Your Stress

Welcome to Gateway Churches Podcast.

Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message.

This is the beginning of a new series.

So my dad, Pastor Robert, and I will be actually sharing a series.

And so it is a six-week series.

There will be a small break in between for somebody named Joyce Meyer.

So on May 4th and 5th.

So that's gonna be absolutely amazing.

But the title of this series is Jesus in the center.

Jesus in the center.

Now you notice I'm saying it slow because I didn't want it to anyone to accidentally hear.

Jesus is a sinner.

Jesus is not a sinner.

He lived a perfect life, but Jesus is in the center.

Meaning, whatever circumstance you're in, whatever you're going through, Jesus is the center.

And that's what we will be looking at.

So today's message, I'll go ahead and share it.

Jesus is the center.

Jesus is in the center of your stress.

So the title of today's message is Your Stress.

And I want to start off with a story.

So as a kid, all growing up, my grandpa had a boat.

And so my family all the time would go and borrow his boat.

We used it more than he did.

But because of that, I grew up driving boats.

I drove boats all the time growing up, and I think I can drive a boat pretty good.

However, there was this one time, and we go out on the boat, but we actually are driving when my dad just got a brand new boat.

It's one of our first times to be in this boat.

So it is my wife and our kids.

We're driving this boat.

I'm the driver, and we do this at times.

We bring snacks for the kids.

But my wife packed Oreos for this boat ride for an evening cruise.

And I'm watching my kids eat these Oreos, and crumbs are falling down.

Slowly, I'm getting more and more stressed.

I'm getting more and more anxious.

I'm getting anxiety building up.

And I should be the boat driver that's very aware of what's ahead of me.

But I allow these Oreos to actually distract me in such a way that it's until the point that we heard this.

That's not a good sound.

And then the entire boat started shaking.

We had to stop.

We realized that I ended up running over a buoy that happened to be in the middle of the lake in order to mark the channel of the lake.

I allowed a small crumb of Oreo to distract me of all that was ahead of me and caused me to then have to buy my dad a brand new, very expensive propeller for his boat.

So my burden for today is: are there distractions, are there stresses that are small things that the enemy is using that will actually cause us to miss what God has right in front of us?

Perhaps there's something right in front of us that we are headed towards, but yet something as small as an Oreochrome could cause you to miss it.

So that's what we will be looking at today.

And so the title of today's message is Your Stress.

And point number one is your stress could be his test.

Your stress could be his test.

And to do this, we will look at Matthew 20, uh Matthew 8, starting in verse 23.

Now, this is right after Jesus did all of these amazing miracles.

It's time to now cross the Sea of Galilee.

So he loads up in the boat with his disciples, and here they are to cross the sea.

Picking up there, it says, now, when he got into the boat being Jesus, his disciples followed him.

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea.

Now I know we don't use the word tempest that often.

It's a big windstorm.

Today was very tempest, I guess.

So it's just a really big windstorm.

And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep.

Then his disciples came to him and woke and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we are perishing.

But he said to them, Why are you fearful?

O you of little faith.

Then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea, and there was a great calm.

So the men marveled, saying, Who can this be that even the winds in the sea obey him?

Now, there are a few things I'm wanting to point out here.

I'll start off a little bit more simple.

What are the chances in this big windstorm that this will be the moment Jesus dies?

Now, we all in here are thinking, no, it's zero chance that Jesus is gonna die on this boat because we see Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior.

But so what are the chances?

Otherwise, listen, the Bible would be one of the most anticlimatic books.

John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to go on a very rough boat ride for you.

That's not what it would be.

So obviously, this is not the way Jesus is about to go out.

But we know that because we know who Jesus is.

We know what who what Jesus is called to do.

But the disciples knew, and he, it is always a test of our faith.

Because there could be a trial in our life to think, yeah, but do we really believe Jesus is who he says that he is?

And so this is a moment of that for the disciples, that they are actually tested to say, you know, Jesus has been very bold about who he is as the savior, but do I really believe it?

Do I really believe because this storm seems really dangerous?

And I know he's Jesus, but look at this storm.

And so here it is, this storm that's coming up.

And Jesus was always very confident with his disciples in telling them, I am the Savior.

I am the Son of God.

And so we see this over and over.

And so in this, we get an opportunity, or the disciples get an opportunity to say, Do I really believe he is who I say that he is?

Because if so, you realize that you're in the boat with Jesus and you're actually in the safest place you could possibly be.

So he was actually in the safest place he could be.

Listen, Jesus uh was told the disciples, I am the Savior, I am the Lord.

He told them this all the time.

It's not like Jesus went through, well, I'll start, Jesus turned the water into wine, but his mom was telling him, Hey, I need you to do this for me.

And he was saying, Mom, you know I can, I'm the son of God, but it's not my timing now.

It's not my time to be doing that.

And so Jesus obviously could, in fact, in his baptism, like I know we're doing baptism this weekend, but whenever he was baptized, the entire service was interrupted by the Father and the Holy Spirit showing up and saying, This is my son in whom I am well pleased.

So he was very much so declaring to his disciples, I am the Savior.

This is a test.

We will have moments that we are tested to say, but yes, but do we really believe he is who he says that he is?

It's not like Jesus went through a son of God puberty time.

Where he was like sitting around the campfire with the disciples and was like, I don't know, guys, I feel this change in my body, like maybe I'm the son of God.

He said from the very beginning, come and follow me.

Come, I am the Savior.

So we see this all throughout scripture that Jesus declaring this with his disciples, saying, This is who I am.

And in fact, uh both Bridget and I were studying for our master's at the King's University.

If any of you want to grow in your knowledge, it is a fantastic way to do that.

And so here we are studying for this, and in this, we are taking a class, and what I did is I basically did uh a paper about all that Jesus, all who Jesus is based on who Jesus said that he was.

So, meaning I used all, only the red letters, only the red words, meaning these are the words that Jesus said in the Bible, and it declares who he says that he is.

So let me just read a couple of what Jesus said about who he is.

This is basically part of his autobiography.

He says, I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the good shepherd, I am the door to the sheep, I am the true vine, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus declares that he is the Son of God sent to us from God the Father, and he comes in his Father's name.

He and his father are one.

He is the word of God.

He said that before Abraham was, I am.

He came from heaven and watched Satan fall like lightning.

He was born from a miraculous conception of a virgin.

He has power over all creation.

He has authority over all in heaven and earth.

His words will never pass away.

Demons are scared and flee from him.

Nothing is impossible for Jesus.

He is the giver and he gave his life for us.

He is worthy of honor.

He is the Lord of the Sabbath, the healer, teacher, prophet, preacher, shepherd, protector.

He is good, truth, glorified, and filled with compassion.

He is the Messiah.

In John 14, 23 says that if we believe in him, he will take residence in us.

This is the Savior that we believe in.

And this is who he said he was to the disciples.

A few verses later, or a couple chapters later, we see Jesus saying to them, Yes, but who do you say that I am?

I understand what they say I am, but who do you say that I am?

Throughout our walk with Christ, we're going to have moments that we get to answer that.

We may have moments that feel like, but yeah, but where is he?

Jesus in the center, but where is he right now in this situation?

He is with you.

Are you in the boat with Jesus?

So throughout scripture we see this, and Jesus then tests us by saying, Who do you say that I am?

Now, we have three kids.

Our oldest Parker, I remember like he would have a bad dream or something and come, and I would be perfectly sound asleep and laying there so peacefully, and I could just feel his like presence over me.

And then his this little voice on Dad, Dad, Dad.

And all of a sudden I wake up and open my eyes, ah! You know, so many scary movies have little kids in pajamas, and then you get married, you have kids, and there's kids in pajamas everywhere, and it just freaks you out in the middle of the night.

So this is what happened.

It would freak me out in the middle of the night.

My son would just be hovering over me.

But then we had two other kids.

Our other kids did not wake us up.

I have no idea either that or I was just too tired by the second and third kid.

So I would be sleeping so peacefully, everything, and then all of a sudden, I don't know how, I don't know when.

They would just come in and slither in, and in the middle of the night, they would be there, and I'd wake up in the middle, where'd Mitchell come?

Like, I don't I don't remember him coming in here.

He would just slide right in.

Okay.

So here are the disciples, and they have this moment of panic because this great windstorm.

And if I were a disciple, I'd like to think I would be like this.

Because I could definitely picture John doing this, because John was the one whom Jesus loved.

He laid his head on Jesus' chest.

But I'm thinking, hey, I'm in the boat with the Savior.

And if he is all that he says that he is, which he is, then I would just be like John, be like, just leather up right next to Jesus, and just like, Jesus will wake up and be like, hey, I got scared again.

I mean, you're in the safest place you could be.

Just snuggle up to Jesus.

That's our question is are we just close to Jesus?

And we are close to Jesus when we accept him into our life and make him Lord of our life.

And when we do that, we are actually in the safest place that we could be.

Jesus said to them, oh you of little faith, well, what should they have had faith in?

I mean, if I was one of those disciples, I might be a little scared too.

So, oh you of little faith, well, what should they have faith in?

It's not so much what they should have faith in, it's who they should have faith in.

They should have faith that he is who he says he is, and that is enough.

And so we can eliminate so many different stresses in our lives by just recognizing Jesus is who he says that he is.

So, point number one, your stress could be his test.

Point number two, wake up.

So, in order to do this, we are going to look at Mark 14, verse 32, and uh look at this passage.

Mark 14:32

It says, Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane.

And he said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray.

So, give a little bit more context.

This is right before Jesus is offered up and then to basically be crucified.

So this is that moment right before.

So he takes his disciples, he says, Come on, come with me, let's go pray.

And he took Peter, James, and John with him.

And he began to be troubled and deeply distressed.

Then he said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.

Stay here and watch.

He went a little further and fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.

Take this cup away from me.

Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.

Then he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, Sy uh, and said to Peter, Simon, are you sleeping?

Could you not watch just one single hour, Peter?

Come on.

Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation.

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Again, he went away and prayed and spoke the same words.

And when he returned, he found them asleep again for the second time.

For their eyes were heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.

They didn't even know what to answer.

It's like one of those times where you just doze off and they're like, Wake up! You're like, uh, he was.

I mean, I just, I got, you just, it was Peter's fault.

I mean, like, they didn't even know what to answer him.

Then he came the third time, three times, and said, Are you still sleeping and resting?

It is enough.

The hour has come, behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise, let us be going.

See, my betrayer is at hand.

Basically saying, Listen, Judas is here, I'm about to betray.

I try to get y'all to pray.

Let's just go get betrayed now.

I mean, so he's telling his disciples this.

Now, we just looked at this story.

We just read this story earlier about the big windstorm.

I want to share the irony of these two stories.

Here's the irony of it.

When the disciples thought they were in their greatest time of need, Jesus was sleeping on them.

However, when Jesus was in his greatest time of need, the disciples were sleeping on him.

Another way is when the disciples thought they were in their greatest time of need, but they were actually in the safest place they could possibly be, they were like, Jesus, why are you sleeping?

But when Jesus truly was in his greatest hour of need, his disciples fell asleep over and over three times.

Here's my question that would be for all of us Is are we falling asleep on God's burdens?

Are we falling asleep?

So are we so stressed out about all these little details that we're like, God, where are you?

Where are you?

And He's like, I'm right by you.

Just settle down.

But then is God trying to impart and give you a burden for something or someone?

And instead, we keep falling asleep and missing what God's trying to do.

Are we getting so distracted by one little crumb of an Oreo that then we miss everything God has for us?

So this is the question I have for us.

In this, we can see multiple times that this happens.

So in Luke 22, verse 24, we can see that all of the disciples are sitting at the Last Supper and they're arguing which of them is the greatest among them.

Luke 22:24

And Jesus is like, Can you stop stressing out about that?

I'm trying to get you to catch the burden of serving other people.

So often God's trying to get us to catch a burden for something, for someone, but yet we're so stressed out about all these little details of everything else going on.

Is that us?

Are we so stressed out by the way our neighbors mow their yard or lack thereof, but yet we miss out on actually caring about their eternal salvation?

Are we so stressed out about our finances and money, but yet we don't actually care about how we steward all that God's given us of our time, talent, and treasure.

Do we get more stressed out about a post somebody did on Instagram instead of who are we sharing the gospel with?

There's all these burdens that God's trying to say, hey, I'm giving you this.

This is for you.

Now, here's the amazing thing.

Here Jesus was trying to pass on this burden to Peter, but what's the why he did that?

It says so that you will not be tempted.

Jesus tried to pass Peter a burden for his sake.

Potentially, God's actually trying to pass a burden on to you, but actually it's for your sake.

Because what happened?

Right after this, Peter wakes up, wipes the jewel off, get the eye buggers out, and then all of a sudden, there's an army there.

Judas goes and kisses Jesus to signify he is the one.

And then Peter's like still drowsy.

Big army shows up, pulls out a sword, and cuts off Malchus' ear.

Potentially, if he had been praying like Jesus told him to, he would have caught the burden, knowing that this is part of the plan, and I don't need to go cutting off people's ear.

Jesus then is like, oh Peter, put your sword away.

Have to clean up after you all the time, heal the ear.

Then what happens?

Peter goes off and denies Jesus three times.

Potentially, if he had accepted the burden that God gave him, he would have been strengthening himself in prayer.

So when the temptation comes, he could have actually resisted the temptation.

Jesus said, I do, I'm doing this so that you will not be tempted.

God could be passing on a burden to us and doing it for our sake.

This is what he's doing.

Now, I told you about Parker when he was first born, uh, a little bit in between, like the super cute stage and fresh out of the womb.

It's like that not cute yet stage.

Bridget and I, we read all these parenting books, which to say most of them lied to us.

But we read one that said, hey, you have to follow this certain schedule, you have to feed them at this time, you have to sleep at this time.

So I was trying to follow the schedule and do all of this, and so it was in between that after feedings and keep them awake time.

So I was like, Oh yeah, no, I got this, babe.

I can keep him awake.

I got this.

So I'm holding little Parker and just as a baby, and he starts falling asleep on, no, no, wake up.

What?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Wake up, wake up.

Until eventually he just dozes off and go, wake up.

Shouldn't have done that.

This goes, Bridget, and I remember that very well of the abruptness of that.

And so of his scared, like dad just yelled at me, I'm a newborn, said, Wake up.

Well, I wonder if the church needs a little wake up.

We need some abruptness to just say, wake up.

What is the burden that God's trying to give you?

What is the weight, the burden that God's trying to impart to you, like Peter?

I want to read a scripture to you from Ephesians.

It's in the message Bible, and it's Ephesians, it's chapter 5, verse 11.

It says, Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busy work.

That can happen so easily.

Wake up from your sleep, climb out of your coffins.

Christ will show you the light.

So, watch your step, use your head, make the most of every chance you get.

These are desperate times.

Can we agree we're in desperate times?

Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly.

Make sure you understand what the master wants.

That's what my burden is.

That we understand today what is it that the master wants?

What is it that God wants from us?

We don't want to get so caught up in the stresses of this world, but we want to be burdened by the things that God is burdened by.

No.

Matthew 11, verse 30 says, My yoke is easy, my burden is light.

Matthew 11:30

God is trying to give you a burden that is very easy and very light.

Now, in this, I want to share a story.

It's a story of, and I'm just have to give a disclaimer in the very beginning.

I do not do well in crisis.

I wish I did really well in crisis.

And all of you may hear this story and then say, oh, James, you're not good in crisis.

I know.

I'm telling you, I don't do well in crisis.

Now, my wife, Bridget, she's the exact opposite of me.

If there's ever a crisis, you want her there.

If there's ever a crisis, you don't want me there.

I do one of two things.

I mess it up and make it worse, or I freeze like a deer in the headlights and just.

I only have two options.

And so Bridget will jump in, take care of everything, and everything's good, and I'm on the opposite, and I just watch it all happen.

Then at the end, Bridget just mounts, Oh, I can't believe Parker hit his head, and there's and I'm like, hey, everything's good now.

No, no, we're good.

And I'm I'm great after, but not during.

So this particular time, Bridget was singing on the worship team, and we had a toddler, and so there's a worship green room, and I was sitting in the worship green room while Bridget was out here singing uh on that weekend on the worship team.

So I'm sitting in there and I'm on the couch while my son's standing up and I'm just playing with him, and all of a sudden, this guy comes running in there like this, and he goes.

Most of you are catching on that he's choking, right?

So he's going like this, and I am just sitting there going, that's really peculiar.

I don't think I've ever seen this before.

Kind of awkward.

I think it's crazy what he's doing, but he's going like this.

To me.

So then he there's a chair with a like a high back, and he goes and he sort of.

He's trying to give himself the heim leg.

And he's jumping on a chair to do so.

Well, I'm thinking, I have never seen this before.

Interesting.

Huh.

That's it.

He's then jumping on this chair, trying to give him this the heim leg, and then he goes and he takes off running down the hall.

And I'm and after I was like, I think that's the first time I've ever seen that.

It never occurred to me what was all going on.

I froze like a deer in the headlights.

So then all of this happens, and then he comes back in a few minutes later, he's like, Wow, what were you doing?

And I was like, sitting here.

He was goes, I was joking.

Oh.

I bet that's why you were doing this.

Oh, that's why you I I get it now.

I didn't even get it when he was doing it.

He's joking.

I'm watching a guy thinking he's on his last breath and he's begging for help while I watch him give himself the heim link.

What is wrong with me?

I told Bridget later, I was like, yeah, but how awkward would it have been if I jumped up and tried to give him mouth to mouth?

He said, she said, you don't give people choking mouth to mouth.

Stop moving.

This was my this was my take on it.

This person's choking, and I thought, and then, well, yeah, but I wouldn't want to make a fool on myself by giving this guy mouth to mouth, right?

So I watched it.

So he comes in, like, what are you doing?

I was choking.

And then I was sitting there going, like, man, I really wish I did something.

I had a great opportunity to help him.

He was begging for help.

I could have been that person to help.

I did nothing.

Man, I feel bad.

So, my question to all of us have we accepted the burden that God's giving us?

Because are we going to at some point be like, oh my goodness.

Look at all the people that were dying spiritually.

And I did nothing.

I sit there and watched them.

We may get in heaven and think, man, I wish I would have done something.

They were all around me.

They were choking and they were begging for help, and we have the answers as believers.

But instead, I thought it might be awkward if I jumped up and did something.

We have the opportunity to do something.

In order to do something, we have to wake up to whatever the burden is that God's putting on us.

That's what we have to do.

I'm burdened that we may be so stressed out about so many things.

There's a lot going on in the world.

And we may be so stressed out, and the enemy may be using those stresses to distract us from that which God has for us.

And so let's wake up as a church.

Let's have spiritual eyes to see that which God has for us.

Let's have spiritual ears to be alert that if somebody's choking, we're there for them.

If somebody is struggling spiritually, we can jump up and be right there for them.

That's our opportunity as a church.

That we do that.

That's not just the job of a pastor or anything.

That's your job as a believer.

And so, as believers, we can have eyes and ears and say, Lord, give me your burden.

That's what I want.

Lord, I don't want to be stressed out so much that I get so distracted by all of these things.

And I know that you are the Savior.

I know that if I believe in you, make you Lord of my life, that you are in the boat with me.

And if I do things your way, I'm okay.

But Lord, I do want your burdens.

I know they're easy.

I know they're light.

So that let me just take a moment and pray with you.

If you could just bow your head, close your eyes.

Pastor Robert does this every single weekend and just ask, what is the Holy Spirit saying to me?

Holy Spirit, speak.

Lord, reveal to us.

What is the burden that you have for us?

What is the burden you have for me?

Lord, reveal yourself in a greater way.

Now in a moment, every campus, there will be a campus pastor, will do altar ministry, and we would love to pray for you.

But Lord, what are you saying right now?

Lord, I pray no matter what our job is, no matter what we do in this world, that we will be wholeheartedly sold and fully yours in every way.

That we would go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that have all things that you have commanded, and to know that you are always with us, even to the end of the age.

Lord, we are so grateful for you.

You are always with us.

But Lord, reveal yourself in a stronger way that we can walk in your ways.

In Jesus' mighty name.

Amen.

Thanks for joining us today.

If you'd like to connect with us, text Connect to 71010 or visit gatewaypeople.com.

We hope you have a great week.