WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.139 1 Peter 5 .7 Let's just read verses 1 -11 together. 00:00:08.380 --> 00:00:13.619 Such a good passage. To the elders among you, 00:00:13.699 --> 00:00:19.579 I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's 00:00:19.579 --> 00:00:22.719 suffering, and as one who also will share in 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:26.699 the glory to be revealed. Be shepherds of God's 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:30.199 flock that is under your care, serving as overseers. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.380 Not because you must, but because you are willing 00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:36.679 as God wants you to be. Not greedy for money, 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:39.740 but eager to serve. Not lording it over those 00:00:39.740 --> 00:00:43.159 entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:46.420 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will 00:00:46.420 --> 00:00:48.859 receive the crown of glory that will never fade 00:00:48.859 --> 00:00:53.299 away. Young men, in the same way, be submissive 00:00:53.299 --> 00:00:56.899 to those who are older. And all of you, clothe 00:00:56.899 --> 00:01:00.100 yourselves with humility toward one another because 00:01:00.100 --> 00:01:03.759 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.319 humble. Humble yourselves therefore under God's 00:01:07.319 --> 00:01:10.859 mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:15.439 and cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:18.909 for you. Be self -controlled and alert. Your 00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:21.349 enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:25.230 lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him 00:01:25.230 --> 00:01:28.310 standing firm in your faith because you know 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:30.609 that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing 00:01:30.609 --> 00:01:34.709 the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:37.609 grace who called you to His eternal glory in 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:40.459 Christ. After you have suffered a little while, 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:43.920 will Himself restore you and make you strong, 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:48.700 firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power forever 00:01:48.700 --> 00:01:53.219 and ever. Amen. Isn't that a beautiful passage? 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:56.840 There's so much here, but I just want to take 00:01:56.840 --> 00:02:03.299 a few minutes to focus on verse 7. Cast all your 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:05.959 anxiety on Him because He cares for you. That's 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:07.540 going to be our focus for the next few minutes. 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.300 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:16.280 for you. Before we left to Pakistan, we finished 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:19.300 up kind of like a two -week teaching from Philippians 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:23.539 4, talking about the exchange that God has invited 00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:28.580 us into, exchanging our anxiety through prayer 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:30.900 and supplication with thanksgiving and receiving 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:34.099 instead a peace of God that surpasses understanding 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:36.560 that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:42.289 Jesus. And as I was asking the Lord what kingdom 00:02:42.289 --> 00:02:46.090 direction does He want us to go next, I just 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:49.129 really felt like we're not done with anxiety. 00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:52.969 I really feel like God wants to put some nails 00:02:52.969 --> 00:02:58.210 in the coffin for the issue of anxiety and worry 00:02:58.210 --> 00:03:02.469 and the cares of this world in the hearts of 00:03:02.469 --> 00:03:06.180 us as kingdom people. So today's message is entitled, 00:03:06.460 --> 00:03:10.060 Kingdom Expansion, Continued Lessons on Freedom 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:17.159 from Anxiety. 1 Peter 5, verse 7. If our mission 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:20.460 is to expand the kingdom of heaven on the earth, 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:24.479 and it is, and if our church has received this 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:28.719 mandate to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:33.139 as it is in heaven, why are we talking... about 00:03:33.139 --> 00:03:36.280 worry why are we talking about anxiety why is 00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:39.800 it so important and i think we shared this in 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:43.280 the past few weeks but we know that probably 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.360 the most well -known passage about the kingdom 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:48.520 of heaven matthew 6 33 that says seek first the 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:50.860 kingdom of god and his righteousness everything 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:54.080 else will be added to you is surrounded by jesus 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:57.419 teachings on worry i don't think that's an accident 00:03:57.419 --> 00:04:02.310 the context is appropriate Because the enemy 00:04:02.310 --> 00:04:05.330 is trying to use the cares of the world, the 00:04:05.330 --> 00:04:08.610 distractions of the world, the tools of fear 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:13.389 and anxiety and worry to completely cause us 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:16.050 to be neutralized in the kingdom of heaven. Because 00:04:16.050 --> 00:04:19.329 as long as we are plagued with anxiety, worry, 00:04:19.470 --> 00:04:23.209 distraction, our eyes are not clear to our kingdom 00:04:23.209 --> 00:04:25.769 purpose on the earth. And we're running in circles. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.360 Always looking at ourselves and the problems 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.459 that plague us. And you know, it's interesting 00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:36.220 in Matthew 13 when Jesus is telling the meaning 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:39.639 of the parable of the sower, right? He says in 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:45.740 that seed that fell among the thorns was the 00:04:45.740 --> 00:04:49.699 kingdom message that fell in the place where 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:52.740 it was choked out by the cares of the world and 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:56.680 the deception of wealth on the earth. Isn't it 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.879 interesting that Jesus compares the cares of 00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:04.779 the world to thorns? Which I think is, you ever 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:06.959 been just trying to get somewhere in the woods 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.319 and you get caught up in briars? Man, nothing 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:14.300 will stop you quicker than a good briar to the 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:17.220 face when you're trying to walk through the woods, 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:19.519 right? I mean, it just kind of sticks and grabs 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:27.579 you. Could we, would you allow your heart again 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:31.379 today to be exhorted by the Word of God that 00:05:31.379 --> 00:05:38.420 we must put this thing to death? Like I said 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:42.180 earlier, it's not a surprise to me that a church 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:48.199 family who has taken a vision, a challenge seriously, 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:50.939 and you said, man, this year I'm going to expand 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:54.699 the kingdom of heaven. in my sphere of influence 00:05:54.699 --> 00:05:57.000 like I never have before, and you're going on 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:59.740 trips and you're doing all the things, it's not 00:05:59.740 --> 00:06:03.680 surprising to me that I'm getting reports of 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:08.639 so many hardships and struggles. Right? Because 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:12.500 these cares of the world, these things that tempt 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:15.720 us to come into anxiety and worry and fear are 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:19.160 some of the oldest and most effective weapons 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:25.610 of Satan. He always has used it and He will continue 00:06:25.610 --> 00:06:29.970 to try to use it until His eventual lockup in 00:06:29.970 --> 00:06:33.370 the lake of fire. And you and I are going to 00:06:33.370 --> 00:06:39.629 have to put this understanding deep in our hearts 00:06:39.629 --> 00:06:43.370 that anxiety, worry, and distraction with the 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:47.689 cares of the world is not acceptable in the kingdom 00:06:47.689 --> 00:06:51.879 of God. It's not a suggestion. It's not if you 00:06:51.879 --> 00:06:55.459 want to be happy or if you want to be a fanatical 00:06:55.459 --> 00:07:01.759 Christian. It is the command of God not to be 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:06.839 anxious about anything. And it's not just so 00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:10.180 that you cannot be an anxious person. It's so 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:16.339 that you can be an unfettered conduit of the 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:19.759 kingdom of heaven, the person of Jesus, the kingdom 00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:22.720 of God, into everywhere that He sends you. Does 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:28.100 that make sense? Alright, so number one, when 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:31.279 we're looking at this verse, cast all your anxiety 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:34.399 on Him because He cares for you. Some truths 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.939 here. Number one, refuse to water down the holy 00:07:37.939 --> 00:07:43.759 Word of God. All means all. Refuse to water down 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:48.360 the holy... Eternal Word of God. When God says 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:54.240 all, He means all. It says cast all your anxiety 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:58.720 on Him. It may be redundant. We talked about 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:00.300 this a couple weeks ago, but I don't know about 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:03.879 you, I could hear this part every day of my life. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:09.319 All is the Greek word pos. I love the definition 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:11.680 here. This is right out of Strong's Concordance 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:16.980 of Greek Words. Each, every, any, all, the whole, 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:22.279 everyone, all things, everything, always. I mean, 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:26.720 it doesn't get much more clear for us. When God 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:32.419 says cast all your anxieties on Him, all means 00:08:32.419 --> 00:08:37.220 all. Each one, everyone, any of them, all of 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:40.279 them, the whole of them, everyone that's causing 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:43.000 you to... To be tempted to anxiety. Some of you 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.379 are elbowing someone sitting next to you. All 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:48.299 things, everything, in all ways, at all times, 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:54.539 we are not to carry anxiety. We are to cast them. 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:58.679 We're going to talk a little bit more about what 00:08:58.679 --> 00:09:02.580 that means in a moment. We are not created to 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:06.779 sustain the weight of anxiety caused by the cares 00:09:06.779 --> 00:09:10.120 of the world as a daily lifestyle. We're not 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:13.259 created to carry those. We were created to be 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:17.840 yoked with the One who has shoulders big enough 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:21.100 and strong enough to carry the cross full of 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:26.080 our anxieties. We were not created to be people 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:30.000 who walk in a lifestyle of anxiety, fear, or 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:34.120 worry. And we wonder why we're tripping up. We 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:37.480 wonder why we're not... the representative of 00:09:37.480 --> 00:09:39.960 Christ that we dream about being. We wonder why 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:42.659 we're not powerful and effective in the kingdom. 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:46.840 And this might be one of those clues to you. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:51.340 You want to become who you are destined to be 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:55.639 in the kingdom of God? I know I do. If that's 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:59.840 you, and you're waiting for nothing to be worried 00:09:59.840 --> 00:10:02.919 or anxious about in your life, you're never going 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:06.679 to see kingdom effectiveness. Because it's not 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:08.700 about waiting to the moment you have nothing 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:11.899 to worry about. It's about making the choice 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:16.919 that I will not carry anxiety, worry, fear, or 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:19.980 distraction by the cares of this world. I refuse 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:23.779 to. And if God tells you to cast all the cares 00:10:23.779 --> 00:10:27.440 on Him, I guarantee you He will impart the grace 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:30.779 to be obedient to that Word. He doesn't say, 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:33.940 hey son, cast all your cares upon me and then 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:36.659 not give you the ability to do it. That's not 00:10:36.659 --> 00:10:41.820 a good father. No, he gives us everything we 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:48.100 need. We must refuse to compromise any lifestyle 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:53.139 that caters to carrying anxieties. Are you with 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:57.539 me? We must refuse to compromise any lifestyle 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:03.960 that caters to carrying anxiety august 4th or 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:06.799 3rd 4th through 7th we're going to take our annual 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:09.720 backpacking trip here at the church it's not 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:12.440 too late if you say i didn't even hear about 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:14.399 this backpacking trip i don't know where you've 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:16.100 been we've talked about it's been the announcements 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:19.059 but you're welcome to go i would love for you 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:23.299 to go and on this backpacking trip we're going 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:26.240 to pack our backpacks with everything we need 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:29.870 to live in the woods, we're going to climb up 00:11:29.870 --> 00:11:32.029 a mountain, and we're going to stay there for 00:11:32.029 --> 00:11:36.289 three, four, some people five days, okay? What 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:39.710 I learned in my very first backpacking trip, 00:11:39.850 --> 00:11:42.230 and some of the men in this room were there, 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:47.529 is that you're tempted to think in a backpacking 00:11:47.529 --> 00:11:53.450 trip, well, because, a little clue, to get lightweight 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:57.330 backpacking equipment, it's not cheap. It can 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:00.090 be expensive. The lighter the weight, the more 00:12:00.090 --> 00:12:02.789 expensive the equipment. And if you're cheap, 00:12:02.809 --> 00:12:05.450 like me, and you're on your first backpacking 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:09.549 trip, you think, oh, backpacking tent, you know, 00:12:09.669 --> 00:12:14.970 3 .7 pounds, regular tent, 8 pounds, 9 pounds. 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:18.990 You think, I'm a man. I can handle 4 extra pounds. 00:12:19.669 --> 00:12:22.389 Right? You're like, oh, just put the regular 00:12:22.389 --> 00:12:24.740 tent in there. And your kids are like, I want 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:27.580 a chair to sit on. You're like, I can buy a $75 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:31.159 backpacking chair that weighs like 0 .6 pounds, 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.200 or I can just carry this regular fold -up chair 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:36.720 that's like 3 .2. And you're like, I'm a man. 00:12:36.759 --> 00:12:39.679 I can carry an extra two and a half pounds. I'm 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.419 no sissy. But what you find out is the accumulation 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:47.639 of all those pounds and ounces, and you stick 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.450 it in this big overflowing backpack, And because 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:52.289 you're taking more than you think you needed, 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:54.690 you've got stuff strapped to it, hanging on it, 00:12:54.710 --> 00:12:57.710 you're messing with the balance. What you do 00:12:57.710 --> 00:13:02.789 is you destroy any enjoyment of that journey. 00:13:03.330 --> 00:13:08.169 And it's amazing how after that first trip, how 00:13:08.169 --> 00:13:10.759 much little... you can do with. You're like, 00:13:10.779 --> 00:13:12.820 you know what? I didn't need that so much. In 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:15.820 fact, the first trip we ever went on was we just 00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:19.000 got invited to go on a bow elk hunting trip with 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:20.720 some men in the church. And we were just going 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:24.179 as hikers. And one of the guys took so much stuff, 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:27.200 he could not make it to the campsite the first 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:30.679 night. So he camped halfway. And when he made 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.299 it, he got a big fire going and burned the majority 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.080 of all his clothing that he brought. He was like, 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:39.700 there's no way I'm taking this back down the 00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:43.879 mountain. I am not exaggerating. He burns, and 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:46.279 it was, he wasn't my size or I would have brought 00:13:46.279 --> 00:13:48.379 it all home because it's all like good hunting 00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:53.399 gear. I'm like, you know, he's burning it. Yeah, 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:58.500 oh man. He fed everybody all his food that he 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:02.200 brought that was ridiculous. And what I'm saying, 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:07.080 I hope this gives the testimony of it's, It's 00:14:07.080 --> 00:14:11.320 not just the huge things that start to take a 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:14.100 toll in your kingdom lifestyle. You know what 00:14:14.100 --> 00:14:19.840 I'm saying? It's natural to worry a little bit 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:24.120 about this. I mean, it's my job as a parent to 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:28.639 have a little bit of worry about my kids. And 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:34.080 we start picking up these small burdens. But 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.330 they end up... and cumulative nature becoming 00:14:37.330 --> 00:14:40.450 more than we can bear. And we find ourselves 00:14:40.450 --> 00:14:45.090 useless for the kingdom of heaven. Does that 00:14:45.090 --> 00:14:51.610 make sense? So, could we pause right here and 00:14:51.610 --> 00:14:56.850 I just want to ask you, what are the things that 00:14:56.850 --> 00:15:01.159 the enemy has lied to you about and said, a little 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.700 bit of care, a little bit of worry, a little 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:06.360 bit of anxiety, a little bit of fear is just 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:09.000 a natural part of the life. And you begin to 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.419 accumulate some things in your spirit. I want 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:15.879 to encourage you that right now would be a really 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:21.320 good time to pause and repent before God. And 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:24.559 repent just means to say, I choose to think like 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.960 you think. And God thinks this way. No anxiety. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:36.120 You carry no anxiety. That's how God thinks. 00:15:37.159 --> 00:15:39.840 And you need to renew your mind to that. You 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:42.379 know, we often pause in these teachings and I 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:45.320 give us an opportunity to repent. Don't become 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:49.679 so familiar with that that you begin to take 00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:52.799 advantage of it. Do you know what a gift it is 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:59.899 to repent before God? Be stirred. Have some fear 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:02.639 of the Lord in your heart. If you are walking 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:06.460 in anxiety, it's not a suggestion. It's a command 00:16:06.460 --> 00:16:10.539 to repent. So let's do that. Let's just take 00:16:10.539 --> 00:16:12.980 a moment if you need to. Whether it's cumulative 00:16:12.980 --> 00:16:16.960 small things or big things, you've accepted or 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:31.080 settled for a lifestyle of anxiety. Good job. 00:16:32.100 --> 00:16:36.080 Number two. You're writing these things down. 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:41.159 Anxiety must be seen for what it is. A snare 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.000 and weapon used by Satan to steal, kill, and 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:47.779 destroy. Do not entertain it or flirt with it. 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:53.779 It must be continually cast away. Does that make 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:58.480 sense to you? See anxiety for what it is. Let 00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:02.179 the Spirit of God, let the scales fall from our 00:17:02.179 --> 00:17:04.759 eyes, and it's not just this little thing to 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:07.079 be played with, or if we get to this comfortable 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:09.500 part in our Christian life, then we'll deal with 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:13.960 anxiety or worry. No. It is a weapon that the 00:17:13.960 --> 00:17:17.640 enemy is using to steal, kill, and destroy you 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:23.589 and I. So we need to see it for what it is. And 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:25.970 we need to stop flirting with it and instead 00:17:25.970 --> 00:17:31.650 the Bible says cast it off. Cast it away. It's 00:17:31.650 --> 00:17:33.470 interesting that the context of the passage, 00:17:33.690 --> 00:17:37.890 cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares 00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:40.750 for you. Look at the next verse. And be self 00:17:40.750 --> 00:17:43.430 -controlled and alert because your enemy the 00:17:43.430 --> 00:17:46.509 devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking 00:17:46.509 --> 00:17:54.130 for someone to devour. I for one, am refusing 00:17:54.130 --> 00:18:01.009 to let the devil devour the church of God with 00:18:01.009 --> 00:18:05.529 anxiety anymore. Alright? It's such a plague 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:08.789 on our culture. And it should not be so. So we 00:18:08.789 --> 00:18:13.769 need to recognize it for what it is. Does it 00:18:13.769 --> 00:18:17.630 make sense that we don't entertain it or flirt 00:18:17.630 --> 00:18:21.890 with it? We're not to entertain these things. 00:18:22.589 --> 00:18:26.509 Cast them off. It's interesting this Greek word 00:18:26.509 --> 00:18:31.789 for cast here. Epi -ripto. It's a compound verb 00:18:31.789 --> 00:18:36.109 made of two words. Ripto means to throw or place. 00:18:36.890 --> 00:18:46.109 And epi means upon something. Are you okay with 00:18:46.109 --> 00:18:48.509 just kind of a funny story? Just for a second. 00:18:48.670 --> 00:18:52.519 Kind of break the intensity of the moment. In 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:55.180 Bible college and seminary, we have to study 00:18:55.180 --> 00:18:59.839 Greek and Hebrew. And it's a lot of Greek words. 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:03.579 I mean, hundreds and hundreds of words that you 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:05.359 have to learn in the Greek language. And so, 00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:09.200 this is before. What's that app now that's the 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:14.599 digital flashcards? Anybody know? Quizlet, thank 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:17.759 you. Before Quizlet, we had this thing called 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:20.420 a metal ring with a bunch of flashcards on it, 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.740 you know? We flipped through, you know, and on 00:19:22.740 --> 00:19:25.140 the fronts, the Greek word on the backs, the 00:19:25.140 --> 00:19:28.880 definition is hours and hours. I always loved 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:34.259 the word epi because I instantly knew the meaning 00:19:34.259 --> 00:19:38.859 because in my mind, it was like epi upon, I pee 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:42.420 upon. And so, I don't know, Jill always says 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:47.950 the world is a man's urinal. That's like, if 00:19:47.950 --> 00:19:50.490 I was going to fail a Greek test, I always knew 00:19:50.490 --> 00:20:01.009 I had one. A piapon. So, enjoy that. Well, it 00:20:01.009 --> 00:20:03.670 helped me. If you're ever in a Greek test, it 00:20:03.670 --> 00:20:10.569 might help you. But, to throw a pawn, or to cast 00:20:10.569 --> 00:20:15.339 or to place a pawn. That's important because 00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:17.940 it could have just said ripto, which means to 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:23.579 throw. Or to cast or to place. But it's on purpose 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:29.400 that it's to place upon. Cast all your anxieties 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:39.779 on Him. On Him. He is the subject of who and 00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:45.140 what you should be placing. The care upon. The 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:47.579 promise of Philippians 4, 6, and 7 that we've 00:20:47.579 --> 00:20:50.359 been talking about for weeks is only offered 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:56.680 when we cast our cares on Jesus. We cannot just 00:20:56.680 --> 00:20:59.619 try to get rid of them. Does that make sense 00:20:59.619 --> 00:21:03.059 to you? You can't just through meditation let 00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:06.119 your cares be lifted up into the atmosphere. 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:10.380 Baloney. It's not going to work. You can't cast 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:13.220 them upon something that doesn't care enough 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:16.839 to receive it. Try casting your anxieties on 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.619 your already anxious, weighted friends and see 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:22.880 how that goes. Quit going to your friends first 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:27.160 with your anxieties. Quit trying to cast all 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:31.480 your anxieties on social media. Quit trying to 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:34.240 cast it on your vice. For many of us, when we 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.200 get nervous, the first thing we want to do is 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:40.369 reach for a bottle, a cigarette. a shopping website, 00:21:40.809 --> 00:21:45.109 a candy bar, anything other than Jesus that would 00:21:45.109 --> 00:21:48.650 try to make us feel better than our worry. And 00:21:48.650 --> 00:21:54.690 it never, ever works. Never works. And it never 00:21:54.690 --> 00:21:58.809 will. There is a place to cast all of our anxieties 00:21:58.809 --> 00:22:02.890 on. And He is big enough and great enough and 00:22:02.890 --> 00:22:06.190 wonderful enough and attentive enough to receive 00:22:06.190 --> 00:22:11.410 them every time. But the people of God, they're 00:22:11.410 --> 00:22:13.809 going to continue to walk in an ineffective nature 00:22:13.809 --> 00:22:16.390 in the kingdom of heaven as long as we're trying 00:22:16.390 --> 00:22:20.630 to put off our fears, our worries, on our own 00:22:20.630 --> 00:22:24.789 abilities, or our vices, or our friends, or our 00:22:24.789 --> 00:22:28.630 pastor, or whatever it may be. There's only one 00:22:28.630 --> 00:22:32.470 with shoulders broad enough for your anxiety. 00:22:33.130 --> 00:22:41.980 And His name is Jesus. It's just Him. We only 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:44.940 get the peace that passes understanding when 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:49.039 we intentionally exchange our anxiety with Him. 00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:54.920 That's the promise. Another interesting thing 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:58.319 about this word cast. How many of you have a 00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:02.039 New King James Version, King James Version, Christian 00:23:02.039 --> 00:23:04.880 Standard Bible, ESV, any of those versions today? 00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:09.140 In your version, it says casting. That is the 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:12.240 proper translation. of this word in this verse. 00:23:12.440 --> 00:23:17.480 When you look up this in the literal Greek, it's 00:23:17.480 --> 00:23:24.240 an aorist active predicate of this Greek verb. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:27.880 And I don't know what that means other than I 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:30.200 have to look it up every time I'm parsing a Greek 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:34.079 verb. But what it means is this is expressed 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:39.369 as a continuous action. Casting... casting your 00:23:39.369 --> 00:23:43.670 anxiety on God will never be a one -time experience. 00:23:44.170 --> 00:23:47.630 You say, Jesse, how many times am I going to 00:23:47.630 --> 00:23:49.430 deal with this? How many times am I going to 00:23:49.430 --> 00:23:52.589 have to have this exchange with Jesus about this 00:23:52.589 --> 00:23:55.069 anxiety? I don't know, but keep doing it one 00:23:55.069 --> 00:23:59.809 more and one more and one more. And know that 00:23:59.809 --> 00:24:03.569 He is producing in you a freedom that will be 00:24:03.569 --> 00:24:07.759 sustained. But this is a continual casting. of 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:11.259 anxiety. And hey, guess what? When you get victorious, 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:13.680 and you will, when you get victorious over one 00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:16.259 area in your life, I'll tell you what, Jill and 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:19.319 I, when we first started having children, we 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:22.599 were captivated with fear about our children. 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:30.460 But God, especially in Jill, I saw a finite moment 00:24:30.460 --> 00:24:33.259 that she made that exchange and set free. But 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:35.299 guess what? You're going to get victory over 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:38.740 areas, but when you do, I hate to tell you, the 00:24:38.740 --> 00:24:40.619 devil's not going to go, okay, well, I guess 00:24:40.619 --> 00:24:44.099 we're done with anxiety. No, he's going to try 00:24:44.099 --> 00:24:46.720 to bring something else. A different situation. 00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:50.180 A different circumstance. And you're going to 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:52.339 be tempted in that moment. And in that moment, 00:24:52.460 --> 00:24:54.599 you're going to have to intentionally go, I have 00:24:54.599 --> 00:24:58.240 to cast this care upon God, upon Jesus. I have 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:01.140 to go to Him and exchange it through prayer and 00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:03.740 petition with thanksgiving. And I will receive 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:07.579 His peace that passes human understanding. Does 00:25:07.579 --> 00:25:12.380 that make sense? Casting your anxieties on God 00:25:12.380 --> 00:25:14.839 was never meant to be a one -time action. It 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:17.440 is a continual lifestyle of casting our cares 00:25:17.440 --> 00:25:20.500 upon Him. In difficult seasons of our lives, 00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:24.200 this may need to be an hourly or minute -by -minute 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:30.099 exchange. One of the most powerful things that 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:33.519 I received from this past week at Pakistan, there 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:36.900 are two phrases, one by... Brad, that deeply 00:25:36.900 --> 00:25:39.900 continues to reverberate in my heart. And one 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:42.559 by Pastor Russell. The context for this one is 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:47.579 the one Pastor Russell said in one of his sermons. 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:52.980 Anything that hinders or suppresses the presence 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:59.460 of God in your life must become your enemy. Let 00:25:59.460 --> 00:26:03.740 that settle on your heart for a second. Anything 00:26:03.740 --> 00:26:09.089 in your life that suppresses or hinders the presence 00:26:09.089 --> 00:26:14.210 of God must become your enemy. What does it say? 00:26:15.069 --> 00:26:19.970 It's saying, if you're involved in something, 00:26:20.269 --> 00:26:23.849 some act, some thinking process, some lie, and 00:26:23.849 --> 00:26:26.930 you understand that you're feeling the peace 00:26:26.930 --> 00:26:29.569 and the presence of God lifting in your life, 00:26:29.690 --> 00:26:33.690 that thing needs to become your enemy. You don't 00:26:33.690 --> 00:26:36.509 flirt with it. You don't play with it. You declare 00:26:36.509 --> 00:26:42.910 it your enemy. And that's what I'm talking about 00:26:42.910 --> 00:26:48.329 in this area of anxiety. We cannot settle for 00:26:48.329 --> 00:26:51.769 this thing robbing us of the manifest presence 00:26:51.769 --> 00:26:55.109 of God for the sake of these people and their 00:26:55.109 --> 00:27:00.349 eternal salvation. We cannot settle for a lifestyle 00:27:01.069 --> 00:27:04.069 in which we are not continually exchanging anxiety 00:27:04.069 --> 00:27:07.789 for the peace of God. Because they need to see 00:27:07.789 --> 00:27:11.289 what it looks like to live in a world full of 00:27:11.289 --> 00:27:14.549 anxious circumstances and walk in a kingdom peace 00:27:14.549 --> 00:27:17.769 that cannot be shaken. They deserve to see that. 00:27:19.130 --> 00:27:24.529 Does that make sense? If it suppresses the presence 00:27:24.529 --> 00:27:27.750 of God in our lives, it must become our enemy. 00:27:30.930 --> 00:27:34.910 Children, kids, first of all, I love you. I'm 00:27:34.910 --> 00:27:37.630 so proud of you. I thank you for sitting in service 00:27:37.630 --> 00:27:39.970 with us today and listening to the yelling preacher. 00:27:40.190 --> 00:27:42.750 And I'm sorry I said that thing about Greek and 00:27:42.750 --> 00:27:45.829 peeing. I feel like I could have waited to a 00:27:45.829 --> 00:27:50.150 better service for that. But it is what it is. 00:27:50.509 --> 00:27:54.369 But I want to share specifically with you children. 00:27:59.390 --> 00:28:04.769 Right now, your parents, it's their job to protect 00:28:04.769 --> 00:28:07.930 you from a lot of things. But even, they're doing 00:28:07.930 --> 00:28:11.690 their best job. But even they can't protect you 00:28:11.690 --> 00:28:14.829 from things that you want to worry about, that 00:28:14.829 --> 00:28:19.089 you want to have fear about. If you could learn 00:28:19.089 --> 00:28:25.450 now at this age that God has made my heart able. 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:30.339 to have no fear or anxiety by His power. You 00:28:30.339 --> 00:28:33.400 are going to start off so much stronger than 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:38.099 we ever were. No one ever taught this to me when 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:41.380 I was your age. And that's why you're going to 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:44.890 be so much more powerful in God. than we ever 00:28:44.890 --> 00:28:48.150 dream of being. If right now you can say to yourself, 00:28:48.230 --> 00:28:51.529 children, if right now at your age, 4, 5, 6, 00:28:51.650 --> 00:28:56.089 10, 12, 16, if you can say to yourself, I recognize 00:28:56.089 --> 00:29:01.210 that I will not carry the weight of anxiety because 00:29:01.210 --> 00:29:07.009 my God cares for me. There is no limit to kingdom 00:29:07.009 --> 00:29:14.759 impact in this world. Could we just pause right 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:16.700 there for a second? If you need to repent and 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:21.539 just commit to recognize it for what it is and 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:40.380 refuse to carry it. We're not going to have time 00:29:40.380 --> 00:29:45.420 to... move through these other two truths so 00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:49.180 we'll pick them up at a later date. Because I 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:54.799 wanted to just give a few minutes for us to respond 00:29:54.799 --> 00:30:14.150 to the Lord today. I'm going to ask Brad just 00:30:14.150 --> 00:30:22.150 to come and just, yeah, come on. When I was a 00:30:22.150 --> 00:30:25.390 young man in a youth group, I remember they taught 00:30:25.390 --> 00:30:27.509 us this chorus, so just bear with me. Why don't 00:30:27.509 --> 00:30:30.609 you just stand? Would this be okay? Would you 00:30:30.609 --> 00:30:32.529 stand and just open your heart to what the Holy 00:30:32.529 --> 00:30:37.630 Spirit wants to do right now? He taught us this 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:43.250 chorus. And I cast... All my cares upon you. 00:30:44.130 --> 00:30:52.609 And I lay all of my burdens down at your feet. 00:30:53.049 --> 00:31:03.329 And anytime I don't know just what to do, I will 00:31:03.329 --> 00:31:10.109 cast all my cares upon you. We're going to sing 00:31:10.109 --> 00:31:12.650 it again, but I want to open the altar right 00:31:12.650 --> 00:31:16.349 now. I want to open this space. If you just want 00:31:16.349 --> 00:31:19.789 to come cast a care upon the Lord, if you want 00:31:19.789 --> 00:31:23.250 to come exchange a worry, please don't leave 00:31:23.250 --> 00:31:26.390 with this weight. You're not designed to carry 00:31:26.390 --> 00:31:29.130 it. And what we're going to get to next week 00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:32.970 is this is how He cares for you. He cares so 00:31:32.970 --> 00:31:36.430 much. He wants to take this thing. He wants you 00:31:36.430 --> 00:31:42.930 to walk in freedom. So would you just come? I'm 00:31:42.930 --> 00:31:47.529 going to sing it one more time. And I cast all 00:31:47.529 --> 00:31:50.410 my cares upon you.