by Pastor John Kim

To the LBC Family!

Jonathan Edwards Resolution #60
Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination.

Feelings are quite fickle. They come and go without warning and often times are the basis upon which we make decisions and lead to outcomes that are often regrettable. Why is this so? We have a very strong tendency to go with our emotional state and forego the idea of subjecting ourselves to “the strictest examination” because we don’t want to be bothered with truth principles. We want to satisfy our desires and cravings immediately. That’s why we are cautioned from making rash decisions that are void of careful prayer and consideration because we will start a course of action that can lead to consequences that are impossible to reverse.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones in his work “Spiritual Depression” warns against leading with the emotions as the basis for our decisions. Our emotions are not a reliable gauge to make wise decisions. We have to go back to the Word of God and have the truth of God by the Spirit of God transform our minds so that we could discern what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable and perfect. We need to start with the mind so that truth would provide the foundation for the proper heart motives and desires to be cultivated which would then lead to true obedience out of love for God.

Psalm 19:7-11 describes the Word of God in ways that show how relevant it is to our lives. It is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous. It revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, and endures forever. It is to be desired more than fine gold and it is sweeter than honey. But verse 11 provides the key that helps us particularly when it comes to dealing with our feelings. God’s Word warns us and if we keep God’s Word, there is great reward. Why do we need to be warned? All too often our feelings lead us astray. We need a warning system that not only points out what is wrong with how we are living, but provides a corrective system that points us the right way.

So how are we to strictly examine ourselves when we see our feelings to be the least bit out of order or whether we feel uneasy inside or sense that something is wrong around us? We should examine ourselves according to God’s Word. Ask yourselves if you really have a biblical foundation for your decisions. Too many people are quick to be critical of other people’s decisions, but they fail to recognize the lack of a biblical basis for their own response. It is very ironic how those who are critical of others being unbiblical are unbiblical in the very way they go about responding to conflict and various situations. So we need to be careful in examining ourselves to see if we are consistent with what we say we believe.

We should go to the Word of God and have it be the final authority in teaching us, reproving us, correcting us, and training us so that we may be adequately equipped (2 Timothy 3:16-17), especially to deal with the turbulent and unpredictable emotions that come our way. We are not left to ourselves but we must prepare ourselves to fight the temptation of emotionalism that distracts us from being grounded in the truth. Feelings are not necessarily a bad thing in themselves, but if they lead the way, we will quickly find ourselves in places that will not be too helpful.

So consider again the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards and be resolved to deal with your life in light of God’s truth to His glory.

Until the whole world hears!
Pastor John

Announcements for this week:

• Friday Night Bible studies continue: Youth (7pm in Room 107) and Single Life (7pm in the Sanctuary). College Life has their Winter Retreat this weekend – pray for them!
• LBC Facilities Work Day. 2/27 from 9am-5pm. Come and help maintain the church facilities. We will be putting up some shelves, putting in some carpet and doing lots of painting. If you don’t know how to do some of these things, we are willing to teach you the necessary skills to help. Please talk to Thomas Fong for more details.
• Pray for Pastor Jorge’s family as they have been delayed in Buenos Aires due to some documentation issues. We hope that they will be able to depart Saturday evening and arrive this Sunday.
• Prepare your hearts for this Sunday as we go through John 9. Take time to read the whole chapter several times to become familiar with the text.
• There will be no regular Sunday School classes for the adults this Sunday due to the College Retreat. In its place we will be having a Question/Answer session in the Sanctuary. You can submit your Bible/theological questions via e-mail ahead of time to Pastor John (pastorjohnkimlbc@gmail.com) or bring them Sunday.
• The San Jose Church Plant Team will be meeting this Sunday from 3-6pm in Room 107.
• Argentina Team Reunion Potluck! This Sunday evening at 6pm, we would like all those who were a part of the Argentina missions teams (both home and away) to come and welcome Pastor Jorge’s family. We will be having a dinner potluck so please bring either main dishes, side dishes, or desserts. Drinks will already be provided. Please e-mail Pastor John to confirm that you will be coming as well as what
  you plan to bring.
• Shepherds Conference next week! If you are attending the Shepherds Conference next week, please make sure you communicate with Peter Lim to finalize travel and lodging plans.