HOW DOES OUR REACTION AFFECT OUR OUTCOME?
Proverbs 15:1

A few minutes before the church services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking.
Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church.
Everyone started screaming and running towards the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from this form of evil.
Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving, seeming oblivious to the fact that God’s ultimate enemy was in his presence.

So, Satan walked up to the old man and said, “Don’t you know who I am?”
The man replied, “Yep, sure do.”
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Satan asked.
“Nope, sure ain’t.” said the man.
“Don’t you realize I can kill you with a word?” asked Satan.
“Don’t doubt it for a minute,” returned the old man, in an even tone.
“Did you know that I could cause you profound, horrifying, physical AGONY for all eternity?” persisted Satan.
“Yep,” was the calm reply.
“And you’re still not afraid?” asked Satan.
“Nope.”
More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, “Well, why aren’t you afraid of me?”
The man calmly replied, “Been married to your sister for over 48 years.”

This morning, we will look at how individuals handle items.
As a math teacher, I have come across hundreds of equations over the years, and one stands out over all the rest…
Experience plus Reaction equals Outcome.
The way we react to a situation often shapes not just the immediate outcome, but also the long-term ripple effects.

If I had to put a title on this morning’s sermon, it would be our reaction decides our outcome.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

Our reaction is often the only part of a situation we truly control. By choosing patience, humility, and wisdom, we can transform challenges into opportunities for growth — both for ourselves and those around us.
Our reactions don’t just affect outcomes externally — they shape our own hearts and way of life.

For my sermon this morning I will be using verses and stories found throughout the Old and New Testament that are very familiar to most of us. This sermon is a follow-up to my sermon from LAST SUNDAY.

We know there’s a serpent that comes to Eve.  In verse two, 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 has said you shall not eat of it. Neither shall ye touch it lest ye shall die.

We think about all that we have in our world today—so much we are blessed with. Yet, God has said there are certain things that we are not to do.
Man says: Eat, drink, and be merry. Live unto the day for myself. That’s what Satan says, but it’s not what God says.

In verse four, the serpent says: You shall NOT surely die.  There is no respect for God in this equation.
Eve had an experience where she is tempted with someone saying, “God didn’t mean it.”
God put you in this garden. You and Adam are here.  He didn’t mean that you should die.

If you eat the fruit, you’ll be as wise as God. You’ll become smarter.
BUT Actually, they become more foolish, don’t they?
We have a lot of individuals in our world today who say the more they study, the more they understand.  We must be mistaken. The world is much older than what God could have created, and that’s what science says must have happened and many buy into this way of reasoning.

We take an experience and the question is what is our reaction to the experience.
We could be like Adam and Eve.
We could easily give in to the temptation, or we could say, “We know what God said and we will go by what God said.”

In Genesis chapter four, we have two individuals—Cain and Abel. We know that there are offerings that take place.  In verse four, Abel brought the first of his flock, the best, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.
Going on in verse five, unto Cain’s offering He had not respect. Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.  The Lord said unto Cain, “Why are you wroth and why has your countenance fallen?”

We have different ways of worshiping God.
There are individuals that say they don’t need to attend services. They can just read and believe what they want.  They can be their own religion.
They don’t need to gather together on the first day of the week like the examples we have of early Christians.

We have here two offerings. One is acceptable to God and one that’s not. How do we react to what God has said?
We know God expects an offering, as the example shows.
He expects us to give back our best. He expects the best of us. We have an example. How do we react to that?
Based on our reaction we have an outcome.

We see that one individual that was pleasing to God, and all is well. We have the other individual whose offering was not pleasing to God. He ends up killing his brother.
The outcome is not very good at all.

Let’s go on to Genesis chapter six. We have Noah.  We have a time period in which it is said repent, repent.  Turn unto the Lord. In verse eight Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation and he walked with God.
Can that be said of us?

You hear people talk about the dash in our lives.
On our tombstones there will be a dash.
You live from this date to that date.
What is important is what you do with that dash.

We know that Noah was a just man.  It’s nice to note that he walked with God.  His experience is that God meant what He said.  That is how he reacted to God.
God is the One that we need to follow.  His outcome is good.
In verse 13 God says to Noah:  “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth."

Remember back in verse five that God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of his heart was evil continually.
We look at our society. We listen to the news.
We see a lot of that in our society today.
We have a chance, learned from our experiences, to turn to God—to help others turn to God before it’s too late.
We need to look at the outcome.

Next we think of Gideon. Gideon had a lot of people to help him.  
I know that Jesus said go to all nations, teaching.  Over the years, when I was younger, there were ministers that came for Gospel Meetings and wanted us to go door to door and knock.  Aren’t we supposed to talk to individuals about Jesus?  Yet, I remember sometimes knocking on a door and honestly not knowing if I wanted someone to answer the door or not.

We might have been thinking that I did my job.  I knocked on the door. Nobody answered so I left.
Did we really knock?
Were we excited if someone answered?
We have Gideon who had numbers.  We might be thinking, it would be nice if we had a bunch of people with us.  Four or five of you go up to the house and knock on the door.
You feel a little better. There’s more strength in numbers.

BUT What did God do with Gideon?
We are not going to show our numbers.  We’re not going to give you strength in numbers as you approach your enemy.  We are going to reduce the numbers.
Can you imagine what Gideon’s first thought must have been?  I know what mine would be. We’re going to do what?

I think that Gideon understood when God says to him, “We have to reduce the numbers to show that I am with you.”
The strength and courage that Gideon must have had.  Here we have an experience.  When we look at our own lives, we’re faced with a lot of this.

These aren’t just stories in the Bible.
We have temptations just like Adam and others.
We are asked to offer of our best like Cain and Abel.
We are faced with an evil generation like Noah was.
We have the example of Gideon.
We look around and think there are only a few of us.

What did Jesus say? The fields are ripe unto harvest, but the laborers are few. We have a few of us.  It is exhausting, but we need to move on to do that.

Then in I^st Samuel 17 we have David and Goliath.
We’ve mentioned in other sermons about the man who trusted only in himself because of his size and strength.  Goliath taunted the Israelites.
We know a lot of individuals that feel they have everything.  There are those who are wealthy.

In the New Testament there is a rich man who says, “I’ll rip down my barns and build new ones. I’ve got a lot. I’ve got it all.”
Then he hears a voice saying, “Thou fool, tonight thy soul shall be required of thee.”

What would we give in exchange for our soul?
We often talk about Solomon in all his greatness and wisdom. What was his final conclusion?
To serve God.

When we think about our experiences, what is our reaction?
We have examples in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  A lot of times we think those are just stories. Are they?
If you can really relate to our own everyday experiences many are very similar to the Biblical experiences.  With that in mind……….What is our reaction?

In our examples some of the reactions were good and some were bad. Some were positive.
We know that Noah was spoken of as walking with God.
Adam and Eve—not so much.
Cain and Abel, one favored in God’s sight and one not.

David and Goliath—Goliath trusted himself.  Many individuals trust in themselves.  Look at David who trusted in the Lord.

Remember the ten spies?
What would our report have been?
We know that only two came back with a positive report.
When we look at things, do we look at the positive, the potential that God gives us?
Or do we look at fear? Do look at what only man would see.

Without God we can be defeated.
Picture Gideon having that attitude.
What would happen if Gideon had looked at the 300 and said, “I don’t think so.”

What if Noah had said, “I’m going to build for how many years?
How big is this ark? What about rain? I’ve never even seen rain.”

How many times do we say, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
When we look at what we’re blessed with, do we take the time to thank God?

We know that David was a humble man.
David would bow down and thank God for what he had.
Goliath, like many men in the world today, trusted in himself—his strength, his stature. How could he be defeated?

As we look at our experiences today, what is our reaction to them?
Do we trust in man, or do we trust in God?
In the example of the ten lepers who were healed ...
Do we take the time to go back and thank JESUS?

Often in our society today we hear OK as a substitute for “thank you”.
We try to teach our grandchildren that this is not acceptable.
You do something nice for someone and they might just say, “Oh, OK,” instead of saying thank you and being appreciative.
I think of that when we read about these ten.
Can you imagine having a disease where your skin just falls off?
I couldn’t even picture what that would be like.
I can’t imagine the decay and uncleanness of it.
The thankfulness you would feel for being healed of that.
It’s not just putting a Band-Aid on a wound.
Ten are healed of a terrible disease, but only one takes the time to go say thank you.

Jesus speaks about the few that will find that way.  We think about the number of people who are appreciative for what they have.

In Daniel chapter six we have a description of what Daniel went through.
My daughter had the opportunity to travel with her work.  When she was in Italy she sent a photo of the ruins of a coliseum.  I asked her if she saw any lions?  Her response was “No, but I saw the doors they came through.”

I started to wonder what that would have been like.  Daniel was in a pit, but it’s the same idea.
Could you imagine an arena made for the purpose of watching people being eaten by lions?
That was the entertainment they had, the experiences.
Daniel had a choice, didn’t he?  Daniel could have chosen NOT to pray to God and worship the statute like everyone else.

Yet, Daniel knew the strength he had in God, the faith he had in God. He did not know what God would do.
God never said, “Don’t worry. I’ll seal the mouths of the lions.”  Daniel was willing take the consequence.
All he knew was that he may lose his life.  It was possible that he would be devoured by those lions.  This did not change his reaction to the experiences he had.  His outcome was positive.

In Daniel chapter three, another popular scripture, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were told not to worship God. They ignore what everyone else was doing and continued to worship and pray.  Because of this they are thrown into a fiery furnace.

Have you ever been around heat?
I love to sit around a campfire as long as I have a little distance back from the fire.  It starts to get pretty hot when you get up close.

Can you imagine what God has described our punishment to be?
I can’t.
What will it be like to be in fire like that?
We know Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were safe.
Their experience was to believe in God, again, not knowing what their outcome would be.

Their reaction was faith in God and His message.
We know that their outcome was one of salvation.
Let’s look at our own lives.
We think about what has been promised.

He has promised us in Matthew chapter 25 a parting right and left, a judgment that will take place based on how we live our lives. Some will get a reward—a home with God in heaven.
Others will have that fiery furnace—a lake of fire.
We need to think about what the lake of fire will be like.
What will the heat be like?
There’s no cold water.
There is no quenching of the thirst.
There is no brightness.
There is no light.
I picture darkness.

The light will not be there.
There will be constant pain and agony.
I remind myself of that.
We all want to think about pleasurable things.
We must remember what God’s promise is, the outcome that we have.

We have experiences. God, through His word, encourages us to have reaction.
What is our reaction?

In the book of Hebrews chapter 11, we have many experiences listed and the reaction that God expects.
Look at what we have in our lives today. Look at the promise. Look at our experiences.
We know that we cannot go through life avoiding all temptation. What will our reaction be?

What is our path toward God?
That is our R factor.
We would want to have the positive.
What will help us keep on that path?
God’s word. As we read God’s word, we know what God wants us to do.
It is a positive to keeping us on that path.
Reading God’s word, praying to God, worshiping God, thanking Him for all we have,
following Jesus’ example, are all items that will keep us on that path.
What leads us to stray from that path?
Man’s thoughts, temptation, Satan tempting us, feeling we can do it ourselves, feeling we don’t need God’s help, all can keep us from doing what we should.
This morning we know Jesus asked what can we give in exchange for our souls?
We know it’s a very important question to answer.
What will we gain if we gain the whole world but lose our soul? Think about that this morning.