Today is January 5th, 2020, the first Sunday of a new decade. The last Sunday of this decade will be December 30th, 2029. This last Sunday we celebrated as a church everything God did in 2019. I hear it was really encouraging. So my question is:

What do you want to celebrate on Sunday, December 30th, 2029? 

Imagine if you can celebrate anything—people coming to faith, baptisms, us reading our Bibles and growing together in our love for Jesus, the Lord sending out own to become missionaries and support other churches. What do you want to celebrate? On that Sunday I want to celebrate all the ways Jesus has worked in and through us as a church to be a witness to his world. 

There are 3,647 days between now and the last Sunday in 2029. That seems like a lot of time, but it will fly by like the snap of my fingers. And so we want to use our time wisely. We’re going to take about the first year, of those ten years, to study a book that’s all about the witness of God’s people in their world. If we want to be faithful witnesses, we need to know how to do it, and we find that in the book of Acts. 

Acts tells the story of the first churches and the first missionaries and their outward witness. Here in the opening chapter of Acts we find this encouragement for sharing Christ with others.

Jesus gives us everything we need to be his witnesses in our world.

This is my big idea. Jesus gives us everything we need to be his witnesses in our world. As we open up the first eleven verses of Acts we encounter three things Jesus gives us to help us witness.

1. Proof of his resurrection. (Acts 1:1-3)

Let’s look at the first verse.

Acts 1:1 (NIV) In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach

What book is the author talking about? He’s talking about the gospel of Luke, which we finished a series in, The Certain Gospel, last May. Luke wrote both the gospel of Luke and Acts. Both are addressed in their introductions to “Theophilus.” Luke is a physician, a historian, and joins Paul later in Acts (Acts 16-28; Col 4:14). Luke lives and breathed life in and among Paul and the other early believers. We can trust him and his accuracy and the proofs he presents. The proof he presents is Jesus himself rising from the grave.

Acts 1:1b-4a (NIV) …I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command…

So what are the proofs of Jesus’ resurrection that Luke presents? 

Jesus presented himself to the disciples. As they retell it, he wasn’t some limping ashen person who had fainted and barely survived a cross, but a glorious king. The one who was scourged with whips was better than brand new. He didn’t appear once, but over a period of 40 days. Paul tells us Jesus appeared to over 500 people, many of whom Luke could have talked to (1 Cor 15:1-6). 

Jesus also gave proofs by eating with them—ghosts don’t eat (v4; Luke 24:42-43), talking to them, letting them them touch his hands and side (John 20:24-29). 

These disciples were so convinced they saw Jesus alive after his death that most of them died martyr’s deaths and all of them suffered to tell others about Jesus. Actually, the word for “witness” in verse 8 is the Greek word “martus,” where the word “martyr” came from. So I could rephrase my big idea…

Jesus gives us everything we need to be his martyrs in our world.

That’s a cheery way to start out a new year! What could possibly cause me to give my life, even if I don’t die, just give the days of my life, to tell others about Christ? The only thing that could possibly make it worth while is if someone died and came back to life and told us how to hav

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, “I am running away.” 

“If you run away, “ said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.”

These are the opening words of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. We have a lot of children’s books in our house right now but there’s something special about this book. Runaway Bunny has never gone out of print since it was first published in 1942. Families still love reading it and passing it along today. 

Maybe you’re thinking, “You got your Holidays wrong! It’s not Easter.” Well, I actually think The Runaway Bunny tells us about Christmas. I think we love this book because it whispers a greater story, the story of God pursuing us because he loves us. The story of the Bible and of Christmas is the story of us running away from God and God running after us.

“If you run after me,” said the little bunny, “I will become a fish in a trout stream and I will swim away from you.” 

“If you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother, “I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you.” 

The little bunny is strong and independent; but his idea of freedom is actually captivity. Little bunnies don’t make good swimmers. We’re kind of like that little bunny, aren’t we? We run to things that we think will make us happy but they don’t. That’s how it’s been since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:17). They wanted freedom but instead they got captivity. Their sin introduced brokenness and mistrust into our world. So what did they do in the garden? They ran away. They tried to hide. 

Genesis 3:8 (NIV) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Do you know what it’s like to be so wrong you just want to hide? Hi an emotion, hide a memory, hide a thing you did or said? Hide from your parents, your spouse, your friends, your boss, your God? One of my earliest memories is me running away and hiding from my brothers because I had done something wrong (I think I’d lied). We all hide because we all feel shame, but God doesn’t want to leave us in our shame. When Adam and Eve were hiding, do you know what God was doing? He was searching.

Genesis 3:9 (NIV) But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 

God knew exactly where they were as he walked through his garden, but still he called out, “Where are you?” Why would he do that? Why not just appear exactly where they were hiding and surprise them?! Because our God is a God who cares enough to come after us (Rom 3:11). Our God is a God who loves us enough to find us. Even now, God is offering Adam and Eve an opportunity to come to him, but instead they hide. But you don’t have to hide.

Where are you Adam? Where are you Eve? How would you answer that question? Where are you? Are you walking with God in the garden or are you hiding behind the trees? What do you hide behind? Do you hide behind good deeds? Good parenting? Good grades? Good fitness? A good relationship? Good work? A good career? Good morality? Being a good person? Hiding behind something that is good is still hiding. What thing is in-between you and God? Don’t let it keep you back from him. 

The runaway bunny has good ideas; he has really great ideas. He doesn’t want to do bad. He wants to do good. He wants to become a mountain!

“If you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny, “I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you.”

“If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,” said his mother, “I will be a mountain climber, and I will climb to where you are.” 

The little bunny wants to become a mountain high above his mother. He wants to surpass her. He wants to be in charge. That’s exactly what Adam and Eve wanted and what we want when we do life our way instead of God’s way. We want to rule over God; we want to be the ones in charge.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re listening to a teaching or reading or watching a documentary and something “clicks” in your mind? You finally “get it” and the way you think has changed? Maybe it’s a radical “paradigm shift” or just a “aha moment.” Something is different. 

I had one of moments this fall when I began reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. This is a book on parenting, but he starts with the heart. I’m going to be leading a Community Group for parents on this material, so I hope today’s sermon will intrigue you to learn more. He defines the heart as “the control center for life.”

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Above all else, guard your heart,

     for everything you do flows from it. 

Everything we do comes from our heart. They’re our control center. Our hearts determine our behavior. So when I say or do something—what I’m saying and doing are a reflection of what’s going on inside me. Now he applies this to parenting. He argues most books on parenting focus on behavior-modification and not heart-change but Jesus is not interested in “good behavior” without a heart that loves him. In fact, pointing to Jesus’ judgment of the Pharisees in Matthew 15 for caring more about outward behavior than impure hearts (Matt 15:1-20), Tripp says:

“A change in behavior that does not stem from a change in heart is not commendable; it is condemnable.” – Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp 

We can finally start to behave and do all the right things, but if Jesus doesn’t have our hearts, it won’t matter in the end. As I’ve taken us through Proverbs this summer and fall we’ve talked a lot about the importance of living life God’s way. But if all we do is walk away from these series in Proverbs and think, “I got to do better” than we’re actually no better off. Why is that? It’s because…

The heart matters most. 

Jesus condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the law—the most religious people of all—because they care more for their traditions and hand washing than people. Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah.

Matthew 15:8-9 (NIV)

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,

       but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;

       their teachings are merely human rules.’” (see Isaiah 29:13)

It’s possible for you and I to have perfect church attendance, to have great behavior, to always say “please and thank you,” to make others feel respected and valued, to be the best of parents, to always vote the right way, to look outwardly fine, die and go straight to hell because our hearts are far from God. We do want to love and value others, but it has to come from a heart that’s with God.

In Proverbs we’ve talked about marriage, money, the things we say, leadership, parenting, alcohol, and so much more. If we’re to approach any of those things the right way, our focus cannot just be on doing the right thing, but on having a right heart. Trip gives this illustration in his opening chapter.

The children are playing and a fight breaks out over a particular toy. The classic response is “Who had it first?” This response misses heart issues. “Who had it first?” is an issue of justice. Justice operates in the favor of the child who was the quicker draw in getting the toy. If we look at this situation in terms of the heart, the issues change. 

Now you have two offenders. Both children are displaying a hardness of heart toward the other. Both are being selfish. Both children are saying, “I don’t care about you or your happiness. I am only concerned about myself. I want this toy. My happiness depends on possessing it. I will have it and be happy regardless of what that means to you.” 

In terms of issues of the heart, you have two sinning children. Two children are preferring themselves before the other. Two children are breaking God’s law. Sure, the circumstances are different. One is taking the toy that the other has. The other is keeping the advantage. The circumstances are different, but the heart issue is the same—

For our Christmas series this year—Wisdom for the Holidays—I’ve extended our time in Proverbs. I’ve done this because we could all use a little help navigating a fun but sometimes difficult time of year. The first week I spoke on gifts, the second week on drinks, and this week I’m talking about family. For many of us, spending time with family, whether our nuclear family (immediate)—parents and children—or our extended family—in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc—is a big part of Christmas. 

For some this time with family is great. It’s fun. You have an easy time with your family. For others your family can really stress you out and cause a lot of anxiety. Or maybe you’re somewhere in-between. You love your family, but moments arise where you wonder if you were swapped at birth. 

Today I have three gifts of wisdom from God’s Word that I think might help us all navigate time with family this Christmas. There are so many different things we can buy, but these gifts don’t cost you any money, but neither are they exactly free, because they will cost you. The three gifts are the gift of peace, the gift of respect, and the gift of contentment. The first gift to give to your family is…

The gift of peace

Proverbs says just how important peace is by how much it judges troublemakers. 

Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)

16 There are six things the Lord hates,

       seven that are detestable to him:

17      haughty eyes,

          a lying tongue,

          hands that shed innocent blood,

18      a heart that devises wicked schemes,

          feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19      a false witness who pours out lies

          and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

God hates those who stirs up conflict within a family. The ESV translates v19 as the Lord hates “one who sows discord among brothers.” That’s closer to the Hebrew so this wisdom first applies to the family. As you spend time with your brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents over the Holidays, try to avoid fighting (Prov 18:19). I have three ways you can give the gift of peace:

1. Don’t start conflict.

Your family knows exactly what will get you riled up. They know your “buttons” and we know theirs. We practically gave each other our buttons, as a gift. It can be tempting to push them, to talk about that political issue or to make that passing comment that makes you feel a little better than them. 

Proverbs 17:14 (NIV)

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;

     so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Jesus didn’t say “blessed are the instigators.” Rather he said…

Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

Blessed are the peacemakers,

     for they will be called children of God.

Children of God are to be children of peace. We are to be characterized by peace and harmony. My son really likes Daniel Tiger these days. Daniel Tiger is a PBS show inspired by Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. The main star is Daniel the tiger. Every episode there’s a lesson. In one episode Daniel get’s mad because he can’t go to jungle beach so his mom teaches him a song to sing when he’s mad.

When you feel so mad

that you wanna roar,

take a deep breath,

and count to 4.

1.2.3.4. (with accompanying hand motion)

We could all benefit from this song when we are feeling upset or mad. So if family member’s start getting upset over Christmas, flip on Daniel Tiger season one episode 4 on Amazon Prime. Don’t start conflict.

2. Don’t further conflict.

You know how some people say, “They started it but I’m going to finish it.” That never leads anywhere good. If conflict is already happening, don’t add fuel to the fire. There’s a number of ways we do this, like when we start gossiping about other members of our family (Prov 16:28).

Proverbs 26:20 (NIV)

Without wood a fire goes out;

     without a gossip a quarrel dies down.

It helps to define gossip. 

Gossip: saying something negative about anyone or anything to someone who can’t do anything about it. (Stephen Mansfield – The EntreLeadership Podcast #303)

For the Christmas season this year I am talking about topics we encounter this time of year. Last week I preached on gifts and gift-giving since many of us are purchasing gifts for family and friends this time of year. Next week I’m preaching on family as we often spend time with family over the Holidays. Today, I’m preaching on drinking wine but more generally alcohol. As we go to work parties or spend time with friends we may be offered or ourselves offer wine, beer, cider, or some other drink. Should we turn them down or not offer these beverages because the Bible prohibits drinking? Proverbs warns: 

Proverbs 20:1 (NIV)

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;

     whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

What about the book right before this, Psalms? Doesn’t it actually encourage drinking? 

Psalm 104:15 (NIV)

[The Lord makes…]

wine that gladdens human hearts,

     oil to make their faces shine,

     and bread that sustains their hearts.

Which one is it? Drink nothing or a lot? As you might suspect the Bible falls somewhere in-between. Let’s first look at the negative side of wine, then the positive, followed by the redemptive side. 

1. The Bible warns against the overuse of wine and strong drink.

From the Old Testament to the New the Bible warns against drinking too much and getting drunk. The first time wine is mentioned in the Bible is with Noah. 

Noah – Drunkenness can destroy a family.

After the flood that destroyed all humankind but Noah and his family he plants a vineyard, becomes drunk, and passes out naked outside his tent (Gen 9:20-21). One son, Ham, treats his father disrespectfully, and the other two sons, Shem and Japheth, cover him up. This leads to Noah cursing Ham’s family and blessing the other two sons’ families. Although God uses this story for good to bless Shem’s descendants, the “Semites,” and foreshadow the acceptance of the non-Jewish Gentile people into the family of Shem, Japheth’s descendants, it also illustrates how drunkenness can tear a family apart. I imagine Noah had every reason to get drunk. He probably had PTSD from the flood and was self-medicating, but that didn’t make it okay. Noah’s drunkenness mixed with his son’s disrespect destroys his family.

Proverbs – Wisdom says don’t over-drink (especially leaders). 

We’ve been spending a lot of time in Proverbs. It’s a book of wisdom—that means it tells us how to live our everyday life God’s way. Towards the end of Proverbs there’s a section called “Thirty Sayings of the Wise.” The longest of these sayings is “Saying 19” in Proverbs 23:29-35. It says not to drink too much. I want to read the central two verses of the seven verses. 

Proverbs 23:31-32 (NIV)

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,

        when it sparkles in the cup,

        when it goes down smoothly!

32 In the end it bites like a snake

        and poisons like a viper.

Wine, beer, and alcohol, when over-consumed, although it might be a lot of fun to drink, makes you eyes red, makes you see strange things, makes you stagger back and forth, and is a pointless addiction that leaves you wanting more (Prov 23:29-35). Proverbs also warns that over-drinking can leave you poor. 

Proverbs 21:17 (NIV)

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;

     whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

Over-consumption of alcohol can lead to acts of violence (Prov 4:17). 

Proverbs 20:1 (NIV)

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;

     whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Proverbs also warns kings to be careful with wine. 

Proverbs 31:4-5 (NIV)

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—

       it is not for kings to drink wine,

       not for rulers to crave beer,

5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,

       and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

I think it’s fair to apply this to anyone in leadership today. If you are in authority over others, whether in government, a business, your family, or the church, be careful with drinking. Michigan Medicine published a Mott Poll Report in

Some of my favorite memories from Christmas growing up are going to Toys “R” Us (may you rest in peace) and picking out a Christmas gift to buy my brother. One Christmas my brother Nathanael went into the store and bought his gift for me. Then I went into the store and picked out a gift for him. When we unwrapped our gifts on Christmas day we had each picked out the exact same Lego set for each other.

For some people you love buying gifts. It’s fun to give to others. You love to see their face light up with a smile. You love thinking and planning about what to get them. For others maybe gift-giving or gift-receiving causes anxiety and worry. When someone sends you a gift on the outside you look happy but on the inside you’re like, “Agh! Why? Now what am I going to get them?”

My original plan for this sermon was to preach out of Proverbs on gift-giving but the more I studied Proverbs the more I found it didn’t have a whole lot to say on gifting. It says not to bribe a judge while also admitting that gifts can sometimes soothe anger and facilitate relationships (Prov 17:8, 23; 18:16; 21:14). It doesn’t look kindly on those who say they’re going to give a gift and then never do (Prov 25:14). It seems to say that gifts can complicate relationships and if misused do harm (Prov 19:6; 28:21). So what’s the application? Never give a gift?! I don’t think so. More like, don’t bribe your kids, or your spouse, or your parents, or your friends or whomever this Christmas. Don’t try to purchase their obedience or affection. Rather, give freely. Give genuinely. Give out of love with no strings attached. 

What does the rest of the Bible have to say? As I searched the Scriptures I fell on one verse that reminded me of what Christmas and gift-giving is really all about. Let’s read.

John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This is probably the most famous verse in the entire Bible. It’s the first verse I can remember memorizing. It’s never really struck me before as being about Christmas. Hear that first line again, “For God so loved the world that he gave…” This verse is about the most important gift ever given but this verse is also about the character of the giver himself. The God of the Bible is a God who gives.

God gave.

If you were to crack open the very first pages of the Bible you would find a God who is a giver.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

God didn’t need us, but he gave everything to us. In Genesis one alone God gives us light and darkness, day and night, water, dry ground, vegetation, the stars, birds, and animals. He gives human beings life and then who does he give all this stuff to? You and me.

Genesis 1:26 (NIV) Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

God didn’t have to give. He could have created a world without color or without joy unless you believe in him. God didn’t do any of those things. He freely created this world so that we could enjoy it with him. It’s like the dawn of creation is Christmas day. God is the great giver who gives to us freely. 

How might you reflect the great giver this Christmas? How might you give freely with no string attached? How might you give out of your creativity and love, expecting nothing in return? That’s the kind of God we believe in. When you and I give, we reflect just a little bit of his goodness and character.

God gave all these wonderful things to us—perfect creation—and what did we do with it? We broke it. Do you ever get a gift and then immediately break it? That’s what we did. God gave and we broke. 

The rest of the story of the Bible is a story of God giving and us breaking. He gives to a man he names Abraham and Abraham does his own thing. He

Dave Astolfi is a second career pastor, having earned an M.Div from Bethel Seminary of the East. He retired early from a 35 year career in science research to devote more time and energy to pastoral ministry.  Dave was ordained at Grace Community Church in Chelmsford, while serving as Pastor of Care. He is enjoying semi-retirement, serving God through pulpit supply, interim ministry, mentoring and volunteering at a community pantry … Oh, and he also keeps busy playing with his four grandsons.

Does education matter? Most of probably think, “Of course!” In Westford alone an estimated 45% of the population has a four-year college degree or higher. At the very least we live in a community that values education. Maybe I should rephrase the question. Does education matter… to God? A Pharisee, one who was “an expert in the last” asked Jesus a similar question (Matt 22:35).

Matthew 22:36-37 (NIV)

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

Jesus calls us to love God with our minds. This means we are to employ thinking and learning and education in our worship of God.  The more we develop our minds the more we can love God. 

Jesus’ answer comes from the Shema in Deuteronomy. Shema means “listen” but not just “hear” but “hear” and “obey.” The Shema was a prayer the Jewish people said twice daily, morning and evening. Jesus probably prayed the Shema twice a day every day. In the Shema we find a close connection between loving God and education.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

God wants us to love him with everything we are, which Jesus says includes our minds. He wants his commandments to go deep into our hearts. But how do we do that? Through teaching.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

The way God intended for his people to know the faith and grow is for one generation to teach it to the next (Psalm 78:5-7). This means that God values education. 

Education matters to God.

This doesn’t mean God loves educated people more than non-educated people or that he can only use people with a degree. Rather, God values Christian Education, the time parents and teachers in the church teach the Scriptures and God also values non-Christian education, not having to directly do with Scripture. God cares about Bible studies, and community groups, and theology books, but God also values math, biology, chemistry, engineering, technology, art, writing, communication, theater, education, and the list goes on and on. The poet David wrote: 

Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

     the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

     night after night they reveal knowledge.

That means if we study nature we can learn something about God. When you sit under a good teacher, and that teacher helps you learn science or the nuances of a foreign language or how to solve a complex math equation, while it might seem you’re just learning a subject, you’re also learning about the type of God who created that subject. You’re learning that God is endlessly creative and good. 

I’d like to take a moment and speak to our educators. If you are an educator—a homeschool teacher, a private school teacher, a public school teacher, a university teacher, a tutor, if you are one of our Christian Education hour teachers, or in any other area of education—would you please stand? Let’s acknowledge them with a round of applause.

We need good teachers because good teachers and educators help us see how everything God has created has value and worth. Christian and Bible things matter to God. It’s not just those things that matter to God but everything. I appreciate this quote from a poet who wrestled with this concept. 

“I was brought up in a Christian environment where, because God had to be given pre-eminence, nothing else was allowed to be important. I have broken through to the position that because God exists, everything has significance.” – Evange

What would you do if you discovered you were royalty? How would you react if you took a DNA test and when you got the results it said you were a prince or princess? Well that actually happened to a man named Jay Speights. Jay is the descendent of African American slaves. His family was brought to America on a slave ship so he didn’t know his ancestry. 

Using modern technology he took DNA tests that showed he had “royal DNA” from the West African country of Benin. Jay met a man who gave him the phone number of the king of Benin but when he called the king hung up on him. Then he talked with the king’s wife who confirmed he was a prince. She told him he was the descendent of king Deka “who ruled from 1746 to 1765” and she invited him to come and visit.

Jay flew from Virginia to Benin and when he got off the plane his family photos “were plastered on big blue posters hung throughout the airport.” The Washington Post reported that when Jay exited the airport, “he saw what looked like a festival, hundreds of people dancing and playing instruments and singing. It took him several minutes to realize it was a welcome party — for him.”

What would you do if you discovered you were royalty? Would you get on a plane and fly across the world like Jay? All that he knew up until that point was that he was the descendent of slaves but then he discovered he was the descendent of a king. Discovering his identity made all the difference.

Today I want you to take a DNA test. I want you to discover your spiritual identity. What if you took a spiritual DNA test and discovered you were the child of God, a child of the king of the universe?  Wouldn’t that be amazing? But how can you know for sure? To find out we need to look at some history.

Discover your heritage.

Just like Jay went back to his roots as Christians today we have to go back to our roots, which starts at the beginning. God places Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to rule over all creation (Gen 1:26-28). They were the first king and queen. But they messed up pretty quickly by obeying the serpent, God’s enemy, instead of God himself (Gen 2:17). When they did this they and all of humanity were thrown out of God’s presence and plunged into sin. Humankind still ruled creation but our rule was broken and corrupt.

God promises to send a new king who will defeat the serpent (Gen 3:15). His plans really start to ramp up after Noah’s flood when God makes a covenant (a promise) with the man Abraham (whose wife is named Sarah, which means “princess”). God promises to make him the father (a type of king) of a great nation. 

Genesis 12:2-3 (NIV)

2 “I will make you into a great nation,

       and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

       and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

       and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

       will be blessed through you.”

God is going to bless the whole world through Abraham’s descendants. Abraham’s children are going to be God’s children. Abraham has a son named Isaac who has a son named Jacob who has twelve sons. They become the twelve tribes of Israel. But because of a famine these twelve tribes move to Egypt where they come under the rule of the evil king Pharaoh. God sends a leader named Moses to lead his people out of captivity. Here’s what God says to Moses.

Exodus 4:22-23a (NIV) Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” …

This identity as the children of God really begins to define the nation of Israel here. God wants them to be distinct from the rest of the world, a holy people (Deut 14:1). But instead of being holy they rebel and worship idols and do whatever they want (Isa 1:2). So much so that after God delivers Israel out of Egypt and takes them to the promised land, they end up losing the land and going into exile in Babylon. We don’t really understand what it’s like to go into exile, into slavery,

Emotions are everywhere! You have the ability to express what you are feeling perhaps more easily now than any other period in human history. When I was growing up we had texting, but you had to create the smiley face at the end of your sentence. For example

I hope you have a great weekend.

The person receiving this text was encouraged by your happy little smile. But you could also write this:

I hope you have a great weekend.

A frowning face implies the exact opposite feeling. You’re not wishing them happiness. You’re telling them you’re upset for leaving you out or doing their thing instead of yours. But today?

I hope you have a great weekend.  

Emojis: clapping, party popper, star, unicorn, face with tears of joy, fireworks, and creepy clown. That is going to be one exciting weekend! As of October 2019 there are 3,178 emojis. Did you know that “5 billion emojis are sent daily on Facebook Messenger”?

On the news feed Facebook encourages us to “react” to what we read or see posted. They’ve even given us six different ways to express our reaction: like, love, haha, wow, sad, and angry. 

Facebook needs a react option that symbolizes a carefully thought out and non-reactionary response, like a little emoji of the thinker. It’ll mean, “I haven’t done the research necessary to respond to this post in a thoughtful way, but I want to communicate to you that I engaged with your ideas.”

It’s not wrong to feel emotion. God created emotions. He created feelings. But it is wrong to be ruled by our emotions. All around us we are told our emotions are what matters most. The book of Proverbs, which contains our Creator’s plan, has a different perspective.

It’s easy but foolish to let your emotions rule you.

Here again we find a contrast between the way of the foolish and the way of the wise. Proverbs contrasts these two paths over and over again, continually encouraging us to walk in the way of wisdom.

Proverbs 12:16 (NIV)

Fools show their annoyance at once,

     but the prudent overlook an insult.

It’s easy to “react.” It’s much harder to patiently respond and yet that’s what the prudent do. As we learned in our sermon on prudence, prudence means “thinking through all the options and their potential outcomes.” Stopping and thinking requires energy, effort, and wisdom.

It’s hard but wise to reign over your emotions.

My first two points go together. It’s easy but foolish to let your emotions rule you… and it’s hard but wise to reign over your emotions. What I want to do now is go through the emotions Proverbs touches on and contrast foolish emotions with wise ones. Proverbs encourages:

Not anger but patience.

Proverbs warns us against anger, against hostility towards others.

Proverbs 29:22 (NIV)

An angry person stirs up conflict,

      and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.

The Bible does tell us elsewhere that it is possible to be angry and not sin. 

Ephesians 4:26a “In your anger do not sin”… (NIV)

So there are some things that we perhaps have the right to get angry over, things like murder, greed, social injustice, and brokenness in our world. But we need to read the second half of the verse.

Ephesians 4:26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (NIV)

Proverbs gives a short window for acceptable anger (one night).Why? What’s the harm to holding onto anger? Read the next verse.

Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. (NIV)

Satan uses anger to get a foothold in our life. How many of us have felt anger for days, weeks, or even months? I know I have. Anger is addictive. After a while you almost don’t want to let it go because it keeps you going. Every day we hold onto our anger is another opportunity for Satan to gain ground in our heart. Anger turns into bitterness and rots away at our souls.

Proverbs 14:30 (NIV)

A heart at peace gives life to the body,

      but envy rots