Feel

Sermon Reflections from Feel | Alex Hardt | May 19, 2024
We know that emotions are unavoidable. God created us with emotions. He created Adam and saw that it was not good for him to be alone. Loneliness is part of the human experience. When Jesus was on the cross, he was separated from God by our sins and he felt alone and even cried out from the cross, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:46 God created the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve and put many wonderful things for them to eat and plants and animals to see and experience. Feeling pleasure, joy, love and awe are all emotions that God created in us. After the fall and sin entered the world, sin corrupted our emotions and made things more difficult. The only way to navigate all our God given emotions is through the help of Jesus. Remember all God’s promises are Yes in Him! 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

Our feelings are unavoidable as God created us with them. How we deal with them is a matter of choice. Pastor Alex gave several examples of how Jesus dealt with his emotions as he faced the cross: fear, dread, anxiety, etc. Jesus did exactly what 1 Peter 5:7 tells us “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Jesus knew that God loved and cared for him. He laid his fears and anxieties before God in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Bible is filled with godly people who made the right choice- taking their problems to God and those that did not. Genesis 12 tells of a time when Abraham went to Egypt with Sarah. He was afraid to tell the Pharaoh that Sarah was his wife because he feared they would kill him as Sarah was beautiful. So he lied. God sent a plague on Pharaoh’s household and discovered that Sarah was Abraham’s wife. It all ended in their leaving Egypt but all this could have been avoided if Abraham had told God in prayer what he was facing and sought His help. Elijah was pursued by King Ahab in 1 Kings. He was afraid and ran for his life but God answered his prayers and fed and led him to safety. David, Jeremiah, Elisha, Ruth and Esther were all people of God who turned to Him in their time of need, in prayer. They acknowledged their need and humbly relinquished their emotion filled requests to God. Where do you need to turn over your worries and doubts? I had a good friend say, Linda, “I turned it over to God last night. But I got into trouble today when I decided to pick it up again!” We need to turn our worries to God and let him truly have them. He promises to guide and help us. He is sovereign and in control of all things. He sees the beginning and the end. Claim Romans 8:28 and hide its precious words in your heart. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.” We can trust God- He has this!

What was the end result for Jesus after relinquishing his worries to God in the Garden of Gethsemane? He got up and went to the disciples filled with resolve and purpose. Luke22:46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Jesus was at peace with God’s pathway for him. God listens to our prayers and gives us guidance, release, comfort and hope. Our memory verse for this series is Hebrews 4:14-16 “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” God’s Word tells us to take our worries and concerns of this world and seek His help. It is a system He put into place for us here on earth and He desires that we use it effectively just as Jesus did. Jesus got the strength he needed to see his mission through. Prayer brings peace, resolve and hope and His grace when we need it the most.

Seek His throne and feel His grace today.
Linda

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