INTRODUCTION
- I know you're never supposed to say you'll never do something
- But I can tell you I will never get behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle and drive coast-to-coast
- I know some of you have done it and loved every minute of it
- Terrific- I'm happy for you
- But it's definitely not my idea of a good time
- See- I hate to get in a car and have to drive some place
- Wednesday I was on the road for six hours
- I went to Henderson to assist in the funeral of a good friend
- I wanted to be there- but I hated the process of GETTING there
- Generally speaking-
- I'll drive to the beach or the mountains
- But unless I can fly- that's about as far as I'm going to go
- The truth is I don't like the person I become when I'm stuck in the driver's seat
- Let's put it this: When I'm driving on an interstate I fantasize about having a rocket propelled grenade launcher to incinerate...
- Every tractor-trailer that runs 18 inches from my back bumper
- All the SUV's that shine halogen headlights in my eyes
- And every car that flashes its lights for me to move over when I going 73 in a 70 mile per hour zone
- Here's my problem
- Driving a car scares me
- I can get on a commercial jetliner and feel as safe as I feel sitting in my living room
- But as far as I'm concerned cars are death traps
- The less time I spend in them- the better I like
TRANSITIONAL REMARKS
- So there you go- I've admitted one of the things that stress me out
- What about you?
- What kinds of things:
- Make you lose sleep at night?
- Fill your life with dread and worry?
- Cause your blood pressure to surge to near stroke-inducing levels?
- The truth is that unless you are the most laid-back person on the face of the Earth- you came here this morning concerned about something.
- It could be your...
- Health
- Marriage
- Children
- Job situation
- Family finances
- It could be that you're...
- Facing a major life-decision in the near future
- Deeply concerned for a friend or loved one
- Dealing with some sort of spiritual crisis
- Struggling with grief or depression
- Simply a victim of a hurried-up, stressed-out rat-race lifestyle
- Well-
- If you came here this morning worried about something
- What I'm about to say is going to give you one more thing to worry about
- Did you know that by worrying you are sinning against God?
- What are you talking about Steve?
- Worrying may not be good for me.
- God may not want me to worry.
- But to say that worrying is a sin against God. That's crazy talk!
WHY WORRY & ANXIETY ARE SINS AGAINST GOD
- Actually- it's not crazy at all
- It's the clear teaching of God's Word
- Let me try to explain
- Now to do that we have to go back and understand what sin is
- Most people think sin is something that you do
- But that's not quite right. Ultimately sin is rooted in a lack of trust in God
- Turn with me to Genesis 3:1-5
- Until this moment Eve had never had any reason to doubt or question God
- Every need that she and Adam had was supplied by their Heavenly Father
- They enjoyed an intimacy and joy in their relationship with God that most of us can only dream about
- Given that- notice what the serpent is doing here: He's placing a seed of doubt in Eve's mind
- Did God really say that?
- Don't you think that a loving God would let you eat fruit from every tree found in the Garden?
- Why is your so-called ‘heavenly Father' depriving you of something?
- Do you really believe He has your best interests at heart?
- And- by the way- did He REALLY threaten you with death if you eat the fruit from that tree?
- What kind of God would do something like that?
- Do you honestly think you can trust a God like that?
- Now look what it says in verse 6
- Eve's mounting doubt and anxiety caused her to sin against God
- What happened is that fear caused her to question God's love and protection and care
- And that's why she fell into sin
- Do you see the point I'm driving at?
- Worry is a sin
- Because worry is a symptom of a fundamental lack of faith and trust in God
- Now at this point you may be thinking: Steve- I got it. Anxiety is a sin.
- The problem is: What am I supposed to do with all the worry and anxiety I've been experiencing lately?
- I mean it's one thing to know that God doesn't want me to worry. But how do ‘let go' of my worries when they're keeping me awake at 2:00 in the morning!
GOD'S ANSWER TO YOUR ANXIETY: PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
- Basically this is the question Paul is addressing in Philippians 4:6-7
- You know, if anyone ever had the right to be anxious and worried about the future- Paul was that person
- From the moment he became a Christian Paul's life was filled with stress, persecution, anxiety and despair
- In other words: The man who wrote do not be anxious about anything
- Wasn't some religious philosopher- sitting in an ivory tower- clueless about what it's like to struggle with the stress and strain of the real world
- Instead, Paul was a real man whose faith had been severely tested by fire
- If you want a good example of what I'm talking about turn with me to Acts 16:20-25
- Folks, a man who starts a worship service in a Roman jail cell at midnight is either crazy
- OR he's discovered the secret to overcoming the fear and anxiety that's cluttering up your life
- In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul is sharing the truth he had learned to live by. I want you to notice what he does:
- First of all he establishes a basic, Biblical principle: Do not be anxious about anything...
- Followed by some practical, spiritual advice: But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God...
- Ending with a wonderful promise: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus...
- Now in the time we have remaining this morning I want us to carefully examine these two verses of Scripture
*REMEMBER- GOD CARES FOR YOU
- Sometimes people wonder if there are any limits to God's loving concern for you and me
- After all- God's got a lot on His hands- what with having to govern the entire UNIVERSE
- Logic would suggest that God shouldn't be bothered with the petty problems and concerns we have in our life
- Well let me ask you a question: If your child or grandchild comes to you with a legitimate problem-
- Do you try to sweep it under the rug and claim you're too busy to be bothered?
- Of course not! As a good parent you'll do everything in your power to help your child!
- Well, read what Jesus says in Luke 11:11-13
- In other words: Look- you're a fallen sinner- and you know how to love and care for your children...
- Well- multiply that love and concern a thousand times over- and you'll only BEGIN to understand how much your Heavenly Father loves and cares for YOU!
- Illustration: To Be Truly Alone
- From 1986 to 1990, Frank Reed was held hostage by Hamas militants in southern Lebanon
- For months at a time Reed would be blindfolded, chained to a wall and kept in absolute silence.
- Despite the torture he endured, Reed says that the thing that bothered him most was the fact that no one seemed to care about who he was- or what he was going through
- Years later he told an interviewer: I felt like nothing I did mattered to anyone. I began to realize how (terrible) it is to exist (without) a single expression of (compassion and concern)... I learned one overriding fact: Caring is a powerful force. If no one cares, you are truly alone.
- Read Matthew 6:25-33
- I hope you're able to read between the lines and understand what Jesus is saying here:
- As a born-again child of God you can confidently go to your Heavenly Father about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING
- Because you know- beyond a shadow of a doubt-that your Heavenly Father cares about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that happens to you!
- A)
*DON'T FORGET TO PRAY
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God...
- Illustration: Mr. Jones Goes To Heaven
- Many of you have read Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer Of Jabez
- Wonderful book
- Filled with spiritual insights that can change your life
- In the book Dr. Wilkinson shares a story I want to share with you this morning
- It's called Mr. Jones Goes To Heaven
- Read beginning on page 25
- Folks- God wants you to stop worrying about the problems and challenges you face in life- and start PRAYING!
- Bring Him a heart filled with worship and thanksgiving
- Spend all the time you need telling your Heavenly Father EXACTLY what's going on in your life
- Now don't get me wrong: God already knows everything you're going to tell Him
- But you need to tell Him anyway!
- In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus says:
- I'm not one of those name it- claim it preachers
- But if you're worried about anything this morning you need to name and claim Matthew 7:7-8
- It is one of the most glorious promises you will find ANYWHERE in the Bible
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
*DEPEND ON THE GRACE OF GOD
- Illustration: Migraine Headache
- Before I was admitted to the Botox study I constantly struggled with migraine headaches
- Probably will be struggling with them again as soon as the study is over
- Please pray that Blue Cross/Blue Shield will begin to pay for these treatments
- Let me tell you something about having a migraine:
- When you're in the grips of a full-blown migraine attack your world becomes very, very small
- The only thing you're aware of- the only thing you're focused on- is the pain radiating from that six inch spot on the side of your head
- Basically the same thing happens in your spiritual life when you become crippled with worry and anxiety
- After awhile the only thing you're aware of- the only thing you can focus on- is the problem you're struggling with at that moment
- Somehow you forget about the fact that the Bible says that...
- God is big enough and strong enough and powerful enough to handle whatever problem you've got in your life
- In fact- God has something fantastic He wants to do in your life!
- Read what Paul says in verse 7:
- In other words: God wants to replace the turmoil of anxiety
- With a peace that goes beyond anything you can dream of!
- Paul discovered this truth as he struggled with his thorn in the flesh
- Nobody knows exactly what Paul's thorn was
- It may have been...
- A physical illness
- A spiritual struggle
- An obnoxious person who was making his life miserable
- Or some kind of burden that caused Paul a great deal of anxiety
- But whatever it was- it created an enormous amount of pain and sorrow in Paul's life
- Three times-
- Paul explicitly and specifically asked God to remove this burden from his life
- And three times God said: I'm not going to do that- but you are going to learn that my grace is sufficient for you
- The word sufficient means everything you need- enough to satisfy your present, and future, needs
- When you think of it this way you can see why God considers worry to be a sin
- Worry/Faith says:
- God, I'm not sure I can trust you to take care of me- to satisfy my present, and future, needs
- God- I'm going to trust You because I KNOW You love me and will
- ALWAYS take care of me.
- And you know what Paul discovered?
- God's grace was all he needed!
- With God's grace in his life Paul realized he was able to experience joys and victories that went beyond he could even imagine!
- In other words: God removed the anxiety
- And replaced it with a spirit of VICTORY!
- I want you to read what Paul writes in Ephesians 3:16-21
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus...
CONCLUSION
- I want you to close your eyes for a minute and picture the scene I'm about to describe
- I want you to imagine that I've just handed you a large cardboard box
- Now I want you to picture yourself taking the most pressing worry you've got in your life- and placing it inside that box
- If it's kind of fragile- if you're afraid it'll get broken
- Don't worry- we've got plenty of those styrofoam packing peanuts- just toss ‘em in there
- Now I want you to close that box and seal it tight with duct tape-
- Put as many layers of tape as you think it needs
- I don't want you to worry that it might burst open during transit
- Now I want you to take that box- filled with the most pressing worry in your life- and address it to God
- (Pause) Now I want you to open your eyes
- Folks, that's a picture of what happens when you pray
- Prayer transfers all of the anxieties and concerns that are making your life miserable- and entrusts them to the safe keeping of your loving Heavenly Father
- Let us pray
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
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