ray choi

A follower of Jesus

emotions

It’s Time to Pass Our Tests

By

Audio file

Text: James 1:2-7, 12-17; Matt 26:36-44

Summary: Jesus was steadfast under numerous trials. God tested Him and He passed every test with flying colors. Now it’s time to pass our tests.

Good Friday 2016

By

Preacher: Pastor Ray

Victory over sin, Satan and death began at the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus struggled with and overcame His soul–His mind, emotions and will–by accepting the cup of God’s wrath in submission to the Father’s will.

Eph 4-5: Wake Up, O Sleeper (Dealing with Anger and Gossip)

By



Preacher: Pastor Ray

As we come to the light, God begins to set us free from the inner darkness of sexual immorality, covetousness (or idolatry) and anger leading to the sin of gossip.

Discussion Questions

Jesus is the light of the world and Christians are called children of light. Read Eph 5:8-14.

– Who is Paul addressing in these verses?
– What is their spiritual state?

Read Eph 5:5-6.

– What is the fate of those who are sexually immoral and who are covetous?
– What kind of false teaching or empty words is prevalent today (which totally ignores the warning of these verses)?

Read Eph 4:26.

– Why is anger not always sinful?
– Why does anger have a time limit?
– What happens when anger is not properly dealt with right away?
– What should we do with our anger?
– What should we do the vast majority of the time when we are angry toward someone?
– What should we do if we cannot let go of our anger toward someone who sinned against us, esp. in the context of the local church? (Read Matt 18.)

Read Eph 4:31.

– Define anger.
– What are some causes of anger?
– What are some types of anger?
– For people who characterize these various types of anger, how does each type deal with their anger differently?
– What happens to those who are around angry people?

Anger that is not dealt with leads to gossip.

– Define gossip.
– What are some types of gossipers?
– What characterizes gossipers?
– What happens to a church when gossipers persist?
– How does Eph 4:29 provide some guidelines in our speech?

Read 2 Sam 13-15.

– How is Absalom a case study in anger and gossip?
– How does Absalom manipulate the hearts of the men of Israel using gossip?

Read Eph 5:13-14.

– What darkness in your heart is the Lord revealing?
– What does it mean for dark things to be made visible by the light?
– What does this phrase mean – “for anything that becomes visible IS light”?

Ephesians: Total Transformation of Our Mind, Will and Emotions

By



Preacher: Pastor Ray

For those of us who are saved and in Christ, God will renew our minds first and then transform our wills (actions) and our emotions (i.e. anger).

Discussion Questions

Eph 1-3 describes theological concepts such as salvation and the gospel. Eph 4 describes how God changes our relationships in the body of Christ. Eph 5 describes how God changes our marriage relationships. Eph 6 describes how God changes our family relationships between parent and children and work relationships between masters and slaves or bosses and their employees.

– How does this outline help you to consider how deeply the gospel has changed you in the area of relationships?

Read Eph 1:3-6.

– What is one takeaway from reading these verses?

Read Eph 1:11-14.

– What is the word of truth? Describe the gospel in your own words.

Read Eph 1:17-20.

– What happened at initial salvation? To answer this, use the terms “wisdom,” “revelation,” “in Christ,” and “enlightened.”
– Describe how salvation changes your perspective about “hope,” “glorious inheritance” and “immeasurable greatness of his power.” Do you find your attitude toward these things changing?

Read Eph 2:1-5.

– What was our spiritual condition prior to salvation?
– What does the fact that there is a willingness to fight against sin demonstrate to the believer? Why should this encourage you?

Read Eph 2:8-9.

– Why is there no room for boasting for the Christian?

Read Eph 3:14-19.

– How do these verses point to the reality that salvation is not a one-time event?
– Do we have the strength to deepen in our appreciation for the love of God? It not, where does this strength come from?

Read Eph 4:17-19.

– Describe the spiritual condition of a typical non-believer.
– Examine yourself – have you been falling back into your old life? If so, reach out to someone in your local context.

Read Eph 4:20-24.

– Does it work to tell someone, stop doing certain bad things (“put off) and do these good things (“put on”)? For example, stop being proud and be humble.
– Why is v23 the key to understanding v22 and v24?
– Why does v23 say, “to be renewed in the SPIRIT of your minds?”

Read Eph 4:25-32.

– Pick out the words that pertain to acts of the will and pick out the words that pertain to emotions.
– Why is anger such a danger emotion that often times leads to sin?
– Why is anger mentioned in the context of Ephesians 4?
– Why is anger potentially more destructive in a broader sense than other sins (i.e. adultery)?

Read Eph 5:1-2.

– What is the Christian’s primary identity?
– How does a proper identity help to solidify many things in the Christian life in terms of our mind, will and emotions?