This is the seventh sermon in a series on the seven deadly sins.  It was delivered by John Griffith, a guest speaker.  Why are we discussing sin?  Because we have lost the meaning of the word.  In the original language it meant - missing the mark.  I set a goal, I don't make it. I want to be a certain way, but I do something else.  In terms of human nature, The writer Paul said something like, The person I want to be, I am not, and the person I don't want to be I see in the mirror in the morning. Sin is having a gap in our lives that makes it hard for people to like me or be around me and that interferes with my relationship with God. Secondly we open this topic because there is an old idea that human nature is depraved or fallen.  And we have to ask is that true or is our nature just growing into the kind of human being that we can be (some might call this Christ nature) but we are not there yet.  

The church identified 7 deadly sins and 7 virtures.  Today we look at a sin called anger and a  virtue called faith.And the question is, "Are we hard wired to be sinful?"

Two main points I made are:  Anger is not inherently sinful.  It is a feeling.  Feelings are information.  What we do in response or expression of that feeling may be helpful or not helpful, may be called sin or God's work. Ephesians 4: 26ff says Be angry but sin not. 

The second point is that anger may be sinful if it is not related to a present circumstance.  I mean, sometimes a little thing can cause a great angry reaction because it erupts out of anger stored for a long time and not resolved.  It is anger stored from a similar situation or message. Some people call it baggage.  

You can hear the sermon at www.hillhurstunited.com

And then come and let me know what your are thinking.