TITLE: GOD’S ANTIDOTE TO WORRY
SCRIPTURE: PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
DATE: 03/13/03
VS. 6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.
INTRODUCTION:
What is it that keeps you awake at night? What is it that causes you to toss and turn rather than sleep soundly? What is it that forces you to rise from your bed in the wee hours of the night? Kids dont count:)
The question is what is worrying you?
Could it be work that is causing you to worry? Or maybe the bills? Could it be a relationship or maybe health concerns? What is it for you? What is causing you to worry?
I ask this question because there are many who say they have the answer to the problem of worry. The world will tell you...
1. Just laugh off your problems.
2. Just keep busy and forget about your problems.
3. Don’t worry things couldn’t possibly get any worse.
The fact is that there is no substance to any of these solutions.
PROPOSITION:
Today I am going to propose to you that there is an alternate antidote to worry, God’s antidote...
ORIENTATION:
This antidote consists of three things:
1. Prayer - Praise the one who can help.
2. Supplication - Ask the one who can help.
3. Thanksgiving- Thank the one who can help.
TRANSITION:
So lets begin with...
I.PRAYER-PRAISING THE ONE WHO CAN HELP:
EXPLANATION:
In vs. 6 we see Paul telling us that experiencing God’s peace begins with Prayer.
Maybe you are thinking but “I DO PRAY!” But the word being used here this morning in the Greek literally refers to that part of prayer that focus’s upon the worship and adoration of God.
Paul is telling us that the first step to overcoming worry is praising God.
You see when you begin to worship God you get your mind off of yourself and your problems and onto the one who can help you with both of them.
This is why it is so important to turn and praise God in the midst of your worry. In order to eliminate worry you first must have a reorientation of your mind and praise filled prayer will do just that.
ILLUSTRATION:
In MT 16:22 Peter is rebuked by Jesus.
1. Peter tries to tell Jesus The messiah should be.
2. Peter is so concerned with himself that he cant see what Jesus is teaching regarding the cross.
3. Jesus helps him to reorient his mind. (Get behind me Satan):)
APPLICATION:
1. We must begin with the praise of God.
2. We must reorient our minds toward God and his greatness.
3. Then we will see that God is greater than our problems and that he wants to help us.
4. Today understand this, There is no way to worship and adore Christ and at the same time worry. It is impossible. Give yourself to the worship of Christ and the worry will begin to take a back seat.
TRANSITION: Now then once we have praised God lets move into...
II. SUPPLICATION- Asking the one who can help.
EXPLANATION:
1. Paul explains that once we worship and remember who God is now it is time to cast our cares and concerns unto him.
2. You see we should cast our cares and burdens onto the Lord not only because he can help but because he is our Father.
3. The world teaches something so different. It teaches us that we need to be tough, to hold everything in and tough it out. The world says not to cry and “never let them see you sweat”.
4. The world trains children to become independent yet God does the opposite. God calls us to be dependant upon him and to bring to him all of our cares and concerns and allow him to help us.
ILLUSTRATION:
1. When you were a child and got hurt you would run to your parents but as you got older you would take care of it yourself.
2. This is normal in the world but it is not normal for the Christian. Scripture teaches us the opposite.
3. We are not to try to handle all of our problems and attend to our own needs. This causes anxiety. But rather we are to go to the Father who can help us.
APPLICATION:
1. So in “everything” make your requests known to God. It is important to tell our troubles to the Lord and quickly.
2. For the longer we wait to tell our Father of our troubles the more peace we lose in our lives. Today I want to encourage you that when we take our lives into our own hands the ultimate result is anxiety.
3. We were never equipped to go it alone. God has created us to depend on Him, and when we do it brings him glory and you peace. But when we refuse to do so we suffer with worry, anxiety and despair. So today I would implore you to bring your troubles to the cross.
TRANSITION: So we have seen that God’s antidote includes Prayer, Supplication and...
III.THANKSGIVING: Thanking the one who can help.
EXPLANATION:
1. Finally we see Paul reminding us to thank God for his power, greatness and authority as he lifts our burdens.
1. Notice the scriptures do not tell us to say thank you, they tell us to be thankful. This may be the most lacked ingredient in the Christian life, a life of thankfulness to God.
1. Yet we must remember that God owes us nothing except judgement, and that anything beyond that with which we get should cause us to be thankful.
ILLUSTRATION:
1. We don’t come to live lives of thankfulness naturally it is something we must work at.
2. I have raised three babies and it is really a joy and a gift from God but I will tell you that they certainly do not thank thier mother enough.
1. Mom would get up at 3 am for feedings did they ever say thanks mom? NO! When she changed diapers did any of them say “I appreciate it?” Of course not and when they would throw up all over themselves and mom has to clean it up do they consider her and say sorry mom? NOPE! The fact is that living a life of thankfulness does not come naturally to people it takes work.
1. I would expect that as my kids reach the age of accountablility they will begin to express thier thanksgiving toward us. My point is that living a life of thankfulness takes practice.
APPLICATION:
1.Why live lives of thankfulness?
A.) He deserves it
B.) It leads us to increased faith.
C.) When you are thanking God for what he is about to do you are showing that you have faith in him to do it.
CONCLUSION:
As we conclude here today I want to review what we have seen:
1. Prayer-Praise the one who can help.
2. Supplication- Ask the one who can help.
3. Thanksgiving- Thank the one who can help.
For as we do this we will find the scriptures to be true as they say the following:
CLOSE: vs. 7 And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
In short what is God’s antidote to worry? It is a process which leads to His peace.
That we may consider Gods word this morning and live new lives in Christ free from anxiety is my prayer.
Amen.
