Last Friday, Good Friday, I was invited to preach at the
Antioch Church in Beaumont where Pastor John Adolph is the pastor. I was preaching in a
service with several other preachers and pastors. And Pastor Dennis Jones had one of the words from
the seven last words of Jesus on the cross. I can't remember which now, but Pastor Dennis
Jones of Gethsemane Church here in Houston was preaching and he said something that made me
sit up in my seat. I wrote it down because I wanted to use it as a subject to preach this
morning. I called him last week and told him that I would make this statement and the first time I
preach this sermon I'm going to give him credit for the topic, but the second time it has been said
and the third time is mine. But I'm going to give Dennis Jones the credit for having said this in a
sermon that arrested me and caught my attention that I want to preach about this morning. He said,
and I want to preach about this, God's sovereignty is my sanity. God's sovereignty is my sanity.
In a recent issue of Health Magazine, six experts who study joy for a living reveal the simple
practices that make the biggest difference in life as it relates to human joy. A CEO by the name
of Natalie Kogan of the learning platform Happier says that happiness is something you do.
CEO of the happiness research institute says that happiness and money are connected. I almost
agree with that because when I don't have any money I'm unhappy so I almost agree with that.
Leadership coach Ellen Petrie says happiness is about relationships, contribution, and mastery
of life. The founder of the Happy Brain Science Scott Crabtree says that the quality of your
relationships is the number one factor in happiness. The author Emily Smith says that
happiness is not something that you have, is something that you look for. Author Courtney
Hammerstein says to find happiness you have to try being brave. I want to say to all of the aforementioned
what Paul said to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 31, I show you a more excellent
way. The experts, six of them tell us what happiness is and the word of God has a word to say to us
about what joy really is. We are about to embark upon a church-wide study from Dr. Charles Swindall's
book Getting Through the Rough Stuff. We are starting on Tuesday night in a study from Getting
Through the Rough Stuff and each week I want to highlight what we will be talking about in the
Tuesday night classes and for those of you who have not yet registered you still have time to do
so, you still have time to register for the class, we are running out of book materials so we need
you to register so that we will know how many more to order but this week's topic in the class is
anxiety and I want to deal with anxiety with worry this morning. God's sovereignty is my sanity.
The opposite of anxiety indeed its relief is the peace that only God in answer to prayers
bestows upon his people. Anxiety brothers and sisters arises from a lack of contentment and to
be anxious literally means in the text to be of a divided mind. In short the presence of anxiety is
the absence of humility. The late Dr. A. Lewis Patterson of the Mount Corrine Church put it this
way worry is like filing formal charges against God and accusing him of mismanagement. I wish I
would have said that. Dr. Patterson said worry is like filing formal charges against God and
accusing him of mismanagement. Rejoicing is a keynote of this letter to the Philippians. This
ongoing rejoicing cannot be based upon or grounded in the particular circumstances but rather must
be independent of circumstances. It is worth remembering brothers and sisters that this letter
is written by Paul while he was in prison to Christians who are suffering from their commitment
to Jesus Christ. Clearly Paul does not have in view the kind of superficial happiness that the
authors talked about earlier that manifests itself only when things are going well. No it is rejoicing
that can be had because it depends not on changing circumstances but on an unchanging God. Walk with
me around the text. Look with me again at verse number four. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I
will say rejoice. Brothers and sisters if God's sovereignty is gonna be your sanity you've got
to number one learn how to praise God. Rejoice. It don't have to be Sunday morning. You don't need
a choir to get you all juiced up. You don't need a worship leader telling you to clap your hands.
When you start remembering, when you start thinking about what God has done for you, what God is
doing for you and what God's word promises that he will do for you, it can be Thursday afternoon.
You just thought rejoicing in the Lord. Rejoicing in the Lord is a Christians distinguishing mark
and a characteristic of the kingdom of God because rejoicing in the Lord at all times is so important
that the apostle Paul emphatically repeats the injunction. Rejoice in the Lord always and again
I'll say rejoice. This epistle sparkles with joy for its very subject and its occasion called for
the sweet admonition to rejoice with true joy. In Philippians at chapter 1 verse 18 Paul rejoices
that Christ is preached even though the motivation is selfish. In Philippians chapter 2 and verse 2
he encourages the Philippians to make his joy complete by being like-minded. In Philippians 2
17 and 18 he calls them to rejoice with him in sacrifice and in service. In chapter 2 verse 29
they were to welcome Epaphroditus with great joy. Chapter 3 of Philippians and verse 1 he encourages
them to rejoice in the Lord. Now brothers and sisters some wrongly identify joy as a purely
human emotion but joy is not a feeling. Joy is the deep down conviction that God is in control
of everything for the believer's good and his glory and at all is well no matter what you're
going through. If it's a divorce you still have joy. If it's sickness you still have joy. If it's
a season of grief you still have joy because what is going on outside you cannot disturb what's
going on inside you because your joy does not depend on outward circumstances. Some folk can
only shout when they get a raise. Some folk can only shout if the right people are in their life.
Some people can give God glory only if they have money but some of us whose backs have been up
against the wall and God has shown up right in the nick of time. We don't need a whole lot of
stuff to get us to get excited when we start thinking about the goodness of Jesus and all
that He's done for us and where He's brought us from and what He brought us through. We have real
joy. When you have real joy you don't have to eat at Vic and Anthony's. You can be satisfied with
cornbread and milk. When you have real joy if nobody speaks to you you don't care nothing about
them speaking to you. You just speak and keep it moving. When you have real joy you don't you
actually think you care what somebody says about what you got on. You ain't dressing for them.
You don't care what anybody thinks about you or how somebody looks at you because if that's where
you get your joy from you're gonna lose your mind. But this joy that I have I hope I'm not
speaking for myself. The world didn't give it and the world can't take it away. That's why what
you think about me does not bother. Threaten out yourself because of evil do. Neither be envious
against the workers of iniquity. They shall soon be cut off like grass and God will make them with
her like the green. Bless is the man. I wish I had a Bible reader that walks not in the council
of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight
is in the law of the Lord and in that law does he meditate both day and night and if you do that
here's what will happen. You'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth
fruit in its season. Your leaf also shall not wither and whatever you do God will make it prosper.
No good thing will he withhold from him who walks upright. The Lord is my light and my salvation. I
wish I had some help right here. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom
shall I win the wicked? Even my enemies and my foes come upon me to eat up my flesh just before
they get to me. God trips them. They stumble and they fail. Though a host shouldn't camp against
me in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord that would I seek after
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all my days. Here it is in the time of trouble.
Have I got a witness? He shall hide me. Has thou not known? Has thou not heard? That the everlasting
God the father of the creator of the ends of the earth has no searching of his understanding. He
give his power to the faint and to them that have no might he increases their strength. Even the
youth shall faint and grow weary and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that await upon
the Lord shall renew thy strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run
and not get weary. They shall walk and not faint. The proverb says if you faint in the day of
adversity your strength is small. Jeremiah says if you run with the footmen and they weary you
how shall you contend with horses? If you can't make it in the land where peace and prosperity
abides what are you going to do at the swelling of the Jordan? Rejoice. Just get happy by yourself.
If there ain't nobody in the car just start hollering. If there ain't nobody in the house just
start laughing. If there ain't nobody to pat you on the back pat your own self on the back.
Take yourself to dinner. Take yourself to the movies. I don't need nobody in my life to make
me happy. I got joy. Verse five if God's sovereignty is my sanity not only need I need to learn to
praise God but verse five tells me I need some patience. It's right here in the text. Let your
King James says moderation. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. The word
moderation is the translation of the Greek word meaning not being unduly rigorous. Being satisfied
with less than one's due. Sweet reasonableness. Forbearance. Perhaps the best corresponding
English word is graciousness. The graciousness of humility. The humble graciousness that produces
the patience to endure injustice, disgrace and mistreatment without retaliation, without bitterness,
without vengeance. It's a graciousness that results in contentment. Aristotle in his
Nicomachean ethics describes the gentle person as the one who by choice and by habit does what
is equitable and who does not stand on his rights unduly but is content to receive a smaller share
although he has the law on his side. You remember Abraham and Lot came into a territory and Lot
wanted one portion and Abraham wanted another portion and Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen
got into a conflict because there was not enough room in the land for everybody and Abraham said
to Lot let's not fall out because we'd be brethren. He says I'll tell you what we're gonna do. You
take the land you want and what you leave left over I'll take that and Lot chose the highlands
of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham chose the lowlands of Mamre and God got it over to Abraham that
he got the land but you got the promise. He has land that has been angelically tagged for demolition.
He has land that's about to go up in smoke so let him think that he's won. He got the land you
got the promise and let's folk think they've gotten over on you. God will make a way out of no way.
Oh brother and sister. An accurate reading of this verse is do not keep this sweet reasonableness in
your heart. Let it find expression in your conduct so that other people will experience the blessings
God has given you. If you're a Christian calm yourself down. Stop flying off the handle for
everything. Stop getting mad over stuff and over people who don't matter because after a while
people gonna get sick of being around you. If you always got an attitude, if you always got to call
the manager when you go to Walmart, it's Walmart. It's waste baskets and trash cans. It's paper towels
and toilet tissue. Calm down. Well maybe you didn't get that you'll get this. Don't you hate to eat
with people that everything the way to bring they got to send it back? This ain't done right.
And then you called a manager of the restaurant and then you get the owner of the restaurant to
come to your table and then you write a review and you talk about how bad it was and you ain't
never going back and then they call you and give you a special invitation and now you can go eat
for free which is all you wanted in the first place. It's a hair in my it ain't no hair in your
food. This steak too tough. I wanted lemons. You brought lime. The fox on the wrong side. Do this
way they don't speak. You got too much attitude for me. Where's the manager? People ought to ask
you didn't you just come from church? Must not have because it ain't doing you no good.
Gentleness, forbearance, graciousness. You don't have to be right all the time. You can take one
for the team every now and then. You can let people think that they have gotten over on you.
God was straightening it out tomorrow.
Patience. Stop being so touchy. Stop being so brittle that everything got to go your way
and it got to be done just to your specifications or you don't want it.
Or it's not that's that's what babies do.
You give them the blue the the blue pacifier. They wanted the pink one.
They don't care nothing about them toys until another child comes in there and start playing
with them. That's what children do. Paul says when I was a child I wish I had a Bible reader.
I spoke like a child. I understood like a child. But when I became a man, when I matured in my faith
I put away childish fear.
It's childish to always want your way. It's childish to always think people ought to do what you say
to do. It's childish to always throw tantrums. Let me see if I can help somebody and I got to
move on. I got three minutes left. My mama would give me what she called a good whip.
I need somebody here who was raised like I was raised.
My mama would give me a good whip. And a good whipping is when they get through with you
you just go take a nap.
And then your mama go take a nap.
Because she tired and you tired.
But my mama would give me a good whipping and then she'd go sit down and talk to her friends on the phone.
Like nothing happened. Like she didn't just break my arm in three places.
And she'd go talk on the phone and I'd go sit by and then she'd hang up. Girl I'm gonna talk to you later.
Then she'd go cook and I'd go in the kitchen and stand by. She said keep on.
Somebody know the rest of that. I'm gonna give you something to cry for.
And God is saying to some complainer in here this morning.
God is saying to some whiner in here this morning. Keep on. All I've done for you.
All the blessings I've allowed you to accrue. All the material wealth I've allowed you to gain.
I've given you your health and strength. You can see. You can talk. You can reason. You can walk.
And now you're sitting in my church with my clothes on. After sleeping in my house.
Acting like I didn't bless you. Keep on.
I'm gonna give you something to cry for.
Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely? Long for heaven. When Jesus is my portion.
A constant friend is he. His eye is on the sparrow. And I'm not guessing about it.
I know. He watches me. But as I heard to the clothes. Not just praise.
Will make God's sovereignty my sanity. Not just patience will make God's sovereignty my sanity.
But prayer will make God's sovereignty my sanity.
Verse number six. Do not worry about anything. But in everything.
By 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 heart and your
minds in Christ Jesus. The way to be anxious about nothing. Is to be prayerful about everything.
The present tense prohibition. Do not be anxious or do not worry or be careful for nothing.
Indicates that the Philippians must stop doing what they have already been habitually doing.
The cure for worry is believing prayer. Anxiety is out of place in the presence of a loving God.
Brothers and sisters hear me. The strong contrast between worry and faith is seen in the transitional
adversitive in the text. This transitional adversitive comes after this word. He says do not worry.
Do not be anxious. Do not be careful for anything. Here is the transitional adversitive. But
in everything. Give thanks in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
Make your requests known under God. Now Paul as a hurry uses three synonyms for prayer.
That line up precisely with what Jesus said in the gospel. Paul says by prayer. Meaning to intercede
on behalf of another. Supplication means to ask God for something you need directly.
And request means to not be amorphous and supercilious in your request. But ask God directly.
God not my brother. Not my sister. It's me. I'm not praying for the sick right now.
I'm not praying for the people in Africa right now. I'm not praying about violence. I'm not
praying for the president. Right now I need something God that only you can give. And I'm
shutting everything else out and asking you specifically for this one thing. Now here is
how it lines up with what Jesus said in the gospel. Paul says by prayer Jesus said ask.
Paul says by supplication Jesus said seek.
Seek. Paul says make your requests known. Jesus said knock.
Now there are some prayers when I'm just praying pretty on Sunday morning.
You know something about pretty prayers. Just just praying because you know some big words and
just praying because you've been asked. But there are some prayers that you pray in your
private prayer time. That nobody knows what you're going through but you and God.
Nobody knows what you're up against and what you need right away but you and God. And if you pray
and you pray with thanksgiving God will come in the room where you're praying. And the answer will
come sometimes for you get off your knees. Because there are times when God does not want to answer
a prayer. He wants to change the person praying. And when you pray and pray right.
He says and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding. I hope I can get through this last little part
without crying or shouting. That was a couple who came to visit with us last Sunday from Franklin,
Louisiana. A man and his wife. I have his name written down in my office. I forgot to bring it
out here with me. But he and his wife came to church last Sunday from Franklin, Louisiana.
And they came because they wanted to hear their favorite YouTube preacher. The honorable Terry
Kaye Forkiller Anderson preached the gospel in person. The husband was holding his wife's hand
and I thought he was just being sweet. But they came together and they got up to where I was
standing right here. And the husband said to me Reverend, we had to come from Franklin, Louisiana
because my wife listens to you every night. Before she goes to sleep, she hears your voice.
And so we wanted to come to personally thank you. He said my wife, she's standing right there.
He's holding her hand. He says my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
He said going through the breast cancer treatment, she was stricken with blindness.
He said my wife has breast cancer and she's blind. She's standing right there while he's holding
her hand. He said in the midst of her cancer diagnosis and being stricken with blindness,
we lost our son. We had to bury our child. He's standing right there holding his wife's hand,
telling me this story and the wife finally speaks up. She said, Pastor, you mind if I put my hands
on you? I said no ma'am, I don't mind at all. She said, you mind if I touch your face. She touched
my face. She put her hand on my eyes. She touched my nose. She said, Pastor, do you mind if I put
my hands on your mouth? I said no ma'am, I don't mind at all. And she said, I want to touch your
mouth. I want to touch your lips because I want to touch the lips of the mouth of the man that
God used to keep me from losing my mind. Breast cancer, blindness. Her son is dead,
but she has the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. And somebody's in here this morning,
people don't know why you're still smiling. You got the peace of God. They don't know how you still
just keep going. You got the peace of God that surpasses
all understanding. I will keep him
in perfect peace.
If you keep your mind,
stay on me. And the peace of God that surpasses, that exceeds all human understanding,
all human planning, all human devices, all human schemes, all human weapons of manipulation,
it will surpass all of that and then keep your heart and your mind. That word keep your heart is a
military term that means God will put a garrison of soldiers around you. God will put a century of
soldiers on duty to keep you in perfect peace.