Today we are continuing our sermon series going through the Gospel of Matthew.

How do you deal with anger? Is Anger a sin? What is righteous anger? Do you have an anger problem? Anger is a complicated issue, but lucky for us, God has given us guidance on how to deal with it. Today, we’re continuing on in the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is in the midst of teaching what it looks like for people to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Today, we’re looking at what He has to say about anger.

What not to do with anger:
1. Don’t hold onto grudges
Matt. 5:22, 6:14-15, 21:12-17, James 1:19-20, Eph. 4:26
2. Don’t be passive aggressive
Matt. 5:22, 9, 18:15-17, James 1:19, Prov. 15:1, Rom. 12:17-21, Col. 3:13, Eph. 4:29, 1 Tim. 2:8, James 1:26, Prov. 12:16-18, Eph. 5:4
3. Don’t revert to insults
Matt. 5:22, Col. 4:6, Eph. 4:29, 1 Tim. 2:8, James 1:26, Prov. 12:16-18, Eph. 5:4

What to do with anger:
1. Have direct conversations ASAP
Matt. 5:23-24, 18:15-17, Prov. 20:19, Ps. 34:13, 1 Tim. 5:13, James 4:11, Eph. 4:26
2. Have a heart of reconciliation
Matt. 5:25-26, Eph. 4:32, Rom. 5:8, 10, 12:20, Luke 23:34, 1 Pet. 4:8, Prov. 25:8
3. Be willing to admit mistakes and wrongdoings
Matt. 5:26, Prov. 16:18, 19:11, 28:13, James 5:16, 2 Tim. 3:5

Getting Started

- Take some time to read over Matthew 5:21-26 and pray.
- Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it?
- What are some common misconceptions about anger among our culture? - What are some common misconceptions about anger among Christians? - Be honest with yourself: have you ever struggled with anger? How so?
- Do you struggle with anger during this season of your life?
- What typically makes you mad?


Diving In

Read Matthew 5:21-22. As Jesus is teaching about anger, He teaches that the standard of checking the box that you’ve never murdered someone isn’t enough. He heightens the standard to what is going on within our hearts. Have you ever struggled with making your faith about lists and checkboxes?

- Jesus’ teachings about anger means we can’t hold onto grudges. Have you struggled with holding onto grudges before? How so? Do you have any grudges now?
- A common struggle that many people deal with when it comes to anger, is being passive aggressive. Do you struggle with being passive aggressive?
- Do you ever revert to dealing with your anger through gossip and name calling?

Read Matthew 5:23-26. Many people get convinced that all anger is bad, but God made you to have emotions, including anger. Read Ephesians 4:26. How do you think understanding this verse would help you to deal with anger in a godly manner?

- How comfortable are you with having direct conversations with people instead of letting your anger fester?
- How can you better have a heart of reconciliation vs. letting your anger burn?
- How do you think admitting to your own failures and wrongdoings would help you when someone confronts you with something?

When we are able to have direct conversations with people, being able to correct others without being confrontational (instead of having our anger burn within us and having it explode out of us when we can’t hold it in any longer) we can have better, deeper relationships with people, and better point people towards Jesus in the midst of conflict. Have you ever experienced that in your life before?

- What relationships in your life would benefit most from you dealing with your anger in a more godly manner?
- In what situations could you point people towards Jesus better if you dealt with your anger in a more godly manner?
- How would dealing with your anger in a more godly manner help your relationship with the Lord?



Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word?

- What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture?
- How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord?
- Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

CHURCH FAMILY NEEDS: Pray for the Ewing family; Jason unexpectedly passed away recently. Pray for Jerry Jamrozy, who has bone cancer.

MISSIONARIES: This month pray for the Mishkins.


FAMILY OF THE WEEK: Each week we’ll pray for a different family in our church. This week pray for the Belys.

HILLSIDE HAPPENINGS: Pray that the church would continue to stay unified under Christ. Pray for our livestream and for the people joining us there. Pray for Casa Del Alfarero, the Spanish-speaking Missionary Church 5 minutes from our building.

CURRENT HAPPENINGS: Pray for the war in Israel.Pray for the war in Ukraine.

Attendance
In-person on 2/18: 51
Online views (through 2/22): 12

Giving
Online (2/12/24-2/18/24): $80 for general
In-Person on 2/11/24: $605 for general, $60 for missions, $70 for foster closet
Total general needed weekly to meet budget: $1623

Ladies, mark your calendars for the regional denominational retreat! This year, it is happening on Saturday, March 2nd, at St. Mark Missionary Church. Please see Tammi for more details.

This is a great time to join a small group! Joining a small group is a great way to grow in your faith. There is a small group that meets on Sunday mornings, at 9:30am, and men’s and women’s groups that meet every other Tuesday evening. For more information, please see Pastor Josh.

The foster closet is running a book drive and would love to have your help! For more information, see the insert in the bulletin, or see April Rollf.

If you do not receive our weekly emails, announcements, and prayer requests, please join our email list! You can do so by going to hmcworship.com/im-new

TECH: Our worship team is looking for someone who would like to run sound and/or slides. Please see Pastor Josh.

WORSHIP TEAM: Would you like to help out on the worship team? Please see Carolyn Dodd for details.

PRAYER GUIDE: Will you be in prayer for Hillside? Prayer guides are available at the welcome counter. Also, if you would like to be a prayer advocate, please see Pastor Josh.

MAINTENANCE TEAM: Would you like to help out on the maintenance team? We need help inside and outside the building. Please see Jeff Soule for details.