Anxiety deeply dealt with

Scripture: I Peter 3:8 – 4:6
Series: Persevere with Peter
Speaker: Jos Slager
Date: 16-05-2021

We all know feelings of anxiety at times – don’t we? Even if we don’t, we know enough people who do. Can anxiety be dealt with? And has the Bible a meaningful message in case we struggle with feelings of anxiety?

Upcoming Sunday we will see it certainly has! Feelings of anxiety are closely related to the fear that we might fail the instance whose judgement (according to our conviction) ultimately counts. Such feelings are deeply rooted. They do not spring only from our thoughts, but from deep within our hearts. How can such feelings be dealt with?

Of course we can try to meet the standards. But in Peter’s letter – the letter we are reading these weeks – we discover a better way. It starts with realising that blessing and freedom of condemnation are offered to us by God through Jesus Christ. Our ascended Lord is the only One whose judgement ultimately counts. He died for our sins and rose for our justification. In this good news, in this Gospel we receive arms to weapon ourselves in our thinking against feelings of fear, failing and anxiety. And as a result we are equipped to freely live beautiful, honourable lives for Him (our new instance to look at).