In the teaching on Sunday, Jan.24.10 in a message entitled: Jesus, Just Hype or Incredibly Human; I made the point that the difference between Jesus and you is one word – “trust.” The following images are meant to display how Jesus displayed similar emotions and desires that all humans have. The difference is that Jesus’ emotions and desires are rooted in His trust in the Father while our emotions and desires are rooted in trust in ourselves. This is exactly why Jesus never sinned because He trusted in God and not Himself. This is exactly the opposite of what Adam and Eve did and every other human (other than Jesus) who has ever followed them.

While I naturally (and rightly) have emotions like joy and sadness and anger and happiness, etc. along with desires to be loved and respected and cared for, etc; I don’t apply them rightly since my emotions and desires are warped and sinful rooted in a trust of myself. My good emotions and desired turn into ruling emotions or desires when they are not rooted in a trust or obedience to the Father.

Jesus naturally (and rightly) had emotions like joy and sadness and anger and happiness along with desires to be loved and respected, etc. and yet perfectly applied them because His emotions and desires were rooted in a trust of the Father. The desires and emotions of Jesus never ruled Him because Jesus looked to the Father for His guidance. In a real way a “ruling” desire for Christ was to trust the Father in all situations.

Example: God created the human desire and emotions of love and the expression of sexuality. I have two options: I can either trust God to provide for me a person through whom I can express love and express my sexuality or I can enter in to an illicit sexual relationship (e.g. previous to marriage, with a person of the same-sex, or with someone to whom I am not married). The illicit relationship would be an expression of desire and emotion that is rooted in a trust of myself. How do I know this for sure? This act is a rejection of trusting in God since this goes against God’s expressed will for me according to the Bible. In other words, this choice would be sinful. Even though the initial emotion/desire was natural, the desire went too far and now is a ruling desire. A person in this condition this is called to repent (change his or her mind) about what they have done and bring their ruling desire and ruling emotion under the authority of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Series Big Idea: My understanding of who Jesus Christ was then will determine how I relate to Jesus Christ now.

So, I experience human emotions and human desires (just like Jesus) and need to choose to not let them be rooted in my will (ruling desires and emotions) but God’s will through trusting Him.

Therefore, on the one hand, human emotions and desires should not be repressed but enjoyed. It is simply part of being human. On the other hand, I must remember who Jesus was then (in His humanity) as the perfect example for how I should apply my emotions and desires as expression of trust in God now. I need to seek to walk in His truth and by His Spirit and thereby avoid allowing my natural desires and emotions to become ruling desires and ruling emotions. This will happen when I walk as Jesus walked, trusting in the Father.

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