Have you ever lashed out in a burst of anger, unsure where your reaction was coming from? Maybe you've yelled at your kids unnecessarily on a stressful day or argued with a spouse over something seemingly menial. The truth is, even Jesus displayed anger in his life on Earth... but His anger was considered righteous.

EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY

When it comes to our emotional expressions, God knows that there is so much more to our stories than what’s happening on the surface of things. Under the "iceberg" of your life are the joys, griefs, losses, and dreams that God uniquely planted in your heart.  Thats why we're taking time this Fall to walk through a new, 8-week series called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Together, we’re taking a deep dive with Jesus under the iceberg of our lives to discover the Holy Spirit speaking in the depths!

TURNING THE TABLES

To start, we're learning from a story from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15. In this Bible story, we see Jesus has an intense, emotional reaction of anger while in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. See, in Jesus’ day, the Temple was the place where Jewish people could come to be close to God and worship Him. However, instead of being a center for religious life, the Temple had become corrupt; It became a shopping mall where people were exchanging money and bargaining with each other. This is why Jesus had righteous anger - and it even triggered Him to overturn tables!

ELIMINATING THE DISTRACTIONS

To make this Bible lesson personal: What tables need overturning in our own lives? What is distracting you from getting close to God and worshipping Him with your whole heart? This display of Jesus’ righteous anger shows us that he cared enough about our faith to clear a path through the distractions, the clutter, and the chaos for all to be with God. Whether Jew or Gentile, religious leader or notorious sinner - Jesus cleared a path for all to encounter the life-changing presence of God!

In moments of anger, sin or shame, you might not think you are worth much - but to Jesus, you are EVERYTHING! This shocking passage in Mark 15 shows us that Jesus was willing to move Heaven and Earth so we can personally receive His love and grace. Jesus is jealous for the hearts of his people. The Gospel of Luke actually tells us that Jesus wept over Jerusalem as he saw distractions leading their hearts astray. Jesus was also zealous - which means he looks at your life with passion to connect with you at the heart level. God desires for your personal relationship with him to go deeper.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

As you dive deeper in your relationship with God, we want to support you. Joining a Small Group at Liquid Church is a great next step to grow in relationship with God, deepen friendships, and serve others. We believe that life is better in community, which is why we encourage you to join a Group as we go through our new Groups series, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, together this Fall. We have Groups meeting online and in-person for every age and stage - to explore Groups and find a fit for you, visit LiquidGroups.com.