The next level of anger is - probably call it the word wrath. You don't use that much, but it's an anger that's looking for revenge and retaliation, so the definition of wrath means, you're angry to the point - you're going to pay for this. That's wrath. Can you see this? It wants to hurt someone, wants to hurt them. That's why, when it gets out of control, it comes to rage and then manifests as a violent explosion, an outburst against the people around, often physically or verbally. Now you think of how many people are in jail, because they just lost it. What did they lose? They had no rule of their spirit anger, smouldering resentment rose into wrath and then rage, then they did something, and then they can't get it back. You have a look and there's a real problem in our area of this kind of thing, of violent outbursts, violent rage. I talked to the police about this, and they said Napier and Hastings are completely different. They said in Hastings, he said like in Napier if someone hits someone they just hit them once, that's about it, or twice. He said in Hastings when they do it, they just won't stop. It's like something gets out of control and it's extremely violent, because behind anger, see anger unleashes a spirit of murder. That's why it's so serious. See a lot of Christians just laugh at the whole deal and think nothing of it. So I'll give you some examples, and then how we tend to think about it, typical examples of people who are really angry.
Ever seen a kid throwing a tantrum? Don't you love it? There he is, on the ground, screaming and they stiffen and they scream and bellow until they get what they want see; shouting, stamping their feet. Stamping feet is another form of outbursts of frustration and anger, stamping feet, smashing things, slamming doors, banging things, slamming phones, throwing things, breaking things, hissy fits. It's all the same thing, it's all anger that's exploding, and unleashing spirits of murder on everyone in hearing distance. Some homes you go to, there's dents in the wall, sometimes unusual heights. [Laughter] I've been to some homes, I've looked and thought how did that hole get up there? In other places you can see a perfect round hole the size of a man's fist, banged through something or other, banged into something, see? That's explosive anger. It's terribly destructive. Not only that, it hurts your knuckles. Now this is what we tend to do. That's why taking time to just outline this for you, because the tendency is to accept it, and say that's just me. Is it? It's an unacceptable expression of the spirit of murder. Just you? Is that what you are, a murderer? Okay, if you want to be a murderer. I think you're better than that.
See, you've got to see it for what it is. If you don't see it for what it is, you'll never ever treat it seriously, and break out of the habit pattern of angry expression. Think about it. We have to actually see it for what it is, so most will say it's just me, it's my Irish nature you know. Couple of drinks, and out with a fight. Don't drink then! You know, have you noticed many guys, they have a couple of drinks, and then suddenly all this buried anger, and now they're punching and fighting and looking for a fight. Anger is waiting to find - it's actually at a level of wrath waiting to find someone to beat on, and of course in homes where there's this kind of anger, it just perpetuates, goes generation to generation.
So a second way people tend to deal with it, is they tend to just excuse it - it's not my fault. I can't help it, it's just the way I am. Another way people tend to treat it, is just deny it - I'm not angry. I'M NOT ANGRY! Why do you think I'm ANGRY! Well, just a thought. [Laughs] Look at yourself in the mirror. [Laughs] So unrestricted anger, or unrestrained anger, will release a spirit of murder. I want you to see that Jesus taught this very clearly, so we'll get to Jesus' words. Now Jesus got angry, but He controlled His anger, and directed it productively at the right thing. See, God gets angry but there's a righteous anger - well I've got righteous anger! Yeah, yeah, we'll see. [Laughs]