Is Jesus the Answer Gospel Meeting Series
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my doubts?
🔹Is Jesus the answer for my happiness?
Understanding Anxiety
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever felt like this [photo] in life? I've seen plenty of YouTube videos where there was no room on the subway, and people were pushing individuals from the back, trying to squeeze into the door. I don't know if you've ever been in such a tight, confined space, but if so, a picture like that might drive you crazy. It may make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
I don't show you that to see if I can make you uncomfortable. I show you that because to me, it's a perfect representation of how individuals feel when they struggle with anxiety. It's that overwhelming pressure, a sense of bearing a burden that is too heavy to carry. I don't know how I'm going to get through the day. I don't know how we're going to do this as a couple. You and I might look at that and say, "Well, Joe, that's maybe not my struggle." If it's not your struggle specifically, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you know someone you love who does feel that weight on their shoulders.
Effects of Anxiety
It's been said before that anxiety can have terrible effects on individuals. When you think about anxiety being an inner feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, concern, worry, or dread that is accompanied by heightened physical arousal, you have to stop and say, "How can anyone exist within those parameters?"
The physical effects of anxiety, it's been said, are that the heart beats faster, blood pressure and muscle tension increase. There are neurological and chemical changes that occur within an individual who's carrying that load. Sometimes perspiration appears, and the person feels faint, jumpy, and unable to relax. Some of you are like, "Yep, I've been there. Thought it was a heart attack, but they said it was just anxiety. Thought I was going to have a stroke, but they told me it was just anxiety."
Personal Experiences with Anxiety
Let me be real with you. There are very few times in my life that I've ever felt that. We moved a lot growing up. My dad was a gospel preacher, and back during the time, it seemed preachers moved every three to five years. It might shock you that in my life personally, I have moved 37 times. Not all of that in my parents' house, but a good portion of that in my parents' house.
I changed schools quite a bit, and I learned quickly that the consistent individuals in my life were those who were going to be in my home. I was blessed with a home environment like that. But not everybody is. Not everybody knows what's going to happen when they come home. Is mom and dad going to be there? Is there going to be struggle, trouble, or strife? What about going to a new school? Will the kids accept me? Will they think that I'm odd and keep me at arm's length? My experience was yes, they did, until the football season started.
Coping with Challenges
I tell people the football field and the seesaw are leveling factors. Why the seesaw? Well, as a big guy, we get made fun of quite a bit. When those little guys tried to make me chase them, I knew I wasn't going to catch them going around the playground. So when it came time to play, I would invite them, or they would invite me, to get on the seesaw. Bad mistake if you've been making fun of the big man, because I could sit down on the bottom of that seesaw, and you're never coming down unless you fall down. Then I learned techniques where I could come up a little bit and make you jump by making that seesaw go whoop. Great leveling, but here's the deal. That doesn't mean that even in the managing of anxiety, we didn't have to deal with it.
Anxiety is a Thin Stream of Fear
When you think about this statement, I thought it was quite interesting. I didn't come up with this statement, but it's been said before that anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind, and if encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.
Tonight, we're dealing with the subject, "Is Jesus the Answer for My Fear and Anxiety?" I need to start off and say this: there are times where there may be medical help for those who struggle with anxiety. I do not in any way, shape, or form want to come across as saying there is no place for help because I've already told you that there can be internal chemical changes that occur with people who struggle with anxiety. If that's you tonight, don't take this lesson as belittling the pressure that you're feeling and going through.
Rather, what I want to offer to you is an understanding, brotherly approach. We can affirm that that's a struggle, but we can also affirm that God wants something better for us.
In that wanting something better for us, He gives us some concepts through Scripture that I firmly believe will be a blessing to you and to those who may not struggle in this particular area but know people who do. The goal is that at the end of this lesson, we walk away and say, "I don't want that stream of fear to lead to anxiety that carves a pathway for every other thought and feeling to encounter. I want to break free from that."
We All Have Anxious Moments
The reality is, all of us, to some extent, have what are called anxious moments. Anxious moments are those where you don't know how it's going to turn out. Anxious moments are when you go in to take a test, and maybe you studied, but in your person, you don't feel like you're a calm test-taker. No matter if you studied or not, when push comes to shove and the rubber meets the road, you get a little anxious. I told somebody the other day, talking with a younger minister or a teenager who wanted to possibly preach, that I'm constantly trying to encourage young men to go into service of the Lord in preaching. Quite honestly, I don't say this to demean, but my number one obstacle is mamas, because mothers don't want their sons to be thrust into an occupation—which those of us in ministry don't call this an occupation, just so you know—that is unstable and where you could be treated poorly.
I would offer this: not every minister has a negative experience. God takes care of His servants, I promise you. He allowed the apostles to encounter people where they had to dust the sandals off and move on. But the idea is, when you're serving God, you're going to encounter people who need the grace of God, and that means they're not always going to respond the way you think.
Here's a clue for us preachers: we don't always respond the way we should either. I can admit that because there's nothing about me that I believe is special. I need the grace of God on a regular basis, and therefore I need the grace of my brethren on a regular basis. I was talking with somebody about preaching the other day, and I told him I still get a little anxious before I get up to speak. A good friend of mine who was nearby after that young man left said, "Do you really?" I have the privilege of speaking a lot in front of some pretty large crowds and some smaller crowds. It might surprise you, I get more nervous speaking in front of smaller crowds than large crowds. I told her, "Absolutely, it is because of the gravity of what we do when we get up to preach." I never want to get too comfortable with it because what we do changes the course of people's lives, not only here but literally their eternal walk too if they deny or accept.
So yes, I think we all struggle with anxious moments from time to time.
Differentiating Anxious Moments and Anxiety
There's a difference between anxious moments and anxiety. Anxious moments come and go. Anxiety seems to have taken root. Anxious moments come and go, but anxiety seems to be a cloud that covers everything. Anxious moments come and go, but anxiety can cripple and paralyze individuals so they can't see how it can be any better.
As we look at this series, "Is Jesus the Answer?" I told you in Bible class this morning that the obvious answer, if we were just looking for a simple answer, would be, "Yes, Joe, let's move on." The shortest gospel meeting ever: "Is Jesus the answer? Yes."
But some questions are asked not because they need an answer but to make a statement. I need that statement to be heard this week: Jesus is the answer for our fear and anxiety.
I want to show you three reasons why you can believe that tonight. You're going to walk away this week and say, "That was really a study of Jesus." You're right. It was a study of why He's enough in your life. It's a study about why, with Him, other pieces of the puzzle fall into place, but without Him, there will always be scattered pieces.
1) Embrace Jesus’ Power
Number one, I want you to understand this: Jesus is the answer because He has the power to calm the storms of your life. We talked about His power this morning, but I want to invite you over to Mark chapter 4 this evening. I want to invite you into one of these narratives regarding a storm and the impact of this storm on the lives of the people who were really living in that storm.
- Mark 4:35, 38
Verse 38: "Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do you not care?'" Listen to their conclusion before they ever asked Him anything. They had already reached a conclusion: "Do you not care?"
Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to ask God that? I know none of us would ever admit that. You know why we would never admit that? Because we're concerned about what that really says about us. You will have, if you have not had, moments where you will ask that internally: "God, do you care?" In the back of your mind, you're going to have your church voice because you've been in Bible classes, heard sermons, and been at this gospel meeting. You're going to say, "Yes, He cares. I know He cares because I was told He cares, and I sing a song about He cares."
But even knowing those facts, it oftentimes will not change the emotional response to difficulties. That's because the portion of our brains that deals with perceived threats is not the logical portion of the brain.
The Brain and Emotional Responses
I've done research on the brain. Some of you are a lot smarter than I am and probably know a whole lot more about the human brain, but to not oversimplify it, your brain is basically divided into three portions: your front, middle, and back brain. The front brain is your logic, the middle brain is your emotional, and the back brain is your action. Let me ask you a question: Which portion of the brain is closer to the action, the logic or the emotion? Emotion. Thank you. Somebody's paying attention. Amen.
It's the emotional part of the brain that's closer to the action. That's why sometimes we act and say to ourselves, "I don't know why I did that." It's because it was not a logical response; it was one rooted in emotion. Here's what you need to know: oftentimes, fear and anxiety are rooted in that middle brain.
Jesus’ Response to the Storm
Now, here's what it says: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Verse 38-40: "And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And the wind died down, and it became perfectly calm." He said to them, "Why are you afraid?"
It's interesting to me. I would love to think I wouldn't have done this, but I probably would have. "Why am I afraid? Did you not see the wind, Jesus? Did you not see the waves, Jesus? Did you not feel that the boat was taking on water, Jesus? Were you just checked out of what was going on?"
He says, "Why were you afraid?" He's not responding based upon observation.
While we're asking Him, "Did you not see the wind? Did you not see the waves? Did you not feel the water?"
He's saying this: "Did you not know I was in the boat with you? Why are you afraid? You have the Son of God in the boat with you. You have the very one who sustains, who brings the dead to life, who gives sight to the blind and causes the lame to walk. You have the Son of God in your boat. Why are you afraid?"
Knowing Jesus’ Power
The only answer I know is this: they knew Him as Jesus, but they didn't know Him as the one who had the power over the storms.
Church, let me ask you a question tonight: Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as Jesus, or do you know Him as the one who has the power over the storms of your life? Are you asking Him tonight, "Do you not care? Do you not see the struggles? Do you not see the financial woes? Do you not see that I want to do good, but I keep failing?"
Jesus looks back at you tonight as we study this text and says, "Do you not know who's in your boat?"
Knowing that Jesus is in the boat doesn't change whether I deal with difficulties, but it changes how I deal with those difficulties. I can still be unsure, but I can be confident that He's not unsure. I can still see the surroundings because part of that is human nature.
Peter sank in Matthew 14 when he saw the elements around him. But that doesn't change that Jesus was able to sustain him if he'd only kept his eyes on Him. I'm not suggesting that anxiety is taking your eyes off Jesus all the time, but I am suggesting that you will have more peace in your life when you embrace the power of the one who is in the boat with you if you are a child of God.
2) Embrace Jesus’ Love
Number two, I want to offer this to you: Jesus is the answer because through Jesus, God demonstrates the great value you have. Think about why Jesus came to this earth. There are multiple times throughout the book of Matthew, at least five times, that He'll tell us why He came to this earth.
He came to seek and to save the lost, to serve and not be served. He came to bring a sword, not peace, which is an ironic statement in Matthew 10, I believe. The gospel message was going to divide people, but there was this idea that to save people, they had the opportunity to follow Him or not. Some people chose not to. But in the book of John, we see that Jesus coming to this earth was because God so loved the world. That's probably one of the verses that anybody in our world could tell you. John 3:16 is a quoted verse, often applied to every aspect. My attitude is this: tell the world about the love of God seen through Jesus. If I have a non-believer who's going to tell me that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son," I want that non-believer to shout that message because I need it to go out. God wants that message to go out.
God’s Love for You
I need you to understand something tonight: you are part of that world. He didn't leave you out of that equation. When you really start to think about the love of God, I'm reminded of passages like 1 John 4, where you start to read a lot about God and God is love.
- 1 John 4:8, 18-19
Verse 8: "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Verse 18:
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He loved us first."
Think about God and His movement toward humanity. In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that while we were helpless, hopeless, enemies, Jesus Christ was sent to die on the cross on our behalf. He didn't wait for you or me. “I will tell you this: rarely will a man die for a good man.” [Romans 5:7]. You've heard that somewhere before, haven't you? Let me ask you a question: when Jesus died, before you obeyed the gospel, while you were a helpless, hopeless sinner who was an enemy, were you a good man at that time? I would offer to you: none of us were, if we're using God's definition of good.
Jesus’ Sacrifice for Sinners
The reality is Jesus died for those who did not love Him first. Jesus moved toward those who didn't want to move toward Him. If I could put this in human terms, because sometimes we talk theory and it doesn't do us any good other than an intellectual discussion: have you ever had someone in your life who did you wrong, and you were waiting on them to make it right? Have you ever had anybody in your life who harmed you or your family, hurt you to your core, and everything within you wanted to sit back and say, "If they want it to be right, they'll come to me because I'm not going to them"?
That's not the way God responded to you through Jesus Christ. He didn't wait for you to move. He moved toward you first. Do you know why He did that? Because you have a value within you that you probably do not fully understand.
You have a soul that Jesus died for, that God wants to spend eternity with. You aren't this flesh. You are the soul that lives within that flesh. Oh, you have control over the flesh, don't take that any other way. But when you die and rid yourself of this outer shell, this temporary tent, as the Apostle Paul would write to the church at Corinth, you will live on in eternity, and He wants to spend eternity with you. That's because you have an immense value to Him.
3) Embrace Jesus as Your Perfect High Priest
Number three, not only should we understand Jesus as the answer because He has the power to calm storms and demonstrates the great value we have in His love, but you and I need to accept tonight that Jesus is the perfect High Priest who understands and empathizes. We need to embrace our perfect High Priest.
Turn over to Hebrews 4. The book of Hebrews is filled with a lot that deals with type and antitype. It deals with Old Testament concepts and sheds light on how they pointed to New Testament realities. The shadow is not the reality; the substance is the reality. You have a shadow when you leave here, but you are the substance. The law in the Old Testament was the shadow, and that's what the book of Hebrews talks about. When you think about the Old Testament priestly system, you have to understand those sacrifices and individuals serving in the tabernacle and temple served a great purpose. They were the go-between, the ones who stood before God, made sacrifices on behalf of the people. They were selected due to their tribe, the tribe of Levi, and served in various capacities. Those were necessary.
Jesus’ Role as High Priest
- Hebrews 4:14-16
When you and I stop to think about our lives today, as great as those individuals and the role they served were, we have a High Priest far above whatever could be described in the Old Testament because we have a High Priest named Jesus Christ. He is the one who makes intercession on our behalf. He appeals to God for you. In Hebrews 4, beginning with verse 14, the Bible says: "Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Casting Anxiety on Jesus
1 Peter 5 says you can “cast all your fears,” all your anxiety, “on Him.” Why? “Because He cares.”
"Do you not care that we're in the boat? Do you not care that the waves are crashing, the wind is howling, and the boat's taking on water? Jesus, all we can see is that we're sinking."
He says, "Cast your fear and anxiety on Him because He cares."
Here's our struggle: when we read Hebrews 4, it basically says Jesus is the perfect High Priest, the go-between for us and God, because He's fully human, yet fully deity. He's the only one who can stand between us, and He is rooting for you. You need to understand that.
Oftentimes, we can use fancy words, but the unfancy word is this: He's rooting for you, making intercession for you. He wants what's best for you. That's why the Scriptures say you can cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares. He doesn't see the storm that you feel is going to overtake you. He sees a storm that has the ability to be hushed. He doesn't see the waves causing you concern. He sees waves that will stop as soon as He says, "Stop."
Trusting Jesus in Difficult Times
In our minds, we say, "Then why isn't He stopping it?" If you've ever asked that question, you're not alone. There have been people for centuries praying to God, wanting to get what they want. Sometimes they look at that and say, "This wasn't an ungodly request, Joe. It wasn't like I was asking for a million dollars." Well, a million dollars, I wouldn't mind asking for that sometimes, right? Ten percent to the church, and we can move on. That was a joke, I had to say that for the camera.
The idea is this: it wasn't an ungodly request. I was wanting my loved one to be healed. I was wanting my marriage to be mended. I was wanting my children to grow up to love you. I begged and pleaded through prayer, and it's almost like you didn't get the answer you wanted. So the default is, "God must not have cared." Here's what you've got to understand, and I've got to understand: all these things we talk about—the power, the love, the priestly role of Jesus—are true, but they don't mean people lean into Him just because they're true. You have a choice whether or not to lean into Him. He can be all these things and still just be a figure we study about in Bible class or a name we mention at the end of prayers.
Leaning into Jesus
The difference between knowing Him as simply Jesus, the person, or knowing Him as Jesus, the Son of God, is whether or not you lean into Him when you don't know what's going to happen. There's a lot of people who know facts about Jesus, but they don't know Him as their Good Shepherd. What's beautiful about the 23rd Psalm is that it’s all about leaning into rest, leaning into peace. If anybody was going to have anxious moments or perhaps anxiety, I would look back at David and say, when he was being chased, trying to be murdered, when the nation turned against him, all except his tribe and the tribe of Benjamin, do you think that would do anything to the psyche of a man? I would say probably a hundred percent yes.
Finding Peace in the Lord
Here's what David says in the 23rd Psalm:
"The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows."
In other words, as bad as it seems, I will never forget how good You've been to me. As dark and dreary as the valley is, I will never forget that You’ve not abandoned me. So he says in verse 6:
"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Jesus as the Good Shepherd
Let me ask you a question: Do you know Jesus as the Good Shepherd tonight, the one who has the ability to calm the waves, to calm the storm?
I appreciate what was sung just before I got up here, number 425. We didn't work this out, at least to my knowledge. Maybe we did; I don't remember it.
"Master, the Tempest Is Raging." I love that chorus: "The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, peace be still." When the author was writing that, do you think he was writing about "peace be still" to the waves, or is it possible he’s writing "peace be still" to the person? The winds will obey His voice and His will. Does that bring you peace?
“Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, or demons, or men, or whatever it be, no water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean, earth, and skies. They all shall sweetly obey Thy will: peace be still, peace be still. They all shall sweetly obey Thy will: peace, peace be still.” — Author: Mary Ann Baker (1874)
Invitation to Trust Jesus
Somebody is struggling with fear and anxiety at levels you wish would just go away. There's no one-stop shop, but I will tell you this: there is a Savior who wants you to know Him as Shepherd and not just a name. I know you see the wind right now. I know you see the waves, and I know you're saying, "Joe, the boat in my life is taking on water." I want you to see Jesus who's in the boat with you. I want you to know He cares about you, and
He simply says, "Let Me have it. I see the winds too. I see the water, but here's what I want you to embrace." If you're a child of God tonight, Jesus is in the boat, and He's got this. Lean into Him. Maybe rededicate yourself to that. If you're a Christian and struggling with this, it may be that in certain segments of your life, this area, Joe, I've really been struggling in. Then lean into Him.
Call to Obedience
If you've never obeyed the gospel, I've got great news. Your boat may just have you in it right now, and it may be taking on water, but you have the opportunity to enter into a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He can get in your boat tonight. I promise you, that'll change everything. Won't you confess Jesus as Lord, repent of your sins, and be immersed for the forgiveness of your sins?
If we can assist you in learning to lean into Jesus, obeying Him, and finding peace for the anxiety in your life, please contact us.
