Wrath is one of the most overtly destructive forces a human being is capable ofharnessing.By its very definition (“strong, stern, or fierce anger; vengeance or punishment as theconsequence of anger”), wrath is bent on unleashing devastating force against anotherperson. Drawing from a vivid analogy once used by Dan Rather, wrath is the spiritualequivalent of a tornado in a trailer park. It has the distinct ability to transformwholeness into utter carnage in a matter of moments.Accordingly, God does not mince words when it comes to wrath:• Ephesians 

: “Let all...wrath, anger...be put away from you, with allmalice.” (NKJV)• Colossians 3:8: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger,wrath...” (NKJV)• James 1:19-20: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be...slow to wrath, forthe wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (NKJV)• Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are...outbursts ofwrath...and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past,that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (NKJV)  Why Wrath Must Be Put AwayLet me suggest 5 reasons that wrath is to be purged from the life of a Christian:1. Wrath assumes the right to avenge oneself. Romans 12:19 plainly states thefollowing: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it iswritten, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (NKJV)When we become wrathful, we bluntly retort, “Vengeance is actually mine, I will repay.”Nowhere in Scripture are we granted free reign to avenge ourselves at will. Though wemay desire to do so, we are not given that right. God has reserved that right for Himself,and we do nothing but blatantly defy His authority when opt to dish out our vengeance.  2. Wrath is destructive. This point has already been stated, but it is one of the mostprominent features of wrath. By its very nature, wrath is given to harming its target. It isthe ultimate flexing of one’s destructive muscles, with no other intention than to see itsenemy reduced to rubble.3. Wrath is impulsive. Wrath lives by the mantra, “Ready, fire, aim.” It explodes nowand asks questions later.Proverbs 12:16 confirms this: “A fool’s wrath is known at once, but a prudent man coversshame” (NKJV). There is wisdom in working through one’s emotions “behind closeddoors.” Wrath, though, throws the doors wide open and announces itself in all its nakedshame.Impulsivity goes hand-in-hand with foolishness and wrath bows down to both: “He whois slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly” (Proverbs14:29, NKJV).4. Wrath is addictive. One can gain a reputation for being a hothead rather quickly.This is due to the fact that wrath is habit-forming. The explosive release of emotion iscaptivating and quickly takes hostage anyone foolish enough to embrace it.As Proverbs 19:19 says, “A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; for if you rescuehim, you will have to do it again.” (NKJV)5. Nothing good comes from wrath. If one’s goal is to bear the fruit of therighteousness of God, wrath is the precise way not to do so. Period.“...for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20, NKJV).  ~~~In the end, Christians are commanded to be people of unmistakable self-control(Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-6). There are few characteristics that more flagrantlydefy this directive than wrath.We would do well to flee from it.

150809 V-V Leeson 5 Patience

At it's heart, this material is a study of the character of a godly individual. This should come as no surprise, since nearly all Bible study, at least in some respect, is a character study of the godly individual. One of the more fascinating qualities about the study of godliness, though, is its adaptability to a variety of study approaches. Only the base subjects of this life can be exhausted through a simple study that stems from one perspective. The more robust a subject is, the more times it can be studied and the more perspectives it can be looked at from...all without exhausting the subject.Take, for example, the kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13 alone, Jesus tells 6 parables, all of which start with, "The kingdom of Heaven is like...". The kingdom of Heaven is not a topic that can be described adequately with one analogy, one approach. In fact, were Jesus to have told a thousand parables about the kingdom of Heaven, He would not have said all there was to say about the topic, because its very essence surpasses our human comprehension.Godliness is similar in that it can withstand scrutiny from multiple perspectives. One can spend a lifetime--and indeed many have--studying what a Godly character looks like and still not learn every detail.