Preach this - Phil. 4:4-8
Scripture Text: Phil 4:4-8 (NIV)
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
We are to choose to dwell on the excellent things, the good things and the praise worthy things of life: So to do this morning I have a video testimony for you from the Ramos:
Play Praise video: Of thanksgiving to God for the healing testimony of baby Jacqueline Ramos – parents Kristen and Tom also have son Dylan.
Let’s read our text again today:
Scripture Text: Phil 4:4-8 (The Message)
4Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!
5Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
6Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
7Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Introduction:
Thesis: Many people get offended if you tell them what to think – no one likes anyone telling them how to think. Yet the Bible tells us how we should think – whether we like it or not.
I find it amazing how many people have “Stink-in – think-in!” and not “Positive think in.”
When they observe a situation one person sees all the obstacles another sees the possibilities.
When one reads a book they find the golden nuggets while another finds all the mistakes or disagrees with the premises.
One person can see the glass ½ full the other sighs as its ½ empty.
Mindsets are crucial – they are keys to ones attitude and ones actions.
A person’s thought life does impact their health both mentally and physically. A persons thought life either brings them joy or sorrow. A persons thought life either brings them worry or contentment. A person’s thought life causes hope or hopelessness. A persons thought life either sees the positive or the negative.
It’s usually a matter of decision that a person thinks the way they do they decide which force wins out in their life. The positive or the negative, the good or the bad and the comparison list could go on.
Jonathan Edwards states:
“If any think it is a more perfect definition of the Will to say that it is that by which the soul either chooses or refuses, I am content with it; though I think it enough to say, it is that by which the soul chooses: for in every act of will whatsoever, the mind chooses one thing rather than another; it chooses something rather than the contrary or rather than the want or non-existence of that thing. So in every act of refusal, the mind chooses the absence of the thing refused; the positive and the negative are set before the mind for its choice, and it chooses the negative; and the mind’s making its choice in that case is properly the act of the Will: the Will’s determining between the two is voluntary determination; but that is the same thing as making a choice. So that by whatever names we call the act of the Will-choosing, refusing, approving, disapproving, liking, disliking, embracing, rejecting, determining, directing, commanding, forbidding, inclining, or being averse, being pleased or displeased with-all may be reduced to this of choosing…Mr. Locke says, “The Will signifies nothing but a power or ability to prefer or choose” (page 10, Freedom of the Will).
Really the Bible tells us that we choose our own mindsets – we choose to be positive or negative – we choose to worry or to be happy-we choose to see things and think certain things by the choices we make with our minds.
Our free will choice can give us hope or it can give us hopelessness.
Our free will choice can make us worry or be secure.
Our act of the will – our decision making process chooses for the most part how we think or how we will react to every situation.
The following from: http://mysite.verizon.net/onewayonly/thinkaboutsuchthings.html
Kim Southall: God’s Word instructs us about the sorts of things we should think about for a very good reason. The condition of our minds has everything to do with the way we act and treat others. If we try to see the good side of things and think of those things, we will be much less likely to give in to temptations to sin. And we will be much happier people and be much nicer to be around. When others see how happy we are, then they will want to be around us and want to know why we are so happy. And that opens up a wonderful opportunity. That gives us the chance to share our love for Jesus with them, so that they can come to love Him, too! So, read that verse again. Memorize it. And think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about the things that are excellent and praiseworthy. Think about such things and think about how wonderful it will be when you can share your love of Jesus with someone else!
Let’s read our text again today from another translation:
Philippians 4:4-8: (CEV):
4Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad.
5Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here.
6Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.
7Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
8Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.
I. Be anxious for nothing – think the right way-think the Bible way!
a. In other words - Chill – don’t worry – relax – stress less – lighten up - calm down.
i. Jesus said this:
1. Matthew 6:25 (NIV) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
2. Matthew 6:27: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
b. Chuck Swindoll stated in Laugh Again, “Worry about nothing…pray about everything, and rest” (page 203).
i. He says that the three substitutes for worry are:
1. Rejoice
2. Relax
3. Rest
ii. He adds from page 204, “No matter what you’re dealing with or how bad things seem to be or why God may be permitting them, deliberately letting your mind dwell on positive, uplifting thoughts will enable you to survive. Literally. I frequently quote those words from Philippians 4:8 to myself. I say things like, “Okay, Chuck, it’s time to let your mind dwell on better things.” And then I go over the list and deliberately replace a worry with something far more honorable or pure or lovely, something worthy of praise. It never fails; the pressure I was feeling begins to fade and the peace I was missing begins to emerge.”
c. Worry or in other words anxiety, stress has become the robber of joy in most Christian’s life. I know that we all need a Biblical perspective on dealing with this deadly disease of worry and anxiety. Our society is being tormented and destroyed because anxiety is sucking the life out of people – even God’s people.
i. Some have said that worry is the interest you pay on trouble that seldom comes. Psychologists have said that 90% of what people worry about never comes to pass.
ii. Havner stated, “Worry, is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.”
iii. Rick Warren says, "Worry is the warning light that God is really not first in my life at this particular moment." Because worry says that God is not big enough to handle my troubles. Jesus says in Mt. 6:33: "Set your heart first on God’s kingdom and His goodness." And He said that at the conclusion of an entire sermon on worry. The antidote to worry? Put God first!”
iv. Norman Vincent Peale said, “The word ‘worry’ is derived from an Old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke. How well –named the emotion- it has been demonstrated again and again in persons who have lost their effectiveness due to the stultifying effect of anxiety and apprehension.”
v. A certain well-controlled care-free-ness may well be an asset. Normal sensible concern is an important attribute of the mature person. But worry frustrates one’s best functioning.”
d. What is a worry?
i. Worry is a feeling of uneasiness about an uncertain or threatening future event. It also is a feeling of uneasiness about a past event. Some worried feelings are normal; it becomes a problem when it interferes with normal activities.
1. Worry forces us to focus on the wrong things in life!
ii. What symptoms can be associated with worry?
1. *Uneasy feeling
* Anxiety.
* Inability to relax.
* Tension headaches.
* Sleeplessness.
* Heart palpitations.
* Feelings of tightness in chest.
* Belching, nausea, diarrhea.
2. In or out of water:
a. All the water in the world, However hard it tried, Could never, never sink a ship Unless it got inside. All the hardships of this world, Might wear you pretty thin, But they won’t hurt you, one least bit. Unless you let them in.
3. Worry is a destroyer of the soul.
a. If unchecked, it results in great anxiety or even mental illness. You get a warning first, often with a physical problem. Worry in the mind causes shock to the body, Prov. 12:25: An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. But we need to remember that God is able to deliver us from worry. Jer. 17:7-8, But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
e. Meier states, ‘God doesn’t want us to suffer anxiety. In fact, he commands us to “be anxious for nothing” This not a suggestion or a request. It is an order from God. In Matthew 6:25-34, Christ used the word worry six times, and half of those times he used it as part of an order. Do not worry about food, about clothes, about tomorrow, about your life. He told His disciples. To overcome anxiety and eliminate guilt we need to obey God in two important ways. First, we need to call a halt to the internal tug of war that exists between our conscience and our flesh. Tension is eliminated when we make the right choice. Second, we need to make a conscious decision to follow God’s explicit order not to worry. To continue to fret is a direct denial of a commandment from God” (“Worry Free Living” by Minirth, Meier, and Hawkins: page 117,118).
f. We are promised that if we pray and don’t worry then we will have the peace with God we all desire.
i. This peace will guard your heart from anxiety.
ii. This peace will guard your mind from anxiety, worry, stress, fear, negativity, criticalness and the like.
T.S. – We are instructed by God’s Word not to be stressed out, and worried over the challenges in life instead we are to drop to our knees and pray with humble hearts.
II. Pray and give thanks with a humble heart – Do the right thing
a. Prayer – the most untapped power in the universe.
b. Prayer: Peter and the church taught us about the importance of praying through (Acts 12:1-19).
i. James is killed by a sword which is directed from Herod and Peter is arrested. The church is under attack and Herod inspired by the Jews and Satan is bent on wiping out the church.
1. The church at this point has a few options at its disposal to confront this injustice (Idea here pulled from Cymbala’s book “Fresh Power “ pg. 88,89).
a. They could start a demonstration – they could march on Washington and protest there are 5,000plus in the church. We are a voting block so Herod you better take notice and give us what we demand.
b. They could storm Herod’s palace and slay him with the sword like he did James.
c. They could condemn James for not having enough faith because he was martyred.
d. They could have started confessing positively and saying this is all going to go away. Everything is fine James is not really dead. Peter is not going to be killed after Passover is over.
e. They could start a Newspaper to address the issues and inform the public of what’s going on.
f. They could have remembered all the past spiritual victories and rehashed them. They could live in the past and remember the way we where.
g. They could have turned tail and run.
h. They could have quit and given up on God because things where getting tough.
i. But they did none of the above- Instead they called a prayer meeting and started praying earnestly to God for a miracle.
i. Cymbala states, “Too many times when we are under stress or opposition, we hold strategy sessions, we ‘claim the promises’ in rote sort of way instead of praying them biblically. But God said we could ‘receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.’ Where? At ‘the throne of grace’ ( Hebrews 4:16).
ii. Abraham Lincoln wrote, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”
iii. This is the attitude we need to have in the church today to see a determination to PUSH through in prayer and see lives transformed.
2. In Acts 12:5 we are told that the church is earnestly – in other words – they working diligently at praying – they are praying on a continual basis – they are laboring to give birth to a miracle- their knees are aching – they sweat is pouring out because of their hard labor. Their crying out in anguish to the Lord.
a. They are doing this with passion and determination, they are P.U.S.H.ing through the storm from Herod. The dangerous cold heartless storm of a man pleaser. The raging blowing wind of an enemy of the church and of Jesus Christ.
b. A storm that has already taken some lives and is hungry for more. They are pushing against it they are driving it away.
i. They PUSHING through the pain for the break out.
ii. They know where the power of God comes from it is unleashed by prayer.
ii. Acts 12: 5: “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”
1. Notice the key to peace is to pray through and see more miracles.
2. So Peter is delivered by the angel, he goes to the pray meeting, and the people don’t initially believe but their prayers are answered and their faith is boosted and the testimony is placed in the Bible to help us understand the power of prayer.
iii. So why don’t people pray more?
1. Is it because they believe God will not do what he says?
2. Is it because they really don’t believe in the power of God?
3. Is it laziness?
4. Is it a choice? Would most people rather try to work it out themselves?
T.S. – The key to a positive outlook on life and trials is to pray humbly to the Lord and then give him thanks and praise. As we do this the peace of God will come on us and we will be able to rest and the worries of this world will not negatively impact our minds. Instead we will be able to think Biblically!
III. Be positive –think Biblically– think right even in the midst of trials!
a. Dwell on the good things in life – blow off the bad things – see things through the eyes of the Lord Jesus.
i. Hear what Jesus says about your challenges in life and how to deal with them – even how to think about them.
ii. Meditate on His words of hope and encouragement.
iii. Illustration: The Attitude of Gratitude: The late Cleon Lyles told of an experience that happened many years ago when he was holding a gospel meeting in a south Arkansas community. He drove out in the country to visit an elderly man. He found the man’s tin-roofed shack. In the porch he could see through the window that the man was just finishing his meager meal of beans and salt pork. At that point the man bowed his head and prayed, “I thank Thee, Lawd, I have dined sufficient.” A couple of powerful lessons jump out of this story. First, that man was happy. Though I never met the gentleman, I am certain, based on his prayer, that his life was one of joy and peace. Thankfulness produces joy as surely as day follows night. It’s been my observation that grateful people are giving people and giving people are happy people. Gratitude is a powerful attitude that beautifully colors all of life. Secondly, gratitude is not based on the quantity of one’s wealth. With a heart of gratitude a meal of beans and salt pork can become a royal feast. Blessings often follow gratitude rather than the reverse order. A person who is not thankful for his or her one hundred dollars most likely would not be thankful for ten million dollars. For the attitude of gratitude is a condition of heart.—Jim Howard
b. Cancer Centers have changed their philosophy of healing:
i. Why?
1. They discovered – that people with positive attitudes beat the disease amazingly.
ii. The Power of Positive Attitude- Benefits of Positive Thinking, Positive Mental Attitude, & Optimism - Jerry Lopper http://changing-personal-habits.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_power_of_positive_attitude
1. Positive attitude, positive thinking, and optimism are now known to be a root cause of many positive life benefits—the good life and well being. You’ll live longer and be healthier and happier with a positive attitude toward life. In addition, you’re more likely to be successful. Learn to use the power of thinking positive, adopting positive attitudes, and affirmations to gain important life benefits.
2. What is Attitude? Attitude is a mental position relative to a way of thinking or being; a leaning toward that which you believe. A positive attitude is, therefore, the inclination to generally be in an optimistic, hopeful state of mind.
3. The Power of Positive Thinking: A positive attitude and optimistic thinking early in life predict health and well being in later years. Analysis of 99 Harvard graduates found a strong correlation between their optimistic thinking as college students and good health at age 40 and above. In his ground-breaking book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, Christopher Petersen, PhD, says, "...optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks." He goes on to say, "...optimism...has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma."Even if you have been a pessimistic, negative thinker for many years, it’s not too late to change your way of thinking and reap the benefits of a positive attitude.
4. Laughter Has Healing Power: Seriously! For example, the documentary "The Secret" (which is all about the “law of attraction”, i.e. the power of the mind to help shape our reality) apparently features a lady who cured herself of cancer by purely watching comedies and telling herself repeatedly that she was in great health.Here is a collection of in-depth articles on the power of laughter to exert a healing influence on the body, including indeed curing “incurable” disease(!), complemented by some hopefully “laughter-inducing” medicine...As Harold H. Benjamin, PhD, notes, "Laughter in and of itself cannot cure cancer nor prevent cancer, but laughter as part of the full range of positive emotions including hope, love, faith, strong will to live, determination and purpose, can be a significant and indispensable aspect of the total fight for recovery."
a. From: http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/laughter-is-medicine.html
Healing Cancer & Your Mind
Remissions of cancer in "terminal" patients have one thing in common:
a major shift in attitude or consciousness.
Paraphrasing Deepak Chopra, MD, in Quantum Healing
Welcome to these Healing & Your Mind pages of Healing Cancer Naturally devoted to exploring the link between thoughts, consciousness and healing and providing healing tools for the mind! I think the role of the mind, consciousness and emotion in both disease and healing truly cannot be overestimated...
Healing and Your Mind is intimately linked with and a companion to Emotions & Cancer Healing since thoughts and emotions often (or perhaps always) seem to go hand in hand. In fact, I have repeatedly seen it stated that thoughts regularly precede emotion (and possibly feeling in general, including feeling well or unwell), and my own experiences, particularly with using repetitive positive affirmations, tend to confirm this notion. For many living examples of the healing power of the mind, see Emotions & Cancer Healing and particularly Real-life Stories of Cancer, Emotions and Healing.
As a now healed former cancer patient wrote “For me the first and hardest part was healing the mind, losing the ’Cancer is Killing Me’ idea and coming to terms with the emotional trauma...Once I believed with my heart that my body can overcome the disease there was an overnight improvement in general health.”
You will find MANY tools and pointers here to both heal the emotional trauma, positively influence the mind and thus the body AND to heal the cancer.
The Power of Belief & Your Mind
• Developing & Healing Cancer:
The Power of Thought to Make Ill & to Heal
• Cancer: The Power of Belief to Heal or Kill I
• Cancer: The Power of Belief II
• The Nocebo Effect: Placebo’s Evil Twin: “Think sick, be sick.”
• Negative Thoughts ’Make You Ill’
• “You can heal yourself using the incredible power of the human mind.”
• “Who is the real doctor? The mind of the patient.” On the Human Mind’s
Healing Power or “My Thoughts Create My Life”
• Lourdes faith healing effects miraculous healing and complete
regeneration of a hip bone formerly disintegrated due to malignant
sarcoma
• Creating and handling fear when dealing with cancer:
On mind power & avoiding negative vs nurturing positive influences
• On The Power of Your Mind (concise quotes)
Science Corroborates Existence of Vital (Healing) Energy/Negative Thought Energy and Its Mentally-Induced Transmission
• The Science of Transmitting Vital Energy by the Effort of One’s Mind I
• The Science of Transmitting Vital Energy by the Effort of One’s Mind II
Consciousness Shift Effecting Complete Healing of Cancer
• Healing and Transformation: Anything Can Be Healed (terminal cancer
self-healed through consciousness shift)
• Advice by Terminal Colon Cancer Victor on the Important Role of
Determination, Meditation, Visualization etc.
• “Terminal” Cancer Patient In Constant Pain Heals After "Changing His
Mind" About Pain
• Amazing Near Death Experience Followed By Cancer Healing
• Breast Cancer With Bleak Diagnosis Healed After a Single Session of
Regression Therapy
• “100% of Cancer Survivors Positively Changed Their Life.”
From http://www.healingcancernaturally.com/healing-cancer-and-your-mind.html
Michele Dodges testimony and song to the Lord:
This is a song she wrote going through her cancer ordeal and the song is called "Rescue Me" Here are some of the words...Michele is going to come up and sing them for us this morning.
Rescue Me
Vs. 1
Lord, I don’t see your plan
Don’t understand the move of your hand
but I trust You
The future’s so cloudy to me
Oh, God, I just can’t see
but I trust You
and even when the storm it rages round
and even when the waves come crashing in
I will not drown
chorus:
Rescue me
Rescue me
I reach out my hand
and you are there for me
I will hide beneath Your wings
I will shelter in Your majesty
and I know You’ll rescue me
(last time only)
no matter what life brings
be it joy or be it tragedy
for You my heart just sings
in Your presence I will gladly be
and I know You’ll rescue me
Vs. 2
Oh, Lord, it’s so hard to wait
You know how much is at stake
I still trust You and I will rest in Your grace
Day and night I will seek Your face
and I’ll trust you
and even when the storm it rages round
and even when the waves come crashing in
I will not drown
Chorus
Bridge
Wait on the Lord and fear not
I have confidence abounding
God’s my protector, healer
and He’ll catch me when I’m falling
I’m falling
Chorus
Conclusion:
So today we need to make the decision to eliminate worry and anxiety from our lives as much as possible. We do this by praying in a spirit of humility to God. We do this by giving God thanks for His many answers and His provision. We do this by changing our mindsets from negative to positive. We do this by focusing on the praise worthy things of God.
When we do this we will become more joyful and life will be a blessing not just an existence. When we decide to practice the presence of God and open a dialogue with Him daily we will be amazed at how we will find rest even in the midst of storms.
Altar Call:
How many would like to become more aware of the Lord’s presence in your life?
How many want to change their mindsets?
How many want to think like the Bible instructs us to think?
How many want and attitude of gratitude?
Closing comment: Can I challenge you at this Thanksgiving to ask your family individually what they are grateful for or thankful for!
