TEXT: various
TITLE: Jesus - How to Handle Stress - Part 2
SERIES: When Life Gets Messy
TOPIC: Stress
OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, October 11, 2009
PROP.: Jesus was constantly under pressure and yet remained cool, calm and collected. Here are last 4 of 8 principles we learn from His life!
INTRODUCTION: Good morning! I want to start today’s sermon by showing you a video that took place at MYM a couple weeks ago…
Last week we started a sermon series called, “When Life Gets Messy…”
Because when life gets messy, life becomes difficult.
And for some of you, your life is like eating pudding without hands.
All throughout this series, we are going to learn how to clean up the mess by looking at the lives of different people!
The beautiful thing about the Bible is that God teaches us using a lot of different people to bring about His eternal truth and principles.
Today I want to talk to you about stress. Stress makes life messy. Listen to the health problems associated with stress that we talked about last week:
Depression Heart Disease Obesity
Pain of any kind Digestive problems Autoimmune diseases
Sleep Problems Skin conditions such as eczema
Anxiety
The list goes on and on…
What is stress exactly? Websters dictionary defines stress this way:
stress /strɛs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [stres]
the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strain.
I think Bilbo Baggins (from Lord of the Rings), said it well:
“I feel like butter scraped thinly over too much bread…”
Is that how you feel?
Last week, I asked you to
write down the one thing that stresses you out the most!
Stress makes a mess out of many people’s lives.
And what we are doing is we are learning from
Jesus Christ
On how to handle stress.
And remember we told you that Jesus Christ was constantly under pressure. There were grueling demands on his time; he rarely had any personal privacy; he was constantly interrupted. People repeatedly misunderstood him, criticized him, and ridiculed him. He had enormous stress which would have caused any of us to cave in.
But as we take an overview of the entire life of Christ, it becomes clear that not only did Christ stand strong - he lived life with grace and peace.
And believe me, I know the danger of using the life of Christ as an example. As soon as I said “let’s look at what we can learn from Jesus about how to live our lives” some of you checked out mentally.
You are gone. Why? Because you have it in your mind that, “well, that’s Jesus! He’s God! I can never live like Jesus lived.”
And you’re right. You are not going to live a sinless, perfect life like Jesus did! And it’s true that Jesus is special and unique! He lived his life free from the mistakes of sin…that’s what qualified Him to be a sacrifice on our behalf.
But what I think we tend to forget is that just as true as it is that Jesus was fully God, it’s also just as true that Jesus was fully human!
Just like you, Jesus could only be in one place at one time. Just like you, Jesus had emotions that needed to be kept in check. Just like you, Jesus became tired, hungry, hot, cold. And yet, Jesus handled His stress in the right way!
Have you ever wondered why Jesus never used his miraculous power to serve himself? It’s true! Jesus, even though He had miraculous power at his finger tips, never used his power to make life easy or less complicated for Himself. And I believe the reason why Jesus spent 33 years on this earth was to show us how to live. To give us instructions on how to live this life.
And so
T.S. Today, I want to give you the final four principles for handling stress that we learn from Jesus.
Last week, I gave you the first 4 principles of stress management that we learn from Jesus…they were:
I. Identification: Know Who You Are -
If you don’t confidently know who you are, you will have stress trying to be what other people want you to be. All too often stress is caused by us living double lives, wearing masks and not being who God created us to be!
Jesus knew exactly who he was! He had no problems declaring to others so there would be no confusion on the matter.
Second principle I gave you last week was…
II. Dedication: Know who you are trying to please
If you are a people pleaser, then you know how much stress it can cause trying to please everyone! You don’t like it when a someone is upset with you and because it’s impossible to please everyone all the time, you will be stressed out trying to please everyone!
3rd principle to handling stress:
III. Organization: Know what you’re trying to accomplish
Organization will reduce your stress. Planning ahead is always a good idea and for those who are prepared, stress will be minimal.
4th principle in stress management:
IV. Concentration: Focus on one thing at a time!
Multi-tasking is something is popular in our culture today - but the problem with multi-tasking is that you may get a lot done…but none of it will be done with excellence because there is simply too much to do!
So those are the first 4 principles Jesus demonstrated so masterfully throughout his life, relationships and ministry.
Today, we are going to learn the final four principles in how to handle stress!
And so, the 5th principle for handling stress is…
V. Delegation: Don’t do it all by yourself!
Mark 3:13-15
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve—designating them apostles[b]—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons.
How many apostles were there? 12! Jesus appointed twelve men, whom he designated as apostles, so they might be with him and he could them out to preach.
A. Get the right perspective
Do you know why we get uptight and tense? Because we think everything depends on us. “Here I am - Atlas - holding up the cares of the world. They’re all on my shoulders. If I happen to let go, the world will fall apart.”
But when I really do let go, I discover the world doesn’t fall apart! Jesus enlisted and trained twelve disciples so that they could share in his load. He delegated his work. He got other people involved.
B. Why don’t we delegate?
Why don’t we delegate? Why don’t we get other people involved? Why do we try to do it all ourselves?
Two reasons.
1. Perfectionism - We think - “If I want a job well done, I’ll do it myself.” That’s a nice idea, but often it doesn’t work well because there are too many things to be done. And we’re busy focusing on everything else that must be done so we end up doing a lot of things done just ok. Nothing is done with excellence because we’re too busy!!
Do you think Jesus would have done a better job than these disciples? Of course he would have! But he let them do the work even though he would have done it better. We need to let other people make some of the mistakes so that they can learn, the way the disciples did. Don’t rob others of an education!
The second reason we don’t let others help…
2. Personal insecurity. “What if I turn over this responsibility to someone, and he does a better job at it?” That thought is threatening to us.
We also don’t want people to know we need help.
To ask for help is for some people to admit failure! That’s crazy! But I’ve known some guys who would rather break their back trying to lift something too heavy for them than to go and get someone to help them!!!
This macho I don’t need help” attitude must stop! Especially in a church where you are blessed with many brothers and sisters!
Put aside your insecurities and ask for help! And you can put an end to your personal insecurities if you know who you are, whom you’re trying to please and what you’re trying to accomplish and what one thing you are to focus on.
To alleviate your stress, delegate! In order to effective, you must get other people involved because you can’t focus on more than one thing at time and be effective.
The 6th principle in dealing with stress is the principle of Meditation.
VI. Meditation: Make a habit of personal prayer
Let’s get personal - How much time a week do you spend in PERSONAL prayer? Quiet, personal, silent, prayer time. How are you doing at that?
We have a lot of habits…but few of us would include prayer as one of those.
So if prayer is not a habit of yours, then pay special attention to the lessons learned in this single verse alone…
A. LESSONS learned about prayer
Mark 1:35 “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place to pray.”
A. Very early in the morning
Designate a time of prayer where you won’t be interrupted. Morning is best because prayer first thing in the morning sets your attitude right with the day!
B. Jesus Got up -
He was intentional about spending time in prayer. It didn’t just happen. You have to schedule a time of prayer or it won’t happen!
C. solitary place
There is a time to pray with people. Praying with others can be the most spiritual revitalizing things you can do…but there is certainly a place for praying by yourself away from other people!
Jesus needed the constant connection that prayer brings to help Him endure and thrive.
IF JESUS - GOD’S SON - NEEDED PRAYER, HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU THINK YOU AND I NEED IT???
B. Benefits of prayer
1. Prayer is a Gigantic stress reliever! Someone once said, “Prayer is the decompression chamber for life’s stresses!”
We are reminded of this in…
Philippians 4:6 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God
If you are stressed out and your worried about something, give it to God! Let Him deal with it! Too often we burden someone else with our problems and worries and stress. Now there’s nothing wrong with confiding in a friend from time to time, but if complaining to other people is your primary function for relieving stress, it’s time to give your burdens to someone who can do something about them…tell it to God!
You see, your burdens are no longer your burdens when you pray about them. They become God’s.
ILLUSTRATION: I must tell Jesus.
2. Prayer also reminds you are not alone…that God is with you. When you start your day off by talking to God, it reminds you that you’re not crazy talking to yourself, you are talking to the one who causes the sun to rise! And God knows exactly what you will face that day!
So it might be a good idea to talk over your day with God, don’t you think?
It is my desire for you to be a person of prayer! That whenever you are faced with a problem of any magnitude, your instant reaction is to PRAY ABOUT IT!
That when you wake up - one of the first things you do and is included as your daily ritual is talk your day over with God.
CAN I CHALLENGE YOU TO TRY THIS JUST FOR ONE WEEK? Wake up 5 minutes extra and SCHEDULE some time to pray for your day! I’m serious about this…try it for this week. Wake up…and before you head out the door - PRAY!
What exactly do you pray about?
Pray about what your worried about that day. Pray specifically for that day! Not tomorrow. Not next week. Pray for the day you are about to face!!!
Pray that you will have a good attitude with the people you interact with for that day.
Pray that you will do what God wants you to do and not what you want to do!
Pray these three things and see how your week goes, ok?
And if we would be a people of prayer, our stress would be greatly minimized!
The 7th principle to reduce your stress is the principle of recreation.
VII. Recreation: Take time off to enjoy life
In Mark 6:30,31 there is recorded some important verses that you and I need to read and pay attention to!
30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
Jesus looked at these men who had been working hard without relief and said, “You deserve a break! Let’s get some rest. Let’s take some time off.”
A. Know when to rest
One reason why Jesus could handle stress is that he knew when to relax. He frequently went to either the mountains or the desert just to get away and unwind.
Where is your desert or mountain?
You NEED a place for you to unwind. And for whatever reason some people feel guilty about taking time off. Maybe it’s a fear of being lazy…or they feel they must constantly be working just to keep up…I don’t know. But if that describes you - did you know that rest and relaxation is so important that God included it in the 10 commandments?
The Sabbath was made for mankind because God knows that our physical, emotional, and spiritual constitutions demand periodic breaks.
And God designed your body and mind to work that it will become clear when you need a break! Pay attention to these warning signs - you may just need a break!
WARNING SIGNGS:
1. Numbness - nothing makes you happy. Nothing gets you excited anymore. You are numb the things in life that used to bring you a smile. If that’s you - you need a break!
2. Fatigue (You are tired) - When you are physically exhausted even after a full night’s rest, it may be time for a break! And instead of taking a break - we resort to energy bars, more coffee or something else to get us through the day when maybe what our body needs is some time to rest and enjoy life!
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! God created it to let you know when something isn’t’ right!!!
3. Agitation - If you snap at people for no apparent reason, and small things irritate you, it’s time for you to take a break! Time away from the rigmarole and strain of day to day duties and responsibilities is exactly what you need!
There are other warning signs that you need a break, but these are quite possibly the biggest ones that affect you and the ones you love.
B. Maintain your boundaries
And when you know WHEN to rest and you are resting - whether it be your day off or vacation time scheduled - don’t compromise that.
IF possible - turn off the cell phone…get away from the computer. Those are things that can threaten your boundaries of time away!
Recreate and do something that you want to do! When you recreate, when you enjoy life
The 8th principle of stress management is one that Jesus didn’t need because He is God. But you need it because you are human. The 8th principle is:
VIII. Transformation: Give your stress to Christ
If you are a stressed out mess of a person plagued by pressures and burdens in this life then you need understand this principle today!
Listen to Jesus’ plea with you and with me found in Matthew 11:28-30
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
How do you transform from the stressful mess that is you into a a person who is at peace?
You do what Jesus commands…
first
A. “Come to me…”
If you want to get rid of stress, recognize that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is God! He is the one who has a master plan. A lot of our stress occurs when we live our lives apart from the God who created us, trying to go our own way and be our own god.
It’s only when we come to the prince of peace, surrender our lives to Him, that we are promised rest from our burdens. That we are promised the peace that surpasses all understanding!
Coming to Jesus is the first step to transformation - and it’s be the biggest step! It’s the most important step!
Because when we come to Jesus, we get the Holy Spirit - the warrior inside of us - fighting for us, guiding us - giving us peace!
Second, Jesus says:
B. LEARN from me!
For those who have come to Christ and you’re still stressed out about life, you need to LEARN from Christ!
Isn’t it comforting to know that learning to live as Christ lived is a LEARNING process! It will take time to learn! You won’t get it right each and every time! LEARN!
That’s what the purpose of these two sermons have been all about! LEARNING FROM CHRIST! How he handled life. How he handled people. How he handled ministry.
CONCLUSION:
Jesus teaches us:
1. Identification - know who you are
2. Dedication - know whom you’re trying to please
3. Organization - know what you are to accomplish
4. Concentration - focus on one thing at a time
5. Delegation - don’t do it all yourself
6. Meditation - get a prayer habit going on
7. Recreation - take time to enjoy life
And then you’ll have
8. Transformation - a stress free life.
We now come to our time of decision. If you would like to be baptized or place membership, won’t you come forward and make that known to us at this time!
