John 5 (3)
Overcoming discouragement
Why are so many people, and especially young people unhappy? To site just one example Reuters Reported in 2019 that suicidal thinking, severe depression, and self-injury among college age people in the United States more than doubled in the last decade.
This trend is not limited to just America. Social commentator Kay Hymowitz recently wrote, “The Germans are lonely. The Bon vivant French are lonely, and even the Scandinavians are lonely. The British prime minister recently appointed a minister of loneliness.
People have more money, better health, better housing, more education, and are living longer than at any time in history, but people, especially the young, are unhappier than at any time since data began being collected. Why?
The biggest reason. There is a loss of value and meaning. The United States of America was founded on 2 sets of values; Judaeo-Christian, and American. This combination produced the freest, most-opportunity-giving, most affluent country in world history. This isn’t bragging. It is fact. That’s why people from every country in the world have wanted to immigrate here.
In previous decades, people looked out for each other. Clubs, and churches worked to meet the needs of the less-fortunate in their communities. These organizations provided fellowship. They provided comradery. They provided meaning.
Victory Frankl, an Austrian-American psychoanalyst, wrote in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, “aside from food, man’s greatest need is for meaning.”
And nothing has given Americans, or any other people for that matter, as much of a sense of meaning as religion. As Christianity.
Our values are under attack. For decades now we have been told that our nation has a bad and immoral history, like there is any nation in the world that has been sin-free and without mistakes along the way. Our children are taught that life is just the result of an accident, and that God is dead.
Today, 1/3 of millinneals affiliate with no religion. It’s even worse in Europe.
Is it any wonder so many are depressed and discouraged? And yet, Christianity, a relationship with Christ gives more meaning and has a greater positive impact on a person’s life than anything else.
In 2016, a study was published in the Journal of American Medical Association, Jama Psychiatry. It stated that American women who attended a religious service at least once a week, were 5 times less likely to commit suicide than those who don’t. One would think a similar impact would be present for men. (PragerU)
A relationship with our heavenly Father provides meaning.
A relationship with our Heavenly Father provides identity.
A relationship with our heavenly Father provides direction.
A relationship with our Heavenly Father provides accountability.
Open your Bibles this morning and turn with me please to the book of John. John chapter 5. John chapter 5 and this morning we are going to begin in verse 17.
- Read John 5:17-29
Think, if you will, of the opportunities Jesus had to be discouraged. He had just healed a man who had been paralyzed 38 years. What did He get in response? Was He appreciated by the man whom He healed? No, the man, more concerned about the leaders’ option than grateful to Jesus for his miraculous healing, went and told the leaders who had healed him.
Were the religious leaders grateful and excited that God had worked a miracle in their midst? No. They were concerned that their rules had been broken, their authority challenged, and their positions were in danger; so they began trying, according to verse 18, all the more to kill Jesus.
That could get discouraging. In addition, Jesus had no one around Him who was like Him that He could converse with on an equal level. He was surrounded by people who didn’t understand Him and who often worked in contrary purposes to His. He was surrounded by people who wanted something from Him all the time. What a draining, demanding situation.
How does one combat that? How does remain positive, upbeat, and moving forward in such a situation? First, you remember who you are are.
1. You remember who you are.
Although, according to Philippians 2:7, Jesus emptied Himself of many of His attributes, and abilities when He came to earth in the form of a man, Jesus knew Who He was at all times.
When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples the mother of all questions, "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Mormons answer this question by saying that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer; Jehovah's Witnesses answer by saying that Jesus is the archangel Michael; New Agers say Jesus is an avatar or enlightened messenger. Jesus, however, answered by claiming that He was God.
Look there in verse 18.
- Read John 5:18
First, Jesus claimed to be the unique Son of God. As a result, the Jewish leaders tried to kill Him because in "calling God his own Father, [Jesus was] making himself equal with God" (John 5:18 NIV). In John 8:58 Jesus went so far as to use the very words by which God revealed Himself to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). To the Jews this was the epitome of blasphemy, for they knew that in doing so Jesus was clearly claiming to be God. On yet another occasion, Jesus explicitly told the Jews: " 'I and the Father are one.' Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?' 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God' " (John 10:30-33).
Furthermore, Jesus made an unmistakable claim to deity before the Chief Priests and the whole Sanhedrin. Caiaphas the High Priest asked him: " 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven' " (Mark 14:61-62 NIV). A biblically illiterate person might well have missed the import of Jesus' words. Caiaphas and the Council, however, did not. They knew that in saying he was "the Son of Man" who would come "on the clouds of heaven" he was making an overt reference to the Son of Man in Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 7:13-14). In doing so, He was not only claiming to be the preexistent Sovereign of the Universe but also prophesying that He would vindicate His claim by judging the very court that was now condemning Him. Moreover, by combining Daniel's prophecy with David's proclamation in Psalm 110, Jesus was claiming that He would sit upon the throne of Israel's God and share God's very glory. To students of the Old Testament this was the height of "blasphemy," thus "they all condemned him as worthy of death" (Mark 14:64-65).
. . . Do you remember when (sic) Jesus said to the paralytic in Luke 5:20, "Friend, your sins are forgiven". In doing so, He claimed a prerogative reserved for God alone. In addition, when Thomas worshiped Jesus saying "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28), Jesus responded with commendation rather than condemnation.” (Hank Hanegraaff - Did Jesus Claim to be God?)
That is one decision you have to make. Who is Jesus to you? If He is nothing more than a good teacher, or a good moral example, then He is no good to you.
Who is Jesus to you? A good place to start is where Doubting Thomas did. Jesus is My Lord and My God.
*** If you mean it, say that with me. Jesus is My Lord and My God.
A closer, more intimate answer would be the one David gave in the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”
Jesus had no doubt Who He was. He is God the Son.
Not only did Jesus remember Who He was, but He also remember what His goal was. Look there again please at verse 19.
- Read verse 19
2. You remember your goal
Jesus didn’t get distracted. He didn’t get overwhelmed, because He never forgot what His goal was. In this case, His goal was to do what He saw His Father doing. His goal was to get involved where He saw His Father working.
Henry Blackaby, in HIs book Experiencing God, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, writes, “God’s revelation to me of His activity, is my invitation to join Him.
Far too often, we try to do something for Jesus, for the Lord, instead of trying to figure out where God is at work and joining Him there.
You want to get frustrated? You want to get irritated? You want to get discouraged? Try to make something happen for God on your own accord, or according to your own plans and your own ideas.
Far too often we decide we want to do this for God or we want to that for God, and then we ask Him to bless what we have decided to do. That’s not the way it works. Rather, the Lord works and He invites us to join Him in the work and in the plan He already has.
Did Moses come up with the idea to free the Israelites from Egypt? No. God came to Him in a burning bush and invited him to join Him. Did Joseph come up with the idea of going to Egypt and bring about the saving of that nation and the beginning of his own? No. God sent him there. Did Jonah decide to go to Ninevah to bring about revival? No, God planned that, and Jonah reluctantly joined Him in that work. In Acts chapter 16, Paul wanted to preach in several places, but the Holy Spirit stopped him. Then, he heard the Macedonian call, and the church exploded.
Our goal is not to devise new ways to do things. Our goal is not to plan new things or to come up with new ideas. Such efforts are futile because:
1. God draws people to Himself.
2. God causes people to seek after Him.
3. God reveals spiritual truth.
4. God convicts the world of guilt regarding sin.
5. God convicts the world of righteousness.
6. God convicts the world of judgment.
We can’t do any of those things, so it is futile for us to try. So our goal is to look where God is working and to join Him in that. Henry Blackaby tells this story.
“Our church sensed that God wanted us to help start new churches all across Central and Western Canada. We had hundreds of towns and villages that had no evangelical church. In this situation, some churches would start with a population study or survey. Then they would apply human logic to decide where the most promising and productive places might be. (sic) We decided (sic) we would take a different approach. We tried to find out what God already was doing around us. We believed that He would show us where He was at work, and that revelation would be our invitation to join Him. We began praying and watching to see what God would do next in answer to our prayers.
Allan was a small town 40 miles from Saskatoon. It had never had a Protestant church. One of our members felt led to conduct a Vacation Bible School for the children in Allan. At the end of the week, we held a parents’ night. We said to the group, “We believe God may want us to establish a Baptist church in this town. If any of you would like to begin a regular Bible study group and maybe be a part of a new church, would you just come forward.”
From the back of the hall came a lady. She was weeping. She said, “I have prayed for 30 years that there would be a Baptist church in this town, and you are the first people to respond.”
Right behind her came an elderly man. He too was deeply moved and weeping. He said, “For years I was active in a Baptist church. Then I became enslaved to alcohol. Four and a half years ago I came back to the Lord. I promised God then that I would pray four to five hours every day until God brought us a Baptist church in our town. You are the first people to respond.
We didn’t have to take a survey. God had just shown us where He was at work! That was our invitation to join Him. We went back and joyfully shared with our church what God was doing. The church immediately voted to start a new church in Allan. As of today, that church in Allan has started one church and two mission churches.
God hasn’t told us to go away and do some work for Him. He has told us that He is already at work to bring a lost world to Himself. If we will adjust our lives to Him in a love relationship, He will show us where He is at work. That revelation is His invitation to us to get involved in His work. Then, when we join Him, He completes His work through us.
You want to battle discouragement? You remember who you are. You want to overcome discontent? You remember what your goal is. You want to win over despair? You remember your mission.
3. You remember your mission
- Read John 5:24
Jesus had a mission. His mission was to lead people from darkness into life. His mission was to provide eternal life.
Let me tell you my friend, nothing and no one can provide eternal life but Jesus Christ. Nothing and no one can provide salvation but Jesus Christ.
When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert and offered to make Him the ruler of the earth, Jesus took no shortcuts, for He remembered His mission, to seek and to save the lost.
After He fed the 5,000, the people came and tried to make Him king, but He refused. His mission was not to be an earthly king, with a temporary title. Jesus tells us in:
> Matthew 20:28 . . . the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus never forgot His mission. And we must never either.
This past week, Danny and Drew, who are currently traveling in Thailand, were invited by some friends, to attend a Buddhist funeral. He said, in that culture and in that community, everyone from the village attends a funeral, even if they don’t know the person who died.
So Danny and Drew, the only white people in town, and the first that some of those folks had personally seen, went to the funeral. After the Buddhist monks came in and prayed and such, individuals and families would go up and pray.
After a while, Danny and Drew’s friend and guide, Boy, told them to go up and pray. He said, “You can pray to whomever you want, and in any way you want.” So Drew and Danny went up, knelt, and prayed. Drew said, “Daddy, these folks were surprised to see white folks in their town. They were even more surprised to see us attend a funeral, but when we went up and prayed, we looked around and everyone in the room had their cell phones out, videoing these 2 Americans praying at this funeral.
Little did they know, the boys were praying that everyone in that room, everyone at that funeral, and everyone in the village would come to know the truth and would come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
- Read John 5:24, 28-29
You want to have purpose? You want to find meaning in life? Never forget we have a mission. We have an assignment. We are called to be ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, boldly proclaiming to a lost and dying world that “Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there’s no other. Jesus is the way!”
Oh my friends, we, like our Savior, must never forget who we are. We must never forget our goal, and we must never forget our mission.
At Mission possible camp, each week, we ask the children we teach those very questions. We ask them,
“MPC Cadets, who are you?”
They answer, “I am a child of God. Created in His image. I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ. I am my Savior’s servant and my brother’s keeper.
We ask them,
MPC Cadets, what is your goal?”
They answer, “My goal is to love the Lord with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my might. I will love my neighbor as myself.”
We ask them,
MPC Cadets, what is your mission?
They answer, “My mission is to make disciples of all nations.”
What is true of our Savior, what is true of our children, is also true of you. You too must remember who you are.
1. Remember who you are - My friend, you are a child of God. Created in His image. There is no one else like you. God formed you, designed you, made you, with the body, intellect, and interests that you have. You are special and unique. There is no one else in the world like you.
A couple of days ago I saw a video of a young boy with autism, and possibly blind as well, sitting in a car seat, singing, “How Great Thou Art.” Oh there is no telling how many times that video has been shared, nor how many people have seen it. I know I’ve watched the video several times myself.
I shared the video, and had one woman tell me that she and her husband were watching it and crying as they watched.
Who would have thought that a young child, disabled as he is, could impact so many people, so deeply?
> Matthew 10:29-31 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
My friend, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be downhearted. Remember who you are. You are special, unique, created in the image of God.
2. Remember your Goal - What is your goal? Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is this, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength, and the second is like unto the first, to love your neighbor as yourself.”
Is that your goal? Is loving the Lord a priority in your life?
My goodness, we can float through life like the rest of the world, or we can strive to Love God and to love our neighbors.
It was a bit of a culture shock for me when I moved from here to Memphis and then on to Arkansas, as I served as a youth pastor while I attended seminary. There were times, especially in the winter when it was cold, wet, and overcast, that waves of loneliness and homesickness threatened to overwhelm me. It sure is easy to stay at home, draw the curtains, turn on the TV, and allow those waves to come.
I discovered though, that what would often draw me out of that funk, was when I got out and got busy serving others. I would get out and get busy loving on others, and taking care of my youth, and I found that I didn’t have as much time to dwell on my situation and my circumstances.
Yes, I still returned at night, to a cold and empty house, but I had the satisfaction of having served and ministered to others.
What is your goal?
Zig Ziglar once said, “There is something worse than not reaching your goal. That is to set the wrong goal and to accomplish it.”
If your goal is to get a new car, or to buy a new house, or to pay off the mortgage, or to get that promotion, or to finally retire, or to take an amazing vacation; you may accomplish that goal: but it will never bring the peace you are looking for.
You want the peace that passes understanding? Remember who you are. Remember your goal, and remember your mission.
3. Remember your mission - Jesus had a mission, to seek and to save the lost. He gave us a mission as well. Something to live for beyond ourselves. Something that will make an eternal difference. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them. He promised to be with us as we did that as well.
What could we possibly do, that has greater significance, or a more lasting impact than to be ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ, striving to make disciples of all nations?
My word, I can’t imagine anything more discouraging than just living for the next weekend. I can’t imagine anything more discouraging than just trying to make it through another work week. How discouraging it would be to look at life as nothing more than another meal to fix, or another load of laundry to wash, or another bill to pay.
That’s not life. That’s not living. That’s drudgery. Life, living, is doing what you were designed and created to do. To make a difference. To impact people for Jesus. To join the Lord in what He is doing, where He is working. To move people a little closer to the Savior.
What an honor! What a privilege!
Who are you? I am a child of God created in His image. I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ! Oh my friend, it doesn’t get any better than that!
Prayer -
Rom. 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
