Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Emotions, Part 4: Feeling Lost in Sadness? Experience Joy Again

Episode Date: September 6, 2020

ABOUT EMOTIONSJoy. Sadness. Anger. Compassion. Emotions are electric. God has given each of us the capacity to feel deeply. And when we can better process our powerful emotions, we can start to understand how He will use them for His good. Learn more about the Emotions message series: https://www.life.church/emotions  REOPENINGTo ensure safety at all of our Life.Church locations, our weekend services have been redesigned to create a sanitary, touchless environment that allows for physical distancing. Learn more about everything we're doing to keep you safe and how you can help by using hand sanitizer, washing your hands often, and more:: https://www.life.church/updatesNEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.church. Find locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/app. FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/lifechurchCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIIdiIO-Y20hRW9niR0CA8AFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/craiggroeschel Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How many of you would agree that this is an incredibly emotional time in history? Right? So many emotions. We're looking at the emotions of Jesus. And today, I want to look at an emotion that a lot of people don't think of. I want to look at the sadness of Jesus. Because if we can look at what makes him sad, we perhaps can discover what brings him joy. It brings me great joy to do something really different this weekend. I'm going to be. to team teach, believe it or not, with over 100 different pastors. How about that? Like for real, you're going, how's that gonna happen? I don't have time to listen to 100 different people.

Now, you're gonna listen to one, and at each of our life church locations, your campus pastor, has chosen some people, many of whom have never ever preached before. So you have some assignments today. What I want you to do is hear God's word, believe God's word. Apply God's word. Let it speak to you and build your faith.

And I also want you to help these preachers preach, encourage them, shear them on because God's going to do something very, very special today. We're going to contrast to emotions, the sadness of Jesus and joy. There are so many things that brought Jesus joy. Whenever the hurting were healed, he was full of joy. whenever the rejected were loved, he was full of joy. Whenever sinners were forgiven, he rejoiced with the angels in heaven. He was full of joy.

But occasionally Jesus would cry. Occasionally, he was sad. What made Jesus sad? If we know what made him sad, then perhaps we could bring him joy. Let's look at what made Jesus sad. 19, verse 41 says, but as Jesus came closer to Jerusalem, he saw the city ahead and he began to weep. Why did he cry?

Well, let's remember why Jesus came. Why did God send Jesus? Jesus came to bring life and life more abundantly. He came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to proclaim good news for the poor recovery of sight to the blind. Jesus came to set the prisoners free. He didn't come for the righteous. He came for the sinners.

He didn't come for the healthy. He came for the sick. Jesus came to show the love of his father in heaven. What made Jesus cry? Well, he looked over. Jerusalem, and what he saw wrecked him. He cries out. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God's messengers. Is that why he was crying? Because they were killing God's prophets? No, that's actually not why he was crying. Good reason, but not why he was crying. Why was Jesus so

sad. He said this. He said, how often I've wanted to gather your children together as a hymn protects her chicks beneath her wings. But you wouldn't let me. How often I wanted just to bring you close, to show you my love, to comfort you, and to tell you how much you matter to me. But it makes me so sad because I wanted to love you, but you wouldn't let me. What makes Jesus sad when he wants to love and protect and comfort and heal and be with you? But he can't. If we know what makes Jesus sad, we may be able to bring him joy. And it brings me great joy.

today to introduce to you, a pastor who may never have preached before, it brings me great joy to know that you'll cheer them on, that you'll laugh if what they say is even remotely funny, and you will say amen, and we will all be changed because God's living word is true and it never returns void. Would you please help me welcome today, one of our team teachers? Well, I'm so excited to be here with you. My name is Alan George. I'm the church online pastor here at Life Church. And like Pastor Craig said, what an incredible week we have here with pastors from all of our life church locations preaching. I believe with all my heart that God is doing something incredible at all of our locations and here online. And I have to give a shout out to my pastor,

Pastor Craig, because I'm telling you, I love the vision he has for our church and how he's developing our pastors and our teams. And so it is truly an honor for me to be standing here in front of you. And I love what God's been doing through this series, emotions. I mean, what a series, right? This is the time we need to be talking about this because as follows of Christ, how do we handle all that's going on in our worlds? And this week especially, we're talking about how to find joy. I don't know about you, but I could use some joy. I could use some joy from heaven. heaven because sometimes life just gets hard. And I love that we're talking about this. And so we're going to talk about how we can experience joy in Christ. And to do that, we're going to look at a story

that Jesus shares. So in Luke chapter 15, Jesus is sharing the story of this father and two sons. Now, when you read the New Testament, I mean, Jesus is the greatest storyteller ever. And he talks about this father and these two sons and the younger son one day tells us that dad i'm done i want my inheritance i'm out now i have to imagine that this boy didn't just one fine day decide to say this because especially in that culture when you tell your father i'm done like give me my inheritance give me what's owed to me that is very disrespectful That son is basically telling the father, I wish you were dead because I'm tired. Now, I don't know if he felt restricted.

I don't know if he felt like he was not able to be all who he was wanting to be. Or maybe there were too many things that he didn't like. Or, you know, I mean, if you know any teenager, if you've been a teenager, I've been a teenager, I know I've struggled. I couldn't wait to get out of my house and hear this son. is telling his dad, give me what's owed to me because I'm done. When you think about the arrogance or how rebellious he was or, I mean, just how rude, I mean, what was going on in his heart to where he felt like he could be that disrespectful

to his father? Well, what's interesting is the father says, okay, and he gives him his inheritance. So the story goes, the son leaves the house. I mean, he's loaded. He's got money. He's partying. He's enjoying life. There's nothing stopping him. I would have to imagine that he's got all sorts of new friends because that's what happens when you are just throwing money left, right and center. And what's interesting and not surprising, unfortunately, is that the kid lost it all. I mean, he blew it all. He partied so hard and he lost everything. He lost everything to where what happened was at that time the Bible says that there was actually a famine in the land and he was starving.

He had no money. Obviously when his money ran out, his friends left. And so he talked to a guy, a farmer and he said, can you give me a job? Can you give me something to do? And the farmer was like, well, you can feed the pigs. The Bible says that this kid looked at the food that he was feeding the pigs and he thought, that actually might taste good. I mean, that's how hungry and how desperate he was. Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't intentionally drift that far? Because, I mean, if I put myself in the place of this younger son, I don't think you're going to he thought I'm going to get all this money and I'm going to end up feeding pigs somewhere. He probably thought he's going to enjoy life. He's going to be able to do everything he wanted to do.

He had a plan. He had a goal. But nothing happened the way he thought it would happen. Have you ever been in a situation where you planned out your life 2020? And you thought, this is how everything's going to go and I'm going to accomplish this and I'm going to make sure this happens. and life does not go as we plan. Let's take it a step further. Have you drifted to where not only have you gone off track, but your relationship with God is also suffering? This young son, he made mistake after mistake,

and he found himself lost. It found himself completely destroyed. I mean, he had nothing to look forward. tour to have you found yourself maybe maybe during this season this year man 20 20 i have seen so many memes of 2020 like if you ask me which your favorite one like there's too many to pick it's been it's been rough and because of the season have you found yourself drifting away from god it's like well i don't know if i need to attend church and it's not convenient and yeah yeah i'll just I'll just watch online.

That's like my pet peeve. Like, yeah, yeah, I'll just watch online. Oh, my Bible, I forgot to read my Bible. Yeah, I lost my U-Version Bible streak. And like, that's okay. And one bad choice, one bad decision led to another one. And have you felt lost? Because that's how this boy was feeling.

He was in a pig's pen, wondering if the pig's food was going. good enough to eat. There are situations in life where we get so rock bottom that the worst thing almost looks tempting. Isn't that interesting how the enemy can play with our mind? But when you read Luke 15, you see in verse 17, it's a powerful moment because this is what Jesus says. He says, when he came to his senses, when the boy came to his senses, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have food to spare? And here I am starving to death.

He realizes, oh my goodness, life is better with my father. He knew he messed up. He knew he hurt his father. He knew that possibly I don't think I can even repair this relationship. but he didn't stop there. The sad part is that there's so many of us that we get to a place where we're so lost, we're so broken. And as a pastor, I hear story after story where people give up.

Because they think the mistakes they've made, the decisions that they've had to take in life, like all of those were just too bad that there is no way that they could repair what needs to be repaired. And so they end up doing things that make their situation even worse. But as Jesus is telling the story, he paints this picture where he says, this boy finally came to his senses and he said, What if I go back home? So check this out. Verse 20. It says, so he got up and went to his father.

When we talk about finding true joy in Jesus Christ, The first thing I want us to remember is it starts with taking one step towards our father. One step. This boy, he decided, you know what, I need to go home. So he takes one step. He just starts going home. Here's what I want you to do. If you're attending this service with your family or friends, I want to look, I want you to look at the person next to you and say, get up.

Get up. In chat, just type it in right now. Say, get up. Why? Because this boy got up and he started going home. And watch what happens. Verse 20, he gets up, he's going towards a father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. I love that picture. Here this son is thinking, you know what? I've messed up so much. There's no way my father would accept me. And he's got his apology. speech, all of that planned out. And he's thinking, you know what? I'll just ask my dad, like, can I just stay here as one of the servants? Like, let me just work for you. Like, I don't expect to be back in the position I was. Like, I don't expect you to take me back as your son, but at least let me be in your home. Let me be one of the servants. And here you see the picture of what Jesus is

trying to help us understand. He's saying, this is a picture of our heavenly father. When the son was walking home, this father sees him, and he's so excited. He runs to the father. He runs to him, and when he gets to the father, I mean, I picture this boy just dirty and messed up and probably smelling real bad, but this father like only our heavenly father could, he hugs him, and he kisses him, and he's so excited that his son, who he thought was dead, is still alive. And he doesn't stop there. He says, you know what? Get my best robe.

Get my ring. Get my sandals. Because I'm going to cover this boy up, this mess. Everything that he thought was not repairable. This father said, you know what? I'm going to fix it. I love this picture because Jesus is telling us we don't have to clean up our mess before we come to him. He says, just come as you are.

And the father is so elated. He's celebrating and he tells the people in his home. He says, you know what? We need to celebrate this moment. We need to have a party. I'm no longer sad. My son isn't dead. He is alive.

That is the picture that Jesus is sharing with us of when one person returns back to God. When one person says, you know what? I'm a sinner. I'm messed up God. I don't know if I deserve this. I don't know if I'm worthy. But I'm coming back to you all of heaven. is rejoicing when that moment happens.

And as you keep reading, you keep reading the story. And so basically this father, who is thrilled, he throws this party for the son. Well, guess what? Remember, there were two sons. So the older son is on his way home, and he's coming from the field, and he hears the music. He hears the party. He's like, what's happening?

And so verse 26, we read, so he called one of the servants and asked him, what's going on? Your brother has come, he replied. And your father has killed the fat and calf because he has him back home safe and sound. Basically, the sermon is like, we're having a party because remember your brother? The one we thought was dead, he's home.

So your dad's thrown a party. And you would think that the older son would be excited, would be as thrilled as the father was because his brother is home. But he is not. Verse 28, the older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. I wonder if there was some sibling rivalry going on there

because that's not the response you would expect. You've got one son that left the home and didn't want to have anything to do with his father and he repented and came back home. You've got the other son that technically was still physically at home, but I wonder how distant his heart was. He did not care that his brother was alive. He did not share the same feelings that his father shared, which makes me wonder what was really going on in the brother's heart. One son was physically distancing himself from the father.

The second son was emotionally distancing himself. And it's easy. to find, I mean, it's easy to go look at that brother, what a bad brother he was, but if we can be vulnerable for a moment, I mean, have we in some ways done what that older brother has done? I mean, you know, maybe you come to church every week and you faithfully attend and, you know, you read your Bible, but is it truly a relationship with God that you're enjoying or is it rules? Are you just checking off the list? Because my second point is this. In order for us to experience true joy with Christ,

we need to enjoy a relationship instead of just following the rules. It's not about rules with Jesus. It's never been about rules. And that's what Jesus is trying to help us understand. This father, he loved the rebellious son, but he also loved the rule-following son. Like, he loved them both.

And the father, is saying, hey, my son, your brother, who was once lost, who we thought was dead, is now back home. Because check this out. Verse 31, he says, my son, the father said, he's talking to the older brother. He said, you are always with me. And everything I have is yours. Here this older son is complaining, well, my father never threw a party for me.

Like, I've been here. I've been doing everything that I'm supposed to do. You've never done anything. and the father says, but everything I have is yours. You underestimate your value. You underestimate who you are. You're my son. Everything I have is yours.

But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead, but is alive again. He was lost and is found. I think so many times people view following Jesus as a set of rules that they have to abide by and we're missing it. We're missing the point. I don't want any one of us to end up like that older brother thinking,

well, I've checked all the boxes. No, no, no. It is about a relationship with our Heavenly Father. And when we have a true relationship with Him, that's when we experience joy. Has life been hard? Has this season been difficult? And you're trying to grasp any kind of sense of being normal

or like, God, give me something. I'll give you something. Get into a relationship with God. Don't just check the box and follow the rules. Enjoy this moment we have with God. Because this picture that Jesus is sharing, he's giving us the keys, he's giving us the solution. It starts with taking one step back to the Father

and realizing that it's not about rules, but it's about a relationship. And the third way that we can experience true joy, with God, with Christ, is by bringing people along. I wish, honestly, that I was there to watch this whole thing, because I think that dad was pretty cool. Like, I would like to be that kind of a dad. Like, my son comes back home after messing up.

I'm going to throw a party. We're going to celebrate. Come on. Get some beef. Let's play some music. Let's dance. Let's do this. The older son comes home, and I realize, man,

you've been distancing yourself from me in your heart. Don't know. Come on. I love you too. Come on. Let's party. Because the father knew that when you celebrate things, when you, in order to enjoy these moments,

you've got to have others in your life. And I wonder, especially in this season, there might be a few of you that are isolated, that are doing life alone, that you're like, man, I don't have anything to celebrate. I don't have any joy. I don't have, you know, anything. motivating me.

Come on over to Life Church. We're having a party because God is doing some incredible things here at Life Church. And I don't want you to miss out. I'll give you just one quick example. During this series that we've been doing emotions, we're in week four, during this series, we've seen over a thousand people give their life to Christ just here at Life Church alone. Come on. If you're wondering, Pastor, I don't know, why?

Why are you so excited? Because heaven's rejoicing when one person gives your life to Christ. I want to invite you to be a part of this amazing move of God. Because the truth is, no matter where you live, your home when you're here at Life Church. And I don't want you to miss out on that. Come be a part of what God's doing. Just like this father, through this party, I'm telling you, there's a party here. There's life groups all over the world that you could be a part of.

There's serving opportunities that you could be serving here every single week. In fact, if you have the Life Church app, you could just open the app and invite people. There are ways to digitally invite people to church because we don't have to live this life alone. We can experience true joy in Jesus. So why miss out? Come just as you are. If you physically distance yourself from God, take one step back to the Father. If you've been here and you're checking the boxes,

remind yourself, it's not about the rules, it's about a relationship with him. And when you invite someone to church and you see their life change and their generations after that change, there's nothing that can replace that feeling. It is an incredible feeling that I don't want you to miss out on. So my prayer for you is,

that you would search your heart, that you would ask God, God, what is it that you're saying to me? Is there an area in my life where I need to repent? Is there a change that needs to happen in my heart? Tell me, what do I do? And we're about to spend some time in worship, and I love the song that we're going to sing. It's called Come as you are. And as we sing that together, my prayer is that God would speak to you and that you would know that no matter what you've done, you can return to your Heavenly Father.