How inspiring it is to experience worship with the next gens leading it; communion with our
young adult pastor facilitating it; and preaching tag-team-style with Hauhna Hicks and Pastor
Michel Michel Espinoza sharing. We have a future and a hope through the LORD inspiring,
teaching and allowing our youngers to grow and lead.
Hauhna’s family enjoys movies. A recent movie they saw was “Inside Out 2” which explored the emotions of a preteen girl. Seeing the complex and quickly changing emotions prompted Hauhna to ponder the issue of emotions and her sermon was entitled “Inside Out in the Upside Down.”
Hauhna explained five pillars. The first is that we are created in God’s image.
”So God created human beings in his own image. In the
image of God he created them; male and female he created
them.” Genesis 1:27
Though we are familiar with this premise, we can explore it further. Because we are created in His image, we gain moral and intellectual abilities, ethical understanding, emotional strength
and relational capabilities. What gifts He has given us.
The second is that God experiences emotions. “The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Pslam 103:13 is one example of the
LORD’s emotions towards His children. He is tender and compassionate. Also Hauhna
mentioned “qualified impassibility” which means though God experiences emotions, they do not change His nature. He is still constant, omniscient, and omnipresent, but He does empathize with His children. It allows Him to have “relational experiences” with His church.
The third pillar is that the LORD communicates with passion and emotion in His Word. For
example,
“For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you
with gladness. With his love, he will calm all
your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful
songs.” Zephaniah 3:17
The emotion-ladened words include love, calm, fears, rejoice, joyful. They express His feelings for us.
The next pillar is “Jesus is the ultimate display of God’s love.”
“God showed how much he loved us by sending his
one and only Son into the world s that we might have
eternal life through him. This is real love-not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice
to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
Jesus is God’s love in the flesh, and He gave the ultimate sacrifice for each of us-His life. We
can be sinless in God’s eyes as we make Him our Master and Lord.
The final pillar is that as “Christ followers, we are to follow Christ’s example.” The first example of Jesus’ incredible actions is at the Last Supper. Though Jesus knew He would be betrayed that night, He still washed each disciples’ feet. That job was for the servant not the master, but Jesus humbled himself to serve His disciples just as we are to do. Also in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus
“bowed with his face to the ground praying, ’My Father!
If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.
Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’” Matthew 26:39
Jesus knew the suffering He would soon experience and asked if He could forego it, but He
surrendered His will for the Father’s. That is how we Christ followers need to be-servant leaders and humbled to the LORD’s will.
Though it seems impossible to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, Hauhna suggested that we
-pray like Jesus did. He turned to the Father and died to His own will.
-be in community-let other Christ followers help hold you accountable and hold your arms up as
the battle rages
-submit and trust the LORD. Just like the old song says we must “Trust and obey, for there’s no
other way. To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Hauhna ended her lesson with a personal example. She prayed at the Commission Conference to open her husband’s eyes so that he would change. Then the Holy Spirit said to her,”Let’s look at you.” He reminded her of what she did and of her hard heart. The LORD was patient with her and loved her through the tough time. He took her back to the cross, and she repented. The testing showed her who Christ is and how she can trust and obey Him. Glory Hallelujah!
The Paramount Point was “Embracing humility and renewing our minds are essential steps to cultivating emotions that reflect God’s heart.”
Hauhna handed the pulpit over to Pastor Michel Espinoza, the children’s pastor, whose sermon was entitled “Why Confess?”
His first point was that none “should perish but all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“When Jesus says all nations He means all nations.” The Lord wants all to come to a saving
knowledge of Him.
The second point is that “We need to understand the severity of our sin.”
Several verses show us the gravity of sin.
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own
desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
James 1:14-15
It is so easy to let distractions get in the way of our walk with the LORD. Something what may
begin innocently may become an enticement to sin, and sin separates. We should not compare our sin with another’s. We have no right to criticize another person’s walk or words. That critical spirit goes against the LORD’s example of servant leadership. “And why worry about the speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” Matthew 7:3 (NLT) Though sin is enticing, it is divisive. When I fall into an old habit of impatience or criticalness, I need to seek the LORD who showed me that as my Shepherd, I have no needs. “The LORD is my Shepherd.I have everything I need.” Psalm 23:1
The final point is that “We won’t know the severity of God’s love for us.” What does that mean in practical terms? One of the most famous verses in the Bible is
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.” John 3:16
That is extreme love, extreme sacrifice, and extreme measures to save us lowly, stubborn
sinners. Thank you, LORD, for saving our souls through your Son Jesus.
May we daily remember His ultimate sacrifice for us and choose to spend time with Him so that we can be salt and light in this troubled world.
Submitted by
Larry and Annette Linthicum
Comments