And so what we're going to do now is turn to
Philippians chapter 4 and I'll read 4 through
9 for us. And so would you please give attention,
listen to the reading of God's Word. Philippians
4, 4 through 9. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again
I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be
known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not
be anxious 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 hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, Whatever
is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things. What
you have learned and received and heard from
me and seen in me, practice these things and
the God of peace will be with you. Let's go to
God in prayer. Father we thank you for the gift
of prayer and Yet we sometimes don't take advantage
of it enough That we have your ear You are the
God who created the heavens and the earth and
we get to talk with you in prayer father Help
us to understand how to pray Especially when
we feel weighed down by anxiety And so be with
us and offer us the counsel of your word and
your spirit now, we ask in Christ's name, amen.
Some of this, at least some of this is familiar
to you, right? We've probably all said it or
thought it or had it said to us, right? Verse
seven, the peace of God. surpasses all understanding.
Have you heard that before? Yes, most of us have.
We may have even said this recently. I think
I said this actually yesterday to somebody, right?
My fear though is that we don't really understand
the greatness of the peace of God and the greatness
of the gift of prayer. Sometimes when we talk
about anxiety and the solution to it being prayer.
We think of prayer like a formula, like an equation,
maybe like a recipe, okay? So I've got a cup
of prayer and if I just add a dash of supplication
and mix it with some Thanksgiving, then voila,
anxiety is gone. The problem with that... is
when we think that we've done it all right, but
we still have anxiety. And we say, Lord, what
gives? I prayed with the right amount of supplication
and the right amount of thanksgiving, and yet
I'm still anxious. Why is that? Ed Welch, who's
a very good biblical counselor, says that when
we reduce prayer to a formula, we forget Christ.
And so what we're looking at tonight in this
passage, it's about prayer, but it's not a formula
to be followed. We must remember to whom we are
talking to. This is not a recipe. This is God
that we're talking to and in his son, we have
peace. And so what this is really getting at
here is that prayer as a prescription for our
anxiety is not to be done only when there's a
crisis. Prayer is not just the Hail Mary that
you throw up. The Christian life is to be all
of prayer. And so if you want freedom from anxiety,
you must have the peace of God in Christ. But
anxiety is a big problem that gets swept under
the rug. We don't want to talk about it or we
think that it's not a big problem indeed There
may be some who would listen to this and say
I'm tuning that guy out I'm just an anxious person
and that's just the way it is Please don't think
like that Do not doubt the power of God to give
you peace and to replace your anxiety with joy
What I want us to see tonight is that the prescription
for anxiety is the nearness of God when we seek
him in prayer. Let me say it again. The prescription
for anxiety is the nearness of God when we seek
him in prayer. And what Paul offers to us is
seven, at least seven exhortations, things that
we need to hear that will help us with our anxiety.
Now, Few things produce more anxiety than a preacher
who gives you seven points in the sermon, but
I'll keep those brief for you. But you might
be asking, well, what gives Paul the right to
tell me about the remedy for anxiety? What are
Paul's credentials, if you could say it that
way, when it comes to prayer and anxiety? Well,
first of all, please note that what we're reading
God's word and so what Paul tells you God tells
you through his spirit who inspires these words
of Paul and so what we're reading yes it's from
Paul but ultimately it's from God who gives peace
right secondly remember where Paul is if you
remember much about Philippians remember where
Paul is when he writes this he's in prison it
would be really difficult to listen to Paul about
anxiety if he were sitting on a beach in Crete
sipping a mimosa, right? So no, he is in prison.
And so we should listen to him here. Additionally,
he's not just in prison, but according to chapter
one, verse 13, he's in prison and the entire
Imperial Guard knows about it. And so Paul has
made quite a name for himself. He probably doesn't
know, will I ever write another letter after
this one? He doesn't know, right? He's in trouble.
And what does he do? Paul asks for prayer himself.
It's in chapter two. And so Paul is telling you
something that he relied upon every single day
of his regenerated life. For those reasons, we
can definitely Listen to Paul on this. Now, for
those who may be young, got several children
in here, maybe you're not really sure. What is
anxiety? What's this guy talking about? Well,
a very simple definition for anxiety might be
to be troubled with cares, to be worried. Typically,
anxiety has a negative connotation, not always,
but typically it does. I really like what Alexander
Therminos, who's a biblical counselor, has to
say about anxiety. He says, it's easy to think
of anxiety as a feeling, but it's more than that.
Anxiety is a way of relating to future events.
He says, and I quote, anxiety looks at the future
and says, I don't want that, whatever it is,
to happen. It's a combination of what we think
might happen, and our desire to do something
about it. But friends, sometimes with anxiety,
we are lackadaisical about it. We will admit
that we are anxious, but we don't admit that
it's wrong. We admit that we are anxious, but
we won't admit that it's wrong. But Paul is emphatic
here. Look in verse six. Do not be anxious about
anything. So this is a command not to be anxious.
But here's the thing. I've already mentioned
two biblical counselors who are very good. I'll
give you one even better. It's Paul. Paul doesn't
simply say, hey, don't do this anymore. Don't
be anxious anymore. No, he gives us the prescription
for anxiety. It's not a formula, but this is
God's word. So we're going to look at these seven
exhortations. The first one is there in verse
four. Rejoice in the Lord always again, I will
say, rejoice. Rejoicing, he says it twice here
for emphasis, but it's not just a general rejoicing,
is it? It's rejoicing in whom? The Lord, right?
And so that is absolutely key. Rejoicing in the
Lord. If you want to have joy in your life, you
must have the source of joy. With Jesus, we're
able to, again and again, rejoice. Joy doesn't
have a season. I was supposed to preach this
in January, so this illustration would have worked
better then. But as some of you know, I really
enjoy looking at signs as I drive signs on businesses
and things. And I really like pointing out the
ACE hardware. They always have something kind
of interesting that I make better. Don't tell
them I said that. But this holiday season that
passed, they had a sign that said, holiday cheer
starts here. All right, I guess you can find
joy in the Ace Hardware. I like going in that
store. But for the Christian, there is no season
for your joy, is there? The season is every single
day, but it's only able to be that if you have
Jesus in your life, right? The joy comes from
him, so we can rejoice always. But you might
say, well, how? And how can Paul possibly have
joy when he's in prison? Is this even possible?
Not only is it possible, but I think if you know
Philippians well, you would agree with me. This
is Paul's cheeriest letter, isn't it? It really
is. It is so warm. If you didn't know, you would
think Paul is living the good life here. But
no, he's not. And yet he still has joy and tells
us to have it too. Because joy, is not dependent
upon your circumstances. Joy is not dependent
upon your circumstances. Those who know Christ,
who've been saved from sin, have an eternal home,
always have a time and a place and a reason to
rejoice, right? Because the Lord doesn't change.
He is the same yesterday and today and forever.
And so because the Lord doesn't change and your
salvation in Christ doesn't change. You can always
have joy, even when the situation is less than
ideal. But you might say, well, all that sounds
good, but I still have anxiety, right? Well,
friends, I had anxiety just preparing for this
sermon because it's difficult, right? We do struggle
with anxiety. And so how do we rise above it?
Only with the Lord. Look at verse eight. Look
at verse 8. What he is doing here is lifting
us above the problems of this life to focus on,
as it says, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just and pure and lovely and commendable.
These are the things that describe your Savior,
right? And so rather than looking at the problems,
we look at the solution. We look at the Prince
of Peace. Right? And so we must focus on Christ
when we are anxious. Second exhortation is in
verse five. Let your reasonableness be known
to everyone. Now you might say, well, what's
the reasonableness? What's he getting at here?
It seems that this word, and indeed your translation
may say this, but this word has a gentleness
component about it. And notice too, It's to be
known to everyone. And so there's this idea here
of the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness, being
within the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit
of the Spirit has to do not just with our relationship
with God, it certainly does, but also our relationship
with one another. And so your reasonableness,
your gentleness, as you are being sanctified,
is going to have an impact upon other people,
right? So that when you go through the... through
the trials, through the difficulties. As you
are being sanctified, this will not always have
a negative connotation, will it? Actually, you
may be able to have joy in these situations and
other people see it. And they might say, what's
different about him or what's different about
her? They're going through this thing and yet
they seem joyful somehow. This is what Paul is
getting at here, is that we don't have a season
for our joy and that because of the sanctifying
work of the Holy Spirit, we can endure and still
continue to trust completely in Jesus, right?
And so Paul says, let it be known to everyone.
Verse six, and this is where I want to hang out
for a few minutes, do not be anxious about anything.
Anybody in here ever go backpacking? Any backpackers?
Yeah, some of you have gone on backpacking trips.
Have you ever started on your backpacking trip?
And you can imagine this even if you haven't.
You ever been on a backpacking trip and you start
up that first big hill and all of a sudden that
pack feels really heavy? Anybody ever felt like
just taking the contents out of the bag and just
throwing them down the hill off the cliff? We
want to unload all of that stuff because it's
too much for us to carry. Friends, when we carry
anxiety like this, it weighs us down like a very
heavy backpack. And we might feel like we can't
get rid of it. We're on the trail and we're wishing
that we weren't, but God offers the way to unload
it. Already read from first Peter chapter 5 verse
7 cast all of your cares on him because he cares
for you But how? This is what Paul is getting
at to illustrate this I was thinking That sometimes
we neglect prayer Like we neglect our health
I was thinking about this recently because I
have a dentist appointment coming up. I wonder
if anybody is like me. About two, three weeks
out from the dentist appointment, you really
start getting after it with the toothbrush. You
get the floss out finally after a few months.
Am I the only one who does this? You don't want
to be embarrassed before the dental hygienist.
So your gums are bleeding. You're trying to make
it look great, right? What Paul is saying here
is don't be like that with prayer. Don't wait
until you're in complete crisis mode to finally
turn to God in prayer. The Christian life is
to be one of constant prayer. Because once you
let all of that anxiety just rest upon you and
weigh you down, it becomes harder to unload.
Certainly God can do it. But for the Christian
who is constantly praying, we're able to ward
off the anxiety and trust in God. And letting
all of that anxiety Rest upon you. It's it's
not to be funny. It's worse than plaque buildup,
right? And so we must be constantly in prayer
So don't allow it to linger Don't allow it to
breed more anxiety make prayer the rhythm of
your life But how do we pray against anxiety
just a few points of application under this exhortation
one? to pray against anxiety, you need to know
yourself. You need to know yourself. What is
it that causes your heart to race? What is it
that causes you maybe to sweat? What are the
triggers in your life? Is it finances? Is it
a relationship? Is it job performance? Is it
the weather? Is it tax season? Is it the in -laws
coming over? Is it giving your teenager driving
lessons? Teenagers, is it your parents giving
you the driving lessons? What is it that causes
the anxiety in you? Know these things about yourself.
Maybe even make a list of the things that produce
anxiety in your life so you'll be aware of them.
And then... Don't just make the list, but again,
I've already read it, but verse eight, focus
on whatever is good, which is Christ himself.
So focus on him. Sometimes, though, you might
not know exactly what it is that produces anxiety.
You know you've got anxiety, but you don't know
why. Here's where I think it's helpful to be
in the church, is to have people in your corner.
people in your camp that you can talk to and
you can say, brother, sister in Christ, can I
talk to you? And can I have you pray for me and
pray with me? Right? Think about Paul himself.
Paul is actually showing this to us. He wrote
a letter to the Philippians asking for them to
pray for him. And so if Paul needs the prayers
of the church, don't we also need them? Be involved
within the church. I'm preaching to the choir.
You're here. But have relationships. Have deep
friendships within the church so people can pray
alongside with you. Also, how to pray against
anxiety. Pray remembering the promises of God.
Look at the end of verse five. A promise. The
Lord is at hand, right? This is a statement about
the nearness of the Lord, his omnipresence. Perhaps
you remember Psalm number 145, verse 18, that
says the Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth, right? And so
pray remembering God's omnipresence, how he is
close to you. But I also think there's something
additional going on with the Lord's nearness
there. I believe that this is a reminder of the
future return of Christ. This is good news for
us, that as Christians, we will not deal with
anxiety forever. I know maybe it feels like that,
but you will not deal with anxiety forever. The
plans Christ has for you do not include anxiety.
Don't be anxious about Christ's return. If you
are in Christ now, He will come for you or you
will go to Him. And in Him, you are safe. And
so you don't have to be anxious about that. Lastly,
under this heading, pray scripture, right? You've
got an entire Bible of prayers and promises,
right, that can help you pray. But maybe you
even say, I can't even get my prayers off the
ground sometimes. I don't know how to pray. Then
remember that the Lord Jesus lives to intercede
for you, and the Holy Spirit does, too, with
those groans too deep for words. And so remember
that Jesus and the Spirit are praying for you.
But you can pray the prayers of Scripture. or
even ones that are not intended necessarily to
be prayers. You can pray this scripture right
here from Philippians chapter four. Lord, you
tell me not to be anxious and I don't want to
be. I don't want to feel like this. Help me to
pray now with thanksgiving and give me peace.
You can turn even Philippians chapter four, verse
six into a prayer for your anxiety. But certainly
you've got so many other scriptures to choose
from. You've got the Psalms that do communicate.
anxiety and prayer against anxiety and so look
for those scriptures. I mentioned one biblical
counselor already and he sees a simple statement
in chapter 4 verse 6 to help us pray. So his,
and this is not a formula, this is him looking
at prayer in Philippians 4 and saying this may
help you. So one, when you're anxious and you
need help with prayer Firstly, tell God what
you want. It mentions supplication in here. I'm
going to speak to that in a minute. Tell God
what you want. Tell him why it matters. And then
thirdly, give thanks. Don't forget to give thanks
within your prayers. Matter of fact, at the end
of the bulletin on the back side of it, you can
see this is fleshed out a little bit more for
you how to pray when you're anxious. And so refer
to that. Well, I mentioned supplication here.
What is that? Supplication is a specific form
or component of prayer where we offer up to God
our needs or our desires. The problem that we
have is we either only give God our supplication
or sometimes we think God doesn't want to hear
all of that so I won't give it to him. The sweet
spots in the middle. giving God the adoration
and thanksgiving and the confession, but Paul
is very clear here in everything by prayer and
supplication. Let your request be made known
to God. And so yes, God wants to hear from you
and you can be honest with God about your fears
and your anxieties. As a matter of fact, think
about it this way. Your anxiety is a great time.
to further your trust in God. When you experience
anxiety, think of this as a way that you can
grow in your faith and in your prayer life, right?
But make sure that as you pray here, I think
he's emphatic about this too, that you do remember
thanksgiving. And so this is a little further
into verse six, by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving. When you pray, do you realize to
whom you're talking? Does it ever cross your
mind that you are praying to the God who created
the heavens and the earth by the word of his
power? That you are speaking to the God who sent
his one and only begotten Son to save you from
your sins. Does that cross your mind? We ought
to know to whom we are praying and that should
produce thanksgiving in our hearts. Because since
God can do the things that I have just mentioned,
can he not also help you within your current
predicament, within your situation? Yes, of course
he can. And so let your request be made known
to God with thanksgiving because God always accomplishes
his perfect will. Back to verse eight. for our
second to the last exhortation I listed all of
these things or I read all of these things and
then he says think about these things and so
when you're in a situation that is producing
anxiety Focus not on the problem. Don't ignore
the problem, but don't focus all of your efforts
upon the problem focus your efforts upon Christ
who is the solution, the prescription for our
anxiety. We talked about this recently within
a sermon about Peter and the boat and how he
gets out onto the water. He's doing great until
he notices the predicament. He takes his eyes
off of Jesus, right? And so in your anxiety,
focus on the prescription. Focus on the Prince
of Peace. Focus upon Jesus. I think part of the
problem with our focus is that we focus our concerns,
our worries upon things that may happen but have
not yet happened, right? But Jesus says in Matthew
6 that today's trouble is enough for today. We
ramp up our anxiety when we play over and over
and over in our minds the things that may happen
but have not happened. And we play them over
so often that it becomes real in our minds, that
we really think this is happening, instead of
focusing upon Jesus. But what does Paul say then
after all of this? Look in verse nine. He does
not want us merely to hear these things. What
does he want us to do? What you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me, practice
these things. And so don't just hear these words.
but put them into practice. You are a new creation
in Jesus. And the Holy Spirit empowers you to
live in such a way that you can trust God completely.
And then when you do that, you get the glorious
result of it all. It's in verse nine and in verse
seven. The peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. The God of peace will be with
you. The God of peace will be with you and he
will guard these things for you. This is very
counterculture. This is very much the opposite
of the way that the world thinks. The world says
you need to gather all of the peace that you
can for yourself and you need to guard it. Whatever
the peace looks like in your life, you need to
get the money and you need to get the stuff.
and you need to get the prestige, you need to
have it all, and then you need to protect it.
That's different from what the scripture says,
isn't it? It says the Lord will guard these things.
The Lord is guarding them for you. The Prince
of Peace came for you, and what Jesus provides
for you cannot be taken away. Friends, when you
struggle with anxiety, I want you to remember
the promise of God's presence and how you can
draw near to him in prayer and you can have his
peace that is kept for you in Christ Jesus. Let's
pray.