Gtcotr/ss091822
No one does anything better than Jesus. He always knows what to say and what to do to deal with the matters at hand. I suppose it would be impossible to give better advice or more meaningful counsel than that of simply quoting the Bible in such a way that it conveys the message God originally intended.
I have often said that “The Word of God is not the Word of God unless it is the Word of God.” The devil attempted to confuse Jesus by quoting scripture out of context. As well, some people through the ages have tried to bend or interpret scriptures to prove or support their personal point of view. However, the best way to understand the Bible is to simply read it in light of the one-story God is telling.
The one story of the Bible is a story of redemption. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, not to condemn the world but to redeem them. We must be one of the most fortunate generations ever to have lived due to the instant access we have to the Holy Scriptures. We are truly a blessed generation.
This morning I want to share what the Bible has to say about battling the worries of life. We see God helping people solve problems throughout the Bible, beginning with Genesis 1 and carrying on through Revelation 22. The Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to give a simple 4 step approach to help people who are dealing with troubles, trials, tragedies, and attacks from their enemies. We find this counsel of the Holy Spirit in:
Philippians 4 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all
he has done.
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Don’t worry about anything! But how does a person battle worry when threatened with a personal loss, sickness, divorce, bankruptcy, unplanned pregnancy, betrayal, the death of a loved one, or some other trouble, trial, tragedy, or attack? Where is the foundation upon which I stand? What are the steps I can take to deal with my temptations to be anxious?
We find answers throughout the Bible and this morning I want to take a well-known, but less used passage from the Gospel of John to suggest some steps you can take to battle worry in times of trouble.
John 8
2 Now early in the morning Jesus
came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and
taught them.
3 Then the scribes and
Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her
in the midst,
4 they said to Him, “Teacher,
this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
5 “Now Moses, in the law,
commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
6 This they said, testing
Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus
stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did
not hear.
7 So when they continued
asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among
you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
8 And again He stooped down
and wrote on the ground.
9 Then those who heard it,
being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with
the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman
standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had raised
Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are
those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
In closing allow me to share the 4 steps I use to help me battle the worries of life.
1.
Minimize the problem.
a. Don’t allow the
problem to get bigger than God
b. Don’t let it dominate
your moment, or the thoughts in your mind or in the minds of others around you.
c. Jesus acted as though
He did not even hear them.
d. Jesus didn’t feel
obligated to enter into their drama
2.
Contain the problem.
a. Jesus didn’t make a
public statement about what these men were doing or about what they had done …
b. Let him who is without
sin cast the first stone! … that’s the best New Testament counsel ever …
c. Jesus was the bridge
between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant – between judging sinners in
their sin, and separating sinners from their sin.
d. This was a “You have
heard it said … but I say unto you …” moment.
e. And it seems whatever
He wrote was between Him and them.
f. Jesus just wanted to forgive,
redeem, and save everybody!
3.
Neutralize the problem.
a. Jesus waited for the
Holy Spirit to neutralize the anger and resentment and hatred these men must
have felt in their minds.
b. Jesus removed the
threat against the woman, against the men who accused her, and against Himself.
c. Give the Holy Spirit a
little time and He can do that with anything.
4.
Build beyond the problem.
a. Jesus gave the woman
counsel as to what to do with her life.
b. Don’t allow your past
to control your future.
c. And I believe those
men left there changed as well.
d. Build something better and something beyond.
The
Pharisees were not concerned about the woman or about the Law of Moses … for
them it was all about Jesus. However Jesus made it all about them and the
woman. That’s what love does … Love makes it all about
others.
