Calm this Chaos | Max Lucado | Help is Here | Oak Hills Church

51:21 Thank you, Mama.

51:43 Mothers, may the Lord bless you. May he bless you. May you sense his favor. his presence. May you find protection beneath his extended wings. May you find direction in all things.

52:09 May you know of his unending love for you. May you receive this responsibility as he intends, as a ministry, a privilege. may he bless the womb that carried and carries. may he walk you throughout the days of your life. May he lift from your heart regrets. anger or shame. and may he bless you as he did his own mother may he entrust you into the care of the Holy Spirit and may you never doubt how beautiful the world is because of you We're talking in the spring about the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit under the title Help is Here.

53:32 ask somebody to describe God the Father, they'll likely have an answer. Ask them to tell you about God as expressed through Jesus Christ. They can articulate or reply. But if you want to see somebody hymn and haw and look for words,

53:54 request an explanation about the Holy Spirit. He is mysterious, but he is majestic. And he is the living presence of God on our planet and in the hearts of his followers today. and he so longs to help you face the challenges of this life. How appropriate it is that our conversation about the Holy Spirit would overlap with Mother's Day because the Holy Spirit has a maternal influence on our lives. Indeed, the most common symbol of the Holy Spirit is a symbol associated with feminine protection and love, the dove, as we will soon see.

55:08 So as we turn our attention to understanding this particular motherly gift, we're going to call this particular message calm this chaos. Let's pray, and then we'll get to work. how can we be less about ourselves and more about you?

55:36 How can we be less self-focused and more God-focused? How can we make a smaller issue of our concerns and a greater issue of yours? please show us we're so self-centered grant that we could be you-centered forgive our speaker his sins too many to count and help us to see Christ just Christ through Christ we pray if you're acquainted with the emotion of anxiety, you're not alone. There are so many reasons to be anxious.

56:30 I mean, if global temperature rises just a few more degrees, if the wrong hand touches the wrong red button, if classified information falls into sinister hands, it's enough to make a person want to hide out in a bunker. and as if worldwide perils weren't enough what about the personal ones your blood count goes up your savings account goes down marriage goes south pandemics rage work goes off the rails and stress goes off the charts can't sleep can't eat powerless to calm this chaos The result? Anxiety. Chances are that you or someone you know seriously struggles with anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are reaching epidemic proportions. In a given year, 50 million, that's 5-0, 50 million Americans will experience the effects of a panic attack, phobias, or any other anxiety disorder. Our chests will tighten, will feel dizzy and lightheaded, will fear crowds or avoid people or avoid transportation.

57:59 According to one study, anxiety disorders in the U.S. are the number one mental health problem among women and second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men. Another piece of research states it flatly, the United States is now the most anxious nation in the world. Congratulations to us. the land of stars and stripes has become the country of stress and strife how could this be our cars are safer than ever we regulate food we regulate air we regulate water yes gangs prowl our streets but most americans do not live under the danger of imminent attack and yet if worry were an Olympic event, we would win the gold medal.

58:57 to what can we do? I think a clarification is a good place to begin. Anxiety is not a sin. it may lead to sin, but it's simply an emotion.

59:18 It's a response to the busiest, loudest, maybe angriest generation in the history of the world. Anxiety is not a weakness, but it can weaken us. It can steal our sleep. It can numb our mind. It can clutter our hearts. Yet, the wonderful news is help is here. you have at your disposal the greatest antidote for trepidation, and that is the Holy Spirit.

1:00:02 He is the calming presence of God in the world today, and he will help you defy these voices of fear and draw nigh to his presence of peace. Did you know his first act in history was to turn chaos into calm? We're in Genesis, the first book, chapter 1, the first chapter, in verse 2. Early in Scripture, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. This early depiction of our planet was not a friendly one. In my imagination, I can see spewing lava in random comets and colliding waves. No life, no light, no pleasant sound, just chaos.

1:01:05 yet in that moment of primal frenzy we see the first the inaugural appearance of the holy spirit hovering can you say that word with me hovering over the face of the water still in genesis chapter 1 in verse 2 i would expect a different verb i would expect the spirit speaking directing commanding but hovering was the choice of the holy spirit what does this mean the word hover appears only one other time in scripture and that's in the book of deuteronomy and it was used to describe the protective presence of god over the nation of israel And God is compared to an eagle.

1:02:04 Look at this scripture. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young. There's the word. Spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings. I can envision, can't you, some squawking eaglets in a nest, their mouths open, their heads bobbing, and the nest is just a swarm of fear and energy and hunger and inability. But here comes Mama Eagle.

1:02:41 And she spreads her wings, her presence comforts her flock. And her task is simple, to calm this chaos. In like manner, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters and once there was calming, there could be creating. The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, let there be light and there was light. Before there could be creating, there had to be calming and that calming came as a result of the Spirit of God. So the Old Testament begins with this image of a hovering, settling presence, the Holy Spirit. The New Testament, how fitting, does something similar.

1:03:41 Early in the pages of each gospel, we see a picture, a portrayal of the Holy Spirit, not as an eagle, but as a dove. then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him and John tried to prevent him saying I need to be baptized by you and you are coming to me but Jesus answered and said to him permit it to be so now for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness then he allowed him when he had been baptized Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were opened to him and he saw what church the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him John the Baptist did his best to talk his cousin out of the baptism seeking to reverse the roles, but Jesus would have none of it.

1:04:55 And the two waded into the cobalt-colored waters of the Jordan River. And so it was that John got Jesus good and wet. And as Jesus was coming out of the water, the heavens opened. And the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon. him. All four Gospels describe this moment. Luke's Gospel, interestingly, takes it even a step further, and he describes the Spirit descending not like a dove, but as a dove in bodily form. a dove came upon Jesus. Luke chapter 3. The Holy Spirit is depicted in Scripture by many metaphors, many symbols.

1:05:52 Fire, water, oil. But here at the coronation of Christ, the Spirit chose to descend gently, softly either like or as a dove why I'd prefer a hawk letting snatch the rat the devil, or an owl a picture of wisdom. How about a meadowlark who can fill the earth with music?

1:06:37 But the choice was a dove. Interesting. Why? Part of the answer must include the mother-like, the maternal tenderness of the Holy Spirit. You see, in Bible times, a dove was a feminine symbol. In the Hebrew word, was feminine. Doves are considered a symbol of motherhood because of the ability they have to produce their own milk. They cease foraging for food just before their babies are born, and this temporary starvation ensures a purer milk formulation for their offspring. In like manner, like a mother, the Holy Spirit nurtures, nourishes, and ministers to us with affection.

1:07:43 When my daughters were troubled, their first question was always, Where's mom? they knew better than to say where's dad i would always enter into fix-it mode strategies solutions not denilin denilin would respond with warmth and sympathy she would listen and she would hold her daughter as long as her daughter wanted to be held she would talk as long as her daughter wanted to talk there are occasions in which we need a father's strength and god the father provides it certainly occasions in which we need to be assured of a savior's grace and the lord jesus provides it but equally important in the expression of the Trinity with God the Father, God the Son, is God the Spirit. Because there are times in which each and every one of us needs the tenderness, the tranquil assurance of a loving mother. For this we turn to the Holy Spirit.

1:09:08 The holy dove of God settles us down, calms us with what scripture calls a peace that passes understanding. Those occasions in which you find yourself thinking, you know I should be troubled but I'm not. I should be worried but I'm not. I should be afraid but I'm not. That is the Holy Spirit calming you. In fact, did you know that the fruit of the Spirit is kindness and gentleness? Could you use some of this fruit? A recent study by the American Psychiatric Association revealed that 51% of Americans describe themselves as anxious, not occasionally anxious, but perpetually anxious, tipping the scales in favor of worry for the first time since this study exists.

1:10:16 Satan peddles this fear. I'm convinced that he runs a school down deep in the bowels of hell that exists to convince and persuade demons to talk about fear in our world. There's a vernacular of fear that includes words like worst case scenario, impossible, no solution. And they learn these words. And they are taught to wake us up and keep us awake and convince us that there is absolutely no exit and no hope. And these demons graduate with one assignment, and that is to fill the world with fear. I wonder, are they filling your heart with fear?

1:11:13 Our stress-laden society has many tools with which to deal with fear. Meditation, medication, deep breathing exercises, yoga. All of these have their place. But the person in whom the Spirit dwells has the greatest of resources, and that is the living, active presence of God, the Holy Spirit. And the next time a wave of anxiety begins to roll over you, can I urge you to do what the Apostle Paul taught us to do, and that is to go immediately into the presence of the Spirit in worship. We're now in the book of Ephesians in the New Testament.

1:12:10 Paul wrote, do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. instead be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing, sing. Make music from your heart to the Lord,

1:12:37 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul here contrasts two ways to deal with inner chaos, inebriation or celebration. Many face their struggles with inebriation. They numb themselves, if not with liquor, with work, with busyness, with play, with entertainment, with shopping. Those of us who have tried this approach know its falsehood. We have learned, have we not? Happy hours do not make us happy.

1:13:24 They just don't. Indeed, they do the opposite. And we find that waiting on us when we come off the bar stool are those problems we tried to drink away. The better option, Paul says, celebration. celebration, worship. Fill the air, he says, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Paul used a verb tense which caused one translation to state, ever be filled and stimulated with the Holy Spirit. Constant worship clears the debris from our hearts. Praise is the cleansing element that flushes the trash of worry and anxiety. a dear friend of mine lost his son to suicide and when I asked him how he was coping he said for the past 30 days my wife and I have had worship music playing in our house 24 hours a day fill the air with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

1:15:00 Everyone worships. It's just not everyone worships God. Everyone worships. a new car, a new love, a pay raise, muscles.

1:15:25 Everyone worships something, but if you worship wrongly, your problems increase. But if you worship rightly, you see, if your problems feel too heavy. It's because your understanding of God has grown too small. And nothing enlarges, enhances, maximizes our view of God better than a heart that worships, a heart that sings, a heart that sings with other Christians. Sing to one another, Paul said. It sings at home, sings at church, sings in the car. And can I just say, I am a proponent for singing loudly.

1:16:19 Loudly. My daughters used to be embarrassed at the volume of their father's voice in worship. Were you to stand by me, you might need earmuffs. And I don't care. I may not sing well, but I sing loud. May I tell you why? Because there was a season in my life that I used the voice God had given to me to sing songs to the devil. In nightclubs, in honky-tonks, in concerts, I raised hands not to worship, but carrying cans of course celebrating the very enemy of God it's been decades but it seems like every Sunday I want to make sure Satan knows I'm not singing to him anymore.

1:17:24 I urge you to sing, sing, sing to the Lord, Paul says. So whether somebody likes your voice or not is irrelevant. What matters is that the Lord hears your heart. You will worship, but it's the one you worship. that matters.

1:17:56 Worship. Paul and Silas illustrate this. Do you recall the story of the Apostle Paul and his disciple Silas? They had, on a missionary trip, found themselves in the city of Philippi, and because they preached, they were placed in prison. Well, before they were placed in a prison, they were beaten with rods. it could very well be that their backs were shredded maybe even a rib was broken but they were placed in a prison down in a dungeon their hands and their feet were placed in stalks they could not move and there they sat all afternoon and all night far from family far from home you would think they would be anxious you would think they would be troubled but look at this Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God.

1:19:01 The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Yeah, they were singing loud enough for the other prisoners to hear. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake. The jailhouse tottered, and every door flew open, and all the prisoners were loosed. Acts chapter 16. Oh, to have heard that midnight song. a song that worshiped not just in the comfort of a sanctuary but under the stress of imprisonment.

1:19:37 Now they did not know they would ever get out of prison. They had not read the end of Acts chapter 16. It had not been written yet. They had no guarantee of deliverance but they had absolute faith in their deliverer. And so they worshiped. Rather than choose to panic, they chose to praise. Here's how it works. It's midnight. You can't get to sleep. You pound your pillow and your heart is pounding in your chest. You've been in bed since 10 p.m. You went to bed even earlier than normal because you've got a big meeting first thing in the morning. and you cannot get your busy brain to shut off.

1:20:28 You try everything, deep breathing, meditation, listening to a Lakato sermon, but nothing puts you to sleep. the old you would have tossed and turned fretted and fumed all night long you're envisioning these worst case scenarios what if i forget the name of my boss what if i forget my notes your mind is imagining every negative outcome the old you would have done that all night long But there's a new version of you taking place, my friend. That new version of you remembers the admonition of Paul to fill the air with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And so you do. You choose, instead of worry, you choose worship. Now, it could be you'll need to change rooms or you'll wake up someone.

1:21:25 And that's okay. So up out of bed you climb and you pad your way down the hallway in your pajamas and you find a corner. Maybe you turn on a light, maybe you don't. Maybe you get on your knees, maybe you lift your hands. Maybe you listen to a song, maybe you sing a song, maybe you sing as you're listening to the song. it would help even if you opened your scripture and turned to passages that are so comforting one of my favorite is from the book of psalms verse 34 god met me more than halfway he freed me from my anxious fears when i was desperate i called out and god got me out of a tight spot God's angels set up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Psalm 34, verses 4 through 7.

1:22:22 And you sing some more, you read some more, you pray some more, you express your fears to God, you lift them up to the Lord. Will you then be able to fall asleep? Probably. but even if you don't your heart will be at peace dear friend it is not god's will that you lead a life marked by anxiety and fear it's just not you say my mom was a worrier i'm a or your hogwash. You can unlearn that habit. Everybody's anxious. You don't have to be everyone. You have the presence of the Holy Spirit within you. The same one who hovered over the deep, the same one who descended like a dove, the same one who took care of Paul and Silas in prison will do for you what my daughter did for her little boy.

1:23:28 His name, my grandson's name, is Max. Yeah, I'm named after him. he's eight years old now, but at the age of 16 months, he had his first haircut.

1:23:50 He did not like it. It didn't matter that he got to sit in a fiery red miniature fire truck. It didn't matter that we promised him candy. it didn't matter that there were cartoons on the television to distract him all that he saw was some lady he didn't know coming at him with a pair of scissors and he began to cry we did our best to comfort him his dad spoke to him my wife Dinal and D.D. tried to help him I told him someday you may wish you had hair you could cut that didn't help he just cried Thank you.

1:24:54 But then came Mama. Then came Jenna. The hovering presence of a mother. and she leaned over and she whispered something in his ear and she brushed away some tears and he stopped crying I don't know what she said to him but I know what happened to him chaos became calm because of the presence of his mother the Holy Spirit longs to do the same for you dear friend he longs to turn chaos into calm let him be the presence he longs to be in your life less worry more worship less focus on problems more focus on God and let him do what he longs to do amen thank you Lord for your solution to this strife ridden world in which we live thank you in Jesus name Amen.

1:26:09 So to be clear, when a person becomes a Christian, as we use that phrase, when they become a Christian, that that means that Christ, Christ forgives them of all their sins. And also, he guarantees defeat of death. but there's more when a person becomes a christian they receive the presence of the holy spirit within them it's a gift to give us strength and faith and guidance and you might say that being a christian simply means following the leading and the heeding of the holy spirit now if you've never said yes to christ you do not have the holy spirit in your life you just don't It's that simple. You're on your own. And I want to give you the opportunity to say yes to Christ.

1:27:04 Because why live apart from this power and strength? We're going to offer a prayer. It's a simple prayer of salvation. And if at the end of the prayer, this is your time that you're saying yes to Christ for the first time, we'll ask you to stand up. In every service today, there have been people who have stood. and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. I hope if you're considering it, you'd let today be that day for you. Please repeat this prayer as I lead us. Jesus, I'm not perfect, for I have sinned, but I believe in you. Save me, change me, forgive me. I give you my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen. Who's saying yes to Jesus today for the first time?

1:27:59 Please stand up. We want to give you a round of applause. Who would stand up today and say, I'm giving my life to Christ? Yes, ma'am. God bless you. God bless you. Who else? Who else? Go ahead. Today's your day. Let today be your day. You don't have a guarantee of tomorrow. Anyone else? yes sir God bless you we're proud of you way to go I think there's someone else who is it who else who else alright God bless you have a wonderful week Michelle