Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings

Facts / Objective Truth

If something is objective, it has correspondence with reality. Objective truth is something that is true for everyone, whether they agree with it or not. It is independent of anyone’s feelings or biases.”

Feelings / Subjective Truth

An opinion of one person with no way of measuring that opinion against reality; it cannot be evaluated apart from the opinions of other people.

God gave us feelings

John 11:35 ESV

Jesus wept.

Ephesians 4:26 ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

Sadness is an emotion

Anger is an emotion

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

What is the standard, What is the truth

This is the standard for Christians

Colossians 1:12–14 ESV

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

As far as the citizens of the kingdom are concerned, one cannot be a member of the Lord’s church and not be a citizen in His kingdom. The reverse is also true. To be in the kingdom is to be in the Lord’s church.

Those who were members of God’s kingdom were the same people as the members of Christ’s church, and vice versa. They weren’t two different groups; they were the same group.

That’s why the concept of being spiritual and not religious is a false mind-set

Berean Truth and Worldly News

Acts 17:11 ESV

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Postmodernism is a philosophy that affirms no objective or absolute truth, especially in matters of religion and spirituality.

Self is the alter on which postmodernist worship

In our world today

Is the Church Giving in to postmodernist thinking?

Proverbs 21:2 ESV

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

Facts and Gender

For thousands of years, gender was considered an objective issue—a person was male or female based on a set of external, objective, and verifiable criteria. Now, certain cultural forces are attempting to make gender subjective

Genesis 1:27 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Postmodernism is telling us that gender is a social construct and therefore relative / subjective.

Feelings are what matter

Facts and Sin

Funerals – people who never wanted to be with God here on earth are in a better place, spending eternity with the one they didn’t want to be with here – Why do we say that feelings

We don’t think we need to be saved – we just think we need to be helped

No good news – we need good advice

No Gospel - just 10 ways to Live a Happy Life and 5 ways to reduce stress (Your Best Life Now – Joel Olsteen) Olsteen “Sinners don’t need to be told they’re sinner, they know their sinners” They look at the mass murderer on tv – that’s the sinner, not me

I don’t sin - I make mistakes (bad habits, bad choices, bad patches in life)

Not sinners under the influence of the Prince of the power of the air

Not sinners under the influence of this World because this world is giving them exactly what they want

Ephesians 2:1–3 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

In no way did Jesus pacify, endorse, ignore, or confirm sinners

What did he tell the woman caught in adultery

Matthew 18:7–9 ESV

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Facts and Conscience

Romans 1:18–20 ESV

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

1 Peter 3:13–15 ESV

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

A bad conscience is one that’s seared with a hot iron

1 Timothy 4:1–2 ESV

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

Titus 1:15 ESV

To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

What does a Good Conscience look like

Hebrews 9:14 ESV

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Hebrews 10:22 ESV

let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.