Dressed for Success: To Be or Not to Be (Angry, that is)?

(Ephesians 4:26-27)

One day in Hollywood, playwright Charles MacArthur was bemoaning to

Charlie Chaplin that he was finding it difficult to write visual jokes. “How,
for example, could I make a fat lady, walking down Fifth Avenue, slip on a
banana peel and still get a laugh? It’s been done a million times,” said
MacArthur. “Do I show first the banana peel, then the fat lady approaching;
then she slips? Or do I show the fat lady first, then the banana peel, and
then she slips?” “Neither,” said Chaplin, without a moment’s hesitation.
“You show the fat lady approaching; then you show the banana peel; then
you show the fat lady and the banana peel together; then she steps over the
banana peel -- and disappears down a manhole.” Misdirection, you see!

So -- here's the point. We have a scheming enemy. One scheme? Get us

focused on the front door while he's coming in the back door. Focused on
the banana peel -- missing the manhole. He's particularly adept at doing
that when it comes to the issue of anger – our focus today from Eph 4:26.
This is the second of five new suits of clothing (ways of conducting
ourselves) that God gives us in support of His general command to put off
our old pre-Christ lifestyle in favor of the new. We looked at the first last
week – truth – a life of integrity. Now today we look at anger and here's a
surprise. We are to put off anger (expected) and we are to put on -- anger.
Confused? Hopefully not by the end of the day. We will follow the same
outline that runs all the way through the section where Paul gives a positive,
a negative, and a reason. Usually he gives the negative first, then the
positive. Here he reverses the order and we will follow his lead.

I. Put on: Anger

Look with me at verse 26 of Ephesians 4: "Be angry and do not sin; do not
let the sun go down on your anger,” It is telling that we often gloss over the
first part of this verse almost as if it's not there. The Bible’s emphasis is on
temperance, on not being angry, on self-control. It's an important emphasis
and difficult to live, so the last thing we want to do is to encourage people
to be angry. Yet, Ephesians 4:26 starts with a very definite, precise
imperative or command to be angry.

It will help us understand this verse to know that there are three Greek
words used for anger in the New Testament. Sometimes, the first two are
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used almost interchangeably, but the best linguists agree that there is a clear
differentiation in emphasis. The first word is the word θυμος. This word
refers to an explosive, volatile, turbulent, boiling agitation that is usually
accompanied by a loss of control. Temper tantrum in modern English. It
usually comes rather quickly and then either disappears or settles down into
a state of ongoing wrath. This word is not used in Eph 4:26.

The second word for anger is the word οργη. Often used interchangeably,
but the emphasis on this second word is a settled condition of anger.
Emphasis is away from a loss of control to a purposeful, intentional,
settled anger against someone or something. Both of these words are
normally objectionable from a biblical standpoint, but both can have a
good connotation. For example, both are sometimes used of God. Both are
used to describe the second coming of Christ in Revelation 19:15 where we
read, "15) From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down
the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the
winepress of the fury (θυμος) of the wrath (οργη) of God the Almighty.” I
don’t know about you, but I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that
sword. It is this settled anger which believers are commanded to have in
Ephesians 4:26.

The third word for anger is Παροργισμός – meaning irritation or

exasperation. It is less volatile than the other two, but again, can be used
interchangeably. Context determines emphasis. This word is used only
twice, in verb form in Ephesians 4:26 and in noun form in Ephesians 6:4
and both times it is a prohibition to believers.

So -- believers are commanded to be angry in some settled, controlled

manner. But what drives this anger? Without question, the answer is sin.
The only way to be angry and not sin is to be angry at sin. God’s righteous
anger is always against sin. The same is true of Christ. At one point, the
Pharisees accused him of violating their concept of the law by healing a
man on the Sabbath. Jesus’ reaction is recorded in Mark 3:5, “And he
looked around at them with anger (that's our word, οργη), grieved at their
hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He
stretched it out, and his hand was restored. We see similar anger on Jesus’
part in John 2:13 ff. where Jesus drives the fraudulent moneychangers out
of the temple on His last trip to Jerusalem. Righteous anger.

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So what do we infer from all of this? Simply this. Followers of Christ are
commanded to have the same steady, settled anger against sin, injustice,
unfairness, lack of compassion, idolatry (both in ourselves and in others),
that our Father has. Righteous anger. We are to do that and yet not sin, and
as the old preacher said, “He that would be angry and not sin, must be
angry at nothing but sin.” I think that nails exactly what this passage is
about. Unfortunately, hardly anybody gets mad at sin anymore. It won’t be
long before almost anything is allowable in the name of tolerance if
someone wants it badly enough.

What concerns me even more than the rest of the world, however, is that we
as believers are tolerant of sin. In fact, we love our sin. Our consciences
have been jaded by a godless society. No depravity is condemned so long as
no one gets hurt. Truth has given way to a relativity that never offends.
Moderation is incompatible with the culture where it is all about me. We are
not touched by personal sin because, after all, we are no worse than anyone
else. Sin at worst is a mistake – not a violation of God.

We are like the young woman who participated in a Bible study that I was
in many years ago. At one point in the study she said, "You know, I know
this is wrong, but I just love to have a temper tantrum every so often." We
love our secret sins -- but God says, Be angry. Don't sin, but be angry at sin.
Put on the clothing of righteous anger.

II. Take off: Anger

Now, the negative admonition -- take off anger. Ironic that what we take
off is the same as what we put on. But, of course, there is a dynamic
difference between the two. It is rather like having to sets of clothing –
identical in every way except that one is white and the other black. Here we
are to put on and wear the white garment of righteous anger against sin, but
that is to replace the dark garments of unrighteous anger – and in this
verse, we have two types of that unrighteous anger.

You say, where do you see two types of anger? Well, one is in Paul’s
command “do not sin” and another in his next command – “do not let the
sun go down on your anger.” These are often linked together, but I think
there is a subtle difference in emphasis. Vengeance and Vexation.

A. Vengeance
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First, I think there is an injunction against vengeance. Paul will develop
this in verse 27, but look again at the beginning of verse 26, “Be angry and
do not sin” Stop right there. It is an independent clause that stands on its
own. Note -- the command not to sin is tied closely to the command to be
angry. What is the implication? Well, it is like someone taking a highly
toxic medication. The command from the doctor would be, “Use it. You
must take it or you will die. But do not under any conditions exceed the
dosage or fail to continue once started. That would be equally fatal.” Use
it, but don’t abuse it. Both commands must be given simultaneously – and
telling someone to be angry is similar. Use it – but not too much! He is
urging something that must become part of their character, and yet that
something is powerful enough to kill wrongly used. It must be used with
great discretion.

It is like electricity which provides extremely useful power – but we must

not violate the very strict and clear guidelines for its usage or it will kill. So
– you get the picture. Righteous anger – absolutely necessary, but also
extremely volatile and potentially crippling when misused in any way.

So the next question. In what way can it be misused? How can we go from
righteous anger at sin, to a condition of sin? And the answer is, by
attempting to play the role of God and fix the sin – address it on our own –
take the law into our own hands, so to speak – extract vengeance – which is
clearly something that God does not intend. It is a very slippery slope and
that’s why the Bible puts this most cryptic “do not sin” message right after
the command to be angry. We are holding dynamite in our hands.

Scott Roeder went over the edge and took it into his own hands to kill
abortionist doctor George Tiller. Righteousness anger, but turned into sin.
We might not be so blatant, but in lesser ways, we do the same. Quick to
fly off the handle when wronged. Slanderous in our condemnation of those
who have committed sins that are on our list of the Big 5 – whatever those
are in our case. Condemning persons rather than acts. Make no mistake –
this is a fine line. We have a loaded gun here and we must somehow make
sure that our anger at the act does not lead to a spirit of vengeance
against the actor. It is so easy to be like the young woman who placed an
ad that read,
Wedding dress for sale, never worn.
Will trade for .38 caliber pistol.
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We may not be quite that “out there” in our desire for vengeance, but it
creeps into our lives so subtly, we must always be on the lookout.

B. Vexation

Now, the second type of unrighteousness that I see in verse 26 is found in

the latter phrase – “do not let the sun go down on your anger.” This is the
third word we discussed above – Παροργισμός which means “provocation”,
“irritation”, “exasperation”, or “vexation.” I think what God is saying is,
“Be angry at sin, but do not sin yourself by taking vengeance into your own
hands. Don’t let the sun go down on the least feeling of exasperation you
may feel about the sin and unrighteousness you see. Irritation unchecked
becomes compulsion and takes over your life.” Extreme volatility results
from small vexations when we chew on them, coddle and massage them.
They blow up like a Christmas tree catching fire.

We all know the drill. Someone does us wrong! We begin to mull over
this wrong; it’s an irritation and then a distraction. The more we think
about it, the worse it seems. It becomes a compulsion; we begin to talk to
others; we see more and more evil intent and before long it dominates our
very life! Perspective is lost. Unwittingly, we allow that original irritation
to blossom into a Satanic takeover. We’re like a process that begins with
the splitting of one tiny atom so small it cannot be seen by the most
powerful microscope. But unchecked, it builds into a chain reaction that
mushrooms into an atomic explosion. Vexation leading to vengeance.
God says, “Don’t chew on the irritation. Don’t even let the sun go down on
it. Confess it. Move on.” One man asked his friend the secret to his 52
years of marriage. The man replied, “We never go to sleep angry.” “That’s
a great philosophy,” the first man noted. “Yes. And the longest we’ve been
awake so far is five days.”

You get the point, I’m sure. Anger doesn’t fix itself. You have to confess
it, leave it, part with it – forgive, if necessary – even if the other person
doesn’t deserve it. Remember – neither did you when Christ forgave you. I
remember reading about an eagle that swooped to the ground one day,
catching a weasel in its powerful talons. When it flew away, its wings
inexplicably went limp and it dropped to the ground like a lifeless doll.
Why? Because the weasel was caught in such a way that it was able to sink
its powerful teeth into the breast of the eagle and bring it down. Vexation
left unconfessed will do exactly the same to you and me.
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 III. So that: No Opportunity Given to the Devil

Now, as in all of the five items of conduct listed in this section, we come to
the reason for the suggested action. God doesn't just tell us what to do; he
tells us why. Why put on righteous anger? And why are we to take off
vexation and vengeance? The answer is -- because failure to do so gives
place to the devil -- a foot in the door. Anger misused either way leads to
Satan inching into the tent, and then it’s a short distance to total control.
Notice verse 27, "and give no opportunity to the devil.” Literally – “give no
place to the devil.” Very simple. Be angry at the right things, but discard
vengeance and vexation and thereby “give no opportunity to the devil.”

Now remember, giving place to the Devil can happen in two ways. Failure
to be angry at sin in our own life gives him place. When we think that God's
prohibition against gossip is for everyone except us when we are sharing
prayer requests, we've given place to the devil. When we act like God's
prohibition against having other gods before him is for everyone else except
us when our hobby has become more important to us than God, we've given
place to the devil. When we believe that God's prohibition against coveting
what our neighbor has is for everyone except us as we sacrifice family and
church obligations to make the next dollar, we've given place to the enemy.
There's a word for these activities and thousands more like them. The word
compromise. Compromise is when we figure out some reason why sin is
okay in this case. And, brother, we are expert compromisers.

Compromise ultimately kills. The Russians have an old parable about that.
A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to
pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft, soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to
talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let’s talk.” Lowering his rifle, the
hunter replied, “I want a fur coat.” “Good,” said the bear, “that’s
reasonable. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise.”
They sat down to negotiate. A short time later the bear walked away alone.
The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and
the hunter had his fur coat permanently. That’s why God hates
compromise and Satan loves it. Giving place to Satan by not sharing God’s
anger at sin in our own life.

We also give opportunity to the enemy when we exercise anger at anything

other than sin -- set on exacting vengeance or giving way to vexation.
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We’ve all been there. I've been there and I know you have. Stabbed in the
back by somebody we thought we could trust. Someone takes credit for
what we've done. Someone lied about us. How can we not feel vengeful
and want to get back -- get even? It's only natural, and more to the point, it
is my right! Just as a side note, here’s a caution -- when you find yourself
thinking or doing something because "it is my right,” the likelihood is that
you're right, but you're wrong. It probably is your right. We have a
sharpened sense of justice when it comes to our own person. But the desire
to get even, even when it is our right is almost always in violation of God's
will. It should be a huge red flag when we hear that word – rights.

So, how should we handle those kinds of situations where we or someone

we love has been wronged? What is the right thing? God answers in a
dramatic way. This wonderful secret that will see you through some
difficult times. I've had ample opportunity to use it myself, and I can only
tell you that God is faithful. Watch closely, I want you to see this for
yourself. In Ephesians 4:27 we are told “give no opportunity (literally –
give no place) to the devil.” Now, turn over with me to Romans 12. Follow
closely, you need to see this for yourself. This is a tough passage so hang
on. Let's start at verse 14, " 14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse them. (I told you it was going to be tough. Now let me ask you.
How serious are you about following Christ? This is part of the package,
Beloved. You can’t go away and say, “Well, I didn’t know. I was just
protecting my rights.” Can’t say that anymore) 14) Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15) Rejoice with those who
rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16) Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own
sight. (Oh, there’s a tough one) 17) Repay no one evil for evil, (please note.
God is acknowledging that evil has been done you. He knows that you
have been wronged – and yet He instructs, don’t repay it. I told you this
would be tough). 17) Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do
what is honorable in the sight of all. 18) If possible, so far as it depends on
you, live peaceably with all (you see the principle. If there is going to be a
fight or a feud, make sure it is not your doing. -- Now, watch this. Here is
the secret – the key that will make all of this possible. Remember Eph 4:27
says, “give no place to the Devil.” Now verse 19 in Romans 12). 19)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is
written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

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That little phrase “leave it to the wrath of God" is literally translated “give
place to the wrath of God.” Exactly the same words as in Eph 4. So in
Ephesians 4 are told “do not give place to the devil.” In Romans 12 we are
told do give place to the wrath of God. It’s a trade – your desire for
vengeance exchanged for God’s ability to extract wrath. Let His wrath
take the place of yours! Wow. Is that an invitation that you can live with?
God is saying in essence, “I’ll go to bat for you in this issue.” He even goes
on to promise vengeance if merited. So when we are tempted to defend our
rights we have two choices: 1) Give place to the Devil by exacting
vengeance on our own – or 2) give place to the wrath of God, so that He can
exact revenge in a much more righteous and exacting manner. You can give
it up knowing it will be taken care of.

People can be amazingly creative when it comes to revenge. One guy in

Marin County, CA ordered checks from his bank with personalized photos.
These checks were solely for making his alimony payments. They picture
him kissing his new—and beautiful—wife. He gets an A for creativity, but
how much better to leave the vengeance up to God. Think God isn’t up to
it? Read the story of Mordecai and Haman sometime in the book of Esther.
Give place to the wrath of God by saying, "Here, Lord, it's all yours. I
release it!" And the continuing instruction to us in Romans 12? Get ready!
20)
To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give
him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his
head.” 21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Hopefully you get the picture. Revenge is His job; unearthly,
overwhelming, overcoming goodness is our job. Are we up to it?

There’s a wonderful example of this in Genesis 50. Joseph was betrayed by

his brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. But God used Joseph later to
save all of them from starvation. Joseph forgave his brothers and brought
his whole family to Egypt and cared for them for 17 years. But then Dad
dies. The brothers became fearful again. They send to Joseph to remind
him that their father wanted him to forgive. Genesis 50:18, "His brothers
also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your
servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of
God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,
to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Joseph had been violently wronged. He later had the perfect opportunity
to extract revenge -- but he refused to do so. Why? Because he knew,
vengeance belongs to the Lord. Forgiveness comes easier with a wide-angle
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lens. Joseph uses one to get the whole picture. He doesn’t just see the
manhole; he sees the banana peel too! He refuses to focus on the betrayal
of his brothers without also seeing the loyalty of his God. Although he did
not have Romans 12:19 like we do, he put it into perfect practice. He
refused to give place to the enemy and instead gave place to the wrath of
God. He overcame evil with good, literally feeding his enemy. What an
illustration of how to handle anger.

Conclusion

And just in case you think this was only for biblical times, listen to this.
Recently, The Hallmark Hall of Fame presented “Crossroads”, told a
dramatized version of the story of Bruce Murakami. On November 16,
1998, Bruce’s beautiful wife, Cindy and daughter Chelsea were killed in a
car crash in Tampa when Cindy pulled out of a grocery store parking lot in
Tampa and into the path of a teen-ager, Justin Cabezas, who was street
racing. Bruce was just leaving home – saw billows of black smoke rising
above his neighborhood and decided to go see what it was all about. What
he found was his family trapped inside of a burning, demolished van.
Bruce spent three years trying to prove that Justin, the 19-year-old driver
of the other car, had been street racing. Eventually, Justin was charged,
taken to court and convicted. But Bruce had also begun to realize that he
could not move on with his own life if he did not confront Justin directly.
In an emotional, private conversation, Justin apologized to Bruce. Bruce
began to see his need to live up to the tenets of his faith and to forgive
Justin. Eventually, Bruce appealed for Justin to be put on probation if he
would agree to accompany Bruce to schools and churches and conduct safe
driving presentations. Justin’s community service hours were served long
ago, but they still do presentations together to this day.

Murakami once said, “You have to deal with your anger or it will destroy
you. If I hadn't found a way to forgive, I would have been a third victim.”
How may lives were blessed and even saved because of one act of
forgiveness? Let us determine to let our anger give place to God and not to
be the enemy of our soul.