August 5, 2018 NOTES NOT EDITED
The Counselor,
Pt1: Why Do You Worry?
Phil. 4:6; Mk. 4:35-41
SIS: Worry is wasted effort that is both fueled by and fuels fear, but it can be overcome by trusting Jesus through prayer.
Phil. 4:6; Mk. 4:35-41
SIS: Worry is wasted effort that is both fueled by and fuels fear, but it can be overcome by trusting Jesus through prayer.
Released in September 1988, it
became the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart. Written and performed by
Bobby McFerrin, all the instrumental sounds are generated by his voice
alone. Here’s how it begins:
Here's
a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy
Don't worry, be happy now
This is not a particularly,
“religious,” song but it does reflect upon something the Bible teaches in Phil. 4:6:
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
The clause, “don’t worry, be happy” translates a what is known in the original language as an “imperative of prohibition.” It literally means, “Stop worrying.” When the construction of the second clause is considered, it must be noted that the conjunction, “but,” does not appear. This is done intentionally, known as an asyndeton, which causes the emphasis in the sentence to be put on the phrase, “in everything through prayer.” Therefore, a better translation, acknowledging the imperative of prohibition and the asyndeton, would be, “Don’t worry; instead pray.” Prayer is the antidote for worry. It is impossible to live in this world, captive to this body of flesh, and not worry. Worry is a “natural law,” much like gravity. You cannot “will away worry” anymore than you can will away the effects of gravity. You have to proactively “do something” to mitigate and counteract worry. Consider that you are on a tall building and you fall off. A friend, who is concerned for your well-being says, “Stop falling.” You cannot simply stop the affect of gravity. It must be counteracted. It would be better if your friend said, “Don’t crash into the ground, pull your parachute.” That is what Paul is saying here: “When you worry—and you will—pull the parachute of prayer” to counteract the negative effects of worry.
Worry mostly takes root in the emotions, not the intellect or the will. Fear is essentially an emotional response, often times a response to irrational fears. I’ve heard it said that “90% of what we worry about and fear in life never happens.” Regardless of what the actual percent might be, worry NEVER solves a problem. As the song said, “In every life we have some trouble // But when you worry you make it double.”
We counteract the negative consequences of worry by considering three important lessons from the Bible and exercising our will to place our focus (our trust) on Jesus, and not our circumstances.
1. We realize, PROBLEMS are a PART of life (v37)
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
The clause, “don’t worry, be happy” translates a what is known in the original language as an “imperative of prohibition.” It literally means, “Stop worrying.” When the construction of the second clause is considered, it must be noted that the conjunction, “but,” does not appear. This is done intentionally, known as an asyndeton, which causes the emphasis in the sentence to be put on the phrase, “in everything through prayer.” Therefore, a better translation, acknowledging the imperative of prohibition and the asyndeton, would be, “Don’t worry; instead pray.” Prayer is the antidote for worry. It is impossible to live in this world, captive to this body of flesh, and not worry. Worry is a “natural law,” much like gravity. You cannot “will away worry” anymore than you can will away the effects of gravity. You have to proactively “do something” to mitigate and counteract worry. Consider that you are on a tall building and you fall off. A friend, who is concerned for your well-being says, “Stop falling.” You cannot simply stop the affect of gravity. It must be counteracted. It would be better if your friend said, “Don’t crash into the ground, pull your parachute.” That is what Paul is saying here: “When you worry—and you will—pull the parachute of prayer” to counteract the negative effects of worry.
Worry mostly takes root in the emotions, not the intellect or the will. Fear is essentially an emotional response, often times a response to irrational fears. I’ve heard it said that “90% of what we worry about and fear in life never happens.” Regardless of what the actual percent might be, worry NEVER solves a problem. As the song said, “In every life we have some trouble // But when you worry you make it double.”
We counteract the negative consequences of worry by considering three important lessons from the Bible and exercising our will to place our focus (our trust) on Jesus, and not our circumstances.
1. We realize, PROBLEMS are a PART of life (v37)
37 A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat,
so that the boat was already being swamped.
There is nothing unremarkable about
this statement. Sudden squalls were
common on the Sea of Galilee because of the geography of the lake, and these
squalls, or storms, were quite violent.
The Sea of Galilee is 700 feet BELOW sea level, and Mount Hermon to the
northeast is 9000 feet ABOVE sea level.
The cold air from Mt. Hermon would glide down the many ravines like wind
tunnels. When it met the rising warm air
from the sea, the collision resulted in sudden, violent storms. Add to this the fact that Galilean fishing
boats had low sides, it is easy to understand why the boat was so easy swamped
and in danger of sinking.
Life in this broken world being as it is, the reality of sudden, violent storms arising often in our lives is a given—challenging circumstances constantly provide fuel for worry, and worry generates fear, and fear often creates paralysis in our lives.
It seems that to say, “Problems are a natural part of life,” is to state the obvious. Life is a challenge from the moment of birth. Life begins with the challenge of breathing air for the first time. In the old days, the time of “worry-free comfort in the womb” ended with a swat on your backside! What a way to say, “welcome to the world!” I’m glad we have passed those barbaric days of medicine back in the ancient days of the 70’s.
I’ve mentioned the hard, realistic, no-holds-barred picture of life provided by Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He paints a picture of life in this world, apart from any relationship with God. What does he conclude (Eccl. 2:22-23):
22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
Next to the Bible, no writer has influenced the English language more than William Shakespeare, who took his writing cue from the Bible ofttimes. In the Tragedy of Macbeth, these lines, very similar to those of Solomon in Ecclesiastes have been immortalized in English:
Life in this broken world being as it is, the reality of sudden, violent storms arising often in our lives is a given—challenging circumstances constantly provide fuel for worry, and worry generates fear, and fear often creates paralysis in our lives.
It seems that to say, “Problems are a natural part of life,” is to state the obvious. Life is a challenge from the moment of birth. Life begins with the challenge of breathing air for the first time. In the old days, the time of “worry-free comfort in the womb” ended with a swat on your backside! What a way to say, “welcome to the world!” I’m glad we have passed those barbaric days of medicine back in the ancient days of the 70’s.
I’ve mentioned the hard, realistic, no-holds-barred picture of life provided by Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He paints a picture of life in this world, apart from any relationship with God. What does he conclude (Eccl. 2:22-23):
22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
Next to the Bible, no writer has influenced the English language more than William Shakespeare, who took his writing cue from the Bible ofttimes. In the Tragedy of Macbeth, these lines, very similar to those of Solomon in Ecclesiastes have been immortalized in English:
Out,
out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. (Act V, Scene V)
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. (Act V, Scene V)
Life is always going to provide
abundant opportunities for worry to be seeded into your life. Don’t let worry take root. An old ages teaches, “To be forewarned is to
be forearmed.” The punch that usually
sends a boxer’s opponent to the canvass ending a match with a knock-out is the
punch the opponent did not see coming.
Worry has less opportunity to take root and grow when we understand ahead of time that “sudden, violent storms” are a natural part of life. But we must also realize that in the storms of life,
2. Christians have the POWER of God’s PRESENCE (38-39)
Worry has less opportunity to take root and grow when we understand ahead of time that “sudden, violent storms” are a natural part of life. But we must also realize that in the storms of life,
2. Christians have the POWER of God’s PRESENCE (38-39)
38 But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”
One of the difficulties of
interpreting the Bible is the fact we only have words on a page, without any
tone or inflection. What was the
attitude of the disciples? Many commentators,
and common readers, I have heard over the years give the disciples’ question to
Jesus a disrespectful tone, as if they were accusing Jesus of intentionally
letting them die. There may be a little
of that in their voices because they were panicked, but I think we must
consider the “entire” text, not just these two verses in isolation.
Consider where Jesus was sleeping. The text says, “he was in the stern asleep on a cushion.” According to one respected commentator, “In these boats the place for a distinguished person is on a little seat placed at the stern, where a carpet and cushion are arranged” (Barclay). The disciples had given Jesus the place of honor in the boat. There love, though fragile, was genuine. There respect for Jesus was deep and meaningful—absent the panic that they allowed to overtake them because of the circumstances of life.
This is a common problem disciples have faced from the beginning. It is easy to love, respect, and trust Jesus when life’s seas are calm, but when we allow worry and fear to take root, it always damages our relationship with Jesus. Whereas the winds of circumstance should press us tighter against the Savior’s bosom, it more often blows us away from him. When we allow worry and fear to detach us from Jesus, we lose the POWER of His PRESENCE.
Consider this: was Jesus any less PRESENT with the disciples during the storm than He was before the storm? The answer, of course, is no. As a man, Jesus was indeed sleeping. But, as God, Jesus is NEVER ASLEEP. The Bible says (Psalm 121:1-4)
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.
Consider where Jesus was sleeping. The text says, “he was in the stern asleep on a cushion.” According to one respected commentator, “In these boats the place for a distinguished person is on a little seat placed at the stern, where a carpet and cushion are arranged” (Barclay). The disciples had given Jesus the place of honor in the boat. There love, though fragile, was genuine. There respect for Jesus was deep and meaningful—absent the panic that they allowed to overtake them because of the circumstances of life.
This is a common problem disciples have faced from the beginning. It is easy to love, respect, and trust Jesus when life’s seas are calm, but when we allow worry and fear to take root, it always damages our relationship with Jesus. Whereas the winds of circumstance should press us tighter against the Savior’s bosom, it more often blows us away from him. When we allow worry and fear to detach us from Jesus, we lose the POWER of His PRESENCE.
Consider this: was Jesus any less PRESENT with the disciples during the storm than He was before the storm? The answer, of course, is no. As a man, Jesus was indeed sleeping. But, as God, Jesus is NEVER ASLEEP. The Bible says (Psalm 121:1-4)
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. 4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.
So much of success in life depends
upon what we are focused upon. Going
back to Ecclesiastes, Solomon said that when he focused on pleasures, it was
futile. He said when he focused on
possessions that brought fame and fortune, it was futile. The target we focus upon is the target we are
most likely to hit.
I remember many times riding my bike down a country path. As I gained speed, I tended to lose control. I’d see a rock or tree up ahead. I could not take my eyes off of it. Guess what? Yep! Hit it every time.
I’m told that when police officers are trained in high speed automotive maneuvers they are told that if the car begins to spin to keep your eyes on where you want to go, not where you are headed.
There is no “power” in our circumstances—whether they are good or bad. There is only POWER in the PRESENCE of the Lord. He is the “mountain from which our help comes.” We must ALWAYS keep in mind, Jesus is as PRESENT with us during a storm as He was before the storm!
Let’s look at the POWER of that PRESENCE. Verses 39-40:
I remember many times riding my bike down a country path. As I gained speed, I tended to lose control. I’d see a rock or tree up ahead. I could not take my eyes off of it. Guess what? Yep! Hit it every time.
I’m told that when police officers are trained in high speed automotive maneuvers they are told that if the car begins to spin to keep your eyes on where you want to go, not where you are headed.
There is no “power” in our circumstances—whether they are good or bad. There is only POWER in the PRESENCE of the Lord. He is the “mountain from which our help comes.” We must ALWAYS keep in mind, Jesus is as PRESENT with us during a storm as He was before the storm!
Let’s look at the POWER of that PRESENCE. Verses 39-40:
39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a
great calm.
Notice that the calm that came to
the sea came by the Word of God. No
fanfare. No gimmicks. No spiritual gyrations like you see in the
“so called” healing ministries on T.V.
Just the Word. And, why would we
not expect that the One who caused the sea to come into existence by His Word
alone could not control that sea by His Word alone. God said it, and it was so.
The great worry in the life of a believer relates directly to a believer’s ignorance of God’s Word. Listen to this promise (John 15:7):
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
The great worry in the life of a believer relates directly to a believer’s ignorance of God’s Word. Listen to this promise (John 15:7):
7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.
The POWER over worry comes through PRAYER,
and the POWER of prayer is the WORD
of God.
Prayer connects us to the PRESENCE of God and the PRESENCE of God brings POWER over the circumstances of life. Jesus is as PRESENT with us during a storm as He is before the storm.
To overcome worry we must realize that PROBLEMS are a natural part of our worldly experience and regardless of the circumstances or storms of life we have the POWER of God’s PRESENCE. We must also realize that even the storms in life are part of God’s
3. PURPOSE for our lives (40-41; 35)
Throughout this series on “The Counselor” we will discover that the essence of the counseling method of Jesus, the Master Counselor, was to ask questions. After this episode of the storm that raged on the sea and the panic that raged in the disciples’ hearts, she asked a question:
40 Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?”
Notice the reaction to everything the disciples just witnessed:
41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
At first, the disciples feared the storm and worried they would die. Now their fear was put into the proper perspective—they feared God. This is the only fear that bears fruit—the fear of God. Too often Christians fear being POLTICALLY incorrect more than they fear being THEOLOGICALLY incorrect. Christians fear MAN more than they FEAR God. This is why the Bible reminds us:
28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Prayer connects us to the PRESENCE of God and the PRESENCE of God brings POWER over the circumstances of life. Jesus is as PRESENT with us during a storm as He is before the storm.
To overcome worry we must realize that PROBLEMS are a natural part of our worldly experience and regardless of the circumstances or storms of life we have the POWER of God’s PRESENCE. We must also realize that even the storms in life are part of God’s
3. PURPOSE for our lives (40-41; 35)
Throughout this series on “The Counselor” we will discover that the essence of the counseling method of Jesus, the Master Counselor, was to ask questions. After this episode of the storm that raged on the sea and the panic that raged in the disciples’ hearts, she asked a question:
40 Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?”
Notice the reaction to everything the disciples just witnessed:
41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
At first, the disciples feared the storm and worried they would die. Now their fear was put into the proper perspective—they feared God. This is the only fear that bears fruit—the fear of God. Too often Christians fear being POLTICALLY incorrect more than they fear being THEOLOGICALLY incorrect. Christians fear MAN more than they FEAR God. This is why the Bible reminds us:
28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The disciples saw Jesus calm a storm with His Word and were amazed and terrified that Jesus had power over creation. Yet, Mark records that prior to the calming of the storm Jesus had healed a man with an unclean spirit, healed Simon’s mother-in-law, healed a leper, healed a man with palsy, and healed a man with a withered hand. These are only miracles Mark recorded. Mark 1:34 says,
He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons.
In fact, in one miracle the
disciples witnessed before the miracle of calming the storm, was the casting
out of a devil. Jesus in fact used the
very same words to cast out the demon as to calm the sea, Jesus “Rebuked him and said Be still” (Mk. 1:25).
So, it is clear that knowledge about Who Jesus is and what He has done is insufficient to cancel worry and counteract fear. Disciples must not only know of God’s POWER, but we must know of God’s PUPOSE. Even the storms of our lives are part God’s PURPOSE for our lives. Listen to Romans 8:28:
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
So, it is clear that knowledge about Who Jesus is and what He has done is insufficient to cancel worry and counteract fear. Disciples must not only know of God’s POWER, but we must know of God’s PUPOSE. Even the storms of our lives are part God’s PURPOSE for our lives. Listen to Romans 8:28:
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
Too many church-goers are FAIR WEATHER Christians. They may give a religious nod to church and Jesus from time to time when things are going good, but when the seas start getting rough, they begin to cry out, complain and consider jumping ship altogether.
The Prosperity preachers have condemned millions to lives of perpetual dissatisfaction by declaring that God’s intent for your life is to be trouble free. Problems, to prosperity preachers are a sign of a lack of faith. THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE! Storms are not always a sign we are OUT OF GOD’S WILL, but more often are a sign we are in the CENTER OF GOD’S WILL! Notice: the storm did not come because the disciples were AWAY from Jesus but because they were WITH Jesus! He was in their boat and in their storm.
Now, go back to the beginning of this episode in the life of learning about faith Look at verse 35: He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.
Jesus had a purpose for the disciples that day. It was not, “Let’s go to the middle of the sea and sink.” The purpose was, “Let’s go to the OTHER side.” The storm was a part of the purpose of God for the lives of the disciples that day. Through it, their faith was strengthened. They went from “fearing the sea,” to “fearing the One Who calmed the sea.” Through the storm, the purpose of God was moved forward in the lives of the dsicples.
Worry will absolutely destroy your walk with God. Worry will ensnare you with a net of fear and completely shipwreck your life. You cannot avoid worry. You can counteract its damaging effects by realizing that PROBLEMS are a PART of life, that the POWER in a disciple’s life is the PRESENCE of Jesus, and that even the storms of life are part of the PURPOSE of God for our lives.
Who do you go to when you are worried; when you need a miracle; when the problems pile up; or when you doubt?
We all have counselors in our lives. These people can be of enormous help to us. Ultimately, there is only one True Counselor. Jesus, Himself. As the time approached that Jesus would be departing, He told His disciples,
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever." (Jn. 14:16).
Jesus had a very unique style of "counseling." When people came to Him looking for answers, He often responded with a pointed, thought-provoking question--sort of a Spiritual Socratic Method.
The key in seeking good answers is to ask good questions. The key to asking good questions is to know what God's Word says on any matter. The underlying theme of this series of messages is to "look to God in His Word for the answers to life's questions."
So, why are you worried? Pray instead.
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