THE WORLD IS AN EMOTIONAL PLACE RIGHT NOW.

• It’s full of anger, anxiety, fear, apathy, and people acting out based on their emotions.
• How did it get this way?
• The culture teaches that truth is relative, and people think, “If I can’t trust anything outside of myself, then I need to trust myself and my own understanding.”
• People are chasing their own dreams, and everything rests upon it. They think, “All I have is here and now.”

THE WORLD IS TRYING TO CURB BAD BEHAVIOR.

• The problem with curbing bad behavior when truth is relative, and the problem with just focusing on behavior is it doesn’t deal with the heart, and it doesn’t deal with the physically broken.

Matthew 15:15–20 15Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Luke 6:43–45 43No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. 45A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Matthew 23:25–26 25Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

UNDERSTANDING THE HEART SCRIPTURALLY:

• What is the heart from the biblical stand point?
  • The Bible uses the word “heart” primarily to refer to the ruling center of the whole person, the spring of all desires. The heart is seen as the seat of the will, intellect, and feelings.
  • Compare the will, intellect and feelings before Christ—the person, experiences, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors—to those after Christ. The Holy Spirit moves in and there are completely different experiences, relationships, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.

Romans 12:1–2 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

THIS SERIES:

In this series, we are going to be looking at some emotions that destroy if we allow them to control us. Some of us are not even aware of how much our emotions shape our thinking, relationships, and choices. We don’t see below the waterline, and oftentimes, neither do others.

• If we come to understand the emotional part of our lives, it can change our entire course.
• If we start looking at others with grace, knowing something else is going on, it can help us give grace to them and strengthen our relationships.

QUESTIONS TO REFLECT AND DISCUSS:

Passages to consider: Matthew 15:1-20 and Proverbs 4:23

• What from the sermon stood out to you?

1. As you head into the new year, what are you desiring to happen this year? How does that direct your thoughts and actions?

2. Read Proverbs 4:23 and Matthew 15:1-20. What do these passages tell you about the heart, motives, and actions? A) What do you hear Jesus saying?

3. When you think of emotions, what comes to mind? A) In your experience, how do different emotions try to become the boss of you?

4. How do you become aware of what is going on in your heart? A) What traditions or activities can cover up what is going on in your heart?

5. In your mind, review your last month. What has been the “boss” of you?

6. What is in your heart that you might be trying to hide that comes out and hurts others? Suggestion: Listen to yourself talk this week. What do you say? What is your tone? What is your self talk? What emotion or motive is your dominant “boss?”