Can Christians Get Angry at Sin and Death?

Can Christians get angry at sin and death? My father died unexpectedly earlier this month. You can listen to the eulogy I preached out his Celebration of Life here: https://www.scottlapierre.org/eulogy-for-john-lapierre/. Because he had Alzheimer’s I had years to think about him passing away and how I would feel. I expected grief and sorrow, but I didn’t expect to feel angry.

We should evaluate our feelings to determine whether they please or displease God. We do this by reading God’s Word to see what it says about the feelings we are experiencing. We also look at our premier example, Jesus Christ Himself, to see if He experienced those same feelings because He was the perfect Person.

The difficulty with evaluating anger is it isn’t as straightforward as other feelings. There are some verses that discourage anger and others that encourage it.

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00:00 Sermon Lessons for Can Christians Get Angry at Sin and Death?

08:40 Lesson one: we should evaluate ______ ________________ (1 Thessalonians 4:13, Ephesians 2:12, Matthew 5:4, 26:36-38, Proverbs 22:24, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Colossians 3:8).

Lesson two: we can be angry at:

23:40 • (part one) ______ (Deuteronomy 9:8, Numbers 11:1, Mark 3:5, James 1:20, 4:1-2, Psalm 97:10, Proverbs 8:13, Amos 5:15, Romans 12:9).

28:24 • (part two) __________ (John 11:31-44, 14:9, Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 20:14).

Family Worship Guide for Can Christians Get Angry at Sin and Death?

Directions: Read the verses and then answer the following questions:

Day one: 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Ephesians 2:12, Matthew 5:4, 26:36-38, Proverbs 22:24, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Colossians 3:8. Would you agree that death is “Normal”? Why doesn’t it feel normal? Why do you think we should evaluate our feelings? What feelings have you experienced when you’ve lost a loved one? Do you believe those feelings are supported by God’s Word?

Day two: Deuteronomy 9:8, Numbers 11:1, Mark 3:5, James 1:20, 4:1-2, Psalm 97:10, Proverbs 8:13, Amos 5:15, Romans 12:9. Why is anger a difficult feeling to evaluate? Can you think about godly examples of anger in Scripture? What about ungodly examples? What does it look like to have a godly anger toward sin? What does ungodly anger look like, and why is it often produced in our lives?

Day three: John 11:31-44, 14:9, Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 20:14. Why do you think Jesus was angry at Death? Why did Jesus let Lazarus die? Why did Jesus weep, and what does that mean for us with him being our faithful High Priest? Considering Jesus wept, what does that tell us about God himself? What application does the account with Lazarus have for us when we lose believing loved ones?

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