Finding Certainty in Anxiety Through Jesus!

Introduction

Hello again, everybody. Good to keep your passage open. You might have noticed that we’re not in Mark’s gospel today, but we are looking at Jesus, so be reassured. Let’s pray and ask God to help us as we come to his word. Please join me in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank you for gathering us, for bringing us together, and giving us this place to meet. We thank you that, God, you’re a God who speaks and a God who gives us his Holy Spirit so we can understand what you’re saying. We do pray that we would grow in our appreciation of who Jesus is, what he does, and the difference he makes as we come to your word this morning. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Remember a number of years ago, speaking to a couple who just got married, and I was thinking about their future, and they asked me something which I hadn’t thought of before. They asked me if it was okay for them not to want to have children. They asked me if it was okay for them not to want to have children, and I had to ask them, “Well, why? Why don’t you want children?” And they said, “Well, it’s not that we’re against children. We love children, but we’re just worried. We’re anxious. We’re worried about if it’s right to bring children into a world like ours.”

You ever had a conversation like that? You ever thought that yourself? Is it right to bring children into a world like ours where they might get hurt, where they might experience pain, and have to deal with all the stuff going on? There’s a lot of stuff going on, isn’t there? There’s war in Gaza, war in the Ukraine, global warming, terrorism, cybercrime, the rise of AI, housing affordability, a loneliness epidemic, decreasing mental health. Parramatta hasn’t won since 1986. There are all sorts of terrible, terrible, cataclysmic things going on in the world. But putting the last one aside, we know where people are coming from when they feel anxious about the way things are, the way things are heading. Everywhere we look, we live in a world that can make us feel anxious and question our safety and security and well-being.

Let me ask you as we start off, do you feel anxious? Do you feel anxious about your life, about your future, about your world? I think many of us do, and that’s why the passage I’ve chosen this morning is so very helpful, which comes from Paul’s second letter to the Christians in Corinth, because it doesn’t just say, “Don’t worry, be happy,” but it points us to how we can have certainty in the midst of our anxiety. It begins, if you’d like to open your Bibles, in chapter 1, verse 12, where Paul starts off by saying this. He says, “We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings.”

Questioning Paul’s Character

The Reason for Questioning

What’s going on? Why is Paul saying this? Well, from the context, it’s obvious that people were questioning his character. Why was that the case? We find out a few verses later in verse 15. Paul says, “I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice, first on my way to Macedonia and again when I return from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea.” So what’s going on? Paul had told the Corinthians that he was coming to visit them, but as it turns out, he hadn’t been able to work that out. That raised the question, can Paul be trusted? Is he indeed a man of God-given holiness and sincerity in all his dealings?

That’s a fair question because we all know what it’s like to have someone say one thing to you and do another. I’ve been guilty of this myself at times. A number of years ago, it was one of those lazy Saturday afternoons. I’d put my feet up, I was relaxing, and all of a sudden the phone goes off, and I see my friend’s name there, and I answer the phone. There’s a different voice in the phone, and the person says, “Hey, Gary, where are you?” Then it just dawned on me that I was actually two hours late for a birthday party in Revesby from a very good friend that had come all the way from America, and I had to rush across. We’ve all done stuff like that, haven’t we, where we’ve just forgotten stuff, where we said we’re going to turn up for something but actually hadn’t.

The Importance of Keeping Your Word

Just say for a moment that you were actually known for doing that, that this was your thing, that you would say one thing and do another. You shouldn’t be surprised at that point if people questioned your sincerity and questioned your ability to keep your word. What difference does it make? Why is it important? Why is it important, especially for a Christian? Firstly, not keeping your word hurts the people around you, and we’ve all been on the receiving end of that, haven’t we, of a broken promise, a mistruth, or a lie. What we say matters. Secondly, while having people not trust you can be personally embarrassing, what’s even worse is when people link that to your faith because what is a Christian supposed to do? A Christian is supposed to represent God’s character to the world. They are his priests. They are his ambassadors. They’re supposed to show the difference that knowing Jesus makes.

If you’re the type of person who’s loose with their words and doesn’t keep their promises, then what other conclusion can people come to than if you’re not worth trusting, then maybe your God isn’t either? You can see why keeping a word is very important and why it was especially important for Paul, our author. That’s why he says what he does in verse 17. He says, “Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I’m like the people of the world who say yes when they really mean no?” Guys, you really think I take my promises lightly? I’m not like that. I keep my word.

The Faithfulness of God

God is Faithful

I keep my word for at least two reasons. Firstly, because my God is not like that, verse 18. My God is faithful, can always be trusted. Let me tell you, secondly, my message about God isn’t like that either, verse 19. For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between yes and no. He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preach to you, and as God’s ultimate yes, he always does what he says. What Paul is saying here is that the message about Jesus, did the Corinthians have first heard from Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the good news about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, they granted them forgiveness and a fresh start with God. That message wasn’t a yes, no, maybe type of message but was certain and reliable and could always be trusted.

It’s very important for Paul to keep his word, isn’t it? Why could this message always be trusted? Paul unpacks this in the very next verse, verse 20, and he says, “It’s because for all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ, Christ with a resounding yes, and through Christ our amen, which means yes, ascends to God for his glory.” This is really important. It’s the focus of what we’re looking at this morning. What is Paul saying? Paul is saying that all of God’s promises, everything that he’s ever promised to his people through Moses, the prophets, what we have in the Bible, every hope and aspiration, every expectation and desire, have found their yes and fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the yes to all that God has promised.

Understanding God’s Promises

Why is that so important? Well, there’s a number of things it does for us. Firstly, it tells us something about God. It tells us that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament aren’t two separate Gods but the one God, and that the Old Testament and the New Testament aren’t two separate books but the one book with the very same story. You’ve heard people say there’s the God of the Old Testament, the God of judgment, the God of the New Testament, the God who loves. They think they’re different gods, but it’s the one same God who brings judgment on sinners because he’s holy and just but also loves sinners and in Jesus to die for them. Same God. Understand that Jesus fulfills all of the God promises also helps us to understand Jesus because if Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, then understanding those promises will help us to know Jesus better.

Let me give you an example. Luke Chapter 19:10, Jesus says, “I have come to seek and save the lost.” Who are the lost? When we go back to the Old Testament to the promises God made to Abraham, Israel’s forefather, in Genesis 12:3, we are told that a descendant of Abraham will bless all the families of the Earth. What that shows us is that Jesus hasn’t come just to be the savior of the Jews, but Jesus fulfilling God’s promises actually come to save all the families of the Earth, all nations, all people. They are the lost, the people who don’t know Jesus. It’s the same type of thing when it comes to what it means for Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, God’s chosen King. When you go back to the Old Testament to where the promise was first made in 2 Samuel chapter 7, God promises through his Prophet Nathan that rather than King David building a house for God, a temple, God would build a house for David, a dynasty where God would establish the Kingdom and the throne of one of his descendants forever. Now Jesus in fulfillment of that, he has come to be that King who would rule over God’s people forever, deliver them from danger, and keep them safe ultimately by dying for their sins and rising from the dead.

The promises of God in the past help us understand Jesus, who he is, and what he’s come to do. This leads to another important thing that we get out of verse 20. The fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises also means that we can be 100% certain that God will keep his word. Come back with me to verse 20 where Paul at the very end says this, “And through Christ our amen, which means yes, ascends to God for his glory.” What does that mean? The word amen means yes, that’s what the passage says, but it also means I agree. That’s why we say at the end of prayers, amen, I agree what’s must been prayed. The word also means this is reliable, this is fixed, this is firm, this is sure, this is dependable, this is faithful, this is true. You’re getting a feeling for the word amen, aren’t you?

Certainty in the Midst of Anxiety

Anchoring Our Lives in Jesus

Because Jesus has fulfilled every promise of God, we’re able to say amen. We’re able to say amen to God’s word and to what he’s promised. Yes, I agree. These things are fixed, firm, true, reliable, and sure. That makes a massive difference to every day life because what does it mean? It means that in the midst of all the things that we face, all the anxieties and doubts that we feel, there is one thing. There is one thing that we can be certain about, one thing we can hold on to and anchor for our lives that allows us to move beyond that feeling of paralysis that we have because of our anxieties to be able to move forward in life no matter what.

I was something that happened last year when I went bush walking with my wife. For those of you who know me, I don’t like the outdoors, artificial lighting, air conditioning, beautiful. Amen, it is yes, I agree. Wife and I taking a few days off, she asked me to go bush walking, and I decided to Google the walk. What do I see? I see all these slippery slates covered with water and moss, and it made me feel anxious because I hate anything that looks slippery, let alone the outdoors. I still said yes because I’m a good husband, and then I prayed for rain. When the day arrived, perfect, made sure my mobile was charged in case I needed the helicopter. I remember getting the beginning of the walk, and there’s all these steep stairs going off into infinity covered with water and moss. I thought to myself, I can’t do this. I cannot do this. I cannot go down there these stairs. I wish they had a handrail, something to hold on to.

Then I had a thought. I turned to Pearl and said, “Look, this is going to be difficult for me. Can you be my handrail?” She said yes. I put my hand on her shoulder, and off we went. I was able to finish the walk with her assistance, and even though there were plenty of other things I’d rather be doing, going to the dentist, tax return, minor surgery, there were plenty of times where the steps were slippery and steep, and I was still anxious because of Pearl, I was able to move forward. I could move forward because I had something to hold on to.

Trusting in Jesus

I hope you can see the point I’m trying to make here. Life as a Christian can be a bit like that. The path ahead of us can seem slippery and dangerous. Our lives can seem full of challenges and the unknown, and we can feel anxious and unable to move forward and unable to live life that Jesus wants us to live. Rather than being paralyzed by our fears and anxiety, sometimes we just need to be honest with ourselves and say, “I can’t do this alone.” Sometimes we just need to be willing to be vulnerable, willing to appear weak, willing to appear foolish in the eyes of those around us, and actually place our trust in someone else, someone we can trust to help us move forward. Paul here is saying in our passage that person is Jesus. That person is Jesus. Jesus is the one who can reach out and hold on to to give us certainty and safety and security in the midst of our trouble and all of our anxieties.

Knowing that no matter what happens, we’ll be okay because what God has promised, forgiveness, a fresh start, freedom from judgment, love, hope, life in all its fullness, a future where he will wipe every tear from our eyes, where there will be no more death, crying, or pain, we know that these are all amen and yes because of Jesus, because Jesus has fulfilled every one of God’s promises, dying on the cross and rising from the dead, bringing us from death to life and making us God’s children. That’s what Jesus has done for us. It’s pretty good, isn’t it? It’s pretty good to have that type of certainty in this world that we live in, type of certainty no one else can have.

The Transforming Power of Trusting Jesus

Trusting Jesus Doesn’t Erase Troubles

I need to say this clearly, this doesn’t mean that trusting in Jesus will make your troubles disappear. This doesn’t mean that trusting in Jesus will make your life rosy all of a sudden. That’s not even true of Paul in our passage. As Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians why he didn’t come, in verse 23, he tells us that he didn’t visit the Corinthians in order to spare them. He expands on this at the beginning of chapter 2. He says, “So I decided that I would not bring you grief at another painful visit, for if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved.” There were big troubles in the church in Corinth. There’s all sorts of mess going on. Paul knows that if he actually physically visited there, there would be conflict. He would have to rebuke people. There would be all sorts of difficult conversations. Because he loves them deeply and he doesn’t want to hurt them, then rather than visiting them, he writes to them instead. Even that was difficult. Even for someone like Paul trusting in Jesus, and he trusted in Jesus in the way that I find hard to imagine, even trusting in Jesus didn’t make his problems disappear. Life was still hard and relationships difficult.

Trusting Jesus Transforms Troubles

Trusting in Jesus can transform your troubles, allow you to live life in a brand new way. Let me tell you about a man called Bob. Bob was a man I met at church in his 50s, very pale, always wore a hat because Bob had cancer and had been undergoing chemo. I remember one Sunday speaking to Bob at the back of church and asking Bob, “How’s your week this week? How’s the chemo going?” Bit of chitchat. Bob said to me, “Well, I didn’t have any chemo. It’s not working anymore, and the doctors and I decided it’s time to stop.” I said to Bob, “That’s no good. How do you feel?” Bob said, “I’m so thankful that God has brought me back to himself and brought me to this church. I was wondering, Gary, if you’d be willing to do my funeral.” I said, “Of course I would. Of course I’ll do that. It’s such an honor. It would be a great privilege. What are you going to do now?” Bob, he said, “I need to tell my family and friends that I’m going to die, but in the time I’ve got left, I want to be helping people come to know God.” I said, “It’s good to be a Christian, isn’t it?” He said, “It’s fantastic.” I asked him, “Are you ready to meet God?” He said, “I can’t wait.” Bob had been Christian for only four weeks at that point, and he ended up dying a few weeks later.

Friends, that’s the type of difference that Jesus can make, and that’s the type of certainty that only Jesus provides. While there are so many things in life that can make us feel anxious, what’s bothering you at the moment? Is it finances, work, busyness, children, grandchildren, relationships, what’s happening in the world? There’s so many things that can make us feel anxious, so many things that we can worry about, but for those who trust Jesus, there is one thing they will never ever have to worry about, that God can be trusted and deliver of what he promises. That gives us tremendous freedom to meet life head on, tremendous freedom to live life in all its fullness and to thrive and be positive and love and serve despite our anxieties and what’s going on around us.

Are you anxious? Many of us are because life and this world can be difficult and challenging, but I hope that you’ve seen that trusting in Jesus provides us certainty in the midst of our anxiety because no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Jesus. He’s fulfilled every single one of them.