Well, how about we pray? If we start late, somebody's going to get angry. Then I got to teach on anger today. Can't start late. No, let's come to the Lord in prayer and ask for him to help us in our hour of Bible study. Our Father, we thank you for each man around this table, each man in this room. Lord, we are grateful for the living word, the scriptures. It is powerful. The Bible can change our hearts. It can change our affections, can change our desires, can change our worldview. Oh, we thank you, Holy Spirit, that you use your word powerfully in our lives. And we pray, Lord, that even as we talk about such a practical topic, such as anger, Lord, there's not a man in this room that doesn't need to be reminded of such clear biblical truths that you have laid out in the word. So, God, we ask that you would teach us, that you would humble us, that you would Show us more of your word and how we can walk in a way that would be pleasing to you in Jesus name. Amen. You have your outline there, guys. Number eight in our biblical counseling training class for us. The ladies have their part and we're pretty much on the same track with them. Some of the weeks might be a little bit different here and there, maybe a different order, but we're pretty much on the same path. And today we're covering anger, the topic of anger. Again, the 10-page packet that you have here, there's info here that I just can't deal all with today. It's going to be kind of a reference guide for you down the road. You can kind of read it and put it on the shelf, and as time would allow, you come back to it. But I want to go through a couple of portions and then dive into three main parts in the Word and just really understand it together. Just to begin, look at the top of the page 64 there. This is kind of in our ongoing packet that we're building. Psalm 37, cease from anger, forsake wrath, do not fret, it leads only to evil doing. Look at the bold quote below that by Martin Lloyd-Jones, nothing I maintain so constantly gives the devil an opportunity as loss of control and anger. Jerry Bridges has a book. It's a tremendous book, Respectable Sins. One of the chapters is on anger. He says this, in facing up to our anger, we need to realize that no one else causes us to be angry. I'm going to end our time today by circling back to that. That destroys the phrase, well, he made me or she whatever, you know, pointing the blame on somebody else. We need to realize that nobody else causes us to be angry. Someone else's words or actions may become the occasion of our anger, but the cause lies deep within us, usually our pride or selfishness or desire to control. In the introduction, you see here just a couple of brief bullet points that you are aware of. God gets righteously angry. Maybe more accurately, he is righteously angry. Romans 1 and the Psalms bring that out. God's anger is a perfect, it is a right, and a just response to what is wrong and offensive. God's anger is never sinful. My anger, your anger, can become sinful. But not God's. We even know our Lord, Jesus. was sinfully angry at times. We see that in the Gospels. He was angry, but never sinfully angry. Let me clarify that. Okay, what is anger? In a room full of men, do I need to define anger? But here's a couple of definitions. The first, anger is a whole person, active, notice it isn't passive, but it's an active response of negative moral judgment against a perceived evil. And you could kind of break that down phrase by phrase, but let me camp on the next one written 400 years ago. Richard Baxter has a tremendous article on anger. He said, it is the rising up in the heart, impassionate displacency. That's a word that means dislike, dissatisfaction, discontentment. It's a rising up in my heart of dislike. of an apprehended evil, which would cross or hinder us of some," here's the key word, desired good. Now, on the next page, let me just kind of give a few more elements by way of introduction. This is a study, guys, for every one of us here in this room, myself included. The New Testament has three main words for anger in the Greek. The first is the Greek word thumos. It means explosive anger. Here's the person who's, you know, boiling in their agitation of the feeling and the passion of anger just comes out in this explosive, angry outburst. And then you have number two, another Greek word that refers to an abiding, kind of a settled attitude inwardly, internally. It's almost like a bitterness. I'm seeking revenge. It might not be a punching through the wall. Maybe it's more of an internal, maybe a quiet, settled attitude internally. And then third, the third word here is an anger that is mingled with irritability. I'm irritated. I'm frustrated. Those kinds of words that we often say or hear said, it's kind of this idea here, exasperation, embitterment. Yeah, those occur in the New Testament. Why is anger so bad? Look at the next paragraph. Anger is like a fire. It can be used for heating and cooking, or fire can burn down a house. When disputes arise and analytical judgment is most needed, anger can often flare out of control. Fellas, I admit I've been there. Maybe you've been there before. It turns reason into irrationality. and confusion. It short-circuits open and fruitful communication, and it hinders honest discussion. It's kind of like, you're not even worth talking to anymore. You're so angry. You're not even thinking rightly about the issue at hand. There are so many scriptures we could go to, guys. It's hard to even pick 50. I mean, there's everywhere in the Bible. I want to take you to a few of them in a little bit, but notice the middle bullet point. There's a little bit of a different star there. Notice all the Proverbs. Guys, I would encourage you, maybe start tomorrow, maybe start next week. Just take one proverb a week and memorize it in this line here. It'll do you good because the Proverbs give such wisdom on guarding our mouth, guarding our hearts, and quite honestly, guarding from sinful anger. In many other scriptures as well, I try to define a little bit there, the scriptures and what they're about. Now, I don't want to spend much time on the bottom of page 65, the worldly ways. These are widespread. Fellas, they're all around us. And they're wrong ways of viewing anger and the secular mindset. Now, the DSM, if you're not familiar with the DSM, it's the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fifth edition, by the American Psychiatric Association. There is a category called Disruptive Impulse Control and Conduct Disorders. Okay, IED. I just picked one of the most common, IED. Intermittent Explosive Disorder. It's a behavioral disorder characterized by explosive outbursts of anger, often to the point of rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. And then, later on, I found this in my study. Not that I do a whole lot of study in secular psychologists, but I found this by a couple here in the University of Arkansas. There is currently little agreement among mental health practitioners as to what constitutes an anger problem. Well, the Bible is crystal clear. It's not surprising to us that in the professional world, when they don't have a category for God and for the heart of man as the Bible defines it, it's not surprising that there's not agreement on what the root of anger is. But the Bible brings out crystal clarity. Next page. It's ironic that it's an IED because in Afghanistan there's IEDs and they both are very destructive. Yeah, and the American Psychological Association continues on the next page. I want to read this because I want you to understand how the world thinks. Remember, they write, you cannot eliminate anger. How hopeless is that? I mean, how hopeless? And it wouldn't be a good idea if you could. What? In spite of all your efforts, things will happen that will cause, notice that, things will happen that will cause you. Do you see that there? It's not your fault. And sometimes it will be justifiable anger. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss, unpredictable actions of others. Because anger is a psychological issue, it is possible to treat symptoms. Notice that word, not the root issue, but symptoms. with medication. While the goal of treatment programs would be eventually to make the patient self-sufficient, that's at odds with the Bible, particular medicines can be helpful in the treatment phase. Antidepressants and so on are prescribed for anger issues. And guys, you see underneath the box there how secular psychologists encourage dealing with anger two main ways. Number one, venting. We hear that all the time. I just got to vent. Just got to vent. Or number two, this is widespread, transference. The counselor takes the place of the person with which the client is angry. Bring all your anger out on me as the counselor as if I were the person that you're really angry with. The Bible talks about two kinds of anger. There's vented anger and there's the slow burn, the box right there. Guys, maybe you and I, if we're really honest, we've been guilty of both. We have the slow burn. We've all been there. The internal glaring, the frustration, the clamming up. I don't want to talk about it. And then you've got the vented anger. Maybe it's the screaming. Maybe it's the telling somebody off, the verbal attack, and so on. Now, on the next page, Why do we get angry? Let's just kind of refocus in biblical counseling when we're dealing with Christians. Why do we get angry? What's the root of it? Where does it come from? Now, we have on the top of page 67, I just brought out a bunch of check marks there, unbiblical ways of interpreting bouts of anger. and maybe you and I have thought these things. I deserve much more than this. If only she had listened to me, we wouldn't be here. I'm gonna be late and it's a horrible thing that I'm late. I hate being late. I'm guilty of that. I told her what I wanted and she's not cooperating. She's so selfish. On and on we could go with these kinds of phrases and statements that we can say. Even physical effects can affect one's physical appearance and demeanor as well. High blood pressure, lack of sleep, disruption of work, disruption of responsibilities, and so on. Middle of the page, there's a little quote from Proverbs. Never forget this. Proverbs 29, a hot-tempered man abounds in transgressions. So what's the root? Where does it come from? Biblical counseling guys, we need to know this as we deal with other brothers and as we deal with non-believers. What's the real issue? We are angry for selfish reasons. Pride, hurt feelings, I want something. And then we express our anger in sinful ways. Look at the next little quote there under that heading. Anger demonstrates a great dissatisfaction with God's sovereignty in your life, maybe in that moment, I could say. Anger arises out of living to please myself in that moment instead of living to please the Lord. Now, let me see if I can kind of clarify, and then I want to prove it biblically, okay? Number one, anger is something that a person chooses to do. He made me angry. Nope. Nope. You chose to be angry. That's really the reality. People do not make us angry. Circumstances do not make us angry. Our hearts. is what leads us to anger. Look at the quote down below from Jerry Bridges. I want to read it again because it's helpful. In facing up to our anger, we need to realize that no one else causes us to be angry, but somebody else's words or actions may become the occasion of our anger. The real root cause lies deep within us. Bottom of the page, anger comes as a result of idolatry. I'm putting myself in the place of God. Now, you know, this is a good moment. Take your Bible. Let's just prove this. Go to James four in my home. I'll just be honest. James four is a text we often go to, not just with my five kids and not with my wife. She's near perfect. But with my own heart, James four guys, look at this. And this is a gloriously clear verse. I mean, God gave us amazing counsel. James four, verse one, what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you among you? No. Okay. Where do fights come from? Where does the argument come from? Where does the quarrel and the conflict And my kids like to say, well, it's their fault. He's not sharing. I say that. No. Verse one is not the source, your pleasures, your desires that are waging war in your members. That's what God says. It's desires in my heart that I want so much. Verse two, you lust. He's not talking about sexual lust, but you desire something and you don't have it. So you commit murder. Well, Jesus said, if you're angry with your brother, you've committed murder in your heart. You're envious and you cannot obtain it. So you fight and quarrel. I want this. I'm envious. I want something so bad. It's really our hearts. It's really our hearts. back to our outline. We're going to come back to James here in a little bit. Uh, page 68, 68, number three at the top of the page, Jesus said, anger is mental murder. Now, you know, the sermon on the mounds in Matthew five, the ancients were told, don't commit murder. Whoever commits murder is liable to the court. Jesus said, but I say to you, let me just take it to the top notch level. Um, whoever is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. Whoever says to his brother, you're good for nothing, will be guilty before the Supreme Court. And whoever says you fool will be guilty enough to go into fiery hell. It's not just about the act of murder. Where does it come from? It's the heart. It's the heart. Anger, number four, is extremely deceptive. Number five, it deceives us into thinking that it is right for us to hurt people who have hurt us. Don't repay evil for evil, the Bible says. Number six, I see this frequently, it deceives us. Anger deceives us into thinking that we have to obey it. I didn't have a choice. I had no other option. I had to be angry. We can't help our angry response. I know the Bible doesn't allow for that. So in the middle of the page, anger. is a heart issue. And guys, you say, well, Jeff, we've been talking about this. That's exactly right. I hope that every week as we're in this biblical counseling, you're thinking, well, I get it. I understand it. The word says it. I can counsel others with it. You don't, you don't need the PhD and whatever. You know, you can counsel one another because you've got the word, you've got the truth, you've got the understanding from the scriptures. Anger is a heart issue. Jesus said it in Mark chapter 7. We've looked at this verse many times. Jesus said, for from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, murders, fornication, theft, adultery, deeds of coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. They all come from the heart. From the heart. If you listen to Matthew chapter 12, It's easy to remember, Matthew 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 34, Matthew 12, verse 34. The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. Everything you say, everything my wife says, my kids say, everything somebody in a church says, everything, all it is is the PowerPoint screen revealing what's in the hard drive, the computer of our hearts. Our words are just revealing what's really going on on the inside. Jesus says every careless word that people speak, we will give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. I want you to turn with me to Leviticus 19. Listen to this. Now, the book of Leviticus, maybe you think, oh, Leviticus. Let me simplify the book. It's all about the holiness of God, okay? And worship, and worship. Now, you can divide Leviticus in two ways, okay? Number one, how to approach God, and that is Leviticus chapters one through 17, how to approach God. And then Leviticus chapter 18 to the end of the book is how to worship God. How do I approach him and then how do I live? How do I worship? How do I live out? this life of faith in God. How do I approach him? How do I live? Well, look at Leviticus 19, right at the beginning of how should we live? Leviticus 19 verse 17, you shall not hate your fellow countryman. What in your heart? What a brilliant phrase from the Lord. He just clarifies right there. He could have just said, hey, don't speak mean things. No, he goes right to the heart. Don't hit him in the heart. You may surely reprove your neighbor, but you shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. It's a hard issue. It's a hard issue. So in the page here, page 68, under this little circled box, the big point, anger is a heart issue. Let me give you these two statements right underneath the box. The bottom line reason for much of our sinful anger is related to the fact that we have an agenda. And someone or something is standing in the way of me getting my agenda. Here's a simple statement. So I need to go somewhere. And my kids are not obeying me right away. They're not putting their shoes on. They're not putting their coats on. They're not getting their water bottles. This happens at the home, if you can believe it. And what do I do? I begin to get really frustrated. We're going to be late. We've got to leave. Come on. And I'm raising my voice. Kids, let's go. And then I start picking up kids and carrying them to the car. And I throw the, what's going on there? What's going on there? It's not, it's not my kid's fault. Now, maybe they're sin related there on their part. It could be. But my frustration and my anger, it's not justified because of them. It's my agenda. I need to leave by this time to get where I want to be. And you're hindering me from accomplishing my agenda. You see, That desire, that craving, that need that I perceive to be a need, is all from my heart. So when somebody is lashing out in anger, when they're clamming up or when they're blowing up, when it's a slow burn or it's a vented anger, a good question is, so what are you really wanting? which is really kind of the question in all of biblical counseling. What are you really wanting? What's going on in your heart? Because the situation is just the pressing point that's gonna bring your heart out. Look at the statement underneath that little paragraph. It's not a mental condition. We're not dealing with a mental disorder. We're not dealing with a psychological disorder here. No, no, no. It's not a mental condition that happens to come. It's a heart-sourced, self-worshiping transgression that sees my plan, my desire, my wants thwarted or in danger of being thwarted. It is thus a sin against God that began with a self-motivated, self-loving, self-worshipping, self-planned desire for something. Does that make sense? You know, and I hope guys, we've been doing this for a couple of months now. You're probably thinking, well, that's not new. We've talked about anthropology. We've talked about biblical account. Every week we keep going back to the heart. And that's what really we want to keep hammering home each week. The heart, the heart, the heart, the heart, the heart. It's not about the behavior of a guy punching a hole into the door. It's not about a guy who just is yelling. Those are things that can be dealt with. but it can't only be the action that's dealt with. It's the heart. That's the root of what brings out whatever action may come. Take your Bible, turn to Colossians 3. I want to dwell here for just a minute with you. You have it in your outline. And I not only want to talk about anger, but I want to give you hope. Colossians 3, 1-4. If you're a Christian, this is true of you. Verse one, since you have been raised up with Christ, you're a new creation, right? You've been brought to life. God has saved you. Keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, right? That's your duty as a believer, to keep seeking the things that are above. Come on in, we got a couple of chairs. Come on in, guys. Plenty of room. In Colossians 3, 1 to 4, we have the position of a Christian. Now look at verse 5. Therefore, in light of who you are as a Christian, consider the members of your earthly body as dead. In other words, put to death, put to death the sinful deeds. Like what? Verse five. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed, which amounts to idolatry. Okay, look at verse eight. But now you also put them all aside. Now, five manifestations of anger. You might say five words for anger are gonna be brought up here in Colossians 3.8. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. obscene talk, a foolish speech, abusive speech. Look in your outline. I tried to just sort of define some of these at the bottom of the page. I want to encourage you guys. You're not hopeless. You're not without hope. Remember at the very beginning, I talked about the world's solution. They said, ah, nobody can get rid of anger. What a hopeless case that is. Why would I pay money to go see a secularist when they're going to tell me it's hopeless? You can't, you can't get rid of your anger. But God says you can. You can put these things aside. And it's almost as if he's going to define these words, look at the bottom of page 68 here, wrath. It's the word for rage, heat, fury, as unpredictable as the wind. Put the wrath away. anger and wrath. The next word is malice. It's the word evil in the Greek. It talks about speaking evil lies about someone. This is like the slander type idea. You're just talking bad about somebody else. This is so common in our day, it's hard for us to even notice it sometimes. Talking bad, speaking evil about others. Or number three, related to that, slander, insults, or speaking in opposition to one another. And then end of verse eight of Colossians three, abusive speech or obscene talk. This is filthy. This is improper. The Greek word is rotten. Get the street language, the worldly language, put that aside. That shouldn't have a place in your heart and in your conduct and in your life. Here's the encouraging thing. If you've been raised up with Christ, you can put this off. That's not to say that you're going to be perfect. It's not to say that you'll never sin again. You'll never get angry again. It's to say that now as a new creation in God, you are able not to sin. As a non-believer, as a non-Christian, you're not able not to sin. You can't do anything but live in sin before the eyes of God. But as a new creation, you can put these things aside. And I find that to be so hopeful. You could sit down with a brother in the church, you could sit down with your wife, you could sit down with another person who's a believer, and you could say, Colossians 3 brings out, here's who you are. You've been raised up. You don't need to get angry. You don't need to speak in a rage, in an angry, violent tone. It's possible to be patient. You can put these things all aside in Colossians 3, 8. Does that make sense? I love Colossians 3, what hope there. But I want to take you back to one of the earliest accounts of anger in all of human history, Genesis 4. Genesis 4. And what Genesis 4, beginning in verse 1, is going to show us is the destructive path of anger. It's going to show you, here's what anger unleashed can do to someone. It's going to show, and what I like is God is the perfect biblical counselor here. God, God is going to give counsel right here in our chapter on how to deal with an angry person. It's a wonderful chapter for us. Okay, let's just kind of walk through it and I put a box here on the right side of your page just as little guide But let's just begin to verse 1 now the man Adam had relations with his wife Eve and she conceived and gave birth to Cain and She said I have gotten a man child with the help of the Lord So again, she gave birth to his brother Abel and Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground and So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and for his offering, he had no regard. Now, you and I aren't given a full commentary. Why did God not accept his offering? We don't know all the reasons why. We can speculate and maybe we can have our own ideas and that's a good discussion to have, but it's not clarified here exactly why God did not accept Cain's offering. Look at verse five. So Cain became very what? Okay. He wanted something. Now, even that isn't expressed here. But he became angry. Why? Well, he wanted his offering to be accepted. But we're not told all the reasons why. We're just told he got angry, very angry. He gets very angry. Notice what happens. Verse five ends, his countenance fell. It even affected his physical demeanor. You and I can relate to that. We've been there, we've seen that, we understand that, we can visualize that. Even the physical demeanor of people is affected in their anger. So, verse six, then the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? Isn't that brilliant? Notice the why question. What's going on in your heart? Why are you angry? What do you want? Why? Look at this. Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? God is going to continue in verse seven. He's going to give the solution. If you, now don't miss this verb, do well. Volition. It's a matter of choice. It's not just an emotional thing, it's a matter of volition, it's a matter of choice. You need to choose to do what's right. Little New Testament footnote, you can, as a Christian, you got the Spirit of God in you, you can choose to do what is right. Okay, if you choose to do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? But, verse seven, look at the consequences, God says, If you don't do well, Cain, if you don't master this, if you don't put this off, sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you, but you must master it. You need to take action here. You need to change. You need to repent. This is God, the biblical counselor calling Cain out on his anger. God doesn't go, you know, oh, well, I know I did accept, you know, Abel's offering, but yours, he doesn't go into all that. He goes right for his heart. Okay. Verse eight, evidently it did not affect him. He heard the counsel from the greatest biblical counselor ever from God. Verse eight, Cain told his brother Abel, period. We don't know what he told him. We don't know exactly all the conversation that happened, but they went out to the field together. Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and he killed him. Anger leads to murder. Somebody might say, oh, well, I don't do that. But Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, if you're angry with your brother, You've committed murder in your heart. We're guilty. We're all guilty. Not just because of the actions that we have or haven't done, but because God looks at our heart and the motives and the desires of our hearts. So then what happens? Look at this, verse nine, then the Lord, the greatest biblical counselor ever comes to Cain and says, where's Abel, your brother? He said, I don't know. Lie, just outright lie. And it just, anger is often never alone. It leads to other sins. In this case, it led to full on murder, but also led to lying as well. I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper? You just killed him. Of course you know where he is. By the way, look at this. Look at how the Lord just so brilliantly, what have you done? God says, verse 10, the voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. Now you were cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. God calls him out. God says, you're guilty. I've seen it. I know exactly what's going on. And then a little bit further down, look at verse 16. What a tragic phrase. Then Cain went out, look at this, from the presence of the Lord. Man, that's like banishment from God. Banishment. Went out from God's presence. we need to guard from the internal heart manifestations of anger. Because Genesis 4 is kind of one of these vivid, colorful narratives that really happened that says, beware, beware. Unchecked anger can have disastrous consequences. And then, we already looked at James 4, but just to remind you, in James 4, what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? This is just a go-to text for a biblical counselor, for a Christian. You're dealing with people, you're dealing with brothers in the church family, you're dealing with conflict. Where does it come from? It comes from the heart. It comes from the heart. It comes from our own desires. Let's see if I can kind of fast forward a little bit. Turn to page 69 in your outline. We've looked at scriptures. We've looked at where anger comes from. We've looked at Genesis 4, the example of anger that leads to murder and lying. We've looked at James 4. We've looked at Colossians 3. It's possible for a believer to put off anger. How do I overcome anger? A little paragraph at the top there. For a Christian, since God's word commands you as a believer to put away anger and bitterness, I believe if God commands believers to do it, it's possible for you to do it. You don't have to give into anger. You don't have to. God provides a way out. I love that verse from 1 Corinthians 10, 13, that with the temptation, God provides a way of escape. Oh, so much here could be brought out, guys. How do we overcome anger? Let me just read the headings. Number one, recognize that the vast majority of anger is sinful. Sometimes well-taught Christians will say, well, but what about righteous anger? Guys, I think we are righteously anger for like one moment. And then our sinful anger kicks in. I really do. I think that we are so selfish and our hearts can be so deceptive that It's not legitimate for us to justify our anger as righteous. Now, there can be occasions when there is this righteous anger that wells up, but we have to be careful that it doesn't turn into sinful anger, bitterness, resentment, and so on, retaliation, that kind of thing. Number two, we need to adopt a biblical view of anger. And by that, I just mean we're responsible. I can't say it's not my fault. I can't say I'm a victim. I'm guilty. It's me. It's my heart. It's myself. It's I. Number four below this, we need to identify the thinking and the ruling desires that govern the heart. Again, in training us as men in a church setting for biblical counseling, When we're dealing with someone else who's battling anger, I think this is a key principle, and all these bullet points, just these little questions. You know, what is it that you're wanting so badly? You go out, you buy a new car, it's beautiful, it's red, it's shiny, and you go to the grocery store, somebody dings it, and you are just angry. Angry, why? What am I wanting so badly? That's really the issue. I mean, little things like that, and an infinite number of hypothetical scenarios. What am I wanting so badly? And so many other little bullet points here. Bottom of page 69, this is a wonderful quote from Robert Jones. He's a biblical counselor. He's a medical doctor who is a believer. He put it like this, our anger, I like this word, is a response against something. I'm responding to something. I'm responding to something that I don't like. It's not that fault. It's not his fault. It's not their fault. It's not the situation's fault. My anger. is a response. It doesn't arise in a vacuum or appear spontaneously, but our active hearts are always responding to the people and events in daily life. Top of the next page on page 70, guys, a sample plan to slaughter the sin of anger in your life. And I give you just, I mean, trying to be as practical as possible. You know, here's kind of a step-by-step plan. If you were counseling your own heart, if you battle with anger, or if you're meeting with someone else who battles anger, Here are some things that you could just kind of go through together with them as if you were the counselor and they are the counselee. And then bottom of page 70, more heart searching questions, getting to the heart of anger. Okay, go with me. Let's just skip to the last page, page 71, page 71. I think there's actually one more page, but page 71 is where I want to be. After you're sinfully angry, how do you respond? And there's principles there. What do I do if I do sin? If I do find myself frustrated, irritated, and sinfully angry? Well, there's some guidelines here for asking forgiveness, coming to the Lord, seeking his grace, receiving his grace. Look at this paragraph, guys, and I want to encourage you with this. It is important that you do not entertain the thinking This is impossible. What man on the planet cannot be angry? I don't want you to fall into that fatalistic mentality. Or, I'll never be able to change. No. With God's grace and God's word and your sincere efforts, you will be able to change. Remember that being tempted is not a sin, but following through with sinful anger is. Don't grow weary in well-doing. Biblical counselor Stuart Scott says it. This is where the sovereignty of God really just becomes so practical. And I put it here in this final quote by Jerry Bridges. We got to believe that God is sovereign in all the affairs of our lives. So what happens if I get in a car accident, if I get stuck in rush hour, if I hit every red light and where I'm going? Hey, God, he would've been there. God, God is sovereign. It really is true. This is not just some heady doctrine out there. It really becomes practical right here. God, I have to trust in you. I have to fight my anger. I'm tempted to become frustrated and to become irritated and to get upset. Lord, guard my heart. Guard my heart. Give me patience. Last quote, bottom of the page from the Association of Biblical Counselors, and we'll be done with this. According to the biblical writers, the origin of sinful anger does not reside with a critical spouse. or a distant husband, or a disobedient child, or an unjust boss, or a difficult employee, or that guy who's driving recklessly in traffic. No, no, no. Christ and the apostles point to the heart as the root of the problem. Their proclamation reveals the inaccuracy of the statement cited earlier, you make me angry. No, according to scripture, the proper way to look at your anger is to say, I make myself angry. My anger flows out of my own heart, and it's my responsibility. With such a view in place, you are free to work toward godly transformation, even if those in your, notice this, even if those in your life that you consider troublesome never change. You know what I'm saying? Even if that annoying person never leaves, they never go away, you can be patient. Additionally, by adopting a biblical worldview, you will begin to operate from a foundation that will facilitate true and lasting change in your life. And the means to do so will be very different than secular methodologies. Guys, if you hear anything today, anger is a problem within our own hearts. It is a heart sourced response. We're guilty. I'm guilty. You're guilty. but with God there is forgiveness. And with the power of the Holy Spirit through the word of God in the context of the local church, guys, change can happen. Once really angry people can be changed. We can be patient, humble, holy. And when we do sin, we come back to the Lord and ask for his forgiveness and he'll be gracious to us. Amen. Okay. Is that helpful? Good. All right, guys, let's pray. Father, thank you again.