Emotional Maturity in the Psalms

TEXT KEY:

Red Text - Scripture on the screen

Orange Highlighted Text - Main Points

Yellow Highlighted Text - Content for screens and NOT notes.

Listen - podcast

Apple/Spotify/google

Watch - Video

FB/Youtube/ChurchCenter app

SERIES DESCRIPTION:

In this series called Summer in the Psalms, Pastor Shawn will begin this series with Ps 131 as we look into the worship life of David to observe how we might life an Emotionally Mature life as a beleiver.

Altar Instruction:

Please come up when I begin the 2nd of the Skills of an Emotionally Mature Beleiver during Point 3. Dont wait for me to finish - just come up and begin playing. Thanks Clay!

Series | Summer in the Psalms

Pre-Message Welcome

Grace Place family! It’s awesome to have you here with us today, whether in person or online.

I’m Shawn, and along with my wife, we serve as the Co-Pastors of this incredible church.

At The Grace Place, our mission is clear: we are Caring People, Caring for People.

We pray that you experience God’s care in our time together.

To our Spanish Speaking family - 2nd Service ONLY!

A nuestra familia de habla hispana .... Bienvenidos…

To our Spanish speaking family... welcome…

Transition: Today is week two of a series we’re calling…

Series | Summer in The Psalms

This series invites us to catch a glimpse into the worship life of Gods chosen people Israel… as they reflected on their experiences with God. Our hope is that, alongside these ancient believers, we’ll slow down, lean in, and meet with God in a fresh and personal way this summer.

Go ahead and open your bibles to Ps 131… as we get ready to read this short Psalm…

David, the author, is putting on display the ability to be at rest even during times of unbearable trial. Scholars describe this as the kind of pressure he faced when writing this much like when he was pursued by Saul, who, driven by jealousy, wanted him dead. So it heavy as you will see.

Ok…lets read it… Ps 131…

Ps. 131 1  O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3  O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

***Encourage people to listen to the Holy Spirit speak to them personally as the message is preached

LETS PRAY

Transition: the title of our message today is...

Sermon Title | Emotional Maturity in the Psalms

Have you ever wondered…

How can I be steady when very little around me is?

Through these 3 short verses I notice David moves through a barrage of different emotions… something that can only be done as an emotionally mature believer.

The first thing I want you to notice IN YOUR NOTES is…

A MOMENT of MISERY v. 1a

We see this in v.1… lets look at it on the screen together.

1  O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;

Here David is Expressing the body language of -someone who is emotionally worn out -deep sadness, maybe depression, or discouragement…

Have you ever noticed someone walk in the room with body language like this?

You can see the heaviness from far away…

David shows us here that its ok to admit when things are not going well.

Have you noticed that it’s not always popular in our culture to admit when things are difficult.

Especially within the culture of Christians…

The pressure of being positive… the pressure of being nothing but hopeful.

I remember growing up in my faith… I’m not quite sure where I picked it up… it was like one of those unspoken rules…that said…. Expressing struggle and discouragement is a lack of faith…

So for a long time I did not express those kind of emotions.

I don’t know about you… but full transparency…. I don’t always know what to do… when someone’s body language expresses this kind of Heaviness… I don’t always know what to say.

I think part of that comes from my own discomfort with my difficult emotions… Over time, the external voices that criticized emotional vulnerability became my inner critic…

It says thing s like..

Get yourself together

Pull yourself up by your boot straps

Stop that crying

Get over it

Suck it up

It could be worse

Look on the bright side

Have you found yourself saying these things to yourself before? I know I have.

I think there IS time for them… but it is not without careful introspection and time with and in them.

I think this is why God gave us a glimpse into the inner life of what some might consider the most manly men in the bible… DAVID.

David breaks all of our cultural norms as a strong male.

He speaks from the emotional depths of his heart and say’s

Things are NOT good in my heart…

Have you ever noticed throughout scripture that God never seems to use these types of critiques with his people when they are expressing raw emotion in this way?

Despite that… many of us would say… we don’t have the time for these kind of emotions…

See here is the problem with ignoring them… IN YOUR NOTES…

When we IGNORE the weighty emotions of life, God can not MEET us in them.

Yea… how can God help us with something we refuse to admit exists?

Here is another way to say this…

God can’t heal what we are unwilling to reveal.

Its like saying… I’m good God… it’s under control… I don’t need your help for this.

See here is the problem with ignoring our difficult emotions… IN YOUR NOTES…

If we can’t sit with OUR pain, we won’t know how to sit THEIR pain.

A failure to pay attention to our own hearts… stunts our ability to care for others.

We might find ourselves avoiding it… dismissing it…helping them quickly dig out of it and avoid it themselves.

See… until we learn to sit with our own emotions… it will be difficult to be emotionally present with others.

Here is the question I believe scripture is inviting us to ask ourselves today…

Question: Am I avoiding something that’s weighing me down?

Wouldn’t you like healing from that… ?

Today’s an invitation form God for someone to Slow down and let him meet you in our emotional discomfort.

Transition: We’re talking about

Sermon Title | Emotional Maturity in the Psalms

David moves through a barrage of different emotions… something that can only be done as an emotionally mature believer.

The next thing I want you to notice IN YOUR NOTES is…

A MINDSET of MEEKNESS v. 1b

Trans.. we see this in v. 1b

I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

He is saying… There are things I don’t get… think that I have walked through in this life that I don’t understand and it’s ok… they are too big - they are God sized.

Only meekness and humidly can make such a bold claim.

I don’t know about you but I struggle with that that at times… As a GenX-er I can help myself to think… “If there is a problem… Yo - I’ll solve it…”

If someone can help me finish the phrase…

Check out… the hook while my DJ resolves it… Ice, Ice, baby… (Just wanted to throw a bone to my GenX-ers this morning) lol

Here’s is something we can all learn from David… IN YOUR NOTES

We will not UNDERSTAND everything in life, and that’s OK.

My Pride will lead me to believe that with enough research… counsel… and prayer I can figure it out…. I can find the answers or solutions I need.

Anyone every been there before or is it just me?

Here is the question I believe scripture is inviting us to ask ourselves today…

Question: What am I fighting to understand that God may be inviting me to surrender?

What answers are you obsessively looking for?

Perhaps its too marvelous for you… to big to comprehend.

John of the Cross from the 16th century

 Would describe this type of heaviness David is experiencing as… The Dark Night of the Soul

Look on the scree with me to Check out what He says…

The “dark night” is a form of holy unknowing — where God strips us of comfort (For a purpose) to deepen our trust and intimacy with Him.

Perhaps we should take a queue from John of the Cross or David… and lay down our questions… and let God deepen our trust and intimacy with him.

Is there anyone would would like a deeper trust and closer relationship with God?

Transition: We’re talking about

Sermon Title | Emotional Maturity in the Psalms

As David moves from expressing Misery, to Meekness and surrender… which leads us to the next thing I notice… IN YOUR NOTES which is this…

A MOMENT of STILLNESS v. 2

We see this in v.2 lets look at it on the screen together….

v2  But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Notice he say’s “I” have calmed and quite my soul…

Did you know….

There are times God quiets our soul… there are also times where He puts that ability into our own hands.

See… David has learned to slow down and ground his heart in God where true peace and rest is found.

Friends, we have way more control over our emotional well being than we give ourselves credit for.

Often times we are begging God to bring us peace and God is saying… I have already given you the tools to do that… use them.

Surrender in stillness the Holy Unknowing… unclinch your fist.. get meek… get humble…stop trying to figure it all out… stop asking all the questions…

In this you will find calm and rest for your soul.

Have you ever felt like SOMETHING is so out of control…the only option is to eliminate it?

I’ve seen many people make drastic decisions in these moments… at times thats needed… but what most of us need.. is just a micro-adjustment.”

A little tweek here… a little tweek there.

My wife is really good at helping me in these moments.

Taking time for stillness to quiet our soul… is like a micro adjustment to the heart.

When we do this… we too will find ourselves saying…

I have calmed my quieted my soul.

Pete Scazerro, the author of Emotionally Healthy spirituality describes this.. IN YOUR NOTES…

The lack of SLOWING-DOWN for stillness does VIOLENCE to our soul.

He says..

Speed through difficult emotions for to long wounds our soul…

This violence doesn’t just wound us - but it also bleeds into our relationship, families and our calling… and it wounds those things to…

Prov. 17:22 say’s it like this…

Prov. 17:22 “A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Your soul is just like your physical body—when it’s abused, neglected, or run ragged, it becomes fatigued, even sick.

Our soul works the same way… in fact… there is clinical evidence that when the soul is sick, abused, traumatized, exhausted and worn out… it will send signals to the body and actually manifest in the body.

Here are some signs that your soul might need rest:

***You might consider writing one of these down if they resonate with you.

Irritability or Short Temper

Small things seem to set you off. Your patience is always thin

Numbness or Detachment

You feel emotionally flat, distant, or checked out — even from people or things you normally care about.

How about..

Decision Fatigue

You feel overwhelmed by simple choices or find it hard to make decisions without frustration or anxiety.

What about…

Loss of Motivation

Even things you normally enjoy… seem to feel like a burden.

Then there is the sign of…

Trouble with Sleeping or Constant Fatigue

Your body is always tired, and your mind won’t stop racing — or you’re sleeping but never feeling rested.

You might need some soul rest if you notice…

Increased Negativity or Cynicism

You assume the worst, feel hopeless, or find it hard to believe things will improve — even spiritually.

How about… an

Over-reliance on Escapes

You find yourself turning more often to food, screens, social media, busyness, obsession with a hobby or substances to avoid feeling.

Or…

Disconnection from God

You struggle to pray, read, or feel anything spiritual. God seems silent, distant, or irrelevant in your exhaustion.

What about..

Isolation

You withdraw from community, feel misunderstood, or don’t want to burden others with how you feel.

These are all different signs that your soul is raising the red flag… its saying.. HEY… what are you doing to us… we we’re not meant for this.

You might say.. Ive always been this way… it’s just my disposition…

I might ask you… have you ever tried slowing down?

Here is the question I believe scripture is inviting us to ask ourselves today…

Question: What micro adjustments might I need to make in my life?

Try Slowing down for micro adjustments that bring spiritual and emotional health to your life.

Get to the office 5-10min early… and sit in your car and rest your mind or read your bible

Intentionally Decompress on you’re drive home after work.

Stillness and quiet before Bedtime.

Get to bed on time.

For others it’s schedule adjustments to keep a hobby or maintain some sort of working out schedule.

Get back to the things that bring you energy, and joy… God gave those passions… to you to recharge you and inspire you.

The last thing I want you to notice IN YOUR NOTES is…

A MESSAGE of MOTIVATION v. 3

I see this in v. 3 as David as David say’s… this… lets look at it on the screen together.

3  O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

David seems to encourage himself in the Lord by declaring

God I feel Miserable

God I don’t understand the things of God and I’m not going to try and figure it out.

Despite all that…

God… I still HOPE in you! NO MATTER what comes either today or tomorrow…

I have NO hope apart from you!

David displays what Emotional maturity here in the Psalms.

What motivation this must have been to his own soul… he could have gone so many other directions after v. 2… but he moved into the direction of HOPE.

Lets take this serially… lets move to the direction of hope and cut out the negative voices, the negative cycles of thinking…

Author Ethan Kross calls this Chatter.

-He describes our inner voice as chatter… he says this about chatter… LETS LOOK AT IT ON THE SCREEN

“Chatter consists of the cyclical negative thoughts and emotions that turn our singular capacity for introspection into a curse rather than a blessing. We introspect hoping to tap into our inner coach but find our inner critic instead.”   -Ethan Kross

I know this to be true: I have been there myself - way too many times.

Dont get stuck in a negative cycle of thinking…

Friends we should acknowledge the negative thoughts… but we should allow HOPE to coach us up and out…

Lets close today out with a few practical…

Skills of an Emotionally Mature Beleiver…

First… IN YOUR NOTES..

1. They are able to hold CONFLICTING EMOTIONS.

They don’t let a single emotion dominate their whole self or make blanket statements about their emotional well being.

When someoen doesn’t have the ability to hold conflicting emotions.. . they say things like:

The whole world is against me.

Rather than, this person or these people are against me… but I’m glad I have other friends and family that love and accept me.

Here is another skill of an emotionally mature beleiver… IN YOUR NOTES

2. They understand: UNKNOWN doesn’t mean UNCERTAIN.

They know that the current or present unknowns in life do NOT mean that EVERYTHING in life is uncertan. It just means some things are.

When someoen doesn’t have understand this… they might say things like:

Nothing in life makes sense.

Rather… An Emotionally mature person would say, everything about this situation is unknown and makes no-sense to me, but I am certain about this… whatever happens in the end God has my best interest in mind, I will learn from it, I will grow from it.

The unknown…. does not mean uncertain.

I believe this is why the Holy Spirit left of with the wisdom of Proverbs 3:5–6

Prov. 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Here’s the last skill of an emotionally mature beleiver…

3. They RESPOND, not REACT.

Yea they respond to life… rather than react to it.

Here is the difference:

Those who RESPOND to life are…

Thoughtful, careful, prayerful, introspective, the look for where they have missed the mark, they gather wisdom… then they respond

Those who REACT to life are…

Impulsive, careless, defensive, assume and mind read without checking out the facts.

Here is the question I believe scripture is inviting us to ask ourselves today…

Question: Which of these skills is most challenging for me?

It might be one… it might be all of them.

Ask yourself.. Why do you think this is so difficult for you?

Often times the things we struggle with emotionally are actually defense mechanisms we developed to protect ourselves over time.

Defense mechanisms are helpful when we are unsafe… — but they sabotage the healthy relationships God brings into our lives.

REPEATE

Defense mechanisms are helpful when we are unsafe… — but they sabotage the healthy relationships God brings into our lives.

Transition: We’re talking about

Sermon Title | Emotional Maturity in the Psalms

David shows us what emotionally mature living looks like as we observed all in the same ps…

A moment of Misery

A midset of meekness

A mind set of stillness…

and

A message of Motivation.

Transition: As I close today….

You might find yourself in need of Emotional Maturity…

It’s stunting your growth

It’s sabatoshing your relationships, your career, your life calling.

You might be tempted to try some of these new Emotionally healthy skills… But if Jesus is NOT your Lord and Savior today… thats the first and best emotionally mature decision you could ever make.

He is the great transformer of hearts and minds…

There are no amount of self help books and counseling session that can replace the Help of God

I’m not against those things… but its important to know they are a support-not a substitute to what God wants to do in your heart.

So today… if you do NOT know Jesus as your Lord and Savior today is your day…

Salvation Altar Call

I believe Jesus is here today, and He wants to save you. Salvation simply means to deliver or to free. It’s not just about delivering you…

It’s about believing

Believing in Jesus means trusting what He say’s—about sin, and eternal punishment, thats the bad news.

The good news is this… that His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins, making us right with God.

Ephesians 2:8 reminds us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Salvation requires two things:

1. God’s Grace—His undeserved gift of forgiveness and life because of His love for you.

2. Faith—placing your trust in Him for salvation.

If you’ve never asked Jesus to save you, today is your day. If you’d like ask him… , raise your hand.

I want to invite you to Repeat a prayer after me

· There is nothing magical in this prayer.. it simply is a way of declaring to Jesus what has taken place in your heart.

Here is how I would like to end the service for everyone else….

Call to Action Altar Call

We’re going to end the service with A question as we do nearly every week.

ALL ACROSS THE ROOM

HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT spoken to you in anyway today?

2. Some of you might need a moment of silence and surrender to the Holy Unknown…

if you need this today I want to invite you to join me at the front of the room for a special moment with God.

Pray.. to close moment then…

Shawn invite HOST up to close the service.

Resources

Book: How to Read the Psalms by Tremper Longman III

Book: Chatter by Ethan Kross

Book: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

Going Deeper

What stuck out to me in this passage? Ps 131

Am I avoiding something thats weighing me down? (Take time to journal and express) Ps 131:1a,

What am I fighting to understand that God may be inviting me to surrender? Ps. 131:1b

What micro adjustments might I need to make? Ps. 131:2

Which of these skills is most challenging for me? Ps. 131:3

What might the Holy Spirit be saying to you in light of this teaching?

How might the Holy Spirit want to transform you in light of this teaching?

What actions might the Holy Spirit want to take in light of this teaching?

Tongues & Interpretation

1. To STRENGTHEN the Church (1 Cor14:5)

For prophecy is greater than SPEAKING in TONGUES, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be STRENGTHENED.

Believers, God has operated through this gift today to strengthen you today. Let your faith be strengthened and know that God is in control and using supernatural measures to speak to us.

2. Is a SIGN for unbelievers. (1Cor. 14: 21a, 22)

1 Corinthians 14:21–22 (ESV)

In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

22 -  So you see that speaking in tongues is a SIGN, not for believers, but for UNBELIEVERS.

The Bible explains to us God has chosen to use this gift to be a sign for you. A sign for what? It is a sign of his realness for those of you who have been doubting or questioning the existence of God. He wants you to know he is REAL and he wants to bring you spiritual life and health. If you're in here today and you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior... he wants you to know he has gone to great lengths to show you his love today. (Great opportunity for a salvation altar call if it fits).