SERMON TITLE: Anxiousness
TEXT: Luke 10:38-42; Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 5-3-20
I want to welcome all of you who are joining us this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I want all of you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
Now the owner of the sweater — and if you have no idea what I’m talking about — you need to go watch last week’s sermon — but the sweater owner is our very own worship director Shaun Meloy. Not sure how many of you guessed Shaun last week — but be sure to let everyone know in the comments if Shaun was your guess.
During this season — of not being able to meet together — all of us have things that we miss. And one of the things that I really miss —is being able to say hi to all of the kids — I like to go around and say hi to as many of our young ones at Gateway as I can. So I want to take time right now to say hi to Shaun’s daughter Laurel. So “Hi Laurel — I hope you’re doing well and — Happy Birthday!” — she has a birthday this weekend.
We are in the third week of our series where we’re looking at some emotions that most of us have experienced during this pandemic. Two weeks ago we began by looking at the emotion of loneliness. Last week, we looked at the emotion of emptiness. And next week, we’ll finish this series by looking at the emotion of depression. But today — the emotion we’ll be looking at is anxiousness.
And we’re examining each of these emotions by looking at the lives of some individuals in the Bible. We examined the emotion of loneliness by looking at a moment in the life of a man named Elijah. Last week — we went even further back in history — to the time of the judges — and looked at emptiness in the life of a woman named Naomi. And — today — we’re going to jump hundreds of years into the future — after Naomi — to the time when Jesus was here on earth. And we’re going to look at the emotion of anxiousness through the life of a woman named Martha.
So if you have your Bible please turn with me to the Gospel of Luke. We’ll be in the 10th chapter — looking at verses 38-42. Then we’ll be looking at Jesus’ words found in the sixth chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Now since we’re looking at two different passages, let me quickly give you the context for each of them.
In our first passage — from Luke — Luke is wanting us to see a comparison between our text and the verses that come just before it. So what comes just before our verses? The parable of the Good Samaritan. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the parable. Jesus was questioned by an expert in religious law about what a person has to do in order to inherit eternal life. And in response — Jesus asks the lawyer, “Well what did Moses say?” And the short version — of the lawyer’s answer — is “To love God and to love your neighbor.” But he follows up by asking Jesus, “But who is my neighbor?” To which Jesus gives the parable of the Good Samaritan. Where a person — despised by the Jews — is the hero of the story. Though there are a few religious leaders in the parable — none of them show love to a person in need. But the least likely person in the parable does.
And — the point of the parable — is that Jesus wanted to show this religious lawyer — and us — how you can “hear” God’s Word but not really “hear” it. How you can “know” what God requires of you but not “know” it. You can be all studied up on the Christian faith and yet not be changed by your study. And that’s a dangerous place to be — because it’s possible to find yourself in the presence of Jesus and yet be so concerned — or anxious — about other things that you don’t even see him.
Now in Matthew, we find ourselves in the middle of what’s known as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It’s called that because it’s a sermon that Jesus taught while on a mountain side. Go figure, right? And the text we’re going to look at comes right after Jesus preaches on the one thing we all hate to hear a preacher talk about — money! Jesus had just told the crowd — that had gathered to hear him preach — to not store up treasures here on earth but to store up treasures in Heaven. And then — right before our verses — Jesus says, “You can’t serve God and be enslaved to money.” And I think we’ll just leave Jesus’ statement right there.
So with that as the background for these two passages, here are the words found in Luke chapter 10 — beginning in verse 38 — and again — this is right after the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
And now turn with me to Matthew chapter 6 — beginning in verse 25 — right after Jesus’ “you can’t serve God and money” statement.
“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. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)
Anxiety is the emotion we’re looking at today. Now before we get too far along, what do I mean by anxiety? Well if we think of fear as a reaction to a real or perceived present threat — anxiety is a reaction to real or perceived future threat. So anxiety has a future focus to it.
Now anxiety’s been described as “walking down a dark alley without knowing where you’re going or what’s waiting for you at the end of the alley. It’s like swimming in an ocean with no land in sight. It’s like watching a scary movie — when you’re sure that something is about to happen — one of those jump scares that gets you — but it doesn’t come — and you spend the rest of the movie waiting for it to happen. Anxiety is the feeling of being certain that the world is about to end — but you’re the only person who knows — and everyone else is just downplaying things — telling you to stop worrying.”
Now in our culture — especially here is the US — anxiety is something that’s either viewed as shameful — something you shouldn’t talk about because it’s a sign of weakness — or — the other view of anxiety is to basically put all anxiety into one box — thus everyone with anxiety needs to be treated the same way.
Now — here early on — let me affirm something. I want to affirm the good that therapy and counselors and the mental health professionals do for those who are struggling with all kinds of things — including anxiety. I’m so thankful for the many professionals we have — who are part of Gateway — helping others find wholeness and health. And — even to be more clear — needing medication to deal with anxiety — or other things — isn’t a sign of weakness. And it’s not a sign that you lack faith. As I was recently reading in a book (Why Emotions Matter by Tristen and Jonathan Collins.), though we tend to think of ourselves as bodies who think and feel — that’s not the best view of how we’re made. Thinking and feeling and our physical bodies are all interconnected. You can’t separate them. The point is that medications can be helpful because of this interconnectedness between our thoughts, our emotions, and our bodies.
But where we must be careful — for example with the first view where anxiety is a weakness — we must be careful because this view falsely assumes that mental health is vastly different from other types of health. My sons — for example — are type-1 diabetics — not because they’re weak — but because their pancreas has stopped producing insulin. And the same is true for those who need medication for anxiety or other mental health related issues.
But I also want to acknowledge that we live in a culture that’s probably too dependent on medications to solve our problems — and not just our mental health struggles. Overmedicating can be just as much of a problem as seeing medication as a sign that a person lacks real faith in God.
So here’s where the Christian faith offers a different perspective. The Christian faith begins by being honest that there are times in life when anxieties can overwhelm us.
Now I hope this brings relief for some of us — because many Christians view being anxious as sinful. Why? Well — for one — the words of Jesus that we read earlier — “Do not be anxious for tomorrow.” Or because the apostle Paul said, “Do not be anxious about anything.” (Philippians 4:6) But — without getting too far into the weeds — let me try and explain the complexities of this emotion — with these kinds of verses — by showing you four different reasons — not all of the reasons — but four different reasons for anxiety. (See Hans Urs von Balthasar, The Christian and Anxiety (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2000) for more information.)
Reason one. Anxiety may be given to us directly from God for our benefit. OK — remember — fear is our response to a real or perceived immediate threat — and anxiety is our response to a real or perceived future threat. So — in this first way — God giving us anxiety for our benefit — anxiety is a great warning system alerting us to potential danger.
An example. Say you’re walking in the woods. You’re not afraid — just enjoying the scenery. And then say — you start seeing all of the signs of bears being nearby. Maybe you see claw marks or footprints or bear pooh — whatever — and it’s obvious that bears are somewhere in your vicinity. Being anxious about bears is now the appropriate — natural — response. This isn’t sinful. In fact it would be foolish to stay in the area even if you think that “no bear can touch me because I believe in Jesus.” Believe it or not — you can believe in Jesus and be dumb. And — by the way — don’t ever invite me to walk with you in the woods.
So anxiety may be given to us directly from God for our benefit.
Reason two. Anxiety may be due to a disordered physiological response that is not sinful, but needs proper treatment. Now I don’t have any expertise here — but we are physical beings and the fall — sin coming into the world — has affected all of who we are. And our biology can have malfunctions that are not the fault of the individual. And this is where professionals can be of great help. But this kind of anxiety is not sinful even though it’s the result of living in a sin stained world.
So anxiety may be due to a disordered physiological response that is not sinful, but does need proper treatment.
Third, our anxiety may be a natural consequence of sin. This one’s different than the previous ones in that some types of anxiety are a result of the sinful choices we’ve made.
And finally, our anxiety may be a sinful response to God’s providential care. Now I think this category is what we Christians can often be too quick to label other Christians with — that the reason why they’re anxious is because they’re not trusting God. And though this can be the case — it doesn’t have to always be the case — especially for people who have anxiety due to physiological reasons.
But — to be clear — if we’re not trusting God — we are sinning. Now — I don’t want to speak for you — but for me personally — without being able to read people’s hearts and motives — I hesitate to go here too quickly. And — instead — I think — it would be much more loving to come alongside those who are struggling with anxiety without the assumption that their issue is that they don’t trust God.
But back to our current circumstances. We must remember that the Christian faith offers a variety of help for these anxious times — such as prayer, Bible reading, meditating on the promises of God, and seeking professional help. So we’re not to downplay our anxious thoughts — and we’re not to judge others who are struggling with anxiety — but we should comfort one another — especially those who are struggling — reminding them of the promises of God while not being close minded to the type of help professionals can offer.
And what our current circumstances have revealed — is how many of our normal coping strategies for anxiety aren’t as effective as we thought they were. What do I mean? I mean staying busy — so you don’t have to time think or worry — well that was a key strategy for many of us and we’ve been forced to slow down and face our anxiety. But a blessing — in all of this — is the opportunity we’ve been given to lean into and trust God — believing that he does care for us.
So let’s go back to our two texts and see what we can learn about anxiousness.
And the first thing we see is this. Anxiousness can cause busyness in our lives. Anxiousness can cause us to be busy — running around — to and fro — instead of focusing on the more important things in life — because we think that our busyness will distract us from our anxiousness.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
Now we tend to give Martha a hard time — especially from this moment in her life. She’s the one whose priorities seem to be all out of whack — while Mary — well she’s the one we’re told to be like. But before we go down that path, did you notice who it was who invited Jesus into the home? It wasn’t Mary. It was Martha. Yet — once Jesus is in her house — Martha’s anxiousness causes her to become so busy that she misses being present with the one she’s invited into her home.
But the words that Jesus uses to describe Martha — are words that could be used to describe many of us today — “anxious and troubled about many things.” And I think that most of us would agree that our anxiety — thinking about possible fear-filled future outcomes — only robs us of the moment we’re living. As one pastor — who struggled with a variety of mental health issues — said, “Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” (C.H. Spurgeon) If you can relate to that quote, let me know in the comments. How have you experienced anxiety emptying today of its strength and joy?
Now Mary did choose the good portion — or — as another translation says it “the one thing worth being concerned about.” (NLT) And her doing so — is so unique — because it goes against the cultural expectations for women in her day. Martha’s doing exactly what a woman would’ve been expected to be doing. But Mary isn’t. Mary — in sitting at Jesus’ feet — is showing that she’s a follower of Jesus — one of his disciples. Mary’s showing that Jesus is always to be at the top of our priorities.
But one other thing about Martha’s anxiousness. It results in her being overly focused on herself even as she’s trying to serve others. Notice — that as she complains to Jesus about Mary — she’s focused on herself. “Jesus, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving by myself. Tell her to help me.” You see, our anxiousness can get us so focused on ourselves that we even miss Jesus’ presence with us. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
So here’s what we learn from Martha’s story. Anxiousness can make us busy — causing us to miss out on the most important things in life.
Now in Matthew’s gospel — we see an opportunity that our current circumstances have given us. Slowing down — unable to distract ourselves from our anxiety by being busy — this has given us the opportunity to see that God can be trusted. That we can trust God because he really does care for us. You see — it’s not just our anxiety that our busyness distracts us from — but our busyness keeps us from seeing how trustworthy God is. So an unexpected gift — in these unusual days — is getting to learn more of — and lean into — God’s promises to us. And we find this in Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 6.
“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. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)
Here Jesus teaches us that God can be trusted — which is a great help in facing our anxiety. Remember — anxiety is fear that’s future focused. Yet Jesus — here — tells us not to worry about what we will — that’s in the future — what we will eat or drink. He tells us not to worry about our body or what we will wear. Why? Well Jesus says there’s more to life than those things — which sounds pretty ridiculous because he didn’t say video games, or our cancelled vacation, or what will my high school graduation be like — he said don’t worry about food and drink, our bodies and clothes — those are what we call pretty basic necessities to life. So why aren’t we to worry — or be anxious — about these essentials?
“Well look out at nature,” Jesus says. “God takes care of the birds — so why would you think he won’t take care of you? Or look at the flowers — how beautifully God clothes them — so why worry about whether God will clothe you or not?” Worrying about things like this is what people who don’t believe in God do — but God’s people — the opportunity for us — is to shift our focus — from these things — to his Kingdom. To God’s righteousness. And as we put our focus on God — who he is and what he’s like — and when we put our focus on what he’s doing in the world — like the fact that his Kingdom is coming here on earth just like it is in Heaven — when our focus is on God’s King — Jesus — our eyes are taken off of the things that so often overwhelm us and — instead — we’re overwhelmed by God. As an old hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” (Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus)
You see, when it comes to being overwhelmed — well earthly things that cause us to worry can’t even begin to compare with what it means to be overwhelmed by Jesus and his grace. Because — as we focus ourselves on him — we realize that he is faithful — and in turning to him — we find his promises to care for all of our needs even when we find ourselves in a day that’s full of trouble.
And do you want to know an unexpected blessing of focusing on Jesus instead of focusing on all of the things that tend to cause us anxiety? An unexpected blessing is that we gain life. You see — Jesus says — by worrying we don’t add a single day to our lives. And — in fact — worrying all the time and trying to cover up our anxiety by living a busy life — actually robs us of life. Ancient Jewish leaders understood this and spoke about how worry — and a troubled heart — shortened a person’s life. (See Sirach 30:24)
So focus on Jesus — today. Turn your eyes to him. Trust him — today — tomorrow will come. And know that tomorrow — well — Jesus will be with you tomorrow just like he’s with you today — and always.
Now I hope that’s an encouragement to you, but you may still ask: So — Josh — what can we do with our anxiety or what are some things I can do to be less anxious? Now there’s no one size fits all — so you may find some of these recommendations to be helpful — and others you may have tried before and found them to be duds. But here are some suggestions.
First, read the Bible. The YouVersion Bible app has several Bible reading plans that focus on anxiety and worry. On our Facebook and church online pages, you should be seeing links to some reading plans right now.
And I want to stay here — with the Bible — for a moment because one of the great antidotes to our anxiety — and I’ve already mentioned this — but a great help to us is to remind ourselves of the unshakeable and immoveable promises that God has given to us. Now — remember — this is just one tool in our toolbox — but remembering the promises of God is a powerful tool.
For instance, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re becoming anxious because you’re thinking, “I don’t feel capable of accomplishing this task. What if I don’t do it right?” Remember that God’s promise to Paul is his promise to you.
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT)
“Josh, well I’m anxious because I’ve lost my job and I’m worried about how I will support my family?” Remember...
The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5b-7, ESV)
“Josh, well I feel like I’m failing as a parent. I’m tired and there’s so much that I know I should be doing that I’m not doing. And it’s all overwhelming me.” Remember that...
Jesus [has] said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Or if you wonder, “Josh, what if the thing I fear most becomes reality?” Remember that…
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28, NLT)
And I could keep going on for a long time — here — reminding you of God’s promises to his people — but we need to move on to some of the other tools at our disposal.
Second, seek out Christian fellowship. The weather is warming up and though we have to stay six feet apart, we can do that sitting in driveways. You can go on a walk and keep six feet apart from someone else. Or you can call or video chat with someone to talk about what’s making you anxious. Physical distancing doesn’t have to equal no social interaction.
Third, serve. I’m so thankful for the multitude of you who have stepped up to serve others in this crisis. Serving others is a great way to find another network of support. And serving gives you a break from your normal routine which often helps with anxious thoughts. We’ve been mentioning this for weeks now — but go to our COVID-19 page on our website — gatewayepc.org — to sign up to serve those in need.
Fourth, here are just some random things you can do. Take a time out. Take some deep breaths. Listen to some calming music. Eat well-balanced nutritious meals. Don’t skip meals. Limit your alcohol and caffeine. Get enough sleep. Do some form of exercise on a regular basis. And don’t forget to laugh — because a good laugh goes a long way for an anxious soul.
And last — not because this is least important — but because the last thing in a list is what you’ll most likely remember — don’t be afraid to seek professional help. Earlier I mentioned that we’re blessed with many trained professionals in our congregation. And God has gifted them in ways that are for all of our benefit. So please — seek help. Reach out to us — here at Gateway — and we will connect you to the folks with the expertise you may need.
So here’s reality: We all have fears and we all struggle with anxiety to some degree. And this is true even for the Christian because being a Christian doesn’t exclude us from anxiety. We’re just given additional supernatural assistance to help us face our anxiety — not in our own strength — but in the power of the One who told us to bring all of our anxieties to him because he cares for us.
And one last thing. At the very beginning, I mentioned how anxiety — when you face it — willingly or unwillingly — anxiety can be overwhelming. So now — for those of us who aren’t in that place of being overwhelmed — the way you should prepare yourself now — for future anxious thoughts — is by being overwhelmed with Jesus. Turn your eyes to him and his love for you. His patience with you. His kindness towards you. His compassion with you. Go to God’s Word and be overwhelmed with Jesus so who he is and all that he’s done for you will be your strength when anxiety begins to show itself in your life.
And for those of us who — right now — are overwhelmed by anxiety. It’s not too late to seek help and it’s never too late to seek Jesus. In fact, let me pray for you — and for all of us — to seek him so he — and not our anxiety — is what overwhelms us. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, overwhelm us with who you are. Overwhelm us with your love. Overwhelm us with your kindness and mercy and tenderness and grace. Father, overwhelm everyone listening to my voice with your beauty, power, and faithfulness. Overwhelm us.
Jesus, thank you for promising us that we can bring all of our anxieties to you because you care for us. Thank you for being patient with us — as we busy ourselves — running to and fro — all while you’re sitting in our homes — waiting for us to slow down and be with you. What love and patience you show us.
And Holy Spirit, I ask that you would give those who need courage — I ask you to give them the courage they need to seek help for their anxiety. There is no shame in admitting you need help. For when we are weak, Jesus’ shows off his strength in our lives.
So Father, Son, and Spirit, help us to trust you and your undeserved promises to us. For worrying adds nothing to our lives. But trusting you is the very definition of what it means to live. So help us to live with our eyes on you. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you have something you would like us to pray for, please submit it in the chat or use the Request Prayer button if you’re joining us on the app. We have people who would love to pray for your requests today and throughout the week. And don’t forget that you can always call the church office to talk to someone directly.
May you go being overwhelmed by Jesus and all that he’s done for you — casting all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
The notes for this sermon can be found here.
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