Emotion Wheel: Christ’s Love

******WE ARE WRAPPING UP*****

Questions or are there other emotions that you would like me to study and report back?

I mentioned that for most of my life I struggled to be in touch with my emotions.

I linked an emotionless life to godliness.

I believed that God was able to move past emotions and simply make the decisions that needed to be made.

But I found myself struggling with that belief.

Eventually, I grew up and discovered that I did feel things.

But I had no language for how I felt.

Until one day, I discovered something on the internet.

It was called an emotion wheel.

***Emotions are information***

We are going to take one primary emotion around the center of the wheel each week and explore it through a biblical character.

Last week we did love between people.

This week, we are going to cover Love of God towards us.

Let’s be interactive.

When I say ‘love’ what is the first thought in your mind?

Was it a person? A situation? Yourself?

And object, like money, house, car?

How about here in church?

If I were to suggest ‘Love, God, scripture, Jesus’ do any of those conjure a different answer in your mind?

How many of you associate Love with God?

Let’s dispel that idea right now.

The first occurence of ‘sadness’ in relation to God happens in

Genesis 2:15 NLT

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.

After they eat, we are led to believe that God does not want to be with us. But that is not true.

They are driven from the garden for a different reason

Genesis 3:22–24 NLT

Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Access to the Tree of Life is what is blocked.

Since God resides at the Tree, by default, we lose direct access to God

Thus begins the plan to restore humans to the presence of God

But we cannot allow humans to live forever in their fallen state

God loves us too much

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Why does God love the world?

Creation

Purpose of humanity

Loss of the presence

A plan to restore creation

A plan to judge wickedness

Failure of the plan

One man comes, in the middle of a plan in progress

John 14:23 NLT

Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

You see, what happened in the story of the garden explained how humans were separated from the Tree of Life.

But there is a plan in motion to reverse this…

1 Corinthians 15:21 NLT

So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.

When Jesus rises from the tomb, which is why you are here to celebrate Easter, the way is made for us to return to God.

Revelation 21:1–4 (NLT)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

This love of Christ is driven by God’s love that was demonstrated by God all the way back in Genesis.

The plan of God is to be with humanity.

The plan of God is to be with humanity where we are.

It is not the eternal sing along in the sky

It is not the rule of kingdoms like we see today

It is living in and walking out the original purpose of God as established in Genesis.

And the resurrection is what makes that possible

For you and for me to be with him where he is.

Emotion Wheel: Christ’s Love