The Hulk (How To Lose Your Temper) Series

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Welcome to Bethany, especially if you are a guest today. Could I ask you to sign the attendance pad and pass it on to your neighbor and as it comes your way especially notice if someone is sitting in your row that you do not know. Or did not know their name and be sure to introduce yourself.

Also look at the ministry opportunities that are placed in the pads. You have the opportunity to be of service to the children and parents of our church by serving in the nursery during worship in the upcoming weeks. I know you want to be of service.

I have been using some summer blockbuster movies at the theme for my messages and today is: Hulk.

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Play Video Trailer

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Here’s how the Hulk Story goes: Research scientist Bruce Banner has a problem. He has a forgotten and painful past, which comes to light during an experiment gone awry. During an accidental explosion, Bruce’s heroic impulse saves a life, but exposes his body to a deadly dose of gamma radiation. Remarkable, he survives, but he begins to feel something different within him. It’s a massive creature known as the Hulk, which begins to make sporadic appearances when Banner gets angry. The unleashed Hulk cut a path of destruction that terrified the public and engaged the military against him. But, how can the Hulk be stopped?

As Bruce Banner says, “I don’t know who I am. I don’t know what I’m becoming. But I know one thing for sure - you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

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All of us have experienced inner anger, hostility and rage. It is part of the human condition. The Hulk’s incredible popularity is due to the amazing connection to the human dilemma that we all experience.

And where does that inner anger and hostility most often exhibit itself? In your relationships.

In any relationship that you have, conflict is inevitable. You’re going to have conflict because human beings disagree. That Hulk with in us leads to dissension. Conflict in your home is inevitable but combat is not. You must learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. You’ve got to learn how to argue without assassinating.

In every relationship, when you have a conflict, you will either have a breakdown or a breakthrough. There is opportunity to a breakthrough to a new level of maturity and intimacy and fellowship. That did in the end happen in the Hulk. The key is how you handle your anger.

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The Bible says in Proverbs 11:29 that mishandled anger can cause enormous damage in relationships. (Living Bible) "The fool who provokes his family to anger and resentment will finally have nothing left.”

What does the Bible say about how to handle your anger? How can you lose your temper for good so that you don’t have to turn into a monster like the Hulk.

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HOW CAN I LOSE MY TEMPER FOR GOOD? I want to share with you some ideas I got from some reading of Rick Warren on dealing with anger.

A. I MUST ADMIT MY ANGER.

I need to stop denying it, stop pretending it’s not there. When I’m angry I just need to say, "I’m angry"

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Ephesians 4:25-26:

"Stop lying to each other; tell the truth. When we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves. If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge."

"Don’t sin by nursing your grudge". There is a constructive way to get angry and there is a destructive way to get angry.

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Anger is not sin. God gets angry. 375 times in the Old Testament it says God got angry. Jesus got angry—remember how he cleared the temple?. It is not a sin to get angry. In fact, if you never get angry in a relationship it means you’re not in touch with reality. There are some things you ought to get angry about. Sometimes anger means "I care!" Sometimes anger is an expression of love. Sometimes anger says, "I’m not going to stand by and watch you waste your life."

When you have the idea that a Christian should never get angry that is not only unreasonable, it’s unbiblical because even God gets angry. It’s not how you get angry it’s what you do with your anger that makes it a sin or not. He says learn to get angry without sinning.

The writer of the Ephesians passage says, "stop lying to each other". In other words, it’s wrong to deny it when you’re angry. You say to someone, "You’re angry." "No, I’m not!" "Yes, you are." "No! I’m not angry!" "I can tell you’re angry!" "I’m not angry!"

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The Bible says that anger isn’t necessarily a sin, but lying about it is. When you’re angry and you won’t admit it, now you’re sinning. The starting point is to admit my anger. I can’t work on it until I admit it.