– The Inside Out Series –
GET REAL  .  ANXIETY  .  FIGHT THE DARKNESS .  CALM

*WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Which emoji would you use if…

• You wrecked your dad’s car
• Your grandma gave you $500 for Christmas
• Your girlfriend broke up with you
• You got into your first choice of colleges
• You slept through your final exam
• Someone stole your iPhone

WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?

God is an emotional being. Scripture shows us that God expresses a range of emotions – grief (Genesis 6:6), anger (Psalm 106:40) joy and excitement (Zephaniah 3:17) and love and compassion (Isaiah 54:10). Because we as people are made in the image of God, we too have the ability to experience a huge range of emotions.

1. What are some of the emotions Jesus experienced as he lived life on earth? (If you need help, here are some passages: Mark 1:40–41, Mark 3:3–5, John 13:21, Luke 7:9, Luke 10:21, Mark 10:21, Matthew 9:36, John 15:11, Luke 19:41) Are you surprised by any of these emotions?

2. Read Luke 9:18–22, Luke 18:31–33. What does Jesus say he knows about what will happen to him? If you knew those things were going to be happening to you, what do you think you would be thinking and feeling?

3. Read Matthew 26:36–46. This passage describes the night before Jesus was betrayed and killed. Read the passage slowly, imagining yourself there on that night. What are some of the emotions Jesus is experiencing?

4. Who does he share those emotions with?

5. What do you observe about the way Jesus prays to God? (look at verses 39, 42, 44)

6. He knows his closest friends are going to go through a time of trouble as well. Why does he tell them to “watch and pray” (verse 41)? Why do you think he prayed?

7. Verses 39, 42, and 44 make it clear that going to the cross was not what Jesus felt like doing. What would have happened if he would have given into the temptation to follow his feelings and not gone to the cross?

HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?

8. What is your normal way of dealing with emotions?

9. How can handling our emotions in a wrong way hurt us and others? (ex. denying our emotions and never expressing them or expressing them without concern for others?)

10. What might keep people from expressing their emotions to God? And what would you tell someone who is having a hard time with that?

11. Why do you think it is important not to make decisions based solely on feelings?

12. What if our feelings are telling us something different than what God’s word says?

13. What is one thing you learned from this study about emotions that you want to apply to your life?

What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.