New Day Christian Church - Weston, WI

Going Through the eMotions: Shame & Disgust

Shame is: “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior” (Google). While Christ’s pain on the cross relieves us of our own painful humiliation before a holy God, we will still feel ashamed at times. We will feel disgusted by our own actions. Like other emotions, God has designs for shame to actually help us.

Genesis 3:7 (NLT)  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

What Shame Does:

Worldly shame covers and resents.

Godly shame confesses and repents. (see 2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

Going Through the eMotions: Sadness

Going Through the eMotions - Dads, Grads, and Sads

Sadness is one of those emotions that we usually think of as negative. Is it? God has a purpose for sadness in our lives. As we look into His Word and pray for wisdom, we might even understand why some parents cry at graduation ceremonies.

Psalm 69:3 (NLT)  I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.

Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT) 3  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Five Important Realities Learned in Rites of Initiation

1. Life is HARD.
2. You are not that IMPORTANT.
3. Your life is not about YOU.
4. You are not in CONTROL.
5. You are going to DIE.

Going Through the eMotions: Surprise

Life is full of surprises. God designed our bodies and minds to handle surprises, both good and bad. We’ll see what that looks like in Scripture and get a better idea how God uses surprise in our own lives.

Acts 2:7-8, 12-13 (NLT) 7  They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8  and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages!” 12  They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. 13  But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

Going Through the eMotions - Joy

The pursuit of happiness is more than an American ideal; it is a human ideal. God has wired us all to seek out joy. Then He gave us paths to experience joy, even joy in the midst of suffering! That kind of joy is a pursuit worth living for.

Philippians 4:4 (NLT)  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!  

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)  And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

BREAKING IT DOWN:  “The joy of the LORD is your strength” = Joy with the Lord, THAT is your stronghold.

Psalm 5:11 (NLT)  But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.

Jeremiah 31:13 (NLT)  The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.

Going through the eMotions: Fear

Fear is an incredibly useful feeling, designed by God to help us survive. It can also be debilitating, keeping us from taking risks and living the full life God has planned for us. A healthy, God-honoring understanding of fear will help us become people who change the world, rather than people who conform to the world.

1 John 4:18 (NLT)  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

Matthew 10:28 (NLT)  “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

God's Love - Psalm 136

The book of Psalms is an ancient songbook. In it, we read lyrics to the songs David wrote to express his heart. They are also the songs Jesus and His disciples would have sung together around the campfire and along the road. As an interlude in the eMotions series, we’ll take a closer look at one of these ancient songs, Psalm 136.

Key Verse: Psalm 136:1 (NLT)  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Going through the eMotions: Anger

Anger is usually considered a negative emotion, and yet God gets angry, so it can’t be all bad. As we look into God’s design for anger, we’ll better understand how to glorify Him, even when we feel angry.

KEY TEXTS:

Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT) 6  “Why are you so angry [ḥārâ]?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7  You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV) 26  Be angry [orgizō] and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger [parorgismos], 27  and give no opportunity to the devil.

Ephesians 4:31 (ESV)  Let all bitterness and wrath [thymos] and anger [orgē] and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Eight Core Emotions*

1. 1. 1. ANGER
      2. FEAR
      3. JOY
      4. SURPRISE
      5. SADNESS
      6. SHAME
      7. DISGUST
      8. LOVE

*Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goreman, Tenth Anniversary Edition p289-90, 2006 Bantam Publishing.

Go through the eMotions: What Love Does

We all have some idea of what love feels like. We recognize true love by what it does. God is our ultimate standard of love, and Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, so as we look at what Jesus did we see what love does. And then we do likewise.

John 13:1 (NLT)  Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.

John 13:15-17 (NLT) 15  “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16  I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17  Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.”

Going through the eMotions: Intro

Experts say everything we feel can be boiled down into eight basic emotions. We see them all reflected in Scripture. Digging into each of these eight emotions is going to help us better understand God’s design for us. Let’s not be satisfied with simply going through the motions.

Psalm 103:8 (NLT)  The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Eight Core Emotions*

1. 1. 1. ANGER
      2. FEAR
      3. JOY
      4. SURPRISE
      5. SADNESS
      6. SHAME
      7. DISGUST
      8. LOVE

Adulting: Rules of Life part 2

Kids don’t always like rules. Teenagers like them even less! Adults realize that good rules are not designed to oppress us, but to support us. In fact, mature people put rules in place for themselves to help them grow and become fruitful--a blessing to the world.

KEY TEXT: John 15:5 (NLT)  “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

 Guidelines for Establishing a Rule of Life*

1. 1. 1. It’s ultimately not about you.
      2. Discern your rule; don’t decide it.
      3. It’s a living document written in pencil, not chiseled in stone.
      4. It should reflect the rhythms of your day, week, month and year.
      5. It should reflect balance of what you prefer and what stretches you.

 What Does Your Rule of Life Look Like?

Each Morning:

Each Midday:

Each Evening:

Each Week:

Each Month:

Each Year:

 

*www.projectrenovation.org/a-trellis-to-live-by/