Note: Some of the notes came from Max Lucados book called Be Anxious for Nothing
Title: Don’t be Anxious
Theme: Learning to deal with anxiety and stress in our lives.
Text: Phillippians 4:4 – 8
Philippians 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Introduction
Illustration
A pet store delivery truck was making its way through town when the other travelers couldn’t help but notice the peculiar behavior of the truck’s driver. Every time the truck came to a red light or stop sign, the driver would jump out of the truck with a baseball bat in his grasp, run to the back of the truck and beat viciously on the back panel. After witnessing this bizarre behavior through several intersections, the man who was stuck behind the truck finally got out of his car and asked the pet store delivery truck driver why he was beating the back panel of his truck with a baseball bat. The driver explained, “This is only a two-ton truck and I’m carrying four tons of parrots and other exotic birds, so I’ve got to keep two tons of them in the air at all times!”
It thought about this in life. How it seems to be that we live where everything seems to be stirred up.
Personal Story
While we were in Korea we were sitting around the apartment, to our surprise we heard a siren blaring across the city. I looked out the window and you could tell the whole city was shut down. It was a drill in preparation for an attack from North Korea. This happens twice a year.
I mean to live under that constant fear and anxiety.
Definition of Anxiety
anx·i·e·ty [aNG'zi?de]
NOUN
1. a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome:
Medical Definition
Anxiety is a multisystem response to a perceived threat or danger. It reflects a combination of biochemical changes in the body, the patient's personal history and memory, and the social situation.
Facts of anxiety and stress
In the 1900’s the major causes of death were from infectious diseases. Now in the 21st century the major causes of the top 10 at least 6 can be affected by stress. Things like Heart disease, strokes, diabetes and suicide.
Historians will probably call our era “the age of anxiety.” Anxiety is the natural result when our hopes are centered in anything short of God and His will for us. —Billy Graham
I am not trying to make light of these but it would do us well health wise if we get a hold of this anxiety issue. The good news is there is an answer in scripture.
When Billy Graham wrote those words in 1965, no one knew how true they would be 50 years later.
Paul gives us a simple formula in dealing with anxiety. I say simple because I know there is more to each of these and we will explore these some more over the next few weeks but this morning I want to look at this simple formula.
C – Celebrate God’s Goodness
Philippians 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. (5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Perspective is the key:
OPEN: An elderly mountain farmer had been involved in an accident between his mule-drawn wagon and an car driven by another man. Now, the farmer was suing the driver, claiming personal injuries as a result of the accident.
When the farmer was on the stand, the attorney for the driver of the car "Tell me sir, isn’t it true that after the accident, you said that you never felt better in your life?"
"Well," the farmer began, "that morning I got up, hitched up my mule to the wagon, and put my hound dog in the seat beside me and I started on down the road…”
The lawyer interrupted "Please, just give me a simple yes or no answer to the question"
At this point the judge stepped in and directed the lawyer to let the farmer have his way in answering the question.
"Well," the farmer began again, "that morning I got up, hitched up my mule to the wagon, put my hound dog in the seat beside me and I started on down the road… and I jest got over the rise of the road when this big car barreled into my rear end. My mule was knocked to one side of the road, my dog to the other and I was pinned under the seat.
Directly, a policeman came along, seen my mule had its leg broke, pulled out his pistol and shot him dead. He went over to my dog, seen it was hurt real bad, and shot it in the head."
"Then, he came over to me and asked, ’Well, how are you feeling?’ and, shore nuff, I said I never felt better in my whole life."
Celebrate God’s goodness. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).
Turn your attention away from the problem, and for a few minutes celebrate God. It does you no good to obsess yourself with your trouble. The more you stare at it, the bigger it grows. Yet the more you look to God, the quicker the problem is reduced to its proper size. This was the strategy of the psalmist.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth. (Ps. 121:1–2)
Psalms 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Do you see the intentionality in those words? “I will lift up my eyes.”
Do not meditate on the mess. You gain nothing by setting your eyes on the problem. You gain everything by setting your eyes on the Lord.
This was the lesson Peter learned on the stormy Sea of Galilee. He was a fisherman. He knew what ten-foot waves could do to small boats. Maybe that is why he volunteered to leave the craft when he saw Jesus walking on the water through the storm.
Do not meditate on the mess.
Peter said, “Lord, if it is really you, then command me to come to you on the water.”
Jesus said, “Come.”
And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:28–30 NCV)
As long as Peter focused on the face of Christ, he did the impossible. Yet when he shifted his gaze to the force of the storm, he sank like a stone. If you are sinking, it is because you are looking in the wrong direction.
Is God sovereign over your circumstances? Is he mightier than your problem? Does he have answers to your questions? According to the Bible the answer is yes, yes, and yes! “God . . . is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters” (1 Tim. 6:15 PHILLIPS).
If he sustains all and controls all, do you think he has authority over this situation you face?
What about his mercy? Is God’s grace great enough to cover your sin? Again, yes! “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1 NIV).
Rejoice in the Lord. This is step one. Do not hurry past it. Face God before you face your problem. Then you will be ready to . . .
A – Ask God for Help - Prayer
(6) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Ask God for help.
“Let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). Fear triggers either despair or prayer. Choose wisely.
God said, “Call on me in the day of trouble” (Ps. 50:15 NIV).
Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).
There is no uncertainty in that promise. No “might,” “perhaps,” or “possibly will.” Jesus states unflinchingly that when you ask, he listens.
So ask! When anxiety knocks on the door, say, “Jesus, would you mind answering that?” Reduce your request to one statement.
Imitate Jesus, who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).
Engage in specific prayer.
And engage in promise-based prayer.
Stand on the firm foundation of God’s covenant. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Heb. 4:16 NIV).
Having done so . . .
L – Leave Your Concerns with Him
(7) And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Leave your concerns with God. Let him take charge. Let God do what he is so willing to do: “Guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
Have you ever left an car at the repair shop? Perhaps your starter was broke or your tire was flat. You tried to fix it but had no success. So you took it to the specialist. You explained the problem and then . . .
•offered to stay and help him fix it,
•hovered next to his workbench asking questions about the progress,
•threw a sleeping bag on the floor of the workshop so you could watch the repairman at work.
If you did any of these things, you don’t understand the relationship between client and mechanic. The arrangement is uncomplicated. Leave it with him to fix it. Our protocol with God is equally simple. Leave your problem with him.
Paul’s Assurance
“I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
God does not need our help, counsel, or assistance. (Please repeat this phrase: I hereby resign as ruler of the universe.) When he is ready for us to reengage, he will let us know.
Until then, replace anxious thoughts with grateful ones. God takes thanksgiving seriously.
Here’s why: gratitude keeps us focused on the present.
The Bible’s most common word for worry is the Greek term merimnate. The origin is merimnao. This is a compound of a verb and a noun. The verb is divide. The noun is mind. To be anxious, then, is to divide the mind.1 Worry takes a meat cleaver to our thoughts, energy, and focus. Anxiety chops up our attention. It sends our awareness in a dozen directions.
We worry about the past—what we said or did. We worry about the future—tomorrow’s assignments or the next decade’s developments. Anxiety takes our attention from the right now and directs it “back then” or “out there.”
But when you aren’t focused on your problem, you have a sudden availability of brain space. Use it for good.
Meditate on God’s Good Things
(8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Meditate on good things. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Phil. 4:8). Don’t let anxious, negative thoughts take over your mind. You cannot control the circumstances, but you can always control what you think of them.
Conclusion
Have you learned to keep CALM in the days to come?
Celebrate God’s Goodness
Ask for God’s Help
Leave it with the Lord
Meditate on God’s Good Things
We will go deeper in the weeks to come.
