Faith-Rest Life, Emotional Complex of Sins, Part 4.
10-15-25 Sermon: Faith-Rest Life, Emotional Complex of Sins 4
Sermon Outline: Faith-Rest Life, Emotional Complex of Sins, and Stability Against Winds of Doctrine
1) Opening Exhortation: Preparation for Study and Prayer
Objective: Ensure the filling of the Spirit for teachability and doctrinal clarity.
Scripture: 1 John 1:9
Exegetical note: “Confess” (homologeō) = to name/cite known sins to God; not penance or bargaining—agreement with God’s evaluation.
Promise: God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness.
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:7
Exegetical note: “Cast” denotes a forceful throwing/transfer (“body-slamming” burdens on the Lord).
Application: Set aside cares, tribulations, distractions to focus on doctrine.
Pastoral application: Urgent intercession for Ed and Kathy Risch following a car accident.
2) Study Context and Continuity: Faith-Rest Drill and Life
Frame: Series continuation on the emotional complex of sins in tandem with the arrogance complex.
Doctrinal perspective:
Arrogance and emotional complexes are layered, progressive sin patterns that quickly remove believers from the faith-rest life.
Immorality is not necessarily the most potent disruptor; emotional and arrogant patterns are often faster and more pervasive.
Target focus: Fear, worry, and anxiety as sins when they surpass normal emotion and become ruling patterns.
3) Defining Emotional Dynamics: Emotion vs. Emotional Sin
Clarification:
Normal human emotion is designed by God as responder/appreciator/intensifier; not inherently sinful.
Example: Immediate fear at a physical threat (e.g., a dog chasing you) is not sin.
Progression to sin:
Stage 1: Immediate overreaction (despair, fear, worry) — the beginning, not necessarily sinful.
Stage 3: Emotional revolt of the soul — emotion usurps volition and thinking; doctrine no longer governs.
Result: Faith-rest requires thinking; if emotion leads, faith-rest cannot function.
4) Why Fear, Worry, and Anxiety Become Sin
Cause: They contradict God’s plan, deny His character and promises, and reveal doctrinal instability.
Mutual exclusivity: A life consumed by fear/worry/anxiety cannot coexist with faith-rest and grace orientation.
Pastoral correction:
Emotion is legitimate; sin occurs when emotion becomes the leader rather than the responder.
Diagnostic: If consumed by fear/anxiety, faith in God’s character and promises is being denied.
5) Humility: Gateway Back to Fellowship and Doctrinal Sanity
Thesis: Recovery from arrogance/emotional complexes begins with humility; without humility, no genuine confession or restoration.
Working definition:
Humility submits to the authority and sufficiency of God and His Word over human emotion, reasoning, or self-will.
Inner decision: God is right; I am not. His promises are true; my emotions (when leading) are liars.
Application: Continual thought-life evaluation under divine viewpoint.
6) Spiritual Self-Management: “Check-Up from the Neck Up”
Practice: Ongoing evaluation of thoughts against resident doctrine (divine viewpoint).
Biblical model: David “encouraged himself in the Lord” (cf. Psalm 42; “Why are you cast down, O my soul?”).
Technique:
Identify emotions not aligned with doctrine (anger, bitterness, jealousy, revenge motivation).
Ask: Why am I feeling this? Is this from God? Replace with promises and principles.
7) Casting Cares and Waiting on the Lord
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6–7
Exegetical note: Humility expressed through dependence; “cast” as forceful transfer.
Application: Emotional sins demand immediate relief; humility defers to God’s timing and provision.
Scripture: Isaiah 40:31
Text: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength…”
Principle: Humility waits; arrogance demands control. Humility treats God’s Word as reality over emotion.
8) The Battle Belongs to the Lord: Rejecting Self-Pity and Uniqueness Claims
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 20:15
Principle: “The battle is the Lord’s” — shift from self-effort to divine reliance.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:13
Exegetical note: Context is testing/trials; no testing beyond common-to-man; God provides a way of escape to endure.
Application:
Self-pity claims uniqueness; humility denies uniqueness of testing.
Sovereignty: Nothing happens unless God allows it; trust His provision and timing.
9) Historical and Ecclesiological Context: Winds of Doctrine (Ephesians 4)
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11–13
Gifts: Apostles, prophets (foundational, completed); evangelists, pastors-teachers (current communication gifts).
Purpose: Equip the saints; edify the body via doctrinal communication.
Mechanic: Perception, metabolization, application of Bible doctrine—no shortcut to the spiritual life.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:14
“Wind of doctrine”: Not a single heresy but shifting trends; cleverly packaged deception appealing to feelings over truth.
Greek imagery: “Trickery of people” = sleight-of-hand/loaded dice; “craftiness” = strategic manipulation via religious systems.
Immaturity produces instability: “tossed to and fro” — impulsive, easily misled; paralleled by doctrinal immaturity.
Scripture: Ephesians 4:15–16
“Speaking the truth in love” — truth precedes and governs love.
Growth into Christ the Head; corporate stability in the body.
Summary axiom:
Emotional, legalistic, mystical systems prey on unstable believers.
Antidote: Clear, consistent doctrinal teaching by prepared pastor-teachers.
10) Satanic Strategy and Emotional Revolt
Scripture: Genesis 3:1
“The serpent was more crafty” — deceitful scheming parallels Ephesians 4:14.
Emotional revolt and cosmic influence:
Emotional revolt creates a vacuum in the soul, inviting cosmic thinking.
Satan leverages pseudo-emotions: pseudo-peace, pseudo-hope, pseudo-love.
Stabilizer: Doctrine resident in the soul.
11) Devotional Interlude: Emotional Winds vs. Doctrinal Anchors
Not every wind is doctrinal error; many winds are emotional storms (anger, self-pity).
When emotions navigate, the cosmic system pilots. Only resident doctrine stabilizes.
12) Case Study in Faith-Rest: Red Sea Crisis
Scripture: Exodus 14:10–16
v.10: Israel fears greatly; cries out — panic under pressure.
v.11–12: Slave mentality; grumbling; preference for Egypt; faith-rest failure.
v.13–14: Moses: stand still; see deliverance; the Lord will fight for you.
v.15–16: The Lord: “Why cry to Me? Tell Israel to go forward.” Command precedes visible deliverance; lift staff; sea divided.
Doctrinal lessons:
Move into the obstacle on divine directive before the solution is visible.
Faith-rest rejects grumbling; operates on promises and directives.
13) Wilderness Failure vs. Next-Gen Faith
Observation:
Red Sea generation repeatedly failed tests (grumbling, unbelief) and missed the land.
Their children enter under exhortations for conquest and courage.
14) Conquest Imperatives: Courage Under Doctrine
Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid… the Lord your God goes with you; He will not desert or abandon you.”
Imperatives: Strength, courage, no fear/dread.
Rationale: The Lord’s unfailing presence guarantees protection and success.
Personal application:
Giants include depression/anxiety. We do not face them alone.
Shift from feelings to promises; fight the good fight—promised land requires battle.
15) Fear Prohibited, Courage Mandated: Divine Presence as Rationale
Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8
“The Lord goes ahead of you; He will be with you; He will not desert or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Exegetical notes:
God’s providential precession—already present in our tomorrow.
“Do not be dismayed” ranges over discouraged/confused/overwhelmed (“do not anxiously look about,” “do not be shattered”).
Scripture: Isaiah 41:10
“Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen, help, uphold.”
Rationale: Presence of God is the reason for fearlessness, not absence of trouble.
Divine initiative: Strengthening and sustaining grace amid trials.
16) Christ in You: The Hope and Dynamic of the Spiritual Life
Scripture: Colossians 1:27
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The mystery revealed: indwelling Christ as guarantee of future glory and power for present sanctification.
Scripture: Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ… Christ lives in me… I live by faith in the Son of God…”
Union truths: Co-crucifixion/co-resurrection; Christ as operative life; ongoing faith-rest dynamic.
Scripture: 1 John 4:4
“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Indwelling superiority over cosmic forces.
Scripture: John 16:33
“In the world you will have tribulation; be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Exegetical note: Overcome in perfective sense—completed victory with continuing results; courage rests on His conquest.
17) Distinguishing Temptation, Normal Emotion, and Sin
Scripture: James 1:14–15
Desire-temptation-sin-death sequence—tracks escalation.
Scripture: Hebrews 4:15
Christ tempted yet without sin—temptation itself not sin.
Doctrinal points:
Normal emotion is not sin; the threshold to sin occurs when emotion rules and contradicts doctrine.
The Holy Spirit convicts at the transition; respond with immediate confession (1 John 1:9).
18) Root vs. Fruit: Arrogance/Emotional Complex Leading to Overt Sins
Scripture: Ephesians 4:31–32
Put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander; be kind and forgiving.
Scripture: Galatians 5:19–21
Works of the flesh include outbursts of anger, jealousy, enmities.
Doctrinal emphasis:
Overt sins are downstream; roots are arrogance and emotional revolt. Address roots via doctrine and humility.
Practice:
Confess the first sin quickly; prevent chain-reaction cascades; take responsibility and make restitution where appropriate.
19) Fellowship Mechanics: Confession and Short Accounts
Scripture: 1 John 1:6–7, 9
Walk in the light; fellowship with Him; the blood of Jesus cleanses; confession restores fellowship.
Scripture: Psalm 66:18
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
Pastoral counsel:
Keep short accounts; confess as soon as convicted; do not allow days of unconfessed sin to impair prayer and fellowship.
20) The Role of the Word and the Filling of the Spirit
Scripture: Ephesians 5:18
“Be filled with the Spirit.” Spirit’s control is normative; fellowship-dependent.
Scripture: Philippians 4:4
“Rejoice in the Lord always.” Command-saturation sensitizes the conscience to divine standards.
Doctrinal points:
Increased doctrinal intake expands sensitivity to subtle categories of sin (e.g., chronic joylessness, grumbling).
The Spirit uses the Word to calibrate conscience and empower application.
21) Humility and Dependence Revisited
Scripture: James 4:6–10
God gives grace to the humble; submit; cleanse; purify; humble yourselves.
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6–7
Humble yourselves; cast anxiety because He cares.
Doctrinal points:
Humility is nonnegotiable for grace; pride stalls confession and prolongs discipline.
“Keep short accounts with God” = humility operationalized.
22) Faith-Rest and Forward Movement in Testing
Scripture: 2 Kings 6:15–17 (referenced conceptually)
Elisha’s eyes opened to the mountain filled with divine forces—“greater are those with us.”
Principle: Eyes of faith perceive divine realities; assurance displaces anxiety.
Scripture: Exodus 14:13–15 (revisited conceptually)
Moses: “Stand still”; the Lord: “Go forward.” Obedience precedes visible deliverance.
Practical mechanics:
Take one step of faith; God meets you there. Motion under doctrine precedes emotion; obedience before relief.
23) Balanced Counsel on Medicine and Stewardship
Pastoral testimony: Delivered from dominating effects of bipolar disorder (not healed); symptoms may arise, managed through doctrine and disciplined practices.
Balanced counsel:
Not anti-medicine; medical stewardship often necessary. Personal paths are not prescriptive for others. Apply doctrine with appropriate medical guidance.
24) Additional Promises for Fear and Anxiety
Scripture: Hebrews 13:5
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Echoes OT presence promises; grounds stability.
Scripture: Philippians 4:6–7
“Be anxious for nothing… the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds.”
Doctrinal synthesis:
Courage is faith-rest in God’s presence and promises; Christianity is a two-in-one relationship—availability from us, efficacy from Christ in us.
25) Stabilization Against Emotional Fragmentation
Scripture: Ephesians 4:14 (reiterated)
No longer children tossed by waves and carried by winds of doctrine; trickery and craftiness exploit emotional volatility.
Application:
Stabilize through consistent doctrinal intake (grace and doctrinal orientation) so emotion remains responder, not ruler.
26) Summary and Call to Application
Confession and fellowship: Use 1 John 1:9 to reenter fellowship when emotional sins occur.
Casting burdens: Aggressively transfer anxieties to the Lord (1 Peter 5:7).
Waiting strength: Embrace the Lord’s timing and renewal (Isaiah 40:31).
Common testing: Reject uniqueness; embrace God’s faithful provision (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Fear not/courage mandate: Stand on presence promises (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Isaiah 41:10; Hebrews 13:5).
Indwelling dynamic: Operate from “Christ in you” supremacy (Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:4; John 16:33).
Action plan:
Daily doctrinal intake for divine viewpoint.
Continuous thought-life evaluation (“check-up from the neck up”).
Replace emotional leadership with humility and promises.
Advance under pressure with courage, trusting the Lord’s battle and timing.
Scripture References in Chronological Order of Use
1 John 1:9
1 Peter 5:7
Psalm 42 (implicit reference)
1 Peter 5:6–7
Isaiah 40:31
2 Chronicles 20:15
1 Corinthians 10:13
Ephesians 4:11–13
Ephesians 4:14
Ephesians 4:15–16
Genesis 3:1
Exodus 14:10–16
Deuteronomy 31:6
Deuteronomy 31:8
Isaiah 41:10
Colossians 1:27
Galatians 2:20
1 John 4:4
John 16:33
James 1:14–15
Hebrews 4:15
Ephesians 4:31–32
Galatians 5:19–21
1 John 1:6–7
Psalm 66:18
Ephesians 5:18
Philippians 4:4
James 4:6–10
2 Kings 6:15–17 (referenced conceptually)
Exodus 14:13–15 (referenced conceptually)
Hebrews 13:5
Philippians 4:6–7
Ephesians 4:14 (reiterated)