An Alternative to Sinful Anger James 1:19-21 Chris Patton Introduction: Here in these verses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, James addresses a temptation that is common to man. No person is exempt from it. The temptation is to become sinfully angry when things in our lives don’t go the way that we would like them to go. Three Recommendations: *Seek daily to not tolerate sinful anger in your life *Seek daily to forsake all sin *Seek daily, to receive the Word of the Gospel again and again Questions for Discussion/Application: *Re-read the text, James 1:19-21. What initial insights and observations do you have from reading this passage? *David Powlison, from his study of scripture, defines anger as “active displeasure toward something that’s important enough to care about….It’s the way we react when something we think important is not the way it is supposed to be.” What kinds of responses to difficult situations and people qualify as sinful anger? *How is sinful anger different from righteous anger? *How can “preaching the gospel to ourselves” daily help us to be less prone to sinful anger? *In what ways can you personally be tempted towards anger? *Consider taking time to pray, asking God to help us as group to grow in not yielding to sinful anger, and instead walking the pathway of wisdom set out for us in this passage.