on.” I’ll show you! I’ll give you a piece of my mind that I can’t afford to lose! I was angry—and anger never makes you smarter. Happily, Andy said, “Maybe it’s best not to talk about this today—let’s just let it go, Dad.” And happily, I did. I let it go, and enjoyed Christmas Day with my family. But how sad would it have been if I’d hung on to that and let it ruin Christmas? Yet people do it all the time.

Staying angry is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. Don’t ruin your life!

You can’t help getting angry sometimes—it’s a pretty quick emotional response—but you can choose what you do with it. You can hang on to it, nurse it, act on it—not good. Or you can let it go. And that’s what the Bible tells us to do.

In this final message in our Let it Go! series, I want to remind us that God calls us to get rid of all anger and bitterness, to forgive anyone anything, and to become unoffendable. That’s point one. Then in point two, I want to answer the questions I’ve been getting. “What about…repeat offenders, people who keep doing the same thing over and over? What about boundaries? What about injustice? What about consequences?” We’re going to cover a lot of ground, so let’s dive in.

Offering here

 

Get rid of all anger.

In the first message, we read some Scripture that told us to get rid of all anger.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (p. 1008) Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Paul piles up the synonyms—bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, malice—and says “get rid of all of it.” How much? All. Even your so-called righteous anger—get rid of it. And forgive each other just God forgave you. How has God forgiven you? Fully and freely—He forgives you everything. Forgive others the same way.

James 1:19-20 (p. 1043) My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Be slow to become angry. Why? Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. My anger—even the anger that I think is righteous and justified—does not produce what God wants. Let it go. As we’ll see, there’s a better way.

In January, I read this passage in our Bible Reading Plan.

Luke 9:51–56 (p. 891)

51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem. The most direct route was through Samaria, but most Jews avoided that dangerous route and went the long way