2. o·ver·whelm o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. To defeat completely and decisively: Our team overwhelmed the visitors by 40 points. b. To affect deeply in mind or emotion: Despair overwhelmed me. 3. To present with an excessive amount: They overwhelmed us with expensive gifts. 4. To turn over; upset: The small craft was overwhelmed by the enormous waves.
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4. Anxiety, stress, dread, pressure, fear of the known, fear of the unknown and trauma confront the best of us, sometimes on a daily basis. Sometimes just getting through a day with life and limb intact may be the highest success for which we can hope. In such trying circumstances, to live for our Lord seems impossible. It is good, therefore, to know the Lord is knowledgeable of days that overwhelm us and has words of wisdom and reassurance ready for us.
6. Introduction: What would cause you to get a feeling of being overwhelmed? Do you think age helps you not to get in situations where you are overwhelmed? How about education and experience? Will they help eliminate the situations where you feel overwhelmed? I believe education, experience and age can all help you to avoid situations where you are overwhelmed. But the number one procedure to follow When You Feel Overwhelmed must be to ask the Lord for guidance and trust completely in Him!
9. Things that overwhelm us Being a caregiver Raising a child School Debt Work Worry Others? Yours?
10. Do you feel like you are on a rollercoster ride? Stress Common symptoms of excess stress include fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, irritability and increased susceptibility to illness.
11. If You Are Overwhelmed Trust The . . Ministry Of The Holy Spirit. Mk. 13:9-13 The Lord tells us the Holy Spirit will provide the message we need in times where we could easily be overwhelmed. The preaching needed at that hour will be provided by the Spirit. The proclamations we give will be ones we can believe and trust He will provide. They will simply be the speaking the Spirit does through us. He will also give the perseverance needed. This word here translated delivered may be also be translated saved, complete, whole. Some of those who believe you can lose your salvation use this verse to say we must endure to the end in order to be saved. That places too much emphasis on man. We believe the Lord enables us to persevere and our emphasis is upon the Lord and not ourselves.
12. Everyone, including Christians, will witness overwhelming circumstances in the future: persecution (v. 9), torture (v. 9), arrest (v. 11), betrayal (v. 12), rebellion (v. 12) and hatred (v. 13). These extreme actions will be targeted against Christ’s followers in the coming days of “distress” (v. 24). If one compares these events against what Jesus predicted for himself (Mark 10:33-34), it becomes clear God expects participants in his kingdom to endure suffering. Though this observation never is pleasant, God’s faithful ones rise to the occasion and endure suffering for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. The Lord tells us the Holy Spirit will provide the message we need in times where we could easily be overwhelmed.
13. If You Are Overwhelmed Trust The . . Messages Of Jesus. Mk. 13:21-27 A. Trust The . . Advanced Message Concerning False Messiahs. 13:21-23 21 "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah! Look—there!' do not believe it! 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance. B. Trust The . . Angelic Message Concerning The Faithful Messiah. 13:24-27 24 "But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
14. If You Are Overwhelmed Trust The . . Messages Of Jesus. Mk. 13:21-27 The Lord gave the disciples advanced notice they would experience overwhelming situations, and these situations would relate to the coming of false Messiahs
15. If You Are Overwhelmed Trust The . . Master Of The End Times. Mk. 13:32-37 A. Trust The Master In His . . Timing . 13:32-35 32 "Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father. 33 Watch! Be alert! For you don't know when the time is coming. 34 It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 Therefore be alert, since you don't know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. B. Trust The Master In His . . Telling . 13:36-37 36 Otherwise, he might come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37 And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!"
16. If You Are Overwhelmed Trust The . . Master Of The End Times. Mk. 13:32-37 If you believe the Lord is Master of the End Times; then He must be Master of all times. Can we trust the Lord to direct us and watch over us in times when we may become overwhelmed? I think the vast majority of Christians would say, “yes!” His timing in our needs may not always be when we would think best but that is part of trusting Him. He tells us in advance He is coming again, and we can believe He will provide His presence in the time When You Feel Overwhelmed.
18. WARNING! Casual Christians can become Christian Casualties You must protect yourself from becoming overwhelmed.
19. PROCRASTINATION One of the biggest causes of being overwhelmed is procrastination Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own paths. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance.
20. Reality You can’t have everything you want, but you can have everything you need. It is OK to be overwhelmed, just stop whining, grousing & complaining – it is what it is, and often it is hard. You can still have abundant life in Christ!
21. When I’m Feeling Overwhelmed… LETGOof your need toCONTROLthe Situation Natural tendency–try to increasecontrol Why let go? To force me to depend on God To follow God’s plans for my life Usually bigger Often harder Always better “Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don’t try to figure out everything on your own.” Prov.3:5
22. Be honest with God Express yourself to God in prayer. Ask for needed guidance. Ask God not to be subtle. “Please, God, make it clear as to what I should do!” King David had that feeling: Psalm 5:8--“Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies--make straight your way before me.”
23. When I’m Feeling Overwhelmed… Be “overwhelmed” with God as he continues to show Himself faithful to you in providing both physically and spiritually in your life. Learn to be overwhelmed in a good way!
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25. Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you. Your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through the fire you will not be burned. The hard trials that come will not hurt you.”
26. God the Encourager 2 Corinthians 1:3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (encouragement)...
27. God the Encourager The Father and the Son 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 - May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encourage-ment and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
28. God the Encourager The Holy Spirit: John 14:16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever ...
29. Don’t surrender! God’s strength is sufficient! Claim God’s promises!
30. BE ALERT! Don’t be overwhelmed In our lifetimes we have seen many wars and rumors of wars. In Oklahoma we see floods and tornados, Around the world we read about hurricanes and earthquakes. With the end of the cold war we see nations rise up and fall down. Christ tells us not to let any of these things overwhelm us. Christ says in verse 34 WATCH, KEEP ALERT AND PRAY and again in verse 37 He says WATCH!
Editor's Notes
Strikingly, the Holy Spirit appears in the center of the description of the intense suffering of God’s people. The Holy Spirit represents God’s personal presence. God’s people draw great comfort and strength from their Lord’s faithful presence. The great message here is that, in their great hour of need and in the midst of great suffering, God is not absent, but present tending to his people. God’s kingdom does not ignore suffering. Knowing Jesus suffered supremely on the cross communicates that God understands suffering. Being familiar with suffering, God tends to his people, not merely by being present, but by knowledgably caring for them.Verse 13 communicates the cause of Christian suffering: this world hates the exalted Lord Jesus Christ. Since its efforts to destroy Lord of the Universe were frustrated, the world resorts to terrorizing his people. For some people, the prospect of suffering for one’s faith does not compel them to commit their lives to the one whose presence only seems to invite trouble. Yet Christ’s servants understand the world unfairly targets Christ’s people and willingly stand firm to face the world’s hateful activities against them.Verse 13 also proclaims a great promise: those who stand firm to the end will be saved. The true follower of Christ must endeavor to endure in their faith. True faith is persistent. True faith even may waver at times, but it always will have living, meaningful and compelling qualities for the believer. This reveals the divine reason for the suffering of the faithful. When one counts the costs of faith, one also must count the cost of suffering for one’s faith. False believers soon give up on such a costly faith. True believers, however, view any suffering they bear as a momentary trouble, greatly inferior to their Lord’s suffering. Thus, they bear their sufferings with joy in behalf of the one who suffered for their salvation.
Across the years, imposters of Christ have appeared. These met their doom in some way and the world has moved on. With tremendous insight, Jesus pointed out the nature of these imposters: they will pop up in various locations—thus to know them, one must go to them. This completely disregards Jesus’ operational tactic of carrying his message to people.One leading characteristic of Jesus’ earthly ministry was that Jesus traveled far and wide to communicate personally the gospel to as many people as possible. Nevertheless, people flocked to see Jesus the miracle worker when report came he was in a certain place. So what is the difference Jesus then and false “christs” now? The answer is in knowing the true Christ. Real followers of Jesus know him in a personal way that is valid apart from meeting him in an external location. A daily walk with Christ does not require an external meeting place to be valid.
Every true miracle conveys a confrontational message about God. Miracles that emphasize this message are called signs. The signs of Jesus are immensely important because they convey messages about the identity and mission of Jesus that must be responded to and cannot be ignored. An imposter performing a sign presented a disruptive, interpretive danger to the ministry of Jesus, yet Jesus took this development in stride. How could he?The answer again is in the knowing of Christ. Why should these miracle-performing “Christs” be ignored? The inward testimony of the Holy Spirit will guard against following such false activity. The true disciple of Christ should ever strive to learn God’s ways, steadily grow closer to God and learn to recognize his voice above all voices which vie to direct one’s life. Thus, the external lure of a so-called “Christ” must be tested against the commanding and clarifying inward voice of truth found in the Lord Jesus Christ.One final point to observe in this passage is Jesus’ advance warning that such imposters would appear. Biblical prophecy consistently warns God’s people to prepare for coming developments. Even when the details are vague, the core message is not. Here again Jesus follows the character of biblical prophecy by warning his followers not merely of the coming overwhelming stress, but also of imposters who will seem to offer relief during those stressful times. True comfort and assurance can be found only in the personally known Lord Jesus himself.
