August 28 Being Emotionally Free 1 John 3:3
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3)
There is a great disconnect today between faith and a vital relationship with Jesus. You don't have to look far to see the results. Riots, Rage, Racial Division, Evil, Lies, Destruction of Private and Public Property, Hatred, and a host of other actions that are driven by the Evil that exists, as emotions are stirred up without any controls. When our emotions control us, we miss out on the freedom Jesus promised.Top of Form Bottom of FormThe Holy Spirit’s Power can and will Handle our Emotions! We have to be connected in order for the Holy Spirit to effectively control our existence! Emotions are out of control today. In 2002 George Barna conducted various studies that showed how much Americans identified faith as a key factor in their life. Large majorities claimed their “religious faith is very important” in their life and described themselves as “deeply spiritual.” However this same study showed that less than half of those that described themselves as Christians also described themselves as “completely committed to the Christian faith.” Less than one out of every ten regular attenders of Christian churches give 10% or more of their income - a "tithe" - to their church. A majority of teenagers attend a Christian church today, but only one-third is likely to do so once they reach adulthood. The persecution delivered by the domestic terrorist attacks has produced no increase in spiritual practices, such as attending worship services, reading the Bible, praying, or serving the needy. Giving levels have actually decreased over the past few years. In fact, not even half of Americans indicated that their faith had been an important factor in helping them process the effects of the terrorist attacks. Barna suggested that many Americans may have fallen in love with faith rather than the object of their faith. "It's much less demanding to be devoted to the idea of faith than to invest your-self in a true relation-ship with the living God. The data raise the question of just what people have become infatuated with: the idea of being a person of faith or the reality of having an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus Christ." There is a true disconnect today, between faith and a vital relationship with Jesus which creates attenders, givers, goers, preachers etc. Can we do everything that a believer is supposed to do and have no relationship with Jesus? This might be an indication as to why there is such out of control emotions even in the church today. What I want you to understand is that emotions are not evil. We are created in the image of God and the Bible talks about His anger, passion, sorrow and even pain. Emotions allow us rejoice over the birth of our grandchild, and to celebrate friendships, milestones and victories. Emotions allow us to be angry at evil, praise at the faithfulness of God. Emotions allow us to demonstrate a response to the world around us. Out of control emotions hurt people. Remember hurting people hurt people!! Emotions, in control or out of control, come from the heart. Thank God that He has provided VICTORY over our emotions through the Holy Spirit! 1 John 3:3 says, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” What hope? 1 John 3:2 tells us that when Jesus appears we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. The word for hope carries the idea of anticipation, confidence and desire for the return of Jesus. Those that desire and anticipate the return of Jesus with confidence are in the process of purification. The word for purification means to remove everything that disqualifies us from acceptable worship of God! It gives us the idea of our hearts being fully devoted to Jesus!! The problem of emotions is the problem of the inner man. Paul prayed that we would be strengthened in the inner man because that is the source of all our problems, especially our emotional ones. We almost always try to tackle the problem from the wrong direction. We tackle it from the outside instead of the inside out. The Holy Spirit works to renew our minds; redirect our wills and renovate our emotions. All of these are inward works. Why is God so concerned with the inner man? God is so concerned with the inner life because that is where true and lasting transformation takes places. Submit to the Spirits control. Friends, we do have HOPE! Our HOPE is in the Shed Blood of Jesus and the Leadership and Guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT! As I look around at the unbelievable issues that are occurring and the unexplainable actions of others and the disconnect between seemingly professing Christians and their embracing organizations and movements that are diametrically opposed to the teachings and expectations of God, I can only surmise that their inward condition is not fully committed to God and their outward actions and expressions are a result of their lack of true commitment to God! PRAISE GOD! My HOPE is built on NOTHING LESS than JESUS’ LOVE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS! I am praying, every day, that God would continue to cleanse my “INNER MAN,” and that my “INNER MAN” will be reflected in everything that I do and say! THERE IS THE “HOPE!” HOW ABOUT YOU? Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!