Let's take a poll. How many of you have at least one worry?
We do worry, don't we? We live in an era where we are
filled and bombarded by stress, anxiety, worry, and
pressure. In fact we are literally worrying ourselves sick.
The American Psychiatric Association has labeled ours "The
Age of Anxiety," and their diagnosis is borne out simply by
the facts. The American Academy of Physicians say that at
least two-thirds of all the patients they see come to them
with stress-related illnesses. Then, the three best selling
prescription drugs are: 1) tagamet, an ulcer medication: 2)
enderol, a medicine for hypertension and 3) valium, a
tranquilizer.
In 1988, Newsweek magazine ran an article that projected
that American businesses lose over $150 billion a year
through stress and anxiety related illnesses. Now the
amazing thing is we really don't have all that much to
worry about. Consider 40 percent of the things we worry
about never happen, 30 percent concern old decisions that
can no longer be changed and 12 percent center on criticism
which is often untrue and usually made by people who feel
inferior. Incidentally, most of life's critics are people
who have a deep inferiority complex. A few percent of all
the things we worry about relate to our health, which if we
worry about will only make it worse. That leaves only eight
percent of all the things that could even begin to be
labeled "legitimate," needing mental attention. But, the
truth of the matter is, you and I don't often hearken to
those statistics. Instead, we tend to be engulfed by worry
over and over again.
I want to share with you some things that Jesus had to say
about a prescription for an antidote to worry and to
stress. During the last week of Jesus' life He is
undergoing great anxiety. He knew He was going to die. He
makes that declaration to His disciples in John 13. He
tells them He's going to die and one of them was going to
betray Him. In chapter 14, He states the good news that He
is going away to prepare a place for them. In John 15 & 16,
He tells the disciples the bad news. He says, the world is
going to hate you just like it has hated me, you're going
to scatter and I won't be able to find a single one of you.
Then Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in
me you may have peace." (John 16:33) Underline John 16:33
in your Bible, then highlight "in me" with a yellow
highlighter. When Christ dwells in you and you dwell in
Christ, you can have peace.
Later in the same verse he said, "In this world you will
have trouble." That's right. Put your hope in the world.
Get involved in all worldly things, you'll have trouble.
You'll have anxiety, strife and stress. But then he said,
"take heart! I have overcome the world."
The umbrella statement is, if we are in Jesus, we can
have peace. Our Lord gives us a prescription for
overcoming worry that is tremendous. "After Jesus said
this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time
has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
For you granted him authority over all people that he might
give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this
is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you
glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.'"
(John 17:1-4)
Why would Jesus be under stress? Why would he need to
say these things about peace? He had every reason in the
world.
1. He was
misunderstood.
One of the reasons you and I tend to come under stress and
pressure is when we are misunderstood. They misunderstood
Jesus' motive. They misunderstood his mission. They
misunderstood his message.
2. He was not
accepted.
Don't you feel stress when some-one around you doesn't
accept you? Particularly your peers. It was the peers of
Jesus who didn't accept him. The religious people, the ones
who were looking for a Messiah, but they turned him
away.
3. He was
tempted.
That's why he felt stress. Hebrews 4:15 said he was tempted
in all points like as we. I'm going to go a little farther
than that. I think Jesus knew temptations that you and I
can't even imagine. He was tempted to take a shortcut
around the cross and you and I can't identify with that. We
don't have the option of saving the world.
4. He had many
enemies.
Now you and I know something about that. Any one of us have
some people who don't care a great deal for us, but if the
truth be known, I don't know that I have anybody that
really wants to crucify me, to take my life or wrench it
away from me.
5. His disciples
were slow learners.
That would have killed me. I'm just not as patient as our
Lord. He spent over three years with them day and night
trying to let it all sink it in and they still couldn't
figure it out. He loved them enough to die for them. I
think I would have wanted to kill them. They were slow
learners. He faced the stress and pressure of tremendous
responsibility. Victory over sin, victory over the grave,
the opportunity of salvation, the opportunity of heaven for
every single human being, all that was on his shoulders.
That's pressure and his time running out.
6. He was going to
hand over the advancement of the kingdom into the hands of
infallible men.
How did Jesus deal with it and
how does he tell you and me to deal with it?
1. Jesus knew who to go to. Feeling all this pressure he
says, Father, I've got to talk to you. You and I need to
know and practice what Jesus knew and practiced.
2. He knew why he
came to earth.
He had a purpose and when he says, Father, the time the
hour has come, he's saying his mission is just about
complete.
3. Jesus gave up
his rights.
It relieved a tremendous amount of pressure. "'Father, the
time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify
you.'" Why would Jesus pray that the Father glorify Him?
Jesus was God come in the flesh. He was part of the
Trinity. He was part of the Godhead. But, you see He had to
pray that God glorify Him because Jesus in coming to this
earth and taking on the human form of a servant had given
up his rights. Folks, I want to tell you some-thing that
too many of us don't know. It's amazing the pressure that
comes from each one of us trying to protect every inch of
the turf of our rights. We don't want to yield on this, we
don't want to relinquish on this, and we are going to guard
every right to fight for the chance. Jesus gave up his
rights and it relieved a tremendous amount of pressure.
4. He had
something to give.
He was granted the authority over all people that he might
give eternal life. He had something to give all right; it
was the greatest gift of all time. It is eternal life to
everybody who would come to him, put their trust in Him and
obey His gospel.
5. He did a good
job.
"'I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work
you gave me to do.'"
How do you and I get relief from stress and pressure
that we face everyday? We do the same thing Jesus
did.
1. Turn everything
over to God.
Like Jesus, we too must turn everything over to God. "Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter
5:7) Two observations a) God is concerned about me. God
cares for me, He cares for you and He cares for all of us;
b) He cares about everything in my life. He said "cast all
your anxieties."
2. Understand your
purpose in life.
We've been created with different abilities all for the
purpose of glorifying God and serving others. When you have
a purpose in life, it can help you handle pressure. Now one
of the things that I do following Jesus' lead is when I
feel the pressures coming in on me and I feel them like you
do, when I feel stressed, I revert back to my basic purpose
in life.
3. Give up your
rights.
This is probably the one most of us need work on and the
one that gives us the greatest difficulty because we live
in a culture that is so filled with assertiveness training.
It's contrary to the way the world thinks. There are five
destructive emotions that damage and hamper our life -
resentment, bitterness, anger, hatred, and fear. They'll
eat you up and they'll spit you out and I will guarantee
you that a major source of each of those five is often when
people are not willing to give up their rights.
I want you to think with me for a moment. It is rare for
you to have an argument over an issue if you under-stand
and practice this principle. Now let me be clear, I'm not
talking about being a wimp or a perpetual dish rag. There
are a few things in life that are worth drawing a line in
the sand for, but not 98 percent of the time that we do. I
found that the really strong people in this world are the
ones who are willing to yield their rights. It's the weak
who fight for their turf. The greatest ex-ample I know is
Jesus. Philippians 2:5, "Your attitude should be the same
as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but
made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a
servant."
I have observed in my lifetime that fighting for rights can
make you do some awfully foolish things. When Abraham
Lincoln lived a rich man loaned a poor man $2.50 and after
a while the poor man was unable to re-pay, the rich man was
so upset he went to Lincoln and asked for representation.
Lincoln didn't want to take the case, but he came back and
said, well I'll tell you what. You give me $10 up front and
I'll take it. The man gave him $10 then Lincoln went to the
poor man and gave him $5. He said "you take $2.50 of this
and pay him back and you can keep that $2.50" and Lincoln
pocketed $5.00. You see that man spent $10 to get $2.50
back. You may say, people don't do those kind of stupid
things. You wouldn't believe what I've seen husbands and
wives accuse each other of doing as they fight for their
rights instead of yielding.
4. Be a generous
person.
That's what Jesus did. You give things away it relieves
pressure. Be generous with your prayer, your money, and
your talents.
5. Glorify God
with excellence.
Do the best you can do in a day, then go to bed and put
your head on the pillow. It's amazing how good you feel.
Some of the stress that we feel in the world is when we
know we have not done what we could have done, it haunts
us. Just do your best and then feel the relief as the
stress lessens. Amazing
Grace Lesson #1108 Taught by Steve Flatt
1. Which of the following statements regarding worry are
true?
40% of concerns do not ever occur
30 % are old decisions that can not be
changed
12 % are based on untrue criticism
All
the above
None of the above
2. Peace is found in?
Loving family
Financial security
In
Jesus
3. In this world you will have trouble?
4. Jesus was under stressful situations because
He was misunderstood
He was not accepted
He was tempted
He had many enemies
His disciples were slow learners
All
the above
5. Jesus overcame stress because
He knew who to go to
He knew why He came to earth
He gave up His rights
He had a purpose and something to
give
He did a good job
All
the above
B and D
6. We can overcome stress and pressure by
Turning our life over to God
Understanding the purpose of life
Giving up our rights
Being a generous person
Glorifying God
All
the above
A, C and E
A, B and E
B, D and E