Sermon Outline
First United Methodist Church of Sanford
“Emotional Healing”
(Communion and healing service)
June 2, 2013
Scripture
1 John 1:5-7 & 2:9-11
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him
there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us
from all sin……………Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in
the darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him
to make him stumble. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks
around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has
blinded him.
Core Idea, Challenge & Summary
Core Idea: Emotional healing takes away our anger, bitterness, jealousy and/or hatred
and replaces them with love. In this way, we go from darkness into light.
Challenge: To challenge everyone to seek emotional healing from God.
Summary: No one goes through life without ever needing emotional healing. Anger,
bitterness, jealousy and hatred keep us in darkness and separate us from God. Instead
of joy and peace, we experience misery and chaos. We’ve all experienced this
darkness.
Emotional healing occurs when God replaces anger, bitterness, jealousy and hatred
with divine love. When this happens, we go from darkness into light and enjoy a
renewed loving relationship with God. Instead of misery and chaos, we experience joy
and peace.
First John 1:5-7 makes it clear that we can only have fellowship with God when we are
in the light. First John 2:9-11 then explains that we can only be in the light when we love
one another. So, we must ask God to replace our anger, bitterness, jealousy and hatred
with divine love. This is emotional healing.
Do you need emotional healing? Do you have any past hurts that swell up in anger and
resentment? Are you holding any grudges against someone who hurt or mistreated you
recently? If so, talk to God about it. Ask God to give you the ability to release the anger
and resentment. Then start praying for the person who hurt you. As you do this, God will
take away the anger and resentment and replace them with divine love. Be free of
anger, bitterness, jealousy and hatred. Once you become free of them, you can live out
a life of love as God intends.
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Sermon Outline
First United Methodist Church of Sanford
“Emotional Healing”
(Communion and healing service)
June 2, 2013
The Sermon
I.
Introduction: 1 John 1:5-7 & 2:9-11 – Describes emotional health
A. Emotionally Healthy - 1 John 2:10 – “Whoever loves his brother lives in
the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble”

An attitude of love keeps us in light, which is communion with God
(1 John 1:1&7)

An attitude of love engenders joy and peace (Galatians 5:22 and
Romans 14:17)

If you are motivated by love in everything you do, you will have joy
and peace in your heart and you will be emotionally healthy.
B. Emotionally ill – 1 John 9:11 – “But whoever hates his brother is in the
darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he
is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”

Anger keeps us in darkness. We’ve all experienced this darkness.

The darkness separates us from God. (1 John 1:5-7)

Anger engenders bitterness, jealousy, and hatred. They all go
together. They all cause misery and chaos.

Instead of joy and peace, we experience misery and chaos.
C. There’s a link between emotional and physical health

Doctors warn us that getting angry and upset could increase our
blood pressure while relaxing and being at peace could help keep
our blood pressure down.

With love in our hearts, we have more joy and peace.
 People with joy & peace, remain calm and don’t get upset
easily.
 This lowers their blood pressure and decreases their
chances of having a stroke.
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Sermon Outline
First United Methodist Church of Sanford
“Emotional Healing”
(Communion and healing service)
June 2, 2013

With hatred in our hearts, anger, jealousy, and bitterness become
common.
 People filled with hatred, anger, jealousy, and bitterness get
upset more often.
 This increases their blood pressure and increases their
xchances of having a stroke.
II.
Emotional healing
A. Occurs when God replaces anger, bitterness, jealousy and hatred with
divine love.
B. When this happens, we go from darkness into light and enjoy a renewed
loving relationship with God.
C. Instead of misery and chaos, we experience joy and peace.
D. This affects our physical health
III.
My experience with emotional healing – May 2007 – When a drunk driver killed
my first wife, Jackie
A. While traveling south on HWY 17, a drunk driver going north veered into
our lane and hit us head on.

The driver who hit us fled the scene of the accident

Our car flipped over and landed upside down

My wife was driving and took the full impact of the collision. I was in
the front passenger seat and was able to crawl out, stop a passing
car and call 911.
B. My 3 month old son, Joshua, and I were taken to the hospital.
C. While waiting in the emergency room, a State Trooper informed me that
Jackie did not make it. She was killed.

I had a lot of anger in my heart. If the person who hit us had been
standing next to me I probably would have beat him, possibly to
death.

I was emotionally ill.
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Sermon Outline
First United Methodist Church of Sanford
“Emotional Healing”
(Communion and healing service)
June 2, 2013
D. My emotional healing

I went to the hospital chapel and yelled at God.
 I screamed at God.
 I asked why this happened. I wondered how I could be a
single father. I appealed to God or help.
 While yelling at God, I remembered the great cloud of
witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) My wife was now part of the great
cloud of witnesses cheering me on.

Out of obedience, not true desire, I started to pray for the person
who killed my wife.
 As I prayed for him, my anger and hate went away.
 I was able to speak forgiveness to him at his sentencing.
 I wrote to him when he was in prison. I wrote to him about
God’s love.

I have no hate or animosity towards this person. I genuinely care
for him.

God healed me emotionally
 God replaced the anger and animosity I had towards the
person and replaced them with divine love.
 Although I still miss Jackie, I am at peace with what
happened. I have joy.
IV.
Seek emotional healing
A. Do you need emotional healing?

Do you have any past hurts that swell up in anger and resentment?
Are you holding any grudges against someone who hurt or
mistreated you?

This hurt or mistreatment could be from long ago or a recent
occurrence.

If yes, seek emotional healing from God.
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Sermon Outline
First United Methodist Church of Sanford
“Emotional Healing”
(Communion and healing service)
June 2, 2013
B. Seeking emotional healing from God

Ask God for emotional healing .
 Admit to God that you are in darkness. Admit that anger,
jealousy, bitterness and/or hatred has control of you.
 Ask God to replace these feelings/attitudes with His holy
love. Continue to ask for this until it happens.
 Ask and you will receive. That’s a promise (Matthew 7:7-8)

Pray for the person who hurt you
 Jesus tells us to do this (Matthew 5:43-48)
 Jesus tells us to do this because it’s what’s best for us.
 As we pray for the person, our anger, jealousy, bitterness,
and hate will dissipate.

Expect God to take you from darkness to light
 God will replace your anger, hate, jealousy, resentments,
and bitterness with His holy love.
 With your heart full of love, you’ll experience joy and peace
 You’ll become emotionally healthy.
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