Clean and Unclean Anger
We must transform and purify our anger, making it holy and fueled by a desire for good and God's glory.
John Henry Jowett preaches on the transformation and purification of anger, emphasizing the need to put away worldly anger fueled by envy, jealousy, and spite, and instead cultivate holy anger that seeks the good of others and the glory of God. He highlights how our anger reveals our character and questions whether it is ignited by personal grievances or noble empathy. Using the example of the Apostle Paul, he illustrates how holy anger is kindled by oppression and cruelty, devoid of impurity and as pure as the flame of oxygen, urging believers to seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire.
Text
EPHESIANS iv. 25-32.
"Let all anger be put away from you." And yet only a moment ago the
Apostle had written the words, "Be ye angry and sin not." My power of
anger is not to be destroyed, it is to be transformed and purified. Anger
can be like an unclean bonfire; it can also be like "a sea of glass
mingled with fire." There can be more smoke than light in it, more selfish
passion than holy purpose. The fuel that feeds it may be envy, and
jealousy, and spite, and not a big desire for the good of men and the
glory of God. Worldly anger "is set on fire of hell"; holy anger borrows
flame from the altar-fires of God.
Our anger reveals our character. What is the quality of our anger? What
kindles it? Is it incited by our own wrongs or by the wrongs of another?
Is it set on fire by self-indulgence or by a noble sympathy? Here is a
sentence which describes the anger of the Apostle Paul: "Who is made to
stumble and I burn not?" Paul's holy anger was made to burn by oppression,
by the cruelty inflicted upon his fellow-men. His fire had nothing unclean
in it; it was pure as the flame of oxygen.
This is the anger we must cherish. We cannot "work ourselves up" into it.
We must seek to be "baptized with the Holy Ghost _and with fire_."
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of Anger
- The Character Revealed by Anger
- The Anger of the Apostle Paul
- Paul's holy anger was made to burn by oppression
- Paul's fire was pure and holy
- We must seek to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire
Key Quotes
“My power of anger is not to be destroyed, it is to be transformed and purified.” — John Henry Jowett
“Who is made to stumble and I burn not?” — John Henry Jowett
“We must seek to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” — John Henry Jowett
Application Points
- We must examine our anger and determine if it is fueled by selfish passion or a desire for good and God's glory.
- We should strive to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire to experience holy anger.
- Our anger reveals our character, and we must seek to have a heart that is pure and holy.