Sermon Notes + 8.9.2026
SERMON NOTES
Your Passions Are at War: Addressing the Heart of Conflict
James 4:1-10
Tyler Van Horssen, Assistant Pastor
Outline:
1. Conflict One: Between You and Others
2. Conflict Two: Within Your Own Heart
3. Conflict Three: Between You and God
Application:
1. Recognize the desires ruling your heart.
2. Repent of letting your desires rule.
3. Refocus on God and his grace.
4. Replace sinful responses with Christlikeness.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. What are some recurring conflicts you have noticed in your life? What are the desires you see in your heart lying beneath them?
2. If Satan were trying to lead you into conflict with someone else, how would he succeed in doing so? What methods would he take? And what does this reveal about your heart?
3. How can the throne-staircase diagram be a valuable tool for you to use to evaluate your heart as you address conflict with those around you?
4. What are some desires that you find consistently morphing into demands in your life? In other words, what desires consume your thoughts, lead you to sin to get them, or lead you to sin when you do not get them?
5. How do you typically address conflict when it comes? Do you start with the “what” in conflict or the “who” in conflict? (James 4:1) Do you start with other people’s specks or your own logs? (Matthew 7:3-5)
6. What might it look like to repent of letting desires rule your heart this week? Who do you need to confess to? How will you dethrone your sinful desires?
7. What might it look like for you to refocus on God this week? How will you seek his grace? How will you humble yourself before the cross?
8. What might it look like for you to replace your sinful desires and behaviors with godly responses? What are some practical ways you plan to do so this week?Recommended Further Reading:
Jones, Robert D. Pursuing Peace: A Christian Guide to Handling Our Conflicts. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.
Powlison, David. X-Ray Questions: Drawing Out the Whys and Wherefores of Human Behaviors. Journal of Biblical Counseling 18, no. 1 (1999). (A List of the questions can be found on Google)
2. If Satan were trying to lead you into conflict with someone else, how would he succeed in doing so? What methods would he take? And what does this reveal about your heart?
3. How can the throne-staircase diagram be a valuable tool for you to use to evaluate your heart as you address conflict with those around you?
4. What are some desires that you find consistently morphing into demands in your life? In other words, what desires consume your thoughts, lead you to sin to get them, or lead you to sin when you do not get them?
5. How do you typically address conflict when it comes? Do you start with the “what” in conflict or the “who” in conflict? (James 4:1) Do you start with other people’s specks or your own logs? (Matthew 7:3-5)
6. What might it look like to repent of letting desires rule your heart this week? Who do you need to confess to? How will you dethrone your sinful desires?
7. What might it look like for you to refocus on God this week? How will you seek his grace? How will you humble yourself before the cross?
8. What might it look like for you to replace your sinful desires and behaviors with godly responses? What are some practical ways you plan to do so this week?Recommended Further Reading:
Jones, Robert D. Pursuing Peace: A Christian Guide to Handling Our Conflicts. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012.
Powlison, David. X-Ray Questions: Drawing Out the Whys and Wherefores of Human Behaviors. Journal of Biblical Counseling 18, no. 1 (1999). (A List of the questions can be found on Google)