All those Emotions…
I. RELATIONSHIPS always involve EMOTIONS. (v.1-30)
A. SAUL is JEALOUS of David. (v.5, 8-30)
B. But SAUL’S kids LOVE David. (v.1-4, 20, 28)
Preaching 1 Samuel 18 is like walking through a minefield. There are so many questions that come up if you are a reader who pays attention. The role of the preacher is to help us see what the text is saying and not get lost in the things that aren’t clear. So today we focus on the characters and the emotions that we see in play.
1. Kid’s question: Describe a time you were very happy? Very angry? Very sad? Why?
2. On a scale of 1-10 how comfortable are you with your emotions? On a scale of 1-10 how comfortable are you with assessing your emotions instead of just experiencing them?
II. The fruits of LOVE and JEALOUSY. (v.1-30)
A. Love leads to SACRIFICIAL SERVICE and HUMILITY. (v.3-4, 20,26)
B. Jealousy leads to FEAR and MANIPULATION. (v.8-30)
Emotions aren’t neutral. They lead somewhere. We can see that the emotions being experienced in the text shape the lives of those who are experiencing them, both for good and bad.
- How has your love for someone in your life shaped the way you live? Who has loved you in a way that has changed your life?
- What are your top 3 fears and why? How do they impact your life?
- Do you seek to manipulate situations or people on a regular basis? Would peoplewho know you well agree with your assessment?
III. But WHERE do emotions come FROM?
A. “The Eyes … Emotions are WINDOWS to the SOUL.” (v.9,12,15,29; Mt. 6:22-23)
B. They EXPOSE where we place our IDENTITY. (v.8-9; Heb 4:12; 1 Cor. 3:10-13)
C. Unchecked, they can also DRIVE our ACTIONS. (v.10-30; Lk 6:45)
D. You can EXPERIENCE, IGNORE or LEARN from emotions. (Ps. 139:23-24)
Emotions will always lead us places, but the question that really needs to be addressed is where do they come from? How can we get to the root of our emotional life and start learning to surrender that to following Jesus? We’d often like to just experience or even just ignore emotions, but there is work to be done here.
- What emotions seem to be more constant in your life in the past 6 months to a year? What insight do they give you into the state of your soul?
- What can your regularly experienced emotions teach you about where you base your identity and what drives your actions?
- How can you better acknowledge and learn from your emotions? Who around you is close enough to be a part of that process?
“As we begin the difficult work of confronting our own unconscious motivations, our emotions can be our best allies. The emotions faithfully respond to what our value system is – not what we would like it to be, or what we think it is. Our emotions are perfect recorders of what is happening inside; hence they are the key to finding out what our emotional programs for happiness really are.”
— Thomas Keating (Invitation to Love)