INTRODUCTION
As you know, our theme this year in CCC is Determined to Develop. Today we want to talk about one of the areas of our lives that it is most crucial for us to develop in if we are going enjoy our lives.
Do you know that God intends for you to enjoy life? When we talk about the abundant life that Jesus came to give us, that’s part of what it means; we’re supposed to enjoy life. God never intended for us to live miserable lives!
One thing that so much of the time gets in the way of us enjoying our lives is stress. I think we’ve all experienced it. We’ve all had to deal with circumstances that put us under severe pressure, and we don’t know how to control the situation. Whenever we are going through such periods of high stress, those are not enjoyable times in life. In fact, it is the times when we are feeling not just stressed, but STRESSED OUT, that are the most miserable times in our lives.
Many times when I’ve felt under a lot of stress, I have found myself looking around at other people, even people on TV, and almost envying them because they are not going through what I’m going through. But, you know what I’ve found out as a minister - and you’ve heard me say this many times - "Everybody’s got issues!" Everybody seems to be dealing with some kind of stressful situation in their lives; and they are probably envying you because you’re not going through what they are going through.
So, if we as Christians are going to have abundant life, if we are going to enjoy living our lives the way God intends for us to, we’ve got to develop in our ability to deal with stress.
Today we want to deal with three facts from the Word of God - and I think that to many of us these may be surprising facts - three facts that we need to understand about the operation of stress in our lives as Christians.
1. Stress is unavoidable in life - even in the life of a Christian.
There will never be a time, until Jesus comes, when you don’t have to deal with stress in your life. Now, in order to understand that, we first need to understand what we are talking about when we talk about stress. Let me give you a definition.
STRESS IS NEGATIVE PRESSURE APPLIED TO YOUR EMOTIONS BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED ADVERSE OR THREATENING CIRCUMSTANCES.
The important thing about stress is that it is emotional - we FEEL stress. If you don’t have a negative emotional reaction to a situation, then there is no stress in that situation for you.
ILLUS: Suppose there was a knock on your door at 11 pm, and there were two policemen standing there, and they ask, "are you so-and-so?" Do you think you might be feeling some stress in that moment? Some fear and anxiety? But what if at 10 pm you had received a phone call: “Somebody found a wallet with your driver’s license and some money. We’re going to have a squad car come by to return it to you.” If that were the situation, you would probably have no fear, no anxiety, and therefore no stress.
So, stress is not caused by the situation itself – in this case policemen knocking on your door late at night. Instead, stress has to do with NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL PRESSURE due to our PERCEPTION of there being something adverse or threatening to us in that situation.
Please turn with me to our text for today.
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
The Greek word that is translated “trials” here is exactly the same word that is translated "temptations" elsewhere. Why would the same Greek word mean both “temptations” and “trials”? I believe it is because a trial is a situation that tempts you to indulge in ungodly behavior in order to get out from under the pressure of the situation. In other words, a trial is a situation that puts you under EMOTIONAL PRESSURE to respond to an adverse circumstance in an ungodly manner. And that emotional pressure is what we call stress.
SO, WHEN THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT TRIALS IN JAMES 1:2, IT’S TALKING ABOUT STRESS.
Look at the verse again, and let’s notice some other words. First of all, it says “count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials.” When, not if! Trials are a fact of life for even the most spiritual Christian. And then, "when you FALL into various trials," which implies that it is not necessarily something you did - it may be a situation you fell into unavoidably (although much of the time our stress does result from our own actions and decisions).
ILLUS: How many have tripped and fallen long after you had learned how to walk? You didn’t plan it - it may not even have been carelessness. It is just a fact of life that sometimes we trip and fall.
So, you will "fall" into stressful situations along your path of life as a Christian. In fact, the more you grow and mature as a Christian, and the more you begin to step out to serve God and let Him use you to accomplish His mission in the world, the more stress you are going to have to deal with in life. Don’t believe me?
WHO WAS THE PERSON IN HISTORY WHO WAS SUBJECTED TO THE ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM STRESS LEVEL THAT ANYBODY HAS EVER HAD TO ENDURE?
Luke 22:44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
OK, you say, that’s Jesus - after all, He came to die for the sins of the world. Well, let’s look at the apostle Paul.
2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ?; I speak as a fool; I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness; 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
Bottom line: The more you grow and develop in your walk with God, the more the devil is going to come against you, and the greater the level of stress (negative pressure on your emotions because of adverse or threatening circumstances) you will have to deal with.
The second thing is perhaps more surprising ...
2. Stress is not only unavoidable in your life - IT’S NECESSARY!
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, THAT YOU MAY BE PERFECT AND COMPLETE, lacking nothing.
Look at what James is saying. The way to become "perfect" (fully mature) is by passing the test of faith that results from the trials or stresses we have to deal with in life. That’s why, IF YOU HAD NO STRESS IN YOUR LIFE, YOU WOULD NEVER BECOME PERFECT AND COMPLETE!
ILLUS: My wife, Priscilla, has caused a lot of stress in my life; in fact, I am married to a stress agent! Now, before you start wondering about our relationship, you need to know that if you are married at all, you are married to a stress agent too! That’s part of God’s plan. Priscilla has introduced stress in my life by being unhappy with some of my old, bachelor ways. But you know, it was that stress that motivated me to change. In many ways, I am a better person today than I was when she married me because of the stress that motivated me to make changes in my life.
And that’s why God says, when you are facing stressful circumstances in your life, instead of MGCing (Moaning, Groaning and Complaining), REJOICE! COUNT IT ALL JOY! GOD IS AT WORK IN YOUR LIFE THROUGH YOUR STRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCES!
Remember, “UNTIL THE PAIN OF STAYING THE SAME IS GREATER THAN THE PAIN OF CHANGE, YOU WON’T!”
In other words, until being the way you are now causes your stress level to become greater than the anticipated stress of change, you won’t change!
THE GREATEST TIMES OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH IN YOUR LIFE HAPPEN NOT WHEN THINGS ARE EASY, BUT WHEN YOU ARE MOTIVATED TO SEEK GOD’S HELP TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF THE STRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCE YOU ARE HAVING TO DEAL WITH.
When you pray for God to help you grow and develop spiritually, you are asking Him to allow you to go through stress!
STRESS IS GOD’S ENGINE OF CHANGE IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES.
3. But here’s the good news! You will have stress - BUT YOU DON’T NEED TO BE STRESSED OUT!
The definition of stress in Physics: A FORCE THAT TENDS TO DEFORM A BODY.
ILLUS: This chair I’m sitting in is being stressed by my weight. As a former engineer, there was a time in my life when I could calculate those stresses – but not any more! So, this chair is under stress - but it is not stressed out! The stresses on it are well within its capacity. Those stresses TEND to deform it - but they are not succeeding in deforming it to any significant extent. Well, that’s the way it’s supposed to be with us as Christians. Although we will have stress in our lives, it doesn’t have to deform us or “stress us out,” because in Christ we are well able to stand up under the pressure.
Remember our definition of stress: negative PRESSURE on our emotions due to PERCEIVED adverse or threatening circumstances. The key word is PERCEIVED … IT IS NOT THE SITUATION THAT CREATES NEGATIVE EMOTIONS - IT IS OUR PERCEPTION OF THE SITUATION.
ILLUS: Priscilla had surgery recently. Surgery is a serious thing, and there are two ways to look at it:
(1) You can perceive it as a very threatening situation by focusing on the danger and pain. In that case, you will almost certainly have a miserable experience.
(2) Or you can perceive it as an hopeful event by focusing on the intended result. Yes, there will be pain - but the outcome will be greater health and comfort.
1 Cor 10:13 No temptation (trial) has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
The key to making it through stressful circumstances without being stressed out, is seeing your circumstance not as something that threatens to do damage in your life, but as a situation in which God has already made provision for you to be victorious. If you can see God at work in your situation - if you can believe that He has it under control, and won’t let it go beyond what is necessary for maximum growth in your life ... the situation may not immediately change, but the NEGATIVE EMOTIONS that are the substance of stress will have no power over you. YOU CAN HAVE REST IN THE MIDST OF YOUR STRESS!
Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus was under maximum stress. But He was able to go through it because He kept His eyes on the joyful outcome.
Whatever stressful situations you are having to deal with in life, you need to know that God is in your situation, working it for your good.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
WHAT GOD IS SAYING IS, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH STRESS, THE WAY TO TURN YOUR STRESS INTO REST IS TO KNOW THAT GOD IS AT WORK IN THAT SITUATION FOR YOUR GOOD. He has your back!
Mat 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
