What He Said

Series Intro (3 minutes)

When Jesus spoke, things happened. His words healed sick children, confronted cultural values, delivered the spiritually oppressed, calmed storms, forgave sin, raised the dead, and taught us a new way to live. Jesus’ words resonate through history and are power and life to us today.

Our goal in this series is to apply Jesus’ words and become built to last - that no storm can shake us, to obstacle can stop us, no setback can disqualify!

Luke 6:47–48 (The Message) These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.

In this 6 week series we’ll examine WHAT HE SAID about three big challenges we each face today: forgiveness, money, and anxiety.

Today I want to launch right into the topic of anxiety.

What He Said About Anxiety (4 minutes)

This message hits really close to home for me today. As many of you know, in December I took an 8 week Sabbatical to recover from a pretty intense season of burnout. Leading into and through this time was some of the darkest and most difficult days I’ve faced. Today I’d like to share a bit of my story. I do so in the hopes of

celebrating the healing and restoration power of Jesus and

helping some of you avoid some of my mistakes

In addition to Jesus dealing with my heart, I sought out and continue to see a counselor and am learning to put into practice a higher level of stewardship over my own heart and soul.

Dr. Caroline Leaf - God has designed you to function in health in a particular way - it is each of our responsibility to discover and deploy those tools in our lives. Psychcology has taught us many of these.

Let’s turn to Jesus words and look at WHAT HE SAID:

Matthew 6:25–34 (ESV)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Why is it important we talk about anxiety? (5 minutes)

1. Jesus addressed it; we should too. If it was important enough for Jesus to talk about in his most famous sermon, we should talk about it too.

When we first read this passage, at first glance you may just see Jesus saying “stop it!”.

TPT - “So then, forsake your worries" - I’d like to do this - HOW

Stop being anxious, stop worrying, just stop it.

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, I can tell you that “stop it” isn’t a particularly helpful message.

Thankfully, that’s NOT WHAT HE SAID.

There are two keys questions Jesus asks in this passage that are going to equip, encourage and enable you to walk in greater strength in this area. Today we’re going to look at the first one.

2. To understand the difference between stress and anxiety.

Stress - the result of living. While avoiding extreme, prolonged stress is wise, trying to avoid stress entirely is foolish. Stress-free life will result in a meaningless, relationally-vacant, purposeless life. Everyone experiences stress in life because everything worth doing requires some measure of effort. Extreme stress should be avoided, but stress is normal, even healthy.

Anxiety is distinct from stress. Anxiety the one potential option of how we process and handle our stress.

Stress is like an intersection...

Turn left into anxiety or right into resiliency. It’s how we process stress

POLL - I’d like to hear from you! What’s currently causing stress in your life?

Matt 6- Cultural contex of what causes anxiety - what we eat/drink/clothing - basic needs that for most of us here are not a daily, present stressor. We always look at Jesus’ words through the lens of the peoples’ experiences and challenges in the moment and then apply the principle to us today.

We’re all facing added stress in this cultural moment. Job uncertainty, relational isolation, limitations on our spiritual experience and expression, future plans on hold, financial lack, stress on our marriage and family, and more.

Take a look at this slide, illustrative of our global experience:

According to the Office for National Statistics in the UK:

Pre-pandemic (July 2019-March 2020): 10% of UK adults reported symtoms of depression.

During pandemic (June 2020): 19%

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US:

Pre-pandemic (January-June 2019): 11% of US adults reported symtoms of anxiety depression.

During pandemic (December 2020): 42%

The quantity of people struggling with their mental health has exponentially increased:

Not only the quantity of the struggle increased, but the quality of the stuggle has too.

According to some Canadian research I reviewed, those who have previously struggled with their mental health report an even greater struggle in the past year.

RESULTS OF POLL - What WE said...

HUBS - I’d like to give you the opportunity to connect with each other, and interact as a community.

What's one way anxiety has impacted you in the past few months? If you feel brave, be specific! (see poll)

HUBS

There’s no better moment for us to look at WHAT HE SAID and apply it to our lives.

JESUS - two key questions - here’s the first...

Is our lens wrong? (6 minutes)

Are you seeing through the lens of faith or the lens of fear?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“O you of little faith” - Jesus here is saying there is a connection between faith and anxiety.

This phrase - almost insulting...

Ex. disciples in the boat in a storm -

Ex. Peter - when we saw the “waves” - Jesus said the same things...

ME: when the pandemic hit, without even realizing it, fear began to be the lens I saw my circumstance through.

Ex. How is this person doing? Fear says - faith says

Ex. What is the right direction for our church? Fear says - faith says

Ex. What is that person’s opinion of me? Fear says - faith says

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

One biblical scholar, in their observations on this passage, writes that when Jesus says “do not be anxious”, it literally means do be drawn in different directions. Such a powerful picture, pulled in different ways.

Indeed, I lost so many hours.

Result: burnout…

What STRESS do you need to begin to see through the lens of faith in your life? What would faith say about it?

Conclusion: What has anxiety added to your life?

Church, in this series we are putting the words of Jesus into practice, WHAT HE SAID, so that we can be BUILT TO LAST, even a storm we’re right in the middle of.

Two tools:

1. From my counselor: Timed Worry

I do this twice a week for 15 minutes (max 20-30).

Set a timer, a sound that is unique that you use for nothing else.

Journal all your anxieties, stressors and fear. take some time and address it head-on. Imagine worst case scenarios.

MY ADDITION:

In the last couple minutes, talk to God about them. Put them in his hands.

New Living Translation Chapter 5

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

REFUSE to allow your brain permission to worry through the day. Over time your mind will begin to trigger when anxiety tries to set in, tell yourself to save the worry for the worry window.

2. Increase your faith lens.

YouVersion "Fear and Anxiety”

Is our priority wrong?

Are you building his kingdom or your empire?

ME: I was so focused, so driven, so determined to make City Life succeed through this season. But somewhere, subtly, it became about me and my fear of failing, how people would perceive me, and so I kept striving to do and be more.

Anxiety got so bad one morning at the theatre I had to hid in the corner of the church and cry during a team huddle.

It was my empire, not his kingdom.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow

God’s kingdom is bigger than our church. Our church serves his kingdom, not the other way around. For me, I came out of my burnout recovery with ZERO desire to empire build. I just want to help bring kingdom into your everyday lives.

Ex. “Martha, Martha...”

Are you building your empire or his kingdom?

Professionals - if you’re working just to make money,

Students -

Couples - if you’re in a relationship only because it makes you happy, if God’s unfolding plan isn’t central, you’re

Seek first the kingdom

FIRST in your day - spend time with him

FIRST in your week - gather by conviction

FIRST in your finances - tithe, give, be generous

FIRST in your choices - don’t make one decision with God left out: where you’ll live, who you’ll date, what you’ll study...

I don’t care about others’ perception of me as successful (Jesus on the cross, Paul in prison,

Worry Window

HUBS

Conclusion: What has anxiety added?

ACTION ITEM: YouVersion "Fear and Anxiety”

Worry Window