WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 And so what we're going to do now is turn to 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:06.940 Philippians chapter 4 and I'll read 4 through 00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:11.839 9 for us. And so would you please give attention, 00:00:12.060 --> 00:00:16.239 listen to the reading of God's Word. Philippians 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:23.000 4, 4 through 9. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.429 I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be 00:00:27.429 --> 00:00:30.910 known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not 00:00:30.910 --> 00:00:34.030 be anxious about anything, but in everything 00:00:34.030 --> 00:00:37.329 by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, 00:00:37.929 --> 00:00:41.490 let your requests be made known to God and the 00:00:41.490 --> 00:00:45.369 peace of God which surpasses all understanding 00:00:45.369 --> 00:00:48.310 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ 00:00:48.310 --> 00:00:52.729 Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, Whatever 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:57.009 is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, 00:00:57.689 --> 00:01:00.609 whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, 00:01:00.609 --> 00:01:03.770 if there is any excellence, if there is anything 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:07.489 worthy of praise, think about these things. What 00:01:07.489 --> 00:01:09.870 you have learned and received and heard from 00:01:09.870 --> 00:01:13.430 me and seen in me, practice these things and 00:01:13.430 --> 00:01:19.689 the God of peace will be with you. Let's go to 00:01:19.689 --> 00:01:24.989 God in prayer. Father we thank you for the gift 00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:30.930 of prayer and Yet we sometimes don't take advantage 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:35.250 of it enough That we have your ear You are the 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:37.609 God who created the heavens and the earth and 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:40.829 we get to talk with you in prayer father Help 00:01:40.829 --> 00:01:44.129 us to understand how to pray Especially when 00:01:44.129 --> 00:01:48.980 we feel weighed down by anxiety And so be with 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:51.859 us and offer us the counsel of your word and 00:01:51.859 --> 00:01:56.040 your spirit now, we ask in Christ's name, amen. 00:01:59.579 --> 00:02:03.219 Some of this, at least some of this is familiar 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:08.020 to you, right? We've probably all said it or 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:11.539 thought it or had it said to us, right? Verse 00:02:11.539 --> 00:02:16.400 seven, the peace of God. surpasses all understanding. 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:20.219 Have you heard that before? Yes, most of us have. 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:22.340 We may have even said this recently. I think 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:26.520 I said this actually yesterday to somebody, right? 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:31.539 My fear though is that we don't really understand 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:35.960 the greatness of the peace of God and the greatness 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:41.780 of the gift of prayer. Sometimes when we talk 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:46.759 about anxiety and the solution to it being prayer. 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:51.819 We think of prayer like a formula, like an equation, 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:56.539 maybe like a recipe, okay? So I've got a cup 00:02:56.539 --> 00:03:00.659 of prayer and if I just add a dash of supplication 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:03.879 and mix it with some Thanksgiving, then voila, 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:10.879 anxiety is gone. The problem with that... is 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:14.180 when we think that we've done it all right, but 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:17.020 we still have anxiety. And we say, Lord, what 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:20.620 gives? I prayed with the right amount of supplication 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:22.379 and the right amount of thanksgiving, and yet 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:28.460 I'm still anxious. Why is that? Ed Welch, who's 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:30.819 a very good biblical counselor, says that when 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:38.500 we reduce prayer to a formula, we forget Christ. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:41.699 And so what we're looking at tonight in this 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:45.599 passage, it's about prayer, but it's not a formula 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:50.580 to be followed. We must remember to whom we are 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:54.500 talking to. This is not a recipe. This is God 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:58.560 that we're talking to and in his son, we have 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:03.419 peace. And so what this is really getting at 00:04:03.419 --> 00:04:08.629 here is that prayer as a prescription for our 00:04:08.629 --> 00:04:12.210 anxiety is not to be done only when there's a 00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:15.349 crisis. Prayer is not just the Hail Mary that 00:04:15.349 --> 00:04:18.389 you throw up. The Christian life is to be all 00:04:18.389 --> 00:04:23.509 of prayer. And so if you want freedom from anxiety, 00:04:23.870 --> 00:04:28.329 you must have the peace of God in Christ. But 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:33.910 anxiety is a big problem that gets swept under 00:04:33.910 --> 00:04:36.839 the rug. We don't want to talk about it or we 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:39.160 think that it's not a big problem indeed There 00:04:39.160 --> 00:04:41.560 may be some who would listen to this and say 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:45.899 I'm tuning that guy out I'm just an anxious person 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:51.800 and that's just the way it is Please don't think 00:04:51.800 --> 00:04:57.220 like that Do not doubt the power of God to give 00:04:57.220 --> 00:05:01.839 you peace and to replace your anxiety with joy 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:05.550 What I want us to see tonight is that the prescription 00:05:05.550 --> 00:05:09.310 for anxiety is the nearness of God when we seek 00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:12.949 him in prayer. Let me say it again. The prescription 00:05:12.949 --> 00:05:16.990 for anxiety is the nearness of God when we seek 00:05:16.990 --> 00:05:21.610 him in prayer. And what Paul offers to us is 00:05:21.610 --> 00:05:25.329 seven, at least seven exhortations, things that 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:29.870 we need to hear that will help us with our anxiety. 00:05:30.730 --> 00:05:34.079 Now, Few things produce more anxiety than a preacher 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:36.839 who gives you seven points in the sermon, but 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:41.879 I'll keep those brief for you. But you might 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:47.699 be asking, well, what gives Paul the right to 00:05:47.699 --> 00:05:50.420 tell me about the remedy for anxiety? What are 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:54.040 Paul's credentials, if you could say it that 00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:57.740 way, when it comes to prayer and anxiety? Well, 00:05:57.740 --> 00:06:00.339 first of all, please note that what we're reading 00:06:00.649 --> 00:06:05.350 God's word and so what Paul tells you God tells 00:06:05.350 --> 00:06:09.550 you through his spirit who inspires these words 00:06:09.550 --> 00:06:11.810 of Paul and so what we're reading yes it's from 00:06:11.810 --> 00:06:16.009 Paul but ultimately it's from God who gives peace 00:06:16.009 --> 00:06:21.709 right secondly remember where Paul is if you 00:06:21.709 --> 00:06:23.629 remember much about Philippians remember where 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:27.980 Paul is when he writes this he's in prison it 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:32.079 would be really difficult to listen to Paul about 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:36.120 anxiety if he were sitting on a beach in Crete 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:40.860 sipping a mimosa, right? So no, he is in prison. 00:06:40.860 --> 00:06:44.420 And so we should listen to him here. Additionally, 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:46.800 he's not just in prison, but according to chapter 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.480 one, verse 13, he's in prison and the entire 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:53.600 Imperial Guard knows about it. And so Paul has 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.589 made quite a name for himself. He probably doesn't 00:06:57.589 --> 00:07:00.189 know, will I ever write another letter after 00:07:00.189 --> 00:07:05.550 this one? He doesn't know, right? He's in trouble. 00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:11.949 And what does he do? Paul asks for prayer himself. 00:07:12.029 --> 00:07:15.389 It's in chapter two. And so Paul is telling you 00:07:15.389 --> 00:07:20.970 something that he relied upon every single day 00:07:20.970 --> 00:07:23.990 of his regenerated life. For those reasons, we 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:28.709 can definitely Listen to Paul on this. Now, for 00:07:28.709 --> 00:07:32.269 those who may be young, got several children 00:07:32.269 --> 00:07:34.790 in here, maybe you're not really sure. What is 00:07:34.790 --> 00:07:38.829 anxiety? What's this guy talking about? Well, 00:07:39.189 --> 00:07:42.029 a very simple definition for anxiety might be 00:07:42.029 --> 00:07:46.670 to be troubled with cares, to be worried. Typically, 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:49.750 anxiety has a negative connotation, not always, 00:07:49.829 --> 00:07:53.560 but typically it does. I really like what Alexander 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.300 Therminos, who's a biblical counselor, has to 00:07:56.300 --> 00:07:59.360 say about anxiety. He says, it's easy to think 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:03.779 of anxiety as a feeling, but it's more than that. 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.360 Anxiety is a way of relating to future events. 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.600 He says, and I quote, anxiety looks at the future 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.959 and says, I don't want that, whatever it is, 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:17.699 to happen. It's a combination of what we think 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:20.850 might happen, and our desire to do something 00:08:20.850 --> 00:08:26.329 about it. But friends, sometimes with anxiety, 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:30.250 we are lackadaisical about it. We will admit 00:08:30.250 --> 00:08:34.049 that we are anxious, but we don't admit that 00:08:34.049 --> 00:08:37.710 it's wrong. We admit that we are anxious, but 00:08:37.710 --> 00:08:42.029 we won't admit that it's wrong. But Paul is emphatic 00:08:42.029 --> 00:08:46.629 here. Look in verse six. Do not be anxious about 00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:51.570 anything. So this is a command not to be anxious. 00:08:51.809 --> 00:08:54.070 But here's the thing. I've already mentioned 00:08:54.070 --> 00:08:56.370 two biblical counselors who are very good. I'll 00:08:56.370 --> 00:08:59.210 give you one even better. It's Paul. Paul doesn't 00:08:59.210 --> 00:09:02.490 simply say, hey, don't do this anymore. Don't 00:09:02.490 --> 00:09:07.070 be anxious anymore. No, he gives us the prescription 00:09:07.070 --> 00:09:12.929 for anxiety. It's not a formula, but this is 00:09:12.929 --> 00:09:14.889 God's word. So we're going to look at these seven 00:09:14.889 --> 00:09:18.419 exhortations. The first one is there in verse 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:23.340 four. Rejoice in the Lord always again, I will 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:28.740 say, rejoice. Rejoicing, he says it twice here 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:32.080 for emphasis, but it's not just a general rejoicing, 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:37.779 is it? It's rejoicing in whom? The Lord, right? 00:09:37.899 --> 00:09:41.700 And so that is absolutely key. Rejoicing in the 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:45.129 Lord. If you want to have joy in your life, you 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:49.950 must have the source of joy. With Jesus, we're 00:09:49.950 --> 00:09:54.389 able to, again and again, rejoice. Joy doesn't 00:09:54.389 --> 00:10:00.070 have a season. I was supposed to preach this 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:02.750 in January, so this illustration would have worked 00:10:02.750 --> 00:10:05.809 better then. But as some of you know, I really 00:10:05.809 --> 00:10:10.450 enjoy looking at signs as I drive signs on businesses 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:12.309 and things. And I really like pointing out the 00:10:12.309 --> 00:10:14.190 ACE hardware. They always have something kind 00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:16.350 of interesting that I make better. Don't tell 00:10:16.350 --> 00:10:19.970 them I said that. But this holiday season that 00:10:19.970 --> 00:10:24.169 passed, they had a sign that said, holiday cheer 00:10:24.169 --> 00:10:29.649 starts here. All right, I guess you can find 00:10:29.649 --> 00:10:32.590 joy in the Ace Hardware. I like going in that 00:10:32.590 --> 00:10:36.389 store. But for the Christian, there is no season 00:10:36.389 --> 00:10:40.769 for your joy, is there? The season is every single 00:10:40.769 --> 00:10:45.149 day, but it's only able to be that if you have 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:48.789 Jesus in your life, right? The joy comes from 00:10:48.789 --> 00:10:51.710 him, so we can rejoice always. But you might 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:55.470 say, well, how? And how can Paul possibly have 00:10:55.470 --> 00:10:58.539 joy when he's in prison? Is this even possible? 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:02.259 Not only is it possible, but I think if you know 00:11:02.259 --> 00:11:05.240 Philippians well, you would agree with me. This 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:09.539 is Paul's cheeriest letter, isn't it? It really 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:12.940 is. It is so warm. If you didn't know, you would 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:16.200 think Paul is living the good life here. But 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:20.440 no, he's not. And yet he still has joy and tells 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:25.360 us to have it too. Because joy, is not dependent 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:29.019 upon your circumstances. Joy is not dependent 00:11:29.019 --> 00:11:32.039 upon your circumstances. Those who know Christ, 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:35.039 who've been saved from sin, have an eternal home, 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:39.620 always have a time and a place and a reason to 00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:42.500 rejoice, right? Because the Lord doesn't change. 00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:46.460 He is the same yesterday and today and forever. 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.620 And so because the Lord doesn't change and your 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:53.840 salvation in Christ doesn't change. You can always 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:57.519 have joy, even when the situation is less than 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:01.759 ideal. But you might say, well, all that sounds 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:05.860 good, but I still have anxiety, right? Well, 00:12:05.860 --> 00:12:08.600 friends, I had anxiety just preparing for this 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:12.320 sermon because it's difficult, right? We do struggle 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:17.059 with anxiety. And so how do we rise above it? 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:22.769 Only with the Lord. Look at verse eight. Look 00:12:22.769 --> 00:12:26.470 at verse 8. What he is doing here is lifting 00:12:26.470 --> 00:12:31.889 us above the problems of this life to focus on, 00:12:31.929 --> 00:12:35.970 as it says, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, 00:12:36.309 --> 00:12:39.750 whatever is just and pure and lovely and commendable. 00:12:39.950 --> 00:12:42.870 These are the things that describe your Savior, 00:12:43.090 --> 00:12:46.549 right? And so rather than looking at the problems, 00:12:47.909 --> 00:12:50.990 we look at the solution. We look at the Prince 00:12:50.990 --> 00:12:55.200 of Peace. Right? And so we must focus on Christ 00:12:55.200 --> 00:13:01.019 when we are anxious. Second exhortation is in 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:04.480 verse five. Let your reasonableness be known 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:07.799 to everyone. Now you might say, well, what's 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:09.899 the reasonableness? What's he getting at here? 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:13.200 It seems that this word, and indeed your translation 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:16.639 may say this, but this word has a gentleness 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:21.779 component about it. And notice too, It's to be 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:26.159 known to everyone. And so there's this idea here 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:28.700 of the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness, being 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:30.620 within the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit 00:13:30.620 --> 00:13:33.320 of the Spirit has to do not just with our relationship 00:13:33.320 --> 00:13:36.759 with God, it certainly does, but also our relationship 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.759 with one another. And so your reasonableness, 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:43.019 your gentleness, as you are being sanctified, 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:46.480 is going to have an impact upon other people, 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.679 right? So that when you go through the... through 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:53.860 the trials, through the difficulties. As you 00:13:53.860 --> 00:13:56.620 are being sanctified, this will not always have 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:59.500 a negative connotation, will it? Actually, you 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:02.539 may be able to have joy in these situations and 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:05.720 other people see it. And they might say, what's 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:07.600 different about him or what's different about 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.759 her? They're going through this thing and yet 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:15.220 they seem joyful somehow. This is what Paul is 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:18.019 getting at here, is that we don't have a season 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:21.259 for our joy and that because of the sanctifying 00:14:21.259 --> 00:14:25.139 work of the Holy Spirit, we can endure and still 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:29.980 continue to trust completely in Jesus, right? 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:33.019 And so Paul says, let it be known to everyone. 00:14:34.299 --> 00:14:38.539 Verse six, and this is where I want to hang out 00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:41.820 for a few minutes, do not be anxious about anything. 00:14:43.289 --> 00:14:47.669 Anybody in here ever go backpacking? Any backpackers? 00:14:47.809 --> 00:14:51.029 Yeah, some of you have gone on backpacking trips. 00:14:51.490 --> 00:14:54.450 Have you ever started on your backpacking trip? 00:14:54.470 --> 00:14:56.730 And you can imagine this even if you haven't. 00:14:56.870 --> 00:14:59.570 You ever been on a backpacking trip and you start 00:14:59.570 --> 00:15:03.070 up that first big hill and all of a sudden that 00:15:03.070 --> 00:15:06.470 pack feels really heavy? Anybody ever felt like 00:15:06.470 --> 00:15:09.129 just taking the contents out of the bag and just 00:15:09.129 --> 00:15:12.200 throwing them down the hill off the cliff? We 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:15.100 want to unload all of that stuff because it's 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:20.200 too much for us to carry. Friends, when we carry 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:25.059 anxiety like this, it weighs us down like a very 00:15:25.059 --> 00:15:29.460 heavy backpack. And we might feel like we can't 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:32.659 get rid of it. We're on the trail and we're wishing 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:37.039 that we weren't, but God offers the way to unload 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.500 it. Already read from first Peter chapter 5 verse 00:15:40.500 --> 00:15:44.379 7 cast all of your cares on him because he cares 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:48.799 for you But how? This is what Paul is getting 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:53.179 at to illustrate this I was thinking That sometimes 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:57.200 we neglect prayer Like we neglect our health 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:00.019 I was thinking about this recently because I 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:01.940 have a dentist appointment coming up. I wonder 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:05.059 if anybody is like me. About two, three weeks 00:16:05.059 --> 00:16:07.120 out from the dentist appointment, you really 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:09.700 start getting after it with the toothbrush. You 00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:12.940 get the floss out finally after a few months. 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:15.740 Am I the only one who does this? You don't want 00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:18.100 to be embarrassed before the dental hygienist. 00:16:18.220 --> 00:16:20.919 So your gums are bleeding. You're trying to make 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:25.360 it look great, right? What Paul is saying here 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:29.600 is don't be like that with prayer. Don't wait 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:32.419 until you're in complete crisis mode to finally 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:34.659 turn to God in prayer. The Christian life is 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:38.399 to be one of constant prayer. Because once you 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:42.299 let all of that anxiety just rest upon you and 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:45.360 weigh you down, it becomes harder to unload. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.100 Certainly God can do it. But for the Christian 00:16:48.100 --> 00:16:50.759 who is constantly praying, we're able to ward 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:56.279 off the anxiety and trust in God. And letting 00:16:56.279 --> 00:17:01.210 all of that anxiety Rest upon you. It's it's 00:17:01.210 --> 00:17:03.590 not to be funny. It's worse than plaque buildup, 00:17:03.590 --> 00:17:08.049 right? And so we must be constantly in prayer 00:17:08.049 --> 00:17:14.569 So don't allow it to linger Don't allow it to 00:17:14.569 --> 00:17:18.390 breed more anxiety make prayer the rhythm of 00:17:18.390 --> 00:17:22.269 your life But how do we pray against anxiety 00:17:22.269 --> 00:17:26.890 just a few points of application under this exhortation 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:29.779 one? to pray against anxiety, you need to know 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:34.140 yourself. You need to know yourself. What is 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:38.759 it that causes your heart to race? What is it 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:42.660 that causes you maybe to sweat? What are the 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:48.240 triggers in your life? Is it finances? Is it 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:52.400 a relationship? Is it job performance? Is it 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:58.339 the weather? Is it tax season? Is it the in -laws 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.460 coming over? Is it giving your teenager driving 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:06.480 lessons? Teenagers, is it your parents giving 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.859 you the driving lessons? What is it that causes 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:13.819 the anxiety in you? Know these things about yourself. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:17.420 Maybe even make a list of the things that produce 00:18:17.420 --> 00:18:20.859 anxiety in your life so you'll be aware of them. 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:24.250 And then... Don't just make the list, but again, 00:18:24.369 --> 00:18:26.829 I've already read it, but verse eight, focus 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:30.509 on whatever is good, which is Christ himself. 00:18:31.069 --> 00:18:36.049 So focus on him. Sometimes, though, you might 00:18:36.049 --> 00:18:39.349 not know exactly what it is that produces anxiety. 00:18:39.549 --> 00:18:41.950 You know you've got anxiety, but you don't know 00:18:41.950 --> 00:18:44.390 why. Here's where I think it's helpful to be 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:47.589 in the church, is to have people in your corner. 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:50.920 people in your camp that you can talk to and 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:54.240 you can say, brother, sister in Christ, can I 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:58.319 talk to you? And can I have you pray for me and 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.119 pray with me? Right? Think about Paul himself. 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.400 Paul is actually showing this to us. He wrote 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:09.220 a letter to the Philippians asking for them to 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:13.160 pray for him. And so if Paul needs the prayers 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:18.369 of the church, don't we also need them? Be involved 00:19:18.369 --> 00:19:20.230 within the church. I'm preaching to the choir. 00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:23.589 You're here. But have relationships. Have deep 00:19:23.589 --> 00:19:25.950 friendships within the church so people can pray 00:19:25.950 --> 00:19:30.410 alongside with you. Also, how to pray against 00:19:30.410 --> 00:19:34.329 anxiety. Pray remembering the promises of God. 00:19:34.710 --> 00:19:39.369 Look at the end of verse five. A promise. The 00:19:39.369 --> 00:19:44.789 Lord is at hand, right? This is a statement about 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:48.869 the nearness of the Lord, his omnipresence. Perhaps 00:19:48.869 --> 00:19:55.789 you remember Psalm number 145, verse 18, that 00:19:55.789 --> 00:20:00.049 says the Lord is near to all who call on him, 00:20:00.430 --> 00:20:05.390 to all who call on him in truth, right? And so 00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:09.009 pray remembering God's omnipresence, how he is 00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:11.559 close to you. But I also think there's something 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:14.200 additional going on with the Lord's nearness 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:18.539 there. I believe that this is a reminder of the 00:20:18.539 --> 00:20:22.200 future return of Christ. This is good news for 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:25.599 us, that as Christians, we will not deal with 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:29.019 anxiety forever. I know maybe it feels like that, 00:20:29.019 --> 00:20:32.279 but you will not deal with anxiety forever. The 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:37.299 plans Christ has for you do not include anxiety. 00:20:38.589 --> 00:20:41.890 Don't be anxious about Christ's return. If you 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:45.150 are in Christ now, He will come for you or you 00:20:45.150 --> 00:20:50.650 will go to Him. And in Him, you are safe. And 00:20:50.650 --> 00:20:54.650 so you don't have to be anxious about that. Lastly, 00:20:55.029 --> 00:20:58.509 under this heading, pray scripture, right? You've 00:20:58.509 --> 00:21:02.369 got an entire Bible of prayers and promises, 00:21:02.569 --> 00:21:05.529 right, that can help you pray. But maybe you 00:21:05.529 --> 00:21:08.670 even say, I can't even get my prayers off the 00:21:08.670 --> 00:21:12.410 ground sometimes. I don't know how to pray. Then 00:21:12.410 --> 00:21:16.150 remember that the Lord Jesus lives to intercede 00:21:16.150 --> 00:21:19.869 for you, and the Holy Spirit does, too, with 00:21:19.869 --> 00:21:22.970 those groans too deep for words. And so remember 00:21:22.970 --> 00:21:26.710 that Jesus and the Spirit are praying for you. 00:21:27.849 --> 00:21:31.309 But you can pray the prayers of Scripture. or 00:21:31.309 --> 00:21:33.750 even ones that are not intended necessarily to 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:36.390 be prayers. You can pray this scripture right 00:21:36.390 --> 00:21:39.190 here from Philippians chapter four. Lord, you 00:21:39.190 --> 00:21:41.369 tell me not to be anxious and I don't want to 00:21:41.369 --> 00:21:44.490 be. I don't want to feel like this. Help me to 00:21:44.490 --> 00:21:47.390 pray now with thanksgiving and give me peace. 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:50.410 You can turn even Philippians chapter four, verse 00:21:50.410 --> 00:21:54.589 six into a prayer for your anxiety. But certainly 00:21:54.589 --> 00:21:56.730 you've got so many other scriptures to choose 00:21:56.730 --> 00:22:00.430 from. You've got the Psalms that do communicate. 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:05.039 anxiety and prayer against anxiety and so look 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:09.660 for those scriptures. I mentioned one biblical 00:22:09.660 --> 00:22:13.539 counselor already and he sees a simple statement 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:17.539 in chapter 4 verse 6 to help us pray. So his, 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:19.880 and this is not a formula, this is him looking 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:23.259 at prayer in Philippians 4 and saying this may 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:26.920 help you. So one, when you're anxious and you 00:22:26.920 --> 00:22:30.059 need help with prayer Firstly, tell God what 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:33.220 you want. It mentions supplication in here. I'm 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:34.759 going to speak to that in a minute. Tell God 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:39.539 what you want. Tell him why it matters. And then 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:42.420 thirdly, give thanks. Don't forget to give thanks 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:45.220 within your prayers. Matter of fact, at the end 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:47.700 of the bulletin on the back side of it, you can 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:50.079 see this is fleshed out a little bit more for 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.279 you how to pray when you're anxious. And so refer 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:57.730 to that. Well, I mentioned supplication here. 00:22:57.750 --> 00:23:02.390 What is that? Supplication is a specific form 00:23:02.390 --> 00:23:06.329 or component of prayer where we offer up to God 00:23:06.329 --> 00:23:10.450 our needs or our desires. The problem that we 00:23:10.450 --> 00:23:15.009 have is we either only give God our supplication 00:23:15.009 --> 00:23:18.329 or sometimes we think God doesn't want to hear 00:23:18.329 --> 00:23:21.369 all of that so I won't give it to him. The sweet 00:23:21.369 --> 00:23:24.440 spots in the middle. giving God the adoration 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.339 and thanksgiving and the confession, but Paul 00:23:27.339 --> 00:23:32.259 is very clear here in everything by prayer and 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:35.279 supplication. Let your request be made known 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.920 to God. And so yes, God wants to hear from you 00:23:38.920 --> 00:23:42.160 and you can be honest with God about your fears 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:46.480 and your anxieties. As a matter of fact, think 00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:51.500 about it this way. Your anxiety is a great time. 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:56.859 to further your trust in God. When you experience 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:00.400 anxiety, think of this as a way that you can 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:04.460 grow in your faith and in your prayer life, right? 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:07.440 But make sure that as you pray here, I think 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:10.920 he's emphatic about this too, that you do remember 00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:13.579 thanksgiving. And so this is a little further 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:17.680 into verse six, by prayer and supplication with 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:25.269 thanksgiving. When you pray, do you realize to 00:24:25.269 --> 00:24:28.210 whom you're talking? Does it ever cross your 00:24:28.210 --> 00:24:31.710 mind that you are praying to the God who created 00:24:31.710 --> 00:24:34.609 the heavens and the earth by the word of his 00:24:34.609 --> 00:24:38.430 power? That you are speaking to the God who sent 00:24:38.430 --> 00:24:41.150 his one and only begotten Son to save you from 00:24:41.150 --> 00:24:44.130 your sins. Does that cross your mind? We ought 00:24:44.130 --> 00:24:48.880 to know to whom we are praying and that should 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:53.460 produce thanksgiving in our hearts. Because since 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:55.720 God can do the things that I have just mentioned, 00:24:55.819 --> 00:24:59.339 can he not also help you within your current 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:02.519 predicament, within your situation? Yes, of course 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:05.700 he can. And so let your request be made known 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:10.420 to God with thanksgiving because God always accomplishes 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:18.059 his perfect will. Back to verse eight. for our 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:21.619 second to the last exhortation I listed all of 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:24.059 these things or I read all of these things and 00:25:24.059 --> 00:25:29.180 then he says think about these things and so 00:25:29.180 --> 00:25:32.779 when you're in a situation that is producing 00:25:32.779 --> 00:25:38.819 anxiety Focus not on the problem. Don't ignore 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:41.839 the problem, but don't focus all of your efforts 00:25:41.839 --> 00:25:45.039 upon the problem focus your efforts upon Christ 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:50.579 who is the solution, the prescription for our 00:25:50.579 --> 00:25:53.700 anxiety. We talked about this recently within 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:56.980 a sermon about Peter and the boat and how he 00:25:56.980 --> 00:26:01.140 gets out onto the water. He's doing great until 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:04.079 he notices the predicament. He takes his eyes 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:07.579 off of Jesus, right? And so in your anxiety, 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:11.900 focus on the prescription. Focus on the Prince 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:16.339 of Peace. Focus upon Jesus. I think part of the 00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:20.880 problem with our focus is that we focus our concerns, 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:25.319 our worries upon things that may happen but have 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:29.420 not yet happened, right? But Jesus says in Matthew 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:33.200 6 that today's trouble is enough for today. We 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:36.660 ramp up our anxiety when we play over and over 00:26:36.660 --> 00:26:39.220 and over in our minds the things that may happen 00:26:39.220 --> 00:26:42.200 but have not happened. And we play them over 00:26:42.200 --> 00:26:46.369 so often that it becomes real in our minds, that 00:26:46.369 --> 00:26:50.410 we really think this is happening, instead of 00:26:50.410 --> 00:26:56.849 focusing upon Jesus. But what does Paul say then 00:26:56.849 --> 00:27:00.509 after all of this? Look in verse nine. He does 00:27:00.509 --> 00:27:03.730 not want us merely to hear these things. What 00:27:03.730 --> 00:27:06.630 does he want us to do? What you have learned 00:27:06.630 --> 00:27:09.529 and received and heard and seen in me, practice 00:27:09.529 --> 00:27:13.410 these things. And so don't just hear these words. 00:27:13.289 --> 00:27:19.329 but put them into practice. You are a new creation 00:27:19.329 --> 00:27:23.109 in Jesus. And the Holy Spirit empowers you to 00:27:23.109 --> 00:27:27.630 live in such a way that you can trust God completely. 00:27:28.190 --> 00:27:31.369 And then when you do that, you get the glorious 00:27:31.369 --> 00:27:34.930 result of it all. It's in verse nine and in verse 00:27:34.930 --> 00:27:39.990 seven. The peace of God, which surpasses all 00:27:39.990 --> 00:27:41.970 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds 00:27:41.970 --> 00:27:46.470 in Christ Jesus. The God of peace will be with 00:27:46.470 --> 00:27:50.490 you. The God of peace will be with you and he 00:27:50.490 --> 00:27:54.150 will guard these things for you. This is very 00:27:54.150 --> 00:27:56.690 counterculture. This is very much the opposite 00:27:56.690 --> 00:27:58.970 of the way that the world thinks. The world says 00:27:58.970 --> 00:28:01.890 you need to gather all of the peace that you 00:28:01.890 --> 00:28:05.049 can for yourself and you need to guard it. Whatever 00:28:05.049 --> 00:28:07.170 the peace looks like in your life, you need to 00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:09.950 get the money and you need to get the stuff. 00:28:10.190 --> 00:28:12.789 and you need to get the prestige, you need to 00:28:12.789 --> 00:28:15.130 have it all, and then you need to protect it. 00:28:16.029 --> 00:28:17.829 That's different from what the scripture says, 00:28:17.849 --> 00:28:22.089 isn't it? It says the Lord will guard these things. 00:28:22.490 --> 00:28:25.150 The Lord is guarding them for you. The Prince 00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:29.390 of Peace came for you, and what Jesus provides 00:28:29.390 --> 00:28:37.789 for you cannot be taken away. Friends, when you 00:28:37.789 --> 00:28:41.039 struggle with anxiety, I want you to remember 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:44.579 the promise of God's presence and how you can 00:28:44.579 --> 00:28:47.960 draw near to him in prayer and you can have his 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:52.359 peace that is kept for you in Christ Jesus. Let's 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:52.519 pray.