I'm going to talk to you this morning about anxiety.
The prevalence of anxiety is off the charts.
! The amount of people who struggle with anxiety,
And it's more denied than ever in some ways.
And Proverbs 12, 25 says,
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
I hope today would be a good word that would make you glad.
So what is it? What is anxiety?
First and foremost, anxiety is a sin.
Anxiety is a sin.
Philippians 4, verse 6 says,
Do not be anxious about anything.
Anxiety is a sin. The Bible prohibits it.
Definition of anxiety is apprehensive uneasiness,
nervousness, or worry,
usually over an impending or anticipated ill.
Another way to say that, kind of in your thoughts,
would be something bad is going to happen.
When there's this impending kind of doom in your heart or mind,
that's anxiety.
Another definition would be an abnormal or overwhelming sense of apprehension
and fear,
often marked by physical signs,
such as tension, sweating, increased pulse rate,
by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat,
and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it.
Okay?
So another form of anxiety would be that I just, I can't.
I can't do this.
I can't handle this.
And it begins to overwhelm you.
Even physical signs can sometimes happen.
Okay?
What are some of the forms of anxiety we can have?
We can have financial anxiety.
Right?
Some people, I'm going to list some of these things.
I want you to ask the question,
Do I have anxiety in my life?
Don't just automatically say,
No, no, no, no, I'm fine.
Like, listen to these different things and ask the question.
Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and convince you.
Okay?
So financial anxiety.
Do you have anxiety about money or job or your business?
Okay?
Does it ever keep you up at night?
Do you ever find yourself having conversations with people in the shower
who aren't there with you?
You know, are you thinking about things so much so
that it's disrupting your thoughts and your peace and your rest?
Maybe you can't sleep with financial anxiety or social anxiety.
Okay?
You can't stand being alone or you can't stand being with people.
Right?
Could be either way.
You're constantly thinking about what people think.
You're afraid of what people think.
You're measuring all your words and your actions
based on what someone might think of you.
This can manifest in dating and in relationships
and just a common sense of insecurity.
That I don't measure up.
I'm inferior.
What if people think this?
What if people think that?
What if I am not this?
What if I'm not that?
Health anxiety.
Okay?
If you've never had health anxiety
and you've been to WebMD,
I doubt it.
You probably did it.
Okay?
Right?
Because WebMD was built for anxiety.
Isn't it?
I mean, isn't that like the result?
You look at it and there's always something
that you weren't looking for that you all of a sudden have
and you're going to die.
Right?
So, health sickness, health anxiety.
This is a new one
because we have more information available than ever.
People are constantly anxious about,
well, what if I have this?
Or what if I'm, you know,
people just fear of death, period.
Right?
You know, just people thinking,
I'm going to die.
Why do you think you're going to die?
I don't know.
I just have this sense I'm going to die.
Okay.
You know?
Have you been on WebMD lately?
So, there's these different things
and you're trying to self-diagnose
and you're,
if someone's pregnant,
they get worried about the baby.
You know,
there's anxiety about that.
Maybe it's not you.
It's anxiety over your kids.
What if my kids don't make it?
What if my kids have this horrible sickness?
What if my kids die?
What if my spouse,
what if my mom,
what if my dad?
And we get anxious over health.
Right?
There's family anxiety.
You can get anxious over your marriage.
Like,
are we going to stay together?
Get anxious over parenting.
Am I screwing up my kids?
Did I ruin them?
We can get anxious about
just the kids in general.
You know?
Just like,
I can't handle this.
It's overwhelming to the point
where I'm anxious.
I can't even function
with other human beings
because my little kids
have got me so in a tizzy.
Right?
Some of you guys can relate to this.
Leadership anxiety.
You know?
I'm really anxious about
a wife being super anxious
about their husband.
I don't know.
This guy,
he's leading me,
but what if he's not leading me right?
I see the weaknesses in him.
I see the sins in him.
There's no way he could lead me well.
And we're tempted
with control, right?
What about church leadership?
Oh man,
I've seen this before.
I just met with a guy the other day.
And he was telling me
all the ways
that I and the church
were reminding him
of bad things
that he saw
in this other church
that really wounded him.
And I said to the guy,
I said,
was everything
in that previous church wrong?
He's like,
no.
Was everything
in the leadership bad?
He said,
no.
Well,
then if I remind you
of some of those things,
that doesn't necessarily mean
that's a bad thing.
Okay?
Let's not have
your reference point
be that last church
that hurt you
or harmed you.
Let's have the reference point
be the scriptures
and whether something's
right or wrong.
And so,
but you can have anxiety
about that.
Especially if you're new,
coming around a new church.
And I know
there's some of us
who are new
coming around the church
and we start,
someone says something,
someone does something,
like,
I've seen that before.
I've experienced that
the last time
I was burned.
That person said that to me.
Last time I was burned,
that person acted like that.
You remind me
just like that charlatan
who led the last church
who was in.
And it's like,
oh yeah,
that can happen.
But,
is it true?
And are we getting anxious
about it?
And who are we following?
Are we following a spouse,
ultimately?
Are we following
church leadership,
ultimately?
We can get anxious
about government,
anxious about our president,
anxious about the Congress,
our governors,
the mayor.
We can get anxious
about those things
and say,
they're going to
screw everything up.
They're going to ruin
our society.
But are we ultimately
following them?
We can even get anxious
about God,
thinking that he doesn't
have it under control.
That he's not ultimately
a good leader.
We get anxious
about leadership,
right?
But who are we following?
There's stuff anxiety.
Hey,
what's stuff anxiety?
Your house.
You know?
Your,
so it can just be
the house itself
for payers,
things going wrong,
being able to pay for it.
Or it could just be
hospitality.
Like,
my house isn't clean enough.
My house isn't nice enough.
I don't know if I want
to have people in here.
What if they wreck stuff?
What if they see
how I really live?
What if they go
in that room?
You know,
you know,
whatever.
Your car.
Is my car going to make it?
It's making that weird noise.
I'm anxious about it.
I don't have money for a car.
If my car gets broken now,
my car is broken now.
I took it in the shop.
I don't know how much
it's going to be.
You know,
you can get anxious
about all kinds of things.
It's really like,
I wasn't anxious,
but now I'm starting to get anxious.
Life anxiety,
responsibility,
decisions.
Right?
Some of us can't.
We have a decision to make
and we freeze.
We just get so anxious about it.
Or fear of failure.
Fear of the future.
Anxiousness about
the unknown.
What's going to happen?
How are things going to be?
Or when life doesn't make sense,
we can get anxious about it.
Or we can get anxious about sin.
Right?
We get anxious because we're tempted
and we think,
oh my gosh,
am I going to fall?
Am I going to give in?
Am I going to,
I'm anxious about getting into
some position of responsibility
or leadership
because what if I screw it up?
What if,
what if I'm the one who falls
and disillusions more people?
I've experienced that.
I don't want to do that
with other people.
We get anxious about secret sins.
Well,
what if this person's in secret sin?
What if my leader's in secret sin?
What if my spouse is in secret sin?
We get anxious about the devil
and what he's doing
and how he's deceiving people.
And there's so many things
to get anxious about.
Right?
So many things.
And it's pervasive.
And more than ever,
we just say,
yeah,
that's just the way it is.
And this is just part of life.
Some of us even say,
well,
that's just my personality.
I just have a sinful personality.
Yeah,
join the club.
We all do.
That doesn't mean
you have to accept it.
That doesn't mean
you have to say,
oh,
this is going to be the norm.
Sin shall no longer rule over you.
Okay?
So I want to stick in one main text.
I'll reference some of the rest of the scriptures,
but I want to go to Philippians chapter 4,
verses 4 through 9.
Okay?
So if you've got your Bibles,
you can look at that.
I'm going to read through it first,
and then we'll jump through it verse by verse.
Philippians chapter 4,
4 through 9.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I'll say,
rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything,
for at prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts
and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Finally,
brothers,
whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there's any excellence,
if there's anything
worthy of praise,
think about these things.
And the God of peace
will be with you.
This is the word of God.
Okay, let's look at it.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I will say rejoice.
So for starters,
the context of this main verse,
we're looking at verse 6,
is preceded by verse 4.
And it says,
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Could it be that oftentimes
what leads into anxiety
is a lack of gratefulness for God,
is a lack of joy in God,
a lack of rejoicing in God?
And if you don't think he meant it,
he said it twice.
He said rejoice in the Lord always.
Not sometimes,
not most of the time.
Well, yeah, I know.
Rejoice in the Lord
when things are good.
No.
Rejoice in the Lord at all times.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
If you rejoice in the Lord always,
can you be anxious?
That'd be pretty difficult.
Wouldn't it be awesome
if you orchestrated your life
in such a way
that anxiety was hard to do?
Wouldn't that be awesome?
Like, I'm having a hard time.
You're having a hard time?
What are you having a hard time with?
I'm having a really hard time being anxious.
It's been really difficult.
I just keep rejoicing in the Lord.
I do it always.
And I have a hard time being anxious.
Wow.
Wish I struggled with that.
You know, what if we struggled
to be anxious
because we rejoice in the Lord?
How often?
Always.
And if God wasn't
trying to make this clear enough,
through Paul,
he said again,
I will say,
rejoice.
He's doubling down.
You must rejoice in the Lord,
always.
You should be thankful in Him.
You should bless Him
at all times.
You're looking for opportunities
to say,
Lord, You're my joy.
You're my hope.
Okay?
And he says,
let your reasonableness
be known to everyone.
Or let your gentleness
be known to everyone.
Could it be that anxiety
makes you unreasonable?
Could it be that
in the context of this?
Because the very next verse
is the Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything.
But right before that,
he says,
let your reasonableness
be known to anyone.
Could it be that anxiety
makes you unreasonable?
Why is it unreasonable?
Why is anxiety unreasonable?
Why does it make you unreasonable?
Why does rejoicing the Lord
make your reasonableness
known to all?
Because of the most important
part of this verse.
And it's this.
Right before verse 6
when it says,
do not be anxious about anything.
Which we all know this verse, right?
Maybe you haven't memorized.
Maybe you even knew the citation.
You know, yeah.
Philippians 4, 6.
I got that one.
It's on my fridge.
It's on my mirror
in the bathroom.
You know, I know that one.
I memorized that one
when I was a kid.
But what about
the five words
right before it?
The Lord
is at hand.
The Lord
is at hand.
That's the key part,
right?
Why should I not
be anxious about anything?
Because of the first half
of the sentence,
it's the same sentence.
Because the Lord
is near.
Did you hear me?
The Lord
is at hand.
Other versions say
the Lord is near.
If the Lord
is near,
not, I mean,
not your best friend
is near,
not like a
good spouse
is near,
not like a brother
or sister is near.
No, no, no.
This is way better.
Did you hear
what it said?
The Lord
is near.
The Lord
is at hand.
Do you know this?
And what does it
mean to you?
What does it mean
to you that the
Lord is at hand?
Who is this
Lord that you
speak of?
Who is this
God that you
speak of?
Is he a distant
God?
Aloof and uncaring?
Is he a God
who does not
care for his
people?
Is he a God
who breaks
bruised wicks
and puts out,
sorry,
breaks bruised
reeds and puts
out smoldering
wicks?
Is that the
God he is?
No, it's not.
He doesn't
break the bruised
reed.
He doesn't
put out the
smoldering wick.
He is not far.
It says the
Lord is at
hand.
The Lord
is near.
Okay?
It says he will
never leave you
or forsake you.
Do you believe
this about God?
What you believe
about God
determines whether
or not you're
going to be
anxious.
Do you believe
that he's near?
If you believe
that a distant
God is near,
a God that
doesn't care about
you is near,
a God that's
not for you
is near,
well, so what?
That actually
makes me more
anxious.
If I don't
know what
he's going
to do,
if I don't
know if
he's good,
if I don't
know if
he's sovereign,
what comfort
is that to
me?
He's meaning
to say the
Lord is near
as a comfort,
as a thing
to lay up
right into the
next verse.
Do not be
anxious about
anything.
The reason
do not be
anxious about
anything has
weight is
because the
Lord is near.
Do you
believe that?
Do you believe
that the Lord
is near?
And do you
believe that he
is who he
says he is?
Do you
believe in the
God of the
scriptures?
What are you
believing about
God?
Behind every
sin is some
form of
unbelief about
God.
Okay?
The Lord is
at hand.
Do not be
anxious about
anything.
So you might
say, and this
is the ultimate
yeah but verse in
the Bible in our
culture today.
Right?
And I want to
ask you a
question.
How do you
relate to the
scriptures?
Are you a
yeah but
interpreter of
the scriptures?
Does the
culture so
apprehended you
that you
read the
scriptures and
say yeah but
is your natural
inclination?
When the
scriptures say
don't be
anxious, you're
like yeah but
you don't
understand.
My parents
were anxious
before me.
My mom
before me had
postpartum
depression.
You know,
that's just the
way it is.
I'm just, you
know, it's part
of my heritage.
I am an
anxious person
by nature and
that's just the
way it is and
that's okay.
But this says
do not be
anxious about
anything.
Do not be
anxious about
anything.
That's pretty
all-inclusive.
Anything.
Don't be
anxious about
anything.
But how many
things have we
justified as,
well of course
there's certain
things you
shouldn't be
anxious about.
But I have a
list just as long
as the things
that I've
justified in
my own
mind that
it's okay
to be
anxious about.
And then
the word
of the Lord
says,
don't be
anxious about
anything.
About anything.
Why?
Because the
Lord is near.
The Lord is
near.
Don't be
anxious about
anything.
How many
things have
we accepted
in our life
as acceptable
forms of
anxiety that
the scriptures
are saying?
No, this
was never
meant for you.
You're a
child of God.
How dare you
think that this
was the norm?
How dare you
think that you
are living in a
reality where the
Lord is not
near and that
the Lord who
is near is not
mighty to save
you from your
sin of anxiety?
He is.
Do you believe
that?
You see, when you
don't believe that,
we get into fear,
which leads to
control.
Look at Abraham
and Isaac for an
example, right?
Remember the story
that Abraham did
twice, actually?
Abraham is
traveling because
the Lord sent him
out and he's got
his wife with
him.
And they go
into a place
where there's a
king and he
says to his
wife, half
truth, right?
Says, hey, just
tell him, tell him
you're my sister.
Okay?
Tell him you're my
sister.
Well, he
technically was a
half sister.
Okay?
And he says, just
tell him you're a
sister, but instead
of telling him that
you're a wife.
Why?
He was afraid that
he'd be killed
because she was
attractive.
Well, what did the
first king do when
that happened?
The king took her
as his wife.
Can you imagine
this?
Out of anxiety, he
said, hey, don't
tell him the full
truth because I'm
afraid.
So I'm going to
try to control
this and manipulate
it.
And his wife was
taken by another
man to be his
wife.
That's a bad
day.
That's not good.
Right?
And you know, God
intervened.
Okay?
And you think, wow,
crisis averted.
I'm never going to
do that again.
He does it again.
He literally does it
again.
And he taught it to
his son.
Because then if you
keep going in
Genesis, what did
Isaac do?
Isaac does the same
thing.
In Genesis 26, 7,
he says, she is my
sister, for he feared
to say, my wife,
thinking lest the men
of the place should
kill me because of
Rebecca, because she
was attractive in
appearance.
Fear and anxiety
lead to control.
control.
And guess what?
It's not real
control.
It's an illusion of
control.
For those of you who
don't know this, I have
a word for you.
You're not in control.
You might think you
are, but it's all an
illusion.
You want to talk about
a simulation?
We are living in a
simulation.
I'm going to tell you
that this morning.
The simulation we're
living in is that
you're in control.
And most people
believe it.
It's a simulation.
It's not real.
It's not true.
It dictates the whole
world and what they
do.
But the truth is,
the reality is, there
is someone in control
and it's not you.
It's God.
God is in control.
And I hope for most
of you, not hopefully
all of you, that's
good news.
It's good news that I'm
not in control.
But when you feel like
you have to be in
control, that's what
anxiety leads to.
I have to be in
control.
And you can't.
That's what makes you
anxious.
I feel like I have to
be in control, but I'm
not in control.
What am I to do?
Stop being in control.
Don't be anxious about
anything.
Why?
How?
Because the Lord is
near.
Because the Lord is
near.
Romans 8.31 says,
If God is for us, who
can be against us?
And isn't that the
thing that, you know,
that whole list of
things I was giving
you, isn't that like
the group?
That's a pretty good
list, don't you think,
of the things that are
against us?
And most of you are
like, yeah, I've
thought about probably a
lot of those things.
How many times have
we been tempted to
anxiety those things,
given into those
things?
There's a whole list
of things that are
against us.
And if that list is
ever short from you,
all you have to do is
watch the news, and
it'll just grow, right?
There's new ways than
ever before to be
anxious about things.
you think, but there's so
many things against me.
But the Word of God
says, but God is for us.
And if God is for us,
really?
Who can be against us?
It's a rhetorical
question.
He's saying, if God is
for you, no one can be
against you.
No thing could honestly be
against you if God is for
you.
Anxiety, in its truest sense,
is really an act of pride.
It's an act of pride.
1 Peter 5 talks about this,
and then we'll get back to
our text.
1 Peter 5, 5-7 says,
God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the
humble.
Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the
mighty hand of God, so
that at the proper time
He may exalt you,
casting all your anxieties
on Him, because He cares
for you.
So, humility is taking
your anxiety and casting
it on the Lord.
Humility is saying,
God, I cannot handle
this.
I'm not in control.
I can't, I'm not in control
of my health.
I'm not in control of my
kids.
I'm not in control of my
leadership.
I'm not in control,
ultimately, of my finances.
I'm not in control of my,
whether I'm going to die or
not.
I am not in control.
And so, my humility says,
you're God, I'm not.
You're for me.
I make stupid decisions.
God, I cast all my
anxieties on you,
because you care for me.
The reason we don't cast
our anxieties on Him is
because we don't think He
cares for us.
Some of us need to get
honest this morning and
say, and I know it's not
the right answer, but some
of us have to give the
real answer.
The right answer is, oh,
yes, God cares for me.
God is good all the time,
brother.
Good to see you.
See you next week.
You know?
And some lame lie, you
know?
Because some of us don't
really believe that.
Some of us have to be
honest and say, I don't
believe that He cares for me.
And that's why it's hard
for me to cast my
anxieties on the Lord.
I feel like I'm on my
own.
I feel like He doesn't
really care.
And I've believed it for
all this time, ever since
that one thing happened
to me.
It was at that time I
believed I'm on my own.
No one's looking after
me.
No one's taking care of
me.
And we come up with a
case that we've built in
our head for why God
isn't for us and why we
have to be the one who's
fighting for ourselves.
And if you ever want to
know if you're not
believing that God is the
one who fights for you
and is for you, just look
at if you're fighting for
yourself.
The evidence of your
unbelief in the God who
fights for you is that
you're fighting for
yourself.
The evidence of your
belief in the God who
fights for you is that
you are marked by rest.
By rest.
Are you at rest?
If you cast all your
anxieties on Him because
He cares for you, that's
an act of humility.
Pride says, no, I got
this, Lord.
No, I'm going to do this
on my own.
So, you have all this
here in Philippians 4, and
then He really brings in
the good stuff right here
in verse 7.
Okay?
So, do not be anxious
about anything.
All right?
But in everything, offer
your request to God.
Actually, did I skip?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I skipped this part.
But in everything, by
prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let
your request be made
known to God.
Okay?
And so, the answer is
prayer.
And it's not some
things.
It's not most things.
He says, don't be
anxious about anything,
but in everything.
You hear this all-inclusive
language.
Again, I'm going to say
it again.
You know I just said it,
but I'm going to say it
again.
The yeah-but culture,
the yeah-but mentality,
when we read the
scriptures, it says,
there's multiple reasons
where my anxiety is okay.
Listen to the all-inclusive
language in Philippians
chapter 4.
Do not be anxious about
anything, but in
everything.
This is all-inclusive.
All things are to be
brought before the Lord
by prayer and
supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your
request be made known.
Okay?
Prayer, supplication,
with thanksgiving.
Again, it's with
thanksgiving.
Why?
Because you're rejoicing
in Him.
You're looking to Him so
that you're not in
anxiety.
Now, it says, let your
request be made known.
Some of us are really
good at this.
We make our requests
known, but we're really
bad at what the
scriptures say.
We're not making them
known to God.
You see what it says
here?
It doesn't just say,
let your request be
made known.
That's not the end of
the sentence.
It says, let your
request be made known
to God.
Some of us are really
good at talking about
all the bad things in
our life and how
overwhelming our life
is, and we complain
about things, and we
gripe about things, and
we think that the
world is against us, and
we think that nothing
ever goes right for us,
and we're just
constantly spitting out
unbelief.
And it says, but in
everything by prayer and
supplication and
thanksgiving, let your
request be made known
to God.
To God.
Where are you taking
these things?
Where are you taking
your anxieties?
Do you have a prayer
life that is
emblematic of a
casting of your cares
onto the Lord?
Is this what your
prayer life looks like?
Don't feel bad about it.
Don't think, oh, man, I
just feel like I'm just
thinking about myself.
Listen, this is part of
what prayer and
supplication is for.
It's for you to offload
these problems onto the
one who loves taking
it.
You're never going to
burden him.
It's not like he's
like, man, my
followers are great, but
this one guy, man, he's
just constantly just
dumping all this stuff
on me.
God's not like that.
He's a father.
He never tires of you
coming to him.
He never tires of you
offering your anxieties
to him.
He wants to take them.
And if you ever doubt
that, if you're ever
wondering how badly God
wants to be near us,
how badly, to what
extent will God go to
be near us?
Look to the cross.
This is why we have to
remember him every week,
like Sam was saying,
because we forget.
Later in Psalm 46,
verse 10 of the Psalm
he read to call us to
worship, it says,
Be still and know
that I am God.
Be still and know
that I am God.
Some of us need to
just be still and say,
God, I trust you.
I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm,
but I'm having a hard
time and so I'm going
to cast my cares on
you.
I'm going to, in prayer
supplication.
But I'm taking them to
God.
Some of us lean too
heavily on other people.
Some of us lean too
heavily on our spouse.
Some of us lean too
heavily on a certain
relationship or our
pastors or whatever.
Listen, when you're
trying to pull something
from someone that can't
give it to you, you're
automatically going to
frustrate the
relationship.
Okay?
When you're trying to
treat someone as if they
can give you what only
God can give you, you'll
frustrate yourself and
them because they can't.
They can't give it to
you.
Right?
This is where we have to
go to God.
They have to go to God.
Verse seven says, and
the peace of God, which
surpasses all
understanding, will guard
your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.
Okay?
Here's the promise now.
Right?
He's not just throwing
out a command and saying,
hey, do this.
He's saying, do this.
And then the peace of
God, which surpasses
all understanding.
Listen, it's a peace that
surpasses understanding.
This is why you can't say
yeah, but to the
scriptures because of
brain science.
This is why you can't say
yeah, but to the
scriptures because we
figured out new things
about the brain and the
body.
That means anxiety is now
acceptable.
There is a peace of God
that surpasses
understanding.
You can't appeal to
understanding to say you
don't need the peace of
God that surpasses
understanding because it
surpasses understanding.
You get it?
Like that's the point.
This is supernatural.
This is bigger than any
white coat can tell you.
All right?
Some guy with a bunch of
letters behind his name is
going to tell you, no, it's
okay to be anxious.
Don't listen to the
preacher, man.
Don't listen to the
offensive book, the Bible
telling you not to be
anxious about anything.
That's okay.
You can do that.
We've actually discovered
that it's okay.
We've actually discovered
that it's not good for
people to tell you that.
In the Bible, this
ancient text, this thing
that has existed before
you were ever even a
thought in your parents'
mind, this truth is here,
that there is a
surpassing greatness and
knowledge, a peace that
surpasses all understanding,
that will guard your
hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
But some people are like,
well, what if it doesn't?
Like, what if I do this
and it doesn't?
What does it say?
Does it say it might
guard you?
Does it say hopefully it
will guard you?
Does it say, man, there's
a really good chance it
will guard you?
That's not what it says
when I look at the text.
What does it say?
The peace of God which
surpasses all understanding
will.
It will guard you.
Do you believe the word
of God?
Do you believe that what
he says is true?
Do you believe that God
himself is the author of
this text?
And that Paul was inspired
by the Holy Spirit when he
wrote it?
And that the peace of God
which surpasses all
understanding will guard
your heart and your minds
in Christ Jesus?
I love that the word used
here is guard.
Do you believe that there's
a kind of peace that comes
from God that is actually
violent?
What way?
Oh, it's violent against
every other obstacle that
would come against you.
There's a peace of God that
guards your heart and your
mind.
Do you know what I'm
talking about?
I'm talking about.
You all know of a felt
kind of violence that you
feel of anxiety trying to
get into your mind, into
your heart.
It almost feels like it's
a war.
It almost feels like it's
violence.
Some of us have been so
entrenched in it, even
sometimes demonically, that
it feels like we're going
crazy.
And we feel like, man, I'm
under attack.
I feel like I can't get out
from underneath this.
But the word of God
shouts to us and says,
the peace of God which
surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
That isn't a word of
action.
That is a violent word to
say, no, God's power stands
against all these things that
would seek to come into our
hearts and minds and put
anxiety there.
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that God will
give us that kind of peace, a
peace that guards?
Do you know of this peace?
There's nothing like it.
You might even say it
surpasses understanding.
Because it does.
He then says in verse 8,
Finally, brothers, whatever
is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever
is commendable, if there's
any excellence, if there's
anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Okay?
So, so often the reason we
get anxious is because we're
thinking about the wrong
thing.
Right?
We're just feeding it.
That's why everybody laughs
when you hear about WebMD,
right?
Because so many people have
done it.
It's like, I didn't even know
there was these many things
that could happen to me.
Now that I know, I'm, I'm
super afraid.
And we hear about more
tragedies than ever before.
The proliferation of news
makes us, it's not that even
certain things have
increased.
In fact, you know, the
irony is child kidnappings
are way down from when I was a
kid.
But do you think people are
less afraid of them now?
No way.
They're way more afraid.
People are way more afraid of
that kind of stuff.
Even though factually, it's way
less possible of happening
than what it used to.
But what is it?
It's because we hear about
every single one.
You used to not hear about it
in that state and that state.
You only heard about it if it
was in your neighborhood.
Now we hear about it
everywhere.
We hear about every bad
thing everywhere.
That's what sells.
That's what sells news.
Okay?
What are you thinking about
though?
Are you thinking about
whatever is pure?
Whatever is lovely?
Whatever is just?
Whatever is commendable?
If there's any excellence,
if there's anything worthy of
praise, think about these
things.
What is your thought life?
What do you think about?
Are you taking your thoughts
captive and you casting your
anxieties on the Lord because
he cares for you?
Verse 9, he says,
What you have learned and
received and heard and seen
in me, practice these things.
What you've learned, received,
and heard and seen in me.
So it's not just book knowledge.
This isn't just, we're not just
supposed to grow in our freedom
from anxiety just by reading,
just by learning.
We're also supposed to hear and
see it in other people.
See what he's saying here?
What you've learned and received
and heard and seen in me,
practice these things.
Practice these things.
He was a living model of this.
How do we know that?
Well, first of all, he's saying
it, but this is the great thing
about the scriptures.
When we have stuff like this
where Paul's talking about this,
Acts chapter 16 tells us what
was going on when he was in
Philippi talking to these people,
right?
You know, God calls him over to
Macedonia.
He travels over to Macedonia.
He comes in there, all right?
Starts preaching the gospel.
Lydia gets saved, all right?
And then this slave girl with
divination powers is annoying Paul,
so he casts a demon out of her.
Interesting little event there,
right?
And throws the economy into turmoil
in Philippi.
And so what do they do?
Well, that was no small thing.
His little annoyance turned out
to be a rough day.
Okay.
They attacked, they attacked him.
And I think I can't, is this Silas in
here?
I can't remember.
It's either Silas or Silas and
Timothy.
Anyways, the crew he's with, they
attack him.
They strip them.
Okay.
So they're, they attack him.
They strip him from his clothes.
They beat, they beat him with rods.
Okay.
So not just hitting him.
They're beating him with rods.
And then they throw him in prison.
Okay.
Attacked, stripped, and beaten with rods.
And what does he do when he gets to
jail?
Is he anxious?
Is he sitting there worried and
complaining, what are we going to do?
We just got, you know, he could have,
remember the verse that says,
whatever's true, whatever's just.
Paul could have just sat there and
thought how unjust this was.
He's a Roman citizen.
He's, there was no trial.
There was no accusation.
They just, this is vigilante,
quote unquote, justice.
It was injustice.
He could have meditated on how
injustice was.
Does he do that though?
What does he do?
Look at Philip in Acts 16.
What's the first, what's the first
thing you find them doing when they
get into that jail?
Praying and singing hymns to God.
Paul modeled this.
He says, now think of this verse
nine, what you have learned and
received and heard and seen in me
practice these things.
What did they see in Paul?
They saw a man who was attacked,
who was stripped and who was
beaten with rods, thrown into jail
in shackles.
And what did he do?
He prayed and he sang hymns to God.
He went to God.
He was thankful.
He let his reasonableness be known
to all.
Right?
What do you do when hard times come?
And what was the last time you
were beaten with rods?
I don't think I've had one of those
times.
So whatever, however bad I thought it
was, it wasn't as bad as this.
I've never been stripped and attacked,
unjustly thrown into prison and beat
with rods.
That hasn't happened to me.
And yet I would complain for far less
things.
Paul went in there and he started
praying and singing hymns.
He wasn't anxious.
He modeled this and it affected the
Philippian church.
It says,
What you've learned and received and
heard and seen in me,
practice these things and the God of
peace will be with you.
Okay?
And we should do the same thing in
parenting.
Guess what?
If you're anxious, you know what you're
parenting your children in?
Anxiety.
Case in point, Abraham and his son,
Isaac.
What did Isaac do?
He did the exact same thing.
Did the exact same thing.
Do we realize how anxiety gets passed
down?
And we all, we know this and we get
anxious about it.
Have you ever been anxious about
passing anxiety down to your kids?
We do this sometimes.
Do you know that the God of peace
will guard your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus in such a way that you
can hand down a lack of anxiety to
your kids, that you can hand down
peace to your kids, that you can hand
down stability to your kids, that you
can hand down a normative model of
life to praise God and pray to God
when things seem to be anxious?
Do you know that you can hand that
down?
You can.
It's true.
And we need to.
But we're going to have to buck the
order of the day.
The order of the day is anxiety.
Do you hear me?
This is the order of the day.
You don't think you're affected by
it?
You're a fool.
We're all affected by it.
We're in the water and it's boiling.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
The water around us is anxiety and
it's getting hotter and it's becoming
more normative than ever.
And there's this book, this ancient
offensive book called the Bible that
says, don't be anxious about anything.
Don't be anxious about anything.
How dare you say that?
I didn't.
The Lord did.
The God of all creation said that.
Matthew 28, 20 says, behold, I am with
you always to the end of the age.
Hebrews 13, verse 5 says, I will never
leave you or forsake you.
You believe that that God is near you.
Do you believe that?
When you believe that, you're not
anxious.
In closing, let me read a few verses on
anxiety.
Psalm 94, verse 19 says, when the cares
of my heart are many, your consolations
cheer my soul.
Jeremiah 17, 7 through 8 says, blessed is
the man who trusts in the Lord, whose
trust is the Lord.
He has like a tree planted by water that
sends out its root by the stream and
does not fear when heat comes.
For its leaves remain green and is not
anxious in the year of drought.
For it does not cease to bear fruit.
Picture that for your kids as well.
Your kids, little shoots who do not
fret, who do not get anxious in the
year of drought.
When things are lacking, when things
aren't the way you want them to be.
Can you believe that even your kids
could be trusting in the Lord and not
ceasing to bear fruit?
Psalm 127, verse 2, it is vain that you
rise up early and go late to rest, eating
the bread of anxious toil.
For he gives to his beloved sleep.
Well, yeah, as long as you have the right
amount of magnesium and melatonin and all
this other stuff.
That's what he meant, right?
Like, that's what I need to do.
I need to take, I need to get every
newfangled way to get better sleep.
I got to make sure I'm getting my cold
plungeants, my sauna use, my everything I
need to get.
And then he gives his beloved sleep.
Is that the truth?
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with
those things.
There's not.
Okay?
You hear that?
There's nothing wrong with those things.
Okay?
But, there's no, just like there's nothing
wrong with medication in and of itself.
Medication is not a sin.
But, medication is not a remedy for sin.
Okay?
It's not.
It's not a remedy for sin.
You don't medicate sin.
Now, you can medicate certain facts that
sin has had on the body.
But, you will never get over your sin
because of medication.
You know how you get rid of your sin?
Repentance.
Trust in the Lord.
So that in the year of drought,
you're not anxious.
You're not eating the bread of anxious toil
for he gives his beloved sleep.
Some people need to hear that word alone today.
That he gives his beloved sleep.
Do you believe that?
Can you receive that truth?
That God gives his beloved sleep?
And that maybe the reason I'm not getting
sleep is because I'm anxious?
That maybe the reason I'm not getting
sleep is because I'm anxious?
Maybe the reason gluten is so hard on my stomach
is because I've been anxious for so long
and it's ruined my stomach?
Just saying.
Think about it.
Luke 12, 24-26.
Consider the ravens.
They neither sow nor reap.
They have neither storehouse nor barn.
And yet God feeds them.
Of how much more value are you than the birds?
And which of you, by being anxious,
can add a single hour to a span of life?
If you then are not able to do
as small a thing as that,
why are you anxious about the rest?
Why are we anxious about the rest?
Amen?