GOD’S ALL-SUFFICIENT RESOURCES FOR DEALING WITH STRESS

Lesson 1

The Sufficiency of the Bible – Part 1  

TEXT:  Psalm 19:7-14  

I. INTRODUCTION  

A. Predictions in 1960s of life in America would be like in 21^st Century

1. Technology boom would make life simpler

2. Average work week 28 hours

3. Retirement at age 47

4. Leisurely life would be common

a. Think of The Jetsons  

B. Truth of life today?

1. Technology may make some things simpler but it complicates much more than it simplifies

a. Technology is expensive and we must have it NOW

b. We buy on credit then have to work more to pay for it

c. One type of technology leads to another

2. Americans are not working shorter weeks but stretching the minutes and hours

3. Many postpone retirement and work into 70s

4. Although many people do spend a great deal of time with leisurely activities, they work extra hard to be able to afford leisure

5. Heart disease is a leading killer; obesity is troubling; mental illness and depression are rampant; drug and alcohol use continues to rise, divorce and abuse rates increase, road rage plagues our streets

a. Much of these stem from lives filled with constant stress

b. The health issues come from not taking time to eat right and exercise

6. Natural disasters cause stress for many

a. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornados, floods, wildfires

7. Man-made tragedies

a. Wars, crime, terrorist attacks, elections, school shootings

8. Personal issues

a. Caring for elderly family members, caring for children, marriage problems, financial problems, divorce, deaths, marriages, graduations, travel

9. People today are constantly dealing with stress and the effects of stress

a. Very few people, if any, are free from stress and the effects it causes

b. Ways of dealing with stress vary as much as the weather  

C. The question is, “How do we deal with stress?”

1. One thing is for certain, There is the answers that the world will provide, and there is an answer that God will provide

a. Even an immature Christian should be able to tell you that the two answers will be as different as night and day

II. PSYCHOLOGY IN AMERICAN AND ITS RESULTS  

A. What is psychology?

1. Webster’s 1828 defines psychology as “a discourse or treatise on the human soul; or the doctrine of the nature and properties of the soul”

a. Looking at definitions of “discourse” and “treatise” in the same dictionary gives this definition the meaning that psychology was an intelligent discussion or well-written paper discussing the human soul

2. Webster’s 1961 defines psychology as “the science of the mind”

a. This is what 133 years of denying the Bible will do to a word

b. Nothing about the “soul” is in modern definitions of psychology

c. And it’s been turned into a science

(1) Science is something that is observable and measurable

(2) You can’t observe or measure a soul

(3) You can observe and measure a mind

B. Sigmund Freud is considered the father of modern psychoanalysis

1. He is purported to have been an avid drug user

2. He was a noted secular humanist and evolutionist

3. He was most likely an atheist also

4. He spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to deal with people’s problems

a. He came up with many theories on many subjects relating to the human mind and human behavior

b. Yet he had no idea what a human actually is

c. How can a person expect to study the “mind” and not know what it is he’s studying?

(1) 1 Thess 5:23

C. Two problems believers ought to have with psychology and psychoanalysis

1. There is little agreement and uniformity among the psychological profession

a. One branch of this is criminology—the study of criminal behavior

(1) There have been countless theories over the past 500 years and none of them answer anything or even agree with each other

2. Modern psychology and Scripture stand in contradiction with each other

a. Psychology says that human nature is basically good and that people have answers inside themselves

b. Modern psychology says problems are the result of what someone else has done, problems are of the mind and not spiritual or physical, and deep-seated problems can be solved only by professional counselors using therapy (or by watching Dr. Phil)

c. This is contrary to scripture which tells us that WE are NOT good and that what is inside of us is not the answers, but evil (Rom 3:23, Jer 17:9)

D. Modern psychology says the Bible cannot handle complex problems of today—it’s outdated

1. Simpson’s sound bite on TV commercial, Homer says something about “the religion with all those good ideas that don’t work in the real world”

2. Many believe that you must take your problems to a “trained professional” for help

a. What qualifies a person as trained?  College?

b. How many college grads have been turned down for a job because they lack one thing…experience?

III. JESUS KNEW TRAUMA, STRESS, AND TRIALS  

A. Think about what Jesus experienced

1. Rejection, prejudice, bias, false accusations

2. Emotional, physical, mental stress

3. He went hungry, without sleep, without a home; he lost loved ones; he worked long hours

4. He may not have gone to Berkeley, Yale, or Harvard and may not have a Ph.D. but He sure does know what He’s talking about  

B. Jesus experienced and handled it all to perfection

1. The way to deal with stress is to be Christ-like

a. Philp 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

2. Psychotherapy will not produce Christ-likeness; Christ is not in modern psychology

3. The Bible WILL produce Christ-likeness!

IV. THE WORD OF GOD GIVES ANSWERS TO THE STRESS AND TRAUMA OF LIFE!  

Note: Psychological problems are the result of spiritual needs  

A. Vs. 7a – The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul

1. Converting = restoration; restoring the soul

2. Law of the Lord = the words of God; they are complete and sufficient

3. God’s word is sufficient to restore a distressed soul

a. A lost soul is certainly distressed and there is only one way to fix it

B. Vs. 7b – The word of God is sure

1. Sure = trustworthy

a. It is firm and does not change; unlike psychological theories

b. It also does not contradict itself

C. Vs. 8a – The word of God is right and causes the heart to rejoice

1. It will put you on the right path

2. A path that leads to joy

a. Which will, of course, help in coping with stress

D. Vs. 8b – The word of God is pure and enlightens eyes

1. Pure – clear, clean, perfect

2. It will show you exactly what your trouble is and how to get through it

E. Vs. 9 – The word of God is clean, undefiled and morally pure, without changing the times

1. It does not need updating

F. Vs. 9b – The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether

1. God knows your trouble; there is no need for you to lie down on a couch and tell him your deepest darkest fears or how your mom never loved you and your father was a drunk

2. His knowledge is complete and He knows what you need to do to take care of your problems if only you’ll seek His guidance