Pressure Points: Coping with Uncertainty
by Ken Wilson
Don launched a new series last week with a message on anxiety that touched a nerve. Pressure Points: Coping with Uncertainty.
We're all in this thing together aren't we? Deepest recession in our lifetime--now global in scope; losing 500,000 jobs a month.
We in SE Michigan are in the recessionary vanguard! We are hot stuff! (This snow storm in Tennesse would have shut the state down!)
Every crisis is an opportunity, but only we if recognize it.
Otherwise it just sucks.
Topics include: the certainty of uncertainty, tuning in to God's voice to lead us through uncertain times, finding peace when world around us is in turmoil, pressure points on your base camp.
Today, step back consider God's redemptive purpose: how God works for our good through the inevitable hardships we endure.
We are purpose driven people. Hardship with no sense of purpose leads to despair. But a sense of purpose empowers us thru hardship.
Hebrews written to a community of Jewish believers living thru crisis.
The temple in Jerusalem destroyed in 70 A.D.--the end of the world as they knew it. Wars & rumors of war. In Jerusalem leading up to 70 A.D., 3 Jewish factions at war with each other and Rome. Jesus had earlier instructed them not to take up arms against Rome. This didn't make them popular with their countrymen.
Tension in Hebrews: Jewish believers tempted to give up the Jesus faith and go back to what they had before Jesus as if Jesus never happened. Price was too high. As it gets too high for us sometimes, and we want to bolt back to our own lordship or somebody else's.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, pioneer & perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so you will not grow weary & lose heart." (Heb. 12: 1-3)
lot
Thinking of parents alot lately. Lived thru Great Depression-WW2. When crisis passed, built highway system, middle class; overturned Jim Crow, passed Civil Rights Act; conquered Polio, invented Internet.
In track, my splits were always faster when I ran past the stands. When we go through tough times, remember crowd of witnesses in stands cheering us on. People who have finished the race set before them and know it's possible. Especially Jesus who lived through his own crisis and came out the better for it.
If we follow him to end, we will come out better for every crisis we endure. Isn't just about coping; about being a disciple in tough times.
"In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child." (Heb. 12: 4-6)
First thing to look out for in crisis is not the crisis but your response to the crisis. Crisis times put pressure on everyone.
If you're a married person, sin is crouching at door trying to ruin your marriage. Times when marriage is a comfort and a blessing. But to get deepest comforts-blessings, you have to endure the struggles.
The word "sin" evokes so much shame. Not helpful. We are sinners. The word in Gk. comes from archery: missing the mark. Archers who miss the mark don't beat themselves up. They string another arrow.
Most sin isn't willful, but opportunistic, like an infection. A response to some hardship-stress. It's an attempt to take away some pain.
All sin is communal. We're in the sin-bin together. We're members of a body and when one of us gives sin a head wind, affects whole body. The body has an immune system. When an infection takes hold in finger, whole body mobilizes to help out. Whole body gets a fever to burn off the infection in finger.
Your marriage affects your community. Get help for yours if yours is struggling.
WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH EASY TRUTHS WON'T DO Hebrews offering hard-won perspective on hardship and it's not for the faint of heart: And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. (Heb. 12: 5-7)
THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE ARE BEST HEARD THRU THE VOICE OF JESUS. Often we hear words of Scripture through some religious voice in our heads. The voice of the stern taskmaster, Unpleasable god. The voice of an irritated father or manipulative mother, the pastor who has his own anger issues and vents them in the pulpit. Whatever. But not the voice of Jesus.
The voice of these words is different. The sweetest words a person can every hear are two words spoken by Jesus to sinners: follow me. I want you. I'm choosing you. I'd like to spend my life with you.
This word "discipline" is from word, disciple. As education is to student, discipline is to disciple. Discipline--being educated, trained, shaped influenced by a teacher--is what disciples SIGN UP FOR! (That plus everlasting life and maximum LOVE)
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. (Heb. 12: 7-10)
The parts of Scripture need to be understood in light of the whole of Scripture--if you want to hear the voice of Jesus in Scripture.
In the Bible as a whole, suffering is faced more than it is explained. This is not an explanation of all hardship: you are in this mess because you need to learn some thing. Hardship happens. Sure, sometimes our fault. Often it's not. Important point.
To say something is hardship is discipline is not to say the hardship is your fault. Kids have to wait for dinner. It's not their fault that they are hungry and don't enjoy the wait.
Whose fault the hardship is has nothing to do with God using hardship to turn us into disciples: those who follow come what may.
That's especially true for the context of this letter. The whole community is going through a hardship together.
We're not just individuals. We're a community, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. We're in this together.
This is a national-global crisis with an impact on everyone.
As a community we got into some bad habits. God is the Real God and he uses reality to discipline us just as he uses gravity to keep us grounded to the earth.
This financial crisis is discipline of reality. Lending money that can't be repaid isn't reality. Assuming house prices will always go up isn't either. Investment bankers left to police themselves isn't reality.
Older people wanting the young to pay for a long retirement that the young can't afford when there aren't enough of them isn't reality.
Using energy inefficiently isn't reality. Paying for an oil addiction to nations that fuel terrorist organizations isn't a strategy to stop them.
Defeating hate with hate isn't reality. A culture at war with itself that wants to prosper isn't either.
Churches cannot represent a crucified Lord if the members are not willing to sacrifice for the common good--of the church and the wider community. Cafeteria Christianity, Consumer Christianity, shop until you drop for a church that makes you feel good and calls for no sacrifice--that's not Real Church.
This financial crisis is unleashing a series of events that are saying: Reality cannot cooperate with these bad habits.
As a teen you needed parents to set boundaries. You can't drive before you can handle it. With independence comes responsibility.
Some parents do it in the worst possible way and it backfires. But it has to be done.
"God disciplines us for our good" There are burdens associated with loving someone deeply. My refusal to face depression. Calls from hospice, I don't return. A call comes in, I'm standing right there, Nancy answers. I hear who it is and stage whisper: I'm not here! Nancy says, "He's right here, I'll ask him if he wants to talk with you."
Man did she get the evil eye from me! But I took the phone.
I didn't realize but I was afraid to death of depression.. So my fear kept me from facing it. I could face others, but not my own. Nancy's response was the loving one: Ken, you need to face this, or it will get the better of you/us.
Nancy had to step up to the plate of her committed love for me by saying to herself, "No one else is going to talk to Ken about this. I love him more than anyone. I need to do it."
I have had to step up to the plate of my committed love for Nancy and do the same. It's the burden of love.
To say "God disciplines us" is to say
"God is willing to bear the burden of loving us."
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12: 11)
I've had this recent battle with anxiety. Started in August before Arctic. Then financial thing hits. Plus a string of other stressors.
I'm like, "God, this is a heckuva time for me to have to deal with anxiety!" I know that sounds ridiculous.
I was fighting the hardship--whining, when is this going to lift?--and in the process I was fighting the redemptive purpose of God's love for me in the hardship: discipline.
When I finally accepted it--this is happening and I've got a real problem with anxiety [and I accepted it by telling others, Nancy, my men's group, co-workers]--then I was able to face it and start learning from it: walk the road of the disciple.
Appreciating company; walk talk pray; needing wife; Omnifocus….
This anxiety has been a pain, but there's a harvest of peace ahead.
This economic crisis we're going through is a pain, but there's a harvest of peace and righteousness ahead.
The pain my parents went through as children of the depression and young adults of WW2, helped them build a society that made us less vulnerable to a total economic collapse. Institutions built and strengthened to withstand greater stress. Schools, churches built.
It's our turn to face hard stuff and leave better world for our children.
"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." (Heb. 12: 12-13)
When this was written people knew it had some application to the individual. But individual in ancient world saw himself first and foremost as the member of a community.
In a crisis, everyone feels their vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Everyone walks with a limp when they walk through a crisis.
If you're on a long walk and you're getting tired, you don't want to carry someone else's pack for a while.
But if you're part of a band of brothers-sisters, going through an ordeal, making your way thru dangerous territory together, you realize that your chances of survival increase if the band of brothers and sisters sticks together, and you all make it through.
So you are willing to carry someone else's back pack for a while though you are tired.
And if your feet are sore, but someone else has worn through their shoes, you're willing to let them lean on you as they hobble.
You bandage each others wounds on the road, rig a sling for a broken arm, navigate the rocky terrain, so that together you can make it through to a place where everyone can relax and together you can be healed.
1. If you haven't begun the discipline of regular giving to your church community, start this year. We need you. The people we're serving together as a church need you. We won't be able to shine without you. We need to break the habit of neglecting the common good to serve our own--that's what got us into this mess.
2. Even if you're limping look for a way to strengthen others by your service. If you're not serving, resolve to start this year.
3. Start talking-walking-praying through these tough times with others. You don't have to be alone. IJBS. Small group. Everyone studies. Genesis.