Little Bobby had a habit ......of stretching.. the truth.
One day .....while he was walking home from school .....he saw a large black dog ......run across the street ..... right in front of him.
He rushed home .....as fast as he could ......and told his mother, ...."Mom, ......you're never going to believe .....what I just saw!"
"What did you see Bobby?"........his mother asked ...........cautiously.
"While I was walking home,... a huge black bear.... jumped out of the bushes ....and tried ...to eat me! But I was too fast for him ......and got home...... as fast as I could!"
By this time ....his mother was somewhat distraught .....and began to worry .....about Bobby's..... "truth-stretching".
When his father .....returned home the next day from a business trip, .....Bobby excitedly ran to his father ......and told him about the Adventurous encounter he had on the way home from school.
His father promptly instructed Bobby..... to go to his room, .....get down on his knees .....and ask God ......what He thinks ....about his story.
Within just a few minutes .....Bobby came bouncing out of his room .....and into the kitchen. (Pause)
"Well son, ...... what did God think about your story?"
"Well, replied Bobby, .......God told me .....that when He first saw that dog, .....He thought it was a bear too!" (Pause)
Beloved.....Life Can Be A Bear.
More often than not, .....life looks and feels much like..... a mean old bear.
Bears are relentless. Bears never give up.
And so are the pressures of this thing..... called life..... they too .....are a bear.
Continually Bearing down on us.
Every day .....we feel the wear and tear .....of the relentless pressure .....of the bear's pursuit.
And it should not surprise us ...... that one of the predictable results of this Relentless pressure.... is ....stress... worry....and the lack of Peace.
Paul Shares with us a promise in our text from Philippians ....... That....When we pray, ......We Will ........receive something.
Hear God's word once again: BIBLE Phil 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, .....but in everything .....by prayer and supplication ....with thanksgiving .....let your requests be made known to God" END
Be anxious ......for ..... nothing.... Be anxious .....for No Thing.
In other words ....do not take on ....stress, ...... do not take on..... worry..... do not take on...anxiety.
God's word tells us:......Whatever is troubling you, .....whatever is causing you to be restless..... whatever is weighing on your heart ...... Pray ..... Pray about ......these things!
Whatever it may be..... come to God....speak with... and to God about it!
Beloved ..... That is what God has called us to do.
Now hear the promise... hear the promise of what you will receive..... if you turn these things over to God!
BIBLE "And the peace of God,.... which passes all understanding, .....shall guard your hearts .....and your minds.... in Christ Jesus" END (v.7).
Be anxious for...... No Thing.
Do not be anxious...... (Slow) even over ..... one thing.
That's right...... not One thing.
Beloved, .....the ball is in our court.
You and I must........"choose"!
You can chose to worry... You can choose to be anxious....... Or you can chose to ....Take the Scriptural alternative .... And Give It To God.
This passage is a picture of God...... inviting you .....to come .....to come to Him.
He is saying.... "Come, ....... Lay your burden down.....give it ......to Me!"
Are you worrying ......about something today?
Are you anxious ......about something this day?
God says, "Come, ....... Come and leave it.... Come and Give it to Me!"
Remember what Jesus told his followers: .....My yoke is easy .....and my burden is light.
Is there something...... weighing on your heart?
Are you carrying ....a heavy burden.
If you are .......it is not ......from the Lord.
My yoke is easy .....and his burden is light...... Saith the Lord.
We are also told in Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the LORD .....and He will sustain you; .....He will.... never let the righteous fall."
He will.... never ......ever let the righteous fall."
Cast your cares on the LORD .....and if you do......He will sustain you.... he will never .....let you fall.
There is a sense of an Exchange here.
Cast you cares... cast your worry.... Cast your Anxiety on God .....and he will sustain you... He will hold you up ......
And Paul shares from our text today.... He will give you ...... Peace.
Peace.......Now that is an exchange ...... that only a loving God .....would ever make.
If ......you believe .....in the authority of Scripture.
If...you believe ....in a loving and personal God...... than ...cast your cares give your cares to him.....and receive His Peace.... Receive his rest.
Jesus said: "Come to me, .....all who are weary ....and Heavy Laden , .....and I .....will give you ..... rest." (Matt 11:28)
Beloved....Jesus is standing at the door to your heart every day..... do you hear his knock..... do you hear his voice?
For our Lord Promises If anyone hears my voice ....and opens the door, .....I will come in to them .....and eat with them, .....and they with me.
This passage of Scripture .....was written not to unbelievers.... But to the believers ..... gathered at the Church in Laodicea.... To believers who had lost their way.
Beloved ...... God will not force you .... To open the door.....He will not force you..... to let go.
You can hold on ..... to your Anxiety...... to your Stress.... To your Worry.
But ....if you let it go ......If you give it to him.....He promises you ...... Peace and Rest.
Beloved..... Don't you want Peace.... Isn't it time for some Rest?
(Make a fist) Release your grip on .... Anxiety, on stress .... on worry ..... and give them all ......to him.
Place them all ....in his hands ......and receive his Rest. (Pause)
Oswald Chambers .....in his devotional book, ...."My Utmost for His Highest" ....asks this question:"Are You Obsessed by Something?" Repeat (Pause)
He then goes on to say:
If I'm obsessed by something.......... I think about it ....all the time, .....throughout ....the whole day.
And at night, .....I will even .....dream about it.
Beloved....."The beginning of anxiety..... is the end of faith, ...... and the beginning of faith .....is the end of anxiety." REPEAT
The equation is not complicated........ it is clear:
Give your burdens to God ...... and Then .....you will receive his Peace.
BIBLE (Same as first Scripture) Phil 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, .....but in everything .....by prayer and supplication ....with thanksgiving .....let your requests be made known to God" END
If you want to worry less? .......... Pray more!
If we constantly.... Pray for Everything, ......then ....we will be Anxious .....for nothing.
And It is through prayer and supplication .....that we .......cast our cares .....on the Lord.
As you well know .... And have no doubt discovered, .....becoming a Christian .....does not make .....your problems disappear.
But .... Being a part of God's family.... does give you .....an advocate .... One to whom you can take.... every concern.
"Casting our cares" .....is a choice ...... a choice that each of us ....must make.
God wants you .....to learn to trust His heart ...... even when ......you cannot trace His steps.
Do You trust Him.... Do you really trust Him?
If you do ......Then when you come to him in prayer ... take time to place in his hand..... your worries ......and your fears... lay your burdens down.
Or....As the Nike Commercial states:..... Just Do it ..... Believe in his word..... trust in his love.
Just Do it ......and allow his peace to flow through your very being.
And if you do.....I promise you .......on the authority of God's Word, ..... (Slow) you will find peace !
So living a life of peace ......is a choice. Your Choice.
Peace ...... does not come from circumstances.
Peace .....does not come from .....the people around you,
Peace ......does not come ....from this world.
Lasting Peace .....True Peace ......A Peace that passes all understanding.... only comes from.... God.
And we are told that......BIBLE ..... the peace of God... will guard your hearts .....and your minds.... in Christ Jesus. END
The phrase ....."will guard" ......as in will guard your hearts .....is a Greek military word ...... which means.... "the setting up ......of (sentry) ....guards".
It is a picture of solders .....patrolling..... and keeping watch at the gates, ....making sure no harm..... can come.... To those ..... they have been sent to guard.
If you give him your burdens .....If you give him your anxieties...... then God's peace .....will protect...... your heart and your mind,
God's Peace... will guard you.....so you will not .....be overtaken .....by the fears and the anxieties of this world.
Beloved......It is a Promise. It is a promise that is deeply ingrained throughout Gods Word.
It is deeply indeed deeply ingrained. (Pause)
In the north Atlantic, ......icebergs are often seen ...... in the winter and in the early spring.
They are pushed south ....due to the violent storms .....in the North Atlantic.
Ships sailing... at this time in the Atlantic .....are often caught in these storms.
And these Mighty vessels ....are tossed about .....by these massive waves.
Yet....How different it is ..... with the icebergs!
Like majestic, .....white castles, ......they glide ......peacefully through the ocean... even through these violent storms.
They are defiant .....to the mighty waves, ......which are hurled against them. ...... Why?
Because ....Only one-tenth .....of an iceberg ....is above the waters.s calm. (Pause)
Likewise.... When our lives are hidden in Christ ......the storms of life .....are powerless .....to take from us .......the Peace we have ...in Christ Jesus.
We must trust .... We must.... yield to his word.
We must .....Be grounded..... Grounded deeply...... in Christ our Lord.
Paul Completes his message from our text with these words:
BIBLE Finally, beloved, .....whatever is true, ....whatever is honorable, ....whatever is just,.... whatever is pure,.... whatever is pleasing, ....whatever is commendable,..... if there is any excellence .....and if there is anything worthy of praise,..... think about these things. ......Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, .....and the God of peace.... will be with you. END
So often .... We think only..... of the negative.
We dwell ....on the things .....that we.... do not like.
But God has revealed to us ......to dwell on that which is noble, on that which is right, pure, lovely, and admirable.
To Dwell .... To Think .....on these things.
We have a loving God,..... An Almighty, ..... powerful, .....and great God.
A God that is extending .....Rest and Peace to you.
Where God is, .....there is a promise....... of peace.
A Promise of Peace .... to those who love him. ......To Those who cast... who place .....their burdens in his hands.
God knows your unfulfilled desires, ....your broken dreams, .....your disappointments.
He can bring you rest and peace ..... in the midst ......of all life's challenges.
It is your choice.
It is time to stop running from the bear..... let you life be grounded... let it be hidden ..... deep in Christ Jesus.
Cast you cares... cast your worries.... your Anxiety .......on him....... And he .....will give you Peace.
(Sing)
Give them all, Give Them all
Give them all to Jesus and he will turn your sorrows,
He will turn your sorrows
He will turn your Burdens .....into Joy
May the Peace of God, ....which passes all understanding, .....guard your hearts ....and your minds..... in Christ Jesus.
Amen & Amen
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