What Jesus said about

Anxiety, Worry and FearAdapted from the series,

“Jesus Said” by Michael Wileyhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/what-jesus-said-

about-anxiety-worry-and-fear-michael-wiley-sermon-on-allegory-132936.asp

A young woman brought her fiancé home for thanksgiving dinner to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the

young man. The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk.

"So what are your plans?" the father asked the young man. "I am a biblical

scholar," he replied. "A Biblical scholar. Hmmm," the father said. "Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice

house for my daughter to live in?" "I will study," the young man replied, "and

God will provide for us.“"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement

ring, such as she deserves?" asked the father.

I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replied, "God will provide

for us." "And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don’t worry, sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé. The conversation

proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned, the young idealist

insisted that God would provide.

Later, the mother asked, "How did it go, Honey?" The father answered, "He has no job and no plans, and he thinks I’m

God!"

A balance must be struck between our reliance on God and God’s call on our

lives.As with many things, both extremes are

too far in one direction.

Today in our series, “Jesus Said,” we look at “What Jesus said to His

followers.” Specifically, What Jesus said to us about a few extremes,

Anxiety, Worry, and Fear.

Let’s look at what Jesus said about Fear.

Matthew 14:22 ESV Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up

on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there

alone,

24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And

in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But

when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not

be afraid."

The Disciples saw what they believe to be a ghost walking on the water. They

were afraid.Fear is a disturbing emotion aroused by impending danger, real or imagined. It is

caused by an external threat. Something in your environment is

happening and your body is reacting in fear.

When you experience a sudden fright, it triggers your body's fight-or-flight response. This is an instinctive,

immediate reaction to danger that prepares your body to help defend itself

by fighting or escaping.

Your body pumps adrenaline to your muscles, boosting them to respond powerfully, and your breathing and heart rates increase to pump more

blood throughout your body.The brain's hypothalamus initiates the

body's fight-or-flight response by simultaneously activating both the

sympathetic nervous system (which triggers the nerves) and the adrenal-

cortical system (which dumps hormones into the bloodstream).

The action of the sympathetic nervous system causes the body to become tense and very alert. Meanwhile, the

hypothalamus alerts the pituitary gland to activate the adrenal-cortical system,

which releases about 30 different hormones to prepare the body to handle

the threat.

The hormones released into the body during a fear response cause the

following physical reactions:

•Increase in heart rate and blood pressure•Dilated pupils•Constriction of veins in the skin, which causes the chilly sensation often associated with fear•Increased blood glucose

•Tensing of muscles and goose bumps•Relaxation of smooth muscles•Shutting down of nonessential systems such as digestion and the immune system•Difficulty concentrating on small tasks

Once the threat diminishes, the body releases the hormone cortisol to calm

itself back down to normal. http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/what-happens-

when-scared

He encouraged them against their fright; It is I, and therefore, First, Be of good cheer; “Be courageous; pluck up

your spirits, and be courageous.” If Christ's disciples be not cheerful in a storm, it is their own fault, he would

have them so. Secondly, Be not afraid; 1. “Be not afraid of me, now that you

know it is I; surely you will not fear, for you know I mean you no hurt.”

Note, Christ will not be a terror to those to whom he manifests himself; when

they come to understand him aright, the terror will be over. 2. “Be not afraid of the tempest, of the winds and waves,

though noisy and very threatening; fear them not, while I am so near you. I am he that concerns himself for you, and will not stand by and see you perish.”

Note, Nothing needs be a terror to those that have Christ near them, and know

he is theirs; no, not death itself. (Matthew Henry Commentary)

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on

the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on

the water and came to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried

out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you

of little faith, why did you doubt?"32 And when they got into the boat, the

wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are

the Son of God."

Christ bid him come, not only that he might walk upon the water, and so know Christ's power, but that he might sink, and so know his own weakness; for as

he would encourage his faith, so he would check his confidence, and make

him ashamed of it. (Matthew Henry Commentary)

This is a wonderful picture of walking in faith, showing that we must keep our

eyes on Jesus and not on the storm to keep afloat. But even when Peter failed,

Jesus was there to save him. Peter knew who to call out to at the moment

of crisis.

Those who were in the boat worshiped Him:

They moved quickly from fearing the storm to worshipping Jesus. This was a logical reaction considering the power Jesus showed in walking on the water, and the love He showed in taking care

of a sinking Peter. (Guzik)

You of little faith. While our Lord kindly preserves Peter, he does not connive at Peter’s fault. Such is the object of the

chastisement administered, when Peter is blamed for the weakness of his faith. But a question arises, Does every kind of fear give evidence of a weakness of

faith? For Christ’s words seem to imply that, where faith reigns, there is no

room for doubt.

I reply: Christ reproves here that kind of doubt which was directly opposed to faith. A man may sometimes doubt

without any fault on his part; and that is, when the word of the Lord does not

speak with certainty on the matter.

But the case was quite different with Peter, who had received an express

command from Christ, and had already experienced his power, and yet leaves

that twofold support, and falls into foolish and wicked fear. (CalCom)

Fear is a very normal response to a situation. Jesus assured them that

night, that they had no reason to fear for there was no real threat.

Another extreme emotion Jesus said something about is do not worry.

Matthew 6:25 MSG "If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it

follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the

clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the

food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes

you hang on your body.

26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job

description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. 27 “Has anyone by fussing in

front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 All this time

and money wasted on fashion--do you think it makes that much difference?

Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the

wildflowers. They never primp or shop,

29 but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-

dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never even seen--don't you think he'll attend

to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

31 What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied

with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. 32 People who don't know

God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God

and how he works. 33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-

provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human

concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get

worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you

deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Worry should not be in our lives. The word “worry” comes from the Middle

English word, weryen, werwen, wyrwyn, which literally means “to struggle, to

bite, to harass.”

It was used to describe what happened when the hound caught the fox!

So today, worry means to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts.Worry and Anxiety are so closely

related I’m not sure why we use two different terms to describe the same thing. But when you study the term

“anxiety” it has a little different nuance of meaning.

Anxiety is the word that people of the medical profession use to describe a

mood state. Anxiety is a normal human emotion that everyone experiences at times. Many people feel anxious, or

nervous, when faced with a problem at work, or before taking a test or making

an important decision. Anxiety disorders, however, are different. They

can cause such distress that it interferes with a person’s ability to lead

a normal life.

For people with anxiety disorders, worry and fear are constant and

overwhelming, and can be crippling.When you ask medical professionals about the physiological cause, they

preface everything by the words possibly, may, and might. Even they

don’t know.According to the National Institute of

Mental Health, Anxiety Disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (about 18%) in a given

year.

To combat anxiety professionals prescribe two lines of attack. Get off

drugs, especially caffeine, eat a healthy diet, and exercise.

Take this pill.Anxiety can be life crippling.

Physical effects are heart palpitations, fatigue, nausea, chest-pain, shortness

of breath, stomach aches, and headaches.

I don’t want to dismiss Doctors & medicine. I believe they are another

avenue God uses to bring about healing. Why would the Apostle Paul prescribe a little wine? He could have

told Timothy to travel to him so he could lay hands on him & heal his

illnesses or have him pray for stronger faith.

1 Timothy 5:23 NET (Stop drinking just water, but use a little wine for your

digestion and your frequent illnesses.)

Isaiah makes a prescription for Hezekiah.

Isaiah 38:21 NIV Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it

to the boil, and he will recover.” The good Samaritan applied medicine.Luke 10:34 NET He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his

own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Gilead was known for its healing balm. Jeremiah 8:22 NIV Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the

wound of my people? Many Commentaries believe this is a

type of Christ.The balm was the word of God, and the healer who applied it was the prophet or

the teacher. (CalCom)

Jeremiah 51:8 NIV Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she

can be healed.

We come across the subject of anxiety in Jesus’ ministry in John 14:1-20, 27.

John 14:1 NET "Do not let your hearts be distressed. You believe in God;

believe also in me. 2 There are many dwelling places in my Father's house.

Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. 3 And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again

and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.

4 And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said, "Lord, we don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus replied, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No

one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have known me, you will

know my Father too. And from now on you do know him and have seen him."

8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content." 9 Jesus replied, "Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The

person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his

miraculous deeds.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do

not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves. 12 I tell you the solemn truth, the person who

believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these,

because I am going to the Father.

13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be

glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 “If

you love me, you will obey my commandments. 16 Then I will ask the

Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — 17

the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see

him or know him.

But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. 20 You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in

you.

John 14:27 NET "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it

to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in

courage.

The Disciples are distressed at Jesus’ words.

They have reason to be distressed, troubled, distraught, anxious, worried.

If you look back over chapters 12-13, Jesus said He was leaving. He implies He will suffer death by crucifixion. All would forsake Him. Peter would deny Him. One of their own would betray

Him. And, Where He is going, they can’t come right now!

They have given up most everything else and followed Him for three years.

The message they carried brought hope to the people but made them outcasts

to the religious elite. Jesus had already told them that they would be drug

before rulers and be persecuted for His name sake.

You see anxiety comes primarily by worrying about the unknown, worrying

about things we cannot change.

Is anxiety a legitimate issue? Yes! You can’t overlook the millions of people

that suffer from it.Is it a necessary issue?NO! It can be overcome.

The "father" of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, in “The Sickness Unto

Death” regarded all humans to be born into despair by default. This sickness unto death is what Kierkegaard calls

despair. According to Kierkegaard, an individual is "in despair" if he does not align himself with God or God's plan for

the self.

In this way he loses his self, which Kierkegaard defines as the “relation's

relating itself to itself in the relation.”He defines humanity as the tension

between the “finite and infinite”, and the “possible and the necessary”, and is

identifiable with the dialectical balancing act between these opposing

features, the relation.

While humans are inherently reflective and self-conscious beings, to become a

true self one must not only be conscious of the self but also be conscious of being aligned with a

higher purpose, viz God's plan for the Self. When one either denies this Self or the power that creates and sustains this

Self, one is in despair.

To not be in despair is to have reconciled the finite with the infinite, to

exist in awareness of one's own self and of God. Specifically, Kierkegaard

defines the opposite of despair as faith, which he describes by the following: "In relating itself to itself, and in willing to be itself, the self rests transparently in

the power that established it." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sickness_Unto_Death

Dr. E. Stanley Jones said the same thing as Kierkegaard but put it this way,

“I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is

the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and

anxiety.

In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my

native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air…

We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way.

To live by worry is to live against reality…”

We all desire peace. The world can give only temporary peace—Temporary

freedom from distraction—temporary happiness.

Pleasures, Amusement, peace from escapism are all False Peace.

Jesus knew a divine peace—an inner peace, and now He would bestow that

on His disciples.BUT without victory over the prince of

this world, eternal peace would not happen.

The forces of evil had gathered for one final assault and Jesus had to go meet

them and defeat them!

Anxiety comes from seeking peace in this world!

Anxiety comes from improper focus. Did someone tell you this world owes

you something?They were wrong!

Some people have the attitude,“If God will _____________then I will ___________.”

As if His provision of eternal life isn’t enough???

Anxiety is the interest you pay in advance before the interest is due. Anxiety will keep a person very busy, but it won’t get him anywhere. Anxiety sends more people to the hospital than all the sicknesses that can be mentioned.Anxiety kills more people than hard work. Anxiety is the producer of fear. Anxiety is borrowing a problem that cannot be paid back.

Anxiety is a grave digger. It has no sympathy. It kills prematurely. Anxiety works quietly like termites eating away people’s hearts. Anxiety anticipates the trouble, which

may not really come.

No wonder Jesus said “Do not let you heart be distressed. You believe in God;

believe also in me. John 14:1 NET "