Finding Peace and Joy Through Christ in Stress

They induced stress on purpose, but it wasn't to hurt me. It was to test me. They wanted to see how my heart would respond under pressure. And church, that's exactly what life does to us. Not through an IV, but through broken relationships, through bills that keep piling up, through diagnoses that completely blindside you from the stress that shows up uninvited at 2 a .m. in the morning. Life will test your heart. And God, in all of his sovereignty, allows the pressure not to destroy you, but to develop you. Because stress doesn't create your spiritual condition. It exposes it. [00:28:44]

It's in these breakdowns, these detours, and these disruptions that God tests what's really steering our hearts. Not to crush us, but to teach us something deeper. And that's exactly what Paul's talking about in verse 4. Because when life does stress our way, the gospel doesn't just give us permission to vent about it. It gives us the power to respond with something radically different. [00:32:18]

Paul's reminding us joy isn't the product of peace. It's actually the pathway to peace. Paul's not writing from some fancy cruise ship. He's chained up. He's possibly facing death. He's been shipwrecked, beaten, betrayed, abandoned. Yet in all of this, what does he say? Rejoice in the Lord always. He doesn't say rejoice when times are good. He doesn't say rejoice when life's circumstances are comfortable. He says rejoice in the Lord always. [00:32:55]

Peace isn't something that shows up when life settles down. It's something you choose in the middle of the chaos. We don't rejoice when things are going our way. Instead, we choose to rejoice as a pathway to peace of mind. In every circumstance, I can guarantee you, you can always find a reason to rejoice. [00:33:54]

Paul's not saying, hey, rejoice in your routines. Rejoice in your bank account. Rejoice in your good health. No, he's telling you not to rejoice in your circumstances. He says, rejoice in the Lord, because that's the only stable anchor we have. You know, the world around us is unstable as Florida's weather, you know. We can be having a great day, and then all of a sudden, that phone call comes. [00:34:31]

When your routine gets completely wrecked, when your car breaks down, when your health changes, your relationships are rocky, when the whole world seems like it's been ripped from underneath your feet, Paul says we can still rejoice, because no matter what is going on around us, Christ always remains our rock. Our joy does not have to crash with our circumstances. [00:35:18]

Rejoicing in the Lord isn't some superficial celebration. It's not some positive vibe thinking or pretending that life is fine when it's really falling apart. Joy is a supernatural gladness that's rooted in the gospel certainty, rooted in the truth that the one who saved us is still with us, he's still for us, and he's still working things all for our good. [00:35:45]

Instead of being stressed in our circumstances, choose to rejoice in God's purpose in your life. Rejoicing in the Lord refuses to give in to despair because we are rooted in the truth that God is still in control. [00:36:40]

Their praise wasn't based on their surroundings. Rather, it was based on their safety. And I learned this in my own life, especially in recovery. There were days where I didn't know if I was really going to make it. There were days when my mind would be spinning. My heart was truly heavy and the cravings were real. And it wasn't my willpower that carried me. It was worship. [00:37:28]

Sometimes I'd be standing in a service with nothing but shame and brokenness in my heart. But you know what I did? I lifted my hands anyway. And I discovered that praise doesn't wait for healing. Instead, praise is what leads us to heal. [00:38:00]

You might not be locked in physical prison. You might not be struggling addiction, but you may be in an emotional prison. Maybe you're stuck in uncertainty or frustration or fear. This morning, let the word of God challenge you with hope. Remind yourself that you rejoice not in your circumstances, but in the truth that your God is bigger than them all. [00:38:17]

He didn't need a harvest to praise. He needed hope. And that hope comes straight from the character of God. Let's be a church that practices preemptive praise. Let me tell you, God has given us some big plans for some future ministries in this little church. But we don't need to be stressing over it. Instead, we need to be rejoicing because joy...isn't about what we can see. It's about him who we serve. [00:39:13]

Life doesn't just test your patience, it tests whether you reflect Jesus or you react in your flesh. In verse 5, Paul tells us passing the stress test is not just rejoicing through the stress, but also responding with gentleness, not aggression, because it's not about just staying calm, it's about staying Christ -like under fire. [00:41:24]

Gentleness is strength under stress. When pressure pushes you and you don't push back in the flesh, that's passing the stress test of life. When you can be under stress, Paul says, reflect Christ instead of reacting like the world. See, gentleness, it isn't passive or weak, it's power that's under the control of the Holy Spirit. [00:42:38]

It takes a lot more strength to stay gentle in conflict than to allow your anger to be seen. And when you stay grounded in the spirit, people don't just hear your theology, they see your transformation. [00:44:03]

Gentleness might feel like weakness, but it can become someone else's reason to trust Jesus in you. So let me ask you, when the pressure hits, do people get your reaction, or do they get Christ's reflection? Are you someone who can stay calm under fire, or are you still operating in the old flesh that used to blow up, shut down, or run away? [00:46:08]

Gentleness is having every right to retaliate for your missing burger, but instead choosing to respond like Christ in the heat of the moment. In a world that's fueled by outrage, sarcasm, and overreaction, gentleness is rare. And that's exactly why it stands out. Paul says, Let your gentleness be known to everyone. In other words, we are called not to just preach Christ. We are called to reflect it. [00:46:32]

You don't have to settle every score. You don't have to win every argument or get the last word in all the time. Because why? The judge is coming, and he's better at justice than you are. So you don't have to be stressed over the one who wronged you. You don't need to fret the fact that you were overlooked or mistreated. You don't need to worry about it. You can let it go, not because it doesn't matter, but because you trust that Jesus will handle it. [00:48:41]

Paul's also saying that the Lord is close by. He's not just coming someday. He's with you every single day. Psalm 145, 18, The Lord is near to all who call on him, and to all who call on him in truth. He's near in the chaos of parenting. He's near when that comment kind of cuts you real deep. He's near when the bills are due and the car is dead. He's near when you want to scream, but you need to stay surrendered. [00:49:14]

You don't need to lash out when the Lord is standing right beside you. You don't need to panic when his presence can be your peace. So stay steady. Stay gentle. Stay anchored. Because he's watching. He's working. And he's right here with you. [00:49:53]

When anxiety comes knocking at your door, don't open it. Instead, run straight into the presence of God through prayer. Verse 6, Paul says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer. [00:51:34]

Prayer is the pathway from panic to peace. The Greek word for anxious means to be pulled in multiple directions. It's that feeling when your thoughts are in a tug -of -war between what can go wrong and what you can't even control. It's that tightness in your chest, that restlessness in your soul. And Paul says, don't even go there. [00:52:18]

You weren't built to carry stress. You were built to cast it. 1 Peter 5, 7, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. The word casting literally means to throw forcefully away from yourself. Think of Jameson throwing that hot fry at my cheek. You know, in other words, what Paul is telling us, you weren't meant to carry what only Christ can hold. [00:52:56]

Thanksgiving shifts your posture from worry to worship. It reminds your heart that you're talking to the God who's already come through time and time again. Psalm 100, verse 4, enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him. Bless his name. When the anxiety starts to stir up, we need to stop and enter his gates with thanksgiving. [00:54:10]

When you pray, I promise you peace will follow. It's not always, you know, instantly, but I promise you it's consistently. Because it's not about creating change around you. It's about God changing within you. Paul's not offering some magic formula. He's giving us a faith -filled practice. [00:55:24]

You can't be worried and worshipful at the same time. One is always going to silence the other. You don't pass the stress test by pretending you're fine. You pass the stress test by pressing into the Father who holds it all together. [00:56:11]

Today, God's not calling you to do more. He's calling you to surrender, to cast all your anxieties, to choose joy, to reflect Jesus, and to run to the Father in prayer. [00:56:56]

The Bible says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that peace starts with surrendering your life to Jesus. He died for your sins. He rose again. And now He offers you forgiveness, a new life, and a peace that surpasses all understanding. [00:57:38]

This morning, let the stress drive you to the Savior. Let the pressure push you to His presence. Let today be the day that you can walk out of here passing the stress test. Not because you're strong, but because you're truly surrendering. [00:58:05]