Are we black cat fuses, ready to explode, or green fuses, slow to burn? What’s shaping our hearts? Let’s break rage together—tune in!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Something you wouldn’t know about me is that I’m crazy when it comes to firecrackers – I’m the uncle who is over there lighting firecrackers and throwing them at your feet the whole time.  I’m the guy that people are like, “Maybe we shouldn’t have invited Kent…”  I was thinking about how when I was a kid, I learned my love of firecrackers.  My brother and I would sit out in front of our house and light black cats and chuck them into the street.  My mom had told us 100 times not to do this – she said you’re going to have one blowup in your hand.  I had also not learned yet to just throw it straight out from the lighter, so I was throwing them like a baseball.  One fourth of July I lit this black cat and pulled it up by my ear and it exploded in my hand and by my ear.  

I couldn’t hear for hours and my hand hurt pretty bad…

I now prefer the firecrackers that have the little green fuses, because they are predictable.  The black cat fuses are unpredictable – sometimes you light em and they just go normal, but sometimes you light em and they burn up almost immediately…

You are like, “Kent, why are you talking about fireworks in the middle of March?”

Here’s what I was thinking about…  

Most people are either black cat fuses or green fuses when it comes to their anger.

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You are either unpredictable and explode out of nowhere or you are even-keeled and tend to have a slow burn towards anger.

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Today, I want to help you become the kind of person who becomes a “slow burn” kind of person – I want to “Break Rage”.slow burn” kind of person – I want to “Break Rage”.

Before we get to the scripture, I need to place a deposit in your mind – a concept that maybe you’ve never thought of before.

Have you ever heard the idea of 

Spiritual Formation

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The things inside are shaping your outside response

Everyone has a spiritual formation – some people are intentional with it and some of us are just going with the wind – but everyone has been shaped by something.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, I used to go down to this creek and take a bb gun and shoot out the lights at this bowling alley, it was so stinking fun…  guess what, I know this will be a shocker, but my spiritual formation was weak back then and now, that is no longer a fun activity for me.  Its would actually be disturbing to me.  

The change is that I’ve been shaped, or molded more into a Christ-like image.

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Today as we talk about how to “Break Rage” I want you to know there is hope, but you have to be willing to be shaped and become a different person.

ILLUSTRATION:

Some of you don’t even know that you are the kind of person who rages.  Here are a few ways to know.  

-After you explode, do those close to you tiptoe around you?  Do they try and minimize any stress?

-Do people react in fear when you become passionate but are not angry?

-Do you see your kids raging at each other, that was most likely learned (not always)

-Have you put your hands on someone or broken things in your house or workplace?

This isn’t a full list – but if you’ve ever had to apologize for the anger you took out on someone, you probably have some degree of Rage…

What do we do with it?  How do you break rage?

As always, we are going to the scripture – I hope you are noticing a pattern to sermons – God’s word has the answers we need in it…

This is from James, the brother of Jesus – talk about feeling bad about your anger, this guy grew up with people being like, “Why can’t you be more like your brother” – because He’s God, that’s why! lol

I want to read this passage and then unpack it, James is such a practical book:

James 1:19-21

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Now, let’s unpack it…

James 1:19-21

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 

Most of us are more concerned with being heard than listening – watch yourself, even when you are listening, are you preparing your response?  Your story to tell?  Your rebuttal to the counterpoint?  

Quick to Listen:

Being quick to listen means more than just hearing, it’s taking time to actually think about the other person & their perspective

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When rage engages, listening goes out the window. listening goes out the window.

-you don’t always know when you are entering a tense situation, but what if you let one of your spiritual practices be?

Spiritual practice:  before entering rooms, think “I’m going to listen first” – without judgment, without mockery, without belittling, etc. judgment, without mockery, without belittling, etc. 

Slow to Speak:

I one time heard a guy talking about how he heard Dallas Willard talking to a student in one of his classes.  The student was arguing with Dallas and at the end, Dallas finished and didn’t rise up to win the argument.  The other professor said, “what in the world, you could have stomped that kid, why didn’t you?”  Dallas said, “I’m practicing the spiritual discipline of not having the last word”

What would it look like for you to add the spiritual practice of not having to have the last word?

What would it do for you to be ok being misunderstood sometimes, to not have to exert your “rightness” all the time, to not have to always be on top?  

James says to us to be slow to speak.  I’m terrible at this, the distance between my brain and my mouth is SO short.  I’ve had to really learn to take this to Jesus and let Him recalibrate me.

Slow to become Angry:

This is where that short fuse comes in, how do we get a green fuse instead of a black cat fuse?  James knows this is the one that’s gonna need more, so he takes us into how to do it…  Listen:

²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 

This kind of anger is ALL about you – it’s all about trying to make yourself feel secure, putting yourself back into control, getting your way, etc.

It’s can’t produce what God wants…

James’ cure – his spiritual practice to anger…  Listen carefully:

²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James doesn’t say to try harder – “Just try to not be so angry” 

His answer is to check your inputs…

Get rid of the junk in your life that isn’t pointing you to Jesus…

-What are you looking at during your day?  How much talk radio are you listening to or CNN or Fox News?  How much are you on social media?  What kinds of things are you binge-watching?  

Spiritual practice you truly want to change your output?  Change your inputs…

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Get rid of the moral filth and dig into God’s word – like hunger and thirst for it…filth and dig into God’s word – like hunger and thirst for it…

CLOSING:

Jesus told this quick story about this – He said people are like a storehouse, we bring out whatever is stored up inside of us.  If you want to break rage, you have to change what your input is.  You spiritual formation may be so deeply ingrained you need to go see a  Christian counselor to get the help you need.  But are never going to experience the change by just saying “I want to quit” you have to replace what’s in your heart.  Some of you need to start today by coming up and repenting.  I know it’s scary – how has the “not scary” way been working for you?  If you want to be uncommon – do uncommon things…

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