The Taming of Anger
The sermon teaches that anger originates in the thoughts and can be prevented through long meditation on moral questions and God's mercy.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the significance of thoughts in the manifestation of anger, asserting that all sins, including anger, begin in the heart and mind. He explains that quick-tempered individuals often brood over wrongs, conditioning themselves for outbursts, while a heart filled with moral contemplation and understanding of God's mercy is less likely to react with anger. Tozer encourages deep meditation on sin, mercy, and Christ's sacrifice to cultivate a heart that responds with grace rather than rage. Ultimately, he highlights the importance of managing our thoughts to tame our anger and respond appropriately to injustices.
Text
It is significant that when our Lord describes the stream of iniquity as it flows out of the heart He begins with the thoughts. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies... Matthew 15:19. It is doubtful whether any sin is ever committed until it first incubates in the thoughts long enough to stir the feelings and predispose the will toward it favorably. Even the sudden flash of anger, which of all sins would appear on the surface to have the lowest mental content, is anything but a sudden eruption of the emotions.
The quick-tempered man is one who habitually broods over wrongs and insults and thus conditions himself for the sudden fit of temper that seems to have no mental origin.
The heart that has had the benefit of broad, sane thinking on moral questions, especially long meditation upon mans sin, Gods mercy and the goodness of Christ in dying for His enemies, is not conditioned to blow up when occasion arises. The worst reaction to an affront or an injustice will be annoyance or mild irritation, never a burst of sinful anger.
Sermon Outline
- The Source of Anger
- The Incubation of Sin
- The Conditioned Heart
- A well-conditioned heart does not react with anger
- A heart conditioned by broad thinking responds with annoyance
Key Quotes
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies...” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Practice broad, sane thinking on moral questions to prevent sinful anger.
- Meditate on God's mercy and the goodness of Christ to condition your heart to respond to injustices with less severity.
- Recognize the difference between annoyance and anger and strive to respond with the former in the face of affronts or injustices.