Sermon Follow-Up — May 5, 2025

Yesterday we asked a bold and honest question: “Can my emotions be sanctified?”

We don’t often talk about our emotional lives in church, but the Bible doesn’t avoid it—and neither can we. In fact, Scripture shows us that God doesn’t just want to transform how we think or behave–He also wants to change how we feel.

Emotions are a central part of being human. God made us to feel. But sin has twisted our emotional life—so now we often feel the wrong things, or feel the right things in disordered ways. We fear man more than God, we rejoice in things that don’t last, we grow numb to what is holy.

But here’s the hope we explored together: Jesus came to redeem the whole person—including our emotions. The gospel doesn’t skip the heart. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to renew our minds—and in doing so, reshapes our emotions over time.

We saw this modeled in Scripture: David in Psalm 42 feels despair, but he doesn’t give in to it—he preaches to himself, “Hope in God.”

Jeremiah is surrounded by devastating sorrow in Lamentations 3, but he calls truth to mind: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22–23)

So what do we do when we don’t feel as we should?

• We confess those emotional sins.
• We ask God for help.
• We rehearse truth (preach to ourselves).
• And we keep walking in obedience, trusting that God often meets us in the doing.

Sanctification is real—even in your emotional life. By grace, you’re not a prisoner of your temperament and you’re not stuck in your past. You are being made new. Let that truth anchor your week.

And as we continue in this series, ask God to begin reshaping not just your thoughts or actions—but your feelings—for His glory.