Caste or Keep

[0:00] I I I surrender all. You know, I said something to our Sunday morning service a few weeks ago that I didn't say here. And I think one of these weekends this summer, and some of you are going to know what I'm talking about with this, I think we're going to do a hymn sing. Anybody know what a hymn sing is?

[1:16] Yeah, several. How many of you like the good old hymns that I almost every hand is up? And so I think what we're going to do one of these weekends this summer is just do all hymns.

[1:28] There may not be a church on the planet that still does all hymns, but I love those old songs like I surrender all and because he lives and how great thou art. And so one of these weekends, I think this summer, we're going to do an old fashioned hymn sing.

[1:44] And I'm not going to tell you which weekend because I want you to be here every weekend. All right. So anyways, first Peter chapter five. Tonight we are for better or for worse. We are finishing up this 11 week series called anxious for nothing.

[2:01] And we've been for 11 weeks now looking at the topic of anxiety and stress and worry. And just about everybody I've talked to have said, pastor, thank you for doing this series. Thank you for allowing us to kind of enter into this topic and what the Bible says about these things.

[2:23] And so our theme verse has been do not be anxious about anything from Philippians chapter four, verse six. And what we've talked about that in terms of what it actually means is this, that is do not be continually anxious about anything.

[2:40] It's living in that slavery of worry of that captivity of anxiety. That is what the Bible, what the Lord wants us to not experience, but experience freedom from that. And we've looked at so many different things.

[2:56] I would just encourage you to go online if you've missed some weeks, because we've looked at a lot in terms of what the Bible has to say about this topic. I think an appropriate passage to end this series on is 1 Peter chapter five with verse six and seven. So if you are able to stand, would you please do so as we honor the reading of God's word?

[3:20] 1 Peter chapter five, the apostle Peter here is writing this and he speaks this through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter says this, humble yourselves, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time, he may exalt you.

[3:40] And here's the emphasis, casting all your what anxieties on him because he cares for you.

[3:51] 1 Peter says, be sober minded, be watchful, your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

[4:02] 1 Peter says, resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

[4:15] This is God's word, pray with me and for me, and let's ask God to talk to us tonight. once again. Lord, thank you for all that you've taught us. Thank you for these last several weeks to be able to be fed by you through your word on a topic that we struggle with frequently, that we deal with daily, to whatever degree. And Lord, we want to experience, genuinely experience the freedom that you have for us. So once again, Holy Spirit, come and do the work that only you can do, that Christ and Christ alone would be exalted in this place. Help me teach your word. In Jesus' name I pray. And God's people said, amen. Amen. You can be seated. Well, it is one of my favorite golf stories of all time. In fact, if you are one of the few that have ever read my book, All Sides of the Savior, you may actually remember this story. It's a story of what took place back in the 1999 British Open. It was in that event that there was a Frenchman by the name of Jean Vandervelde. And he walks up to the 18th hole on the final day of the tournament. He's 480 yards from his first major championship, a really big paycheck, and his name in the history of golf.

[5:44] And if you remember the story, you remember he walks up to that final hole with a three-stroke lead. Those of you that don't know anything about golf, all that means is all he has to do is double bogey this hole, and he wins, right? To put perspective on that, I've double bogeyed many, many, many, many, many, many times in my golfing career, as has many of you. So that's all he has to do. But he walks up to the 18th tee, and he does the unthinkable. You remember what he did? He pulled out his driver. And there's no reason at all for him to hit driver. I mean, take a safe three-wood down the fairway. But sure enough, he pulls out the driver and does this.

[6:40] Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Oh, you lucky little rascal. And that bounced and seemed to go way to the right.

[6:53] That looks like my tee shot. Not so much. Okay? So he pull or he pushes his drive, but not a big deal, right? Not a big deal. He's still only 240 yards from the green. He's got plenty of strokes left.

[7:07] All he needs to do is play a short fairway shot. But whatever you do, don't go for the green. Guess what he does? He pulls out a two-iron, a two-iron, and goes for the green.

[7:21] The clock. Maybe aiming at the bunkers. First tee. Well, you don't. I don't believe this. Well.

[7:40] What is going on here? I love the announcers in this, right? But still, no problem. Like, take a deep breath. All you got to do is lay up and you'll be fine. Listen, he's so far ahead he still doesn't need to go for the green. And that's exactly what he does.

[7:58] To the front of the green? Yeah, it must be. I don't believe it. This is...

[8:09] So now he's in the water. Now, surely he's not going to play it from the water, right? Surely he won't play it from the water. But fortunately, cooler heads prevail and he takes his drop and the next shot goes into the sand. He ends up doing a triple bogey. A triple bogey goes to a playoff and loses the championship. You know, they say that golf is a lot like spandex pants.

[8:39] It reveals things about you no one really wants to know, right? That's true about golf. And listen, all of us, to some degree, are just like Vandervelde. We can relate to him. It's not that we've ever, you know, lost a major championship on the very final hole. But I bet we can relate to this, that you've been in a situation where you refuse to surrender your pride.

[9:02] You were in a situation where you were convinced you would do it your way and only your way. You relied entirely on your strength and you ended up in a big mess.

[9:19] All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, but you had to pull out driver and argue. All you had to do was keep it together, but you had to get in the last word. All you needed was just a little bit of patience, but no, no, no, you had to take control. All you had to do was let it go, but you had to send that email.

[9:47] All you had to do was ask for help, but you were determined you would do it by yourself. Can I get a witness tonight? Anybody relate to any of those things? The question is, faith family, why is it so hard to leave the driver in the bag? And the answer is pride, pride, pride, pride, pride.

[10:11] Faith family, that is exactly what the apostle Peter says is one of the primary reasons for our struggle with worry and anxiety. Now, don't misunderstand me. I've said on many different occasions throughout this series that I think we have to take a holistic approach to this topic.

[10:30] That is, I recognize that there can be chemical imbalances, there can be emotional wounds, there can be psychological or physical reasons, but we have intentionally and on purpose looked at some of the spiritual reasons why we worry and face anxiety. And spiritually speaking, notice this on the screen, one of the primary hindrances to our peace is our pride. One of the primary hindrances to experiencing peace, to experiencing peace, to being anxious for nothing is our pride. That's not what I'm saying. That's what Peter says. Look at it again in verse 5. He says, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another. Why? For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. Peter here is addressing the cause of their and the cause of our anxiety.

[11:47] And this point is actually very, very important. Will you promise me something? Will you really lean in and listen these next few moments? Because Peter actually says something that I think is really insightful and it's really, really helpful, but let me first set the context. Peter is actually, in fact, 1 Peter chapter 5, if you know your Psalms, is actually almost a direct quote from Psalm 55.

[12:16] In fact, I'm going to prove that even more earlier, but let me just give you a little bit of context of Psalm 55, and then I'll apply it here to 1 Peter chapter 5. Here it is. Because of the noise of the enemy, because of the what? Oppression of the wicked. This is Psalm 55.

[12:33] For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. My heart is in what? Anguish within me. And there are terrors of death that have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me. And horror overwhelms me. And I say, oh, that I might have wings like a dove, and I would fly away and be at rest. Do you feel that? In fact, I want you to put that back up on the screen. Just look at that which is in yellow, right? Look at it. There's oppression and trouble and a grudge and anguish and terrors of death and fear and trembling and horror. Like, this psalmist is experiencing significant persecution, tribulation, and anxiety. Oh, that I could just fly away and be at rest. Have you ever felt that way? You ever felt that way? Like, just take me out of this and give me peace. Listen, that's what's going down to the readers of 1 Peter chapter 5. That is why

[13:51] Peter writes these words within the backdrop of 1 Peter 5, Psalm 55, and I'll make that even more obvious here in just a moment. But for now, let's take that and look into the historical context of Peter's readers. They are experiencing intense persecution. If you know this book, in chapter 1, Peter actually addresses the trials that they are facing, and he says that they are testing your faith as pure as gold. Do you remember that verse? In fact, even in our own passage here, this won't be on the screen, but if you look at, for instance, verse 9, he talks about that the same kinds of sufferings that you're going through are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. You see what's going on here? These Christians are facing persecution and trouble. Externally, life is not good.

[14:54] They are marginalized in Roman society. They are being physically beaten. I've given the example before that in 64 AD, which is around the time that 1 Peter would be written here, there was a fire in Rome that destroyed the city. Everyone blamed Nero. Nero turned and blamed the Christians. A Roman historian wrote this, quote, Besides being put to death, Christians were made to serve as objects of amusement. They were clothed in the hides of beasts and torn to death by dogs. Others were crucified. Others were set on fire to illuminate the night. How's your life going? Listen, Peter is writing to people that are going through real suffering. They are like when the psalmist in Psalm 55 talks about terror, horror, anguish. Get me out of here.

[15:53] These readers know what that's like. They feel that distress. Now, why would that very brief historical context matter? Two reasons. Number one, it shows us that these Christians had reason to be anxious.

[16:10] Are you with me? They had every reason to be anxious. Wouldn't you be anxious if you were being hunted down by the government, tortured physically, beaten, pulled from family, marginalized in society? This is one of the things that I try to do frequently in my preaching is to tell you this. The Bible is not written to mythical people. It is not a mythical book written to mythical people. It's a real book of real letters written to mythical people who are really suffering just like you. Don't get so detached from the Scripture that you just think these are people off in some far, far fairy tale land. These are real hurting people that have real reason to be anxious. That's the first reason that the context matters. But here's the second one. You would think, given the context they're in, that the answer to their anxiety would be a change of their situation.

[17:12] Follow me. Their path to being anxious for nothing would go something like this. Get out of Rome. Or maybe there could be some new leadership that would come into Rome and be more kind and compassionate to Christians. Or something that would simply remove all the persecution you're going. Listen, listen, wouldn't you think that the path of not being anxious would be the removal of persecution?

[17:44] Wouldn't that make you, wouldn't a better situation make you feel less anxious? But that's not what Peter says. Not at all.

[17:55] This is what I think is so insightful. This is what I hope you're leaning into. Listen, Peter says, your anxiety problem is not a social problem.

[18:06] It's a spiritual problem. Your anxiety struggle is not an external struggle, first and foremost. It's an internal. This is what I think is so profound and quite honestly hurts.

[18:21] Notice it on the screen. The cause of their anxiety wasn't persecution. It was pride. The cause, the root cause of your worry and your anxiety is not what's going on outside you.

[18:38] It's what's going on inside you. Oh, it won't be solved with the removal of persecution. It'll be solved with the removal of a prideful heart.

[18:50] It's either say, amen or oh me, as my first pastor used to say. Listen, pride is not what most of us would think as a cause to our anxiety.

[19:05] And here's how I know. I'm convinced of this. If I stopped this sermon or just added to it by walking around the room and I did a poll, I did a survey, and I went one by one to every single one of you and I asked you this question.

[19:20] What's the leading cause of your anxiety? Here are some of the answers I think I'd get. This won't be an exhaustive list, but this is some of the answers I'd get.

[19:30] What's the cause of your anxiety? Some would say, it's my busy schedule. I mean, do you remember when you preached on Martha? Oh, that really convicted me. I mean, I got to go here and I got to be there and I got to do this and I got to do that and I got to take care of this.

[19:43] Listen, you just wouldn't believe how busy I am and if I could just be less busy, I wouldn't be so anxious. Others of you would say, it's the uncertainty of my future.

[19:54] When I look down the road of my life, I don't see anything happy. I don't see anything joyful. I don't really know how this is going to turn out. If I just could get rid of the fog and see clear where my future is going, I wouldn't be so anxious.

[20:11] Others of you would say, oh, it's the pressures I'm facing at work. Oh my goodness, I work for a num-num and I work with num-nums. I mean, it's like the business of num-nums.

[20:22] Everywhere I turn, it's pressure and intensity and like if I could just find a different job, I'd be less anxious. And some of you parents would say, it's those screaming kids.

[20:35] I mean, talk about num-nums. They won't shut up. They're just always yelling. Like if I could just have my kids be a little better behaved, then I wouldn't be so anxious. You see where I'm getting at, right?

[20:47] I don't think there's a single one of you. I don't think there is a single one of you, myself included, that would answer the question, what is the primary source of your anxiety? It would say, it's because I'm such a prideful person.

[21:00] If I were less arrogant, I'd be less anxious. No one says that. No one. You automatically go external.

[21:11] You automatically go to your circumstances. I do too. And that's why I think what Peter is saying is so profound. He's saying, listen, the root issue, the primary cause of your anxiety is not what's going on outside, it's what's going on inside.

[21:27] So what is the relationship between pride and anxiety? Peter is clearly connecting the two here, so what's the relationship?

[21:37] And here it is. Lean in. Worry is a form of pride because often the reason we worry is we believe we solve our own problems.

[21:51] Let me say that again. Worry is a form of pride because often the reason we worry is because we've convinced ourselves that we solve our own problems.

[22:04] It goes like this. Notice it on the screen. The God we trust is us. The God we trust. I mean, functionally, I mean, we would never say that theologically, but functionally, day to day, the God we trust is us.

[22:20] And you say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, not me. Oh, no, no, no. This is, you're preaching to somebody else, pastor. This is not anything I struggle with. Really? Really? Okay. How many of you, and maybe you shouldn't raise your hand here, how many of you have ever said stuff like, I'll fix it.

[22:35] I'll handle it. I got it. I'll figure it out. Should I keep going? No, I got you. And the issue here, listen, listen, I should put both hands up.

[22:47] The issue here is it's a little too much I and not enough thy. The assumption you've made, the assumption I've made, is I will fix this somehow.

[22:59] I will handle this somehow. I'll get out of this somehow. I will figure this out. And that, faith family, is pride. It's an arrogant heart. Even more so for a Christian.

[23:12] And you say, okay, okay, I get it. You got me. There's a little bit of pride. Okay? I'm not as prideful as you are, Pastor, clearly. But there's probably a little bit of pride in me. But big deal.

[23:23] Big deal. So I've got a little bit of pride problem. Why does that matter? Peter tells you why that matters. Look at verse 5 again. For God, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another.

[23:36] For, why don't you just say this with me? God opposes the proud. Just stop right there. God opposes the proud. That's kind of important.

[23:51] In other words, the first reason why pride is a problem is God opposes it. Do you want to be opposed by God?

[24:04] Because let me make one thing perfectly clear to you and to me. There will be no other gods before him, including you. And including me.

[24:16] So first of all, a little bit of pride. I don't care what amount of pride is a problem because God opposes the proud. And here's the second reason why it's an issue.

[24:27] Go back to the verse. Look at the yellow part. Say it with me. But gives grace to the humble. Faith family, listen, it's only the poor in spirit, Jesus says, that gets the kingdom.

[24:39] And it's only the humble who get grace. Anybody need grace? Anybody want grace? Anybody desperate for grace? The only people that get grace are the humble.

[24:50] And you and I already know this to be true. Why do we already know this to be true? Because, listen, what were the conditions by which you became a Christian?

[25:03] You became a Christian when you humbled yourself to the point of realizing you couldn't save yourself, you were helpless to solve your own situation, and you, in light of your sin, pleaded to God for grace.

[25:20] Amen? Isn't that how you became a Christian? I assure you that if you are a Christian, that's how you became a Christian because the only people that get the kingdom of heaven is the poor in spirit, the beggars that realize they got nothing.

[25:32] And they went all in on Jesus and his grace. Here's my point. Listen, listen. Are you listening? If that's how you became a Christian, your posture shouldn't change 10 years in.

[25:52] If it was humility that got you in, it's humility that marks the Christian life the whole way through. It's not like, well, I couldn't solve my situation with salvation, but I can solve my situation with my finances.

[26:11] No, no, no, no, no. What you know if you're a Christian is that you are in every moment in need of grace. And grace is not just unmerited favor.

[26:22] Grace is the ability to get stuff done. Remember, Paul says, I labored more than them all. I got stuff done. But it wasn't me.

[26:34] It was the grace of God in me. You know how I got stuff done? God gave me the grace to get it done.

[26:45] It wasn't me. It was him. So my point is, Faith Family, this. You've heard the expression, God helps those who helps themselves. Eh! Wrong!

[26:55] Wrong! It goes like this. God helps those who admit they can't help themselves. God gives grace to those who admit, I can't do this.

[27:07] Are you starting to see the clarity? Why is pride a problem? Because God opposes it, and he only gives grace to the humble. So, if pride is the primary cause of much of our anxiety, then what's the solution to our anxiety?

[27:25] Well, you already know the answer. Look at verse 6. Humble yourselves, therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

[27:36] So if the cause of our anxiety is pride, then the solution to our anxiety is what? Humility. Help comes to the humble. Peter, listen, Peter is not asking, this is so brilliant.

[27:50] Well, of course it's brilliant. It's God's word, right? This isn't Peter's bright idea. This is God working through him, giving us inerrant truth. And the truth is, here, he's not asking Christians, suffering Christians, to help themselves.

[28:03] He's asking them to humble themselves. Listen, your problem is not your external situation. Your problem is your arrogant heart. You think, taking Rome out and putting a better government in isn't going to solve your anxiety problem.

[28:21] There's still going to be something externally to be anxious about. This gets addressed when your heart is humble before God. So the question would be, then how do we humble ourselves?

[28:33] Right? What are some things that should make us humble? I'll give you three. They're all in the text. Number one is this, God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty.

[28:43] One of the things that should humble us when we feel anxious is remembering this. We cannot rescue ourselves. It's why we sang the song, Rescue, story earlier.

[28:54] We cannot rescue ourselves. You say, where do you get that, pastor, from the text? I'll show you. Look at verse six. Humble yourselves, say this phrase with me. Under the mighty hand of God.

[29:07] Under the mighty hand of God. Does anybody know what that's a reference to? You can shout it out if you know it. Anybody know what that's a reference to? That's another Old Testament reference that Peter is alluding to.

[29:19] His readers would have known what that meant. It goes back to the Exodus. Remember, for Israel was led out of Egypt by what? The mighty hand of God.

[29:30] So that is, when it came, oh, oh, somebody say preach preacher. When it came to Israel's deliverance, how were they delivered? By their own strength?

[29:41] Eh! By the mighty hand of God. They didn't rescue themselves. God rescued them. The deliverer is not Israel.

[29:51] The deliverer is Yahweh. And God did it at the proper time. Listen to me, faith family. Are you listening to me? You will not get you out of your anxiety.

[30:06] The slavery or captivity of worry, you cannot deliver yourself from that. And if you think you can, you're a prideful person, and you will live in that anxiety the rest of your life.

[30:17] But when you realize you can't get you out, but you are underneath the mighty hand of God, and you trust that He, and only He, can deliver you.

[30:29] Amen? And listen, He may deliver you in numerous ways. He might deliver you through counseling. He might deliver you through prayer. He might deliver you through just taking it away.

[30:41] He might deliver you through an extended vacation. He might deliver you through a friend. Like, listen, notice this on the screen. Oh, this will preach. Regardless of how your anxiety is removed, there's no denying who removed it.

[30:56] It was the mighty hand of God. And there's a host of ways that we get across that sea. But it's all underneath our deliverer's mighty hand.

[31:09] So who's the humble one? Right? Listen, listen, if we are as anxious to get out of our, if we are as helpless to get out of our anxiety, as Israel was to get out of Egyptian slavery, who should be the humble one?

[31:24] And the answer is us. Because we realize it is only by the mighty hand of God that we can get out of this. Number two, it's not just God's sovereignty, but Peter here speaks of your enemy.

[31:40] Your enemy. Another thing that should humble us is realizing the power of our enemy. Look at verse eight. Y'all with me? Be sober-minded.

[31:52] Be watchful. This is a verse I've read so many times, and studying this in this context made it come alive to me. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

[32:08] Listen, listen. How does Satan want you as a Christian to live? The answer, of course, is in fear. Your enemy wants you to live worried.

[32:19] He wants you to be nervous and afraid. Listen, listen. That's why he roars. This is Tal. He's about 14 years old. He doesn't like the cold as much as the tigers, do you?

[32:31] But he's choosing to be outside, and if it gets really cold, he can go into his den in the back. Right, Tal? See, yeah, like that's even just a small little roar. She's like, whoa, get away.

[32:42] I mean, imagine a giant roar. Okay, I mean, so here's the point I'm trying to make, is a lion's roar. Listen to me. I hope this verse comes alive to you. A lion's roar is to make you what?

[32:56] Fear. To be afraid, to be anxious, to be worried, to run for your life. Okay? How does the lion, that is the roaring lion, that is the devil that Peter's referring to in 1 Peter chapter 5, how does that lion roar?

[33:14] Are you listening? This is so important. I hadn't seen it this way until I studied this passage again. How does Satan seek to keep you in a state of worry and fear?

[33:25] That is, what's the roar? The roar is meant to make you fear. The roar is meant to make you anxious and afraid. So what does he do to keep you in that state?

[33:37] Don't lose the context. Does Satan seek to destroy your life through drugs and alcohol? Does Satan seek to make you abandon the faith by doubting the existence of God?

[33:48] Is it some type of terrible, awful, roaring lion that wants to tear your skin apart? No! Here it is. Satan devours your peace by encouraging your pride.

[34:05] That's the roar. Listen. The roar of the lion, this lion, not the ultimate lion of revelation, but this lion Peter refers to as the devil, the roar of that lion that keeps you afraid and anxious is not look at how scary I am, but look to yourself and trust your own strength.

[34:39] And if he can keep you prideful, he can keep you afraid. See how subtle that is?

[34:49] How many of you have read that verse like me? He's a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and we think, oh, the devil's just out there, and he wants to just tear people apart and rip them to shreds.

[35:01] Well, that's true. But what he's really after is to keep you afraid, to keep you in fear, to keep you anxious. And how does he do that?

[35:11] He keeps telling you, you can handle this. You don't need anybody else. I'm not even sure God even said that anyways.

[35:21] What was the lisp of the serpent in the garden? Why don't you do it your way? Eve, listen to yourself.

[35:37] And that roar has kept us afraid ever since. It keeps all the pressure on us because now we're the God of our lives.

[35:53] And we put our trust in us. And that keeps us heavy laden. So it should humble us when we think about God.

[36:05] It should humble us when we think about our enemy. And thirdly, it should humble us just by the very presence of our anxiety. What I mean here is this. One of the things that should humble us concerning our anxiety is the presence of our anxiety.

[36:19] Listen, anxiety is not something that we actively create, right? There's not a moment like when that lion roars or somebody cuts you off in traffic or you get bad news through it.

[36:32] You don't have to say, self, be anxious. Like, be anxious now. No, it just happens. It's passive. You don't have to produce it.

[36:42] It just happens in you, right? So here's the point I'm trying to make. Doesn't the fact that life feels out of control at times prove to you you're not in control? Shouldn't the fact that your emotions sometimes get the best of you prove you aren't sovereign?

[37:00] Here's the point I'm making. I think it's a good point. Here it is. One of the many differences between you and the Father is you get anxious and he doesn't. So who should be the humble one?

[37:11] You! Because you can't even control your emotions. But God is always and forever in control. Are you humbled yet?

[37:23] Listen, you can't rescue you. Only God can rescue you by his mighty hand. You have an enemy, the roaring lion, who's after you, and you can't even control you.

[37:34] And you're going to keep trusting in yourself? What a foolish idea that is. Humble yourselves, Peter says. There's no reason for you to be prideful.

[37:46] Listen, if the awareness of God's sovereignty and the awareness of our enemy and the awareness of our own anxiety doesn't make us humble or should make us humble, then how?

[37:57] Here it is. All of that was introduction. That was all free. The sermon starts right now. Okay? I said all that to lead up to the main verse, which is, okay, then if we are humble people, recognizing God's sovereignty and our enemy and our own anxiety and the inability we have to even control that, then how would we know we're humble?

[38:22] Let me say it a different way. How would we express that humility? Verse 7. Casting, casting, all, all, all your anxieties on him.

[38:45] Now let me prove to you why this is all the background of Psalm 55 because look at Psalm 55, verse 22. Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.

[39:01] Notice this on the screen, Faith Family. Somebody say, preach, preacher. I'm going to anyways. I just want you to encourage me, right? Here it is. Humility is expressed when we cast our anxieties on him rather than keeping our anxieties on us.

[39:20] here's how you know when you finally come to the end of yourself. You cast it. I can't carry this anymore.

[39:35] I can't do this anymore. I can't fix this. I'm done. And God says, yes!

[39:46] Finally! You prideful, arrogant person, you, I still love you, but you're really prideful. You've been holding on to weight that isn't yours to hold.

[39:58] You've been thinking you could do this like you're strong enough. Hello, look at the mighty hand of your father. Get rid of it. Cast it.

[40:09] Express humility. How? By casting your anxiety, not keeping your anxiety. Peter is saying why, to these readers, why are you carrying the weight of Roman persecution on your own when you have God?

[40:26] Why are you carrying the weight of being marginalized in society when you have God? That's why the issue isn't a better government.

[40:38] Now or then. That's why the issue isn't better circumstance now or then. The issue's in here. The issue's in here. It's because you're holding on rather than casting.

[40:51] And listen, Peter was what vocationally? Shout it out. He's a fisherman. Meaning, he knows about casting. He knows exactly what it's like to cast the net.

[41:03] And he also knows this. This is important to you. Sometimes you've got to several times you have to cast before you ever catch. Okay, this isn't a one prayer in the morning and everything's great.

[41:18] It's not how it works. You were created and I were created to be constantly dependent upon God. That's why Paul says pray without ceasing.

[41:29] This isn't a pill you take in the morning and then everything's jolly the rest of the week. No, you have to cast and cast and cast and cast and cast and sometimes, trust me, I'm somewhat of a fisherman, you have to cast all day long before you catch.

[41:45] Because listen, God is going to deliver you at the proper time. this isn't a quick fix. This is a relationship with your father and he wants you to over and over and over and over again cast.

[42:01] It's not a one cast process. Amen? When I cast my cares on him, I'm humbly acknowledging that they exceed my ability to carry. So failure, are you seeing this?

[42:14] Failure to cast my anxieties on God is what? Prideful and God opposes that. But casting my anxieties on him is an act of humility and what does God do to the humble?

[42:31] He gives grace. Isn't this beautiful? Isn't this good? This you probably won't get from a counselor. Not down on counselors. Counselors are great.

[42:43] But you can sit down with a counselor and they can tell you, well, you know what, you know, you should really meditate on this and you should really take this medication. And again, those can be helpful. I'm not down on that.

[42:53] I'm saying you can deal with the external but at some point you've got to deal with the heart. And this so often gets neglected. And by the way, as I've preached this, has anybody gone back to last week?

[43:08] Last sermon? Listen, here's what I mean. Isn't Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which we talked about last week, the perfect example of 1 Peter chapter 5?

[43:19] So look and learn again from your Savior. Listen, Jesus was burdened by the cup that is facing the wrath of God for our sins. But listen, Jesus, not even Jesus in his humanity carried that on his own.

[43:32] Now, this will preach. You would think if there was anybody that could carry their burden on their own, it'd be Jesus. Amen?

[43:42] I mean, Jesus wouldn't even be prideful to carry it on his own. But what does Jesus do in the Garden? He gives it to the Father.

[43:53] He lays it all down to the Father. Jesus didn't carry his burden alone, but he fell before the Father in prayer.

[44:04] So, do you think if Jesus practiced casting, maybe we should? Learn from our Savior.

[44:16] We're being conformed into the image of our Savior. Learn from your Savior and learn to cast and cast and cast. And not only does this remind us of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, I'm almost done, I've only got five more points.

[44:30] Hush. This also takes us back to the passage we started this whole series off with because this, I think, teaches the same thing. Look at Philippians 4, verse 6 again.

[44:42] This has been our theme passage. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, cast. Cast. That is, by prayer and petition or supplication with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

[45:02] So, you ready? Here it is. Notice it on the screen. This is how I'm landing the plane. As you move forward in the coming days, weeks, and months, the question is not will you have anxiety?

[45:13] The question is what are you going to do with it? It's not, you're going to be anxious. Good news. Cheer up. You're going to be anxious.

[45:25] The worry will come in. The issue is not if. It's what are you going to do when it happens? You're going to keep it? You're going to cast it.

[45:38] You're going to keep it? Prideful, arrogant heart? God opposes that? You'll carry the weight. Cast it. Humble.

[45:49] Broken. Realizing you can't fix you. And God gives you grace. If we, I say we, would learn to do more casting, we'd have far less anxiety.

[46:07] Because we would put it on shoulders that can actually carry it. The shoulders of our heavenly father who is big enough. Amen? I know you think I'm done, but I'm not.

[46:22] Because I'm actually not going to finish this passage without pointing out one big important truth. But I will close on this. Listen, one of the reasons we don't cast is because we're prideful.

[46:37] I'm just going to speak for all of us and say we. There's another reason why we don't cast. And it's found in verse 7. We'll close with this. Look at it. Casting all your anxieties on him.

[46:49] Everybody say it with me. Because he cares for you. So I will close with a reminder of God's care for us and our anxiety.

[47:00] Here's what I mean. Listen, faith family. We will not hesitate to cast when we're convinced he cares. We will not hesitate to cast when we are convinced he cares.

[47:13] Which, by the way, is another tactic that your enemy often tries to use against you. It's part of his roar which can keep you afraid and that is convincing you that God doesn't care.

[47:26] He doesn't give a rip that you got laid off work. Why would God care about something that? He's keeping universes together.

[47:39] He doesn't care at all that she left you. Just listen. Handle it on your own.

[47:50] God's got other things to do. Am I right or am I right? That's the voice of your enemy. Because if he can not only keep you prideful but if he can also keep you doubting that God actually cares, you'll do it yourself.

[48:12] And you'll live anxious and afraid. As I prepared this and studied this, I couldn't help but thinking and many of you dads, if you've had young kids, if you've ever gone swimming, you've had this moment, right?

[48:28] I remember my son, really all my kids, that moment where your kid is standing on the side of the pool. You ever been there? Right? And what do you do?

[48:38] You're saying, jump. Like, come to me. And some of you kids, they're just like, yeah, don't care that it's 10 feet deep. They just jump. And then you have some that they're not sure, right?

[48:50] Is dad really going to catch me? Is he going to drop me? Is this whole thing safe? In other words, the point I'm making is that kids that trust their parent cast themselves into their arms.

[49:04] Faith family, notice this on the screen, there'll be no reluctance to cast when you know how much he cares. The more convinced you are of your father's love, you will leap from the edge of the pool into your father's mighty hands.

[49:24] And you will cast and cast and cast and cast and cast because you're convinced he cares. When it comes to the anxieties of your life, listen to me, God is aware and he cares.

[49:38] He really does. Everything you're going through. You know why I know that? Because do you remember, and I am almost done, I mean that, that's your 30 minute warning, I am almost done, listen, listen, listen, do you remember when we looked at Luke chapter 12 and Jesus said to the disciples, I don't want you to be worried about your life.

[49:58] You know, what you're going to eat, what you're going to wear, the little things in life or the seemingly little things in life, if the father cares for the birds, how much more does he care for you?

[50:15] Amen. If he provides for the flowers of the field, how much more is he going to provide for you? In other words, Jesus wanted his disciples to know that even in the daily worries, you have a father who's aware and a father who cares.

[50:37] Remember, you are a child of God and he loves you dearly. And listen, if looking to creation isn't enough, look, dear friends, to the cross.

[50:51] For if Jesus was willing to take your sin on the cross, will he not gladly take your anxieties now? You think Jesus is going to be like, listen, I took your sin, I don't really want your anxieties.

[51:05] No. Jesus is saying to you, I'll take it all. Cast it all. Your sin, your worry, your fears, I want all of it.

[51:22] Because I can handle it. I'll tell you this, listen, listen, I really am done. I, your pastor here, is never going to know what it's like to throw a football like Patrick Mahomes.

[51:35] It's pretty good at basketball, but I will never be able to shoot basketball like Steph Curry. Never. But there is one athlete I can relate to. His name is Vanderville.

[51:51] Because I know what it's like to be in the fair way of life, doing things my own way, relying entirely on my own strength, ending up in a mess. You been there?

[52:04] Listen, the path towards being anxious for nothing is to learn from our Savior. Namely, instead of keeping our anxiety, we got to learn to cast it on Him.

[52:21] Because, listen, if Jesus is able to bear your cross, I promise He can bear your burden. And all God's people said, amen, amen.

[52:33] God, thank you for what you've taught us these last several weeks. This has been so good for our soul. I know it doesn't just all go away because of a sermon.

[52:48] I get the struggle. So I really pray that even with tonight's lesson, you would help us see clearly that, yes, there can be other factors going on, but often the biggest reason, the core issue is we're keeping instead of casting.

[53:08] And others may say, but I've casted so many times. Yeah. That's part of having a relationship with your father. As you go to him over and over and over and over and over and over again, and what we often find is it isn't always about the outcome, it's about the depth of relationship that gets built.

[53:29] We learn to trust our father. become even more convinced of how much you care, that there really isn't anything, anything at all that we're going through that you don't care about, that you're not aware of and care deeply for.

[53:49] Give us peace. Help us get over ourselves. There's a reason you made this man preach this sermon. There's a reason you'll make him preach it twice.

[54:01] because we need to hear the truth. That if we really want to be anxious for nothing, we got to learn to cast and not keep.

[54:13] Cast and not keep. Help us. We are weak children that need grace.

[54:25] We need grace to learn how not a cast. We love you, Lord. Thank you for caring for us. Thank you for unconditional and boundless love.

[54:41] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Ass Ass Ass Ass Thank you.