WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 Let's read together 1 Peter 5. We're talking 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:08.160 about kicking the devil in the teeth in the area 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:17.160 of anxiety, fear, and worry. So 1 Peter 5. I 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.059 would really encourage you to read the entire 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:21.399 chapter sometime this week or multiple times 00:00:21.399 --> 00:00:24.179 this week, but for the sake of time, I'm just 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:29.839 going to focus here on verses 5. through 8. Okay? 00:00:30.140 --> 00:00:35.939 1 Peter 5, verse 5. Young men, in the same way 00:00:35.939 --> 00:00:39.039 be submissive to those who are older. And all 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:42.159 of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:45.820 one another because God opposes the proud, but 00:00:45.820 --> 00:00:48.640 gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:52.479 therefore under God's mighty hand that He may 00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:57.399 lift you up in due time. And cast all your anxiety 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:01.659 on Him because He cares for you. And be self 00:01:01.659 --> 00:01:05.079 -controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:07.959 around like a roaring lion looking for someone 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:10.200 to devour. Let's just go on to 9 because it's 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:13.859 so good. Resist Him, standing firm in the faith 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:16.579 because you know that you're... Brothers throughout 00:01:16.579 --> 00:01:19.439 the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.659 I can't stop. Let's go to 11. And the God of 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:25.680 all grace who called you to His eternal what? 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:30.200 Glory in Christ. After you have suffered a little 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:33.760 while, will Himself restore you and make you 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.980 strong, firm, and steadfast. To Him be the power 00:01:38.980 --> 00:01:42.819 forever and ever. Amen. Amen. So Father, as we... 00:01:43.069 --> 00:01:46.189 briefly take a look at these truths. We ask for 00:01:46.189 --> 00:01:50.950 supernatural power by Your Holy Spirit that these 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:54.870 words would forever change our lives. We do not 00:01:54.870 --> 00:01:57.790 want to be the same. We ask it and believe and 00:01:57.790 --> 00:02:02.489 receive. In Jesus' name, Amen. Alright, so if 00:02:02.489 --> 00:02:06.370 you're just joining us today, you're on the tail 00:02:06.370 --> 00:02:10.680 end of four weeks of really... You know, like 00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:12.699 we said, kicking the devil in the teeth in the 00:02:12.699 --> 00:02:15.539 area of anxiety, fear, worry, being troubled 00:02:15.539 --> 00:02:17.500 by the cares of the world. So I would encourage 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:21.159 you to go back and catch up on that. We are in 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:23.800 a season here as a church where we have committed 00:02:23.800 --> 00:02:26.479 to expand the kingdom of heaven on the earth, 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:30.000 not just all around the world, but here in our 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.419 homes and our own spheres of influence and our 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:35.610 jobs and our sports teams. So if we're talking 00:02:35.610 --> 00:02:37.949 about expanding the kingdom, why are we talking 00:02:37.949 --> 00:02:41.909 about anxiety? Why is that important? And for 00:02:41.909 --> 00:02:43.469 those of you who have been here, this is just 00:02:43.469 --> 00:02:47.969 a brief review. The most well -known passage 00:02:47.969 --> 00:02:49.689 about the kingdom of heaven comes in Matthew 00:02:49.689 --> 00:02:55.030 6 .33. Seek first the kingdom of God and His 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:57.050 righteousness and everything else will be added 00:02:57.050 --> 00:03:01.210 to you. That verse is nestled in the midst of 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:04.210 one of Jesus' most... powerful and lengthy teachings 00:03:04.210 --> 00:03:08.069 on what? Worry. Worry. The whole context of that 00:03:08.069 --> 00:03:11.909 passage is being surrounded on worry and anxiety. 00:03:12.129 --> 00:03:15.229 In Jesus' teaching about the kingdom, did you 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:17.650 know that the parable of the sower is about the 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:19.889 kingdom? If you read the meaning of the parable, 00:03:19.909 --> 00:03:23.090 it says, and the seed is the message of the kingdom. 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:28.479 The kingdom parable. And when Jesus explained 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:32.539 the parable, He says, and the seed, the message 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:37.240 of the kingdom that was sown into those places 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:43.319 where the soil was rocky, it said the kingdom 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:46.479 message was sown. But what? It was choked out 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:50.840 by what? The cares of the world and the deceitfulness 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:57.210 of wealth. Anxiety. has for long, way too long, 00:03:57.250 --> 00:04:01.770 has been the devil's way to subtly sneak into 00:04:01.770 --> 00:04:04.110 the church and make the church ineffective in 00:04:04.110 --> 00:04:06.810 the kingdom. Because it's almost acceptable in 00:04:06.810 --> 00:04:09.909 the culture. It's acceptable for parents to worry 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:12.129 about their kids. It's acceptable for business 00:04:12.129 --> 00:04:15.090 owners to worry about their business. For students 00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:17.610 to worry about their grades. It's just anxiety 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:20.389 and fear and worry has been something that's 00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:23.480 just been subtly sewn into our lives. And what 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:26.579 I'm saying is, you and I are going to be effective 00:04:26.579 --> 00:04:28.759 in the kingdom of heaven on the earth, and we 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:31.139 will not settle for a life of anxiety, fear, 00:04:31.220 --> 00:04:35.540 and worry. Yes? And so, on the backpacking trip, 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:37.800 we were up in Colorado, and we were making a 00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:40.139 lot of fires, and you just take those dead sticks 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:43.500 and just, bam! And burn them. And that's what 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:47.019 I want to see us do with the weapon of fear and 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:49.500 anxiety. Just take that spear, that arrow, and 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:52.019 just snap it and throw it in the fire. And we're 00:04:52.019 --> 00:04:56.300 done. We're not going to be a people neutralized 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:59.620 by anxiety, fear, and worry. And so let's put 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:02.079 the nail in the coffin. We talked about 1 Peter 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:05.279 5 two weeks ago. Last week we had testimonies. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:07.439 We didn't get to it. But I'm going to do just 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:10.420 a brief review in the first two points. Point 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:13.480 one, we said this. This was two weeks ago. These 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:16.420 are truths from this passage. Refuse to water 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:21.089 down the Holy Word of God. All means all. 1 Peter 00:05:21.089 --> 00:05:27.050 5, 7 says cast what? Cast all your anxiety. Okay? 00:05:28.329 --> 00:05:31.129 The word all in English is the Greek word pos. 00:05:31.470 --> 00:05:35.149 And it means each, every, any, all, the whole, 00:05:35.350 --> 00:05:39.310 everyone, all things, everything, always. Pretty 00:05:39.310 --> 00:05:43.230 clear. Alright? When God says cast all your anxieties 00:05:43.230 --> 00:05:46.680 on Him, He means all. So don't water down the 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:49.160 Word of God and think you're special and you 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:52.139 get to coddle certain anxieties in your life 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:54.899 because they've become part of your identity. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:59.300 Repent. There is no anxiety that's supposed to 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:05.060 be part of your identity. Cast all your anxiety 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:09.579 on God. We must refuse to compromise any lifestyle 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:12.470 that caters to carrying anxiety. We just took 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:15.610 this backpacking trip, and like I told you, you 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:20.709 know, you think, well, one more pound on my backpacking 00:06:20.709 --> 00:06:22.730 chair is not that big a deal. Two more pounds 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:24.769 on my tent is not that big a deal. Well, you 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:26.870 stack all those things on top of you, and all 00:06:26.870 --> 00:06:29.149 of a sudden, you can't accomplish the mission 00:06:29.149 --> 00:06:31.649 because of all the weights that have slowly been 00:06:31.649 --> 00:06:34.589 added. And that's the way a lot of Christians 00:06:34.589 --> 00:06:37.560 live. They have a desire to please God. They 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:39.680 have a desire to be serious about the kingdom. 00:06:39.899 --> 00:06:43.660 But they've so allowed the small cares of this 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:46.060 world to choke out the kingdom in their life. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:49.860 All those little things add up. So just be in 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:52.660 unity with God. And if He says, cast all my anxieties, 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:55.920 that's what I'm going to do. Amen? Alright. Number 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:59.740 two, anxiety must be seen for what it is. A snare 00:06:59.740 --> 00:07:02.540 and weapon used by Satan to steal, kill, and 00:07:02.540 --> 00:07:06.000 destroy. Do not entertain it. or flirt with it, 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:09.860 it must be continually cast away. Does that make 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:13.040 sense? See it for what it is and quit flirting 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:17.579 with it. I think that we as Christians, we're 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:25.139 far too accustomed to that, right? And so we 00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:28.180 entertain these things that we know God has caused 00:07:28.180 --> 00:07:32.019 us to cast away. The word cast in Greek, It's 00:07:32.019 --> 00:07:36.319 a compound verb here. Epi and ripto. The word 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.720 ripto means to throw or place. Epi means upon 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:42.980 something. And we talked about this. This promise, 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:45.379 if you missed the first two weeks of Philippians 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:48.439 4, you need to go back there, hear the teaching, 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:51.540 read the words, study the passage. But God gives 00:07:51.540 --> 00:07:55.060 us this promise of exchanging. If we will come 00:07:55.060 --> 00:07:58.680 to Him with every care, every anxiety, every 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:02.300 worry, and we exchange it through prayer and 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:05.079 supplication with thanksgiving, then He has promised 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:08.720 to give us the peace that passes all human understanding, 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.399 that will guard our heart and mind as a lifestyle 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:13.620 in Christ Jesus. So we have this great promise. 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:18.980 But this promise is conditional. It only exists 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:21.699 for those who come and make the exchange. It's 00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:25.779 not automatic. It's not by osmosis. You don't 00:08:25.779 --> 00:08:28.060 worry long enough and all of a sudden it exchanges 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:33.360 into peace. You have to be faithful to cast your 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:38.440 anxieties on God. And it means to cast or to 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:42.700 place upon something. This is important because 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:48.559 it's not enough to try to cast our anxiety on 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:55.330 our friends or our social media. or on alcohol, 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:59.830 or tobacco, or sugar, or illegal drugs, or shopping. 00:08:59.870 --> 00:09:02.210 All these things that we want to comfort ourselves 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:05.009 with in moments of anxiety. Those things will 00:09:05.009 --> 00:09:07.929 never bring an exchange of peace. They may bring 00:09:07.929 --> 00:09:12.169 a temporary relief, right? But it's only temporary. 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:16.370 And those things never leave us. We have to cast 00:09:16.370 --> 00:09:19.690 them upon something. And that something is a 00:09:19.690 --> 00:09:23.950 man. And his name is Jesus. You have to go to 00:09:23.950 --> 00:09:29.490 Jesus with your anxiety. And everything in the 00:09:29.490 --> 00:09:33.370 world in your flesh will call your name to cast 00:09:33.370 --> 00:09:35.929 your care upon them because the devil knows if 00:09:35.929 --> 00:09:38.950 he can just get you to cast your cares upon the 00:09:38.950 --> 00:09:42.730 TV, the alcohol, the whatever it may be, he knows 00:09:42.730 --> 00:09:44.970 he has you ensnared and you're ineffective for 00:09:44.970 --> 00:09:48.029 the kingdom. But if you say, no, I understand 00:09:48.029 --> 00:09:52.309 the promise and I choose to cast my care, upon 00:09:52.309 --> 00:10:03.490 Him. We also said this, the word cast is literally 00:10:03.490 --> 00:10:06.429 translated casting. Some of your versions say 00:10:06.429 --> 00:10:09.370 casting and that's the correct translation for 00:10:09.370 --> 00:10:12.250 this verb tense in the Greek and it means a continual 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.029 action. You don't cast all your cares on God 00:10:15.029 --> 00:10:17.990 one time. And don't make it generic. God, I just 00:10:17.990 --> 00:10:21.929 give you all my anxieties. Don't be a pansy, 00:10:21.929 --> 00:10:26.269 right? If you want to be free, you're going to 00:10:26.269 --> 00:10:29.610 have to do a little bit of warfare. Get in with 00:10:29.610 --> 00:10:33.190 it and name the anxiety for what it is and exchange 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:35.289 it with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 00:10:35.289 --> 00:10:37.529 for the peace of God. It's like, God, I give 00:10:37.529 --> 00:10:43.299 you all my cares. No. No. Name it. Bring it before 00:10:43.299 --> 00:10:45.539 God. I encourage you to get on your knees and 00:10:45.539 --> 00:10:47.539 actually go through a physical exchange process. 00:10:47.779 --> 00:10:50.860 That's what I do. It's very helpful. And receive 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:53.559 the peace of God in exchange for those things. 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:56.600 And don't just do it once. Every time the devil 00:10:56.600 --> 00:11:00.080 tempts you with anxiety, care, or fear, or worry 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:04.039 in those areas, continue in the process of casting. 00:11:04.860 --> 00:11:07.259 Keep casting, and what you'll find is that you'll 00:11:07.259 --> 00:11:10.080 begin to have to do that less and less and less, 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:13.019 and you're developing a lifestyle that has complete 00:11:13.019 --> 00:11:17.639 victory over anxiety. Okay? Is that good? Alright, 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.519 so those were one and two in review, and we're 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:22.120 going to just spend a couple minutes on number 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:24.019 three and four. Number three, if you're writing 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:28.720 this down, God loves you deeply and wants to 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:33.059 express His care for you by carrying the weight 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:39.500 of your anxiety. Let Him care for you. I mean, 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.100 you read this passage. How glorious is this? 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:49.440 Cast all your anxiety on Him. Why? Because He 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:56.360 cares for you. This is crazy. God's not interested 00:11:56.360 --> 00:12:00.750 in your victory. Over anxiety so that you can 00:12:00.750 --> 00:12:02.830 be better. So that you can be the winner. So 00:12:02.830 --> 00:12:04.629 that you can be the victory. So that you can 00:12:04.629 --> 00:12:11.409 be the bad dude. No, He cares for you. He knows 00:12:11.409 --> 00:12:14.690 these things hurt. He knows these things wound. 00:12:14.970 --> 00:12:17.649 He knows these things weight you down and make 00:12:17.649 --> 00:12:20.429 you ineffective for the kingdom. And He literally 00:12:20.429 --> 00:12:26.429 cares for you. It's so interesting. The word 00:12:26.429 --> 00:12:29.509 care here in the Greek. I don't know if we have 00:12:29.509 --> 00:12:32.409 this up there. It literally means these two definitions. 00:12:32.610 --> 00:12:36.929 To be concerned about or take care. I mean, if 00:12:36.929 --> 00:12:39.889 you go to Strong's Concordance of Greek words, 00:12:40.009 --> 00:12:44.070 it literally says to be concerned about, take 00:12:44.070 --> 00:12:49.009 care. The way He cares for you is to take your 00:12:49.009 --> 00:12:57.240 cares. It's what He longs to do. Listen, when 00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:01.860 He was in the garden of Gethsemane, He was sweating 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:05.340 drops of blood under the weight of your cares. 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:10.340 He was caring for you. And He said, Father, if 00:13:10.340 --> 00:13:13.559 there's any other way, let this cup pass from 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:19.080 Me. But not My will, but Yours be done. And those 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:23.639 beautiful, strong shoulders carried the cross 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.240 of Calvary and the weight of all our anxiety 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:31.419 and fears. So do not cheapen the blood and the 00:13:31.419 --> 00:13:34.679 sacrifice of Jesus Christ by denying His care 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:40.480 for you. It is God's will for you to live the 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:44.100 Christian life free of anxiety, worry, and fear. 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:49.659 To be debilitated by these things. is an illegal 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:52.059 trespass against the cross and the resurrection. 00:13:53.539 --> 00:13:57.539 And we must see it that way. He cares for us. 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:02.799 We can cast our cares upon Jesus because He can 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:05.759 handle our cares. His literal shoulders were 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:08.159 created to bear the weight of our cares, and 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.759 He willingly takes them upon Himself and gives 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:16.259 us His peace in return. I wrote this down. Don't 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:20.090 be stubborn or ignorant. by refusing to let the 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:23.769 cross be enough for your anxiety. Accept the 00:14:23.769 --> 00:14:27.830 care of God and walk in freedom and kingdom productivity. 00:14:29.830 --> 00:14:33.409 Have you ever known, and some of this may get 00:14:33.409 --> 00:14:36.230 really close to home, have you ever known or 00:14:36.230 --> 00:14:39.549 been the person that always has to take care 00:14:39.549 --> 00:14:41.669 of somebody else but never will receive care? 00:14:43.950 --> 00:14:50.100 Don't be that person. Don't be that person. You 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:53.919 know what your children need to see, dads? They 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:56.759 need to see a dad who's willing to admit the 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:58.960 weakness of being overwhelmed by their cares 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:01.980 and getting on their face before Jesus and letting 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:05.980 Him be kind to you and exchange cares. I know 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:08.919 the world's saying, hey, what the boys need to 00:15:08.919 --> 00:15:13.039 see is their bad dads just carry all the weight 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:15.789 and they do all the things. Well, unfortunately, 00:15:15.929 --> 00:15:20.529 that's unrealistic. No, what they need to see 00:15:20.529 --> 00:15:26.549 are when we get weighted down, we let Jesus care 00:15:26.549 --> 00:15:31.789 for us. And it's hard. It's hard for some of 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:36.370 us to be cared for. We're bent to care for other 00:15:36.370 --> 00:15:39.509 people. We're bent to always serve other people. 00:15:39.590 --> 00:15:43.230 And it makes us uncomfortable to receive care. 00:15:44.170 --> 00:15:50.610 Okay, get over yourself. You're going to tell 00:15:50.610 --> 00:15:54.549 Jesus, I don't need your care? I got this? Seriously? 00:15:55.809 --> 00:15:59.470 You're not that strong. You're not that strong. 00:15:59.850 --> 00:16:02.769 And the Bible says the glorious things is we 00:16:02.769 --> 00:16:06.929 can celebrate. We can rejoice in our weakness. 00:16:07.529 --> 00:16:10.490 Because in our weakness, He has made strong. 00:16:12.970 --> 00:16:16.309 It wasn't just, I don't know, maybe four or five 00:16:16.309 --> 00:16:20.409 months ago, I called one of the elders in this 00:16:20.409 --> 00:16:25.110 room in absolute tears on my back porch. Just 00:16:25.110 --> 00:16:28.070 saying, hey, I don't think I can do this anymore. 00:16:28.490 --> 00:16:31.269 Here are all the things I'm so concerned about. 00:16:31.350 --> 00:16:33.769 I feel so weighted down. I don't think I can 00:16:33.769 --> 00:16:37.629 do this job anymore. I mean, just blubbering 00:16:37.629 --> 00:16:42.990 like a little baby. And in his wisdom, you know 00:16:42.990 --> 00:16:47.950 what he did? He pointed me right to Jesus. And 00:16:47.950 --> 00:16:51.110 I'll be forever thankful for that. Such a good 00:16:51.110 --> 00:16:54.830 friend. But what I'm trying to model for you 00:16:54.830 --> 00:16:58.570 is that we all get to places where the cares 00:16:58.570 --> 00:17:02.549 begin to overtake us. And it's irrational in 00:17:02.549 --> 00:17:08.369 the moment, right? It's in those moments. Yes, 00:17:08.490 --> 00:17:11.539 call me. But all I'm going to do is direct you 00:17:11.539 --> 00:17:13.920 to Jesus. You don't need to call an elder. You 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:16.440 don't need to call a pastor. Because hopefully 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.519 all they're going to do is direct you to Jesus. 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:25.380 But if you're that weak, call me. Call me. Text 00:17:25.380 --> 00:17:31.720 me. I'll come. I'll hug you. I'll hold your tears 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:34.539 and we'll go to Jesus together. Because that's 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:38.640 what the body of Christ does. Right? But we have 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:44.240 to let Him care for us. Last week I was weed 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.200 eating. It's my favorite thing in the world to 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:51.119 do. Weed eating the weeds that grow back the 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:55.160 next week. So I used the same three hours of 00:17:55.160 --> 00:18:00.319 my life weed eating them again so that the people 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:03.380 who never even see my yard can say, what a nice 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:05.619 weed -eated yard you have. It's my favorite. 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:09.960 I have learned to at least listen to podcasts 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:13.339 and give God glory while I'm weed eating. So 00:18:13.339 --> 00:18:16.279 I'm growing. But I was weed eating this last 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.200 week and a red hornet stung me right in the back 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:22.500 of the head. Like right there. And I mean, got 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:27.160 me good. And I threw the weed eater down. I was 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:31.220 stomping around. I come into the house. Just 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:33.940 like, what happened? This wasp stung me right 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:40.200 in the back of the head. In that moment of just 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:45.960 like, well, you know. Danny knows really well. 00:18:46.039 --> 00:18:47.859 I'll tell you a story about the backpacking trip 00:18:47.859 --> 00:18:53.839 some other time. Got me. Got stung. But the point 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:57.759 was that I had to have Jill doctor me. Because 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:00.279 it's in the back of my head, and I'm a sissy, 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:04.559 and it was really hurting. And that we have to... 00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:08.009 We have to be able in those moments of overwhelming 00:19:08.009 --> 00:19:13.769 anxiety. And how many of you know that anxiety 00:19:13.769 --> 00:19:19.130 attacks are real? I fully believe they're demonic 00:19:19.130 --> 00:19:21.849 in nature, but that doesn't make them any less 00:19:21.849 --> 00:19:25.269 real. These moments of irrational where the whole 00:19:25.269 --> 00:19:30.349 world creeps on you. And the King of Kings is 00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:36.230 saying, let me care for you, son, daughter. In 00:19:36.230 --> 00:19:39.049 those moments, I will care for you. Who's more 00:19:39.049 --> 00:19:42.150 caring than him? Where else are you going to 00:19:42.150 --> 00:19:49.670 go? It's more caring than him. So, could we just 00:19:49.670 --> 00:19:53.730 take a brief moment and let's just repent for 00:19:53.730 --> 00:19:58.170 being arrogant or ignorant or just choosing other 00:19:58.170 --> 00:20:01.950 things. Let's repent and say, tell Jesus, I'm 00:20:01.950 --> 00:20:05.039 sorry for not letting you care for me. And in 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:07.279 the future, I want to commit to come to You first 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:21.059 for care. Can we do that for a moment? Good job. 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:30.740 Can we close with this, number four? Number four 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:34.140 truth about... This lifestyle of being free from 00:20:34.140 --> 00:20:38.000 anxiety. This is not a generic religious philosophy 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.779 created for someone else. This is a personal 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:47.200 promise from God to you. Make it personal for 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:54.640 you. Let me read it again. Cast all your anxiety 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:01.819 on Him because He cares for you. Are you getting 00:21:01.819 --> 00:21:05.559 it? It's personal. Don't be thinking about your 00:21:05.559 --> 00:21:07.839 spouse's anxiety right now. Don't be thinking 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:13.019 about your kids. It's just you and God. You and 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:19.019 Jesus through the Spirit. It's your anxiety and 00:21:19.019 --> 00:21:23.180 you can cast it on Him because He actually cares 00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:28.920 for you. Are you with me? This is what's so amazing 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:33.640 about Jesus. At any moment in time, Jesus sitting 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:35.819 at the right hand of the Father on His throne 00:21:35.819 --> 00:21:41.839 can be receiving the anxiety of six billion people 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:44.880 on the earth. And it's like you and Him are the 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:49.200 only one in the universe. That's how good He 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:54.900 is. Because He has the ability, though the universe 00:21:54.900 --> 00:22:02.099 is groaning, He has the ability to make all the 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:05.880 universe stop in time at any moment when you 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:10.720 have the slightest anxiety about your toenail 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:16.000 fungus. Seriously, some of you have so much anxiety 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:18.119 about going to the pool because of your toenails. 00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:23.779 I'm talking from that to a terminal illness and 00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:27.019 everything in between. Because I thought it said 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:30.839 cast all your anxieties on Him. Why? Because 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:33.480 He cares for not your neighbor, not your spouse, 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:37.859 you. There is no one God has ever created like 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:41.619 you. You are perfectly unique. You are holy and 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:45.480 wonderful in every way. And He knows every intricate 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:48.660 part of your body, your life, and your existence. 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:56.009 And He deeply cares about it. He cares for you. 00:23:00.089 --> 00:23:04.789 This is personal. Yes, Jesus cares for everyone, 00:23:04.970 --> 00:23:08.369 but you are someone. And He cares about every 00:23:08.369 --> 00:23:12.589 minute detail of your unique life and circumstance. 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:23.150 Here's what I want us to do. I want us to say, 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:26.859 He cares about me. Alright, let's say it together. 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:30.059 You ready? Every person. No one's exempt from 00:23:30.059 --> 00:23:34.240 this. It's a good practice because the devil 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:37.099 and religion and everything else wants to come 00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:40.700 against our ability to say, Jesus cares about 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:43.839 me. This is nobody else. You ready? On the count 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:47.900 of three. One, two, three. He cares about me. 00:23:48.680 --> 00:24:01.299 Let's say it again. He cares about me. Two weeks 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:07.880 ago, on a Sunday morning, Jill and I were having 00:24:07.880 --> 00:24:13.960 coffee on the couch. We were just talking about 00:24:13.960 --> 00:24:17.180 some things going on in our life right now. And 00:24:17.180 --> 00:24:21.579 this is really rare for us. But we found ourselves 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:25.440 holding each other on the couch, ugly crying. 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:30.950 I mean like the heaving, the shaking. With some 00:24:30.950 --> 00:24:37.769 things going on in our world. And I can't speak 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:44.509 for Jill, but I felt the care of Jesus. Because 00:24:44.509 --> 00:24:49.230 even the things that we weep about in comparison 00:24:49.230 --> 00:24:55.869 to a lot of things, it's nothing. But it's something 00:24:55.869 --> 00:25:01.259 to us. And in that moment, you just feel, when 00:25:01.259 --> 00:25:05.359 you're honest and open and you go to Jesus, you 00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:12.400 feel the care of the King of glory. And don't 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:16.660 you know the world is just dying for that kind 00:25:16.660 --> 00:25:23.680 of care? And we cannot give, we cannot radiate, 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:27.039 like Gary was saying, that kind of power and 00:25:27.039 --> 00:25:30.930 presence. If we're not walking in it personally. 00:25:32.470 --> 00:25:36.630 And so it's important to let Him care for us. 00:25:36.970 --> 00:25:40.529 I brought my backpack. My backpack is over there. 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:45.349 I was going to get either Ron or Jeremy some 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:48.230 of the biggest shoulders. Ron Yaple or Jeremy. 00:25:48.650 --> 00:25:51.170 Just some of the biggest shoulders that I know 00:25:51.170 --> 00:25:53.130 in this building. You know, they're kind of scary. 00:25:54.049 --> 00:25:58.940 Let them carry the backpack around. But what 00:25:58.940 --> 00:26:02.680 I wanted you to see in them carrying that backpack 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:07.059 is, you know, this backpacking trip, it's one 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:09.059 thing to get there, you've got a backpack, and 00:26:09.059 --> 00:26:11.680 it's, you know, 50 pounds, 30 pounds, whatever 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:16.200 it may be to get there. But once you get there 00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:19.099 and you take that off, that's when you get to 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:21.880 start living. You get to make camp. You get to 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:26.420 go fishing. You get to filter water and make 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:28.539 some ramen that you'll never eat again all year 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:30.500 because you're so tired of dehydrated food on 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.480 the backpacking trip. All the things. And the 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:39.099 reality is you don't get to do the things that 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:41.359 are really living when you're carrying the weight. 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:46.319 So let the one that's got those beautifully big 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:50.670 shoulders Carry that weight so that you can do 00:26:50.670 --> 00:26:55.769 the fishing. I'll make you fishers of men. So 00:26:55.769 --> 00:26:58.029 that you can do the water purification. I'll 00:26:58.029 --> 00:27:00.289 make you rivers of living water. These things 00:27:00.289 --> 00:27:03.710 that are life -giving to other people. You get 00:27:03.710 --> 00:27:09.470 it, right? Jesus is worthy of us living anxiety 00:27:09.470 --> 00:27:12.910 -free lives so that we can give the kingdom of 00:27:12.910 --> 00:27:16.609 glory everywhere we go. He's worthy of that. 00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:20.319 And He's so much better at carrying these weights 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:24.859 than we are. So, Brad, if you don't mind coming, 00:27:25.019 --> 00:27:30.000 and I'm going to again ask our house church pastors 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:33.779 and ministers come forward. And this is how we're 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:35.299 going to close today. I'm going to officially 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:39.839 close in just a moment. And these ministers are 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.829 going to be up here and available. to pray for 00:27:42.829 --> 00:27:45.750 you, to help you with any kind of anxiety or 00:27:45.750 --> 00:27:47.630 care that you have. They'll help you come to 00:27:47.630 --> 00:27:50.509 Jesus for that exchange. But why don't we just, 00:27:50.670 --> 00:27:52.630 if you don't mind, can we stand up to close? 00:27:53.450 --> 00:27:56.309 I'm going to release you with prayer. Ministers, 00:27:56.329 --> 00:27:58.789 if you'll just come forward. Brad, if you'll 00:27:58.789 --> 00:28:04.029 just begin to play. If you need to leave now, 00:28:04.109 --> 00:28:06.410 would you do so quietly and respectfully? And 00:28:06.410 --> 00:28:08.710 let's just let the Spirit of the Lord minister 00:28:08.710 --> 00:28:12.910 to people who need to receive ministry. And if 00:28:12.910 --> 00:28:15.130 you're saying, Jesse, I don't have an anxiety 00:28:15.130 --> 00:28:17.210 or care, but I really need some prayer in this 00:28:17.210 --> 00:28:20.910 or whatever. Of course. Anything you need, we 00:28:20.910 --> 00:28:24.829 want to pray for. Alright? So Father, we thank 00:28:24.829 --> 00:28:28.750 you for the beauty of your Word. And we thank 00:28:28.750 --> 00:28:32.230 you for this invitation to us. Cast all your 00:28:32.230 --> 00:28:40.609 cares upon Him because He cares for you. Jesus, 00:28:40.789 --> 00:28:44.789 we want to be free of those weights to do all 00:28:44.789 --> 00:28:47.430 the things that give life to everyone You've 00:28:47.430 --> 00:28:50.509 given us in our sphere of influence. So I pray 00:28:50.509 --> 00:28:53.849 right now, Holy Spirit, would You come in a powerful 00:28:53.849 --> 00:28:56.769 way, begin to weave through the individuals in 00:28:56.769 --> 00:29:00.450 our hearts. And if there's anything left, that 00:29:00.450 --> 00:29:03.329 instill anxiety, fear, worry, or care of this 00:29:03.329 --> 00:29:08.190 world. I just ask that You'd release grace and 00:29:08.190 --> 00:29:10.809 mercy to be able to deal with that rightly in 00:29:10.809 --> 00:29:18.950 this moment. God, let freedom come to the ones 00:29:18.950 --> 00:29:22.329 that are always giving care and never receiving 00:29:22.329 --> 00:29:26.829 it. Let freedom come for them to be able to receive 00:29:26.829 --> 00:29:32.609 what You want to give them. And Father, for those 00:29:32.609 --> 00:29:35.089 that are leaving, I just bless my friends. I 00:29:35.089 --> 00:29:37.369 bless them in the name of Jesus that they would 00:29:37.369 --> 00:29:40.329 be filled with hunger and have wonderful encounters 00:29:40.329 --> 00:29:43.269 with you throughout the week. And may we not 00:29:43.269 --> 00:29:46.069 miss a single opportunity to release your kingdom 00:29:46.069 --> 00:29:48.690 to those who are hurting around us. In Jesus' 00:29:48.769 --> 00:29:52.269 name I pray, amen. Would you come? If you need 00:29:52.269 --> 00:29:55.529 any kind of prayer of ministry, come. His friends 00:29:55.529 --> 00:29:56.349 are waiting for you.