WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:08.640 If you got a copy of God's word, if you would uh turn that in that to uh Philippians 4 uh verses uh 6 and 7. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:10.880 I noticed there it says uh verses 1 to 22. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.720 It's actually verses uh 6 and 7 that we're gonna be looking at uh here today. 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:24.160 Now I'm um I'm not much of a Facebook guy, I don't know about you, but uh earlier uh this week I actually posted these verses, verses six and seven here. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:33.119 And whereas I usually have uh pretty minimal engagement in anything that I post and my very rare posts, uh this week uh it was a little bit different. 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:40.240 I think these verses uh really struck a chord with people, and uh there was a little more engagement with this uh than I usually get. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:45.840 Just a lot more you know, likes and comments, people talking about, yeah, well no, this was this was totally for me. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:49.920 I needed this today, this is uh very applicable. 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:55.679 And uh the reason for that is because uh these verses address the issue uh of our anxiety. 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.320 All right, so if you're there, hopefully you've gotten there quickly. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:00:59.600 We're just gonna jump right into it here. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:03.200 Philippians uh 4, verses uh verses 6 and 7. 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:04.959 I'm gonna read it, follow along here. 00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:09.280 It says this do not be anxious about anything. 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:17.200 But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:27.599 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.879 You feel like you could use a sermon on this? 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:32.719 I know that I do, right? 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:38.640 I I mean my soul uh needs this, certainly, uh, because they're just so applicable, right? 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:52.319 They're they're they're so, you know, I mean, anxious thoughts and and then the worry and and the constant fear and overwhelmed by the cares and anxieties of this world, and you know, how is this circumstance, this situation in my life gonna play out? 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:58.719 I mean, that's that's just so everyday life, I think, uh, for you and I as humans, right? 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.480 We deal with anxiety constantly, it seems. 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:06.400 I mean, it's it's just a real, again, everyday battle for us. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:10.400 And and I don't know about you, but I I think it's one that we want to grow in, right? 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.280 Would you agree with that with me about that? 00:02:13.439 --> 00:02:18.560 Like, I don't want to be plagued and paralyzed by just constant anxiety in my life, right? 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:28.879 Like, I would love to grow in maturity as a Christ follower to the point where I'm like I'm trusting him in deeper ways and and I'm bringing these things to him and and I'm seeing his power at work in my life. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:35.360 Now, the the crazy circumstances of life, the difficulties, all of that, that's always gonna be there, right, until Christ returns. 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:39.039 But I would love, love, love to grow. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:40.319 I would love to. 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:59.199 Now, truthfully, the reason I posted these verses in the first place is because uh just last week Angie and I were able to enjoy a time away with a bunch of other pastors and wives uh at a retreat, and it was just it was so relaxing and and so great to just catch up and to be ministered to, and you know, all of those things. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:14.639 And you know, we we get home and you know, I immediately follow that off, uh follow that up with uh it was about four or five straight, uh sleepless, anxious, can't turn my brain off nights. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:21.280 Where you kind of feel like, or I felt like, you know, wow, it's kind of like it kind of undoes you know the time away a little bit. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:33.280 And I think you've probably experienced that type of thing before, and maybe for you it's not a sleepless night thing, but maybe it's just anxious toil throughout your day, or you know, it plays itself out in all kinds of different ways. 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:41.680 And again, I would love, personally, speaking for myself, uh, to learn some things here from God's word, to be encouraged here today to grow. 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:46.479 And so we're gonna look at these, but I want to jump into some prayer first and just uh invite the Lord into this. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:48.479 So why don't you join me as we do that? 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:55.039 Lord, uh, we know that as your creation, Lord, you value us uh so much. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.039 Lord, you love us incredibly, the gospel tells us so. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:13.599 Lord, and at the same time, we know that we are so weak, we're so, so frail, Lord, and we um we struggle with anxiety, we we get our eyes off of you, we get our eyes onto the circumstances, we we try to fix problems on our own. 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:31.360 We we have sin that entangles us and you know, hearts that get hardened, and you know, pretty soon we can be so stressed out and so anxious about so many different things when the clear command from Scripture is do not be anxious about anything. 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:39.920 And Lord, we just confess even now that these verses seem like um such a tall task for us, Lord, and they are. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.959 They hold us to this perfect standard, Lord, that we know that we can't possibly achieve. 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:51.839 And so, Lord, we submit ourselves before you, before our great God, before our Savior Jesus Christ, and ask for your grace today. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:53.680 We ask for your mercy. 00:04:53.839 --> 00:05:02.720 We ask, Lord, that in power you would pour out your spirit and and overcome uh our fears and our worries. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:07.600 Lord, teach us uh to trust in you uh more deeply, God. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:08.560 I pray. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:10.319 Lord, we are needy. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:11.279 We really are. 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:13.439 And so, God, this is how we bring ourselves before you. 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:20.160 This is how you uh you ask us to bring ourselves before you, and so we do that here, and uh, we look to you in Christ's name. 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:21.040 Amen. 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:21.839 Amen. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:30.800 Well, as we uh get into this here today, I want to make uh, I think a really important distinction here for the sake of clarity, all right? 00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:41.759 The uh the anxiety that that we're gonna be addressing today and that we're you know talking about through uh through these verses is what we can call, I think, common anxiety. 00:05:41.839 --> 00:05:58.959 All right, common or general anxiety, which is best described as that worry and the stress and the fear, that internal dread that sometimes wells up inside you that comes from a lack of heart-level trust in God. 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:06.160 Okay, as Christ's followers, I already kind of addressed this already, but as Christ's followers, we're commanded to trust him, aren't we? 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:06.639 Right? 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:08.800 Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:13.040 Trust in the Lord, and lean not on your own understanding. 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:16.720 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:22.560 So what so we see the command there, we see it in multiple places, Luke chapter 12 and in Matthew's gospel as well. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.240 We see this all over the place. 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:33.360 And so when we don't do that, when we fail to trust the Lord, we inevitably become anxious. 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:34.000 Right? 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:49.600 As life overwhelms us, and and in those moments, that that anxiety, that that common anxiety that we're referring to here today can rightly can biblically be labeled as sinful. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:51.279 Okay, it's sin. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:07:06.560 Now, the distinction I want to make here, though, is that right next to this common general, you know, sinful anxiety is the mental illness form of anxiety. 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:11.439 Okay, so I want to draw a line between uh these two things here. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:23.759 There are many people who struggle with anxiety, but but their anxiety is connected to some acute form of mental illness. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:50.000 Okay, it might be something like depression or or or or bipolar or schizophrenia, or there are those who suffer from uh from panic attacks, and you know, a multitude of different phobias are out there, and and various disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, just to name a few. 00:07:50.959 --> 00:08:01.759 Often in these cases, the anxiety that a person suffers with can rightly be labeled a chemical imbalance uh in the brain. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:11.519 It's a legitimate medical illness of which the roots are often and largely just unknown. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.680 Like we don't know why this person is depressed. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.079 They can't draw it to anything. 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:21.920 It's just it's something happening uh in the brain. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:34.639 I mean, in the field of uh of mental illness, even the greatest experts, I mean, let's be honest, they're just they're just learning, they're just barely scratching the surface, I think, on what this is really all about. 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.639 These are very, very complex matters. 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:45.600 Now, I say all of this because we as the church and as Christians, we have to be really careful with all of this. 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:46.240 Does that make sense? 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:57.840 We we have to be careful to not automatically or or or carelessly or or coldly condemn every single form of anxiety as sinful. 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.399 You see how we have to be careful with with that? 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:08.960 And truthfully the the church at large, the church as a whole, hasn't always been real great at this. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:16.799 Hey, we've spoken kind of harshly and not without without a uh a lack or with a lack of understanding. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:20.559 And listen, I would say this, including myself. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:21.360 Okay. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:25.360 Uh just uh last April, actually, I uh I preached a sermon. 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:36.000 It was the first message of our uh Mark series, and in that, just a really brief uh moment in that, I talked about uh the anxiety that we're gonna be talking about here today, the common sinful anxiety. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:40.799 And I said there's no room for that in in the lives of believers. 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:51.919 And uh after um after the service, I got an email from a woman in our church uh who just uh kind of gave me her thoughts on all that, and honestly, it was like it's so well done. 00:09:52.080 --> 00:10:06.639 The email was so gracious and so kind, and and she was able to express that listen, I I've I've battled mental illness uh for years and years, and hear some of my story, and she's like, I knew exactly what you were trying to say, and what you said actually wasn't even even wrong. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:20.240 It just maybe wasn't you know a full enough picture of all of this, and she was able to communicate that like you know, had I heard what you'd said, you know, 10 or 15 years ago or whatever it was, she's like, I probably would have been kind of hurt by that, kind of crushed by it. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:35.679 And so we were able to have a really great conversation, I believe, a little bit later that week, and I was able to apologize for that, and I totally understood where she was coming from, and I think I could have in 30 seconds probably uh brought some better clarity uh to all of that. 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:58.240 So, so listen, please allow me now to publicly apologize to any of you uh who I might have hurt or or confused or or just pushed away due to my kind of carelessness and my my ignorance about these things in this area. 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:10.639 And on top of that, if you are one who who struggles with uh mental illness of of some kind, uh first of all, know that there is hope for you through Jesus Christ. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:11.759 Right? 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:14.879 He man, he loves you so much. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:20.320 He cares for you intensely. 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:27.519 He cares about the spiritual, he cares about the physical, he cares about the mental as well. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:28.080 Right? 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.919 And he he transforms, he he makes new. 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:38.399 I mean, this woman that reached out to me, I mean, she is a picture of how the Lord has transformed and changed her. 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:44.159 Lots of hard days, lots of difficult days, but she was able to communicate to me. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:52.799 The Lord has sanctified her and has grown her and has helped her in so many ways through this thing, and that same hope is available to you. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:59.360 Second of all, if you struggle with mental illness, know that we as a church love you. 00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:08.080 Hey, you're not you're not some second-class citizen here because of your illness. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:14.639 You're valuable to us, you're valuable to the community that the Lord is building here at our church. 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:34.399 And as much as the waters of mental illness are you know are uncharted and they're deep and they're they're dark and they're choppy at times, you know, and we're trying to just figure out how to understand it, let alone how to give good counsel and good wisdom and direct you and encourage you and uh and all of those things. 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:37.279 Okay, know that know that we want to learn, right? 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:38.399 We we want to grow in this. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.240 I I certainly want to. 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:45.440 I'm speaking for myself, and I trust also that I'm speaking for the rest of us uh gathered here. 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:58.240 Thirdly, if you're suffering from some form of mental illness alone and silently, I would just encourage you and urge you to reach out to somebody today. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:00.080 Hey, talk to somebody. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:13.600 If it's myself or one of our staff, if it's your small group leader, someone in your small group, if you're not involved yet in these things in our church, if it's you know the person you came with today, or or anybody, a friend, a family member, there's help lines available, please reach out. 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:15.519 I encourage you uh to do that. 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.559 Don't suffer in silence and and alone. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:27.919 And then lastly, and this is really to all of us here, and and hopefully kind of sums up everything that I've just been talking about here and you know ties it all together. 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:30.480 This is really uh your pastor's concern. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:41.519 This is pastoral concern uh to all of us as we just think through these things and try and wrap our minds around it and try to be you know biblical and understand the realities of all of this. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:49.519 My concern really is that you and I, we would avoid uh two potential pitfalls here. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:56.080 Okay, the first pitfall is that all anxiety is mental illness. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:58.639 Can we be careful about that? 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:05.440 I think it's fair to say that as a society and as people, as individuals, we're pendulum swingers. 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:06.240 Right? 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.279 We go from one extreme to the other. 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:19.360 And while I believe there are so many good things happening these days, with just raising awareness of mental health issues, you know, the bell let's talk just happened. 00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:24.000 You know, there's these helplines, people are talking about the stigma is is ending, right? 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:29.279 That they're you know way different than us and need to be ostracized, people that have these struggles. 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:31.600 I I believe all of that is good. 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:41.360 I believe also as a society, we're we're we're swinging, and we've got to be really careful that we don't swing to just overlabeling everything. 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:42.480 Does that make sense? 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:43.759 Do you hear me on this? 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:45.279 I'm not trying to be cold here. 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.879 I'm not I'm not trying to be harsh or mean or anything. 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:57.360 But I think sometimes we find comfort in a label, and people throw out labels and give out medication like candy for every single thing. 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:59.120 And listen, I've said it before, I'll say it again. 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:01.919 I'm not anti-medication for a Christian. 00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:11.440 I think at times this is this is gonna be very, very helpful in bringing some stability as they also engage in the Lord and growing in all of these things. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:17.360 But we live in a world where you know there are new labels for things coming up all the time. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:21.200 And we throw medication so you know willy-nilly at things. 00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:29.440 I just I want us to be careful that not every single form of anxiety that you have may be rightly labeled as a mental illness. 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:30.960 Okay, let's be careful of that. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:32.559 That's one pitfall. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:39.919 Okay, the second pitfall is just the opposite side of things, and it's that all anxiety is sin. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:50.320 Yeah, I've kind of referred to that, but you know, some of us, and I'm a little bit wired this way myself, you know, I can be very hard on myself. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:16:04.960 You know, and I see my weaknesses and I see my failures, and I kind of take the spiritual whip out, and I start to you know flog myself about my sin, and I'm you know, ripping on myself about my flesh, and I'm so broken, I'm so needy, and so much of that is so true. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:12.080 But so many times I see maybe some forms of anxiety, not considering some other factors. 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:22.480 And I think as we all assess ourselves, we need to consider that there are other things that affect our mental health and where we're at, and it's not necessarily sin. 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:25.279 A couple of examples I'll give us. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:27.840 How about spiritual warfare? 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:30.639 Honestly, I think that's part of it for me. 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:34.720 And I would just ask that you would pray for me and pray for my family. 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:37.759 I believe that's a reason that I'm awake in the middle of the night. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:45.679 If I told you some of the things that I was stressing about and waking up and feeling dread in my heart about, you'd be like, man, that's not that big of a deal at all. 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:47.360 And it's true, it's not. 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:52.639 And so I believe the enemy likes to get in, likes to disrupt, and likes to mess with things. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:57.360 So I think spiritual warfare and you know, the devil just fights dirty, right? 00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:01.440 And he wants to get in there and he wants to mess with us, he hates us. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:03.360 That's one piece. 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:08.319 How about things like sleep and diet and exercise? 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:18.799 You have a lack of good night's sleep because you're staying up too late and you got screens in front of your face, and you've got all of this until the very moment that you you finally conk out. 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:20.799 That's gonna that affects you. 00:17:21.200 --> 00:17:23.039 That affects your state of mind. 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.160 Diet. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:25.680 No one likes to talk about it. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:30.319 Unless they've like they're engaged in a diet, and then it's from their high horse looking down on people, right? 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:32.319 But we don't want to talk about it. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:43.279 I'm gonna eat whatever garbage I want, and we don't want to, you know, think about the fact that this engineered food that we're putting in our system may have an effect on how we're functioning. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:45.599 Diet's a big one. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:47.519 How about exercise? 00:17:47.839 --> 00:17:49.599 Yeah, that's too convict. 00:17:51.200 --> 00:17:53.279 Okay, exercise is a piece. 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:54.319 How about this one? 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:55.599 Sex life. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:57.200 You gotta think about this. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:58.160 How's your sex life? 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.079 Is it, you know, as a married couple, is it non-existent? 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:11.519 You know, for you as as it becomes sinful, if you're single, where are you at with all of that? 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.440 You give yourself to into sin in those areas. 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:21.599 Don't be surprised that your mental clarity and your heart, it's it's not gonna be in the right spot. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:23.039 Does that make sense? 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:32.079 Likewise, if we're withholding from our husband or with withholding from our wife in this area, it can affect our anxiety. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:34.880 What about our social media habits? 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:48.240 I don't really understand all of this, but I know there's been probably two occasions in my life in the last six months where I was just, you know, scrolling through some kind of social media, and all of a sudden I just started feeling like anxious about stuff, and I was like, what's going on here? 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.960 And I just was like, I'm putting that down and walking away. 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.240 And like I took some time away from it, I just took a break. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:56.720 Like this constant processing of information. 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:03.680 We're scrolling fast and fast, like it's there's an effect there that I think over the years we're gonna we're gonna hear more about that. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.039 How about just family life? 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:08.480 Where are you at with your family life or work stress? 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:10.960 How about the weather? 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:15.599 We're currently in the middle of February, which is the worst month of the year. 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:17.680 Like, I hate Canada right now. 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:22.480 Don't you feel that way? 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:25.599 I just I cannot wait for spring. 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:32.079 If I wake up and see like it's minus 20 but feels like minus 37, like I'm gonna just throw my phone. 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:32.880 Right? 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:34.640 That has an effect on us. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:37.519 Maybe it's just a season of life for you. 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:53.279 You're caring for aging parents, or you're a student, and you're dealing with these high demands of exams and maybe it's your depth of community engagement, and you're more of an introverted person, and so you've withdrawn from people, and so you start to kind of spiral in that. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:20:02.319 Listen, these are all kinds of different ways that that the things that can affect our state of mind and our anxious uh anxiety and our anxious thoughts and our you know all of it. 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:07.359 And so what I'm saying here is that with these two pitfalls, let's just let's be really careful, let's be prayerful. 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:08.000 Right? 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:09.759 Let's ask the Lord for discernment. 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:11.759 Where am I really at with this? 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.559 Let's think carefully about these things. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:16.240 Let's maybe do some research. 00:20:16.400 --> 00:20:24.160 Let's let's talk to somebody, have meaningful conversations, let's let's work to honor and glorify the Lord in all of this. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.759 Now, with all of that said, you guys ready to get into God's word now? 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:42.319 I think that I know this is a little bit different setup here, a lot of setup before we get into this, but I think it's it's necessary to address all of that and have at least some kind of simple categories for these things. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:46.720 But but here we go, Philippians uh chapter four. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.960 Um, and then here's the first thing in your notes. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:52.720 In Christ, I will battle through my anxious thoughts. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:21:02.880 Remember, we're focusing on that common or general sinful anxiety that's that's a reality for every single person in this room to some degree. 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:04.160 How are we gonna do that? 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:10.960 Well, first thing, by facing my lack of trust in God as I engage in deeper prayer and gratitude. 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:14.079 Okay, now just take a look at that verse here, verse six. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:17.359 It says this do not be anxious, right? 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:17.920 There's the word. 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.200 Do not be anxious. 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:24.799 It means it means worry, it means to be, you know, encumbered by many cares. 00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:25.279 Right? 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.880 That's literally what the word is saying. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:31.440 It's saying, do not be anxious about anything. 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:34.640 That's quite the standard. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:35.759 Really? 00:21:36.880 --> 00:21:37.599 Anything? 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:43.200 Like I I'm pretty sure I can be stressed about where my marriage is going. 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:49.920 I'm pretty sure I can be stressed about my finances, about that bad call I got from the doctor. 00:21:50.079 --> 00:21:53.759 I'm pretty sure there's there's some room in there, isn't there, Lord? 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:58.880 According to this, do not be anxious about anything. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:02.319 How dare the author of this write this? 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:03.920 This doesn't seem realistic. 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:10.720 Well, listen, Paul is the author of this, and some of the context here is that he's writing it from prison. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:12.799 From prison. 00:22:13.519 --> 00:22:16.880 Like he's sitting in a cell while he writes this. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:18.000 He's under watch. 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:19.279 He's under guard. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:25.200 He's writing to the Philippian church and he's telling them not to be anxious. 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:29.119 I know you guys are concerned for me, but don't worry. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:39.119 I trust the Lord, not because I'm some kind of superhuman, but because the Lord has done a bunch of work in my life to bring me to that place where I am content. 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.559 He talks about that a little bit later in the chapter. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:44.319 He is content. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:47.680 I have learned. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:49.680 I know how to be brought low, he says. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:53.759 I know how to how to abound in any and every circumstance. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:23:00.240 I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.960 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:10.160 It's one of the biggest butcher jobs we do on that verse ever as the church. 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:11.599 I can do all things. 00:23:11.759 --> 00:23:15.680 Therefore, whatever lame plan I have, I'm gonna go do it through Jesus. 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:16.160 Right? 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:18.799 That's not what don't violate the context here. 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:21.680 He's saying that I've lived in plenty. 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:27.759 I've had, you know, I've been blessed by Lydia of Thyatire in Philippi. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:29.839 A very wealthy woman has blessed me. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:31.279 I've lived with plenty. 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:35.359 I've also lived in need, and I have learned the secret of facing these things. 00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:37.359 I've learned the secret of contentment. 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:39.680 That's such a huge part of it. 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:43.519 This is the context in which he writes. 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:49.759 And he said, and you see here, obviously in verse 6, that this is in the imperative, right? 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:51.680 It's a direct command. 00:23:51.920 --> 00:23:52.240 Right? 00:23:52.319 --> 00:24:07.839 So if you and I, if we experience the you know, the presence of that, of that common anxiety, and again, we all do, then it reveals that somewhere inside of us we violated a direct command. 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:08.480 Right? 00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:14.160 Oswald Chambers called that anxiety, I love this, unconscious blasphemy. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:16.559 Unconscious blasphemy. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:21.759 It's where we're not even like totally aware of what we're doing and that we're doing it. 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:27.519 But somewhere in our hearts, we we just don't trust the Lord on a deep enough level. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:31.680 That thing that God has told you to not be anxious about. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:36.240 All right, we we've we've essentially said in that moment, Lord, thanks for the tip. 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:44.000 Appreciate the good advice, okay, but but I'm gonna reject that. 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:50.960 I'm gonna choose to kind of manage that circumstance, that situation, that issue, you know, on my own. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:58.640 And we disobey God because we don't believe that what he has said and his command is actually what's best for us. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:02.079 We don't trust that he is able to manage it, manage it for us. 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:12.799 And so in those moments, what we're doing on a heart level is functionally, practically, our hearts are transferring our trust from him where it belongs. 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:14.559 Lord, I trust you to do this. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:21.519 We're transferring it back onto ourselves and our ability to fix and manage the circumstance. 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:26.559 Do you see how in your anxious moments you do this in your heart? 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:28.880 Listen, we gotta face that. 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:32.720 We've gotta look that square in the eye. 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:35.279 Because that's a problem for us. 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:37.279 No more ignoring this. 00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:38.480 Okay? 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:48.160 Your heart is is broken and it's not functioning properly, and you can't, no more just throwing a blanket over that, pretending it's not there, sweeping it under the rug. 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:49.200 That's not what we're doing. 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.400 We're gonna look at this head on. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:57.680 No more resigning ourselves to this anxiety we're living with. 00:25:57.920 --> 00:25:59.519 It's it's just normal. 00:26:00.559 --> 00:26:02.880 It's the furthest thing from normal. 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.960 That's not how God created us. 00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:11.920 Now we live in a broken and sinful world, and that's why we experience it, but stop treating it like it's your friend. 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:12.960 It's not. 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:16.480 Stop treating it like it's just part of the family, and I've got to just sort of accept it. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:17.599 No, you do not. 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:22.960 That's not what these verses suggest, whatsoever. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:25.759 We've got to look at this. 00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:27.200 Now you might be thinking, well, how? 00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:29.039 Like by by what means? 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:31.200 Seems a little easier said than done, Pastor. 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:32.799 Well, I mean, the rest of the verse gets at it. 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:33.279 Take a look. 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:42.880 It says, it says, but in everything, so everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:54.559 Okay, so all our cares, all of our worries, all of our concerns, all of it needs to be, you know, just just take it all, all to the Lord. 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:55.599 How? 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.680 Well, it says they're through prayer. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.880 This is where you and I, we're just we're just dialoguing with him. 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:09.279 We're having conversations about what's going on in our lives and bringing to him the you know the issues and the challenges and the struggles and all of that. 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:10.319 That's the prayer. 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.240 And it says supplication, that's prayer as well. 00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:15.440 It's this is where you're you know you're letting your requests be made known to God. 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.799 That's what supplication is. 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:20.240 It's asking him for stuff, pleading with him. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:26.400 God, rush to my side, rush to my aid, be my strength, give me wisdom, oh God. 00:27:26.880 --> 00:27:34.240 Provide me with counsel and the help that I'm craving in my time of need here. 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:49.680 Listen, for Christ followers, prayer is the practical way believers take the burden of our anxiety and the dread and the emotions of all of it and give it back to the Lord where it belongs. 00:27:51.680 --> 00:27:54.319 Yeah, I like this quote by J.A. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:56.400 Bengal, you can throw it up here. 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:01.279 It says, anxiety and prayer are more opposed to each other than fire and water. 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:10.480 So if your anxiety is like a flame and it's it's it's well, it's burning inside of you, you douse those flames by prayer. 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.519 Does that make sense? 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:13.200 That's what he's saying here. 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:15.599 You want you want to step it up in the battle? 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:16.960 You wanna you wanna grow? 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:19.519 A number of us put our hands up when the question was asked earlier. 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:26.000 Yeah, I want to grow in this, I want to do this, I want to get the upper hand on my anxiety, then we need to pray. 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:28.880 We need to be a prayerful people. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:35.519 I'm not talking about the token saying words prayer. 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:40.880 I mean like deeper level, deeper engagement with these things. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:42.799 We gotta pray. 00:28:43.839 --> 00:28:48.319 Another way that we do that, the verse says, is with thanksgiving. 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:51.119 This is another arrow in your quiver. 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:57.119 Okay, when you and I, when we lack gratitude, we're not very thankful anymore. 00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:02.960 It is, you know, we're autumn, it's automatically replaced with feelings of dissatisfaction. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:03.519 Right? 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:05.119 This is what happens in us. 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:11.279 And that those feelings of dissatisfaction are uh it's just a breeding ground for anxiety. 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:12.240 Have you seen that? 00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:13.039 It is. 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:18.720 You know, about where my life's at, or where it's not, you know, where where it should be. 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:25.759 And we start to compare ourselves to everybody else, and you know, look at their perfect life on Instagram, and why isn't my life like that? 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:30.160 And, you know, they've got so many good things going on in their life, and why is mine not there? 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:34.559 And all of a sudden you're feeling the anxiety is welling up in you about all of this. 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:47.039 But it's amazing to see how engaging in prayerful, worshipful gratitude to the Lord for who he is, right? 00:29:47.359 --> 00:30:00.160 His character, his nature, things like his goodness and his love for us, the power that he has on display, and for what he's done for us as well through Jesus Christ, right? 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:01.359 That's the gospel. 00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:18.079 As we begin to express all of that to him, he begins to release the tension of our anxiety because our thinking and and our focus and our affections, they're all they're coming off of our circumstances and off of the stress and back on to him where it belongs. 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:21.039 It's consumed with the right things again. 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:30.400 So listen, to battle through this anxiety, we gotta take courage here. 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:38.960 We gotta face that lack of trust that exists somewhere in our hearts, that you've got swirling around in there in your mind. 00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:47.759 And in those moments where you sense anxiety, it's it's really seized that as an opportunity. 00:30:47.920 --> 00:30:48.880 That's what it is. 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:56.960 It's an opportunity that your anxiety has provided you with to engage in in deeper prayer and deeper gratitude to the Lord. 00:30:57.519 --> 00:30:59.759 And this involves a couple of things, I think. 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:04.880 I think one of it is, you know, just to make it real clear, it's confessing the sin. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:06.000 Right? 00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:08.079 Confessing the sin of anxiety. 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:10.079 Don't glaze over it. 00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.759 Name it. 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:13.599 Call it out. 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:15.759 Be specific. 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:21.279 Confess that sin of not trusting and obeying your incredible Savior. 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:22.960 Lord, you are worthy of it. 00:31:23.039 --> 00:31:26.400 Forgive me for not for not doing that. 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:33.200 Look at this as an opportunity, a chance for you to remind yourself of your amazing salvation. 00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:36.720 Lord, thank you for enduring the cross for me. 00:31:37.119 --> 00:31:41.200 Thank you for absorbing the wrath of God in my place. 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:44.319 Thank you for being the propitiation for my sin. 00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:46.319 Thank you for forgiveness. 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:51.200 Thank you for adopting me as your son now. 00:31:52.079 --> 00:31:52.400 Right? 00:31:52.480 --> 00:32:02.319 What an amazing opportunity to go to the gospel and to think over our salvation and express our appreciation for it, right? 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:04.640 That's where the gratitude starts to sink in. 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:14.960 Engaging in deeper prayer and gratitude also involves for you and I really identifying those false saviors that we tend to run to. 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:15.839 Right? 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:17.200 We've all got them. 00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:20.160 What are your false saviors? 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:27.680 When you notice that anxiety is starting to kick in in your life, what do you automatically want to go to? 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:30.079 What do you run to? 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.519 Whatever that is, that's your false savior. 00:32:33.680 --> 00:32:36.720 That's the thing that you think is gonna fix you. 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:41.680 That's the thing that you think is gonna bring you peace and satisfaction and joy. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:46.480 Okay, for so many of us, it's it's some form of comfort. 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:47.359 Right? 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:50.240 I run to comfort when I feel anxious. 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:53.359 I don't run to prayer, I don't run to my savior. 00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:56.319 In what ways do you do this? 00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:00.480 In what ways do you try to escape your problems? 00:33:02.160 --> 00:33:06.960 For some of us, it's again to get real convicting here, it's through food. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.039 I just want comfort food. 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:11.440 Order order a pizza or five. 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:17.200 Sounds good this afternoon, doesn't it? 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:18.720 Right? 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:24.720 For me, one of the things I've said this before, but one of the things that I've identified in my life is just binge watching shows. 00:33:25.759 --> 00:33:28.160 Is it wrong to do that from time to time? 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:29.200 No, I'm not calling that sin. 00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:31.680 I'm not calling pizza sin, thankfully. 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:38.079