COMFORT AND PEACE | Pastor Matthew Johnson

"I am anxious about things I do not have the power to change." — Pastor Matthew Johnson

Pastor Matthew Johnson opened The Tree Church's message on Comfort and Peace with unusual personal honesty, sharing his own struggle with anxiety before teaching what Jesus promised His disciples in John chapter 14. The result was a message that felt less like a lecture and more like an invitation into something real.

Pastor Matthew began by admitting that this particular message was deeply personal for him. He shared that he has been feeling anxious about things outside his control, from rising bills to relational tension to watching people he cares about make choices that concern him. He asked the congregation how many of them felt the same tension, and it became clear almost everyone in the room could relate.

He explained that this shared struggle connects directly to one of the very first promises Jesus made to His disciples about the Holy Spirit. Jesus understood the fear and uncertainty in their hearts, and He responded not by dismissing their feelings, but by making them a promise.

To set the scene, Pastor Matthew explained that the disciples had misunderstood what kind of Messiah Jesus would be. Many expected Him to overthrow Rome and establish an earthly kingdom. Instead, at the Last Supper, Jesus told them He was leaving. Pastor Matthew explained that this devastated the disciples because being left alone meant facing responsibility, protection, and direction entirely on their own.

Jesus responded to their fear directly in John 14:1, saying, "Let not your hearts be troubled." Pastor Matthew pointed out that if Jesus had stopped there, it would have felt like an empty command to simply relax. Instead, Jesus continued by telling them to believe in God and in Him, calling them into a relationship built on trust rather than mere positive thinking.

Pastor Matthew then unpacked John 14:15-18, where Jesus promises to send what the original language calls the Paraclete. He explained that this word has been translated differently across various Bible versions, sometimes as Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, or Helper. He said each translation captures something true about the Holy Spirit's role, but personally finds Helper to be the most complete picture, since the Spirit comforts, defends, guides, and empowers believers in every situation.

He emphasized that Jesus's promise of peace was not simply an emotional experience. It was a promise of an ongoing, personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, who would live inside every believer permanently. Reading John 14:26-27, Pastor Matthew highlighted that the Spirit would teach, remind, and bring a peace unlike anything the world offers.

Turning to 1 Peter 5:5-7, Pastor Matthew explained that Peter connects humility directly to how believers handle anxiety. He explained that pride often looks like trying to carry every burden alone, while humility means recognizing the need for God's help. He offered a reframe that many found challenging but freeing. Anxiety itself is not sinful, but it can act like a warning light, showing that someone is trying to control something they were never designed to control.

He encouraged the church to see this warning light as an invitation rather than a source of shame. When anxiety rises, Peter's instruction is to cast that anxiety onto God, because He genuinely cares.

Pastor Matthew then turned to Philippians 4:6-7, where Paul gives practical instruction for what casting anxiety onto God actually looks like. Paul writes that believers should not be anxious, but should bring every concern to God through prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. Pastor Matthew explained that this means having an honest, ongoing conversation with God about what is causing stress, and intentionally releasing it into His hands.

He emphasized that God's response to this kind of surrender is not necessarily a change in circumstances, but a peace that surpasses understanding, one that guards the heart and mind even when the situation itself remains the same.

To bring the message together, Pastor Matthew turned to Matthew chapter 8, the familiar story of Jesus asleep in a boat during a violent storm. He pointed out that the disciples in the boat, several of whom were experienced fishermen, had every logical reason to be afraid based on their past experience with storms at sea.

When they woke Jesus in panic, He asked them why they were afraid, calling them people of little faith. Pastor Matthew explained that Jesus was not being dismissive of their fear, but was pointing out that their fear was based only on past experience, without accounting for the fact that Jesus Himself was present with them in the boat. After Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, the disciples were left with a completely new understanding of who was with them, one they could carry into every future storm.

Pastor Matthew connected this directly to the anxiety many people feel today. Much of that anxiety is rooted in knowing how situations have ended before, whether in relationships, health, or finances. He said the presence of the Holy Spirit introduces something new into that story, an ending that does not have to be defined only by past experience.

To help the church put this teaching into practice, Pastor Matthew introduced a simple exercise. Every attendee received an envelope containing two pieces of paper. On one, they were asked to write down whatever is currently causing them anxiety, whether small and recent or something that has lingered for years. On the other, they were asked to write down promises of God, drawn from scripture or personal reflection, that speak directly to those anxieties.

He explained that the congregation would return the following Wednesday to reflect further on these two lists and make an intentional choice about which one to hold onto moving forward. Pastor Matthew shared that he personally did this exercise with his staff earlier in the year, and that he still keeps his own card inside his Bible as a daily reminder.

Toward the end of the message, Pastor Matthew shared more openly about a difficult season he has personally been walking through over the past year. He described ongoing struggles with sleep and moments of feeling overwhelmed that he could not always fully explain, alongside more familiar pressures of being a husband, father, and pastor. He was honest that some days have felt genuinely hard.

He shared a personal story from a recent road trip with his wife and son, describing a moment driving through the mountains when a worship song reminded him that God was present with him. He described feeling both a deep sense of peace and a quiet sadness, recognizing how easily that truth can be forgotten even after decades of faith and ministry. He encouraged the church to bring whatever they are carrying to God, closing the message in a time of prayer and worship centered on surrendering anxiety and receiving God's peace.

No matter what season of life you are in, The Tree Church wants to help you find real peace through a relationship with God. Our Lancaster location gathers at 721 N. Memorial Drive, Lancaster, OH 43130, and our Logan location gathers at 36 Hocking Mall, Logan, OH 43138. Sunday services are held at both campuses at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM. We would love for you to join us.