The Bible says that a man of great anger will bear the penalty (Prov.19:19). In Proverbs 27:4, God says, "Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood." The Bible says that there is transgression in many words, and when a man gets angry, many words flow like a flood. James 3 tells us that words are like a fire that ravages and destroys.

When destroying words, angry words, flow forth, bridges that we want to keep are burned, sometimes forever. We thank Jesus that under the New Covenant we can see most of these mistakes redeemed. However, free will is involved, and some bridges with some people and situations will be permanently burned. Jesus is nonetheless a faithful Redeemer, and He will bring new bridges to new opportunities. We must, however, take seriously God's warnings about anger and the tongue.

"Scorners set a city aflame, But wise men turn away from anger." So says Proverbs 29:8. In this case it is bridges, not cities, which we burn by our angry words.

You get ticked off with your boss, and you cuss him out and quit your job. No references for a future job. Only a temptation to lie to get a new job. You're cooked because in anger-rage you burned a bridge that only Jesus can rebuild. But you have to change, and that is what we will explain at the end of this message.

God says that "anger resides in the bosom of fools" (Eccl. 7:9). Love forgives the offense, but anger-rage dwells in unforgiveness on the hurt caused and wants to get back at the one who caused the pain.

God commands that "all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice" (Eph. 4:31). "Be kind to one another," He continues, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." In verse 26 He tells us to be angry and yet not sin, i.e., to have only proper, righteous anger at sin, not impatient anger at people. By letting the wrong kind of anger, anger-rage, fester rather than confessing it before the end of the day, we give the devil and specifically the demon anger-rage legal right and access (4:26-27). "Outbursts of anger" are in the list of "deeds of the flesh" (Gal. 5:19-21), along with enmities, strife, disputes, dissensions, factions. If we continue in those deeds, we disqualify ourselves from entry into God's eternal Kingdom and Family. The fruit of love keeps us from those angry ways, as God's joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control guide our thoughts and actions (5:22-23).

Anger-rage caused the apostle Paul to burn his bridges with Barnabas. The two had a sharp disagreement about whether to take John Mark with them or not (Acts 15:36-40). Barnabas was an encouraging sort of fellow and very forgiving. Paul was a bit more hard-nosed. He had had difficulty forgiving himself for killing Christians. Some think he was the rich young ruler who was not willing to lay down his riches and prestige to follow Jesus. God gave him another opportunity when He struck him down on the road to Damascus. He finally burnt the bad bridges to sin and murder, but he struggled with his identity in Jesus and with forgiving himself. In Romans 7 he called himself wretched, implying that he had a hard time forgiving himself and accepting himself as the righteousness of God in Jesus. And in this cursing encounter with Barnabas, he was probably not able to forgive John Mark for his betrayal, not to forgive Barnabas, who wanted to forgive Mark and leave his past behind.   [Continued ...]