God's Answer To Disturbed Emotions Series

Sermon Series: Sermons from Psalm 23

Sermon #2: God’s Answer for Damaged Emotions:

Scripture Ref: Psalm 23:1-6

Psalm 23:3 ‘HE restores my soul.’

Introduction:

This morning we’re continuing the series from Psalm 23:

In this most beloved PSALM we find 7 CAUSES of STRESS & GOD’S ANSWER to them.

Thus far we have looked at the STRESS of WORRY & the STRESS of BUSYNESS.

This morning we take a look at another form of STRESS, DAMAGED EMOTIONS.

Psalm 23:3 DAVID declares: ‘HE restores my soul.’

This is GOOD NEWS for we all need to have OUR SOUL RESTORED from time to time.

We get BEAT UP by DISCOURAGEMENT & by DEPRESSION, & by DESPAIR. We have FATIGUE & FAILURE & FRUSTRATIONS & FEAR.

We have HIDDEN HURTS from our PAST. We carry BATTLE SCARS, & EMOTIONAL GARBAGE.

But our LORD, our SHEPHERD wants us to be FREE from such STRESS. It is HARD to ENJOY LIFE day by day WHEN we WALKING ABOUT with DAMAGED EMOTIONS.

How does GOD do that?

GOD HEALS & RESTORES WHEN we ALLOW HIM to do 3 things:

1: LET GOD REMOVE our GUILT:

2: LET GOD RELIEVE our GRIEF:

3: LET GOD REPLACE our GRUDGES:

#1: LET GOD REMOVE OUR GUILT:

NOTHING DESTROYS our SOUL FASTER than GUILT & CONDEMNATION:

In Psalm 38 DAVID shares with GOD his EMOTIONS of GUILT & of CONDEMNATION.

Psalm 38:4-8 ‘For mine iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink & are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled: I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease; & there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble & sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.’

Verse #17: ‘For I am ready to halt, & my sorrow is continually before me.’

Verse #22 ‘Make haste to help me, O LORD my salvation.’

We live in a PRESENT SOCIETY where VERY LITTLE GUILT is FELT regardless of the SIN COMMITTED. I mean VERY LITTLE is REGARDED as SIN, even in many of today’s churches.

If LIBERAL RELIGION is going to ACCEPT HOMOSEXUAL MINISTERS then WHAT SINS can they CRY OUT AGAINST & WHAT STANDARD can they RAISE?

However there are TWO PROBLEMS with GUILT:

1: We all have PLENTY of REASONS to FEEL GUILT:

There is NONE PERFECT. We have ALL MISSED the MARK.

We have ALL made OUR SHARE of BLUNDERS.

2: We cannot GET AWAY from GUILT:

It is not only in our HEART & our CONSCIOUSNESS, it is also in our MINDS. Unfortunately, everywhere we GO our MINDS also GO.

Even if we MOVE to another town or another state where nobody knows us, we STILL KNOW us. & we CARRY a GUILTY CONSCIOUS as a REMINDER of the THINGS we DID that we SHOULD NOT have DONE.

There is a gnawing condemning spirit within us.

Proverbs 20:7 ‘The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.’

HOW DO WE GET RID OF GUILT?

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE GUILT IN OUR LIVES?

There are SEVERAL OPTIONS:

1: We can DENY IT. PRETEND it does not exist.

We can try to MENTALLY BURY the PAST. But that WON’T WORK because it is STILL ALIVE & it WILL RESURRECT ITSELF. Just about the time we think it is good & BURIED in the BACK of OUR MINDS it comes to LIFE at the MOST INAPPROPIATE TIMES. So DENYING GUILT is NOT the ANSWER.

2: We can MINIMIZE IT.

It was NO BIG DEAL. It was NOT that BIG of a SIN. OTHERS have DONE MUCH WORSE than what we have done. But even by MINIMIZING IT, it STILL has a way of RETURNING to our MEMORY. MINIMIZING DOESN’T WORK:

3: We can COMPROMIIZE our STANDARDS.

The MORE we DO a THING the LESS WRONG it seems. If we KEEP DOING SOMETHING OVER & OVER AGAIN our CONSCIOUS will EVENTUALLY become SEARED. But that STILL WILL NOT REMOVE the GUILT. WRONG is STILL WRONG REGARDLESS of HOW we may FEEL about it.

4: We can BLAME OTHER PEOPLE:

We can ALWAYS find a LOOP HOLE where if SOMEONE ELSE had NOT DONE WHAT they DID then we WOULD NOT have DONE WHAT we did.

The PREACHER’S KIDS would NOT be as MEAN if they DID NOT PLAY with the MEMBER’S KIDS.

BLAMING OTHERS DOESN’T WORK EITHER.

5: We can BEAT OURSELVES UP:

That is what MOST PEOPLE DO.

However they NEVER GET THROUGH BEATING THEMSELVES UP.

It is a CONTINUAL PROCESS & they NEVER get RID of the GUILT.

NONE of those things WORK.

There ONLY ONE SOLUTION to OUR GUILT.