MORE THAN A FEELING December 3, 2008 Youth
If you have played Guitar Hero, you know "More Than A Feeling" by Boston. What is ironic that the song is all about feelings – being lost in music. But Faith is More Than a Feeling: We all have emotions and drama in our lives, but we cannot live by feelings, we must live by faith and truth. Emotions are not wrong, but we cannot live our lives by them.
Review: The Church in Acts 1-9: Ups and Downs
Pentecost to Penitentiary, Peter, Stephen, Saul, and Ananias
9:18 The scales come off Saul’s eyes
9:22 Saul reasons with the Jews proving Jesus is the Christ. His belief is not based on feelings, but on faith.
9:31 The Church has peace: The Church and the believers did not rely on emotional ups and downs, but on faith and truth.
“Emotion:” (Bee Gees, Destiny’s Child) “Caught up in sorrow, lost in a song, cry me a river...nobody left in this world to hold me tight.”
How do you feel when you hear that song? EMOTIONAL! Life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows. But we cannot live out our faith on emotions alone; we are not saved by emotions, but by faith in the truth of Jesus Christ that never changes.
The late 70’s were good times – Disco and Donny Osmond and Puppy Love. I liked this girl so much I drew a picture of her. We do get caught up in sorrow, lost in a song, crying a river
What is your greatest emotional moment? Your worst?
There is nothing wrong with feelings and emotions – but we cannot base our lives on them. Can we go a day without drama? We seem to be drama addicts – but we don’t have to be.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: Faith is not based on what we “feel,” but an inner witness of the Holy Spirit. We need the scales to come off our eyes to see truth.
So. Cal. Youth Convention Review: GOD WITH US:
Francis Chan: God is incredibly awesome (Rev. 4), and He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with me and you!
Imagine what it is like around the throne – thunder and lightning!
• We try to imitate that, but cannot come close.
• God’s presence can be a good feeling, but it is not based on feelings.
• Jeff Deyo: Forget the lights, videos, and just worship God.
• God is the Show: he is the point.
“Nobody left in this world to hold me tight” – yes, God is!
• God is faithful – he never cheats! He will hold you tight.
• God is a Rock that cannot be shaken and He wants to be with you!
Sean McDowell: Jesus the Truth is with us
Illus: News Article: Students lie, cheat, steal but feel good.
“How can it be wrong if it feels right?”
• What are the implications for your generation if there is no truth? What about your children?
• We cannot base our lives and decisions on what feels right.
• We are trying so hard to be culturally correct – that we are all wrong!
• God is more than a feeling – He is true love, truth, and faith.
Francis Chan: God is with us…everywhere...
• We have no secrets. How does that make you feel? Good and bad.
• Sin: Slapping God in the face. Wrong is wrong all the time.
• If I mistreat my wife and she forgives me that does not make it right. If I love her, I will treat her right.
• The Question is not just “Am I going to heaven?” The question is “Do I love God?”
Rod Whitlock: Wounded but not Conquered (Ehud)
• God is For Us: We have victory in Jesus, but we have to act on that.
• Not on our feelings, emotions, attitudes, problems, pain, the past, opinions, trends, or cultural values.
Ps 9:8-9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
If we know God, we can trust Him!
God uses our pain to make us who He created us to be.
• 1 in 5 young people have a mental disorder. Why?
• We all have a disorder – ITS CALLED SIN! (Not mistakes)
• We have flaws, but we just accept “That’s just the way I am, That’s just how I feel, I am emotional, etc. etc.”
• But it is going to hurt you and other people.
It is time to stand up in the power of the Spirit and SAY NO!
• Say no to drama!
• Say no to selfishness and sin.
• Say no to abuse and unforgiveness.
• Say no to immorality and compromise.
• Say no to the past and yes to your future.
• Say no to bad feelings and yes to faith.
• Say, “I am not going there!”
GOD IS OUR HEALER:
Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.
• Why are we suffering for the things Jesus already suffered for?
• He bore our pain so we would not have to.
• We are tolerating things in our lives that we were never meant to have.
• We are healed! SAY “I AM HEALED!”
Some of you are already carrying heavy baggage – your own sin, maybe what you did, maybe what someone else did to you.
Heb. 12:1 Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off every weight that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us,
Let go of that baggage – lay down your burdens, let go of that sin.
"Lay down your burdens, I will carry you…" (“Carry You” by Amy Grant)
“I WANT TO DO MIRACLES.” Open eyes, heal bodies, hurts, pains,
