Group Fellowship Notes – 24/26 June 2003

God’s Questions No. 5 – Why are you so angry?

Welcome

Guess what each persons dream occupation was when they were 10.

Ask questions, the person will respond "hot" or "cold"

Once you have found their dream find out why they did or didn't follow it.

Worship

You are valuable – be thankful…

Have a £20 note (or pretend to) – hold it up and ask "Who would like this £20 note?"

Crumple the note up then ask, "Who still wants it?"

Drop it on the floor and start to grind it with your shoe, perhaps spit on it(!!!). Pick it up, all crumpled and dirty.  "Now who still wants it?"

Say something like…

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth £20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him.

Encourage the group to share words of encouragement, scriptures, prayers about how much God values us and our grateful response.

Word

What are some of the things that get you angry? (road rage / trolley rage / computer rage – can these be grouped… frustration, annoyance, mistakes being pointed out, injustice)

Read Genesis 4:1-7

Looking at the first 5 verses – what clues, if any, are there as to why God accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s.

Verse 6: once more we can ask the question… “why is God asking this question?” For whose benefit?

The outcome of this story is far from decided… In verse 7, God offers him a re-assurance (if you do…), a warning (if you don’t…) and a choice (but you must…)

How does the reassurance…reassure us?

How does the warning, give us a graphic picture of sin?

How is the choice encouraging and empowering?

So when we get angry – we also have a choice… about how we react?

The world argues about the values of whether we express the anger / let off steam or whether we suppress the anger / bottle it in? What do you do?

The bible tells us of the dangers of anger…

Get different people to look up… Pro 14:17, Ecc 7:9, Eph 4:31-32, Col 3:8, Jam 1:19-20

And yet God is a God who gets angry… Jn 2:13-17, Matt 23:13f, Rom 1:18, 2:5, Eph 5:6

What is different about God’s anger from man’s anger and the anger shown by Christ?

God’s is: always a just reaction to evil, never misguided – therefore anger is properly shown

Man’s  is: imperfect, liable to be misguided or misdirected. We are more likely to get angry when personally offended than when sin is exalted and God is dishonoured. Imperfect due to ignorance, misunderstanding, self protection

Christ’s is  pure – has nothing of self-interest. Only for God’s honour

Take a look at Eph 4:26 – is this Paul putting a different opinion?

So be honest… what is it that makes you angry… what sin crouches at your door when you get angry?

So is it best to suppress or express your anger… or is there a third way?

Witness

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

Finish off by reading through Colossians 3:1-15…

What does this say about how God wants to deal with our potential anger?

Pray for one another to be transformed…

and in the meantime – in your anger… choose to stay right with God, choose to come back to God, choose to tell the divine questioner, rather than open the door to sin which could devour you and take glory away from God.