The Way of Escape: Part 1
Anger and Stress Management God's Way • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
In the next two chapters, we’ll discuss what we must do to avoid reacting wrongly to the stressors of life. We will begin by laying out some key factors in developing a Biblical procedure for overcoming stress before it overcomes you.
OVERCOMING FACTOR #1
OVERCOMING FACTOR #1
To win this battle over the stressors of life, you must deliberately choose to see everything that happens to you within the framework of the sovereignty of God.
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The words “all things” remind us of the scope of God’s control. Perhaps we could discuss whether this statement is referring to what some people call God’s “permissive will” or to His “will of ordination” - whether God ordains, or just permits, all the events and experiences that enter our lives. Either way, the point is that God is in charge of what happens in the universe or in your life. If you take the position that God permits, but doesn’t ordain, all things that happen, you still must realize that He, being the loving, wise, gracious, all-powerful God that He is, could have prevented something if He had chosen to do so. Moreover, if He didn’t prevent it, you must realize that He has a definite purpose for allowing it to happen. The fact is, He works all things in accordance with the counsel of His will. Therefore, if He didn’t will it to occur, it wouldn’t have occurred.
One text with enormous implications for overcoming stress is Matthew 10:29
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Here, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches that not even a sparrow dies apart from God’s will.
By saying this, our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to know and be comforted by the fact that if God is involved with the death of something as insignificant as a sparrow, He is certainly involved in, and vitally concerned about, everything that happens to His own children.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.
This text tills us that God’s throne has been established in the heavens and that He, in His sovereignty, rules over all.
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
God, according to this text, is so absolutely sovereign and perfect that no one has a right, or should even think, to put Him on the witness stand to give an accounting of what He has done.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: And he delighteth in his way.
This verse tells us that God orders this person’s “steps,” not just the overall plan for his life. If words mean anything, this means that God is deeply involved in the details of this person’s life. Note, still further, that the verse says that this person’s steps are “ordered.” That is, what happens in a person’s life doesn’t happen just haphazardly or by chance. It means that there is some order to what happens.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This verse says that God is deeply involved in what happens to a believer - in all and over all the events of a believer’s life, God is working for the believer’s good. It’s that nothing happens that is outside of God’s control. It’s that God can and does orchestrate and order the events in a Christian’s life, so that even that which is painful and unpleasant will be used by God to produce something good.
The Bible has many illustrations of the practical value of believing and applying the doctrine of God’s sovereignty during a time of stress.
EXAMPLE - Joseph
I mention this story because there is no indication that Joseph ever descended into utter despair, no evidence that he became bitter and angry, no evidence that he sought to get even or that he returned evil for evil to his brothers, to Potiphar or Potiphar’s wife, or even to the official of Pharoah who for a period of time forgot about him. During this rather lengthy period of time when he experienced a variety of stressors, Joseph must have been tempted to respond in many of the ungodly ways described in lesson 5, but he didn’t.
What kept Joseph from responding in ungodly ways to the stressors he experienced?
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 50:19–21 (KJV 1900)
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
Joseph knew that God was sovereign and in charge, of all things in general and of his life in particular.
To overcome stress before it overcomes us, we must choose to see everything within the framework of God’s sovereignty. We must train ourselves to think this way until that way of thinking becomes a habit pattern for us.
OVERCOMING FACTOR #2
OVERCOMING FACTOR #2
To win this battle over the stressors of life, we must also deliberately choose to give God thanks in the midst of everything and for everything.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV 1900)
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Ephesians 5:20 (KJV 1900)
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Philippians 4:6 (KJV 1900)
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Following the counsel of these verses is the right thing to do for a number of reasons. For one thing, it’s the right thing to do because God say we should do it, and as His creatures and His children we should do what He commands. Then, too, it’s the right thing to doe because God is worthy of continuous thanksgiving.
But beyond the fact that it’s the right thing to do, we ought to be constantly giving thanks because it’s beneficial to us in several ways - one of them being helping us to overcome the destructive consequences of stress.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
“All times” meant just that: all times.
What did the psalmist know that would give him plenty of reason for praising God even in the midst of many stressors? He knew that, in spite of his circumstances, God was worthy of praise.
In the midst of his stressors, the psalmist reflected on all the things he had to be thankful for, and he blessed, praised, magnified, and exalted the Lord.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together.
One of my favorite Old Testament passages is found in 2 Chronicles 20. In this passage, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the citizens of Judah are facing a stressful situation. Great coalitions of powerful neighboring nations have joined together to destroy Judah.
Verse 3 describes Jehoshaphat’s initial response.
3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
The text implies this idea when it says that he “set himself to seek the Lord.” His change in attitude (from fear to trust) didn’t happen automatically. He had to make himself turn away from an exclusive focus on the problem, away from a preoccupation with the stressful situation, to a focus on his God.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.
20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
The message that he delivered indicates that Jehoshaphat was seeking personally to see everything within the framework of God’s sovereignty and was encouraging others to do the same.
21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
He encouraged the people to sing, praise, and give thanks to the Lord. He encouraged them to think about the loving kindness and everlasting nature of God and His attributes.
He put into practice the first two “overcoming stress factors.” First, he chose to see everything within the framework of the sovereignty of God. Second, he chose to reflect on what he had to be thankful for and then, in a verbal and even public way, to actually give thanks to God.
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
In keeping with Paul’s divinely inspired statements, we can conclude that we should react to stress the way that Jehoshaphat did.
Giving thanks always and in everything is a matter of obedience, in that God commands us to do this very thing. Failing to do so is therefore an act of disobedience to the one called Lord.
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Psalm 147 tells us that we should give thanks because it’s becoming. This means, of course, that praise is attractive, fitting, and appropriate for believers. Revelation 4:11 and Psalm 145:3 teach us that we should give thanks always because God is worthy and that He should be praised at all times and in every situation.
Throughout Scripture, God often motivates us to obedience by telling us that obedience is good for us.
1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, That delighteth greatly in his commandments.
1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; That walketh in his ways.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Applying this fact to the matter of giving thanks, we can be sure that doing so is not only the right thing to do but also the good and pleasant thing to do.
Mark it down: there’s a way of escape from stress and from the wrong responses and destructive consequences that follow it.
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
In this lesson, important Biblical factors for overcoming stress before it overcomes you were laid out. What were the two factors discussed in this chapter?
Explain the meaning of these factors.
Explain why practicing these two factors would help you or anyone else to overcome wrong responses to stress.
When you are tempted to be stressed out, identify which of these practices you regularly practice.
Give examples of times and situations when you have practiced these two factors.
Explain the practical effect that practicing these two factors has had on your life in those times.
Identify which of these factors you are most prone to neglect when tempted to be stressed out.
What will you do to make the Biblical truths found in this lesson - for overcoming stress before it overcomes you - more of a reality in your life?
