Tyler Lynde: We're going to go ahead and get into the message.
Tyler Lynde: I've been waiting for this message since the Lord gave me a deposit earlier this week and I felt like that he really spoke to me, what he wanted me to share with you this morning, and so let's get right into it.
Tyler Lynde: We're in a sermon series called Red Letters, and in the New Testament, especially in most translations, the words of Jesus are notated by being in red right.
Tyler Lynde: So they're in red.
Tyler Lynde: So that's why we say red letters.
Tyler Lynde: And Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever preached.
Tyler Lynde: We call it the Sermon on the Mount, and that's found here in Matthew, chapter five through seven.
Tyler Lynde: And we're in the middle of studying the Sermon on the Mount.
Tyler Lynde: We've been seeing how Jesus gives his disciples a clear picture of what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and he really focuses in on the heart.
Tyler Lynde: It's the heart that matters most, right, the condition of our hearts.
Tyler Lynde: And last week Kelly did an amazing job of showing us that where your treasure is there, your heart will be also right.
Tyler Lynde: Scripture teaches us and exhorts us to choose our treasure wisely.
Tyler Lynde: Who is our greatest treasure?
Tyler Lynde: Jesus?
Tyler Lynde: That's the right answer, amen.
Tyler Lynde: So in our passage today, jesus is continuing the theme of single-hearted devotion to God, and he deals with the need for his followers to walk in freedom from anxiety, especially over our daily needs.
Tyler Lynde: Now I want to give a little bit.
Tyler Lynde: The title of today's message is A Cure for Anxiety A Cure for Anxiety, and I want to give a little bit of a disclaimer.
Tyler Lynde: Before we start, I want to just make it clear that there are instances in people's lives when anxiety and depression are things that need to be treated by professionals.
Tyler Lynde: Okay, there are those who struggle with, let's say, mental illness or trauma, and so they need some psychological help in order to overcome that.
Tyler Lynde: There are others who also maybe have a chemical imbalance and, because of the chemical imbalance that they have, their emotions and anxiety and things like that are affected because of the chemical imbalance that they have, their emotions and anxiety and things like that are affected because of the chemical imbalance, and so they need medical help.
Tyler Lynde: And then there are also others that, because of demonic oppression or influence in their lives, they need spiritual help.
Tyler Lynde: They need freedom from demonic spirits that would try to cause people to walk in anxiety and fear.
Tyler Lynde: Does that make sense?
Tyler Lynde: So I want to make it very clear I'm not going to be preaching what I'm preaching this morning with the idea that what I'm going to say to you today is going to apply evenly for each and every person.
Tyler Lynde: It depends a lot on where they find themselves, where each individual finds themselves at this stage in their life and the type of help that they need.
Tyler Lynde: And my encouragement to all of you, as a person who has needed these kinds of helps in my own life if you need help, get help.
Tyler Lynde: If you need help, get help.
Tyler Lynde: There's such a stigma in Christian circles at times around people who need to reach out for help when it comes to anxiety and fear and mental health issues, and it should not be this way.
Tyler Lynde: It should not be this way.
Tyler Lynde: We, as the body of Christ, should be embracing, welcoming and also understanding of those who are dealing with things that are outside of their control.
Tyler Lynde: Now, how many of you believe that Jesus can touch every one of us and miraculously heal us and cause chemical imbalances to be made normal and cause mental illness to diminish and to leave?
Tyler Lynde: So I'm not limiting God in any way.
Tyler Lynde: All I'm saying is let's be careful before we pick up rocks and start to judge others, and we're going to learn about this next week, about being careful how we judge others.
Tyler Lynde: Let's be careful that we not judge others when we haven't walked a mile in their shoes.
Tyler Lynde: Amen, all right.
Tyler Lynde: So there's no shame, like I said, in getting help.
Tyler Lynde: We need help in whatever way, whatever form it comes.
Tyler Lynde: What we're talking about today are the things that we can make choices about.
Tyler Lynde: There are things, regardless of what our background is, regardless of what our chemistry is, regardless of what's going on in our personal lives, there are principles that can be applied to each of our lives, based on the scripture, that will help us to make the right kinds of choices so that we can avoid being trapped in the prison of anxiety.
Tyler Lynde: Now we're going to use three words today that we're using them synonymously.
Tyler Lynde: We're using fear, anxiety and worry, and we're using them interchangeably, right?
Tyler Lynde: So whatever word it is that you connect better with in understanding whether it's fear, anxiety or worry, those are the three words that we're talking about this morning.
Tyler Lynde: So let's turn into our Bibles and hear what Jesus has to say, because it's his words that matter most and hear what he has to say about this subject in Matthew 6, verses 25 through 34.
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Tyler Lynde: It's not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Tyler Lynde: Look at the birds of the air.
Tyler Lynde: They neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.
Tyler Lynde: And are you not of more value than they?
Tyler Lynde: And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life?
Tyler Lynde: And why are you anxious about clothing?
Tyler Lynde: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
Tyler Lynde: They neither toil nor spin.
Tyler Lynde: Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Tyler Lynde: But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, do not be anxious saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear, for the Gentiles.
Tyler Lynde: Seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all, but seek first his kingdom, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient for the day, is its own trouble.
Tyler Lynde: Let's pray together.
Tyler Lynde: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for the moments that we have ahead of us this morning.
Tyler Lynde: We thank you that you've prepared the way already before we ever came into this building.
Tyler Lynde: I thank you for the prayers that have been prayed about this time that we would spend together.
Tyler Lynde: And, lord, I thank you that what was in your heart and in your mind, that you've given that to us this morning and you're going to help me to be able to communicate it to your people.
Tyler Lynde: And so, father, I ask that you would do that, that you would open our ears, open our hearts, open our minds, that we would receive the truth of the word of God with gladness and Lord, that we would receive it in such a way that our lives would be forever changed.
Tyler Lynde: And we take authority over anything that would try to hinder us from being able to receive the truth found in this passage.
Tyler Lynde: And we say that you have no authority over us, in the mighty name of Jesus, and we give you glory.
Tyler Lynde: Amen and amen, the mighty name of Jesus and we give you glory.
Tyler Lynde: Amen and amen.
Tyler Lynde: So I gave these.
Tyler Lynde: The elders passed out these cards that just simply say my greatest fear is dot, dot, dot.
Tyler Lynde: And what I would ask you to do is, if you already know what that is, if you want to go ahead and jot that down, that's great.
Tyler Lynde: We're going to do something at the end with these, so there is a purpose for this other than just holding them right so you can fill it out now.
Tyler Lynde: If you don't know now and something pops into your mind or your heart during the service, maybe that's the Lord speaking to you and go ahead and write that down, or, if you're not sure, even to the very end of the service.
Tyler Lynde: We'll have a few minutes then to contemplate that as well.
Tyler Lynde: Okay, so just be prepared for that.
Tyler Lynde: I believe the Lord's given me some wisdom on how to deal with this at the very end.
Tyler Lynde: So the temptation to fear if we're honest is very real.
Tyler Lynde: Can we just be honest and real and authentic with each other?
Tyler Lynde: This morning?
Tyler Lynde: There's a great temptation that we face concerning worry, anxiety and fear, and it's not a one-time temptation.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know that?
Tyler Lynde: Every day and every moment we're presented with opportunities to choose whether to trust God or to fear.
Tyler Lynde: We are confronted with these kinds of decisions all of the time.
Tyler Lynde: Can you imagine what it is like in the world?
Tyler Lynde: And maybe you can remember what your life was like in the world before Jesus?
Tyler Lynde: There was no answer to worry, anxiety and fear.
Tyler Lynde: That was the way of life, that was the norm.
Tyler Lynde: That was the way we all experienced life without Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: But now that we have been born again, we've been introduced into the family of God.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know we don't have to live any longer under fear, anxiety and worry?
Tyler Lynde: Jesus has made a way for us.
Tyler Lynde: We are surrounded at times with circumstances that are either real or imagined, and most of the time fear starts out as a whisper.
Tyler Lynde: Out as a whisper.
Tyler Lynde: It starts out very softly, almost serene-like, but how many of you know?
Tyler Lynde: After it continues its work and grows and grows and grows, before long the whisper becomes a scream and the scream doesn't let up.
Tyler Lynde: The scream infiltrates every part of our lives.
Tyler Lynde: It attempts to infiltrate the way that we live our lives on a daily basis.
Tyler Lynde: The scream of fear is really this.
Tyler Lynde: The bottom line, scream of fear is you can't trust God.
Tyler Lynde: That's what fear wants us to believe.
Tyler Lynde: And how many of you know that Satan is the author of fear?
Tyler Lynde: And Satan hates God, and because he hates God, he hates God's children and he can't get to God.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know God got to him and he can't get to God?
Tyler Lynde: But how many of you know he also attempts to get to God by getting to us?
Tyler Lynde: And so we need to be wise, we need to be discerning, we need to understand what the scripture teaches, we need to know how to resist the temptation to give in to the screaming lies of the enemy.
Tyler Lynde: There's a great acronym, and I'm sure most of you have heard it Fear is false evidence appearing real.
Tyler Lynde: It's something that screams out at us that it is real, that it is happening, that is going to happen and that there's nothing that we can do about it.
Tyler Lynde: And that is the attempt that fear makes to try to grab us and to hold on to us and to manipulate us.
Tyler Lynde: It's very real.
Tyler Lynde: To manipulate us is very real.
Tyler Lynde: Perception is reality to people, whether it's the truth or not.
Tyler Lynde: There are so many things that can cause us anxiety and worry and fear.
Tyler Lynde: How about our job scenarios?
Tyler Lynde: You may have thought your whole life that your job was secure and all of a sudden, there begin to become huge changes within the corporate structure of your company and all of a sudden, you don't know if your name's going to be on the list or not.
Tyler Lynde: Are you going to make the cut or not?
Tyler Lynde: What are you going to do if you go a week or two or a month without a paycheck?
Tyler Lynde: How are you going to survive?
Tyler Lynde: How are you going to provide for your family?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know there's a lot of intrinsic fear that can be developed in that kind of thinking that can be developed in that kind of thinking.
Tyler Lynde: How about family relationships?
Tyler Lynde: What if my wife walks away?
Tyler Lynde: What if my children don't love me?
Tyler Lynde: What if?
Tyler Lynde: All of these different questions that arise?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know that there was something called a pandemic?
Tyler Lynde: That happened in 2020?
Tyler Lynde: And through that, guess what has happened in the world?
Tyler Lynde: There is a.
Tyler Lynde: The lid has been taken off of fear and fear has been unleashed upon the nations of this world.
Tyler Lynde: This is real.
Tyler Lynde: We're dealing with this, aren't we?
Tyler Lynde: I remember, on 9-11, my wife ran into the room to let me know that something very wrong was happening in our country and I ran out to watch what was happening on television and couldn't believe it when they finally realized this was no accident.
Tyler Lynde: This was something that had been planned and had been executed to bring about destruction and fear in our nation.
Tyler Lynde: You can go back before that and this is laughable now, but some of us during Y2K were concerned.
Tyler Lynde: I mean, how many of you partied hard on December 31st 1999, right, it's like it's all going to be over tomorrow.
Tyler Lynde: Max out the credit cards.
Tyler Lynde: Hopefully you didn't do that, but anyway, we lived.
Tyler Lynde: For those of you who are younger, you didn't know this, but we were actually told that the world was going to end at midnight on January, the 1st 2000,.
Tyler Lynde: Because none of the computers were able to calculate that into the new millennia.
Tyler Lynde: Somehow it's 2025 and we're still here, right?
Tyler Lynde: So you can see at times.
Tyler Lynde: That is a glaring, obvious example of how foolish fear can be at times, right?
Tyler Lynde: And yet I'm sure that there were some of us that experienced at least a little bit of trepidation concerning that.
Tyler Lynde: How about finances?
Tyler Lynde: Money comes and money goes, and there are times when we are confronted with the idea that we may be ruined, that this may be the end of our financial health, our well-being and all of the things that go along with that.
Tyler Lynde: How about politics?
Tyler Lynde: Is there any fear or intimidation or anxiety or worry that go along with that?
Tyler Lynde: How about politics?
Tyler Lynde: Is there any fear or intimidation or anxiety or worry that go along with politics?
Tyler Lynde: In today's world, it seems like that's all that there is.
Tyler Lynde: They've lost any kind of principle or idea, and everything is about how bad we hate the other people and how much we can try to make the American people afraid of what those bad people over there are wanting to do.
Tyler Lynde: Stop it.
Tyler Lynde: That is not godly.
Tyler Lynde: That is not the way that we're supposed to live as Christian people.
Tyler Lynde: We don't have to live like that.
Tyler Lynde: Christian people, we don't have to live like that.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you find that after three hours of watching the news, your attitude changes, your disposition, the way you look at life begins to change.
Tyler Lynde: Why is that?
Tyler Lynde: Because of fear.
Tyler Lynde: Almost every newscast is laced with fear torpedoes that attempt to get to us, to our hearts and to our souls.
Tyler Lynde: Many of you know that in late 2019 and into mid 2020, I had a major health scare.
Tyler Lynde: I've been spending several months over that time in the hospital with varying degrees of problems in my internal, in my GI tract, it's the nicest way to say it.
Tyler Lynde: I can think of Four surgeries later and several cumulative, like I said, months in the hospital.
Tyler Lynde: I was finally back on my way to health, but through that process I realized that I had been inundated with fear and this wasn't new fear, it was new-ish, but it was fear that I recognized from other times in my life, and so I wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Tyler Lynde: How many of you are tired of weed-eating weeds?
Tyler Lynde: What's the end result of weed-e eating weeds?
Tyler Lynde: Do we have less weeds or do we have more weeds?
Tyler Lynde: We at least have the same weeds, don't we that grow back up?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you know it's much better if you can pull them out at the root?
Tyler Lynde: So my desire, as I was going through that very difficult scenario and, by the way, it wasn't just me, it was my family and a lot of you that were here and were praying for me, and so thank you again for walking with us through that very difficult time.
Tyler Lynde: But as I was going through that, I was asking the Lord, what is it that I'm afraid of?
Tyler Lynde: And I thought, first of all, I'm afraid of dying.
Tyler Lynde: I mean, you know that's a pretty common fear, right?
Tyler Lynde: What I realized after I'd gone through this is there were three specific times I was very close to dying and I didn't even know it, because God's created our bodies with these, with hormones and chemicals and all these things that get released when our body is under certain strains and stresses.
Tyler Lynde: I didn't even know.
Tyler Lynde: The doctor in my family had to tell me.
Tyler Lynde: Unfortunately, my family had to deal with that from a reality standpoint, because they knew it right Again.
Tyler Lynde: So I wasn't afraid of dying.
Tyler Lynde: And then I thought I'm afraid of pain.
Tyler Lynde: I'm afraid of extreme pain Anybody with you on that but I went through what I can only describe as the most gruesome pain.
Tyler Lynde: And, by the way, when I say these things, I know that there are people that have suffered much greater things in their life.
Tyler Lynde: So I'm not trying to compare or compete, but to me this is the greatest form of pain that I had ever experienced in my life, on a daily basis, over and over and over again, over again, felt like Groundhog Day, right, and yet that wasn't it.
Tyler Lynde: And so, finally, I was going in for my last surgery to be repaired and everything to be repaired and reconnected and as I went in, it was May of 2020.
Tyler Lynde: It was May of 2020.
Tyler Lynde: You guess what the policies were in the hospital in May of 2020?
Tyler Lynde: I went in there by myself.
Tyler Lynde: I should rephrase that Me and Jesus walked into that place and I was laying in the hospital bed with my family, not able to visit nobody else, just me, the staff.
Tyler Lynde: The hospital was very sparse, there were very few patients around and I lay in the hospital bed, able to do nothing for myself, and I realized what my fear was.
Tyler Lynde: I've written it on my card right here my greatest fear is losing control.
Tyler Lynde: And you know what the Lord was so gracious to show me in that moment he's in control and if I put my hope and trust and faith and confidence in Him, he's there with me, he's walking with me and, regardless of the outcome of all of this, it's going.
Tyler Lynde: It's going to be okay.
Tyler Lynde: Do I still deal with these things?
Tyler Lynde: Am I still tempted to fear?
Tyler Lynde: Of course, but I have to say my life is far different today than it was in 2020.
Tyler Lynde: And I believe it's partially because the Lord spoke the truth to me that brought freedom into my life, and I want that for each and every one of you as well, not for you to go through what I went through, but for you to be able to walk in freedom.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus, in this passage, is telling those who had proposed to be his followers that they must think differently about things, that they needed to have a different set of eyes, that they needed to evaluate things according to the way he evaluates them, especially when it comes to fear over their basic life needs.
Tyler Lynde: He admonishes them to stop worrying and instead start believing.
Tyler Lynde: Satan's desire is to keep us in a constant state of anxiety, which causes our thoughts to be overwhelming.
Tyler Lynde: Anybody have an overwhelming thought at times Again.
Tyler Lynde: Are we going to be real with each other this morning?
Tyler Lynde: Thought at times Again.
Tyler Lynde: Are we going to be real with each other this morning?
Tyler Lynde: Okay, overwhelming thoughts.
Tyler Lynde: He disturbs our joy in God.
Tyler Lynde: He threatens our restful sleep Anybody having trouble with sleep.
Tyler Lynde: He hinders our enjoyment of the goodness of God.
Tyler Lynde: He hinders our own enjoyment, our enjoyment of our family and friends.
Tyler Lynde: Satan hates us and he wants to keep us crippled in our minds when it comes to fear, anxiety and worry.
Tyler Lynde: So let's look at what Jesus says the worthlessness of worry.
Tyler Lynde: Three things that he says that I believe are really impactful.
Tyler Lynde: First of all, he basically says it's unnecessary.
Tyler Lynde: It is unnecessary to worry.
Tyler Lynde: Remember, in verse 26, he says look at the birds of the air.
Tyler Lynde: They neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.
Tyler Lynde: Are you not of more value than they?
Tyler Lynde: What a beautiful picture.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus is using a lesser than greater than approach.
Tyler Lynde: He's saying you don't need to be anxious, because look at the birds, listen to the birds.
Tyler Lynde: Are they singing their songs of joy this morning?
Tyler Lynde: Yes, they are.
Tyler Lynde: Are they straining and stressing about what it is that they're going to eat today or what they're going to drink today?
Tyler Lynde: Are they stressed out?
Tyler Lynde: Are they exhausted?
Tyler Lynde: Are they weary?
Tyler Lynde: How do they fly as far as they fly the migratory ones?
Tyler Lynde: I've never understood that.
Tyler Lynde: Thousands and thousands of miles, some of them.
Tyler Lynde: They're just little bitty things at times, and yet God has put in their nature this innate ability to be able to know where they need to go, where provision is, to know that they're going to be taken care of.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus is saying if our Heavenly Father takes care of the birds like that, is he not going to be taken care of?
Tyler Lynde: Jesus is saying if our heavenly father takes care of the birds like that.
Tyler Lynde: Is he not going to take care of us?
Tyler Lynde: This is where you answer yes, amen, he will take care of his children.
Tyler Lynde: He goes on to say and why are you anxious about clothing?
Tyler Lynde: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
Tyler Lynde: They neither toil nor spin.
Tyler Lynde: Yet I tell you, even Solomon in Solomon, we always think of him for his wisdom.
Tyler Lynde: But not only was he wise, he was also the richest man on the planet.
Tyler Lynde: And being the richest king on the planet, can you imagine what his kingly robes must have looked like, the adornment of his clothing?
Tyler Lynde: He must have been something spectacular.
Tyler Lynde: Queen of Sheba came up and made all kinds of commentary about Solomon's kingdom and the way that he was adorned and the way that he was in this life.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus compares him, at the pinnacle of success in his finest kingly attire, with the wildflower in the field.
Tyler Lynde: That has a temporary lifespan here today and gone tomorrow.
Tyler Lynde: When I was growing up, we lived in Wyoming at the base of the Rocky Mountains.
Tyler Lynde: The Rocky Mountains are just that a lot of rock, a lot of rock and some pine trees and that's just about it.
Tyler Lynde: Not a lot of other things to kind of catch your eye other than the wildlife, right, but certain times of the year there are these certain things that grow up, these certain plants that grow up, sometimes even that seems out of the rocks themselves, and they have a flower that turns this bright crimson red.
Tyler Lynde: They're called Indian paintbrush.
Tyler Lynde: If you've ever seen them, they're some of the, to me, some of the most spectacular creations from as far as plant life that I've ever seen is my mom's favorite flower, okay, but these are basically kind of like weeds, here today and gone tomorrow.
Tyler Lynde: And Jesus is referring to this specifically in the fact that they would cut down the fields and the wildflowers in the fields and they would bundle them together and they would use that for fuel to cook food, to keep warm, whatever the need was.
Tyler Lynde: And he's saying to them again, to his followers we don't have to stress.
Tyler Lynde: Just like the lilies of the field, don't stress.
Tyler Lynde: Can you imagine if a plant out, if you could like somehow see on the inside of the field, don't stress.
Tyler Lynde: Can you imagine if a plant out, if you could like somehow see on the inside of the plant and see it like you know what I mean?
Tyler Lynde: That's, this is weird to think about.
Tyler Lynde: Flowers, don't have to do that, it just kind of happens.
Tyler Lynde: A little bit of rain, a little bit of sunshine, a little bit of bee work right and before long.
Tyler Lynde: Beauty.
Tyler Lynde: Beauty is everywhere.
Tyler Lynde: So not only is it unnecessary to worry, it's also unfruitful.
Tyler Lynde: Verse 27, jesus says and which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you have worried yourself into a better scenario?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you have been so anxious that you started feeling better?
Tyler Lynde: How many of you have been overwhelmed by fear to the point to where you were like give me another hour of this.
Tyler Lynde: Can we be real?
Tyler Lynde: I love how practical Jesus gets with his followers.
Tyler Lynde: He's not leaving anything to the imagination.
Tyler Lynde: He asked them literally can you add an hour to your lifespan by worrying about it?
Tyler Lynde: Can you do it?
Tyler Lynde: Can you make it happen?
Tyler Lynde: Not only can't they obviously it's a rhetorical question but according to the National Institutes of Health, the NIH, individuals that live lives characterized by worry and fear and anxiety may actually experience a reduced life expectancy the exact opposite of what somebody who's worrying and trying to make themselves live longer, to expand their life, to have a longer lifespan.
Tyler Lynde: A lot of times when you worry about those kinds of things, you actually seemingly reduce the quality of life at least, and sometimes it seems like the length of life.
Tyler Lynde: They experience a reduced life expectancy, potentially by several years.
Tyler Lynde: Now, don't worry about that.
Tyler Lynde: I hear you right now.
Tyler Lynde: I'm worried about being worried about experiencing.
Tyler Lynde: Don't double worry, okay, it's like a double negative, don't do it.
Tyler Lynde: Compared to the general population, obviously it's vitally important that we deal with this.
Tyler Lynde: Let's deal with it.
Tyler Lynde: It's unnecessary, it's unfruitful to worry and, finally, it is unbecoming.
Tyler Lynde: Verse 31 and 32,.
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, do not be anxious saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear, for the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all.
Tyler Lynde: I can't remember we were talking about this the other day.
Tyler Lynde: I can't remember when the word unbecoming became a part of our family vocabulary, but it found its way in sometime when our kids were younger.
Tyler Lynde: What does unbecoming mean?
Tyler Lynde: What does it have to do with?
Tyler Lynde: How do we translate it?
Tyler Lynde: We translate it as acting out of character or nature, acting in a way that is not becoming unbecoming.
Tyler Lynde: So, for example, amy and I were at a restaurant the other day and the table behind us had what I suppose was a mom.
Tyler Lynde: I don't know if it was a mom or a babysitter or an aunt.
Tyler Lynde: I would have thought it was a grandparent, but it wasn't.
Tyler Lynde: But the kids were practicing their burping skills.
Tyler Lynde: They'd eat a bite of pizza and drink a soda and then they would burp very loudly, very loudly.
Tyler Lynde: And Amy and I were sitting there trying to enjoy our meal.
Tyler Lynde: And if it had been our kids or our family, we would have said to them Levi, no, not Levi.
Tyler Lynde: Levi would never do that.
Tyler Lynde: There's a couple of my kids not here this morning.
Tyler Lynde: I could pick on them.
Tyler Lynde: They have good reasons.
Tyler Lynde: So do we have a picture somewhere?
Tyler Lynde: Is there a picture that we have?
Tyler Lynde: Oh, what is?
Tyler Lynde: that, oh my goodness.
Tyler Lynde: That is Amelia Grace.
Tyler Lynde: She's our brand new grandbaby and she's doing really well and she'll be here hopefully next week.
Tyler Lynde: So we love her very much.
Tyler Lynde: Anyway, can't be anxious when you're looking at that, right, what a cutie.
Tyler Lynde: So we are so grateful.
Tyler Lynde: Yeah, jordan and Noel are doing well and everybody's adjusting and learning what it's like to be big bro and big sis again, and they're doing well.
Tyler Lynde: So what was I talking about Unbecoming?
Tyler Lynde: So, yeah, the burp.
Tyler Lynde: Yeah, sorry, did I say burp in church?
Tyler Lynde: I probably shouldn't have Another example, but anyway, you know, dressing inappropriately, gossiping, fighting with one another, that's unbecoming of this family.
Tyler Lynde: That's not how we do this, right?
Tyler Lynde: Well, jesus is saying to his followers it's unbecoming of you, as my children, to worry, to be anxious, to be fearful.
Tyler Lynde: He says the Gentiles, unbelievers, do that all the time, but you guys don't need to do that, you don't have to do that, you don't have to do that.
Tyler Lynde: Isn't that good news?
Tyler Lynde: It's great news.
Tyler Lynde: So, finally, the source of anxiety what is it?
Tyler Lynde: What causes us to be anxious?
Tyler Lynde: What causes us to fear?
Tyler Lynde: What causes us to live in worry?
Tyler Lynde: I believe that it's a lack of trust in Father God.
Tyler Lynde: Remember I use that word there purposefully Father God.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus refers to his Father many times in this passage and he's wanting to pass on to them this sort of new reality.
Tyler Lynde: To them, God is not just a great king or a great Lord or a great majestic one.
Tyler Lynde: He is all of those things, but he's also our father.
Tyler Lynde: He's our father.
Tyler Lynde: And how do we know that, jesus, that a lack of trust in father God is a reason for anxiety?
Tyler Lynde: What did he say to them?
Tyler Lynde: Oh you of little faith.
Tyler Lynde: We want to boil it down to its very root.
Tyler Lynde: We must acknowledge that, primarily, worry and fear come from that fact.
Tyler Lynde: It's a lack of trust in Father God.
Tyler Lynde: The bottom line cause of it is we don't really believe what, that God loves us.
Tyler Lynde: Let's bottom line it.
Tyler Lynde: If we're filled with worry and anxiety and fear and we are believers in Jesus Christ there is one reason, and that is because we don't really believe that our heavenly father loves us.
Tyler Lynde: So let's do a quick little exercise together.
Tyler Lynde: Does God love Jesus, his son?
Tyler Lynde: How do we know that?
Tyler Lynde: Think of some examples.
Tyler Lynde: How about the fact that we know that he's loved him for all of eternity?
Tyler Lynde: He has loved him for all of eternity.
Tyler Lynde: They are in perfect union with one another Perfect unity.
Tyler Lynde: Can you imagine what it must have been like for the two of them, and the Holy Spirit involved as well, to speak words and to see the earth and all of the things that we experience in our daily lives around us?
Tyler Lynde: To see them come out, boom?
Tyler Lynde: What a great joy that must have been for them, as father and son, and with the father in his heart wanting to create a bride for his son.
Tyler Lynde: That's how deep the father's love is for Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: And at his birth, not only were there shepherds and wise men, but, how many of you know, the skies were filled with a heavenly choir of angels.
Tyler Lynde: Because heaven couldn't contain itself.
Tyler Lynde: It had to express the glory and the joy and the majesty of God, the Son coming to this earth.
Tyler Lynde: How about at Jesus' baptism?
Tyler Lynde: Before Jesus did any mighty works?
Tyler Lynde: He comes up out of the water, heaven opens.
Tyler Lynde: And what does God say?
Tyler Lynde: He comes up out of the water, heaven opens.
Tyler Lynde: And what does God say?
Tyler Lynde: This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.
Tyler Lynde: And then Jesus is taken by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
Tyler Lynde: And what does God do?
Tyler Lynde: He sends ministering angels to minister to Jesus, to strengthen him, to help him.
Tyler Lynde: And then, at the transfiguration, elijah and Moses show up and again God speaks out of the heavens.
Tyler Lynde: This is my son, listen to him.
Tyler Lynde: And we have examples at the garden of Gethsemane I just learned this this morning there were angels that were sent at the garden of Gethsemane to minister to Jesus and his need.
Tyler Lynde: And how many of you knowsemane to minister to Jesus in his need and how many of you know that?
Tyler Lynde: God, the father, raised Jesus from the dead.
Tyler Lynde: He experienced the resurrection because of the love that the father has for his son, and he also caused him to be ascended into heaven.
Tyler Lynde: He sat him at his right hand and he's given him the name above every other name, the name of Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: Does our heavenly father love his son, jesus?
Tyler Lynde: I know what you're thinking, but that's Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: He's perfect.
Tyler Lynde: He never made any mistakes.
Tyler Lynde: Of course his heavenly father loves him.
Tyler Lynde: How could he not?
Tyler Lynde: Of course his heavenly father loves him.
Tyler Lynde: How could he not?
Tyler Lynde: I purposely left out part of the story that I want to recircle back to you see, god's father heart is so great that he willingly allowed his son to be nailed to a cross, the son that he had loved throughout all eternity and had shown his great love for him in so many powerful ways, in ways that we, as human fathers, try to emulate.
Tyler Lynde: In some way we could just grasp on, even to the hem of his garment, to show our children and those around us what a father's heart really is.
Tyler Lynde: And yet a heavenly father who loved his son so much laid him on this cross.
Tyler Lynde: Why Did he lose his love for his son?
Tyler Lynde: Or had his heart grown so much that he wanted more children, that he wanted to express his love in the most powerful of ways, the most endearing of ways, in a way that could never be discounted?
Tyler Lynde: Who lays down their life not only for their friend, but for their enemy?
Tyler Lynde: And yet that's what our heavenly father did to Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: He asked him to be sacrificed so that we could be adopted into the family of God.
Tyler Lynde: My friends, we are not orphans and we need, as believers in Jesus Christ, to stop acting like it.
Tyler Lynde: I'm begging you, I'm imploring you, stop that lie of the enemy.
Tyler Lynde: Now you have been adopted, you have been grafted in, you have been chosen by God to be a part of his family, and he loves you so much.
Tyler Lynde: His love is indescribable.
Tyler Lynde: And I'm going to read some verses over you.
Tyler Lynde: And faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Tyler Lynde: And as I speak these words, I'm believing that worry and fear and anxiety is going to begin to come off of each and every one of us, that we're going to lay it down once and for all and walk away from it.
Tyler Lynde: John 3.16, and you can close your eyes if you want.
Tyler Lynde: However, you want to absorb these truths, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Tyler Lynde: First, john 3.1.
Tyler Lynde: See what great love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are.
Tyler Lynde: The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Tyler Lynde: Lamentations 3.22 says the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
Tyler Lynde: His mercies never come to an end.
Tyler Lynde: They are new every morning.
Tyler Lynde: Great is your faithfulness.
Tyler Lynde: The Lord is my portion, says my soul.
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, I will hope in him.
Tyler Lynde: First, john chapter four says by this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world.
Tyler Lynde: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Tyler Lynde: We love because he first loved us.
Tyler Lynde: This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Tyler Lynde: This is the truth that makes us free.
Tyler Lynde: This is the love that overwhelms fear and anxiety and worry, and this is the truth that we must remind ourselves every day, because satan whispers, whimpers and screams at times to tell us that it's not true.
Tyler Lynde: The cure for anxiety, my friends, is for us to live like loved children of God, to live like we are loved.
Tyler Lynde: Verse 33 says but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Tyler Lynde: In other words, seek first what the kingdom is like, what the family is like, seek to be a part of what God's way and his will is.
Tyler Lynde: Live life the way that he expects for it to be lived by his grace, and all of the other things that we worry about, that we're concerned about, will melt away.
Tyler Lynde: They'll run away from us in a million different directions.
Tyler Lynde: You and I will not be able to be free from anxiety until we put our faith and trust in the living God who sent his son to die for us.
Tyler Lynde: Instead of living like orphans, we are to begin to live like loved children of God, because he has adopted us and given us his righteousness as a free gift.
Tyler Lynde: In doing this, we will choose to seek first his will and his way of doing this.
Tyler Lynde: Remember the prayer our father in heaven.
Tyler Lynde: And then, a few words later, it says your kingdom come.
Tyler Lynde: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Tyler Lynde: What does it look like to be a citizen of the kingdom?
Tyler Lynde: A citizen of the kingdom trusts their father.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus is our great example of this.
Tyler Lynde: Even though he was equal with God, he chose to humble himself and he became obedient to his father's will.
Tyler Lynde: We see this in Gethsemane Father, if there's any way for this cup to pass from me, let it pass.
Tyler Lynde: Yet not my will, but your will be done.
Tyler Lynde: Was Jesus concerned about the beating?
Tyler Lynde: Was he concerned about the blood?
Tyler Lynde: Was he concerned about the crucifixion?
Tyler Lynde: Was he concerned this was going to be the first time in all of eternity past, present and future that he was going to be separated for a moment in time from his heavenly father, and that was what was most unbearable to him.
Tyler Lynde: That is what he needed help with and when we put our faith, hope and trust in a living savior that did that for us, that paid the price for us, that laid his life down for us so that we could be free.
Tyler Lynde: What greater gift can we give than to walk in that freedom?
Tyler Lynde: And Jesus concludes the thought by a practical application.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus was a practical teacher.
Tyler Lynde: He told his disciples to focus on one day at a time.
Tyler Lynde: Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow.
Tyler Lynde: He told his disciples to focus on one day at a time.
Tyler Lynde: I love the fact.
Tyler Lynde: It gives them an instruction on where to begin with transforming their thinking.
Tyler Lynde: He told them, let's just focus on today, let's focus on the present, let's focus on what's going on right now.
Tyler Lynde: Let's focus on being tuned in to my father's voice and seeing where he's leading us and guiding us.
Tyler Lynde: Let's not worry.
Tyler Lynde: And how many of you know the what ifs?
Tyler Lynde: The what if?
Tyler Lynde: Questions are the ones that cause us sometimes the greatest consternation.
Tyler Lynde: And if you go to the end of what if, for example, if I had died in that hospital, I know that my family would have been very sad and I would not wish that upon them, and I know that many other people that know me and were praying for me would have been very sad and would have mourned that.
Tyler Lynde: But how many of you know to pass from this life to the next as a believer is not something to be pitied.
Tyler Lynde: To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Tyler Lynde: So let's take it to the fullest extent.
Tyler Lynde: Fear.
Tyler Lynde: What are you the end result of?
Tyler Lynde: Whatever?
Tyler Lynde: However, this life wraps up, it's all good.
Tyler Lynde: If you read the back of the book we win, come on, we win.
Tyler Lynde: Now here's some people saying does that mean that we can't plan for the future?
Tyler Lynde: Can we not save any money?
Tyler Lynde: I'm not saying that.
Tyler Lynde: He's not saying that.
Tyler Lynde: He's not telling us that we shouldn't think about the future in the right ways and prepare for things to come, but he's saying our mindset should be to live in this moment, present with God, with us, and then the next moment and the next moment and the next moment will come.
Tyler Lynde: So I want us to finish the service this morning in a very unique way, and I'm going to ask that the worship team or whoever is going to come and play would come, and I'm going to ask that a couple of guys come and move the cross to the center of the stage and as I was praying about how to finish this, I felt like the Lord encouraged me to have a practical way that we could respond to this.
Tyler Lynde: So, again, if you have not filled your card out, I want you just to take a minute now and just you can write down a word, you can write down a phrase, you can write down a sentence.
Tyler Lynde: You don't have to sign these.
Tyler Lynde: There's not going to be, we're not going to be reading these over the microphone.
Tyler Lynde: So don't be, don't be concerned about that.
Tyler Lynde: This is between you and God.
Tyler Lynde: But what we're going to do here in just a minute, we're going to pray together, god.
Tyler Lynde: But what we're going to do here in just a minute, we're going to pray together and ask the Lord to.
Tyler Lynde: Can we be real?
Tyler Lynde: We need to ask the Lord to forgive us for areas in our life where we have, for whatever reason, not chosen to trust him, where fear and anxiety and worry have taken the predominant voice in our heads.
Tyler Lynde: And not only do we need to repent and acknowledge that we want to change, but we want to take a first step, an act of faith.
Tyler Lynde: And so we're just going to, symbolically, I'm going to ask you as you feel comfortable doing it.
Tyler Lynde: I'm just folding my piece of.
Tyler Lynde: Symbolically, I'm going to ask you as you feel comfortable doing it.
Tyler Lynde: I'm just folding my piece of paper here and I'm going to bring it after we pray and I'm going to just lay it here at the foot of this cross.
Tyler Lynde: And we know this is just a symbolic cross, it has no power in and of itself, but how many of you know it represents God's love toward us.
Tyler Lynde: While we were yet sinners, christ died for us, and so we're going to symbolically lay these fears at the feet of Jesus this morning and we're going to also, by faith, we're going to let them go.
Tyler Lynde: Are you ready to let them go?
Tyler Lynde: Are you ready to move on past this fear?
Tyler Lynde: Are you ready to not feel that sinking feeling in your gut, or that tightness in your chest, or that lump in your throat sweating the nervousness?
Tyler Lynde: Are you ready to let go of that?
Tyler Lynde: Can I be honest, sometimes we think that's our friend because we've grown so accustomed to it.
Tyler Lynde: I'm here to tell you the freedom that Jesus offers us is so much greater than any feeling that we can get from something that we're holding onto like this because we've grown comfortable with it, right.
Tyler Lynde: And so I'm gonna ask again, just as you feel, that after we pray together, just to come down and lay it at the feet of this cross and symbolically laying it at the feet of Jesus and saying, lord, I'm responding to you, I'm responding to your word.
Tyler Lynde: I'm saying, lord, help Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.
Tyler Lynde: Does that make sense?
Tyler Lynde: It's a beautiful prayer that the Lord loves to answer.
Tyler Lynde: It's a prayer of humility that acknowledges I have a need here.
Tyler Lynde: I've tried in my own strength, I've attempted to just will myself to somehow get better in these ways, and yet I find myself still surrounded by these voices in my head.
Tyler Lynde: Today is a day and there's been a lot of people praying about this Today is a day of freedom, and I believe with all of my heart that God is going to take the words that have been spoken and the spirit that's behind it, and he's going to create within us clean hearts today and he's going to renew a right spirit within us and he's going to restore unto us the joy of our salvation and some of these things that have had a hold of us for a long time are going to fall away and it's going to be a new day and a new beginning in Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: Are you ready for that this morning?
Tyler Lynde: So let's just take a minute between you and the Lord.
Tyler Lynde: I'm going to lead us in a prayer, but you just talk to him.
Tyler Lynde: He's your father and, by the way, if you're here this morning, you don't yet know Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: Everything that I said that applied to followers of Jesus can apply to your life too.
Tyler Lynde: If you would just humble yourself today and acknowledge your need for a savior, repent, which just means to turn away from your way of living, your way of thought, and recognize Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: I need you, I need you to save me, to change me I can't do it myself and put your faith, believe in him, put your faith and trust in the Jesus who did die on this cross and just as he said he would do, three days later he rose from the grave.
Tyler Lynde: Call out to him right now and he will answer you and he will save you and your life.
Tyler Lynde: Please don't think it's gonna be perfect in man's eyes, but you'll never be alone again because he'll always be with you.
Tyler Lynde: So let's pray together.
Tyler Lynde: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for everyone that's here and also, lord, I just feel led to pray for those who are watching online.
Tyler Lynde: And, lord, we're not just doing this as some kind of just to make a scene.
Tyler Lynde: Our hearts, lord, we just want to trust you.
Tyler Lynde: We want to trust you, we know that you are trustworthy and yet we find ourselves at times trusting in everything else and not putting our trust in you.
Tyler Lynde: And so, Father, I ask that you would forgive me, forgive us, lord, god, for our inability at times to recognize our need.
Tyler Lynde: Lord, we grow comfortable with these strange bedfellows at times, and it's like we're accustomed to being afraid, to living with anxiety and fear and worry.
Tyler Lynde: Father, I pray that today would be a new day, a day of new beginnings.
Tyler Lynde: We ask, lord, god, that as we take a step of faith this morning, that, as we come and we lay these burdens down at the foot of the cross representing the sacrifice of Jesus, I pray, lord, god, that this would not just be a moment in time, but we pray, in the name of Jesus, that the power of God and the spirit of God would move and that you would break walls, that you would remove, that you would remove burdens off of people's lives and, father, we pray that you would help us to obey the words of Scripture and to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness, and not be worried about all the other things, because you promise that you'll take good care of us.
Tyler Lynde: Lord, we know that your answer to our requests, or what you see as success, or what you see as victory, are sometimes very different from our own perspective, and so open our eyes, lord.
Tyler Lynde: Help us to see more clearly when you're working, even in the times when it seems like you're nowhere to be found.
Tyler Lynde: Father, we ask for your help.
Tyler Lynde: We sincerely pray these things in Jesus' name.
Tyler Lynde: And now, just again, just as you feel comfortable, just gonna take a few solemn moments here in the presence of God and begin to present these things before him.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you, lord.
Tyler Lynde: Father, I thank you that you deliver us this day from every fear, every form of anxiety, every form of worry, in the name of Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: Lord Jesus, we lay them symbolically at the foot of the cross, we lay them at Jesus's feet and, father, I ask in Jesus's name for freedom.
Tyler Lynde: I declare freedom over each and every person in this room.
Tyler Lynde: In the name of Jesus Christ, we command that every fear, every form of anxiety, every form of worry physical worries, relationship worries, financial worries, fear of failure, fear of All of the things, lord God, that try to hinder us and keep us from trusting you Would you set us free this day In Jesus' name.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you, lord.
Tyler Lynde: Do you, can you do I surrender all?
Tyler Lynde: Do you know that?
Tyler Lynde: One?
Tyler Lynde: Okay, thank you Lord.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you Lord.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you, lord.
Tyler Lynde: Do you, can you do I surrender all?
Tyler Lynde: Do you know that?
Tyler Lynde: One?
Tyler Lynde: Okay, thank you Lord.
Tyler Lynde: Lord, we lay these things down.
Tyler Lynde: We lay them down.
Tyler Lynde: It's an act of faith.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you, lord, god, for the freedom that you provide.
Tyler Lynde: In Jesus Christ, father, I pray that you would change our ability to see you so that we would see you in the way that you love us.
Tyler Lynde: Open our eyes and our hearts to the love of God.
Tyler Lynde: In Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Tyler Lynde: Open our eyes, lord Jesus, help us to see.
Tyler Lynde: Help us to see, Father.
Tyler Lynde: In Jesus name, let freedom reign.
Tyler Lynde: Let freedom reign.
Tyler Lynde: He whom the son has set free is freed indeed thank you, lord let's just sing all to Jesus and stand to our feet.
Tyler Lynde: We'll finish with this song.
Tyler Lynde: Let's just sing all to Jesus and stand to our feet.
Tyler Lynde: We'll finish with this song Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord, thank you Father, thank you Jesus, I surrender all.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you Jesus, I surrender all, all to Jesus, look to him, all to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
Tyler Lynde: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that, at the proper time, he may I surrender all.
Tyler Lynde: Jesus, all Jesus.
Tyler Lynde: I surrender all.
Tyler Lynde: Thank you, lord, all to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.
Tyler Lynde: Father, we thank you for this time together today.
Tyler Lynde: Lord, we ask in Jesus' name that as we leave this building, that we would not leave behind the truth that makes us free.
Tyler Lynde: We ask that you'd help us to walk now in this freedom, in this newness of life.
Tyler Lynde: We give you glory and honor and praise, and, lord, I pray that you would bless your people, that you would bless them and keep them, cause your face to shine upon them and be gracious to them, that you would lift up your countenance upon them and give them peace.
Tyler Lynde: In Jesus' name, amen.
Tyler Lynde: Remember this week, if the temptation tries to come, resist, resist the temptation in the name of Jesus, and it has to go.
Tyler Lynde: It has to go.
Tyler Lynde: We are free because Jesus has made us free.