Peace On The Inside - Jordan Boyce | What Jesus says about Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Health

today I want to talk to you about how the promise of Jesus is peace on the inside the promise from God Almighty is peace on the inside I hope you feel encouraged already because this isn't a circumstantial thing this isn't a happenstance this is a promise from the one that has kept every promise he's ever made and one of the promises of Jesus to you is peace in your life so much so that circumstances won't determine your peace his promise and his his power determines peace on who we are too many of us give all authority to what's going on in our life thinking that what is going on without will bring peace within we think our circumstances without is the thing that causes peace within but I'm here to tell you that there is a greater power than just what's happening and your reaction in it is the power of Jesus Christ that no matter what circumstances you go through you can still have peace on the inside that you can disattach your internal self from what's happening to you and around you they don't necessarily need to be connected if there's if there's a storm raging around you Jesus is still on the boat if there's if that was a good point for you right there some of you need that in your life there can be chaos around you but Jesus is still and his spirit is still within you and it can begin to change how you approach situations not that those situations aren't real or they're not not powerful or or or chaos filled but that there's a greater power and there's a greater peace on the inside of you that comes from a greater God and keeps you in a greater state that you don't have to be tossed about in the waves of life constantly nervous about what's happening and what will happen but that God can come in and determine even the midst of your circumstances yea though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will not fear I will not worry I won't be overcome with nervousness I won't be scared I won't be frightful I won't be fretful I won't be downcast I won't be be nervous for you are with me Jesus's promises peace on the inside but but the problem is many of us in this generation we have we have elevated the problem of anxiety to a high place in our lives if we're not careful we can allow anxiety to evolve into something we think we can't be saved from like like we know God can save our our heart and our soul and our life but we don't know if he can help us change our emotions if he can help save us from what's attacking us and what's all around us and I know as I'm speaking today about the subject of anxiety that I'm speaking to people in all different levels of dealing with this issue but I know if you're in this place and you're of this generation you are most likely dealing with this issue modern psychologists have called the Millennials the most anxious generation it seems like the subject of anxiety and mental health has been coming up more and more and more recently all of the rates of suicide and depression alcoholism addiction are going up in sky rocketing numbers literally some in some cases depression is going up 60 percent year-over-year we find ourselves in a chaos filled world we find ourselves in uncertain circumstances and I don't really necessarily know the cause although we'll delve into some of the causes about it today one of which could absolutely be this communication social social revolution in our society that is is messing with the the neuron patterns the paths in our brain you might not be able to handle the amount of comparison you have to go through every time you open an app on your phone you might not be able to handle the amount of 24/7 news and in nervousness and outraging and I don't know about you but for me sometimes I'm nervous to even open my phone to the news app because I don't think I can handle the next problem sometimes as I'm unlocking my phone I say a prayer God not today not today because we're in a place of almost overwhelming nervousness uncertainty about the future and and speaking to Rhode Island which is where we're based here Rhode Island is the number one state for depression in the United States it's ranked number one and when I saw that stat and let me it's not an old stat it's a brand new stat it was staggering to me and and and and I I just some I can't I can't help but think is it related to the fact that we're the least biblically minded region there's so few communities there's so few churches I wonder if a soul that's not spiritually filled eventually becomes depressed and chaos filled and nervous and and and I wonder if there's a connection between the two things here so as I'm speaking I know who I'm speaking to that there's just different layers of of anxiety you know in the room there's some people in this place that that you feel like you can't face the day you wake up in the morning in extreme nervousness and depression you feel like I can't get up and your only solution is to just try and sleep sleep to avoid there's some people in here that you can't sleep you lay awake at night nervous about about the future of the country or your pills or or what your kids are doing or what their future will be and you can literally go through panic attack after panic attack as you lay in your own bed some people in this place where maybe you're fine for a couple months but then you have an episode you have a panic attack and anxiety attack and you don't even know what where it came from what triggered it and now you have to try and recover from it back into a normal life there are many different situations in this room and I really understand you know I understand all that but let me just say this whatever area you struggle with this thing whether it is extreme or just here and there I believe that there is a solution I believe that God's not done working with you and I believe the Spirit of God can come into your spirit they can come into alignment and you can find peace on the inside can you say Amen and so today I want to come against the lie that you can't be saved out of your anxiety you can't be saved from worry or your nervousness some of us we might not believe it but we act that way we just go into survival mode so I'm gonna just say I just got to make it through the day I just got to survive this week so I I mean I've heard people say like I just got to manage my anxiety I can't overcome it but if I could just manage my anxiety if I if I could just if I could just avoid that situation sometimes we allow our anxiety to choose what we're gonna do and where we're gonna go say stuff like I can't go there because my anxiety won't won't allow it I can't I can't go to that mall I can't go to that parking lot some of you guys are just using it as an excuse you don't want to go to the mall but some of you you're giving so much power to this thing and sometimes we own the anxiety it's not saying like you know I I'm dealing with this thing sometimes we talk about anxiety like my anxiety my anxiety won't allow it I spoke to my anxiety this morning it just won't let me do it today we had a great conversation I prayed to it I mean I spoke to it and it just won't allow me and if we're not careful we can allow our anxiety to get elevated to the place of God where we begin to serve it we begin to listen to it we begin to allow it to choose how we're going to function where we're gonna function what we're gonna do places we're gonna go and we begin to own our anxiety we get in like a a relationship with it we can have a friendship with it we check in with it how's it doing and if we're not careful that anxiety can get merged with our identity with who we are so it's not something that we struggle with it's something that we are and we just say I'm just an anxious person I'm just a worrywart I'm just negative you know how I am that's just how I am well I believe God can change who you are I believe you can change how you are and I don't believe you have to begin to worship these things in your life that should never have been elevated to that place in the first place and and I want you to know I'm not I'm not teaching you today from the perspective of I have got it all together I'm really saying look let's look at what Jesus has to say whatever area you're at let's look at what the the supreme being has to say about this subject cuz I'm right in there with you yesterday my wife and I went to a restaurant we couldn't figure out the situation and the waiter came up and he said hey this is a communal eating space you just sit with whoever make new friends and you grab food together and we said oh thank you so much I'm good I want to eat with the person I know right now so whatever level you're dealing with this I'm in there with you but together let's look at what Jesus has to say about it because he does have something to say about it and I think he can continue to work these things in and out of our lives on the Sermon on the Mount Jesus literally begins to present an argument against anxiety so powerful he looked at us today he looked at this anxious generation and he said I'm going to speak 2,000 years into the future right into their life and he lays out a layered argument about how we don't have to live in and under this thing Jesus starts his soul hosts whole part of the sermon off with this command do not be anxious do not be anxious he says at 3:00 do not be anxious now this might not help some of you but some of you this this might this might set you free just the command from Jesus do not be anxious some of you might be saying right now it's not that simple it's like someone saying hey don't be depressed oh well what should I do just be happy oh you're a genius let's give you an honorary Doctorate write that thing up that'll help people that's what I felt when I first read that Jesus saying just don't be anxious though you're God you know what's coming up you know what the future is gonna be but Jesus says that's right that's right I am God you follow me I know what the future is I know what's coming up I know what's going to be he's already seen the end of time and if you need go ahead to revelations at the end of the chapter 21 22 and you just read it and it's just like he has conquered in the world as his then we're backwards from revelation to where you are and say he has conquered I no longer live for victory I live from victory in the end he wins and therefore I win because I'm following him I pray that this brings you hope he says do not be anxious I pray this brings you hope he says it three times it's almost like he's got to convince you don't be anxious and by the way hey don't be anxious it's just gonna keep reminding you but isn't it interesting God would not say something that was impossible for you to do he would not put a burden on you that you absolutely could not bear he comes alongside you and he tells you do not be anxious because there is a life that you could have that is not filled with anxiety I don't know about you but to me that gives me a lot of hope because I know he is my father he's my authority he is above me and if he says do not be anxious it is possible for me to have peace I think we have to just set that as a baseline because some of you no longer believe it's possible for you to have peace maybe you've never had it you've never seen it in your family maybe you've seen it in just slight sunburst but the clouds come back over again but Jesus here saying don't be anxious in other words it's possible not be anxious and he has the authority he's the only one that has the authority to make this statement if anyone else would say it would be I thanks so much but when he says don't be anxious I take it as a command from the Almighty and I have to begin to orient my life around this command in other words I'm gonna fight that anxiety I'm not gonna accept that anxiety I'm not just gonna let that anxiety rule over me because Jesus said don't let it be a ruler over you don't be anxious all right I'm gonna begin to change this and then Jesus goes into the causes of some of Ryan's anxieties he says don't be anxious about what you're gonna eat or what you're gonna drink or what you're gonna wear almost called the sermon foodies in fashion it's like Jesus is speaking right to Instagram he's speaking right to this generation he's saying don't be anxious about what you're gonna eat and what you're gonna wear now listen some people here you're not anxious about not having a meal but you are overcome with an obsession let me put it this way he's also saying don't be consumed don't be consumed with what you're gonna eat and what you're gonna wear some of our this generation deals with extreme anxiety because they are utterly consumed with going to the latest places we look in the absolute best with how they're being perceived and they pull up the comparison machine called Instagram and they can check their worth by likes but let me tell you likes are not worth a hurting soul you've got to be careful about whose authority you're giving yourself over to Jesus is saying don't be obsessed with what you're gonna eat where you're gonna go whole industries have come up with all whole industries have have come up with to to feed this problem where are you gonna eat you got you know you don't just go somewhere to eat you're checking those reviews can I just tell you those reviews are just one person we treat them like oh it's on the internet oh that person knows something I don't know well you wouldn't listen to your cousin about where to go to eat that person google reviews that's your cousin get adventurous for once in your life don't be stuck and nervous and scared come on how much time view browse on Netflix before you ever choose a show you've got to be careful that you don't become consumed and nervous and all you know shutdown over things that don't matter if the burger is good or it's bad it's not worth you investing your time and your nervousness in your life and you're calling it checking alright I could tell it doesn't apply to some of you let me go into we go into fashion some of us we're not nervous about not having any clothes so some people are some of us were just nervous about how people are going to perceive what we're wearing what their opinion is gonna be and we get extreme anxiety every single morning because we just have nothing to wear as we have closets full of things so we're it's just strange that the most the most blessed generation I'm not saying we're perfect I'm not saying we have everything but really one of the richest generations in the history of mankind we have more things than you could ever believe we've got iPhones and Air Jordans and cars we have more things the poorest people in our country compared globally are considered rich you as an average just in the middle class you are can you compared to someone living in the 1800s your everything is better than the top top 1% of someone living just 150 years ago by every scale we're super blessed but why are we still broken on the inside then many of us we're not worried about what we're gonna eat we're just worried about the quality of what we're gonna eat I'm worried about actually getting clothes we're worried about the name-brand on the clothes and we've become consumed Behati mind that soul and shut down and nervous and anxious and when a whole society stuck in this thing and we don't kind of know how to move in comparison to other people and and God's coming in to speak right to this anxiety riddled generation it's coming to speak right to you and to me to throw off the chains that were putting many times on our selves he's coming to to throw that threat that off but but maybe you are in this place and it's not just a conceptual thing maybe you are an absolute real need can I just tell you this whether whether whether it's extreme need or whether it's just something that you are a society you are allowing to dictate to yourself God has the answer for both he can set you free from both Jesus says this he says look at the birds of the air they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet their heavenly Father feeds them he's saying he's saying he's using it here's his first argument he's uses nature saying look at the birds they've got no planning yet their God fed you know birds are dumb they're not geniuses they don't have wisdom they don't have foresight they don't they don't have a calendar they don't have a schedule they don't have anything and yet they're always fed what's God saying God saying I'm the provider Jesus's first argument is this you have value to God look at the birds look how much value they have that I keep then sits them sustained you you ready for this revelation are more valuable than birds I know some organizations might not like like me saying that but you are there's a hierarchy in creation and men and women are at the absolute top of that hierarchy when God created all these different things grass and animals stuff he his crown jewel was mankind were the only things made in His image and God saying you go down to a bunch of crows I'm taking care of them aren't you better than that and then in other words what he's saying is I I have already set this whole thing up for you to be able for you to be able to thrive to prosper what Jesus is is is really showing here and I think this is so amazing is he saying look these birds they got nothing yeah I provide for him but then he's saying to you and I he's saying you and I but I have given you something I have given you something he says look I've given you abilities I've given you wisdom I've given you foresight I've given you planning come on you have the ability to schedule like what God is saying is I have actually set you up with some things in life for you to succeed in life you hear what I'm saying like like like you are not totally in capable God saying no you're wise I gave you a brain I gave you some of the right people around you now look you might have to sew into that field before you reap from that field but you can do that too that's saying look if you grew up in in a community filled with maybe mediocrity and all that what Jesus is saying is don't worry about it get out of that realm get alongside two or three people that will teach you how to come up another level and you have the ability to learn what God is saying is look you are an incredible machine that you can literally begin to orient your life for the future as you begin to work on it so do many times we just allow our patterns once they're set to be set forever and a couple weeks I'm going to talk about the problem of our patterns but sometimes we just let it once it's set to just be set forever but Jesus is coming alongside and saying you know you can change the way you prepare for life you can set some things up you can make some changes some of you might have to hit rock bottom before that point but when you do you might be able to look up and say you know what I can't control everything but there are some things I can do I can prepare for the next season I can get gather together come on I can't I can't change my boss but I can read a book I can change me I might not be able to go to university but I can get a library card there are some some very practical things I can do to begin to reorient my life that I don't always have to be caught in chaos and that's Jesus's first promise is no matter what I'm taking care of the birds but I've given you a whole lot more than the birds and don't worry I still will take care of you as well I guess at some point underneath this is is that you're not just like any other animal you are his children you are his son you are as daughter you are you are a child of the Most High King in other words you are a reflection of the Father and God saying I care if the birds are fed how much more am I gonna care about you I care that nature is taken care of how much more am I gonna care about your family you are valuable to God he sees you he knows your circumstances he knows your needs and so that being true I think gives you the confidence to come before God and remind him who you are remind him of his promise Jesus is opening himself up here you can use this verse against him you can say God you said and I'm more valuable than the birds of the air well this is what I need this is what I need God loves to provide what you need because it reflects on his goodness and he's a good father there's a story of a man named George Mueller in the 1800's in England he was he had many orphanages and and at this moment he had 800 students in his orphanage but yet resources had kind of dried up they were low and came to the point where one morning they had no food whatsoever for 800 students in this orphanage but George Mueller he had this belief about himself that he was a child of God though he doesn't deserve it but he is a child therefore God wants to hear his prayers and wants to answer so before he left with his family to go to the orphanage he stood in his own kitchen said God we thank you for the food that you were about to provide for your children and he walked into the orphanage he had all the students sit down in front of their bare plates and and and empty cups and he waited he waited it's pretty soon there was a knock on the door and it was the Baker from the city he said I don't know what's going on here but God woke me up at 2:00 a.m. and just told me that the orphanage needed bread and I could not get back to sleep I was tormented by the Spirit of God so I got up and I baked enough bread for every person in the orphanage broadly and it's true story this is a true documented story immediately after the Baker left there was another knock on the door and it was the milkman and he said my carriage just broke out down outside the milks about to go bad would you mind taking all the milk for my carriage so I can go and get it repaired bread and milk provided by divine circumstances why it's his children his children I'm telling you whatever level of need you're at I believe that God can set you free from the desperate need of social affirmation and I think that God can provide need if you're in a very difficult place he doesn't just deal with big problems he'll deal with little problems as well second argument Jesus lays forward is the futility of being anxious the pointlessness of being anxious now this this might not speak to you but I love that Jesus he just uses different illustrations to speak to different types of minds if you have a very critical mind if you have an intellectual mind this argument Jesus presents for you he just exposes the pointlessness of being anxious like with the simple use of logic if being anxious can I add to your lifespan then it's a waste of your time well what Jesus is saying is if you cannot change these things then it's a waste of your time to think about these things become consumed with these things nervous about these things simply what Jesus is saying is anxiety can't bring you anywhere it can't progress you anywhere it cannot do one single positive thing for your life but anxiety is like a rollercoaster when you get on it begins to take you upside down it's the thrill of your life all over the place highs and lows but in the end it always drops you off right where you started many times we just get on the worried ride over and over and over all night long we're on the worried ride and we wake up in the morning and not one thing has changed and what Jesus is saying have you not come to the end of this yet are you not sick of this continual cycle yet if you can figure out that worrying has never once advanced me I now have to choose to fight against this thing because it's utterly worthless he's saying don't invest your time don't invest your life don't invest your mind don't invest your emotions don't keep investing yourself into something that just keeps dropping you off in the exact same place more emotionally draining than before more nervous than before if you're not careful you can get stuck on that ride and you'll never be able to get off now Jesus says there's a way off you can even get there intellectually you can say I am no longer going to allow my circumstances my situation to take over my mind I'm going to arrest my thoughts and submit them to the Lord how do you do that you can tell God you you can tell God your need Philippians says don't worry about anything instead pray about everything tell god what you need and thank him for all he's done one of the ways to get off this ride is just to remember God's past promises remember the way that God has come through time and time again in your life listen worrying is killed by remembering it's killed by remembering so you just need to write down some of the things God has done in your life for me when I become overwhelmed you know about things in the church or whatever sometimes I'll just remember what God did the past few months with my dad and I'll say man if he does that level of miracles surely surely he can fix this my new problem I don't need to worry about it I don't flip out about it surely the psalmist psalmist says my soul is downcast within me therefore I will remember you my soul is downcast I need to turn my eyes not inward put upward and the third point I think this point will really set you free it's it's my favorite point that Jesus makes is that God is still growing you he's still growing you like Jesus says like consider the lilies of the field how they grow they don't do it themselves they don't toil or spin it's me and I make them so majestic so beautiful he started about the lilies of the field something almost nobody even sees he says what that single lily is more majestic than man's greatest presentation you want to look good you look at Solomon he's the greatest King the richest King and at the peak of his array he wasn't as majestic as a single lily out in the forest and Jesus is saying I'm the one that develops that in other words I'm the one that's going to continue to develop you God still growing you he's still growing you this is why we say every Sunday just keep coming back because it's a process with God I want to tell you this those you that came even if you came late I'm so thankful that you came I know how tough it is to get to church getting all these kids sometimes the enemy will do anything possible to keep you from getting to church there's a big Amen on that I could tell you fought through some stuff to get here he'll do anything because he wants to keep you from the process this is what God's saying this is this what Jesus saying he likens God to like a gardener he says he says he's the one that begins to grow the lilies of the field in fact the first time we see God in Genesis chapter 2 he plants a garden in Eden and he puts man there why it's like a picture that God is someone that cultivates life he doesn't cultivate death he doesn't stamp it down he doesn't hold it back he cultivates life listen he'll cut the things from you that need to be cut he'll put you in the right environment to succeed come on he'll rain down showers of blessing over on your life he'll rain down anointing onto your life come on he'll give you wisdom he's gonna help you it's gonna help you you see Jesus came he says I am the vine but my father is the gardener God is currently at work cultivating you curating you working on you you're not where you want to be but can I truly tell you this you're doing better than you think you are you're at church this morning that's pretty good that's not bad my you coulda overslept you gotta come up with a reason it's snow two days ago that's it that's a good reason you showed up at church I'm telling you God says good let me get to work now and I'm telling you in worship that's why we have that sing at the beginning it's not just Christian karaoke it's worship God will come in and he'll begin to change you he's still working on you but then Jesus kind of proposes the solution to us he says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added unto you many times you know our source of worry is because we're seeking the wrong things we're seeking after the wrong things and that's what creates the word the anxiety the nervousness in us when we're seeking the affirmation of people all of a sudden we put people in the place of God and there's no way that can produce anything but nervousness and in anxiety some some of us are we say stuff like I just need I just need one good night's sleep I just need that new house I just need a better job what about the last five jobs know that those were all the problem I just need one amazing incredible job where I work like three days a week and I get paid a lot and I get like twelve weeks of vacation we're saying like this is in France I don't know where you're you're not gonna find that job I just need one and we it's amazing how long you can go seeking a bunch of different things with none of them bringing fulfillment but you're moving on to the next one or it wasn't the job but maybe it's a promotion it's not the promotion but maybe it's a house it wasn't that my husband but maybe it's another husband it wasn't the children but maybe it's another child and and we just could go to the end of our life seeking sustainability in things I'm telling you that's only the source of your worry that you're seeking the wrong things Jesus says seek first the kingdom saying come to me come find my way of doing things seek the kingdom and my righteousness in other words align yourself from eternity back into your life and get my righteousness you say how can I have righteousness Jesus gives it to you come and ask for it God will you put your clothes your our clothing of righteousness if that makes sense put it on me in other words Jesus is the Prince of Peace God put that on me Jesus is the source of joy God burst that in me he's saying seek the kingdom not the world seek my way not your own way seek my righteousness not your own pleasure and all of the sudden life will begin to come into alignment and peace will be burst on the inside this is Jesus's promise that if you seek me I'll add everything you need to you Oh add you think it's difficult for him seek me I'll add everything that's needed unto you

Channel: AWAKENING Church

Views: 4,294

Rating: 4.9473686 out of 5

Keywords: holy bible, Awakening, jordan boyce, church, sermon, rhode island, truth, what the bible says, jesus, Awakening Church, Providence RI, AWKNG, Revival Nothing Less, Awakening Global, mental health, what does the bible say about depression, what does the bible say about anxiety, jesus anxiety, jesus on mental health, anxiety in the bible, matthew 6, philippians 4, peace, how to get peace, how to beat anxiety, anxiety, worry, depression, emotions, mental illness, bible scriptures

Id: f0RNyJnhXk4

Length: 32min 46sec (1966 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 27 2018