Asbury Church

I’m tired of losing, of playing defense, and acting like a victim. I’m tired of the trend lines all going in the wrong direction. And I’m tired of all the anger and finger-pointing.

So, what do we do?

The same 3 words give us the way forward, whether it’s a Fourth of July barbecue or a big national issue. It’s the way of Jesus.

And it works.

Let’s go.

This week is different than a normal sermon—we sing a bunch of songs and I talk about why they are important. Hope you enjoy!

Every breath is proof: God’s not done with us yet. The only reason the Lord has given us today is because he has something for us today. God has more for us, and God has more for everyone we see.

And Pentecost means that God is ready and eager to do more—all we need to be is hungry for it.

There is a seeming contradiction at the heart of Psalm 23:

In verse 3, the psalmist says that the Lord leads him by the right paths;

In verse 4, the psalmist says that he’s walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

If God is a good guide, then why is the psalmist in the death valley? Shouldn’t a good guide lead you away from death’s dark valley?

Psalm 23 begins with a startling claim, whereby the psalmist says,

"Because the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

How can that possibly be true?

The way to have a life filled with peace is to habitually turn your thoughts and attention on God every morning. It’s what Jesus did, and it always works—so why do so few Christians make this a habit?

Either you learn to control your emotions, or you will be controlled by your emotions.

But what about when you can’t avoid emotion? What about when you are around emotional people? What about when the situation in which you find yourself provokes a strong emotional reaction in you?

We wrap up our 3rd and final week of our Emotions series by looking at how Jesus handled his emotions. He was neither a stoic, Spock-like figure, but nor did he ever allow his emotions to distract from his larger mission.

There’s a lesson there.

It’s called spatial disorientation, a condition whereby pilots lose their bearings relative to the horizon—which way is up or down, etc.? Pilots think they can feel which direction is correct, but they can be deceived. And when that happens, fatalities can result. It was spatial disorientation, e.g., that was the cause of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant.

Feelings are not a reliable guide to reality. Emotions can deceive, and if you’re not careful, your emotions can lead you into disaster.

Here’s what to do to make sure that doesn’t happen to you.

Preacher: Andrew Forrest

Series: Emotions

Scripture: Psalm 42

Date: Sunday, April 23 [9 AM service]

We’re going to start our series on Emotions by looking at what I consider to be the nastiest verse in the Scripture. It’s one that at first seems scandalous, but one that I’ve come to understand as necessary for me if I’m going to learn to live like Jesus.

Either you control your emotions, or your emotions control you….

The problem with Easter is that our hearts have grown numb at the news of the empty tomb—we think we already know what Easter is about.

Today, then, I want look at an episode from the life of Jesus that Peter remembered after the Resurrection. It’s a story of death and life, and one that was burned into Peter’s memory; it’s a story that will help us understand what the Resurrection means, and to feel what the apostles felt when they saw the empty tomb and then met and touched and ate with the Risen Jesus.

And once you hear what Jesus literally said to the dead little girl, you’ll never forget it.