“Let’s Chat About It”: Untangling the Web of Anxiety (Week 1)
Preacher: Daniel Erasmus
Worship:
As you spend time in worship this week, listen to the worship song I Speak Jesus by Charity Gayle and reflect on the lyrics of the song. Speaking the name of Jesus can bring peace when we experience fear and anxiety.
Check-in:
We’ve just come out of a wonderful season remembering Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. What was the highlight of your Easter? Perhaps you have a praise report or an answer to prayer like we heard on Sunday. Share this with your group too.
Synopsis of message: Anxiety
As we’ve started this series, we’ve discovered a few alarming statistics about anxiety. For example, consider that 4% of the world’s population struggles with this very issue. In our humanness, as we battle with very real and very deep anxiety, have you wondered whether we’re letting God down by being anxious? While anxiety can lead to sin, feeling anxious doesn’t mean that you are letting God down.
Knowing, loving and faithfully following Jesus does not absolve us from experiencing anxiety. In fact, we see in Mark 14:32-36 that even Jesus, the Son of God, experienced extraordinary anxiety.
From this portion of Scripture, Pastor Daniel shared with us how Jesus dealt with anxiety:
- He talked to his friends, his spiritual support system.
- He talked to his Father and he cried out to God.
- He talked to his feelings.
Based on this model, while we may experience anxiety, we should not be governed by it. We can confide in our spiritual support system. We can cry out to our loving Father, casting our anxiety on Him, 1 Peter 5:7. Lastly, we can talk to our feelings, speaking truth to them and telling them to align with our faith.
As an end to his message, Pastor Daniel urged us with a passage from Philippians 4:6-7, which tells us not to be anxious about anything. Rather, we should present our requests to God and experience His peace.
Discussion questions:
- Many attach a stigma to Christians experiencing anxiety. What surprised you most in Pastor Daniel’s sermon?
- Have you experienced any unusual anxiety? What has been your first response to that feeling of fear? Which of the three points mentioned (if not all) can you explore to help you deal with this feeling?
- We are challenged by Pastor Daniel’s message about Jesus’ raw honesty with his disciples. Consider ways to be more authentic around our closest friends and our families.
Additional resources:
- For Anxiety & Stress | Christian Guided Meditation and Prayer (YouTube video)
- Overcoming Fear and Anxiety – YouVersion
- Facing Anxiety – RightNowMedia
