Scripture
John 14:1
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
Sermon Summary
These days, people use the word “stress” much more frequently than the word “anxiety” or “trouble.” Everyone, regardless of age or gender, carries their own weight of stress.
The scripture begins with the premise that anxiety is always close to us. Whether we choose to dwell on it or not, anxiety itself exists in this world. We usually react immediately to anxiety and allow it to overwhelm us, often falling into a horizontal, co-dependent relationship with it. However, Jesus commands us, “Do not.” By doing so, He shows us that anxiety falls under the realm of our control. If He tells us not to do it, it conversely implies that reacting to anxiety is not the natural or intended state of our hearts. In other words, “being anxious = an abnormal response.”
Then, why do we become anxious? It is because we do not believe in God. It is because we do not believe in Jesus. Today’s passage reveals that anxiety is entirely a matter of faith. Jesus commands us, “Believe in my words when I tell you not to let your hearts be troubled.” We must not surrender to anxiety; instead, we must surrender to the Word.
Luke 12:25-26 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
Worrying has absolutely no power to change outcomes. Being anxious does not make money fall from the sky, nor does it cure a sickness. Ultimately, anxiety is trivial and worthless.
Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
Anxiety dries up the bones. Our body is directly connected to our heart, meaning anxiety actively impacts our physical life. It sickens both the soul and the flesh. It causes believers to stumble. Behind our anxiety lies an evil spiritual force that schemes to pull us away from God.
Matthew 13:22 “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
Worry is an entity that chokes us, preventing us from bearing spiritual fruit.
Ecclesiastes 1:18 “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”
Human knowledge, wisdom, and power can never solve anxiety.
Matthew 19:22 “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
Anxiety cannot be resolved by material wealth either. Nothing in this world works. On our own, it is bound to fail. Then, how should we handle anxiety?
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
The Lord can solve it. The Lord can help us. The way out is found only in Him. He never ignores our prayers; instead, He engraves them upon His heart.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
We must bring the causes of our anxiety to God through prayer. Keeping them to ourselves will never resolve them, so we must seek Him.
Jeremiah 29:12 “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
We must stay close to God so that we can run to Him as our refuge at any given moment.
James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
We must remain close to God and pray. Here, there is one crucial thing we must remember: the cause of anxiety is not the same as anxiety itself. The cause of anxiety is simply the external trigger. Because even the triggers of anxiety fall under God’s sovereignty, they can exist at any time. However, whether we choose to allow those triggers to turn into internal anxiety is entirely our choice.
Lamentations 3:33 “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.”
To dwell in anxiety means choosing to live according to our own will rather than God’s. God’s true will for us is to surrender our anxieties to Him and draw closer to His presence.
Personal Reflection
First and foremost, I was quite shocked to realize that the cause of anxiety and anxiety itself are two completely different things. I had always assumed that the trigger automatically equaled the anxiety, but hearing this, it makes perfect sense. In fact, looking back, there were so many times when I didn’t even have a tangible reason to worry, yet I would manufacture a problem in my own head and torment myself with anxiety over it.
I think I spent almost the entirety of my 20s living that way. The anxiety about the future, insecurities within relationships, and the fear created by imagining scenarios that hadn’t even happened—they used to torture me deeply. Looking back now, the things I worried about so intensely back then were actually nothing major, yet I wonder why I broke myself down like that. The answer is simple: at that time, I was distant from God.
It would be a lie to say that I am completely free of any external triggers now that my faith is restored. Honestly, even right now, I have about three distinct “causes of anxiety” in my life. Yet, I do not feel anxious. As I organize these sermon notes, my heart actually grows calmer and more courageous.
Thank You, Lord, for helping me again today.