Pastor Jon Burgess
March 3, 2019 - W1909

Surrender My Emotions

Surrender

Pastor John Burgess

March 2& 3, 2019

Welcome New Hope!  As we continue our Surrender series, I thought about Psalm 23 and how it starts with green pastures and quiet waters (nice and wonderful things); but, then it takes a turn in verse 4, “Yea, thoughI walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” We're okay surrendering to the Lord the nice and wonderful things; but how many would be willing to surrender to Him the valley of the shadow of death?

Today, we will look at Surrender My Emotions. Many of us struggle with death because death emotionally frustrates and overwhelms us; yet, Jesus (our Shepherd) wants to lead us through the place that most of us would rather not face—the darkest of times!

From today’s scriptures, we’ll not only get to watch Jesus as He walks through the valley, as He grapples with death when his friend Lazarus dies; but we’ll also see how He leads His friends, Mary and Martha, through the valley! Jesus will also walk with us as we walk through the valley—and we’ll have no fear because He is with us! 

Death anxiety is a phrase that appears to be at the core of several mental health and health disorders, such as, anxiety, panic, and depressive disorders.  We avoid talking about death, even though we know it’s a certainty! Only a third of the people have written a will, acknowledging that we will all die eventually, unless Jesus comes to take us home in the Rapture! 

Even Christians fear death—why else would someone wake up at the crack of dawn and run on a treadmill or eat kale if it meant not dying for that much longer! 

Psalm 23:4 NKJV says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”  

Notice that in the first three verses of Psalm 23 the Psalmist uses the personal pronoun "he will lead me to quiet waters, etc.”then switches in verse 4 to you, ForYou are with me. Why do you think that is? Was David hinting at something? Perhaps, that in our times of crisis we are the closest to Christ and, in times of darkness and desperation, we are most dependent on Him? 

King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:2 NCV, “It is better to go to a funeral than to a party. We all must die, and everyone living should think about this.”

It’s not an invitation to a morbid life; it’s an invitation to a meaningful one! Whether or not you’re faced with death, Jesus our Shepherd wants to teach us how to walk through death; so that we can help others walk through it, as well. You are the only source of comfort for those who have no knowledge of Christ or what happens after we die.   

1. FEELINGS MUST FOLLOW FAITH

John 11:21-26 NIV says, “^21 ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’  ²³ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  ²⁴ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’  ²⁵ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

When something bad happens, who is the one that we immediately blame? Martha blames Jesus; but He doesn't shun or shut her down. He would rather that Martha talk to Him about the grief, sorrow, and loss in her life than to keep it to herself! And when we talk to Jesus, we realize the order of things that feelings must always follow faith!  (We ask the most important questions during the worst of times!)

Jesus won’t lead you into a valley without leading you through it—and, sometimes, we need a little redirection! Whenever a sheep goes astray, the shepherd gives a little tap on the sheep’s head with the rod to remind it to stay close to him; he also uses the staff with a crook at the end that fits nicely around the throat of the sheep to gently guide it away from the cliff or to keep it away from predators. The staff and the rod are both used for protection! I love that our Savior is always fighting for us.  

1 Thessalonians 4:13 NIV says, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

What do you think sets apart those who are able to get through grief from those who do not? Those who successfully get through grief/loss have hope—they know it’s not the end! During memorial services, I give everyone permission to have emotions, letting them know that it’s okay to grieve—but I also say that we must move forward! Be a living memorial to the one we're grieving for; otherwise, we could stay in the valley of the shadow of death and never feel able to move past the loss of a loved one!

2. GRIEF IS A PLACE OF REFERENCE, NOT RESIDENCE

John 11:32-36 NIV says, “³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled (to be in agony and anger, simultaneously). ³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

We're not talking to a God who is unfamiliar with loss—He knows exactly what it feels like!  The agony in Jesus’ heart was struck the moment He saw Mary's tears.  Suddenly, it struck Him that He had lost His friend, too, and was angry at the effects of death: That death could ravage one of God's creation—let alone His own friend. This is Jesus’ anger at death!

Ephesians 4:26, KJV says, “Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

Anger is not sin. It's what we allow anger to do in our hearts (when we don't surrender it to the Lord) that becomes sin!  To push down anger and pretend we're not having those feeling is the worst thing that we can do! (Wrong thinking: Christians aren’t supposed to feel anger!) Notice that Jesus was angry at death, but He cries with Mary when He saw her tears!  This is our Shepherd.  This is how He feels! 

Some of you may be feeling stuck right now—frustrated, alone, and angry; but the Lord is telling you to surrender and give Him your emotion. It’s okay! He will show you the way through; so you don’t stay in the valley of the shadow! 

No matter who you are grieving/missing for today, do not stop living; know the ever-present help of our God!  The way you grieve will lead others to Christ! They will see you like those who grieve with hope because... 

3.  RESURRECTION BREAKS ALL THE RULES

John 11:38-42 NIV says, “ ³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ ‘Take away the stone,’ he said.‘ But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’”

Jesus is breaking the rules:  For a rabbi to go near a dead person is breaking the rules and would be considered unclean. Plus, there was a belief in Jewish tradition that if a body was dead for four days, it stayed dead.  You could pray for God to do a miracle up to three days, but on the fourth day, it's done!  

Everyone had given up on Lazarus, as he was dead four days! It’s over, done!  This is a stinky situation; and, yet, the Resurrection breaks all the rules!  

Jesus is modeling for us how to get through the valley—just keep talking to Him!  Don't let grief shut down your conversation with the only One who can get you through this! Jesus hears you when you cry out to Him! 

When everyone else is saying, “It’s over, done, gone!” Jesus reminds us that Resurrection breaks all the rules! Death has been defanged! It holds no sting and cannot harm us! We can say, “If my Shepherd is in the middle of this with me, I need to follow Him out; and, through this difficult place, He will show me what to do with my feelings and emotions! I just need to stay as close as possible to my Shepherd—and I won't fear any evil because He is with me!”

Our Shepherd wants us to choose: Either to surrender our preconceived ideas of Him or stay stuck in the valley! What does the valley of the shadow of death look like? It's as if all the lights have gone out, and you can't see a single thing!  

No matter what you’re facing, Jesus wants to make sure that you believe—none of us actually knows how long a time we have. Do you believe that there is life after death?

John 20:31 NIV says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

You may have all the excuses in the world to stay in the valley; yet, you need to know that your Shepherd leads you through the valley of the shadow of death. If it's a shadow of death, there must be light; if there's light, there's a way out! I just need to stay as close as possible to my Shepherd because the Psalmist says, “I won't fear any evil because You are with me!” Jesus is here for our protection and correction!

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1.     What are the shadows you fear?
2.     Do you allow your faith or emotions to lead you?  Explain.
3.     What ways do you feel yourself wandering astray in the valleys?
4.     How can you get redirected to stay close to your shepherd?