Why Worry Philippians 4:1-7

Okay, well, good morning everyone blessed Lord's Day it is and glad you're all here and those that are watching. Thankful that you're able to be with us as well before we begin our service this morning, we have a piano special with Jackie and Johanna and so ladies if you would share with us, please we'd be blessed.

Really nice here I am Lord. And we're this morning we're gonna a little different service. Well, the service is roughly the same, but we're being followed by a by a business meeting As well, so the order service is a little different than you're used to but that's that's okay.

Still under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we pray For announcements again. We do have the meeting afterwards and for those in our here and haven't been able to come in There'll be minutes from that meeting that we can share with you and pass on.

Ladies Bible study is the 20th next Saturday. So ladies take note of that make note of that at 10 o 'clock. And do your homework. And that was for Barb. She's I really give her a bad time, but she takes it well.

And.

So let's open our service in prayer. Okay, Lord God, we thank you that you have brought us here this morning. I pray that we would might honor you and everything that we do that we would worship you in spirit and in truth that father We would allow that word to penetrate our hearts Lord that it would change our lives Lord that this is a special time and a time that we can reflect on our own lives Reflect on the life of this church and father just seeking you in all that we do father so Lord bless our time together and May we honor you and we commit our time to your care.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen. I Want it open before we sing from Galatians, excuse me Colossians chapter 316. Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord and whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him. So let's do that this morning as we singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.

Let's stand together and let's do that. Okay?

We're gonna sing my hope is in the Lord the solid rock. Really listen to the words and.

Because that's really where our arrest on our hope lies is in Christ. Jesus.

Pastor John I.

Told somebody. It's been a year since I heard David sing and I was all I could do not to cry and Then I told I don't know whether I told Harold or Victor. We need to have a business meeting every week.

So you can all come and I mean there's plenty of room here. It's perfectly safe. If somebody is coughing, they're not going to come to church if they have a temperature they because we love each other, right?

So it's a it's a safe place and it's just great to see everybody here. So if you have your Bibles turn with me to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. This has been a wild week.

And.

You know, we've been planning this business meeting for a number of weeks you know some of the things that we were talking about in terms of the future of Faith Bible Church and You know, it's just amazing sometimes when you walk with the Lord and you Trust in him how he will guide and when you rest in his loving care in his loving arms.

He's the good shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep.

So.

There was a particular just thought on my mind, it's happy Valentine's Day, right? So I should be preaching on love today. Right love among the brethren and love between husbands and wives right white wives.

Come on wives Pam. Yeah. Come on you guys, right? That's what I should be preaching on.

Instead I'm gonna preach on worry. I.

Mean.

There is so much going on in the world right now. And in our country and in people's lives. I Read this week. You probably already know this stuff when I said when I when I give you these headlines. Over a hundred Thousand small businesses have closed forever in the United States of America in the past year a.

Hundred.

Thousand the happiest place on earth. Disneyland Has not been open for over a year. I don't know about you. But for me the happiest place on earth is right here. And I'm glad we're meeting. So there's a lot of things Going on whether we're talking about the future of faith Bible Church the future of our country and For many people Worry is a natural or normal response to the kinds of things that are going on in this country right now and What is interesting is that even Christians mature Christians will worry?

Even though the Bible specifically tells us to not worry Christians can worry even in light of what the Lord Jesus Christ The Savior of the world says about worrying here in Matthew chapter 6. Look with me at verse 25.

Now, I wish I could read the whole passage all the way back because really the context of this goes all the way back to chapter 5 verse 3 but take a look at verse 25. Therefore I say to you do not worry about your life.

What did he say and the words are in red if you have a red letter Bible, so this is the words of Jesus not mine. Therefore I say to you do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body.

What will you put on is Not life more than food in the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air. For they neither sow nor weep nor gather together into barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.

Are they not of more value? I'm sorry. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you? By worrying can add even one Cubit one day one inch to his height or stature. Now if you look carefully at those verses Three things not to worry about the basic necessities of life that the Heavenly Father has promised to provide things that cannot be changed and The problems of tomorrow so Jesus Christ makes it very very simple.

Do not worry. Do not worry.

Do not worry.

But if we take a moment and we're honest with ourselves I think we would all agree that sometimes that's easier said than what done. A family member is exposed to a virus. The boss says he has to lay us off.

The blood test comes back with some part of it 500 times higher than it should be. The doctor says he found something on the x-ray. A new president is elected. And see the point is I think we would all agree that very often not worrying is Easier said than done, even though we have Jesus Christ saying right here.

Do not worry so on one hand something to worry about but on the other hand and all knowing all loving all Powerful God that is omnipresent present with us this very moment. Present when we walk out that door present when we go to the store and all loving all knowing all powerful God says what.

Don't worry on.

One hand something to worry about but on the other hand Proverbs 3 5 6 trust in the Lord with all thy heart Lean not on thine own understanding in all thy ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

On one hand worry on the other hand Psalm 55 22 Cast your burden or your worry on the Lord and he will sustain you Listen, he will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

But I'm worried.

Jesus Rebuked Martha when he said to her Martha Martha, you are worried about so many things. Now go with me to Philippians 6, I'm sorry. Philippians 4 Galatians Ephesians Philippians Philippians 4 Because I want to speak with you this morning on the message title.

I was so tempted to use vaccine a vaccine for worry. But I'm gonna change it to an antidote for worry. Autumn Almighty God says simply do not worry. But I know the reality is these three simple words don't necessarily help us when we get the bad news.

Or when worry comes knocking and it is my prayer that that we'll find.

Some real.

Encouragement and really some shoe leather when it comes to this challenge of not worrying despite The circumstances of life now we have a lot To do today. We have this business meeting God has just done and I don't know to what extent I so appreciate Victor and Harold and really the labor of love that they have put in the past year not just within dealing with Kovac.

But just as we have been praying and searching for a pastor, right? I'm the interim pastor. That's all I. That's all I can be actually honestly because of my church and our lives and teaching full-time not full-time.

It is full-time. I was talking to a teacher This week and she was telling me how tired she is Barb. And she said she goes you see the thing about teaching is you're only teaching two classes John. But you're thinking about it all day.

The students are they here? What are they doing is the test and she says and I get home. And she goes I hate to tell you this John I go what? We're in the copy room, right? She goes sometimes I'm so tired.

All I want to do is watch TV. I said it's okay. I won't tell anybody. So today All we need to know if you want a short sermon you ready? Yeah, you want to say it say I want a short sermon, okay. Don't worry instead trust God.

That's this whole message. Right now. Okay. Good. All right, let's pray. So in all loving All powerful all knowing God that is literally in control of everything and please please hang on every word today and All knowing all powerful all loving present everywhere God is in control of everything even to a bird that falls to the ground.

That's what the Bible says, right?

But in reality.

Sometimes it's easier said than done. Now look what the Apostle Paul says here about worry in Philippians chapter 4 verse 6. He says Be anxious for nothing. Don't worry about what? Anything but in everything.

By prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God. Oh You gotta love verse 7 and The peace of God that passes all Understanding Shall.

Guard.

Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Now, let me break this down for you because in verse 6 the word be anxious is an imperative in the Greek and It is an imperative. It is a command and it is attached To a wonderful promise and it gives us some shoe leather.

It gives us some some things to grab on to be anxious or don't worry about anything instead. What?

Pray.

Pray about everything.

About buying groceries. About going to that person's house.

My daughters went to a Bible study last Monday It first time and they loved it it. And and I drove up to this house in Real Linda first of all real Linda I'm gonna leave my daughters in real Linda. Where's my nine millimeter?

Right, so I Pull up and here's this little house and the street is packed with cars and Everybody's out there having a good time all young people and then they go in this house. And I said to my kids I said well, how big she Johanna said dad.

It's smaller than ours and they had a blast and They're fine. Be anxious, don't worry instead pray and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and Minds in spite of the circumstances.

So the antidote antidote for worry is what? Simply what trust God? All right. Now, how do we do that? Let's pray and then we'll dig into this passage and be done quickly. Father you know that I can get passionate.

I can get excited. I can study I can reflect I can Jump up and down, but it's the Holy Spirit. That is our teacher. It is the Holy Spirit only that can open hearts to receive your word to plant the word and It's by faith that we ask you to do that that it might bear fruit in our lives God.

Especially in the days in which we live and and where our church is going here father in the coming months. So we give you praise honor and glory in Jesus name. Amen. So I was looking at Rogers that's the Soros.

I don't know if you guys remember what that is now you just Google You you go. Hey, Siri, what's the opposite of worry and then Siri tells you? That's an iPhone for those of you. This is called a dumb phone.

Okay.

One guy call it in an email yesterday a stupid phone. My phone is stupid. I'm not kidding. That's what he said. I have a stupid phone.

Anyway the words.

Opposite of worry calmness certainty.

Cheer comfort.

Confidence happiness. Happiness is the opposite of worry.

Joy.

Pleasure. Sureness unconcern advantage calm contentment peace. Reassurance, how about that? Over ten words that Roger say are the opposite of worry. So in the Christian life and through the lens of Scripture.

What is the opposite of worry. The opposite of worry is trust? According to Scripture trust now some people. I took a survey at school some mature Christians teachers. You know, what do you say? The opposite of worry is.

And they went. Faith so a couple said faith, but it's really trust. Okay, don't worry. Instead trust God now in the Christian life. Whether it's getting saved or it's living out salvation or anything else.

Everything is going to come back to Jesus Christ and the gospel. Okay.

Everything.

Salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ alone, right? We got that and Then believers according to Galatians 2 20 and many other verses believers go on living in the kingdom of God by faith.

So faith and trust living out Christ and Becoming more like Christ and the road to Christian growth and Maturity is also simply by faith. We simply trust Christ to save us and We simply trust Christ to give us the strength to live out the Christian life.

Now.

Whether salvation or sanctification trials or joy or Relationships in a believer's life God tells us it's always always always always always always always always always gonna come back to trusting him and The verses that we're going to look at this morning very quickly.

Basically put shoe leather to this whole idea of trusting him. Now if you know anything about Philippians, it is a letter that Paul is writing to believers and they were it's a local church Just like ours and they were being assaulted in various ways.

There was false teachers In the church, there was conflict in the church between two beautiful dear sisters. Imagine that. You imagine Barb sitting way over here and Debbie over here with their arms folded and they will never speak to each other.

I Can't imagine that. Can you well that was going on in Philippi? Yodia and Sintiki she sat over there would have nothing to do with Sintiki over there and There were so many struggles in that church that they had lost their joy.

Which is why some scholars call Philippians the epistle of joy. Because they had begun to lose or had lost the joy of The Lord that comes with being a child of God and remember when we talk about joy in the Christian life.

We're not talking about happiness. Really the word joy in the New Testament context talks about inner contentment. Think about this inner contentment no matter what the circumstances that only believers who abide and walk with the Lord and know about experience.

Now if you look at verses 1 through 8 here in Philippians chapter 4 There's eight Imperatives and I want to show them to you. There's eight commands in verses 1 through 9. Verse 1 stand fast. Verse 3 help.

Verse 4.

Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I will say rejoice by the way. That's they're both imperatives in the Greek they're both commands. Verse 5 Known be known. Verse 6 be anxious and Made known both imperative verbs.

Verse 8 meditate. Meditate at the end of the verse on these things and then verse 9 these do do.

All.

Imperatives all commands all verbs and what is a verb in the English language an Action word. Okay things that you do. Now if you look in your mind's eye, I don't. I'm not going to cover all the verses.

Verses 1 through 3 verses 1 through 3 focus on relationships and in particular this Discouraging conflict between Yodia and Sintiki.

Okay.

Then in verses 4 through 7 Paul's focus is joy in the Christian life and. Then when you go to verses 8 through 9 The focus is the Christian the believers thought life now. What can we learn in these verses about God's antidote for worry, which is simply what to trust him, right?

You've got the sermon title you can go home. No notes today, by the way, sorry about that because the note is don't worry what simply trust God. Don't worry trust God. Don't worry trust God. I guess we could turn it into a song somehow.

In a word God's antidote to worry is to trust him. In a word The antidote to worry is to put off the worry and put on trusting.

God.

Now this is easier said than done. So how can believers put some shoe leather to this idea of putting off worry and simply putting on Trusting the Lord two points in this message number one.

Put off worry.

To put off worry be standing fast in the power of the gospel. So one antidote. One thing to do in order to put off worry is to be standing fast in the power of the gospel. Look at what Paul says as he addresses this conflict between these two ladies.

Therefore my beloved and long for brethren my joy and crown and here it is. So stand fast in the Lord beloved. I implore Yodia and I implore Sintiki To be of the same mind in the Lord. Stop sitting there with your arms folded not speaking to each other one of you sitting on that side of the church and one of you sitting on that side of the church and I urge you also true companion.

Help these women who labored with me in the gospel with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book Of life. Now, I don't have time to break down these three verses about relationships but in verse 1 Paul admonishes and encourages the Philippians to stand fast in the Lord.

Now.

In any language you always interpret in in in context, right? You look at the historical you look at the context. Well verses 1 through 9 all fit together. Okay. Grammatically and in in in in those verses the key verb that kind of links the whole all those nine verses.

Together is the first verb that you run into there the first imperative which is stand fast. Okay, so grammatically stand fast links those nine verses together and He he says stand fast and then in verse 9 He circles back if you look at the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me these Do and the God of peace will be with you.

So he circles back to this idea of standing fast now listen carefully to the meaning of that word stand fast in The Greek it means to be firmly committed in conviction or belief. Now let that run over your mind.

Here is an antidote for worry. Stand fast meaning be firmly committed in conviction or belief Unwavering in the Lord and it is in the present tense. So the idea is listen, it's not just to stand fast right now when you go to the store.

The idea is keep on Standing fast be standing fast and notice. He says in the Lord you cannot miss that.

Meaning.

That the strength of the Lord meaning in his grace and power. Meaning what? It's him not us. Please get that we cannot save ourselves, right? Are we down on that doing versus done? I hope you've been watching doing versus done.

Amen. Watch this watch this watch this. You cannot be standing fast. Except how in the Lord it's him and us. So Paul is emphasizing and saying to take a stand and to remain firm in that position. So what is an antidote to?

Worry or a vaccine against worry. It is to be standing fast in Conviction and belief and trust in the Lord and the power of the gospel. Point number one number two. Be standing fast in the power of the gospel in your disposition.

So another aspect to this antidote for worry is this be standing fast in the power of The gospel. So Paul moves in verses 1 through 3 to dealing with this relationship issue. And now he talks in verses 4 through 7 about our attitude and our disposition.

He says this instruction number 2. Rejoice in the Lord always. And Again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness Be known to all men. The Lord is at hand or near. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving.

Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

Will.

Guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So when it comes to our disposition or attitude Paul says a number of things. Remember all the way through here. We have to be standing fast right be standing fast committed to these truths and an ongoing basis.

This is part of the medicine. This is part of putting shoe leather to what it means to trust the Lord and he says a couple of things here. Number one, he says to rejoice in the Lord always and he says it twice so disposition.

Constant rejoicing Should be an integral part of the believers in a response to life's pleasant and difficult Situations. This is why James says count it all joy when you face various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

God is at work in these trials and The idea that Paul would actually repeat it twice in the form of an imperative and use the adverb Always proves this simple proves this principle of this ongoing Decision to keep standing fast and notice he says again.

I Mean, I'm so slow. Don't ask my family. It is a joke in my home. How slow I am. Sometimes you got to take a two-by-four and you gotta whack me up the side of the head because look what it says. Please verse 1 stand fast in the Lord.

Verse 4 Rejoice how in the Lord?

Though a.

Christian can rejoice in the Lord instead of worry because he knows that he saves he knows that God cares. He knows that God is working out God's sovereign plan for his glory for the spiritual good of His people which is why Paul says in Romans 8 28 God causes all things to work together for our good.

Virus job flat tire. We're trying to sell our car.

No bites.

Put it on Craigslist one call in 30 days gonna put it back on. God's causing all things to work together. I don't know.

Right, but why worry? Are you with me?

Even elections and impeachment trials. So first rejoice in the Lord. Second in terms of just but disposition. I can't write any books about this. Be gentle. It's talking about being reasonable. This is why this is shortest part of the sermon.

Being reasonable being reasonable forbearance.

Goodwill.

Now this one I can do have a friendly disposition. I got that one down. But a person who is gentle bears trouble calmly. They're never going to offer us a reality TV show. I Spilled my milk this morning at 515.

Is that what you want to do when you might pour your first cup of coffee is spill your milk. I'm glad I mean, you know God was there With the paper towels on the floor. It doesn't just stay on the counter with me.

It has to go on the floor and it has to go down the drawers. See, this is what Yodia and Sintiki needed. So that's but here's another one. This is so fantastic. Let your gentleness be known to all men.

The Lord is at hand. Think about this in the midst of this conflict between these two ladies in the midst of These people losing their joy and false teachers coming in. Paul just flops this in. The Lord is at hand the Lord is near.

Do you want an antidote for worry? You understand that when a Christian is Looking up and ahead to the Lord's return. The tendency will be not to be brought down by looking around or back. Right. That's why Paul says run the race fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith.

Not the narrative that's out there about whatever is out there. You know what else? Look at this think about this. There is one commentator more than one that say when Paul says the Lord is at hand. He's talking about the omnipresence of God.

The Lord is at hand. The Lord is near. He's right there holding your hand.

Hallelujah.

You're not alone. Yeah, though. I walked through the valley the shadow of death. I will fear no with me. You're my rod and my staff. They comfort thou are.

Where.

With me.

It's exciting. Another antidote for worry.

Believers are never alone. So standing fast in the power of the gospel when it comes to disposition believers by faith rejoice by faith. They are gentle they live and they walk being alert to the Lord's presence.

And then he says Man, he drives it home. Be anxious for.

Nothing.

Jesus says that a person should not worry. Paul says don't be anxious. That word anxious there means don't be apprehensive. Don't have anxiety. Don't be unduly concerned. Hey, if my car is running out of gas and it's on e and that little light comes on.

Should I be a little concerned? Yeah, I'm not gonna be like.

I'm in the middle of highway 50 driving through Nevada.

50 miles from a gas station and I might have my lights on. I'm gonna trust the Lord. No, he doesn't say that. Don't be unduly concerned. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus says don't worry about the basic necessity of the life.

Don't worry about the things that cannot be changed and don't worry about tomorrow. First Peter 5 7 says therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he might exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him because he cares for you.

Are you worried about something. Cast all your care upon God because he cares for you. Psalm 37 5 commit your way to the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Be anxious for nothing. Instead you ready for this one? You know it you can preach this now yourself. Take it go home. You got you don't even need notes. Be anxious for nothing.

But what. Pray about everything. Pray about everything.

Shoe leather.

Action we can take. Paul instructs be anxious for nothing and here's the contrast be anxious for nothing, but instead in everything pray and Then he gives us like mini model this mini paradigm for prayer requests.

Right let your requests Be may know to God requests or simply petitions addressed to God. For example in James chapter 1 he says if any of you lack wisdom ask of a God who gives abundantly and upbraid not prayer is just this general idea of talking to God and asking him and Worshiping and uttering supplication is the idea of really crying out to the Lord, which we've been doing by the way.

The elders are I gonna share part of the business meeting with you you ready. We have two viable candidates. To be the pastor of this church. You know how long we've been praying for that, you know how much Victor how many phone calls letters?

Right. We don't know if God's they're God's men. That's supplication. God God we don't want to close the doors of this church. We want to continue as you give us grace to be a lighthouse open doors closed doors.

Guide us that supplication that's how these men have been praying. And Finally Look what else he says? He says with Thanksgiving. You see there is this attitude and this disposition of Thanksgiving. And if a believer is anything they should be thankful.

They must thank God for answers to prayer. Thank God for his loving concern. Thank God that he's always with us that he never leaves us nor forsake us be thankful and keep on being thankful and Then finally look at this this wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful promise in verse 7.

As we live this out the peace of God. Which surpasses all understandings. Will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. You see when a person has joy within and There is gentleness abounding and prayer above.

He will experience peace and Paul refers to this very specifically. Please don't miss these little nuances in the Word of God. Notice what he says. He says the peace of what God. Man, it takes me a while to get things.

It's not. It's not the peace that we come up with because we've reasoned this out. It's what? Peace of God. We can't get this peace ourselves. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? It's a peace of God.

When a believer Has been justified by God.

Romans 5 1. Romans 5 1.

Therefore having been justified by faith We have peace with God Through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2 Verse 14. For he himself is Our peace see when Paul talks in Philippians 4.

About the peace of God he is talking about a divine peace and the source is God and it manifests itself in the attributes of God's eternal being. And Notice that he says this peace Will surpass all understanding.

You see this is the kind of peace that is foreign to the experience of an unsafe person when a believer Rests in. And I had an experience this recently it's it's it's not anything big but it it it it it's something that God allowed in our life and I cannot explain the peace.

But it is a peace that passes all understanding. One person said that the peace here that this peace of God, let me give you this quote because it's fantastic. I can never I'm never I'm not this articulate.

It excels and surpasses all our own intellectual calculations and considerations all our contemplations and Premeditated idea of how to get rid of our cares. And One of my children is a great example for me on this.

Excels and surpasses all our own intellectual calculations and considerations All our contemplations and premeditated ideas of how to get rid of our cares. We had a big conversation about politics one night At the dinner table and one of my children.

So.

Well, don't you understand where this country's going?

Well, God's in control, isn't he? Do you want to preach next Sunday? I can't I'm a woman.

Look what it says.

It will guard.

Your hearts and minds. You know, the word guard is from a Greek word it means to see before or to look out. It is a military term that talks about how a guard guards a military base. The same Verb. Look at look at how it's used in first Peter chapter 1.

Same word.

First Peter 1 I'm gonna read all the verses.

Verse 3 it's actually in verse 5, but I want to read them all. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that is not fade away reserved in heaven for you.

Here it is.