The sermon explores the nature of anger, and how it manifests in individuals and offers practical and spiritual practices for transforming one’s response to anger. The central argument is that changing our response to anger requires a fundamental shift in our internal spiritual formation, not just superficial behavioral changes.

Key Ideas and Concepts:

• The “Fuse” Analogy: Kent uses the analogy of fireworks fuses to describe different anger styles:
• Black Cat Fuses: Represent people who are unpredictable and explode in anger suddenly and unexpectedly. “You are either unpredictable and you explode out of nowhere.”
• Green Fuses: Represent people who have a slow burn towards anger, taking a longer time to become angry. “or you’re even-keeled and you tend to have a slow burn towards anger.”
• The goal is to become a “green fuse” person, characterized by a slower, more controlled response to anger.
• Spiritual Formation: This is presented as the foundational concept for changing one’s response to anger.
• Definition: Spiritual formation is described as the internal shaping of a person’s character that influences their external behavior. “Spiritual formation is the idea that every single one of us internally has things that have shaped who we are. And that internal shaping provides an external, like, way of acting in the world. So the basic idea is this. The inside. The things inside are shaping our outside response.”
• It is the idea that you can shape, that the inside of you can be shaped in a way that produces something different on the outside of you.”
• Spiritual formation impacts everyone, not just Christians.
• Changing one’s “fuse” requires changing the inner self through spiritual practices.
• Identifying Rage: Kent provides questions to help the audience identify whether they struggle with rage:
• Do people tiptoe around you after you explode?
• Do people react in fear when you become passionate but not angry?
• Do your children rage at each other (suggesting learned behavior)?
• Have you ever put your hands on someone or broken things when angry?
• Biblical Foundation: James 1:19-21: The sermon draws heavily on this passage from James, emphasizing the importance of:
• Being Quick to Listen: This is more than just hearing; it involves understanding the other person’s perspective. Kent critiques the tendency to focus on one’s own response or story rather than truly listening to the other person.
• Being Slow to Speak: This involves slowing down one’s responses and being more thoughtful. The speaker shares a story about Dallas Willard, who practiced “the spiritual discipline of not having the last word.”
• Being Slow to Become Angry: Human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness that God desires and is typically self-centered. Kent highlights that human anger is rooted in our own insecurity or desire for control. “Because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
• Spiritual Practices for Change: Kent offers specific, practical spiritual practices:
• Before Entering Rooms: Pray or think, “I’m going to listen first, without judgment, without mockery, without belittling people.”
• Practice Not Having the Last Word: Deliberately allow others to have the final say in conversations.
• Change Your Inputs: Get rid of “moral filth” and “evil” and embrace the Word of God. This involves being mindful of the news, media, social media, and other influences that shape one’s thinking and emotions. “James would say to you, change the inundation if you want to change the outputs.”
• Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness: The speaker emphasizes the importance of a deep desire for God and His righteousness as the foundation for inner transformation. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they will be filled.”
• Transformation, Not Just Behavior Modification: The sermon stresses that the goal is not just to suppress anger, but to transform the inner self so that anger is less likely to arise in the first place. This transformation comes through a relationship with God and a renewed focus on His Word.

Illustrative Quotes:

• “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (Referring to James 1:19)
• “If you truly want to change your output, you got to change your inputs.”

Overall Message: True change in our response to anger comes not from willpower or simply trying harder to control our temper, but from a fundamental transformation of our inner self through spiritual formation, facilitated by practices like listening, thoughtful speech, and a deep hunger for God’s Word. The sermon calls for a shift from self-centered anger to a more righteous and controlled response rooted in faith and love.