Latest / Providence Baptist Church - Sermons / Emotions - Week 2

Transcript

Emotions - Week 2 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

0:00
Well, good morning. While I get myself settled in here, if you will take your copy of God's Word and turn to Proverbs 4 and verse 23.
0:29
In doing so, though, I want to make some introductory comments. First, I just want to take a brief moment to talk about our plans for Sunday morning preaching.
0:41
It may not feel this way to you. I can't say how you might feel, but it feels to me like we are kind of off to a herky-jerky start this year.
0:53
We do have plans, though, and I want you to know that initially our plan was to press through, kind of a hop-skip-jump through the life of David that Clay was presenting for us.
1:06
You know, two weeks ago that Clay was sick with flu A, and so I picked up a little piece of this plan that I'm doing now because Clay was going to be out of town last week and then had a surgery.
1:21
This week, he was hoping to be back this Sunday. Turned out that he wasn't able to be back this Sunday.
1:28
So we've just been trying to figure it out as we've been stepping along, and I'm in the process of preparing to start us through a verse-by-verse exposition of the Gospel of John.
1:38
So we're headed there. I feel like too often lately I've been saying that the regular habit of our church is verse-by-verse exposition.
1:48
It just feels like we haven't been doing that much lately.
1:52
We want to be so careful as God's people that we don't spend a lot of time isageting a text, pulling out of it what we want to see in it,
2:02
and therefore we think it's really helpful that we simply go verse-by-verse, careful, word-for-word, through a text together.
2:12
But at times, plans change. The Lord knows better than we do. We do the best that we can.
2:20
And it's good for us to pick up topics occasionally and think more broadly about what the Bible may have to say about any given things.
2:29
And so that's where we find ourselves. Please know that we haven't abandoned our love of verse-by-verse exposition, and I do hope we'll get back there here very soon.
2:41
Second, I want to remind you of a little that we considered two weeks ago when I was with you and then had intended to get into it more last week,
2:50
and then I was home sick, and boy, what a 10-day stint it has been.
2:56
And Jordan prayed, as I'm recovering from a cold, I think it was actually the bird flu that I had and I'm recovering from,
3:03
and I'm grateful for God's grace in the recovery of that.
3:07
But, ugh, stay away from people with the flu. It's not a good one at all.
3:13
But what we talked about two weeks ago was the divine attribute of impassibility.
3:18
And when we speak of God's impassibility, in the simplest of terms we are saying that He does not suffer.
3:27
He doesn't have passions. He does not suffer.
3:29
But in broader terms we mean that God's emotions are not acted upon by outside forces.
3:38
He is never overwhelmed, controlled, or altered by anything outside of Himself.
3:45
Impassibility is a necessary implication of God's immutability, His unchangeable nature.
3:57
If God were subject to emotional turmoil, He would be less than God.
4:04
This is not a denial that God loves, rejoices, expresses wrath.
4:10
He has emotions, but rather a declaration that these are not reactions forced upon Him.
4:19
They are the perfect, eternal expressions of His unchanging nature.
4:26
God is not becoming, He is being.
4:29
You want to be very careful when anybody seems to be describing God
4:33
as a thing that is becoming what it is meant to be,
4:38
rather than it already being what it is.
4:43
God is being.
4:46
I mentioned that this is a good place for us to begin thinking about our own emotions.
4:53
To be clear, we are not God in this way.
4:57
This is not a communicable attribute.
4:59
We are becoming.
5:04
In the one sense, if you have repented of your sin,
5:08
fled to the perfect work and sacrificial death
5:11
and third day resurrection of Christ for the salvation of your soul,
5:15
then you have, in one sense, already been made perfect.
5:21
You are in Christ.
5:25
You're found in Him.
5:26
All that He is, is granted to you.
5:31
Your old self has died with Him.
5:34
You have been raised new.
5:38
However, in another sense, you are being made perfect.
5:44
This is the doctrine of sanctification.
5:47
You are becoming perfect.
5:51
A work that will only be completed when you leave your mortal flesh.
5:57
So, why do I say all of this?
6:01
Because it is important for us to recognize that
6:03
while it is not wrong to have passions categorically,
6:09
we will be affected by the circumstances in which we live,
6:14
we're going to respond to the place in which we are,
6:18
those passions can be sinful
6:21
or they can be brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
6:28
Our emotions can be sinful
6:33
or our emotions can serve God.
6:40
Thirdly, we need to define some terms,
6:43
as I did for you just a couple of weeks ago.
6:46
Historically, careful distinctions have been made
6:49
between the words emotions, passions, and affections.
6:54
I really hope that you'll take up and read historical books.
7:00
We have so much to glean from Christians who have gone before us.
7:05
You'll be very confused if you use the words
7:08
that I'm about to define for you synonymously.
7:10
They should not be seen as synonymous.
7:13
There's distinctions made.
7:16
We tend to just lump them all together
7:18
and use them without distinction in our day.
7:21
In fact, I want to be careful this morning,
7:24
but I just kind of doubt that I will.
7:26
I probably will use a word in one place
7:28
and I shouldn't have used it.
7:30
We mix these words together to talk about our feelings.
7:34
However, it's important to draw from the Bible
7:37
a more nuanced understanding
7:39
of how the soul interacts with truth and experience.
7:44
So, just briefly in distinctions.
7:48
Emotions, or I want to use feelings
7:51
in the place of emotions at times,
7:54
but I'm not talking about physical feeling.
7:58
Like, this morning I feel low energy
8:01
because I'm still recovering a bit from a sickness.
8:05
I'm not talking about that kind of feeling.
8:06
I'm talking about emotional feelings,
8:08
if I say feelings.
8:11
Emotions are the broadest category
8:14
encompassing all of those human feelings,
8:19
both the rational and the irrational,
8:21
the fleeting and the enduring.
8:25
They can either be governed by truth and grace
8:27
or led astray by sin and the flesh.
8:31
I think that we do well to use this term
8:34
in this broad sense
8:36
and to note that our emotions include
8:39
our passions and our affections.
8:46
So, our passions are the most instinctual, bodily,
8:52
and can tend to be the most uncontrollable aspects
8:55
of emotion.
8:56
Passions are reactionary most often,
9:01
often tied to the flesh
9:03
and can easily lead to sin
9:05
when not disciplined by the truth and grace.
9:09
This is the knee-jerk reaction
9:12
that we often feel to something happening to us,
9:15
a word spoken, a thing witnessed.
9:19
The word passion comes from the Latin word passio,
9:22
which means to suffer.
9:25
So, this is what we're talking about
9:26
when God's impassibility.
9:28
We are passible.
9:30
That means we walk in a world
9:32
in which things are happening to us
9:34
and we respond emotionally to those things,
9:38
those inputs into us.
9:41
But again, not limited to the emotional association
9:45
with grief or pain.
9:47
We can have positive passions as well.
9:52
So, affections are emotions of the will.
9:59
They are rooted in the soul
10:00
and directed by the truth and grace.
10:07
The word affection comes from the Latin word afficere,
10:11
which means to influence.
10:13
So, influence from the will.
10:16
Affections are the highest form of human feeling.
10:22
Not mere reactions,
10:24
but deliberate inclinations of the heart.
10:29
So, it's good for me to say
10:30
that I am affectionate toward my wife.
10:34
To find this way,
10:36
I have made a decision,
10:37
an intention of my will
10:40
to care for Sam's highest good.
10:45
And my passions follow my affections.
10:51
That I have set myself to love her in this way
10:55
means often, not always,
10:59
but often that I feel impulsively,
11:02
like I'm compulsive towards her
11:04
in my passions.
11:07
I care for her in that way.
11:12
Sometimes Sam and I say,
11:13
I don't always like you,
11:15
but I'll always love you.
11:17
But isn't it good when we both love and like
11:19
the person that we're married to?
11:24
All right.
11:24
So, those distinctions,
11:25
I'm not going to walk through those distinctions a lot.
11:27
I'm just going to speak this morning
11:28
in terms of emotions broadly.
11:31
But I think we need to determine
11:33
and distinguish these things
11:35
as Christian thinkers
11:37
about our emotions moving forward.
11:41
So, with the groundwork in mind,
11:43
let's spend a few minutes
11:44
looking at the verse
11:45
that I had you turn to
11:47
and then I'll give you an outline
11:48
and we'll press on this morning.
11:50
So, this is Proverbs chapter 4
11:51
and verse 23 where we read,
11:55
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
11:58
for from it flows the springs of life.
12:04
The heart in this text refers
12:06
to the inner self,
12:09
that immaterial part of us.
12:13
We believe that mankind,
12:15
man is made up of two parts.
12:17
We are body or we are soul, spirit, heart.
12:22
Words are used interchangeably
12:23
in the Scripture.
12:25
So, not the flesh physical part of us,
12:29
but that part that is immaterial in us.
12:33
This includes our mind,
12:35
our will,
12:37
and our emotions.
12:41
Proverbs 4 verse 23 teaches us
12:43
that the way of wisdom
12:45
is to vigilantly guard our hearts
12:50
because our lives issue from our hearts.
12:57
Who we are,
12:58
the immaterial who we are,
13:00
produces our thinking
13:03
and our activity
13:04
and the things we say
13:06
comes out of us.
13:10
Matthew Henry in his commentary
13:11
on this verse wrote,
13:13
In general,
13:15
all the actions of the life
13:17
flow from the heart
13:18
and therefore keeping that
13:21
is making the tree good
13:22
and healing the springs.
13:25
Our lives will be regular or irregular,
13:28
comfortable or uncomfortable,
13:30
according as our hearts
13:32
are kept or neglected.
13:37
So we should be diligent
13:39
in this work of keeping our hearts,
13:43
protecting our hearts.
13:45
lest we think this is a task
13:48
that doesn't require diligence.
13:51
Jeremiah 17 verse 9 tells us
13:52
that the heart is deceitful
13:55
above all things.
13:58
We are complicated creatures.
14:03
I wish we were much more simple
14:05
than we often are.
14:08
Image bearers of an infinite God
14:10
granted much,
14:11
certainly not all,
14:12
but much of his capacity
14:15
for thought and feeling,
14:17
but living in a cursed world
14:20
are complicated.
14:23
As people who have been saved by God,
14:26
we desire to please him
14:28
and to walk according to his ways.
14:31
But if we are not careful,
14:33
we may miss
14:34
that this desire should extend
14:36
into our emotional lives.
14:40
God will have every bit of us.
14:45
All of us is to be ordered by God.
14:52
Emotions are a gift from God.
14:56
Nobody this morning is making a case
14:58
for us to not be emotional.
15:00
We will necessarily be emotional.
15:04
Emotions enable us to love,
15:06
to grieve,
15:08
to rejoice,
15:09
and to respond appropriately
15:11
to the world around us.
15:15
However, our emotions
15:16
can easily become disordered,
15:20
leading us away from faithfulness
15:22
to God's Word.
15:25
You may not realize
15:27
the great pressure
15:28
that you are under every day
15:30
to let your emotions
15:32
rule the day.
15:34
This is happening to you constantly.
15:39
Our world is presently ruled
15:42
by emotions.
15:44
Epistemology is the theory of knowledge,
15:47
and we have been
15:49
on an epistemological slippery slope
15:51
of great decline
15:53
in these past decades.
15:57
The modernists wanted to understand truth
15:59
by empirical data.
16:01
They say an objective truth
16:05
should be established
16:06
by repeatable experimentation.
16:10
The postmodernists
16:11
want to define the truth
16:12
by their own experiences.
16:15
They say,
16:16
my truth is just as valid
16:17
as your truth
16:18
because I experience it
16:20
to be true.
16:23
The post-postmodernists
16:24
isn't confident
16:26
that any truth
16:27
can exist.
16:29
exist.
16:31
How can we possibly know
16:33
that anything
16:33
is
16:34
true?
16:36
Therefore,
16:36
they say,
16:37
if I feel something
16:39
to be good,
16:40
then it must be good.
16:42
And if I feel something
16:43
to be bad,
16:44
then it must be
16:46
bad.
16:48
More of you
16:49
tend to process
16:51
the world
16:51
this final way
16:53
than you realize.
16:56
And I don't think
16:56
any of us
16:57
are immune
16:58
to it.
16:59
Beloved,
17:00
this is not
17:01
the way
17:01
of the Christian.
17:04
The Christian,
17:05
by the grace
17:06
of God,
17:08
through the truth
17:09
of God,
17:10
is
17:11
becoming
17:12
all of our lives,
17:15
including our
17:16
emotional lives,
17:18
are to be brought
17:19
under
17:19
the full authority
17:21
of God's
17:22
Word.
17:23
God's
17:25
emotions
17:25
have a place
17:26
in our life,
17:28
but not the
17:28
ruling
17:29
place
17:30
in our life.
17:33
So here's our
17:34
quick outline
17:35
for this morning.
17:35
I've got four points,
17:36
and these are going
17:37
to be short,
17:37
so if you're already
17:39
thinking,
17:39
oh man,
17:40
here we go.
17:41
Number one,
17:43
our emotions
17:43
must not define
17:45
the truth.
17:47
Number two,
17:48
our emotions
17:48
must not
17:49
control
17:50
our decisions.
17:53
Number three,
17:54
our emotions
17:55
must not
17:56
direct
17:57
our worship.
17:59
And number four,
18:01
our emotions
18:02
must not
18:03
excuse
18:04
our sin.
18:06
Number one,
18:08
our emotions
18:09
must not
18:10
define
18:11
the truth.
18:11
And here I want
18:12
to think in
18:12
two categories.
18:13
Number one,
18:15
just doctrine,
18:16
Bible truth.
18:18
Our emotions
18:19
must not
18:19
define
18:20
doctrine.
18:23
Paul writes
18:24
to Timothy
18:25
in 2 Timothy
18:26
chapter 4,
18:27
verse 3 and 4,
18:29
for the time
18:29
is coming
18:30
when people
18:31
will not
18:32
endure
18:33
sound teaching,
18:34
but having
18:35
itching ears,
18:37
they will accumulate
18:37
for themselves
18:38
teachers
18:39
to suit
18:40
their own
18:42
passions
18:43
and will
18:44
turn away
18:45
from listening
18:45
to the truth
18:46
and wander
18:47
off
18:48
into myths.
18:50
One of the
18:51
greatest dangers
18:52
in contemporary
18:53
Christianity
18:53
is allowing
18:54
emotions
18:55
to shape
18:56
our theology
18:57
rather than
18:58
submitting
18:59
our emotions
19:00
to
19:01
biblical
19:01
truth.
19:04
Many reject
19:05
difficult doctrines
19:06
simply because
19:08
they feel
19:09
uncomfortable.
19:10
They say,
19:11
that can't
19:12
be true.
19:12
It doesn't
19:12
feel good
19:14
for it
19:14
to be
19:15
true.
19:17
Some examples
19:18
of emotionally
19:20
driven
19:21
theology.
19:22
Many people
19:23
want to
19:23
compromise
19:24
on sin,
19:26
deny clear
19:27
biblical
19:28
teachings because
19:29
it makes them
19:29
at odds
19:30
with others,
19:31
makes them
19:32
feel judged
19:34
or judgmental.
19:36
So many
19:37
churches
19:37
churches
19:37
these days
19:38
don't
19:39
practice
19:39
church
19:40
discipline
19:40
because
19:41
they would
19:41
say,
19:42
oh,
19:43
how could
19:43
we possibly,
19:45
well,
19:45
the Bible
19:45
commands you
19:46
to.
19:48
Redefining
19:49
God's
19:50
love,
19:52
many embrace
19:52
a sentimental
19:54
view of
19:55
God's
19:55
love
19:56
that ignores
19:58
His holiness
19:59
and His
20:01
justice,
20:03
makes
20:03
tiny
20:04
God's
20:05
wrath,
20:05
maximizes
20:07
God's
20:08
love,
20:08
and He
20:08
is both
20:09
things
20:10
fully
20:10
at all
20:12
times.
20:15
Many
20:15
people will
20:16
elevate their
20:17
experience
20:18
over the
20:19
Bible.
20:21
Seeing
20:22
something to
20:22
be true
20:22
makes it
20:23
necessarily
20:24
true.
20:26
Some
20:26
prioritize
20:27
spiritual
20:27
experiences
20:28
and feelings
20:29
over the
20:30
authority
20:31
of God's
20:33
Word.
20:34
And this
20:34
should not
20:35
be true.
20:36
Our
20:37
feelings
20:38
do not
20:39
define
20:40
the truth
20:41
of the
20:42
Bible.
20:44
The right
20:44
response,
20:46
Proverbs 3,
20:46
5 says,
20:47
trust the
20:47
Lord.
20:49
We must
20:50
let
20:50
Scripture,
20:52
the black
20:53
and white
20:53
on the
20:54
page,
20:54
not
20:55
emotions
20:56
define
20:57
what we
20:58
believe.
21:00
The
21:00
wrestle
21:00
with
21:01
difficult
21:01
things
21:02
in the
21:04
text
21:04
and bring
21:05
all of
21:05
ourselves
21:06
in
21:07
submission
21:08
to it.
21:10
The second
21:11
truth that
21:12
our emotions
21:12
must not
21:13
define is
21:15
situational
21:16
perspective.
21:20
And church,
21:20
it is at
21:20
this point,
21:21
if you don't
21:21
hear anything
21:22
else said
21:23
this morning,
21:25
that I want
21:25
your full
21:26
attention.
21:26
some of
21:28
you allow
21:29
your emotions
21:31
to define
21:32
others'
21:34
intentions.
21:36
Something
21:37
happens
21:38
or
21:38
doesn't
21:39
happen
21:40
and your
21:41
emotions
21:42
get running
21:43
out ahead.
21:45
And rather
21:46
than stopping,
21:48
honestly
21:49
assessing
21:50
what can
21:51
be known,
21:52
you back
21:53
fill your
21:54
emotions to
21:55
justify
21:56
them,
21:56
and you
21:57
impute
21:58
intentions
21:59
onto others
22:00
that are
22:01
just
22:01
unfair.
22:03
You
22:03
assume
22:04
the worst
22:06
of others
22:06
because you
22:07
have feelings
22:08
and your
22:08
feelings must
22:09
be true.
22:11
And so
22:12
you make
22:12
them true
22:13
by filling
22:15
in
22:15
the blanks.
22:18
If there
22:19
is a
22:19
single
22:20
identifiable
22:21
issue that
22:22
most tears
22:23
at the
22:24
seams of
22:24
unity,
22:25
in a
22:26
church,
22:27
I think
22:28
it is
22:28
found
22:28
here.
22:30
We all
22:31
feel,
22:32
every one
22:33
of us,
22:34
at some
22:35
point,
22:36
negative
22:37
emotions,
22:39
relational,
22:41
whether real
22:42
or just
22:43
felt.
22:46
Let me
22:46
give you a
22:46
really simple
22:47
example in
22:48
my own
22:49
life.
22:51
Every year,
22:52
for some
22:52
years,
22:53
members of
22:54
our church
22:55
have
22:55
coordinated
22:56
together a
22:57
daddy-daughter
22:58
dance.
22:59
I think it
23:00
is a precious
23:01
thing.
23:01
On the
23:01
front end,
23:02
let me
23:02
say I'm
23:02
so glad
23:03
for all
23:03
of the
23:04
effort that
23:04
goes into
23:04
that.
23:05
I'm not
23:05
being negative
23:06
about it
23:06
for a
23:07
moment.
23:08
I think
23:08
it's so
23:09
good that
23:09
you all
23:10
do this
23:10
together.
23:11
It's good
23:12
for the
23:12
dads to
23:13
get their
23:13
daughters
23:14
out,
23:14
to dress
23:14
up,
23:15
and to
23:15
dance
23:16
with them.
23:16
What a
23:16
wonderful
23:17
thing that
23:17
you all
23:18
do.
23:20
I don't
23:20
have a
23:21
daughter,
23:22
and I
23:23
wish I
23:23
did.
23:24
That's a
23:25
blessing that
23:26
God has
23:26
not seen
23:27
fit to
23:27
give to
23:28
our
23:28
family.
23:30
Three
23:30
precious
23:31
sons,
23:32
right?
23:32
This does
23:33
not minimize
23:33
my thankfulness
23:34
for them
23:34
at all,
23:36
but I
23:36
do wish
23:37
that I
23:38
had a
23:39
daughter,
23:40
and God
23:40
has not
23:41
given me
23:41
one.
23:42
And every
23:43
year,
23:44
when it's
23:44
announced,
23:45
and it
23:45
happens,
23:46
and the
23:46
adorable
23:46
pictures
23:47
are posted,
23:49
I feel
23:49
a twinge
23:50
of sadness.
23:53
Man,
23:54
I wish I
23:54
was going
23:55
to the
23:55
daddy-daughter
23:55
dance,
23:56
and had
23:56
a daughter,
23:57
to be
23:57
clear,
23:57
and had
23:57
a daughter
23:58
to bring.
24:01
I know
24:02
some of
24:02
you are
24:02
going to
24:03
invite me
24:03
after this
24:04
to come,
24:05
and brought
24:06
my own
24:06
daughter to
24:07
the daddy-daughter
24:08
dance,
24:10
and what
24:11
I could do
24:12
with that
24:12
emotion,
24:14
is I
24:14
could allow
24:15
myself to
24:15
feel excluded.
24:18
Is everybody
24:18
doing a
24:19
thing for
24:19
me that
24:19
doesn't apply
24:20
to me?
24:21
They get
24:21
to all
24:21
have fun,
24:22
and I
24:22
don't get
24:22
to have
24:23
fun.
24:24
I could
24:25
begin to
24:26
think that
24:26
no one
24:27
is sensitive
24:27
to the
24:28
fact that
24:28
I don't
24:28
have a
24:30
daughter,
24:30
and I
24:31
could go,
24:31
well,
24:31
most of
24:32
them don't
24:32
know,
24:32
but I
24:32
have told
24:33
some of
24:33
you,
24:34
we've
24:35
had
24:35
conversations,
24:36
I have
24:37
shared and
24:38
expressed that
24:39
I would
24:39
like to
24:40
have a
24:40
daughter,
24:41
have they
24:41
just
24:41
forgotten
24:41
about my
24:42
feelings about
24:43
this?
24:43
Why has
24:44
nobody
24:44
reached out
24:44
and told
24:45
me they're
24:45
sorry I
24:45
don't have
24:46
a daughter,
24:47
even though
24:47
we're having
24:48
the daddy-daughter
24:49
dance?
24:50
I could go
24:50
through that
24:51
whole process
24:51
and I
24:52
could justify
24:52
that feeling,
24:55
you guys are
24:57
making me feel
24:58
this way,
24:59
or I could
25:00
just stop
25:01
for a moment
25:01
and go,
25:03
why is it
25:03
that I feel
25:04
sad?
25:06
Oh,
25:06
it's just a
25:06
reminder of
25:08
a good thing
25:09
that I've
25:09
desired in my
25:10
life that God
25:11
has decided
25:11
not to
25:12
give me.
25:13
God is
25:14
sovereign over
25:15
our children,
25:16
and I'm
25:17
grateful for
25:18
what he has
25:19
given me,
25:20
and if I
25:20
take the
25:20
time,
25:21
I just
25:21
find myself
25:22
rejoicing in
25:22
the fact that
25:23
I have three
25:23
wonderful,
25:25
beautiful boys.
25:27
I love them,
25:28
and I love
25:28
our house,
25:29
and the
25:29
dynamic of
25:30
it,
25:30
and the
25:30
crazy that
25:31
we get
25:31
into together.
25:35
I could
25:35
assume the
25:36
best of
25:37
everybody.
25:37
You're not
25:38
doing this
25:39
thing to
25:39
hurt me,
25:39
you're doing
25:40
it to
25:40
have fun,
25:41
and rejoice,
25:42
and enjoy
25:43
your daughters,
25:45
and then I
25:45
can join you
25:46
in that.
25:46
I can rejoice
25:47
with you in
25:48
the process
25:49
of doing
25:50
that.
25:51
You see?
25:53
Bring those
25:54
emotions under
25:56
control.
25:57
Get some
25:57
clear situational
25:59
perspective.
26:03
Perhaps
26:04
somebody says
26:06
something to
26:07
you that
26:07
feels offensive,
26:09
you're suffering
26:10
a loss,
26:11
and they
26:11
say something
26:11
that seems
26:12
unkind.
26:15
You could
26:16
assume the
26:16
worst of
26:17
what they
26:17
mean,
26:18
or you
26:18
could instead
26:19
assume the
26:21
best of
26:22
them.
26:23
I find when
26:24
I assume the
26:24
best,
26:25
I'm never
26:25
disappointed
26:26
because often
26:27
it's true,
26:28
and if it's
26:30
not,
26:30
then at
26:31
very least,
26:32
I hoped
26:33
that the
26:34
best was
26:36
true in a
26:37
given situation.
26:38
God's
26:40
chosen ones,
26:45
holy and
26:47
beloved,
26:48
compassionate
26:48
hearts,
26:50
kindness,
26:52
humility,
26:53
meekness,
26:55
and patience,
26:57
bearing with
26:59
one another.
27:00
Hear him
27:01
there.
27:01
He's saying
27:02
people are
27:02
going to make
27:03
mistakes.
27:04
If we're
27:04
going to live
27:04
in relationship
27:05
with other
27:05
people,
27:06
it is
27:06
inevitable
27:07
that it's
27:08
going to
27:09
happen.
27:11
And we're
27:11
to bear
27:12
with one
27:13
another
27:13
through that.
27:15
If one
27:16
has a
27:17
complaint
27:17
against
27:19
another,
27:21
forgiving
27:21
each other,
27:23
as the
27:23
Lord has
27:24
forgiven
27:24
you,
27:26
so you
27:26
also
27:27
must
27:28
forgive.
27:29
forgive.
27:31
So rather
27:31
than feeling
27:32
something and
27:33
then back
27:33
filling it to
27:34
justify the
27:35
feeling,
27:37
stop for a
27:37
minute and
27:38
know what's
27:39
actually true
27:41
and then
27:41
think,
27:42
do I need
27:43
to go get
27:44
the real
27:45
information
27:45
for the
27:47
situation?
27:48
And if I
27:48
do,
27:49
then go to
27:50
the brother
27:51
or sister
27:51
and talk
27:53
to them.
27:55
Ask them
27:55
what they
27:56
meant.
27:57
did they
27:58
mean to
27:59
exclude you?
28:01
Assume the
28:01
best of
28:02
them in
28:03
the process
28:04
and forgive
28:05
them when
28:06
they
28:06
apologize.
28:09
If not,
28:11
just bear
28:12
with them.
28:13
We're all
28:13
going to say
28:13
stupid things
28:14
and make
28:14
mistakes and
28:15
misinviting
28:16
somebody to
28:17
something when
28:17
we should
28:17
have invited
28:18
them and
28:18
we would
28:19
have wanted
28:20
to if we
28:21
just didn't
28:21
have so much
28:22
going on.
28:24
Right?
28:25
Our emotions
28:26
must not
28:28
define
28:28
the truth.
28:31
The truth,
28:32
the truth
28:32
needs to
28:34
stand
28:34
on its
28:35
own.
28:37
Secondly,
28:38
our emotions
28:39
must not
28:41
control
28:41
our decisions.
28:44
Proverbs 29
28:45
and verse
28:46
11 says,
28:47
a fool
28:47
gives full
28:48
vent
28:49
to a spirit,
28:51
but a wise
28:51
man
28:52
quietly
28:53
holds
28:54
it back.
28:56
A fool
28:57
when he
28:57
has emotions
28:58
rushes off,
28:59
right?
29:00
Blows up,
29:02
but a wise
29:03
man is
29:03
restraining.
29:06
Many
29:06
people
29:07
make
29:08
massive
29:08
life-altering
29:09
choices
29:10
based on
29:11
temporary
29:12
emotions
29:13
rather than
29:14
on
29:15
biblical
29:16
wisdom.
29:18
This is so
29:18
dangerous
29:19
because
29:19
emotions
29:20
fluctuate
29:22
and easily
29:22
mislead.
29:24
I can
29:24
feel
29:24
one way
29:25
about
29:25
something
29:26
one day
29:26
and an
29:27
entirely
29:27
different
29:27
way
29:27
about
29:28
it
29:28
the next.
29:30
You'll
29:31
often hear
29:31
things like,
29:32
I just
29:32
don't feel
29:33
a piece
29:33
about this
29:34
or the
29:34
opposite.
29:35
I just
29:35
feel
29:36
a piece
29:37
about it.
29:38
Nowhere
29:38
in the
29:39
Bible
29:39
are we
29:39
told to
29:40
make
29:40
decisions
29:41
based
29:41
on
29:42
our
29:42
emotions.
29:43
some
29:45
examples
29:46
of
29:46
emotionally
29:47
driven
29:48
decisions.
29:50
We can
29:50
often
29:50
react
29:51
in
29:51
anger.
29:53
Moses
29:53
struck
29:54
the
29:54
rock
29:54
in
29:55
frustration
29:55
rather
29:57
than
29:57
obeying
29:57
God's
29:58
commands.
29:59
Numbers
30:00
chapter
30:00
20
30:01
and oh
30:01
the
30:01
trouble
30:02
that
30:02
ensued
30:03
as a
30:04
result.
30:06
We do
30:07
things
30:07
often out
30:07
of fear
30:08
of man
30:09
over
30:09
the fear
30:10
of God.
30:11
King
30:11
Saul
30:12
disobeyed
30:12
God
30:13
because
30:13
he
30:13
feared
30:14
people's
30:15
opinions
30:15
more than
30:17
he feared
30:17
the Lord.
30:19
1 Samuel
30:19
chapter
30:20
15
30:22
Anxiety
30:25
leading
30:25
to
30:26
unbelief
30:27
instead
30:28
of
30:28
trusting
30:29
God's
30:30
provision.
30:32
Many
30:32
worry
30:33
and make
30:33
rash
30:35
decisions.
30:37
The
30:38
right
30:38
response
30:39
to
30:40
our
30:41
emotions
30:42
is that
30:42
we must
30:42
rule
30:43
over
30:43
them
30:43
rather
30:44
than
30:44
allowing
30:44
them
30:45
to
30:45
rule
30:46
over
30:47
us.
30:48
We
30:49
ourselves
30:49
are not
30:50
the
30:50
authority
30:50
by which
30:51
we
30:51
rule.
30:51
We
30:51
bring it
30:51
under
30:52
God's
30:52
word.
30:54
We
30:54
say in
30:54
our
30:54
home
30:55
all the
30:55
time
30:56
with a
30:56
mantra
30:56
in our
30:57
house,
30:57
do not
30:57
let your
30:58
emotions
30:58
control
30:59
you.
31:01
2 Corinthians
31:02
chapter
31:02
10
31:03
verse 5
31:03
calls us
31:04
to take
31:04
every
31:05
thought
31:05
captive
31:06
to
31:07
obey
31:08
Christ.
31:10
So
31:10
making
31:11
decisions
31:11
we
31:11
should
31:12
seek
31:13
wise
31:13
counsel.
31:14
Proverbs
31:14
24
31:15
verse 6
31:15
tells us
31:16
by wise
31:16
guidance
31:17
you can
31:18
wage
31:18
your
31:18
war
31:19
and
31:19
in
31:19
abundance
31:20
of
31:20
counselors
31:21
there
31:22
is
31:22
victory.
31:23
And
31:23
if
31:23
you
31:23
seek
31:24
counsel
31:24
you
31:25
should
31:25
actually
31:26
receive
31:26
the
31:26
counsel.
31:28
Don't
31:28
go to
31:28
enough
31:29
people
31:29
and
31:29
then
31:29
one
31:30
of
31:30
them
31:30
agrees
31:30
with
31:30
you
31:31
the
31:31
thing
31:32
you
31:32
already
31:32
wanted
31:32
to
31:33
do
31:33
and
31:33
do
31:33
!
31:33
that
31:33
thing
31:34
right?
31:34
What
31:34
do
31:34
many
31:35
counselors
31:35
have
31:36
to
31:36
say
31:36
about
31:37
the
31:37
situation
31:38
you're
31:38
in?
31:39
We
31:40
should
31:40
be
31:40
sure
31:40
to
31:41
persist
31:41
in
31:41
the
31:42
clear
31:42
commands
31:43
of
31:43
God
31:44
as
31:44
we
31:44
navigate
31:45
the
31:46
particulars
31:46
of
31:47
our
31:47
lives.
31:48
Our
31:48
emotions
31:48
must
31:49
not
31:49
control
31:50
our
31:51
decisions.
31:52
Thirdly
31:53
our
31:53
emotions
31:54
must
31:54
not
31:54
direct
31:55
our
31:56
corporate
31:57
worship.
31:59
Jesus
32:00
says in
32:00
John
32:00
chapter 4
32:01
verse
32:01
23
32:02
and 24
32:02
but
32:03
the
32:03
hour
32:03
is
32:03
coming
32:03
and
32:04
is
32:04
now
32:04
here
32:05
when
32:05
the
32:05
true
32:06
worshipers
32:06
will
32:06
worship
32:07
the
32:07
father
32:08
in
32:08
spirit
32:09
and
32:10
truth.
32:11
For
32:11
the
32:12
father
32:12
is
32:12
seeking
32:12
such
32:13
people
32:13
to
32:13
worship
32:13
him.
32:14
God
32:14
is
32:15
spirit
32:15
and
32:15
those
32:15
who
32:16
worship
32:16
him
32:16
must
32:17
worship
32:18
in
32:18
spirit
32:19
and
32:19
truth.
32:20
And
32:20
he's
32:20
not
32:20
there
32:21
saying
32:21
in
32:21
emotions
32:22
and
32:22
truth
32:23
but
32:23
he's
32:23
saying
32:23
in
32:23
the
32:24
inner
32:24
man
32:25
like
32:25
all
32:25
that
32:26
is
32:26
included
32:26
in
32:27
the
32:27
inner
32:27
man
32:27
which
32:28
is
32:28
in
32:28
part
32:29
our
32:33
equate
32:33
true
32:34
worship
32:35
with
32:36
emotional
32:36
experience
32:37
rather
32:38
than
32:39
a
32:39
heart
32:40
directed
32:40
by
32:41
truth.
32:43
We
32:43
want
32:44
the
32:44
truth
32:45
to
32:45
lead
32:46
the
32:46
charge
32:47
in
32:47
our
32:47
gathered
32:48
times
32:48
together.
32:50
So
32:51
we will
32:51
speak
32:52
and
32:52
pray
32:52
and
32:53
sing
32:53
and
32:53
preach
32:54
and
32:55
see
32:56
and
32:56
hear
32:57
the
32:57
truth
32:58
and
32:59
we
33:00
will
33:00
hope
33:00
that
33:01
our
33:01
emotions
33:02
catch
33:03
up
33:03
to
33:03
the
33:05
truth.
33:05
This
33:06
is
33:06
what
33:06
we're
33:06
attempting
33:07
to do
33:07
together.
33:09
This
33:09
is
33:09
why
33:09
when
33:09
we
33:10
sing
33:10
songs
33:11
together
33:11
they
33:12
are
33:12
wordy
33:13
songs.
33:14
True
33:14
deep
33:15
songs
33:16
because
33:16
we
33:16
have
33:17
a
33:17
limited
33:17
amount
33:17
of
33:17
time
33:18
together
33:18
and
33:18
we
33:18
want
33:19
those
33:20
songs
33:20
to
33:20
be
33:21
true.
33:23
We
33:23
want
33:23
it
33:23
to
33:23
be
33:24
clear.
33:26
Just
33:26
last
33:26
year
33:26
I
33:27
went
33:27
to
33:27
a
33:27
large
33:27
megachurch
33:28
in
33:28
our
33:28
area
33:28
when
33:29
I
33:29
was
33:29
on
33:29
sabbatical
33:30
and
33:30
they
33:31
sang
33:32
and
33:32
there
33:32
was
33:32
a
33:33
lot
33:33
of
33:33
emotion
33:34
and
33:34
the
33:34
songs
33:35
said
33:36
nothing
33:37
of
33:38
any
33:38
substance.
33:40
The
33:41
general
33:41
theme
33:42
of the
33:42
songs
33:42
is that
33:43
we
33:43
are
33:43
victorious,
33:45
that
33:46
we
33:46
are
33:46
set
33:47
free
33:48
and
33:49
that
33:49
we
33:49
are
33:49
overcomers
33:51
but
33:51
never
33:52
defined
33:53
what
33:53
we're
33:53
victorious
33:54
over,
33:55
what
33:55
we're
33:56
set
33:56
free
33:56
from
33:57
or
33:57
what
33:58
we
33:58
have
33:58
overcome.
33:59
Never
34:00
defined
34:01
it.
34:02
at
34:02
all.
34:04
Lots
34:05
of
34:05
emotion
34:05
about
34:06
this,
34:06
but
34:06
what
34:06
were
34:06
people
34:07
filling
34:07
in
34:07
the
34:08
blanks
34:08
with
34:08
as
34:10
they
34:10
were
34:10
being
34:10
so
34:11
emotional?
34:12
I
34:13
couldn't
34:13
tell you.
34:13
I have
34:14
no
34:14
idea
34:14
what
34:15
was
34:15
going
34:16
on
34:16
in
34:17
that
34:18
gathering.
34:19
We
34:20
are
34:20
okay
34:21
with
34:22
emotional
34:23
expressions
34:24
during
34:24
our
34:24
time
34:25
together.
34:25
We
34:25
tend
34:26
to
34:26
not
34:26
be
34:26
that
34:26
kind
34:26
of
34:27
people.
34:28
But
34:28
we
34:28
are
34:28
okay
34:28
with
34:29
it.
34:29
Your
34:30
emotions
34:30
can
34:31
catch up
34:31
to
34:32
the
34:33
truth.
34:34
And we
34:34
hope
34:35
that it
34:35
does.
34:38
Examples
34:39
of
34:39
emotionally
34:40
driven
34:40
worship.
34:42
I mentioned
34:42
it already,
34:43
but the
34:43
idolatry
34:43
of
34:43
experience.
34:45
Some
34:46
seek an
34:46
emotional
34:47
high
34:48
rather
34:49
than
34:49
deep
34:50
engagement
34:50
with
34:51
God's
34:52
truth.
34:53
And
34:53
emotional
34:53
highs
34:54
feel good.
34:55
They'll
34:55
carry you
34:56
for a
34:56
little
34:56
while,
34:57
love.
34:57
But
34:57
what you
34:57
need
34:58
across
34:58
your
34:58
life
34:59
is
34:59
substantive
35:00
worship.
35:01
We need
35:01
to be
35:02
together
35:02
and we
35:03
need
35:03
to be
35:03
reminded
35:04
together
35:04
of who
35:05
God
35:05
is
35:06
and what
35:06
he has
35:07
promised
35:07
for
35:08
his
35:08
people.
35:10
The
35:10
older
35:10
you
35:11
get,
35:11
I
35:11
promise,
35:12
I'm
35:12
speaking
35:12
to a
35:13
largely
35:14
young
35:14
group,
35:16
the
35:16
older
35:16
you
35:16
get,
35:17
the
35:17
more
35:17
you
35:17
will
35:18
appreciate
35:18
the
35:19
week
35:19
in
35:20
and
35:20
week
35:20
out,
35:21
gathering
35:21
of
35:22
God's
35:22
people,
35:23
opening
35:23
his
35:23
word,
35:24
and being
35:24
reminded
35:25
of
35:25
who
35:26
he
35:26
is
35:26
and
35:27
what
35:27
he
35:27
has
35:27
promised
35:27
to
35:28
us.
35:29
I
35:29
guarantee
35:30
this
35:31
will
35:31
be
35:31
the
35:32
case.
35:33
Regular
35:33
repetition,
35:35
in and
35:36
out of
35:36
the
35:36
truth
35:36
together.
35:38
I need
35:39
this
35:39
every
35:40
single
35:40
week.
35:41
When
35:41
I'm
35:42
not
35:42
here,
35:43
I
35:43
most
35:43
deeply
35:44
miss
35:45
not
35:45
being
35:45
here,
35:46
not
35:47
because
35:47
I
35:47
love
35:47
you
35:47
guys,
35:48
which
35:48
I
35:48
do,
35:48
I
35:48
like
35:49
seeing
35:49
your
35:49
faces,
35:50
I
35:50
love
35:50
seeing
35:50
the
35:50
kids
35:51
running
35:51
around,
35:52
I
35:52
miss
35:52
all
35:52
of
35:53
the
35:53
entrapments
35:54
that
35:55
are
35:55
so
35:55
wonderful
35:56
about
35:57
us
35:57
together.
35:58
What
35:58
I
35:58
most
35:59
miss
36:00
is
36:00
opening
36:01
the
36:02
word
36:02
with
36:03
you
36:03
guys.
36:04
Declaring
36:04
the
36:04
truth
36:05
together.
36:08
I
36:08
need
36:09
quiet
36:10
rooms
36:11
of
36:11
people
36:11
with
36:11
Bibles
36:12
open
36:12
in
36:12
their
36:12
laps.
36:13
I
36:14
get
36:15
reminded
36:15
of
36:15
this
36:15
when
36:16
we
36:16
gather
36:16
together
36:16
on
36:17
Sunday
36:17
morning.
36:17
I
36:18
need
36:18
the
36:18
word
36:18
faithfully
36:19
taught.
36:20
Whether
36:20
I'm
36:20
in the
36:20
role
36:20
doing
36:21
it
36:21
or
36:21
I'm
36:21
sitting
36:21
and
36:22
listening
36:22
to
36:22
somebody
36:22
else
36:23
do it.
36:24
I
36:25
need
36:25
to
36:25
hear
36:25
you
36:26
sing
36:26
and
36:27
rejoice
36:27
in
36:28
God's
36:29
truth
36:29
for
36:30
you.
36:31
So
36:32
important.
36:32
So
36:33
important.
36:33
Drives
36:34
us
36:34
on.
36:37
We
36:38
also
36:38
can be
36:40
tempted
36:41
towards
36:41
empty
36:42
formalism,
36:44
a suppression
36:44
of emotion
36:45
when we
36:45
gather
36:46
together,
36:46
so much
36:47
that we're
36:48
just
36:49
lifeless.
36:49
we see
36:51
a high
36:52
church
36:52
formality
36:53
at
36:53
places
36:54
in
36:54
American
36:55
Christianity.
36:56
We
36:57
also
36:57
see
36:58
often
36:58
emotional
36:59
manipulation
36:59
in the
37:00
life of
37:00
churches,
37:01
services
37:02
that focus
37:02
on creating
37:03
responses
37:04
that are
37:05
emotionally
37:06
driven
37:06
rather than
37:07
driven by
37:09
sound
37:09
doctrine.
37:12
The
37:13
right
37:13
response
37:13
is that
37:14
biblical
37:14
worship
37:14
is
37:15
heartfelt
37:16
and rooted
37:18
in
37:18
truth.
37:21
Number
37:22
four,
37:22
and lastly,
37:24
our emotions
37:25
must not
37:26
excuse
37:27
our
37:28
sin.
37:30
One of the
37:31
greatest dangers
37:32
of unchecked
37:32
emotions is
37:33
they are often
37:34
used to
37:35
justify
37:35
sinful
37:36
attitudes
37:37
and actions.
37:39
Well,
37:40
of course
37:40
I did
37:41
this.
37:42
He made
37:43
me feel
37:43
this way.
37:44
James
37:47
chapter
37:47
four,
37:47
verse
37:48
one
37:48
through
37:49
three,
37:49
James
37:50
says,
37:50
what
37:50
causes
37:51
quarrels
37:52
and what
37:52
causes
37:53
fights
37:53
among
37:54
you?
37:55
Is
37:55
it
37:56
not
37:56
this?
37:57
We
37:58
all
37:58
want
37:59
James
37:59
to
37:59
say
38:00
that
38:00
people
38:01
do
38:01
things
38:01
to
38:02
you.
38:03
They're
38:04
not
38:04
fair
38:05
and
38:05
they're
38:05
not
38:06
thoughtful.
38:08
He
38:08
says,
38:09
is
38:09
it
38:09
not
38:09
this
38:10
that
38:10
your
38:11
passions
38:12
are
38:13
at
38:13
war?
38:14
Within
38:15
you?
38:16
You're
38:16
an
38:16
emotional
38:17
mess,
38:18
is what
38:18
James
38:19
says.
38:20
That's
38:20
why
38:21
there
38:21
are
38:21
quarrels
38:22
and
38:23
fights
38:23
amongst
38:24
you.
38:25
You
38:25
desire
38:26
and
38:27
do
38:27
not
38:27
have,
38:28
so
38:29
you
38:29
murder.
38:31
You
38:31
covet
38:31
and
38:31
cannot
38:32
obtain,
38:33
so
38:33
you
38:33
fight
38:34
and
38:34
quarrel.
38:35
You
38:35
do
38:36
not
38:36
have
38:36
because
38:36
you
38:36
do
38:37
not
38:37
ask,
38:37
you
38:37
ask
38:38
and
38:38
do
38:38
not
38:38
receive
38:39
because
38:39
you
38:39
ask
38:40
wrongly
38:41
to
38:41
spend
38:42
it
38:42
on
38:43
your
38:45
passions.
38:48
Nobody
38:48
can
38:50
make
38:50
you
38:51
sin.
38:53
Somebody
38:54
doing
38:55
something
38:55
to you,
38:56
saying
38:56
something
38:57
to you,
38:58
cutting
38:59
you off
38:59
in
39:00
traffic
39:00
is not
39:02
the cause
39:03
of your
39:04
sinful
39:04
behavior.
39:05
It
39:05
comes from
39:07
within
39:07
you.
39:09
It's your
39:10
emotions
39:10
not
39:11
brought
39:11
under
39:11
the
39:12
lordship
39:12
of
39:13
Jesus
39:13
Christ.
39:14
It's
39:14
your
39:15
sin.
39:17
So
39:17
you
39:17
cannot
39:18
use
39:18
emotions
39:19
to
39:19
excuse
39:21
your
39:22
sin.
39:22
I
39:23
dare
39:23
you
39:23
to
39:24
stand
39:24
before
39:24
the
39:24
judgment
39:24
and
39:25
try
39:25
to
39:25
justify
39:26
your
39:26
sin
39:27
by
39:27
your
39:27
emotions.
39:30
People
39:31
tend
39:31
to want
39:31
to
39:31
justify
39:32
their
39:32
anger.
39:34
Many
39:35
want
39:35
to
39:35
believe
39:36
that
39:36
their
39:36
anger
39:37
is
39:37
righteous
39:38
so it
39:38
gives
39:39
them
39:39
the
39:39
right
39:39
to
39:40
speak
39:40
or
39:41
act
39:41
sinfully.
39:44
Many
39:45
will
39:45
allow
39:45
their
39:46
fear
39:46
to
39:47
paralyze
39:48
obedience.
39:49
Peter
39:49
denying
39:50
Christ
39:50
because
39:51
he
39:51
was
39:51
afraid.
39:55
Many
39:55
will
39:55
disguise
39:56
their
39:57
lust
39:57
as
39:58
love.
40:00
Think
40:00
of David
40:00
allowing
40:01
a desire
40:01
to lead
40:02
him
40:02
into
40:03
grievous
40:03
sin
40:03
with
40:04
Bathsheba
40:04
2 Samuel
40:06
chapter.
40:06
11.
40:10
We
40:10
must
40:11
submit
40:11
our
40:11
emotions
40:12
to
40:12
Christ
40:13
and
40:14
we
40:14
must
40:14
exercise
40:15
self
40:16
control.
40:18
Galatians
40:19
5
40:19
22
40:21
describes
40:21
self
40:22
control
40:22
as
40:23
a
40:23
fruit
40:23
of
40:24
the
40:24
spirit.
40:27
But
40:28
they
40:28
must
40:29
be
40:29
sanctified
40:30
by
40:31
God's
40:31
word.
40:33
The
40:33
key is
40:33
not to
40:34
suppress
40:34
emotions.
40:35
We're
40:35
not
40:36
looking
40:36
to be
40:36
emotionless.
40:38
We
40:38
are
40:38
to
40:39
have
40:39
them
40:40
but
40:41
we
40:41
should
40:41
bring
40:41
them
40:41
under
40:42
the
40:43
control
40:43
of
40:44
Christ.
40:45
We
40:46
should
40:46
be a
40:46
people
40:46
set
40:47
apart
40:47
in
40:48
this
40:48
way.
40:49
We
40:50
have
40:50
to
40:50
be
40:50
so
40:50
emotionally
40:52
stable.
40:53
We're
40:54
going to
40:54
react
40:54
to the
40:55
things
40:55
of the
40:55
world
40:55
but
40:56
we
40:56
should
40:56
react
40:56
appropriately
40:57
to
40:58
the
40:58
things
40:58
of
40:59
the
40:59
world.
40:59
Everything
41:00
brought
41:00
under
41:02
the
41:03
truth.
41:04
So just
41:06
briefly,
41:07
practically
41:07
to do
41:08
this,
41:08
we should
41:08
be
41:08
examining
41:09
our
41:10
hearts
41:11
daily.
41:13
Psalm
41:13
139
41:14
23
41:15
says,
41:15
Search me,
41:16
O God,
41:17
and know
41:18
my heart.
41:20
Try me
41:20
and know
41:21
my
41:22
thoughts.
41:24
That we
41:25
would pray,
41:26
God,
41:26
help me to
41:27
see the
41:28
reality of
41:29
my
41:29
emotions.
41:31
Help me to
41:32
understand
41:32
when they're
41:33
consistent
41:33
with the
41:34
truth and
41:35
when they're
41:36
inconsistent
41:36
with the
41:38
truth.
41:40
And train
41:41
your emotions
41:41
through the
41:43
scripture.
41:44
If you don't
41:44
know the
41:45
truth,
41:45
you're going
41:45
to have a
41:46
very difficult
41:46
time knowing
41:47
if your
41:47
emotions are
41:48
consistent or
41:49
inconsistent
41:50
with that
41:51
truth.
41:53
Paul writes
41:53
in Romans
41:54
12 and
41:54
verse 2
41:55
that we
41:55
are to
41:55
be
41:56
transformed
41:57
by the
41:58
renewal
41:59
of
42:00
our
42:01
minds.
42:03
We would
42:04
know
42:05
what is
42:05
good and
42:06
true
42:07
and beautiful
42:08
and that
42:09
our emotions
42:10
would be
42:10
brought into
42:11
conformity
42:13
with that
42:14
truth.
42:17
And may
42:17
we be a
42:18
people who
42:19
are not
42:19
tossed about
42:20
by emotional
42:21
instability,
42:23
but anchored
42:24
in the
42:25
unchanging
42:25
truth of
42:27
God's
42:28
word.
42:29
Let's pray
42:29
together.