The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family

Feelings vs Commandments

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2008-06-15

Synopsis: John Weaver contrasts two lifestyles: the feeling-oriented life, which prioritizes personal desires and leads to bondage, and the commandment-oriented life, which submits to God's Word and results in freedom and joy. He defines feeling, attitude, and behavior, emphasizing that feelings follow behavior and should never lead. Using biblical examples from Genesis, Joshua, Judges, and the New Testament, he argues that sin makes us desire-oriented by nature, but salvation restores us to a commandment-oriented life. Obedience is mandatory for believers, and right behavior produces good feelings, while disobedience leads to bad feelings and destructive consequences.

[John Weaver] Ephesians chapter 4, I want to bring a message today which I believe is absolutely fundamental. It's absolutely necessary. I want to bring a message which you need to be reminded concerning. You've heard me preach these principles before. It's been a long, long time. But I was asked a series of questions in the last week or two and I thought, Man, do those questions need to be answered? And so I want to bring a message today, which I've just entitled feelings versus commandments. So look at Ephesians chapter four, beginning there with verse 17.

[John Weaver] Here's what the Lord says to these Ephesian Christians. This I say, therefore, in testifying the Lord. That you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop there. Literally, he says, walk not as other heathen walk in the vanity of their minds. Watch having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because the blindness of their heart. Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness, but you have not so learned Christ. If so, be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning the former conversation or conduct, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

[John Weaver] So what the Apostle Paul is saying in verses 17, 18, and 19, we are not to walk the way the unsaved walk. We're not to live the way they live. We're not to have their rule and their standard in our lives, and then he lays down in verses 20 through 24 how we are to walk.

[John Weaver] Now, it is not my intent today to give an exposition of this passage, but I am going to enunciate the same principle. If I were to ask you the question, what is the chief duty of man? Well, if you know the Westminster Convention of Faith, if you know the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, you can answer that the chief duty of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Now, in order to glorify God, we must know how to live biblically. If we are to live biblically, listen carefully, we must know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior. Each of these differ. If we understand the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior, then we're going to be able to discern the root from the fruit, or the cause from effect. Please understand that there is a difference between symptoms and causes. There's a difference between root and fruit. If we spend all of our time just fighting symptoms and dealing with symptoms, we're going to spend the entirety of our life beating the air and wasting our time and failing to glorify God.

[John Weaver] If you had an apple tree in your backyard and you hated apples, you despised those apples. And every year you were out there pulling each apple off, saying, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, and throwing it on the ground. You did that year after year. Wouldn't it be a far wiser act to just take an axe and cut the thing down? Once you cut it down, once you've destroyed the root, you're not going to have any more fruit.

[John Weaver] So very obviously, there is a difference and we need to learn the difference. Now, there are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling oriented life. And there is the commandment oriented life. And let me tell you, throughout each and every day, each of us as Christians, we either consciously or unconsciously follow one of those lifestyles. We either follow the feeling-oriented lifestyle or the commandment-oriented lifestyle. Each of these lifestyles involve patterns of either lust or love. They are either oriented toward the desires of self or the desires of God. They acknowledge two distinct sources of authority. The feeling-oriented life recognizes self as authority. The commandment-oriented life, of course, recognizes the Bible as authority. They focus upon two separate goals. One, temporary pleasure, and the other, eternal joy. They acknowledge two different masters, one Satan, the other God. They offer two different ways of handling problems. One, running, hiding, covering up, pretending that things are not like they are, and the other confessing and forsaking and speaking the truth. And of course, each one of these brings about its own results.

[John Weaver] One, the bondage of chaos in this life and eternal loss, and the other, the freedom of structure and eternal joy. Now let me just try to summarize what I just said for you in a few sentences. Really and truly, in a word, we have to choose between humanism and theism. Humanism is the worldview. Humanism is the philosophy that posits man as the center of life and the center of the universe. Everything is done for man. Everything is to glorify man, to elevate man, and in essence, it deifies man. On the other hand, you have theism, where God is placed at the center, and we elevate God to His proper place and proper position, which is on His throne.

[John Weaver] And we understand that He is the Sovereign, He is the Supreme, He is in control, and therefore we seek to bow to Him and subjugate everything in our lives to His dominion and His commands. If you and I are going to live biblically, if we're going to glorify God, we have to know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you some definitions. Please listen carefully. I'm going to take a lot of time explaining the first one. Here's the definition of feeling. Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. That's very simple, isn't it? Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. You and I say many times, I feel tired, or I feel sick, or I feel bad, or I feel happy, or I feel good. We are now giving a statement concerning the perception of our bodily state.

[John Weaver] Now, basically, there are only two kinds of feelings. I said pleasant or unpleasant, or good or bad. You also have visceral or muscular feelings. For instance, the first of the week, I took a fall down some stairs and I pulled a muscle in my leg. And I got news for you, it did not feel good. And for several days it did not feel good. So I'm just saying that is a muscular response and I can say my leg feels bad. It hurts. Okay?

[John Weaver] On the other hand, some feelings are the result of emotional responses. Now let me clarify this. When we're talking about feelings, I want you to understand that we have become so feeling oriented. That usually we cannot think straight, for instance. Here's a problem, we're talking about it, we're trying to resolve it. So I look at James and I say to James, well, how do you feel about it? What? How do you feel about it? Why should I not ask him, James? What do you think about it?

[John Weaver] You see what I'm saying? We substitute even feelings for thinking. For instance, why were you not in church last Sunday? Well, I just didn't feel like going. What? Well, why did you hit that fellow? Well, I just felt like striking out. You see how feelings are dominating our entire life? I've heard people say, listen, Boy, I felt stupid. Or I feel inferior. Or I feel inadequate. Let me tell you something. Stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are not feelings. If they are feelings, you're in trouble. Because in one sense of the word, you can't change your feelings. But on the other hand, if you're inferiority complex, If your stupidity and your inadequacy are based upon judgments and thoughts that you have concerning yourself, when you change those judgments and when you change those thoughts, you can then change your quote-unquote feelings in that sense of the word. Because you're thinking right and therefore you're not having those stupid responses.

[John Weaver] Now, let me explain this again. On the one hand, you cannot change your feelings. That's why I said, if stupidity is a feeling, then you're in trouble. For instance, you say, well, I can change my feelings at will. No, you can't. For instance, here you are, you're going to wake up in the morning and guess what? You've got a temperature of 104. You're nauseated. You're vomiting. You have diarrhea. Change it. You can't. There's no way in the world you can change. You can say, I feel sick. You can't change that if you're genuinely sick. But on the other hand, as I pointed out, if your feelings of quote-unquote, and I'm using this the way most folks would, if your feelings, quote-unquote, of stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are from bad judgments and thoughts about yourself, when you change the way you think, then of course you change your life because you're changing what caused those feelings.

[John Weaver] Now, let me go ahead and deal with something that is very important. In fact, I had someone mentioned this to me recently. The person said to me, fine, upstanding individual and undoubtedly a Christian. But I had. Someone say to me, well, Pastor. I just don't feel safe. I just don't feel safe. You know what my response was? Well, of course you don't. Salvation is not a feeling. Salvation is an accomplished fact. Salvation is something that Jesus Christ accomplished. It is finished. It is done.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that we may have emotional responses to God's salvation. But the fact is, salvation is not a feeling, and you cannot feel facts. You cannot feel reality as such. For instance, let me demonstrate that for you. Do we live in the world? Yes. Well, the world is a fact. Feel it. You can't. Our Lord said, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Is that a fact? Yes, it is. Well, feel it. You can't feel facts. Now, it is true we have emotional responses, sometimes those facts, but salvation is not a feeling.

[John Weaver] And I'm going to show you that feelings oftentimes change. But facts and reality do not change, so first of all, feeling feeling is nothing more than a perception of a bodily state, whether it's good or bad. Secondly, attitude, an attitude. We all know what it is in reality, but here it is. An attitude is that combination of presuppositions. And I'll stop right there. Presupposition. A presupposition is something that you supposed to be true beforehand. So an attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, opinions and convictions.

[John Weaver] that make up one's habitual stance toward a subject or a person. Now, every one of us in this room has said when we met someone after we left his presence, I didn't like his attitude. Your attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, and opinions that make up your habitual stance toward a subject or toward a person or toward an act. An attitude, listen carefully, an attitude is a mindset that strongly affects behavior. An attitude is a mindset that strongly affects your behavior.

[John Weaver] Proverbs 23 verse 7 says, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 4 verse 23, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just show you an illustration of how your attitude affects your behavior. One of my favorite cartoons of all times I saw years ago. It was a church building, and the pastor was walking down the hall, evidently with another pastor, and they look into a room, and here are two men in the room, rolling on the floor, fighting. Each one of them had black eyes, or their clothes were torn, their hair was messed up, and the pastor said to his visiting friend, oh, don't pay any attention to them. They're just having their weekly discussion on the doctrine of election. Well, very obviously, yes, your attitude strongly affects your behavior. Now, let me give you a definition of behavior. What is behavior? Very simple. Behavior is the activities of a whole person.

[John Weaver] And the reason I'm saying this, I'm going to add another phrase, and you can put it in parentheses if you're taking notes. Behavior is the activity of a whole person, not a gland. It's not your gland that makes you do something. Behavior is the activities of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. What is your behavior? It's the activity of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. Now, your behavior may be responsible or it may be irresponsible.

[John Weaver] But that's beside the point. Your activity is still conduct that may be judged by the law of God. You are always accountable to God. You're always answerable to God. And your conduct, your behavior, may always be judged in light of God's law.

[John Weaver] Now, let me begin today, after having given you those definitions, by pointing out, first of all, I want you to see That sin makes us, by nature, a desire-oriented people. That is, here is the desire-oriented lifestyle. That's why I'm saying feelings versus commandment. OK? Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2. And I want you to note what God did when God created Adam and He placed him in the garden. Notice Genesis 2 and verse 16. Genesis 2 verse 16. And the Lord God commanded the man saying.

[John Weaver] Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now let me show you what God did when God created Adam. He created him and placed him under a commandment-oriented life. He said, Adam, you're in my garden. Here's the command. My command is this. Out of all these trees you may freely eat. I give you responsibility. I give you authority. I give you the privilege of eating out of all of these fruits and all of these trees. But this one tree is mine. You don't eat of it. If you eat of this one, you're going to die.

[John Weaver] Now, interestingly, in verse 16, when the Bible says that the Lord God commanded the man, the word commanded literally means to put under a charge or to put under an oath. So what God did was this. When God put Adam in the garden, He put him under an oath and Adam swore that he would obey God. So Adam was created and placed then under a commandment-oriented life.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 3. I want to read the first six verses, but it's only verse 6 that I want to deal with. Genesis 3, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden. Notice, hath God said, in other words, here's a reference to a commandment, and the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, you shall not eat of

[John Weaver] it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. Notice God hath said, now watch verse four, and the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die. For God doth know that a day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing or determining good and evil." Now watch verse 6 very carefully. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat. Now I want you to note, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired. Let me ask you, when you look at verse 6, where is the word commandment in verse 6? It is not there. Where is God said in verse 6? It is not there. You know why?

[John Weaver] Because when you get down to verse 6, it is no longer about God's commandments. It's no longer about what God said and what God did not say. When you get down to verse 6, it's now all about Eve, her thoughts, her feelings, her desires. She wanted it. She took it. She disobeyed. She ate and she gave it to Adam.

[John Weaver] Now there are a multitude of sins involved in Genesis 3 and verse 6. But one of the greater sins that Adam and Eve committed is this. They set themselves above God and above His Word. Let me put it like this. They gave priority to themselves. Let me say it again. They gave priority to their feelings, to their desires. It did not matter at this point what God commanded. It did not matter what God had said. They were looking after themselves. Feelings, desires, emotions must reign down with the commandments of God. Their attitude was, who is God to tell us what to do?

[John Weaver] We're going to do what feels good to us. So their sin, first and foremost, was they chose to satisfy their desires rather than obey the command of God. Consequently, since that time, their posterity has been born into this world with a desire or a feeling-oriented lifestyle.

[John Weaver] Now, without me reading the rest of this chapter, because I've got a lot to cover, let me just point out the impact of feelings in the Fall. Feelings, of course, became all important to Adam and Eve. In order to preserve their feelings, what did they do? When they saw that they were naked, they ran and they hid themselves and they made them aprons of fig leaves. So in order then to preserve their feelings, They began to run and hide and cover their sin.

[John Weaver] You see, confessing, acknowledging and forsaking your sins, that might make you uncomfortable. That might hurt your feelings. So in order to preserve the feelings and to preserve the fact that we don't want to be made uncomfortable, Adam and Eve said we'll run, we'll hide, we'll pretend like we did not do it.

[John Weaver] Next, I want you to understand that another aspect of this feelings-oriented life is they begin to blame shift. When God came to Adam, He said, Adam, where art thou? Adam, what have you done? And what did Adam say? It was the woman which thou gavest to be with me. Her fault. Eve, what have you done? Well, it was the serpent. The point I'm trying to make is this.

[John Weaver] Neither one wanted to accept responsibility for their actions. Why? Because it would make them extremely uncomfortable. And their feelings were, at this point, a priority. They wanted to make sure that they were not hurt. It may cost them. They may become upset. While they may not be able to function properly, If we hurt our feelings.

[John Weaver] Now, when you see Genesis 3 and verse 6, you can see there the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Let me show you how this is developed throughout Scripture. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. Joshua chapter 6. Because here you have another illustration, the children of Israel are going to conquer Jericho. And Jericho, of course, is put under a ban. It's put under a curse. Everything in Jericho is to be destroyed. What is not to be destroyed is to be given to God. So look in Joshua chapter 6, if you would, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God says. God says,"...and the city shall be accursed, even it and all that are therein to the Lord, Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her, in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And you," he's talking to the people now, and you and any wise, keep yourself from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed when you take of the accursed thing and make the cap of Israel accursed and trouble it.

[John Weaver] Now God said, let me tell you something. Before you go into Jericho, the whole city is cursed. Everything in it is cursed. The only people that are to live is Rahab and her family. And everything else is cursed as well. Don't touch it lest you die. Well, you know the story, and we're going to look at some of it in Joshua chapter 7 in just a minute. But you remember how the men told Joshua, don't make all the people work because AI up there is just a small city. Just send a few of us up there.

[John Weaver] So 3,000 Israelites went up to take AI, and guess what? The men of Ai defeated the Israelites, killed 36 of them, and they came back defeated. Joshua fell on his face and said, Lord, what in the world is going on when Israel turns her back to her enemies? And God said, Get up from off your face. There's sin in the camp. Neither will I be with you anymore till you be with the sin. And so God then begins to take an account and every tribe is brought and the tribe of Judah is taken and then the families of that tribe are brought and finally the family of Achan is taken. Let's begin reading in Joshua 7 beginning there with verse 18. Watch what happens. Joshua 7 verse 18, And he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him, and tell me now what thou hast done.

[John Weaver] Hide it not from me. And Achan answered, Joshua said, Indeed, I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done."

[John Weaver] Now look what he says, When I saw, remember Eve saw that the tree was good for food? When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels of weight, I coveted them. And I took them, that is, I desired them, and I took them, and behold, they were hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something. God's command was plain and simple. His command was, don't touch anything in the city. It's all cursed. He said, if you touch it, you're going to become a curse. And so, Achan said, I saw it. I coveted it. I desired it. I wanted it. And I took it. So, the same lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life that motivated Eve is the same that's motivating Achan. And what Achan did was this. Achan gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire-oriented life. He rejected the commandment-oriented life.

[John Weaver] And when he satisfied his desires, it killed him. It not only killed him, it killed his family. Every member of Achan's family were put to death. Why? Well, undoubtedly, they were part and parcel of it. They undoubtedly knew what he had done. It was hidden under the tent. And they were responsible for the death of 36 Israelites. The point I'm trying to make is very simple. Achan said, here's what I desired.

[John Weaver] This is what I want. Yes, I'll give in to my feelings. I will take this. And he swapped the commendatory life for the feeling ordering life. And it cost him the life of his family. Well, what did God say? God said, don't touch it or you'll die. And that's exactly what happened. I want you to turn right on over to the book of Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14.

[John Weaver] Just showing you how this is prominent throughout Scripture. We've got to understand that the feeling or the desire or need life is a life that is contrary to God and contrary to the Scripture. Look in Judges chapter 14 beginning verse 1. Everyone knows the story of Samson. And his strength was surely someone as strong as Samson would be able to overcome all of his desires. Well, here it is. Judges 14, verse 1. And Samson went down to Timnath and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines. And he came up and told his father and his mother, said, I've seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

[John Weaver] Now, therefore, get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, among all thy people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me, for she pleases me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, and that he sought an occasion against the Philistines, for of that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel." Now, I want you to note, Samson said, I've gone down to Timnath, to the Philistines, and I found there a woman, and I want you to get her for me to what? Well, his father and mother object. They say, look, is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren? or among all thy people, and here's what they're saying. Samson, there's plenty of beautiful young women in your own tribe. Get one out of your tribe. And look, if you don't find one in your tribe, there'll be other tribes to choose from.

[John Weaver] Just don't marry a heathen. Don't violate the law of God. Let me tell you. All you've got to do is go back to Exodus 34, verses 12 through 16, Deuteronomy 7, verses 1 through 5. Don't turn there now. But they're God specifically forbade the children of Israel to intermarry with the heathen. No, no. He said, you stay. You stay separate. You don't marry the Ammonites and the Moabites and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and all the... No, no, no, no. You don't marry them.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what Samson is doing. Samson is saying, I know what God commands, but I know what I want. Let me show you. Samson is sitting on two distinct fronts. First of all, he's violating the known law of God. And secondly, he's violating the fifth commandment, honor thy father and my mother. The father and the mother said, look, don't do this. Samson said, look in your Bibles, look at verse 3. Look at verse 3. I want you to go down to the last part of verse 3. And Samson said unto his father, watch, gather for me, for she pleaseth me well. Let me tell you what the word pleaseth literally means. Here's what he said.

[John Weaver] Get her for me, for it is agreeable in my eyes." Let me translate that for you. I don't see anything wrong with it. Huh? What is Samson saying? I don't care what God commanded. I don't care what God says. I don't see anything wrong with it. It's agreeable to me. It's alright in my eyes. She pleases me. Well, get her. I want to fulfill my desires and my feelings ahead of. The word of God.

[John Weaver] That's what he was doing now. Without me going into great detail, if you were to continue reading in the book of Judges. You would get to chapter 16 and everyone knows there the story of Samson and Delilah. And may I remind you that Delilah was a Philistine. And what did she do? She's the one that deceived him. Cut his hair. And the Philistines came. And put out his eyes.

[John Weaver] And brought him as a slave. And honored their false gods. When you get to verse 21, let me just read it. Judges 16 verse 21. But the Philistines took him and put out his eyes. and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with feathers of brass and he did grind in the prison house. Later on you know how the boy brought him to the pillars of the temple where all those Philistines were and he brought the house down and killed the Philistines but he himself died as well.

[John Weaver] I want you to note Samson gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire oriented life and he lost his life his family and his ministry. Just because he put his feelings and his desires ahead of the Word of God. You know something? It seems as if we never learn. Most people and unhappily most Christian people live on their feelings. They do not live based upon the commandments of the Word of God. They live on their feelings. It is a clever while of Satan to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires because they don't feel like doing it. He also tempts them by making them think they have to give in to their feelings because they can't help themselves.

[John Weaver] Have you ever heard that? Well, I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stop myself. I just had to do it. Well. I have heard so many Christians say. Well. Oh boy, I just don't feel like praying. Well. Is it a command of God that we pray? What is feelings got to do with? Not praying. I'm not talking about being sick sick. How about this one? Well, I just don't feel like studying. I don't feel like reading my Bible. I don't feel like going to church. It's not that you're sick. You just don't feel like it. And we just give in, you know, I've often I've often thought this. I've often wanted to do this. I wouldn't, but I've wanted to. I wanted to just not show up at church one Sunday. And the next Sunday when someone came and everyone came and, well, where were you last Sunday? We were all here. Well, I just didn't feel like coming. Come on. You know you do it. I know I've told you this, but it's still my favorite story about the mother who went in to get the son upset.

[John Weaver] All right, son said, get up. It's time to get ready to go to church. He said, I'm not going today. She said, oh, yes, you are. No, he said, I'm not going today. And he said, she said, why not? Well, he says, nobody there likes me and nobody listens to me and nobody talks to me. I'm not going. She says, yes, you are. Get up and get dressed. You're going. Well, he said, give me two good reasons why I should. She said, number one, you're 40 something years old and number two, you're the pastor. Well, you understand what I'm saying, we give in to feelings. You know what we've done, we've adopted the motto, if it feels good, do it. And by the conversely, we've also adopted this one. If it doesn't feel good, I'm not going to do it. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to just show you this. I want you to think about this. I want you to think about how many broken homes and divorces there are and probably are taking place now and will continue to take place because a husband or wife simply says, well, I no longer have feelings for my spouse. What? I no longer have feelings. It seems to me like there's a commandment. Ephesians 5 verse 25. Husbands love your wives. Isn't that a commandment? And conversely, that also applies to wives. God doesn't say husbands feel like loving your wives and wives feel like loving your husbands. He commands it. It's a command. But look at the people say, well, I no longer have feelings. Well, that's too bad. Do you realize when people are encouraged to follow their feelings rather than the Word of God, it's not only treasonous to the law of God and to God, but it also gives the victory to flesh and Satan.

[John Weaver] It solidifies and cements the problems in their lives and further complicates those problems. because it encourages more disobedience. You see, as a Christian, you and I do have a choice.

[John Weaver] Now, realize the unsaved, according to the Bible, are servants of sin. But Romans chapter 6 tells us we've been delivered from the dominion of sin. We have a new master. We have the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin is not our master. We do have a choice. We do not have to give in to our feelings. We do not have to give in to our desires. Let me give you a verse.

[John Weaver] Just listen as I read it. Everyone knows that Moses was in line to be the Pharaoh of Egypt. But the Bible says in Hebrews 11, verses 24 through 26, listen carefully, By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What's that mean? It means he was refusing the pharaoh's ship of Egypt. He was refusing all the money, all the power, all the prestige. Now listen to what he says. By faith, when he was come to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproaches of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. Wow!

[John Weaver] We do have a choice. We don't have to follow our feelings. We don't have to follow our desires. Many people give into their feelings, they give into their desires, and they always end up in depression and in despair. Let me tell you something. You should never, ever make decisions when you are desperate and depressed and in despair. You should never, ever make decisions when you're like that, when you make a decision based upon the Word of God, you may move forward and move forward with confidence. Let me give you another scripture in light of making decisions.

[John Weaver] The Bible says in Romans 14 in verse 23, For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. That means if you cannot do something in faith toward God and toward the Word of God, if you can't move in faith, don't do it. So here's the little principle. When in doubt, don't. When in doubt, don't. Do you realize it's always easier to change a no to a yes than it is to a yes to a no? So when in doubt, just don't do it. So you don't make decisions. When you're in despair and depressed, not major ones anyhow, and if you just aren't clear about something, if you can't in faith do it, don't do it. When you do make a decision based upon the word of God, based upon principles, You stick with it regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the situations and regardless of feelings.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you, everyone in here knows about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. What do they tell Nebuchadnezzar? We will not bow. Don't care what you do. We're not going to bow. Did they know that they were going to be thrown in the firing furnace? Nope. They just knew they weren't going to bow. When he said, if you don't bow, you will be thrown into that fiery furnace.

[John Weaver] They said, be it known unto you, our God can deliver us. But whether he delivers us or not, the Lord says, that's his business. Be it known unto you, O King, we will not bow. Now, God sovereignly delivered them. But the point I'm trying to make is the perception of bad feelings being burned to death did not deter them from their decision, which was based upon the Word of God. So when you make a decision that's based upon the Word of God, you do not back down.

[John Weaver] Okay, now I want you to follow me. I want you to understand, here's the desire already in your life that most people follow, even most Christian people.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to see another principle, and that is behavior determines feelings. Behavior determines feelings. Now, it's important that you now understand the connection between behavior and feelings. Let me make a statement. I'm going to be making this statement several times. Here it is. Wow, listen to this. Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow. Here's the principle. God is ordained that if we do what is right, that is, we obey, we'll feel good. If we do that which is wrong and wicked, We will feel bad. I mean, feelings follow. Good feelings follow obedience and righteousness, and bad feelings follow rebellion and disobedience.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. Look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, Chapter 4. Genesis, Chapter 4, beginning there with verse 3. Everyone knows, or at least you should know, the story of Cain and Abel. You remember how God required a sacrifice? Well, look what happens. Genesis chapter 4, beginning there, verse 3. Genesis 4, verse 3. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought to the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. Wow. Well, God had required a blood sacrifice, but Cain brought the fruit of the ground. Verse 4. And Abel, he also brought to the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. Now watch carefully. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. Now, don't you know that Abel undoubtedly was very happy? He's very glad. Because God respected his offering, God received his offering. But Cain did not bring what God required. So look what happens in verse 5. But unto Cain and his offering he had not respect.

[John Weaver] Now watch. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. Kane was very rough and his countenance fell. Kane not only became angry, simply stated, he became morose, depressed, and anxious. His bad feelings stem from his rebellion and disobedience.

[John Weaver] Now should look what God told him. Look in verse six. And the Lord said unto Cain, Warrant thy wrath, and why is thy countenance fallen? Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed? Why are you morose? He says in verse seven, If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? In other words, you bring what I require and I'll receive it. If you do what's right, I'll receive it. And if thou do'st not well, send life at the door, and these shall be his desire."

[John Weaver] Now, notice what he said. Cain, if you bring the offering that I require, I'll receive it. There's no reason for you to be moping around, being angry, upset, mad, morose, depressed, discouraged, in despair. Why are you like that? Because you didn't obey me the first time. Feelings follow. They never, ever lead. Now, listen carefully when someone is depressed. When they're anxious. When they're in despair, when they're discouraged, when they're hostile.

[John Weaver] You know what most people say? Well, he's having emotional problems. I got news for you, folks. He's not having emotional problems. His emotions are working all too well. That is the problem. You see. The problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings. You do what's right and you're going to feel right. This is why when people Try to relieve the symptoms and never deal with the root of the problem. They never ever are successful. Someone says, well, I'm depressed. I'm discouraged.

[John Weaver] I think I'll just go out and pitch me a good drunk. Well, fine. Go pitch yourself a good drunk. And when you wake up, you've got a hangover. You're broke or broker. And guess what? You have the same problems. You haven't changed a thing. Same thing with pills. It doesn't matter. Well, I know what I'll do. I'll just go cuss him out. We'll go cuss him out. Guess what? When you get through cussing him out, you not only have the same problem, now you've complicated and compounded the problem and there are additional problems.

[John Weaver] People feel bad because of their bad behavior. On the other hand, people feel good because of good behavior.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. I can make you feel bad this morning. I can. I really can. If you would do what I say, I can make you feel absolutely bad. You say, how can you do that? I could say, now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to think of the most hurtful, the most embarrassing experience that you've ever had in your life. And I want you to dwell on it. Don't do it. But if I were to make you dwell on your most hurtful, most embarrassing experience, you know what?

[John Weaver] Pretty soon your stomach will start nodding up and all those memories come flooding in. Oh boy, here we go again. I'm just trying to show you that feelings follows behavior and also attitude as well. Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 3. Let me show you. God has designed That feelings follow, they're never to lead, and good feelings always follow obedience. Notice 1 Peter. Chapter three, and we're going to read verse 10 to begin with. Notice 1 Peter chapter three, verse 10. Would you like to have a good life? Would you like to be able to enjoy life? Would you like to have good feelings? Would you like to have fewer problems? Well, look what God says. First Peter 3 verse 10. For he that will love life and see good days.

[John Weaver] Let him refrain his tongue from evil. His lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it or pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

[John Weaver] Now note what he says. If you want to love life, if you want to see good days, what do you do? You keep your tongue. You keep your lips. You keep your mouth. Verse 11. Let him eschew evil. And I love that word eschew. You know what it literally means? to spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. You can't take it. Let him spit out evil and do good.

[John Weaver] Let him seek peace and pursue it. Why? He said, you know something? If you do right, you're going to have good days and you're going to love life. What's he saying? Feelings follow. And good feelings follow right behavior.

[John Weaver] Now look in verse 16. Look what he says, 1 Peter 3, verse 16, having a good conscience, a good conscience that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation or good conduct in Christ. Do you realize having a good conscience? Stems from doing what's right. So here we have people that say, well, let me tell you something about Bullet Weaver. Let me tell you this.

[John Weaver] I don't like this, and I don't like that, and I'm going to slander him. I'm going to attack him. Fine. Help yourself. While you're talking about me, at least you're not talking about some widow or some orphan. At least you're giving someone else some rest. But I've got news for you. As long as I do what's right, I'll only have one person to please, and that's the Lord. And guess what? Your slander and your lies are not going to cost me one night's sleep. I want to still feel good because I know that I'm doing what's right and what's biblical, what's holy. That's exactly what he's saying. If you want to live a good life and love life and have good feelings, he says, just obey. Remember, feelings never lead. They always follow. Now, let me just show you.

[John Weaver] Here's an illustration that I hope that you can identify with. Every one of us have awakened one morning and guess what? We just didn't feel good. I don't feel like getting out of bed. I don't feel like going to work. We're not sick. There's really nothing wrong with us. We just don't feel like doing anything. And you think. I can lay here in bed most of the day. Maybe that'll help me.

[John Weaver] But then you get to thinking of all the things that you're responsible to do. And you lay there another few minutes and you say, no, I don't feel good, it's true. But I've got a responsibility to study. I've got a responsibility to clean the house. I've got a responsibility to cook dinner. I've got a responsibility... I might as well get up and get on it. And you get up, and you start moving around, and you start working, and you start doing what you're supposed to, and guess what? Within an hour, you feel great. You've already forgotten the fact that you didn't even feel like getting out of bed. But on the other hand, If you give in to those feelings, and you just stay in bed, and then you stay in bed that night, and the next morning you wake up and you say, oh no, now I really don't feel like getting up. Now I've got two days' work to face. And the next thing you know, you're giving in to despair and depression, and the next thing you know, you're languishing in a bed of just pure, absolute sorryness.

[John Weaver] Why? Simply because you gave in to your feelings. Okay? If we do right, we feel right. If we do wrong, we feel bad. It's just that simple. Here's the third point. The commandment-oriented life is the godly life. The commandment-oriented life is the godly life.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold 1 Peter since we're there. Well, let me ask you a question. What is salvation? Well, you're going to answer, well, salvation is being saved from sin and judgment, and that is correct in one sense of the word. But let me tell you something. You could also truthfully say that being saved from sin and judgment are byproducts of salvation. Being saved from sin and judgment was not necessarily. The first thing in salvation. Salvation is more than negative, it is a positive, it is true, we're saved from sin, it's true, we're saved from judgment, but there is a positive. What is that positive? Well, look in first Peter three in verse 18. First Peter three verse 18. We don't have to use the whole verse, just part of it. Look carefully, for Christ has also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. Now, wait a minute. Why did Christ die the just for the unjust? Here's the answer that he might bring us to God.

[John Weaver] Wow, what in the world does that mean that he might bring us to God? Well, let's go back to where we started, not turning in our Bibles, but let's go back in our minds to Genesis 3. What had God done in Genesis 2? God had put Adam and Eve in the garden under a commandment-oriented life. And in Genesis 3, they said, no, thank you. We're going to follow the desire-oriented life, and they ran from God.

[John Weaver] They didn't run to Him. God hunted them down. And you know, ever since the fall, man has been running from God. Man has been saying, no, no, I don't want your law. I don't want your commandments. I don't want you telling me what to do. I know what pleases me. I know what makes me feel good. I know what's agreeable to me. I want to do what I wanted. No, thank you, God. But when Christ came. and died the just for the unjust, he died that he might bring us back to God. And when God say when Christ saves us, he brings us back to the father and we bow to him now. And we say. Lord.

[John Weaver] What will thou have me to do? Here I am, Lord, here's the prodigal, here's the runaway. I'm coming back to submit myself to you and your commandments. Then we learn to say with David in Psalm 119 and verse 97, Oh, how love I by law, it is my meditation all the day. His commandments become our standard, our standard for righteousness, our standard for obedience. We now want to obey him. We strive to obey him. We pray for a right heart that we may obey him. We pray like Christ that we might be like Christ when He said, I only do always those things which please the Father. We want to please Him. He's brought us back to God.

[John Weaver] We're no longer running from Him. We're running to Him. We no longer want to disobey Him. Now we want to obey Him. What does God do in salvation? Listen carefully. In salvation, He places us again under a commandment-oriented life. Look in your Bibles turn, please, to John chapter 14. Very quickly, verse 21, John 14. I'll show you several verses very quickly. John 14, verse 21. Look at this. Look at what our Lord says, John 14, verse 21, help me out now.

[John Weaver] He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

[John Weaver] Now, who is it that loves Christ? He that keeps his commandments. Skip down to verse 24. Look what he says. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. And the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me. So our Lord said, if you love me, you're going to keep my commandments. If you don't love me, you won't keep my commandments. Turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. One of the most important passages in the Bible, as far as I'm concerned, look in 1 John chapter 5, look at what he said in verse 2, 1 John 5 verse 2. Verse John 5 verse 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep His commandments. How do I know that I love the children of God when I love God and keep His commandments? What does that mean? It means I treat my brethren the way God commands me to treat them. I don't try to steal their wives.

[John Weaver] I don't try to steal their property. I don't try to kill them. I obey God's law for them. How do I know that I love the children of God? Because I act obediently. toward them in obeying God's command. Now watch in verse 3, verse 3, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. What's the love of God? It's keeping God's commandments.

[John Weaver] And it doesn't grieve us. I'm not upset because I can't go out and rape and pillage and blunder and lie and steal. It doesn't bother me. I don't want to do those things. I'm not upset because I can't have 14 wives. I can barely support the one I got. You see what I'm saying? We obey Him and it's not grievous. Didn't you realize? It's liberty. It's freedom. It's joy. It's happiness in obeying God. There's nothing grievous about it.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. And look, if you would please, verse 3. I love this one too. 1 John 2, verse 3. And hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. How do I know that I know God? How do I know that I'm genuinely converted? Here's how. Because God is enabling me, He's empowering me to continually to bring my life into conformity to His Word. Does that mean I'm perfect? Of course not. But it means there is a constant, continuous bringing of the life into conformity with the Word of God. Now watch verse 3 again. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. Watch verse 4. He that says I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. Wow. What does God do when he saves us? He places us back under a commandment-oriented life. Do you remember what our Lord said in Luke 6 and verse 46?

[John Weaver] He said, And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not those things which I say unto you? In other words, that which characterizes a true child of God is that he obeys the commands of God. We are back under a commandment-oriented life. Why should I not steal? Everybody's doing it. I'll tell you why I should not steal, because God said thou shalt not steal. That's that simple. I don't care what everybody's doing.

[John Weaver] Why should I not commit adultery? Everybody's doing that too. I'll tell you why, because God says thou shalt not commit adultery. If I'm a child of God, I'm under a commandment or He is lying. Doesn't matter about my feelings. I may look at the most beautiful woman in the world and say, wow, look at that woman. I don't care about the feelings. God says, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife or his daughter or anything that's your neighbor's. A commendable life.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just show you the difference, the contrast very quickly, turn to Proverbs chapter one. Proverbs chapter one almost through, but look at it in Proverbs chapter one. I want to show you the contrast between the unsaved and the saved in Proverbs chapter one. You have wisdom personified, who is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord, but wisdom is speaking and notice if you would what God says through wisdom beginning there in Proverbs one verse twenty three. Look at it. Proverbs one verse twenty three. Here's what God cries out to the people.

[John Weaver] term you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and I will make known my words to you. God says, Because I have called, and you refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded But you have said it, not all my counsel would have none of my reproof. Look what God says. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer.

[John Weaver] They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. Why? For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would have none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof. Therefore, shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices?

[John Weaver] Now, what is it that characterizes the lost? They disobey God. They hate God. They hate His commandments. They don't obey Him. They do whatever they please. That's what characterizes them. Look in Proverbs chapter three, beginning there of verse one. Look what God says to the believer. My son, forget not my law. But let thine heart keep my commandments, for length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. Hey, that's first Peter 3 verse 10. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and in the man. Look in Proverbs 4, beginning there verse 4. He taught me also, once you're saved, He taught me also and said unto me, let thine heart retain my words and keep my commandments and live, get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not, need to decline from the words of my mouth. What does a commandment-oriented life mean? It means we bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] As a Christian, we have to be able to distinguish between feelings and attitude and behavior, and our behavior is that which is answerable to God, accountable to God, and to be judged by the law of God. It's either right or wrong. And we have to learn to obey regardless of the situation, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of our feelings, regardless of our desires, regardless of the temptations. We must obey. We are his servants. We are his sons. We are his family. And we must honor him.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make just a couple of very quick applications. The first one is this. Obedience. is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory. It is mandatory, it is necessary, but it should also be given in loving submission and humble gratefulness. Why should I obey God? I could give you a multitude of reasons. The first one is because God is God and He has the right to command and I'm responsible to obey. But I should obey God because He redeemed me. He saved me. He created me. There's a multitude of reasons. But we've got to understand obedience is not optional. It's mandatory.

[John Weaver] Secondly, a principle we need to comprehend is this. If we act right, if we obey, we're going to feel good. If we disobey, we're going to feel bad. Feelings never, ever lead. They always follow. And for you and I, to honor God, our attitudes must be biblical in order that our conduct might be biblical. Let me just show you one thing. Please listen to this. Feelings change daily. sometimes hourly.

[John Weaver] If you're a woman, more often than not. No, I'm teasing. Sometimes it seems like that. Feelings change. Are you listening? Principles never change. If you live by your feelings, You're going to be up and down, in and out, under the circumstances, under the weather. You're going to be so up and down, you'll be worse than a roller coaster. But if you say, look, I don't care about the feelings, don't care about the desire, I'm going to obey God. Guess what? It's always right to do right, and it's never right to do wrong. And if you live by those principles, you're going to do what's right regardless of how you feel. Make sure you understand that we must obey God.

[John Weaver] And then thirdly, and lastly, I just want to remind you that the commandment-oriented life is the only lifestyle for the child of God. What did he say? Let me quote it again. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that speak no guile. Let him eschew evil. Let him spit it out. Let him seek peace and pursue it. God saved us. And when he saved us, he placed us back under a commandment oriented life.

[John Weaver] And it's this do and thou shalt live. This do and thou shalt pay. God is sovereign and he has the absolute right to command. And we are responsible to obey. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for your Word, for your truth. And Lord, help us never, ever give in to our feelings, but to always, Father, obey thee and to bring our lives in conformity to your Word. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve thee and serve thee acceptably and honorably and willingly, Lord, for your honor and your glory and our good. We ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

[John Weaver] You may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-7000.

[John Weaver] You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

Feelings vs Commandments

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	623081783110
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-06-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	104

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Definitions

Weaver introduces the topic of feelings versus commandments, emphasizing the need to distinguish between feeling, attitude, and behavior to live biblically. He defines feeling as a perception of a bodily state, attitude as a mindset affecting behavior, and behavior as accountable activity judged by God's law.

Ephesians chapter 4. I want to bring a message today which I believe is absolutely fundamental. It's absolutely necessary. I want to bring a message which you need to be reminded concerning. You've heard me preach these principles before. It's been a long, long time. But I was asked a series of questions in the last week or two and I thought, man, do those questions need to be answered? And so I want to bring a message today which I've just entitled "Feelings versus Commandments." So look at Ephesians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 17.

Here's what the Lord says to these Ephesian Christians: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." Now, let me just stop there. Literally, he says, "Walk not as other heathen walk in the vanity of their minds." Watch: "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

So what the Apostle Paul is saying in verses 17, 18, and 19 is we are not to walk the way the unsaved walk. We're not to live the way they live. We're not to have their rule and their standard in our lives, and then he lays down in verses 20 through 24 how we are to walk. Now, it is not my intent today to give an exposition of this passage, but I am going to enunciate the same principle. If I were to ask you the question, "What is the chief duty of man?" Well, if you know the Westminster Confession of Faith, if you know the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, you can answer that the chief duty of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Now, in order to glorify God, we must know how to live biblically. If we are to live biblically, listen carefully, we must know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior. Each of these differ. If we understand the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior, then we're going to be able to discern the root from the fruit, or the cause from effect. Please understand that there is a difference between symptoms and causes. There's a difference between root and fruit. If we spend all of our time just fighting symptoms and dealing with symptoms, we're going to spend the entirety of our life beating the air and wasting our time and failing to glorify God.

If you had an apple tree in your backyard and you hated apples, you despised those apples, and every year you were out there pulling each apple off, saying, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," and throwing it on the ground—you did that year after year—wouldn't it be a far wiser act to just take an axe and cut the thing down? Once you cut it down, once you've destroyed the root, you're not going to have any more fruit. So very obviously, there is a difference and we need to learn the difference. Now, there are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling-oriented life, and there is the commandment-oriented life. And let me tell you, throughout each and every day, each of us as Christians, we either consciously or unconsciously follow one of those lifestyles. We either follow the feeling-oriented lifestyle or the commandment-oriented lifestyle. Each of these lifestyles involve patterns of either lust or love. They are either oriented toward the desires of self or the desires of God. They acknowledge two distinct sources of authority. The feeling-oriented life recognizes self as authority. The commandment-oriented life, of course, recognizes the Bible as authority. They focus upon two separate goals: one, temporary pleasure, and the other, eternal joy. They acknowledge two different masters: one, Satan, the other, God. They offer two different ways of handling problems: one, running, hiding, covering up, pretending that things are not like they are, and the other, confessing and forsaking and speaking the truth. And of course, each one of these brings about its own results.

One, the bondage of chaos in this life and eternal loss, and the other, the freedom of structure and eternal joy. Now let me just try to summarize what I just said for you in a few sentences. Really and truly, in a word, we have to choose between humanism and theism. Humanism is the worldview, humanism is the philosophy that posits man as the center of life and the center of the universe. Everything is done for man. Everything is to glorify man, to elevate man, and in essence, it deifies man. On the other hand, you have theism, where God is placed at the center, and we elevate God to His proper place and proper position, which is on His throne.

And we understand that He is the Sovereign, He is the Supreme, He is in control, and therefore we seek to bow to Him and subjugate everything in our lives to His dominion and His commands. If you and I are going to live biblically, if we're going to glorify God, we have to know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior. Now, let me give you some definitions. Please listen carefully. I'm going to take a lot of time explaining the first one. Here's the definition of feeling: Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. That's very simple, isn't it? Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. You and I say many times, "I feel tired," or "I feel sick," or "I feel bad," or "I feel happy," or "I feel good." We are now giving a statement concerning the perception of our bodily state.

Now, basically, there are only two kinds of feelings. I said pleasant or unpleasant, or good or bad. You also have visceral or muscular feelings. For instance, the first of the week, I took a fall down some stairs and I pulled a muscle in my leg. And I got news for you, it did not feel good. And for several days it did not feel good. So I'm just saying that is a muscular response and I can say my leg feels bad. It hurts. Okay?

On the other hand, some feelings are the result of emotional responses. Now let me clarify this. When we're talking about feelings, I want you to understand that we have become so feeling-oriented that usually we cannot think straight. For instance, here's a problem, we're talking about it, we're trying to resolve it. So I look at James and I say to James, "Well, how do you feel about it?" What? How do you feel about it? Why should I not ask him, "James, what do you think about it?"

You see what I'm saying? We substitute even feelings for thinking. For instance, "Why were you not in church last Sunday?" "Well, I just didn't feel like going." What? "Well, why did you hit that fellow?" "Well, I just felt like striking out." You see how feelings are dominating our entire life? I've heard people say, "Boy, I felt stupid," or "I feel inferior," or "I feel inadequate." Let me tell you something. Stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are not feelings. If they are feelings, you're in trouble. Because in one sense of the word, you can't change your feelings. But on the other hand, if your inferiority complex, if your stupidity and your inadequacy are based upon judgments and thoughts that you have concerning yourself, when you change those judgments and when you change those thoughts, you can then change your quote-unquote feelings in that sense of the word. Because you're thinking right and therefore you're not having those stupid responses.

Now, let me explain this again. On the one hand, you cannot change your feelings. That's why I said, if stupidity is a feeling, then you're in trouble. For instance, you say, "Well, I can change my feelings at will." No, you can't. For instance, here you are, you're going to wake up in the morning and guess what? You've got a temperature of 104. You're nauseated. You're vomiting. You have diarrhea. Change it. You can't. There's no way in the world you can change. You can say, "I feel sick." You can't change that if you're genuinely sick. But on the other hand, as I pointed out, if your feelings of quote-unquote—and I'm using this the way most folks would—if your feelings, quote-unquote, of stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are from bad judgments and thoughts about yourself, when you change the way you think, then of course you change your life because you're changing what caused those feelings.

Now, let me go ahead and deal with something that is very important. In fact, I had someone mentioned this to me recently. The person said to me—fine, upstanding individual and undoubtedly a Christian—but I had someone say to me, "Well, Pastor, I just don't feel saved. I just don't feel saved." You know what my response was? "Well, of course you don't. Salvation is not a feeling. Salvation is an accomplished fact. Salvation is something that Jesus Christ accomplished. It is finished. It is done."

Now, it is true that we may have emotional responses to God's salvation. But the fact is, salvation is not a feeling, and you cannot feel facts. You cannot feel reality as such. For instance, let me demonstrate that for you. Do we live in the world? Yes. Well, the world is a fact. Feel it. You can't. Our Lord said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Is that a fact? Yes, it is. Well, feel it. You can't feel facts. Now, it is true we have emotional responses sometimes to those facts, but salvation is not a feeling.

And I'm going to show you that feelings oftentimes change, but facts and reality do not change. So first of all, feeling is nothing more than a perception of a bodily state, whether it's good or bad. Secondly, attitude. An attitude—we all know what it is in reality, but here it is: An attitude is that combination of presuppositions—and I'll stop right there. Presupposition. A presupposition is something that you supposed to be true beforehand. So an attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, opinions, and convictions

that make up one's habitual stance toward a subject or a person. Now, every one of us in this room has said when we met someone after we left his presence, "I didn't like his attitude." Your attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, and opinions that make up your habitual stance toward a subject or toward a person or toward an act. An attitude, listen carefully, an attitude is a mindset that strongly affects behavior. An attitude is a mindset that strongly affects your behavior. Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."

Now, let me just show you an illustration of how your attitude affects your behavior. One of my favorite cartoons of all times I saw years ago. It was a church building, and the pastor was walking down the hall, evidently with another pastor, and they look into a room, and here are two men in the room, rolling on the floor, fighting. Each one of them had black eyes, their clothes were torn, their hair was messed up, and the pastor said to his visiting friend, "Oh, don't pay any attention to them. They're just having their weekly discussion on the doctrine of election." Well, very obviously, yes, your attitude strongly affects your behavior. Now, let me give you a definition of behavior. What is behavior? Very simple. Behavior is the activities of a whole person.

And the reason I'm saying this, I'm going to add another phrase, and you can put it in parentheses if you're taking notes. Behavior is the activity of a whole person, not a gland. It's not your gland that makes you do something. Behavior is the activities of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. What is your behavior? It's the activity of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. Now, your behavior may be responsible or it may be irresponsible.

The Desire-Oriented Life in the Fall

Using Genesis 2-3, Weaver shows that God originally placed Adam under a commandment-oriented life, but Adam and Eve chose to follow their desires, prioritizing feelings over God's command. This sin established a pattern of desire-oriented living in humanity.

Now, let me begin today, after having given you those definitions, by pointing out, first of all, I want you to see that sin makes us, by nature, a desire-oriented people. That is, here is the desire-oriented lifestyle. That's why I'm saying feelings versus commandment. Okay? Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2. And I want you to note what God did when God created Adam and He placed him in the garden. Notice Genesis 2 and verse 16. Genesis 2:16: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,

"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Now let me show you what God did when God created Adam. He created him and placed him under a commandment-oriented life. He said, "Adam, you're in my garden. Here's the command. My command is this: Out of all these trees you may freely eat. I give you responsibility. I give you authority. I give you the privilege of eating out of all of these fruits and all of these trees. But this one tree is mine. You don't eat of it. If you eat of this one, you're going to die."

Now, interestingly, in verse 16, when the Bible says that the Lord God commanded the man, the word "commanded" literally means to put under a charge or to put under an oath. So what God did was this: When God put Adam in the garden, He put him under an oath and Adam swore that he would obey God. So Adam was created and placed then under a commandment-oriented life. Now, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 3. I want to read the first six verses, but it's only verse 6 that I want to deal with. Genesis 3, verse 1. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Notice, "hath God said

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:1-6

"—in other words, here's a reference to a commandment. And the woman said unto the serpent, "

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of

it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Notice "God hath said." Now watch verse 4: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now watch verse 6 very carefully: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Now I want you to note, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired—let me ask you, when you look at verse 6, where is the word "commandment" in verse 6? It is not there. Where is "God said" in verse 6? It is not there. You know why?

Because when you get down to verse 6, it is no longer about God's commandments. It's no longer about what God said and what God did not say. When you get down to verse 6, it's now all about Eve, her thoughts, her feelings, her desires. She wanted it. She took it. She disobeyed. She ate and she gave it to Adam.

Now there are a multitude of sins involved in Genesis 3 and verse 6. But one of the greater sins that Adam and Eve committed is this: They set themselves above God and above His Word. Let me put it like this: They gave priority to themselves. Let me say it again: They gave priority to their feelings, to their desires. It did not matter at this point what God commanded. It did not matter what God had said. They were looking after themselves. Feelings, desires, emotions must reign down with the commandments of God. Their attitude was, "Who is God to tell us what to do?"

"We're going to do what feels good to us." So their sin, first and foremost, was they chose to satisfy their desires rather than obey the command of God. Consequently, since that time, their posterity has been born into this world with a desire- or a feeling-oriented lifestyle.

Biblical Examples of Desire-Oriented Living

Weaver examines Achan (Joshua 7) and Samson (Judges 14) as illustrations of individuals who gave in to their desires, rejecting God's commands. Both suffered severe consequences, demonstrating the destructive nature of a feeling-oriented life.

Now, when you see Genesis 3 and verse 6, you can see there the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Let me show you how this is developed throughout Scripture. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. Joshua chapter 6. Because here you have another illustration. The children of Israel are going to conquer Jericho. And Jericho, of course, is put under a ban. It's put under a curse. Everything in Jericho is to be destroyed. What is not to be destroyed is to be given to God. So look in Joshua chapter 6, if you would, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God says. God says, "And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 6:17-18

Now God said, "Let me tell you something. Before you go into Jericho, the whole city is cursed. Everything in it is cursed. The only people that are to live is Rahab and her family. And everything else is cursed as well. Don't touch it lest you die." Well, you know the story, and we're going to look at some of it in Joshua chapter 7 in just a minute. But you remember how the men told Joshua, "Don't make all the people work because Ai up there is just a small city. Just send a few of us up there."

So 3,000 Israelites went up to take Ai, and guess what? The men of Ai defeated the Israelites, killed 36 of them, and they came back defeated. Joshua fell on his face and said, "Lord, what in the world is going on when Israel turns her back to her enemies?" And God said, "Get up from off your face. There's sin in the camp. Neither will I be with you anymore till ye put away the sin." And so God then begins to take an account and every tribe is brought and the tribe of Judah is taken and then the families of that tribe are brought and finally the family of Achan is taken. Let's begin reading in Joshua 7 beginning there with verse 18. Watch what happens. Joshua 7:18: "And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:18-21

Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done." Now look what he says: "When I saw"—remember Eve saw that the tree was good for food?—"When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them;"—that is, I desired them, and I took them—"and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."

Wow. Now, let me show you something. God's command was plain and simple. His command was, "Don't touch anything in the city. It's all cursed." He said, "If you touch it, you're going to become a curse." And so, Achan said, "I saw it. I coveted it. I desired it. I wanted it. And I took it." So, the same lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life that motivated Eve is the same that's motivating Achan. And what Achan did was this: Achan gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire-oriented life. He rejected the commandment-oriented life.

And when he satisfied his desires, it killed him. It not only killed him, it killed his family. Every member of Achan's family were put to death. Why? Well, undoubtedly, they were part and parcel of it. They undoubtedly knew what he had done. It was hidden under the tent. And they were responsible for the death of 36 Israelites. The point I'm trying to make is very simple. Achan said, "Here's what I desired.

This is what I want. Yes, I'll give in to my feelings. I will take this." And he swapped the commandment-oriented life for the feeling-oriented life. And it cost him the life of his family. Well, what did God say? God said, "Don't touch it or you'll die." And that's exactly what happened. I want you to turn right on over to the book of Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14.

Just showing you how this is prominent throughout Scripture. We've got to understand that the feeling- or the desire-oriented life is a life that is contrary to God and contrary to the Scripture. Look in Judges chapter 14 beginning verse 1. Everyone knows the story of Samson. And his strength was surely someone as strong as Samson would be able to overcome all of his desires. Well, here it is. Judges 14:1:

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel." Now, I want you to note, Samson said, "I've gone down to Timnath, to the Philistines, and I found there a woman, and I want you to get her for me to wife." Well, his father and mother object. They say, "Look, is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all thy people?" And here's what they're saying: "Samson, there's plenty of beautiful young women in your own tribe. Get one out of your tribe. And look, if you don't find one in your tribe, there'll be other tribes to choose from.

Just don't marry a heathen. Don't violate the law of God." Let me tell you. All you've got to do is go back to Exodus 34:12-16, Deuteronomy 7:1-5—don't turn there now—but there God specifically forbade the children of Israel to intermarry with the heathen. No, no. He said, "You stay. You stay separate. You don't marry the Ammonites and the Moabites and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and all the... No, no, no, no. You don't marry them."

Now, here's what Samson is doing. Samson is saying, "I know what God commands, but I know what I want." Let me show you. Samson is sinning on two distinct fronts. First of all, he's violating the known law of God. And secondly, he's violating the fifth commandment, "Honor thy father and thy mother." The father and the mother said, "Look, don't do this." Samson said—look in your Bibles, look at verse 3. Look at verse 3. I want you to go down to the last part of verse 3. "And Samson said unto his father," watch, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well." Let me tell you what the word "pleaseth" literally means. Here's what he said:

"Get her for me, for it is agreeable in my eyes." Let me translate that for you: "I don't see anything wrong with it." Huh? What is Samson saying? "I don't care what God commanded. I don't care what God says. I don't see anything wrong with it. It's agreeable to me. It's alright in my eyes. She pleases me. Well, get her. I want to fulfill my desires and my feelings ahead of the Word of God."

That's what he was doing. Now, without me going into great detail, if you were to continue reading in the book of Judges, you would get to chapter 16 and everyone knows there the story of Samson and Delilah. And may I remind you that Delilah was a Philistine. And what did she do? She's the one that deceived him, cut his hair, and the Philistines came and put out his eyes. And brought him as a slave and honored their false gods. When you get to verse 21, let me just read it. Judges 16:21:

Scripture Reading — Judges 16:21

"But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house."

Later on you know how the boy brought him to the pillars of the temple where all those Philistines were and he brought the house down and killed the Philistines, but he himself died as well.

I want you to note: Samson gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire-oriented life and he lost his life, his family, and his ministry. Just because he put his feelings and his desires ahead of the Word of God. You know something? It seems as if we never learn. Most people, and unhappily most Christian people, live on their feelings. They do not live based upon the commandments of the Word of God. They live on their feelings. It is a clever wile of Satan to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires because they don't feel like doing it. He also tempts them by making them think they have to give in to their feelings because they can't help themselves.

The Pervasiveness of Feeling-Oriented Living

Weaver argues that many Christians live by feelings, using excuses like not feeling like praying or attending church. He warns that following feelings leads to broken relationships, depression, and spiritual defeat, but believers have a choice to obey God.

Have you ever heard that? "Well, I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stop myself. I just had to do it." Well, I have heard so many Christians say, "Well, oh boy, I just don't feel like praying." Well, is it a command of God that we pray? What has feelings got to do with not praying? I'm not talking about being sick. How about this one? "Well, I just don't feel like studying. I don't feel like reading my Bible. I don't feel like going to church." It's not that you're sick. You just don't feel like it. And we just give in. You know, I've often thought this. I've often wanted to do this. I wouldn't, but I've wanted to. I wanted to just not show up at church one Sunday. And the next Sunday when someone came and everyone came and, "Well, where were you last Sunday? We were all here." "Well, I just didn't feel like coming." Come on. You know you do it. I know I've told you this, but it's still my favorite story about the mother who went in to get the son up.

All right, son said, "Get up. It's time to get ready to go to church." He said, "I'm not going today." She said, "Oh, yes, you are." "No," he said, "I'm not going today." And he said—she said, "Why not?" Well, he says, "Nobody there likes me and nobody listens to me and nobody talks to me. I'm not going." She says, "Yes, you are. Get up and get dressed. You're going." Well, he said, "Give me two good reasons why I should." She said, "Number one, you're 40-something years old and number two, you're the pastor." Well, you understand what I'm saying, we give in to feelings. You know what we've done? We've adopted the motto, "If it feels good, do it." And by the converse, we've also adopted this one: "If it doesn't feel good, I'm not going to do it." Wow.

Now, I want to just show you this. I want you to think about this. I want you to think about how many broken homes and divorces there are and probably are taking place now and will continue to take place because a husband or wife simply says, "Well, I no longer have feelings for my spouse." What? "I no longer have feelings." It seems to me like there's a commandment. Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives." Isn't that a commandment? And conversely, that also applies to wives. God doesn't say, "Husbands, feel like loving your wives," and "Wives, feel like loving your husbands." He commands it. It's a command. But look at the people say, "Well, I no longer have feelings." Well, that's too bad. Do you realize when people are encouraged to follow their feelings rather than the Word of God, it's not only treasonous to the law of God and to God, but it also gives the victory to flesh and Satan.

It solidifies and cements the problems in their lives and further complicates those problems because it encourages more disobedience. You see, as a Christian, you and I do have a choice. Now, realize the unsaved, according to the Bible, are servants of sin. But Romans chapter 6 tells us we've been delivered from the dominion of sin. We have a new master. We have the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin is not our master. We do have a choice. We do not have to give in to our feelings. We do not have to give in to our desires. Let me give you a verse.

Just listen as I read it. Everyone knows that Moses was in line to be the Pharaoh of Egypt. But the Bible says in Hebrews 11:24-26, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:24-26

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter."

What's that mean? It means he was refusing the pharaohship of Egypt. He was refusing all the money, all the power, all the prestige. Now listen to what he says:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:24-26

"By faith, when he was come to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt."

Wow! We do have a choice. We don't have to follow our feelings. We don't have to follow our desires. Many people give in to their feelings, they give in to their desires, and they always end up in depression and in despair. Let me tell you something. You should never, ever make decisions when you are desperate and depressed and in despair. You should never, ever make decisions when you're like that. When you make a decision based upon the Word of God, you may move forward and move forward with confidence. Let me give you another scripture in light of making decisions.

Behavior Determines Feelings

Weaver explains that feelings follow behavior, not the reverse. Using Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) and 1 Peter 3:10-11, he shows that obedience produces good feelings, while disobedience leads to bad feelings. He illustrates with the example of getting out of bed despite not feeling like it.

Secondly, I want you to see another principle, and that is behavior determines feelings. Behavior determines feelings. Now, it's important that you now understand the connection between behavior and feelings. Let me make a statement. I'm going to be making this statement several times. Here it is. Wow, listen to this: Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow. Here's the principle: God has ordained that if we do what is right, that is, we obey, we'll feel good. If we do that which is wrong and wicked, we will feel bad. I mean, feelings follow. Good feelings follow obedience and righteousness, and bad feelings follow rebellion and disobedience.

Now, let me show you. Look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4, beginning there with verse 3. Everyone knows, or at least you should know, the story of Cain and Abel. You remember how God required a sacrifice? Well, look what happens. Genesis 4:3: "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." Wow. Well, God had required a blood sacrifice, but Cain brought the fruit of the ground. Verse 4: "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof." Now watch carefully: "And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." Now, don't you know that Abel undoubtedly was very happy? He's very glad. Because God respected his offering, God received his offering. But Cain did not bring what God required. So look what happens in verse 5: "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.

Now watch: "And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. Cain not only became angry, simply stated, he became morose, depressed, and anxious. His bad feelings stem from his rebellion and disobedience. Now look what God told him. Look in verse 6: "And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?" Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed? Why are you morose? He says in verse 7: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" In other words, you bring what I require and I'll receive it. If you do what's right, I'll receive it. "And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire."

Now, notice what he said: "Cain, if you bring the offering that I require, I'll receive it. There's no reason for you to be moping around, being angry, upset, mad, morose, depressed, discouraged, in despair. Why are you like that? Because you didn't obey me the first time." Feelings follow. They never, ever lead. Now, listen carefully: when someone is depressed, when they're anxious, when they're in despair, when they're discouraged, when they're hostile, you know what most people say? "Well, he's having emotional problems." I got news for you, folks. He's not having emotional problems. His emotions are working all too well. That is the problem. You see, the problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings. You do what's right and you're going to feel right. This is why when people try to relieve the symptoms and never deal with the root of the problem, they never, ever are successful. Someone says, "Well, I'm depressed. I'm discouraged.

I think I'll just go out and pitch me a good drunk." Well, fine. Go pitch yourself a good drunk. And when you wake up, you've got a hangover. You're broke or broker. And guess what? You have the same problems. You haven't changed a thing. Same thing with pills. It doesn't matter. "Well, I know what I'll do. I'll just go cuss him out." Well, go cuss him out. Guess what? When you get through cussing him out, you not only have the same problem, now you've complicated and compounded the problem and there are additional problems.

People feel bad because of their bad behavior. On the other hand, people feel good because of good behavior. Now, let me show you. I can make you feel bad this morning. I can. I really can. If you would do what I say, I can make you feel absolutely bad. You say, "How can you do that?" I could say, "Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to think of the most hurtful, the most embarrassing experience that you've ever had in your life. And I want you to dwell on it." Don't do it. But if I were to make you dwell on your most hurtful, most embarrassing experience, you know what?

Pretty soon your stomach will start knotting up and all those memories come flooding in. Oh boy, here we go again. I'm just trying to show you that feelings follow behavior and also attitude as well. Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 3. Let me show you. God has designed that feelings follow, they're never to lead, and good feelings always follow obedience. Notice 1 Peter chapter 3, and we're going to read verse 10 to begin with. Notice 1 Peter 3:10: Would you like to have a good life? Would you like to be able to enjoy life? Would you like to have good feelings? Would you like to have fewer problems? Well, look what God says. 1 Peter 3:10: "For he that will love life, and see good days,

let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." Or pursue it. "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." Now note what he says. If you want to love life, if you want to see good days, what do you do? You keep your tongue. You keep your lips. You keep your mouth. Verse 11: "Let him eschew evil." And I love that word "eschew." You know what it literally means? To spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. You can't take it. Let him spit out evil and do good.

Let him seek peace and pursue it. Why? He said, "You know something? If you do right, you're going to have good days and you're going to love life." What's he saying? Feelings follow. And good feelings follow right behavior.

Now look in verse 16. Look what he says, 1 Peter 3:16: "Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." Do you realize having a good conscience stems from doing what's right? So here we have people that say, "Well, let me tell you something about Brother Weaver. Let me tell you this. I don't like this, and I don't like that, and I'm going to slander him. I'm going to attack him." Fine. Help yourself. While you're talking about me, at least you're not talking about some widow or some orphan. At least you're giving someone else some rest. But I've got news for you. As long as I do what's right, I'll only have one person to please, and that's the Lord. And guess what? Your slander and your lies are not going to cost me one night's sleep. I'm going to still feel good because I know that I'm doing what's right and what's biblical, what's holy. That's exactly what he's saying. If you want to live a good life and love life and have good feelings, he says, just obey. Remember, feelings never lead. They always follow. Now, let me just show you.

Here's an illustration that I hope that you can identify with. Every one of us have awakened one morning and guess what? We just didn't feel good. "I don't feel like getting out of bed. I don't feel like going to work." We're not sick. There's really nothing wrong with us. We just don't feel like doing anything. And you think, "I can lay here in bed most of the day. Maybe that'll help me."

But then you get to thinking of all the things that you're responsible to do. And you lay there another few minutes and you say, "No, I don't feel good, it's true. But I've got a responsibility to study. I've got a responsibility to clean the house. I've got a responsibility to cook dinner. I've got a responsibility... I might as well get up and get on it." And you get up, and you start moving around, and you start working, and you start doing what you're supposed to, and guess what? Within an hour, you feel great. You've already forgotten the fact that you didn't even feel like getting out of bed. But on the other hand, if you give in to those feelings, and you just stay in bed, and then you stay in bed that night, and the next morning you wake up and you say, "Oh no, now I really don't feel like getting up. Now I've got two days' work to face." And the next thing you know, you're giving in to despair and depression, and the next thing you know, you're languishing in a bed of just pure, absolute sorryness.

Why? Simply because you gave in to your feelings. Okay? If we do right, we feel right. If we do wrong, we feel bad. It's just that simple. Here's the third point: The commandment-oriented life is the godly life. The commandment-oriented life is the godly life.

The Commandment-Oriented Life as the Godly Life

Weaver teaches that salvation restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, bringing them back to God. He cites John 14:21, 1 John 5:2-3, and 1 John 2:3-4 to show that love for God is demonstrated by keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome.

Now, I want you to hold 1 Peter since we're there. Well, let me ask you a question. What is salvation? Well, you're going to answer, "Well, salvation is being saved from sin and judgment," and that is correct in one sense of the word. But let me tell you something. You could also truthfully say that being saved from sin and judgment are byproducts of salvation. Being saved from sin and judgment was not necessarily the first thing in salvation. Salvation is more than negative, it is a positive. It is true, we're saved from sin, it's true, we're saved from judgment, but there is a positive. What is that positive? Well, look in 1 Peter 3:18. 1 Peter 3:18. We don't have to use the whole verse, just part of it. Look carefully: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." Now, wait a minute. Why did Christ die, the just for the unjust? Here's the answer: "that he might bring us to God."

Wow, what in the world does that mean, "that he might bring us to God"? Well, let's go back to where we started, not turning in our Bibles, but let's go back in our minds to Genesis 3. What had God done in Genesis 2? God had put Adam and Eve in the garden under a commandment-oriented life. And in Genesis 3, they said, "No, thank you. We're going to follow the desire-oriented life," and they ran from God. They didn't run to Him. God hunted them down. And you know, ever since the fall, man has been running from God. Man has been saying, "No, no, I don't want your law. I don't want your commandments. I don't want you telling me what to do. I know what pleases me. I know what makes me feel good. I know what's agreeable to me. I want to do what I want to. No, thank you, God." But when Christ came and died, the just for the unjust, He died that He might bring us back to God. And when God—when Christ saves us, He brings us back to the Father and we bow to Him now. And we say, "Lord,

what wilt thou have me to do? Here I am, Lord, here's the prodigal, here's the runaway. I'm coming back to submit myself to you and your commandments." Then we learn to say with David in Psalm 119:97, "Oh, how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." His commandments become our standard, our standard for righteousness, our standard for obedience. We now want to obey Him. We strive to obey Him. We pray for a right heart that we may obey Him. We pray like Christ that we might be like Christ when He said, "I do always those things which please the Father." We want to please Him. He's brought us back to God.

We're no longer running from Him. We're running to Him. We no longer want to disobey Him. Now we want to obey Him. What does God do in salvation? Listen carefully. In salvation, He places us again under a commandment-oriented life. Look in your Bibles, turn please to John chapter 14. Very quickly, verse 21, John 14. I'll show you several verses very quickly. John 14:21. Look at this. Look at what our Lord says, John 14:21. Help me out now.

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

Now, who is it that loves Christ? He that keeps his commandments. Skip down to verse 24. Look what he says:

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."

So our Lord said, "If you love me, you're going to keep my commandments. If you don't love me, you won't keep my commandments." Turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. One of the most important passages in the Bible, as far as I'm concerned. Look in 1 John chapter 5, look at what he said in verse 2. 1 John 5:2: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments." How do I know that I love the children of God? When I love God and keep His commandments. What does that mean? It means I treat my brethren the way God commands me to treat them. I don't try to steal their wives.

I don't try to steal their property. I don't try to kill them. I obey God's law for them. How do I know that I love the children of God? Because I act obediently toward them in obeying God's command. Now watch in verse 3: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." What's the love of God? It's keeping God's commandments.

And it doesn't grieve us. I'm not upset because I can't go out and rape and pillage and plunder and lie and steal. It doesn't bother me. I don't want to do those things. I'm not upset because I can't have 14 wives. I can barely support the one I got. You see what I'm saying? We obey Him and it's not grievous. Didn't you realize? It's liberty. It's freedom. It's joy. It's happiness in obeying God. There's nothing grievous about it.

Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. And look, if you would please, verse 3. I love this one too. 1 John 2:3:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

How do I know that I know God? How do I know that I'm genuinely converted? Here's how: Because God is enabling me, He's empowering me to continually bring my life into conformity to His Word. Does that mean I'm perfect? Of course not. But it means there is a constant, continuous bringing of the life into conformity with the Word of God. Now watch verse 3 again:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

Watch verse 4:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Wow. What does God do when He saves us? He places us back under a commandment-oriented life. Do you remember what our Lord said in Luke 6:46?

He said, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" In other words, that which characterizes a true child of God is that he obeys the commands of God. We are back under a commandment-oriented life. Why should I not steal? Everybody's doing it. I'll tell you why I should not steal: because God said, "Thou shalt not steal." That's that simple. I don't care what everybody's doing. Why should I not commit adultery? Everybody's doing that too. I'll tell you why: because God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." If I'm a child of God, I'm under a commandment-oriented life. Doesn't matter about my feelings. I may look at the most beautiful woman in the world and say, "Wow, look at that woman." I don't care about the feelings. God says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, or his daughter, or anything that's thy neighbor's." A commandment-oriented life.

Now, let me just show you the difference, the contrast very quickly. Turn to Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1, almost through, but look at it in Proverbs chapter 1. I want to show you the contrast between the unsaved and the saved in Proverbs chapter 1. You have wisdom personified, who is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord, but wisdom is speaking and notice if you would what God says through wisdom beginning there in Proverbs 1:23. Look at it. Proverbs 1:23. Here's what God cries out to the people:

Contrast Between the Lost and the Saved

Using Proverbs 1 and 3, Weaver contrasts the lost, who reject God's counsel, with the saved, who keep His commandments and find life and peace. He emphasizes that a commandment-oriented life means conforming to God's Word regardless of feelings.

"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." God says, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof." Look what God says: "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."

Now, what is it that characterizes the lost? They disobey God. They hate God. They hate His commandments. They don't obey Him. They do whatever they please. That's what characterizes them. Look in Proverbs chapter 3, beginning there of verse 1. Look what God says to the believer: "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee." Hey, that's 1 Peter 3:10. "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Look in Proverbs 4, beginning there verse 4: "He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth." What does a commandment-oriented life mean? It means we bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

As a Christian, we have to be able to distinguish between feelings and attitude and behavior, and our behavior is that which is answerable to God, accountable to God, and to be judged by the law of God. It's either right or wrong. And we have to learn to obey regardless of the situation, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of our feelings, regardless of our desires, regardless of the temptations. We must obey. We are His servants. We are His sons. We are His family. And we must honor Him.

Applications and Conclusion

Weaver applies the message by stating that obedience is mandatory for believers, feelings follow behavior, and the commandment-oriented life is the only lifestyle for God's children. He urges reliance on unchanging principles rather than fluctuating feelings.

Now, let me make just a couple of very quick applications. The first one is this: Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory. It is mandatory, it is necessary, but it should also be given in loving submission and humble gratefulness. Why should I obey God? I could give you a multitude of reasons. The first one is because God is God and He has the right to command and I'm responsible to obey. But I should obey God because He redeemed me. He saved me. He created me. There's a multitude of reasons. But we've got to understand obedience is not optional. It's mandatory.

Secondly, a principle we need to comprehend is this: If we act right, if we obey, we're going to feel good. If we disobey, we're going to feel bad. Feelings never, ever lead. They always follow. And for you and I to honor God, our attitudes must be biblical in order that our conduct might be biblical. Let me just show you one thing. Please listen to this. Feelings change daily, sometimes hourly.

If you're a woman, more often than not. No, I'm teasing. Sometimes it seems like that. Feelings change. Are you listening? Principles never change. If you live by your feelings, you're going to be up and down, in and out, under the circumstances, under the weather. You're going to be so up and down, you'll be worse than a roller coaster. But if you say, "Look, I don't care about the feelings, don't care about the desire, I'm going to obey God." Guess what? It's always right to do right, and it's never right to do wrong. And if you live by those principles, you're going to do what's right regardless of how you feel. Make sure you understand that we must obey God.

And then thirdly, and lastly, I just want to remind you that the commandment-oriented life is the only lifestyle for the child of God. What did he say? Let me quote it again: "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil," let him spit it out, "let him seek peace, and pursue it." God saved us. And when He saved us, He placed us back under a commandment-oriented life. And it's this: do and thou shalt live. This do and thou shalt pay. God is sovereign and He has the absolute right to command. And we are responsible to obey. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for Your Word, for Your truth. And Lord, help us never, ever give in to our feelings, but to always, Father, obey Thee and to bring our lives in conformity to Your Word. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee and serve Thee acceptably and honorably and willingly, Lord, for Your honor and Your glory and our good. We ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Feeling-Oriented vs. Commandment-Oriented Life

Summary: There are two fundamental lifestyles: one governed by personal feelings and desires, and the other by obedience to God's commandments. The feeling-oriented life leads to bondage, while the commandment-oriented life brings freedom and joy.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'There are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling-oriented life, and there is the commandment-oriented life.' He contrasts their sources of authority, goals, and results.

Feelings Follow Behavior

Summary: Feelings are not to lead but to follow; good feelings result from obedience, and bad feelings from disobedience. This principle is ordained by God and is essential for biblical living.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow... God has ordained that if we do what is right, that is, we obey, we'll feel good.'

The Nature of Sin as Desire-Oriented

Summary: Sin inherently makes humans prioritize their desires over God's commands. The Fall in Genesis 3 exemplifies this shift from commandment-oriented to desire-oriented living.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When you get down to verse 6, it is no longer about God's commandments... it's now all about Eve, her thoughts, her feelings, her desires.'

Salvation Restores Commandment-Oriented Living

Summary: Salvation is not merely rescue from sin but a restoration to a life under God's authority. Christ died to bring us back to God, enabling us to obey His commandments.

Evidence: Weaver cites 1 Peter 3:18 and says, 'When Christ saves us, He brings us back to the Father and we bow to Him now... He places us again under a commandment-oriented life.'

Obedience as Evidence of Love for God

Summary: Keeping God's commandments is the primary evidence of genuine love for God and knowledge of Him. Disobedience indicates a lack of love and truth.

Evidence: Weaver references John 14:21 and 1 John 2:3-4, stating, 'He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.'

The Destructive Consequences of Following Feelings

Summary: Giving in to feelings leads to personal and relational destruction, as seen in the lives of Achan and Samson. It complicates problems and solidifies disobedience.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Samson gave in to his feelings... and he lost his life, his family, and his ministry.' He also notes that following feelings 'solidifies and cements the problems.'

The Unchanging Nature of Principles vs. Feelings

Summary: Feelings are transient and unreliable, while biblical principles are constant. Living by principles rather than feelings provides stability and consistency.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Feelings change daily, sometimes hourly... Principles never change. If you live by your feelings, you're going to be up and down... But if you say... I'm going to obey God... you're going to do what's right regardless of how you feel.'

Key Arguments

Distinction Between Feeling, Attitude, and Behavior

Summary: To live biblically, one must distinguish feeling (bodily perception), attitude (mindset), and behavior (accountable activity). Confusing them leads to treating symptoms rather than root causes.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If we are to live biblically... we must know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior... If we spend all of our time just fighting symptoms... we're going to spend the entirety of our life beating the air.'

The Fall as a Shift from Commandment to Desire

Summary: Adam and Eve's sin was fundamentally choosing their desires over God's explicit command, establishing a pattern of feeling-oriented living for all humanity.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'They gave priority to their feelings, to their desires. It did not matter at this point what God commanded... Their sin, first and foremost, was they chose to satisfy their desires rather than obey the command of God.'

Feelings as Unreliable Guides

Summary: Feelings cannot be trusted to lead because they are changeable and often based on false judgments. They should never be the basis for decisions or actions.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'You cannot feel facts... salvation is not a feeling.' He also says, 'You should never, ever make decisions when you are desperate and depressed and in despair.'

Behavioral Root of Emotional Problems

Summary: What are often labeled emotional problems are actually behavioral issues. Changing behavior according to God's commands changes feelings.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'He's not having emotional problems. His emotions are working all too well... The problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings.'

Salvation's Purpose: Return to God's Authority

Summary: Christ's death aimed to bring believers back under God's rule, reversing the rebellion of the Fall. Salvation is inherently a restoration to commandment-oriented living.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'Christ also hath once suffered for sins... that he might bring us to God... When Christ saves us, He brings us back to the Father and we bow to Him now.'

Obedience as Mandatory, Not Optional

Summary: For the child of God, obedience to God's commandments is not a choice but a requirement, motivated by love, gratitude, and recognition of God's sovereignty.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory... because God is God and He has the right to command and I'm responsible to obey.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 4:17-24

Context: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the principle of not walking as the unsaved walk, setting the stage for the contrast between feeling-oriented and commandment-oriented living.

Proverbs 23:7

Context: Cited to support the definition of attitude: 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,' showing that mindset determines being.

Proverbs 4:23

Context: Quoted alongside Proverbs 23:7 to emphasize the importance of guarding the heart, as attitudes flow from it.

Genesis 2:16-17

Context: Weaver reads God's command to Adam, showing that Adam was originally placed under a commandment-oriented life.

Genesis 3:1-6

Context: Weaver reads the account of the Fall, highlighting verse 6 to show Eve's shift from God's command to her own desires.

Joshua 6:17-18

Context: Read to show God's command that Jericho was accursed and nothing was to be taken, setting up Achan's sin.

Joshua 7:18-21

Context: Weaver reads Achan's confession, emphasizing 'When I saw... I coveted them, and took them' to illustrate desire-oriented sin.

Judges 14:1-3

Context: Read to show Samson's desire for a Philistine woman, prioritizing his feelings ('she pleaseth me well') over God's law and his parents' counsel.

Judges 16:21

Context: Cited to show the consequence of Samson's feeling-oriented life: he was captured, blinded, and enslaved.

Exodus 34:12-16

Context: Mentioned as background for God's prohibition against intermarriage with heathens, which Samson violated.

Deuteronomy 7:1-5

Context: Referenced alongside Exodus 34 to reinforce God's command against intermarriage.

Hebrews 11:24-26

Context: Weaver quotes this to show Moses chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy sin's pleasures, demonstrating a choice against feelings.

Romans 14:23

Context: Cited to support the principle 'when in doubt, don't,' because whatever is not of faith is sin.

Genesis 4:3-7

Context: Weaver reads the story of Cain and Abel to show that Cain's bad feelings (anger, depression) followed his disobedience, and God's counsel was to do well.

1 Peter 3:10-12

Context: Read to show that loving life and seeing good days comes from refraining evil and doing good, illustrating that good feelings follow right behavior.

1 Peter 3:16

Context: Cited to show that a good conscience comes from right behavior, even when slandered.

1 Peter 3:18

Context: Weaver reads this to show Christ died to bring us to God, restoring the commandment-oriented relationship.

John 14:21, 24

Context: Quoted to show that love for Christ is demonstrated by keeping His commandments.

1 John 5:2-3

Context: Read to show that love for God and His children is expressed through keeping His commandments, which are not grievous.

1 John 2:3-4

Context: Cited to show that knowing God is evidenced by keeping His commandments, and claiming to know Him without obedience makes one a liar.

Historical References

Westminster Confession of Faith

Context: Weaver mentions it as a source for the answer that the chief duty of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Philadelphia Confession of Faith

Context: Mentioned alongside the Westminster Confession as another source for the chief duty of man.

Important Quotes

There are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling-oriented life, and there is the commandment-oriented life.

Significance: This quote encapsulates the central dichotomy of the sermon, framing the entire message around the choice between living by feelings or by God's commands.

Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow.

Significance: This is a key principle Weaver repeats, emphasizing that feelings are a result of behavior, not a guide for it.

You cannot feel facts. You cannot feel reality as such.

Significance: Weaver uses this to argue that salvation is a fact, not a feeling, and that feelings are unreliable indicators of truth.

The problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings.

Significance: This quote challenges the common view of emotional problems, redirecting focus to obedience as the solution.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Significance: Weaver quotes 1 John 2:4 to stress that obedience is the authenticating mark of a true believer.

Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory.

Significance: This application underscores the non-negotiable nature of obedience in the Christian life.

Discussion Questions

In what areas of your life are you most tempted to follow your feelings rather than God's commandments?

Context: Weaver challenges the congregation to recognize how feelings dominate decisions, such as not attending church or praying because they don't feel like it.

How does understanding the distinction between feeling, attitude, and behavior change the way you address personal struggles?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that confusing these leads to treating symptoms rather than root causes, and that behavior is the key area of accountability.

Can you think of a time when you obeyed God despite not feeling like it, and what was the result?

Context: Weaver illustrates with the example of getting out of bed and feeling better after starting work, showing that feelings often follow obedient action.

Why is it dangerous to make decisions when you are desperate, depressed, or in despair?

Context: Weaver warns against decision-making in such states because feelings are unreliable; decisions should be based on God's Word.

How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the principle that feelings follow behavior?

Context: Weaver uses Genesis 4 to show that Cain's anger and depression resulted from his disobedience, and God's solution was to 'do well.'

In what ways does our culture promote a feeling-oriented lifestyle, and how can we resist that influence?

Context: Weaver notes that even Christians often adopt the motto 'If it feels good, do it,' and contrasts this with biblical obedience.

What does it mean that salvation restores us to a commandment-oriented life, and how should that affect our daily walk?

Context: Weaver explains that Christ died to bring us back to God, placing us under His authority, so our lives should be marked by joyful obedience.

Applications

Obey God Regardless of Feelings

Summary: Believers must learn to obey God's commands even when they don't feel like it, because feelings are unreliable and obedience is mandatory.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We have to learn to obey regardless of the situation, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of our feelings, regardless of our desires, regardless of the temptations.'

Change Behavior to Change Feelings

Summary: Instead of trying to fix feelings directly, focus on doing what is right according to God's Word, and good feelings will follow.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You change your behavior and you change your feelings. You do what's right and you're going to feel right.'

Make Decisions Based on Principles, Not Feelings

Summary: When facing decisions, rely on biblical principles rather than fluctuating emotions, and when in doubt, refrain from acting.

Evidence: Weaver advises, 'When in doubt, don't... When you do make a decision based upon the Word of God, based upon principles, you stick with it regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the situations, and regardless of feelings.'

Examine Your Love for God by Your Obedience

Summary: Evaluate your relationship with God not by your feelings but by your willingness to keep His commandments, as Scripture teaches.

Evidence: Weaver quotes 1 John 5:3, 'For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments,' and emphasizes that obedience is the evidence of love.

Reject the 'If It Feels Good, Do It' Mentality

Summary: Christians must consciously reject the cultural motto that prioritizes pleasure and instead submit every desire to God's authority.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'We've adopted the motto, "If it feels good, do it." And by the converse, we've also adopted this one: "If it doesn't feel good, I'm not going to do it."'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:29:56Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T16:47:45Z

Clean Transcript

Feelings vs Commandments

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Ephesians chapter 4. I want to bring a message today which I believe is absolutely fundamental. It's absolutely necessary. I want to bring a message which you need to be reminded concerning. You've heard me preach these principles before. It's been a long, long time. But I was asked a series of questions in the last week or two and I thought, man, do those questions need to be answered? And so I want to bring a message today which I've just entitled "Feelings versus Commandments." So look at Ephesians chapter 4, beginning there with verse 17.
#1 | 0:02 to 0:47 | cleaned
Here's what the Lord says to these Ephesian Christians: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind."
#2 | 0:47 to 1:00 | cleaned
Now, let me just stop there. Literally, he says, "Walk not as other heathen walk in the vanity of their minds." Watch: "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
#3 | 1:00 to 1:48 | cleaned
So what the Apostle Paul is saying in verses 17, 18, and 19 is we are not to walk the way the unsaved walk. We're not to live the way they live. We're not to have their rule and their standard in our lives, and then he lays down in verses 20 through 24 how we are to walk.
#4 | 1:49 to 2:07 | cleaned
Now, it is not my intent today to give an exposition of this passage, but I am going to enunciate the same principle. If I were to ask you the question, "What is the chief duty of man?" Well, if you know the Westminster Confession of Faith, if you know the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, you can answer that the chief duty of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Now, in order to glorify God, we must know how to live biblically. If we are to live biblically, listen carefully, we must know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior. Each of these differ. If we understand the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior, then we're going to be able to discern the root from the fruit, or the cause from effect. Please understand that there is a difference between symptoms and causes. There's a difference between root and fruit. If we spend all of our time just fighting symptoms and dealing with symptoms, we're going to spend the entirety of our life beating the air and wasting our time and failing to glorify God.
#5 | 2:07 to 3:38 | cleaned
If you had an apple tree in your backyard and you hated apples, you despised those apples, and every year you were out there pulling each apple off, saying, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," and throwing it on the ground—you did that year after year—wouldn't it be a far wiser act to just take an axe and cut the thing down? Once you cut it down, once you've destroyed the root, you're not going to have any more fruit.
#6 | 3:39 to 4:04 | cleaned
So very obviously, there is a difference and we need to learn the difference. Now, there are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling-oriented life, and there is the commandment-oriented life. And let me tell you, throughout each and every day, each of us as Christians, we either consciously or unconsciously follow one of those lifestyles. We either follow the feeling-oriented lifestyle or the commandment-oriented lifestyle. Each of these lifestyles involve patterns of either lust or love. They are either oriented toward the desires of self or the desires of God. They acknowledge two distinct sources of authority. The feeling-oriented life recognizes self as authority. The commandment-oriented life, of course, recognizes the Bible as authority. They focus upon two separate goals: one, temporary pleasure, and the other, eternal joy. They acknowledge two different masters: one, Satan, the other, God. They offer two different ways of handling problems: one, running, hiding, covering up, pretending that things are not like they are, and the other, confessing and forsaking and speaking the truth. And of course, each one of these brings about its own results.
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One, the bondage of chaos in this life and eternal loss, and the other, the freedom of structure and eternal joy. Now let me just try to summarize what I just said for you in a few sentences. Really and truly, in a word, we have to choose between humanism and theism. Humanism is the worldview, humanism is the philosophy that posits man as the center of life and the center of the universe. Everything is done for man. Everything is to glorify man, to elevate man, and in essence, it deifies man. On the other hand, you have theism, where God is placed at the center, and we elevate God to His proper place and proper position, which is on His throne.
#8 | 5:39 to 6:30 | cleaned
And we understand that He is the Sovereign, He is the Supreme, He is in control, and therefore we seek to bow to Him and subjugate everything in our lives to His dominion and His commands. If you and I are going to live biblically, if we're going to glorify God, we have to know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior.
#9 | 6:30 to 6:55 | cleaned
Now, let me give you some definitions. Please listen carefully. I'm going to take a lot of time explaining the first one. Here's the definition of feeling: Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. That's very simple, isn't it? Feeling refers to a perception of a bodily state as pleasant or unpleasant. You and I say many times, "I feel tired," or "I feel sick," or "I feel bad," or "I feel happy," or "I feel good." We are now giving a statement concerning the perception of our bodily state.
#10 | 6:56 to 7:42 | cleaned
Now, basically, there are only two kinds of feelings. I said pleasant or unpleasant, or good or bad. You also have visceral or muscular feelings. For instance, the first of the week, I took a fall down some stairs and I pulled a muscle in my leg. And I got news for you, it did not feel good. And for several days it did not feel good. So I'm just saying that is a muscular response and I can say my leg feels bad. It hurts. Okay?
#11 | 7:43 to 8:25 | cleaned
On the other hand, some feelings are the result of emotional responses. Now let me clarify this. When we're talking about feelings, I want you to understand that we have become so feeling-oriented that usually we cannot think straight. For instance, here's a problem, we're talking about it, we're trying to resolve it. So I look at James and I say to James, "Well, how do you feel about it?" What? How do you feel about it? Why should I not ask him, "James, what do you think about it?"
#12 | 8:26 to 9:08 | cleaned
You see what I'm saying? We substitute even feelings for thinking. For instance, "Why were you not in church last Sunday?" "Well, I just didn't feel like going." What? "Well, why did you hit that fellow?" "Well, I just felt like striking out." You see how feelings are dominating our entire life? I've heard people say, "Boy, I felt stupid," or "I feel inferior," or "I feel inadequate." Let me tell you something. Stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are not feelings. If they are feelings, you're in trouble. Because in one sense of the word, you can't change your feelings. But on the other hand, if your inferiority complex, if your stupidity and your inadequacy are based upon judgments and thoughts that you have concerning yourself, when you change those judgments and when you change those thoughts, you can then change your quote-unquote feelings in that sense of the word. Because you're thinking right and therefore you're not having those stupid responses.
#13 | 9:11 to 10:29 | cleaned
Now, let me explain this again. On the one hand, you cannot change your feelings. That's why I said, if stupidity is a feeling, then you're in trouble. For instance, you say, "Well, I can change my feelings at will." No, you can't. For instance, here you are, you're going to wake up in the morning and guess what? You've got a temperature of 104. You're nauseated. You're vomiting. You have diarrhea. Change it. You can't. There's no way in the world you can change. You can say, "I feel sick." You can't change that if you're genuinely sick. But on the other hand, as I pointed out, if your feelings of quote-unquote—and I'm using this the way most folks would—if your feelings, quote-unquote, of stupidity, inadequacy, and inferiority are from bad judgments and thoughts about yourself, when you change the way you think, then of course you change your life because you're changing what caused those feelings.
#14 | 10:30 to 11:33 | cleaned
Now, let me go ahead and deal with something that is very important. In fact, I had someone mentioned this to me recently. The person said to me—fine, upstanding individual and undoubtedly a Christian—but I had someone say to me, "Well, Pastor, I just don't feel saved. I just don't feel saved." You know what my response was? "Well, of course you don't. Salvation is not a feeling. Salvation is an accomplished fact. Salvation is something that Jesus Christ accomplished. It is finished. It is done."
#15 | 11:34 to 12:27 | cleaned
Now, it is true that we may have emotional responses to God's salvation. But the fact is, salvation is not a feeling, and you cannot feel facts. You cannot feel reality as such. For instance, let me demonstrate that for you. Do we live in the world? Yes. Well, the world is a fact. Feel it. You can't. Our Lord said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." Is that a fact? Yes, it is. Well, feel it. You can't feel facts. Now, it is true we have emotional responses sometimes to those facts, but salvation is not a feeling.
#16 | 12:28 to 13:12 | cleaned
And I'm going to show you that feelings oftentimes change, but facts and reality do not change. So first of all, feeling is nothing more than a perception of a bodily state, whether it's good or bad. Secondly, attitude. An attitude—we all know what it is in reality, but here it is: An attitude is that combination of presuppositions—and I'll stop right there. Presupposition. A presupposition is something that you supposed to be true beforehand. So an attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, opinions, and convictions
#17 | 13:12 to 14:01 | cleaned
that make up one's habitual stance toward a subject or a person. Now, every one of us in this room has said when we met someone after we left his presence, "I didn't like his attitude." Your attitude is that combination of presuppositions, beliefs, and opinions that make up your habitual stance toward a subject or toward a person or toward an act. An attitude, listen carefully, an attitude is a mindset that strongly affects behavior. An attitude is a mindset that strongly affects your behavior.
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Proverbs 23:7 says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
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Now, let me just show you an illustration of how your attitude affects your behavior. One of my favorite cartoons of all times I saw years ago. It was a church building, and the pastor was walking down the hall, evidently with another pastor, and they look into a room, and here are two men in the room, rolling on the floor, fighting. Each one of them had black eyes, their clothes were torn, their hair was messed up, and the pastor said to his visiting friend, "Oh, don't pay any attention to them. They're just having their weekly discussion on the doctrine of election." Well, very obviously, yes, your attitude strongly affects your behavior. Now, let me give you a definition of behavior. What is behavior? Very simple. Behavior is the activities of a whole person.
#20 | 15:08 to 16:03 | cleaned
And the reason I'm saying this, I'm going to add another phrase, and you can put it in parentheses if you're taking notes. Behavior is the activity of a whole person, not a gland. It's not your gland that makes you do something. Behavior is the activities of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. What is your behavior? It's the activity of a whole person that may be judged by the law of God. Now, your behavior may be responsible or it may be irresponsible.
#21 | 16:05 to 16:38 | cleaned
But that's beside the point. Your activity is still conduct that may be judged by the law of God. You are always accountable to God. You're always answerable to God. And your conduct, your behavior, may always be judged in light of God's law.
#22 | 16:39 to 16:58 | cleaned
Now, let me begin today, after having given you those definitions, by pointing out, first of all, I want you to see that sin makes us, by nature, a desire-oriented people. That is, here is the desire-oriented lifestyle. That's why I'm saying feelings versus commandment. Okay? Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 2. Genesis chapter 2. And I want you to note what God did when God created Adam and He placed him in the garden. Notice Genesis 2 and verse 16. Genesis 2:16: "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
#23 | 16:59 to 17:49 | cleaned
"Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Now let me show you what God did when God created Adam. He created him and placed him under a commandment-oriented life. He said, "Adam, you're in my garden. Here's the command. My command is this: Out of all these trees you may freely eat. I give you responsibility. I give you authority. I give you the privilege of eating out of all of these fruits and all of these trees. But this one tree is mine. You don't eat of it. If you eat of this one, you're going to die."
#24 | 17:51 to 18:33 | cleaned
Now, interestingly, in verse 16, when the Bible says that the Lord God commanded the man, the word "commanded" literally means to put under a charge or to put under an oath. So what God did was this: When God put Adam in the garden, He put him under an oath and Adam swore that he would obey God. So Adam was created and placed then under a commandment-oriented life.
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Now, I want you to look in Genesis chapter 3. I want to read the first six verses, but it's only verse 6 that I want to deal with. Genesis 3, verse 1.
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"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Notice, "hath God said"—in other words, here's a reference to a commandment. And the woman said unto the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of
#27 | 19:12 to 19:33 | cleaned
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Notice "God hath said." Now watch verse 4: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now watch verse 6 very carefully: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Now I want you to note, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired—let me ask you, when you look at verse 6, where is the word "commandment" in verse 6? It is not there. Where is "God said" in verse 6? It is not there. You know why?
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Because when you get down to verse 6, it is no longer about God's commandments. It's no longer about what God said and what God did not say. When you get down to verse 6, it's now all about Eve, her thoughts, her feelings, her desires. She wanted it. She took it. She disobeyed. She ate and she gave it to Adam.
#29 | 20:45 to 21:10 | cleaned
Now there are a multitude of sins involved in Genesis 3 and verse 6. But one of the greater sins that Adam and Eve committed is this: They set themselves above God and above His Word. Let me put it like this: They gave priority to themselves. Let me say it again: They gave priority to their feelings, to their desires. It did not matter at this point what God commanded. It did not matter what God had said. They were looking after themselves. Feelings, desires, emotions must reign down with the commandments of God. Their attitude was, "Who is God to tell us what to do?"
#30 | 21:11 to 21:52 | cleaned
"We're going to do what feels good to us." So their sin, first and foremost, was they chose to satisfy their desires rather than obey the command of God. Consequently, since that time, their posterity has been born into this world with a desire- or a feeling-oriented lifestyle.
#31 | 21:53 to 22:15 | cleaned
Now, without me reading the rest of this chapter, because I've got a lot to cover, let me just point out the impact of feelings in the Fall. Feelings, of course, became all-important to Adam and Eve. In order to preserve their feelings, what did they do? When they saw that they were naked, they ran and they hid themselves and they made them aprons of fig leaves. So in order then to preserve their feelings, they began to run and hide and cover their sin.
#32 | 22:16 to 22:51 | cleaned
You see, confessing, acknowledging, and forsaking your sins—that might make you uncomfortable. That might hurt your feelings. So in order to preserve the feelings and to preserve the fact that we don't want to be made uncomfortable, Adam and Eve said, "We'll run, we'll hide, we'll pretend like we did not do it."
#33 | 22:51 to 23:15 | cleaned
Next, I want you to understand that another aspect of this feelings-oriented life is they begin to blame shift. When God came to Adam, He said, "Adam, where art thou? Adam, what have you done?" And what did Adam say? "It was the woman which thou gavest to be with me." Her fault. "Eve, what have you done?" "Well, it was the serpent." The point I'm trying to make is this:
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Neither one wanted to accept responsibility for their actions. Why? Because it would make them extremely uncomfortable. And their feelings were, at this point, a priority. They wanted to make sure that they were not hurt. It may cost them. They may become upset. They may not be able to function properly if we hurt our feelings.
#35 | 23:52 to 24:22 | cleaned
Now, when you see Genesis 3 and verse 6, you can see there the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Let me show you how this is developed throughout Scripture. Turn to Joshua chapter 6. Joshua chapter 6. Because here you have another illustration. The children of Israel are going to conquer Jericho. And Jericho, of course, is put under a ban. It's put under a curse. Everything in Jericho is to be destroyed. What is not to be destroyed is to be given to God. So look in Joshua chapter 6, if you would, beginning there with verse 17. Look what God says. God says, "And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it."
#36 | 24:24 to 25:38 | cleaned
Now God said, "Let me tell you something. Before you go into Jericho, the whole city is cursed. Everything in it is cursed. The only people that are to live is Rahab and her family. And everything else is cursed as well. Don't touch it lest you die." Well, you know the story, and we're going to look at some of it in Joshua chapter 7 in just a minute. But you remember how the men told Joshua, "Don't make all the people work because Ai up there is just a small city. Just send a few of us up there."
#37 | 25:38 to 26:11 | cleaned
So 3,000 Israelites went up to take Ai, and guess what? The men of Ai defeated the Israelites, killed 36 of them, and they came back defeated. Joshua fell on his face and said, "Lord, what in the world is going on when Israel turns her back to her enemies?" And God said, "Get up from off your face. There's sin in the camp. Neither will I be with you anymore till ye put away the sin." And so God then begins to take an account and every tribe is brought and the tribe of Judah is taken and then the families of that tribe are brought and finally the family of Achan is taken. Let's begin reading in Joshua 7 beginning there with verse 18. Watch what happens. Joshua 7:18: "And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done.
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Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done."
#39 | 27:26 to 27:36 | cleaned
Now look what he says: "When I saw"—remember Eve saw that the tree was good for food?—"When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them;"—that is, I desired them, and I took them—"and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." Wow.
#40 | 27:36 to 28:05 | cleaned
Now, let me show you something. God's command was plain and simple. His command was, "Don't touch anything in the city. It's all cursed." He said, "If you touch it, you're going to become a curse." And so, Achan said, "I saw it. I coveted it. I desired it. I wanted it. And I took it." So, the same lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life that motivated Eve is the same that's motivating Achan. And what Achan did was this: Achan gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire-oriented life. He rejected the commandment-oriented life.
#41 | 28:07 to 28:50 | cleaned
And when he satisfied his desires, it killed him. It not only killed him, it killed his family. Every member of Achan's family were put to death. Why? Well, undoubtedly, they were part and parcel of it. They undoubtedly knew what he had done. It was hidden under the tent. And they were responsible for the death of 36 Israelites. The point I'm trying to make is very simple. Achan said, "Here's what I desired.
#42 | 28:51 to 29:19 | cleaned
This is what I want. Yes, I'll give in to my feelings. I will take this." And he swapped the commandment-oriented life for the feeling-oriented life. And it cost him the life of his family. Well, what did God say? God said, "Don't touch it or you'll die." And that's exactly what happened. I want you to turn right on over to the book of Judges chapter 14. Judges chapter 14.
#43 | 29:19 to 29:47 | cleaned
Just showing you how this is prominent throughout Scripture. We've got to understand that the feeling- or the desire-oriented life is a life that is contrary to God and contrary to the Scripture. Look in Judges chapter 14 beginning verse 1. Everyone knows the story of Samson. And his strength was surely someone as strong as Samson would be able to overcome all of his desires. Well, here it is. Judges 14:1: "And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
#44 | 29:47 to 30:32 | cleaned
Now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel." Now, I want you to note, Samson said, "I've gone down to Timnath, to the Philistines, and I found there a woman, and I want you to get her for me to wife." Well, his father and mother object. They say, "Look, is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all thy people?" And here's what they're saying: "Samson, there's plenty of beautiful young women in your own tribe. Get one out of your tribe. And look, if you don't find one in your tribe, there'll be other tribes to choose from.
#45 | 30:32 to 31:40 | cleaned
Just don't marry a heathen. Don't violate the law of God." Let me tell you. All you've got to do is go back to Exodus 34:12-16, Deuteronomy 7:1-5—don't turn there now—but there God specifically forbade the children of Israel to intermarry with the heathen. No, no. He said, "You stay. You stay separate. You don't marry the Ammonites and the Moabites and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Hivites and all the... No, no, no, no. You don't marry them."
#46 | 31:41 to 32:16 | cleaned
Now, here's what Samson is doing. Samson is saying, "I know what God commands, but I know what I want." Let me show you. Samson is sinning on two distinct fronts. First of all, he's violating the known law of God. And secondly, he's violating the fifth commandment, "Honor thy father and thy mother." The father and the mother said, "Look, don't do this." Samson said—look in your Bibles, look at verse 3. Look at verse 3. I want you to go down to the last part of verse 3. "And Samson said unto his father," watch, "Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well." Let me tell you what the word "pleaseth" literally means. Here's what he said:
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"Get her for me, for it is agreeable in my eyes." Let me translate that for you: "I don't see anything wrong with it." Huh? What is Samson saying? "I don't care what God commanded. I don't care what God says. I don't see anything wrong with it. It's agreeable to me. It's alright in my eyes. She pleases me. Well, get her. I want to fulfill my desires and my feelings ahead of the Word of God."
#48 | 33:12 to 33:50 | cleaned
That's what he was doing. Now, without me going into great detail, if you were to continue reading in the book of Judges, you would get to chapter 16 and everyone knows there the story of Samson and Delilah. And may I remind you that Delilah was a Philistine. And what did she do? She's the one that deceived him, cut his hair, and the Philistines came and put out his eyes.
#49 | 33:52 to 34:26 | cleaned
And brought him as a slave and honored their false gods. When you get to verse 21, let me just read it. Judges 16:21: "But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house." Later on you know how the boy brought him to the pillars of the temple where all those Philistines were and he brought the house down and killed the Philistines, but he himself died as well.
#50 | 34:28 to 35:00 | cleaned
I want you to note: Samson gave in to his feelings. He gave in to a desire-oriented life and he lost his life, his family, and his ministry. Just because he put his feelings and his desires ahead of the Word of God. You know something? It seems as if we never learn. Most people, and unhappily most Christian people, live on their feelings. They do not live based upon the commandments of the Word of God. They live on their feelings. It is a clever wile of Satan to tempt men to think that they cannot do what God requires because they don't feel like doing it. He also tempts them by making them think they have to give in to their feelings because they can't help themselves.
#51 | 35:00 to 36:08 | cleaned
Have you ever heard that? "Well, I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stop myself. I just had to do it." Well, I have heard so many Christians say, "Well, oh boy, I just don't feel like praying." Well, is it a command of God that we pray? What has feelings got to do with not praying? I'm not talking about being sick. How about this one? "Well, I just don't feel like studying. I don't feel like reading my Bible. I don't feel like going to church." It's not that you're sick. You just don't feel like it. And we just give in. You know, I've often thought this. I've often wanted to do this. I wouldn't, but I've wanted to. I wanted to just not show up at church one Sunday. And the next Sunday when someone came and everyone came and, "Well, where were you last Sunday? We were all here." "Well, I just didn't feel like coming." Come on. You know you do it. I know I've told you this, but it's still my favorite story about the mother who went in to get the son up.
#52 | 36:10 to 37:45 | cleaned
All right, son said, "Get up. It's time to get ready to go to church." He said, "I'm not going today." She said, "Oh, yes, you are." "No," he said, "I'm not going today." And he said—she said, "Why not?" Well, he says, "Nobody there likes me and nobody listens to me and nobody talks to me. I'm not going." She says, "Yes, you are. Get up and get dressed. You're going." Well, he said, "Give me two good reasons why I should." She said, "Number one, you're 40-something years old and number two, you're the pastor." Well, you understand what I'm saying, we give in to feelings. You know what we've done? We've adopted the motto, "If it feels good, do it." And by the converse, we've also adopted this one: "If it doesn't feel good, I'm not going to do it." Wow.
#53 | 37:45 to 38:35 | cleaned
Now, I want to just show you this. I want you to think about this. I want you to think about how many broken homes and divorces there are and probably are taking place now and will continue to take place because a husband or wife simply says, "Well, I no longer have feelings for my spouse." What? "I no longer have feelings." It seems to me like there's a commandment. Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives." Isn't that a commandment? And conversely, that also applies to wives. God doesn't say, "Husbands, feel like loving your wives," and "Wives, feel like loving your husbands." He commands it. It's a command. But look at the people say, "Well, I no longer have feelings." Well, that's too bad. Do you realize when people are encouraged to follow their feelings rather than the Word of God, it's not only treasonous to the law of God and to God, but it also gives the victory to flesh and Satan.
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It solidifies and cements the problems in their lives and further complicates those problems because it encourages more disobedience. You see, as a Christian, you and I do have a choice.
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Now, realize the unsaved, according to the Bible, are servants of sin. But Romans chapter 6 tells us we've been delivered from the dominion of sin. We have a new master. We have the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin is not our master. We do have a choice. We do not have to give in to our feelings. We do not have to give in to our desires. Let me give you a verse.
#56 | 40:12 to 40:34 | cleaned
Just listen as I read it. Everyone knows that Moses was in line to be the Pharaoh of Egypt. But the Bible says in Hebrews 11:24-26, listen carefully: "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." What's that mean? It means he was refusing the pharaohship of Egypt. He was refusing all the money, all the power, all the prestige. Now listen to what he says: "By faith, when he was come to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt." Wow!
#57 | 40:34 to 41:22 | cleaned
We do have a choice. We don't have to follow our feelings. We don't have to follow our desires. Many people give in to their feelings, they give in to their desires, and they always end up in depression and in despair. Let me tell you something. You should never, ever make decisions when you are desperate and depressed and in despair. You should never, ever make decisions when you're like that. When you make a decision based upon the Word of God, you may move forward and move forward with confidence. Let me give you another scripture in light of making decisions.
#58 | 41:25 to 42:10 | cleaned
The Bible says in Romans 14:23, "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin." That means if you cannot do something in faith toward God and toward the Word of God, if you can't move in faith, don't do it. So here's the little principle: When in doubt, don't. When in doubt, don't. Do you realize it's always easier to change a no to a yes than it is a yes to a no? So when in doubt, just don't do it. So you don't make decisions when you're in despair and depressed—not major ones anyhow—and if you just aren't clear about something, if you can't in faith do it, don't do it. When you do make a decision based upon the Word of God, based upon principles, you stick with it regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the situations, and regardless of feelings.
#59 | 42:12 to 43:10 | cleaned
Now, let me ask you, everyone in here knows about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. What do they tell Nebuchadnezzar? "We will not bow. Don't care what you do. We're not going to bow." Did they know that they were going to be thrown in the fiery furnace? Nope. They just knew they weren't going to bow. When he said, "If you don't bow, you will be thrown into that fiery furnace,"
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they said, "Be it known unto thee, our God can deliver us. But whether he delivers us or not," the Lord says, "that's his business. Be it known unto thee, O king, we will not bow." Now, God sovereignly delivered them. But the point I'm trying to make is the perception of bad feelings—being burned to death—did not deter them from their decision, which was based upon the Word of God. So when you make a decision that's based upon the Word of God, you do not back down.
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Okay, now I want you to follow me. I want you to understand, here's the desire-oriented life that most people follow, even most Christian people.
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Secondly, I want you to see another principle, and that is behavior determines feelings. Behavior determines feelings. Now, it's important that you now understand the connection between behavior and feelings. Let me make a statement. I'm going to be making this statement several times. Here it is. Wow, listen to this: Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow. Here's the principle: God has ordained that if we do what is right, that is, we obey, we'll feel good. If we do that which is wrong and wicked, we will feel bad. I mean, feelings follow. Good feelings follow obedience and righteousness, and bad feelings follow rebellion and disobedience.
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Now, let me show you. Look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4, beginning there with verse 3. Everyone knows, or at least you should know, the story of Cain and Abel. You remember how God required a sacrifice? Well, look what happens. Genesis 4:3: "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." Wow. Well, God had required a blood sacrifice, but Cain brought the fruit of the ground. Verse 4: "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof." Now watch carefully: "And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." Now, don't you know that Abel undoubtedly was very happy? He's very glad. Because God respected his offering, God received his offering. But Cain did not bring what God required. So look what happens in verse 5: "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
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Now watch: "And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell. Cain not only became angry, simply stated, he became morose, depressed, and anxious. His bad feelings stem from his rebellion and disobedience.
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Now look what God told him. Look in verse 6: "And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?" Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed? Why are you morose? He says in verse 7: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" In other words, you bring what I require and I'll receive it. If you do what's right, I'll receive it. "And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire."
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Now, notice what he said: "Cain, if you bring the offering that I require, I'll receive it. There's no reason for you to be moping around, being angry, upset, mad, morose, depressed, discouraged, in despair. Why are you like that? Because you didn't obey me the first time." Feelings follow. They never, ever lead. Now, listen carefully: when someone is depressed, when they're anxious, when they're in despair, when they're discouraged, when they're hostile,
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you know what most people say? "Well, he's having emotional problems." I got news for you, folks. He's not having emotional problems. His emotions are working all too well. That is the problem. You see, the problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings. You do what's right and you're going to feel right. This is why when people try to relieve the symptoms and never deal with the root of the problem, they never, ever are successful. Someone says, "Well, I'm depressed. I'm discouraged.
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I think I'll just go out and pitch me a good drunk." Well, fine. Go pitch yourself a good drunk. And when you wake up, you've got a hangover. You're broke or broker. And guess what? You have the same problems. You haven't changed a thing. Same thing with pills. It doesn't matter. "Well, I know what I'll do. I'll just go cuss him out." Well, go cuss him out. Guess what? When you get through cussing him out, you not only have the same problem, now you've complicated and compounded the problem and there are additional problems.
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People feel bad because of their bad behavior. On the other hand, people feel good because of good behavior.
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Now, let me show you. I can make you feel bad this morning. I can. I really can. If you would do what I say, I can make you feel absolutely bad. You say, "How can you do that?" I could say, "Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to think of the most hurtful, the most embarrassing experience that you've ever had in your life. And I want you to dwell on it." Don't do it. But if I were to make you dwell on your most hurtful, most embarrassing experience, you know what?
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Pretty soon your stomach will start knotting up and all those memories come flooding in. Oh boy, here we go again. I'm just trying to show you that feelings follow behavior and also attitude as well. Now watch this. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 3. Let me show you. God has designed that feelings follow, they're never to lead, and good feelings always follow obedience. Notice 1 Peter chapter 3, and we're going to read verse 10 to begin with. Notice 1 Peter 3:10: Would you like to have a good life? Would you like to be able to enjoy life? Would you like to have good feelings? Would you like to have fewer problems? Well, look what God says. 1 Peter 3:10: "For he that will love life, and see good days,
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let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it." Or pursue it. "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
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Now note what he says. If you want to love life, if you want to see good days, what do you do? You keep your tongue. You keep your lips. You keep your mouth. Verse 11: "Let him eschew evil." And I love that word "eschew." You know what it literally means? To spit out. You can't stomach it. You can't swallow it. You can't take it. Let him spit out evil and do good.
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Let him seek peace and pursue it. Why? He said, "You know something? If you do right, you're going to have good days and you're going to love life." What's he saying? Feelings follow. And good feelings follow right behavior.
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Now look in verse 16. Look what he says, 1 Peter 3:16: "Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." Do you realize having a good conscience stems from doing what's right? So here we have people that say, "Well, let me tell you something about Brother Weaver. Let me tell you this.
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I don't like this, and I don't like that, and I'm going to slander him. I'm going to attack him." Fine. Help yourself. While you're talking about me, at least you're not talking about some widow or some orphan. At least you're giving someone else some rest. But I've got news for you. As long as I do what's right, I'll only have one person to please, and that's the Lord. And guess what? Your slander and your lies are not going to cost me one night's sleep. I'm going to still feel good because I know that I'm doing what's right and what's biblical, what's holy. That's exactly what he's saying. If you want to live a good life and love life and have good feelings, he says, just obey. Remember, feelings never lead. They always follow. Now, let me just show you.
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Here's an illustration that I hope that you can identify with. Every one of us have awakened one morning and guess what? We just didn't feel good. "I don't feel like getting out of bed. I don't feel like going to work." We're not sick. There's really nothing wrong with us. We just don't feel like doing anything. And you think, "I can lay here in bed most of the day. Maybe that'll help me."
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But then you get to thinking of all the things that you're responsible to do. And you lay there another few minutes and you say, "No, I don't feel good, it's true. But I've got a responsibility to study. I've got a responsibility to clean the house. I've got a responsibility to cook dinner. I've got a responsibility... I might as well get up and get on it." And you get up, and you start moving around, and you start working, and you start doing what you're supposed to, and guess what? Within an hour, you feel great. You've already forgotten the fact that you didn't even feel like getting out of bed. But on the other hand, if you give in to those feelings, and you just stay in bed, and then you stay in bed that night, and the next morning you wake up and you say, "Oh no, now I really don't feel like getting up. Now I've got two days' work to face." And the next thing you know, you're giving in to despair and depression, and the next thing you know, you're languishing in a bed of just pure, absolute sorryness.
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Why? Simply because you gave in to your feelings. Okay? If we do right, we feel right. If we do wrong, we feel bad. It's just that simple. Here's the third point: The commandment-oriented life is the godly life. The commandment-oriented life is the godly life.
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Now, I want you to hold 1 Peter since we're there. Well, let me ask you a question. What is salvation? Well, you're going to answer, "Well, salvation is being saved from sin and judgment," and that is correct in one sense of the word. But let me tell you something. You could also truthfully say that being saved from sin and judgment are byproducts of salvation. Being saved from sin and judgment was not necessarily the first thing in salvation. Salvation is more than negative, it is a positive. It is true, we're saved from sin, it's true, we're saved from judgment, but there is a positive. What is that positive? Well, look in 1 Peter 3:18. 1 Peter 3:18. We don't have to use the whole verse, just part of it. Look carefully: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." Now, wait a minute. Why did Christ die, the just for the unjust? Here's the answer: "that he might bring us to God."
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Wow, what in the world does that mean, "that he might bring us to God"? Well, let's go back to where we started, not turning in our Bibles, but let's go back in our minds to Genesis 3. What had God done in Genesis 2? God had put Adam and Eve in the garden under a commandment-oriented life. And in Genesis 3, they said, "No, thank you. We're going to follow the desire-oriented life," and they ran from God.
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They didn't run to Him. God hunted them down. And you know, ever since the fall, man has been running from God. Man has been saying, "No, no, I don't want your law. I don't want your commandments. I don't want you telling me what to do. I know what pleases me. I know what makes me feel good. I know what's agreeable to me. I want to do what I want to. No, thank you, God." But when Christ came and died, the just for the unjust, He died that He might bring us back to God. And when God—when Christ saves us, He brings us back to the Father and we bow to Him now. And we say, "Lord,
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what wilt thou have me to do? Here I am, Lord, here's the prodigal, here's the runaway. I'm coming back to submit myself to you and your commandments." Then we learn to say with David in Psalm 119:97, "Oh, how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." His commandments become our standard, our standard for righteousness, our standard for obedience. We now want to obey Him. We strive to obey Him. We pray for a right heart that we may obey Him. We pray like Christ that we might be like Christ when He said, "I do always those things which please the Father." We want to please Him. He's brought us back to God.
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We're no longer running from Him. We're running to Him. We no longer want to disobey Him. Now we want to obey Him. What does God do in salvation? Listen carefully. In salvation, He places us again under a commandment-oriented life. Look in your Bibles, turn please to John chapter 14. Very quickly, verse 21, John 14. I'll show you several verses very quickly. John 14:21. Look at this. Look at what our Lord says, John 14:21. Help me out now.
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"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
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Now, who is it that loves Christ? He that keeps his commandments. Skip down to verse 24. Look what he says: "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." So our Lord said, "If you love me, you're going to keep my commandments. If you don't love me, you won't keep my commandments." Turn in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. One of the most important passages in the Bible, as far as I'm concerned. Look in 1 John chapter 5, look at what he said in verse 2. 1 John 5:2: "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments." How do I know that I love the children of God? When I love God and keep His commandments. What does that mean? It means I treat my brethren the way God commands me to treat them. I don't try to steal their wives.
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I don't try to steal their property. I don't try to kill them. I obey God's law for them. How do I know that I love the children of God? Because I act obediently toward them in obeying God's command. Now watch in verse 3: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." What's the love of God? It's keeping God's commandments.
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And it doesn't grieve us. I'm not upset because I can't go out and rape and pillage and plunder and lie and steal. It doesn't bother me. I don't want to do those things. I'm not upset because I can't have 14 wives. I can barely support the one I got. You see what I'm saying? We obey Him and it's not grievous. Didn't you realize? It's liberty. It's freedom. It's joy. It's happiness in obeying God. There's nothing grievous about it.
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Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. And look, if you would please, verse 3. I love this one too. 1 John 2:3: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." How do I know that I know God? How do I know that I'm genuinely converted? Here's how: Because God is enabling me, He's empowering me to continually bring my life into conformity to His Word. Does that mean I'm perfect? Of course not. But it means there is a constant, continuous bringing of the life into conformity with the Word of God. Now watch verse 3 again: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Watch verse 4: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Wow. What does God do when He saves us? He places us back under a commandment-oriented life. Do you remember what our Lord said in Luke 6:46?
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He said, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" In other words, that which characterizes a true child of God is that he obeys the commands of God. We are back under a commandment-oriented life. Why should I not steal? Everybody's doing it. I'll tell you why I should not steal: because God said, "Thou shalt not steal." That's that simple. I don't care what everybody's doing.
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Why should I not commit adultery? Everybody's doing that too. I'll tell you why: because God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." If I'm a child of God, I'm under a commandment-oriented life. Doesn't matter about my feelings. I may look at the most beautiful woman in the world and say, "Wow, look at that woman." I don't care about the feelings. God says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, or his daughter, or anything that's thy neighbor's." A commandment-oriented life.
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Now, let me just show you the difference, the contrast very quickly. Turn to Proverbs chapter 1. Proverbs chapter 1, almost through, but look at it in Proverbs chapter 1. I want to show you the contrast between the unsaved and the saved in Proverbs chapter 1. You have wisdom personified, who is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord, but wisdom is speaking and notice if you would what God says through wisdom beginning there in Proverbs 1:23. Look at it. Proverbs 1:23. Here's what God cries out to the people:
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"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." God says, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof." Look what God says: "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer;
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they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."
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Now, what is it that characterizes the lost? They disobey God. They hate God. They hate His commandments. They don't obey Him. They do whatever they please. That's what characterizes them. Look in Proverbs chapter 3, beginning there of verse 1. Look what God says to the believer: "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee." Hey, that's 1 Peter 3:10. "Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Look in Proverbs 4, beginning there verse 4: "He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth." What does a commandment-oriented life mean? It means we bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.
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As a Christian, we have to be able to distinguish between feelings and attitude and behavior, and our behavior is that which is answerable to God, accountable to God, and to be judged by the law of God. It's either right or wrong. And we have to learn to obey regardless of the situation, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of our feelings, regardless of our desires, regardless of the temptations. We must obey. We are His servants. We are His sons. We are His family. And we must honor Him.
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Now, let me make just a couple of very quick applications. The first one is this: Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory. It is mandatory, it is necessary, but it should also be given in loving submission and humble gratefulness. Why should I obey God? I could give you a multitude of reasons. The first one is because God is God and He has the right to command and I'm responsible to obey. But I should obey God because He redeemed me. He saved me. He created me. There's a multitude of reasons. But we've got to understand obedience is not optional. It's mandatory.
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Secondly, a principle we need to comprehend is this: If we act right, if we obey, we're going to feel good. If we disobey, we're going to feel bad. Feelings never, ever lead. They always follow. And for you and I to honor God, our attitudes must be biblical in order that our conduct might be biblical. Let me just show you one thing. Please listen to this. Feelings change daily, sometimes hourly.
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If you're a woman, more often than not. No, I'm teasing. Sometimes it seems like that. Feelings change. Are you listening? Principles never change. If you live by your feelings, you're going to be up and down, in and out, under the circumstances, under the weather. You're going to be so up and down, you'll be worse than a roller coaster. But if you say, "Look, I don't care about the feelings, don't care about the desire, I'm going to obey God." Guess what? It's always right to do right, and it's never right to do wrong. And if you live by those principles, you're going to do what's right regardless of how you feel. Make sure you understand that we must obey God.
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And then thirdly, and lastly, I just want to remind you that the commandment-oriented life is the only lifestyle for the child of God. What did he say? Let me quote it again: "For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil," let him spit it out, "let him seek peace, and pursue it." God saved us. And when He saved us, He placed us back under a commandment-oriented life.
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And it's this: do and thou shalt live. This do and thou shalt pay. God is sovereign and He has the absolute right to command. And we are responsible to obey. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for Your Word, for Your truth. And Lord, help us never, ever give in to our feelings, but to always, Father, obey Thee and to bring our lives in conformity to Your Word. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve Thee and serve Thee acceptably and honorably and willingly, Lord, for Your honor and Your glory and our good. We ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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You may contact Freedom Ministries by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMB 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-925-7000.
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You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T04:29:56Z

Feelings vs Commandments

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver contrasts two lifestyles: the feeling-oriented life, which prioritizes personal desires and leads to bondage, and the commandment-oriented life, which submits to God's Word and results in freedom and joy. He defines feeling, attitude, and behavior, emphasizing that feelings follow behavior and should never lead. Using biblical examples from Genesis, Joshua, Judges, and the New Testament, he argues that sin makes us desire-oriented by nature, but salvation restores us to a commandment-oriented life. Obedience is mandatory for believers, and right behavior produces good feelings, while disobedience leads to bad feelings and destructive consequences.

Introduction and Definitions

The Desire-Oriented Life in the Fall

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:1-6

"—in other words, here's a reference to a commandment. And the woman said unto the serpent, "

We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of

Biblical Examples of Desire-Oriented Living

Scripture Reading — Joshua 6:17-18

Now God said, "Let me tell you something. Before you go into Jericho, the whole city is cursed. Everything in it is cursed. The only people that are to live is Rahab and her family. And everything else is cursed as well. Don't touch it lest you die." Well, you know the story, and we're going to look at some of it in Joshua chapter 7 in just a minute. But you remember how the men told Joshua, "Don't make all the people work because Ai up there is just a small city. Just send a few of us up there."

Scripture Reading — Joshua 7:18-21

Hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done." Now look what he says: "When I saw"—remember Eve saw that the tree was good for food?—"When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them;"—that is, I desired them, and I took them—"and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it."

Scripture Reading — Judges 14:1-3

"And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

Scripture Reading — Judges 16:21

"But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house."

Later on you know how the boy brought him to the pillars of the temple where all those Philistines were and he brought the house down and killed the Philistines, but he himself died as well.

The Pervasiveness of Feeling-Oriented Living

Just listen as I read it. Everyone knows that Moses was in line to be the Pharaoh of Egypt. But the Bible says in Hebrews 11:24-26, listen carefully:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:24-26

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter."

What's that mean? It means he was refusing the pharaohship of Egypt. He was refusing all the money, all the power, all the prestige. Now listen to what he says:

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:24-26

"By faith, when he was come to years, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt."

Behavior Determines Feelings

The Commandment-Oriented Life as the Godly Life

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

Now, who is it that loves Christ? He that keeps his commandments. Skip down to verse 24. Look what he says:

Scripture Reading — John 14:21, 24

"He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."

Look in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 John 2. 1 John 2. And look, if you would please, verse 3. I love this one too. 1 John 2:3:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

Watch verse 4:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 2:3-4

"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Wow. What does God do when He saves us? He places us back under a commandment-oriented life. Do you remember what our Lord said in Luke 6:46?

Contrast Between the Lost and the Saved

Applications and Conclusion

Feelings vs Commandments

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	623081783110
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-06-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 028: The Christian Family: Children, Fatherhood, and Generational Faithfulness — Chapter 7
Source Timed Segments	104

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Definitions: Weaver introduces the topic of feelings versus commandments, emphasizing the need to distinguish between feeling, attitude, and behavior to live biblically. He defines feeling as a perception of a bodily state, attitude as a mindset affecting behavior, and behavior as accountable activity judged by God's law.
The Desire-Oriented Life in the Fall: Using Genesis 2-3, Weaver shows that God originally placed Adam under a commandment-oriented life, but Adam and Eve chose to follow their desires, prioritizing feelings over God's command. This sin established a pattern of desire-oriented living in humanity.
Biblical Examples of Desire-Oriented Living: Weaver examines Achan (Joshua 7) and Samson (Judges 14) as illustrations of individuals who gave in to their desires, rejecting God's commands. Both suffered severe consequences, demonstrating the destructive nature of a feeling-oriented life.
The Pervasiveness of Feeling-Oriented Living: Weaver argues that many Christians live by feelings, using excuses like not feeling like praying or attending church. He warns that following feelings leads to broken relationships, depression, and spiritual defeat, but believers have a choice to obey God.
Behavior Determines Feelings: Weaver explains that feelings follow behavior, not the reverse. Using Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) and 1 Peter 3:10-11, he shows that obedience produces good feelings, while disobedience leads to bad feelings. He illustrates with the example of getting out of bed despite not feeling like it.
The Commandment-Oriented Life as the Godly Life: Weaver teaches that salvation restores believers to a commandment-oriented life, bringing them back to God. He cites John 14:21, 1 John 5:2-3, and 1 John 2:3-4 to show that love for God is demonstrated by keeping His commandments, which are not burdensome.
Contrast Between the Lost and the Saved: Using Proverbs 1 and 3, Weaver contrasts the lost, who reject God's counsel, with the saved, who keep His commandments and find life and peace. He emphasizes that a commandment-oriented life means conforming to God's Word regardless of feelings.
Applications and Conclusion: Weaver applies the message by stating that obedience is mandatory for believers, feelings follow behavior, and the commandment-oriented life is the only lifestyle for God's children. He urges reliance on unchanging principles rather than fluctuating feelings.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Distinction Between Feeling, Attitude, and Behavior

To live biblically, one must distinguish feeling (bodily perception), attitude (mindset), and behavior (accountable activity). Confusing them leads to treating symptoms rather than root causes.

Weaver says, 'If we are to live biblically... we must know the difference between feeling, attitude, and behavior... If we spend all of our time just fighting symptoms... we're going to spend the entirety of our life beating the air.'

The Fall as a Shift from Commandment to Desire

Adam and Eve's sin was fundamentally choosing their desires over God's explicit command, establishing a pattern of feeling-oriented living for all humanity.

Weaver notes, 'They gave priority to their feelings, to their desires. It did not matter at this point what God commanded... Their sin, first and foremost, was they chose to satisfy their desires rather than obey the command of God.'

Feelings as Unreliable Guides

Feelings cannot be trusted to lead because they are changeable and often based on false judgments. They should never be the basis for decisions or actions.

Weaver argues, 'You cannot feel facts... salvation is not a feeling.' He also says, 'You should never, ever make decisions when you are desperate and depressed and in despair.'

Behavioral Root of Emotional Problems

What are often labeled emotional problems are actually behavioral issues. Changing behavior according to God's commands changes feelings.

Weaver states, 'He's not having emotional problems. His emotions are working all too well... The problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings.'

Salvation's Purpose: Return to God's Authority

Christ's death aimed to bring believers back under God's rule, reversing the rebellion of the Fall. Salvation is inherently a restoration to commandment-oriented living.

Weaver explains, 'Christ also hath once suffered for sins... that he might bring us to God... When Christ saves us, He brings us back to the Father and we bow to Him now.'

Obedience as Mandatory, Not Optional

For the child of God, obedience to God's commandments is not a choice but a requirement, motivated by love, gratitude, and recognition of God's sovereignty.

Weaver says, 'Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory... because God is God and He has the right to command and I'm responsible to obey.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 4:17-24: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the principle of not walking as the unsaved walk, setting the stage for the contrast between feeling-oriented and commandment-oriented living.
Proverbs 23:7: Cited to support the definition of attitude: 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,' showing that mindset determines being.
Proverbs 4:23: Quoted alongside Proverbs 23:7 to emphasize the importance of guarding the heart, as attitudes flow from it.
Genesis 2:16-17: Weaver reads God's command to Adam, showing that Adam was originally placed under a commandment-oriented life.
Genesis 3:1-6: Weaver reads the account of the Fall, highlighting verse 6 to show Eve's shift from God's command to her own desires.
Joshua 6:17-18: Read to show God's command that Jericho was accursed and nothing was to be taken, setting up Achan's sin.
Joshua 7:18-21: Weaver reads Achan's confession, emphasizing 'When I saw... I coveted them, and took them' to illustrate desire-oriented sin.
Judges 14:1-3: Read to show Samson's desire for a Philistine woman, prioritizing his feelings ('she pleaseth me well') over God's law and his parents' counsel.
Judges 16:21: Cited to show the consequence of Samson's feeling-oriented life: he was captured, blinded, and enslaved.
Exodus 34:12-16: Mentioned as background for God's prohibition against intermarriage with heathens, which Samson violated.
Deuteronomy 7:1-5: Referenced alongside Exodus 34 to reinforce God's command against intermarriage.
Hebrews 11:24-26: Weaver quotes this to show Moses chose to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy sin's pleasures, demonstrating a choice against feelings.
Romans 14:23: Cited to support the principle 'when in doubt, don't,' because whatever is not of faith is sin.
Genesis 4:3-7: Weaver reads the story of Cain and Abel to show that Cain's bad feelings (anger, depression) followed his disobedience, and God's counsel was to do well.
1 Peter 3:10-12: Read to show that loving life and seeing good days comes from refraining evil and doing good, illustrating that good feelings follow right behavior.
1 Peter 3:16: Cited to show that a good conscience comes from right behavior, even when slandered.
1 Peter 3:18: Weaver reads this to show Christ died to bring us to God, restoring the commandment-oriented relationship.
John 14:21, 24: Quoted to show that love for Christ is demonstrated by keeping His commandments.
1 John 5:2-3: Read to show that love for God and His children is expressed through keeping His commandments, which are not grievous.
1 John 2:3-4: Cited to show that knowing God is evidenced by keeping His commandments, and claiming to know Him without obedience makes one a liar.

Historical References

Westminster Confession of Faith: Weaver mentions it as a source for the answer that the chief duty of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Philadelphia Confession of Faith: Mentioned alongside the Westminster Confession as another source for the chief duty of man.

Important Quotes

There are basically only two lifestyles. There is the feeling-oriented life, and there is the commandment-oriented life.

This quote encapsulates the central dichotomy of the sermon, framing the entire message around the choice between living by feelings or by God's commands.

Feelings are never, ever to lead us. Feelings never lead, they always follow.

This is a key principle Weaver repeats, emphasizing that feelings are a result of behavior, not a guide for it.

You cannot feel facts. You cannot feel reality as such.

Weaver uses this to argue that salvation is a fact, not a feeling, and that feelings are unreliable indicators of truth.

The problem is not emotional. The problem is behavioral. You change your behavior and you change your feelings.

This quote challenges the common view of emotional problems, redirecting focus to obedience as the solution.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Weaver quotes 1 John 2:4 to stress that obedience is the authenticating mark of a true believer.

Obedience is not optional for the child of God, it is mandatory.

This application underscores the non-negotiable nature of obedience in the Christian life.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what areas of your life are you most tempted to follow your feelings rather than God's commandments?

[Context]

Weaver challenges the congregation to recognize how feelings dominate decisions, such as not attending church or praying because they don't feel like it.

[Question]

How does understanding the distinction between feeling, attitude, and behavior change the way you address personal struggles?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that confusing these leads to treating symptoms rather than root causes, and that behavior is the key area of accountability.

[Question]

Can you think of a time when you obeyed God despite not feeling like it, and what was the result?

[Context]

Weaver illustrates with the example of getting out of bed and feeling better after starting work, showing that feelings often follow obedient action.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to make decisions when you are desperate, depressed, or in despair?

[Context]

Weaver warns against decision-making in such states because feelings are unreliable; decisions should be based on God's Word.

[Question]

How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the principle that feelings follow behavior?

[Context]

Weaver uses Genesis 4 to show that Cain's anger and depression resulted from his disobedience, and God's solution was to 'do well.'

[Question]

In what ways does our culture promote a feeling-oriented lifestyle, and how can we resist that influence?

[Context]

Weaver notes that even Christians often adopt the motto 'If it feels good, do it,' and contrasts this with biblical obedience.

[Question]

What does it mean that salvation restores us to a commandment-oriented life, and how should that affect our daily walk?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Christ died to bring us back to God, placing us under His authority, so our lives should be marked by joyful obedience.

Applications

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