WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.240 I read something this week that I actually haven't been able to stop thinking about. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:15.519 I don't know if you guys know this, but there are about 42 million Americans right now living with an anxiety disorder. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:22.480 Not stress, not a tough or hard week, a diagnosed condition. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:24.879 42 million people. 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.879 And every year, that number is going up. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:37.759 In fact, last year, 43% of American adults said they felt more anxious than the year before. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.920 The year before that, 37%. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.399 The year before that, 32%. 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:48.079 Every single year, more and more anxious than the last. 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:56.560 In fact, 70% of Americans right now are dealing with financial anxiety. 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:57.679 Financial anxiety. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:05.200 I mean, we're talking about the kind that sits with you at the dinner table, the kind of anxiety that wakes you up at three in the morning. 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:18.959 Paul wrote words in the letter of Philippians to a world where most people didn't live past 40 years old. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:24.719 No hospital down the road, no guaranteed food for tomorrow. 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:31.519 In fact, the Roman government could show up at any time and take everything you owed, everything you owned in a moment. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:32.799 They could show up at your home. 00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:42.000 In fact, three out of eight children never made it to childhood. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:46.159 Now, these people, they had anxiety. 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:56.159 And we today, we have got more food, more medicine, more comfort, more access to everything than any other generation in history. 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.879 And yet, we can't sleep. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:03.920 In fact, there are 85,000 books on Amazon about managing anxiety. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:11.599 Friends, we are the most medicated generation that has ever lived, and it's getting worse every single year. 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:14.240 And look, I see it every week. 00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:24.240 I'll meet with couples whose marriages are falling apart, people in some sort of financial trouble so deep that they don't see a way out of it. 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:31.840 People in legal trouble, people with health scares, people carrying things that I wouldn't wish on anybody. 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:38.240 And into that world, Paul says something that almost feels offensive. 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:41.840 He says, rejoice. 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:46.159 Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:51.120 But Paul knew something. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:03:00.319 The man who wrote these words from a Roman prison in chains, facing possible execution. 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.560 He's not giving advice from a distance. 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:06.800 This man is literally in chains telling people to rejoice. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:11.120 So either he's lost his mind or he found something. 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:24.000 I plead with Eudea and I plead with Centiki to be of the same mind in the Lord. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:41.919 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, to help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life, the book of life, God's record of those who belong to him. 00:03:42.479 --> 00:03:44.800 Now, just think about this for a moment. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:48.319 Think about what church would have looked like that Sunday morning. 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:52.639 When this letter arrives, somebody walks in with this letter from Paul. 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:57.280 You know, everyone's gathered, everyone's showed up, they're ready with anticipation, and they start reading. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:03:58.719 They start reading the letter. 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:02.800 Chapter one, to live is Christ, to die is gain. 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:06.400 Even Paul's chains are spreading the gospel. 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:12.400 Chapter two, Jesus humbled himself, becoming a servant and died at the cross. 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:18.319 And God lifted him to the highest place, the name above every name. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:27.360 And then chapter three, Paul says, Everything that I've built my life on is garbage compared to knowing Jesus Christ. 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.399 So the church is fired up, they're energized. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.040 This is the greatest letter that they have ever heard. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:39.120 And then Paul gets to chapter four, and with anticipation, I can only imagine what the Philippians are thinking. 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:40.800 You know, what will he say next? 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:44.720 And he calls out two women by name in front of everybody. 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:46.319 And let me tell you something. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:48.240 Let me tell you something. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:53.519 Everybody would love to get their name in the Bible. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:56.639 I mean, that'd be the coolest thing in the world, right? 00:04:56.720 --> 00:05:01.199 And these women, these two women, they got their names in the Bible. 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:05.519 And they got it for arguing with each other. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.439 I mean, ouch. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.959 Not the way you want to be known in history. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.000 Now look, we don't we don't know exactly what happened. 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:20.160 But something small had become serious. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:23.839 Feelings were hurt, sides were taken. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:26.399 And these weren't people that nobody knew. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.120 I mean, they had fought alongside Paul in ministry. 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:34.720 These were trusted women, respected women, but something got between them. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:36.879 And look, we've all been there. 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:37.519 Right? 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:48.480 We've had a conflict with a friend, a fight with your spouse, someone at work, or maybe in church, you know, who rubbed you the wrong way and it's just been sitting with you ever since. 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:58.240 Friends, conflict is one of the fastest ways joy leaks out of your soul. 00:06:06.079 --> 00:06:13.040 You walk into a room, that person's there, and you spend the next 10 minutes pretending you don't see them. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:17.759 Their name pops up on your phone, your stomach drops, gets all tight. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:27.839 Sunday morning, the song is playing, and you're singing the words, but in your mind, in your head, you're still replaying the argument from last week. 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:29.040 Right? 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:32.000 We say, we we all, you know, we're we're Christians. 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:43.519 So we say we want peace, but often what we really want is for the other person to admit that they were wrong, apologize properly the way we see it. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:44.879 And in fact, you know what? 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:48.399 Would you sign this certificate of authenticity for me too? 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:50.319 That's what we want. 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:55.279 Joy is leaking out. 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:01.040 And look, conflict, it's not the only leak. 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:08.879 You know, my wife Sarah, she has struggled with claustrophobia her whole life. 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:11.680 I mean her whole life. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:16.319 When she was a little girl, her younger brothers thought it was funny. 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:24.480 They thought it would be hilarious to lock her up in a storage chest while they were playing hide and seek. 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:26.399 Funny, right? 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:34.560 She was there, let's just say she was there long enough that when they when he finally let her out, something changed. 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:43.439 Small spaces, confined rooms, anywhere she felt trapped, the anxiety would kick up immediately. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:50.959 When we moved to India for ministry, that anxiety, oh, it took a whole new level. 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:56.639 We were we were staying in an apartment on the third floor of the uh of the building. 00:07:56.959 --> 00:08:02.240 Now, I know many of you probably haven't been to India, but if you have, well, let me explain something. 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:08.639 In India, elevators there, well, they could barely fit three people. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:14.399 We were a family of five, so anytime we'd have to go into this elevator, you'd almost have to turn sideways just to get in. 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:21.600 So every day, Sarah would look at that elevator, and every day I could see her doing the math, I could see her doing the calculation. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.480 One evening, we all get in. 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:32.720 Me, Sarah, the kids, hit the button to the third floor, the doors close, we start going up, power goes out. 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:41.440 Now, in India, power goes out multiple times a day. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:43.200 It's just part of life there. 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:56.000 But knowing that doesn't help in any way when you are standing in this metal box between two floors in the dark with your wife starting to hyperventilate next to you. 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:56.559 Right? 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:01.440 So she grabs my arm, her breathing starts going, starts getting faster and faster, she's freaking out. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:05.519 The walls feel like they're closing in, even though nothing actually has moved. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:12.720 Now, I don't want to brag, but that day I was basically Superman. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:17.759 I found the doors in the dark and I started prying. 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:25.440 Now understand, these doors were not designed to be open by hand, but I got my fingers through the gap and I pulled. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:29.759 And with my Superman muscle strength, I pried those doors open. 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:32.000 Yeah, you should clap for that. 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.840 Now we were we were between floors. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:42.480 There's about a two-foot gap between where we were stuck and the floor above us. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:48.000 I helped Sarah get out first, then got the kids out, and then I crawled myself out of there as well. 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:51.679 Sarah sat down on the hallway and she just breathed. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:10:01.440 Now look, I got her out of the elevator, but it didn't fix the claustrophobia. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:12.159 Every elevator after that, every airplane, every small room, the anxiety was still there, waiting. 00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:19.519 See, anxiety is another way joy leaks out of your soul. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:23.279 In fact, most of us don't just feel anxious. 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:25.440 We live in the what if. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:27.519 What if I lose my job? 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:29.840 What if my kid makes the wrong decision? 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:32.720 What if the diagnosis comes back bad? 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:34.879 What if I can't pay rent this month? 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:37.279 What if the relationship doesn't make it? 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:39.919 What if things don't even don't ever get better? 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:43.919 What if the elevator door never opens again? 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:49.279 We play the worst case scenario on repeat. 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:53.759 And we're so used to it that we don't even notice that we're doing it anymore. 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:57.039 It just runs in the background all day, all night. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:04.799 And you let anxiety run long enough to the point where it becomes toxic negative thinking. 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:13.919 The conversations you keep replaying, the story you keep telling yourself about how bad it's gonna get. 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:21.279 Three leaks conflict, anxiety, negative thinking. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.480 Paul is calling out all three of these right here in this passage. 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:30.080 Because joy is being stolen. 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:34.559 And most of us don't know where the joy went. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:42.320 And look, these aren't three different problems, these are three symptoms of the same thing. 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:52.639 There's one bigger hole underneath all of them, and until you find the hole, you can patch up all the leaks, all you want, but nothing's really gonna change. 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.480 Let's continue on with what Paul says. 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:58.559 Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:00.960 I will say it again: rejoice. 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:04.399 Let your gentleness be evident to all. 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:06.159 The Lord is near. 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:31.840 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, peace that that goes beyond what your mind can figure out on its own, peace that that transcends and surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:35.759 Notice something. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.919 Rejoice in the Lord. 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:42.080 Bring your request to God. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:44.559 Peace in Christ Jesus. 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:48.639 Every answer Paul gives points to the same place. 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.360 The Lord, God, Christ Jesus, every single one. 00:12:53.840 --> 00:13:01.759 So if every answer points to the same place, then possibly every problem is coming from the same place, too. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:04.879 I mean, think about what Paul is actually naming here. 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:08.320 The conflict between Eudea and Sintiki. 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:13.120 Two trusted gospel partners are now at war with each other. 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:19.200 The anxiety he tells them not to have, the thought life he's telling them to renovate. 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:21.039 These aren't random topics. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:22.559 This is actually how it works. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.039 This is exactly the way it cascades. 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:29.679 Something breaks in a relationship, anxiety kicks in. 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:34.559 Anxiety runs long enough, and the thinking goes dark and negative. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:43.519 And here's the thing: Paul does not tell Udea and Centicki to sit down and work it out. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:45.600 That's not what he says to them. 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:51.039 He tells them to get their minds back on the Lord. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:55.519 Because the problem between them isn't really about them. 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:56.639 Right? 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:04.080 See, when people lose their connection to God, it always shows up in how they treat each other. 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:09.679 You got to fix the vertical and the horizontal will start to heal. 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.039 Are you starting to see it's it's a joy problem? 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:17.120 In fact, it's looking for joy in all the wrong places. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:22.879 And I'm gonna unpack that, but but before I do, let me say this because I want to be clear on something. 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.919 I don't want anyone here to misunderstand. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:31.120 Look, some of the things you guys want are not wrong. 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:42.320 You want your home to be peaceful, you want your kids to be okay, you want to pay your bills, you want to belong somewhere, you want someone to love you, you want to feel safe. 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:44.879 Those are good things. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:47.200 Those are good things to want. 00:14:48.080 --> 00:14:50.480 The problem is not what you want. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:57.279 The problem is what happens when those things start to slip out of your hands. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:03.840 You know, this morning as you walked in, you should have been handed a sheet with the bulletins. 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:05.360 Do you guys have those sheets with you? 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:06.399 Some of you do? 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:08.559 Okay, I want you to pull those sheets out. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:11.039 You can also follow along on the screen. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:11.919 I think we have an image. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:12.480 Yes, we do. 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:13.360 Great. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.320 I want to talk through anxiety for a moment. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.559 This is known as the tornado of anxiety. 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:22.480 Anxiety is like a tornado. 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.440 It starts up at the top. 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:29.519 Something in your life feels out of control. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:32.080 Your kid is making a bad decision. 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:35.440 The money is short, the relationship is shaky. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:38.559 And the first thing you try to do is fix it. 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:45.919 You work harder, you plan more, you think it through again, you control the situation, but it doesn't work. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:50.720 So you try to control more things, more scenarios, more angles, more what ifs. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:54.639 And the tornado starts spinning faster and faster and faster. 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.919 And now you're having physical reactions. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:15:59.600 Your chest becomes tight. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.279 You can't sleep the same way. 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:03.279 Your stomach is tied up in knots. 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.159 The fear isn't just in your head anymore, it's in your body. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:12.159 And then you hit that point, you hit the bottom. 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:13.919 This is out of my control. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:15.120 I'm angry. 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:16.080 I'm alone. 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:21.279 And I'm starting to question whether God is even in this situation, is He even paying attention. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.919 That's the tornado of anxiety. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:32.480 And once it starts spinning, most of us do not know how to make it stop. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.600 And you want to know what's at the center of the tornado? 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:41.600 It's not anxiety, it's control. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:48.879 You're trying to hold on to something that was never yours to hold. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:51.120 You think you have control. 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:52.000 Let me tell you something. 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:55.919 We we all try to think that we have control over every aspect of our lives. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:16:57.600 Control's an illusion. 00:16:57.840 --> 00:17:00.799 We don't have total, ultimate control in our lives. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:07.279 And the harder you squeeze, the harder you try to control everything, the harder you squeeze, the faster that tornado spins. 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:12.720 And when the anxiety is spinning at full speed, here's what you're really saying to God. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:19.519 God, listen, if I were in control of my universe, things would go differently. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.000 I don't trust you to handle this. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:24.400 So I gotta handle it myself. 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:27.039 That's the hole. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:44.240 And look, for some of you, anxiety has become so deep in your body that you genuinely, sincerely need prayer. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:51.279 You need a community around you, you need wise counsel around you, you may even need medical help. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:56.160 I don't say that you know to shame or to or look, it's not a weakness. 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:05.680 Some of you may be struggling with really deep, difficult anxiety, and you need prayer, you need community, you need help. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:17.839 But what Paul is showing us is that even beneath all of that, beneath every single layer, the soul still needs the nearness of God. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.039 We still need the nearness of God. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.039 So, where's this showing up for you right now? 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.599 What's the thing that you're squeezing so hard? 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.079 The anxiety is spinning. 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.640 You gotta name it. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.000 You gotta identify. 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:46.240 You can't bring something to God that you haven't honestly identified and named yet. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:58.000 In fact, a lot of us are making a full-length movie in our heads about something bad that might happen that actually hasn't even happened yet, complete with the dramatic music. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.799 And look, I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit of a weirdo. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:13.119 When something hard is coming, whether it's, you know, a church thing or my family or something personal in my own life, I start going game theory on it. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:15.039 Okay, let me explain game theory. 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:23.759 I basically start running through every possible scenario in my head, every angle, every way it could go, the good, the bad, the really bad. 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:27.599 I think through what everyone is going to say, what everyone's gonna do. 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.880 I could I cover basically every single angle my mind, my brain can possibly think of. 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:37.839 And I keep going until I have it all figured out and think that I'm back in control. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:44.480 And then only after that, I might, I might say a quick prayer to God, something like, hey God, you know what? 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:46.160 Thanks for helping me think through all of that. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:46.880 I appreciate it. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:50.000 When the truth is, I never even started there. 00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:51.920 I started with myself. 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:55.359 I trusted my own head before I trusted him. 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:02.400 And I know, I know I'm not the only one in the room that does that. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.480 Am I the only one in the room that does that? 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:07.920 Okay, good. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.440 I'm getting some affirmation here. 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:10.319 Okay, good. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:18.400 Look, we've got three leaks that are draining the joy out of our soul. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:26.319 The conflict is a leak, anxiety is a leak, dark negative thinking is a leak. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:28.960 And I know what this is like. 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.440 I know what it's like from the inside. 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:39.519 You know, a year ago, Sarah and I had probably one of the most difficult seasons of our life. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:42.319 One of the most difficult seasons of our marriage, really. 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:48.559 A business we had acquired and were building together wasn't going as planned. 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:54.720 Savings depleting, debt piling up, and the pressure, oh, it came into the home. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:55.920 We started fighting. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:02.880 I'm talking like bad arguments, bad fights, the kind where where you wish you could, you said things that you wish you could take back. 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:04.480 It got pretty bad. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.000 I blamed her. 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:07.519 She blamed me. 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:15.759 My head started getting filled with dark negative thoughts about the situation, about her, honestly, sometimes about God. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:26.000 What I figured out later, not at that time, later, is that the fighting with Sarah was never really about Sarah. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.119 Underneath all of it was this. 00:21:30.480 --> 00:21:37.599 I stopped trusting God and I started trusting the business to make me okay. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:43.680 When the business fails, everything attached to it breaks too. 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:52.799 But here's the greater truth when our relationship with God suffers, everything attached to us suffers too. 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:56.559 It's all coming from the same hole. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.759 And here's what I want you to know about that. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.720 Hole. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:06.880 You cannot fix it from the inside on your own. 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:14.960 You need someone to come from the outside and open the door that you cannot open yourself. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:25.440 I want to go back to verse 7: the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:42.319 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:55.119 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:00.240 So you've got Paul here. 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:08.720 He's writing these words from a prison cell in chains, facing possible execution. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:13.599 And this is a guy who had more peace than most of us have on our best day. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:17.759 Which means what he's telling us, he actually lived it. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:21.119 And here, okay, let me let me back up for a moment. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:24.319 Here's how I think. 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:26.799 Okay, let's just go this way. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:30.720 Here's the best picture that I think I've got for what I think Paul is describing here. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:39.440 I grew up playing soccer, and during off season, we would do off-season training and conditioning. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:52.480 One year, we basically, all of us players, we strapped on a backpack full of rocks, and we ran up and down Bell Hill, every step heavier than the last. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:56.160 Our legs were burning, back aching. 00:23:56.319 --> 00:24:02.640 The longer you ran, the more you felt the weight of every single rock. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.920 That is what a lot of you are carrying right now. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:15.279 And God is saying, give me the backpack. 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:24.240 I'm reminded of 1 Peter, where he says, Cast your cares, cast your anxieties on him. 00:24:25.119 --> 00:24:28.240 God is saying, give me the backpack. 00:24:28.480 --> 00:24:31.359 Not some of the rocks, all of them. 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.359 Anxious about your kids? 00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:34.799 Give me that rock. 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:36.240 Worried about money? 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:43.680 Whether the rent's gonna come through, whether the bills get paid, whether you're gonna make it through the month, give me that rock. 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:47.839 The marriage that is barely holding on, give me that rock. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:51.279 The diagnosis that you're waiting on, give me that rock. 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:55.680 The thing you did that you can't undo, give me that rock. 00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:00.880 The thing you that that you did that you you could never tell anybody, give me that rock. 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:06.960 God is saying, give me those rocks, give me all of those rocks, give me the rocks you are carrying. 00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:09.039 That is what Paul means. 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:11.279 And understand something. 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:13.359 You can't hide anything from God. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:16.799 You're not gonna, you're not gonna tell him something he doesn't already know. 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:24.720 What he's calling us to do is to move the weights, take the rocks, move that weight from our back onto his. 00:25:26.799 --> 00:25:28.799 That's what he's calling us to do. 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:36.240 And Paul says, Bring it to him with thanksgiving. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:41.200 Not after God answers, but beforehand. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:46.000 You thank God before you know what he's gonna do. 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:48.000 Now, how does that make sense? 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:50.559 Think about this. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:58.400 If God didn't spare his own son, if he gave Jesus for you, he's not gonna abandon you now. 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:04.240 So you can thank him ahead of time because you know you you already have the evidence. 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:06.880 The cross is the evidence. 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:12.880 Your faith and trust in him is the evidence that you're his, he's not gonna abandon you. 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:19.200 And then Paul says something in verse 8 that can almost sound like a like a tip for positive thinking. 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:20.240 It's not. 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:33.759 He says, Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is worth praising, think about those things. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:41.759 Stop feeding your mind on fear and start feeding on what is actually true. 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:54.079 Listen, Paul's not telling you to pretend life is better than it is, he's telling you to train your attention on what is more true than your fear. 00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:59.599 Who is the truest thing you've ever come across? 00:27:01.359 --> 00:27:02.160 Jesus. 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:04.400 Who is the most noble? 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.079 Jesus. 00:27:06.400 --> 00:27:08.079 Who is the most pure? 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:09.039 Jesus. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:10.640 Who is the loveliest? 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:11.440 Jesus. 00:27:11.599 --> 00:27:13.359 Who is worthy of all praises? 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:15.119 Can I hear you guys say it? 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:16.079 Jesus. 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:18.720 It is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. 00:27:18.799 --> 00:27:22.079 It's Paul is telling us to set your mind on him. 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:26.319 Friends, this is not positive thinking, this is worship. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:27.680 And let me tell you something. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:33.599 Worship gets to places anxiety management could never reach. 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:37.599 So set your mind on Jesus. 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:42.079 And think about what that means. 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:50.240 He's the one who looked at broken people and didn't turn away. 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:54.480 He sat with the people everyone else avoided. 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:58.400 The one trapped in conflict with no way out. 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:01.359 The one drowning in anxiety. 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:05.920 The one whose mind had gone so dark they didn't know how to find their way back. 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:14.000 He is the one who had every right to stay in glory, but chose to come here. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:54.079 This is the one who got down on his knees in a garden and said, Not my will, but yours. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.839 He is the truest thing that has ever existed. 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:05.119 The most noble, the most pure, the most lovely. 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:08.319 And here's what gets me. 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.720 Here's what really gets me. 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:14.000 He knows you by name. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:18.160 He knows you by name. 00:29:20.079 --> 00:29:22.880 He knows what rocks you're carrying right now. 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:25.920 He knew it before you walked in here today. 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:28.000 And he's waiting. 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:30.640 He's waiting for you. 00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:33.759 He's already near. 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:37.920 He's just waiting for you to come and respond to him. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:41.759 The Lord is near. 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:45.039 That's what verse 5 says. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:49.839 It doesn't say not the Lord will be near when you figure it out. 00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:52.559 No, the Lord is near. 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.119 Right here, right now. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:07.680 Here's how that peace becomes yours. 00:30:09.680 --> 00:30:13.279 Jesus took everything in that backpack. 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:21.119 The conflict, the anxiety, the broken trust, and he carried it to the cross. 00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.839 Including your need to be in control. 00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:28.480 Including the anxiety your control problem produced. 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:30.160 He took all of it. 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:34.000 He bore it on his body so that you wouldn't have to. 00:30:34.799 --> 00:30:40.799 And on the other side, he offers what we could never produce on our own. 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:43.279 Peace with God. 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:53.039 And the way you receive it is by being in Christ Jesus, being connected to him, your life joined to his. 00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.960 And he gives you himself. 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:40.160 You don't just get what he gives, you get him. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:50.480 And look, I want to say something to someone here who isn't sure if they believe any of this. 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:52.720 Maybe someone brought you in here today. 00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:54.880 Maybe they dragged you in here today. 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:58.240 Maybe you've been hurt by a church before. 00:31:58.640 --> 00:32:01.039 Or maybe you just wandered in this morning. 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:06.640 Everyone in this room is carrying rocks. 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:12.880 And you've been looking for someone strong enough to take them your whole life. 00:32:13.359 --> 00:32:15.519 That longing is real. 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:18.160 God put it there. 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:21.359 Like you don't have to have it all figured out. 00:32:21.920 --> 00:32:26.240 You just have to say, Jesus, I want to know you. 00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:29.279 I trust you with my life. 00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:33.039 That's the door. 00:32:35.599 --> 00:32:36.720 That's the door. 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:41.599 That elevator in India. 00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:44.319 Sarah stuck between floors. 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:45.519 Dark. 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:48.160 Power out, hyperventilating. 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:50.640 The walls feeling like they're closing in. 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:53.680 Yeah, I got my fingers in the gap and I pried those doors open. 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:56.880 I got her out first, got the kids out, got myself out. 00:32:57.359 --> 00:33:01.599 But I told you, couldn't fix the claustrophobia. 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:03.920 All I could do was open the door. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:10.079 Look, every one of us here is stuck somewhere. 00:33:10.400 --> 00:33:14.559 Maybe not between floors in India, but in something. 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:18.240 Maybe the what-if loop that won't stop. 00:33:19.119 --> 00:33:21.759