Sermon Tone Analysis

! Avoiding Anxiety: Experiencing the God of Peace \\ (Philippians 4:6-9)

 

I remember hearing a missionary tell of being in an undeveloped part of Africa with his family, including his two very young children…[Personal illustration]

 

Have you ever really considered the mind-body connection?

Have you ever considered how much the body influences the mind and how much the mind influences the body?

The mind-body connection is an important concept.

But it is a concept which is difficult to pin down because there is a part of it that defies our ability to explore it scientifically.

And, of course that part is not the body, which can be subjected to repeatable and verifiable testing.

No, the part of the mind-body connection that defies our human attempts to quantify is the mind.

We can’t put the mind under a microscope or subject it to repeatable and verifiable testing.

(That tends to bring up another subject, that the brain and the mind are not synonymous, they are, in fact, separate and distinct) 

 

So when we begin to deal with the subject of anxiety, it makes it necessary to talk about the mind-body connection.

This is because anxiety is connected to both.

The feeling of anxiety, the uneasiness, the uncomfortable, restless unpleasant feelings are created by the body.

But it is the body that creates those feelings in response to what the mind is doing.

The mind is dwelling on things that are precipitating the body’s response.

This response is something that God has created within us as a warning system; when the mind is stressed about issues outside of its control the body reacts and creates a sense of dread and uneasiness so that we will be wary about engaging in harmful behaviors.

But, which one is God concerned about?

In Scripture, we don’t typically see God focusing His attention on the body and how we feel; because that is a secondary issue or a byproduct of the mind.

God focuses His attention on your mind and what you are allowing to go on in your mind; that is the primary issue or the prime product.

When I said, “My foot is slipping,”

Your love, O Lord, supported me.

When anxiety was great within me,

Your consolation brought joy to my soul

(Ps.

94:18-19, NIV).

*In this passage, Paul enumerates 4 choices the Christian must make in order to experience the God of Peace.*

*I.

In order to experience the God of Peace, you must choose to abandon dwelling on your circumstances, which results in anxiety (v.6a)*

 

Jesus Himself said three times, “Do not be anxious” (Matt.

6:25, 31, 34)

Paul is just reiterating what Jesus said.

Notice that Paul specifically states that there are no circumstances that we can allow ourselves to be anxious about

* Not the economy

* Not your health

* Not your relationships

* Not what other people think about you

* Not the future (after all, no one worries about the past, if you did it would only be about how the past would impact the future, so it is actually about the future, not the past)

* NOTHING!!

A question inevitably rises up when you discuss worry: isn’t it legitimate to be concerned and to plan for the future?

Yes, and that is an essential distinction to make.

What is the difference between godly concern and sinful worry?

The Greek word that is translated “anxious” or “worry” is various forms of /meridzo/ which means “to be divided, to be split or separated” and that is what worry is, it divides your attention between being occupied with current reality and future reality.

Another way of saying it might be that you are split or divided between the present and the future.

In 2Co 10:28, Paul talked about his daily care (/merimna/) for all of the churches.

He also mentioned that because of that daily concern, he hoped to send Timothy to be with the Philippian church (Php 2:19) because he had not one like-minded who will sincerely care (/merimnasei/) for your state.

Paul is not admitting his sin by saying that he was sinfully worried or anxious in his daily care for the churches.

Nor was he recommending Timothy to go to Philippi to sinfully worry and agonize over the church there.

In each instance, he was talking about a godly concern.

His concern was godly and Timothy’s would be too (which Paul said was rare, since most people only think about themselves).

I bring that up to show some examples of the Bible speaking specifically to a godly concern that is different that sinful worry.

But, again, what is the difference between the two.

Lets use Paul’s two examples and see where the tipping point would be where godly concern could become sinful worry.

We know from various passages that Paul continually prayed for the churches.

He listened to reports from messengers about what was happening in the churches.

He would plan for future visits and things he would like to do when he was there to be a blessing.

He would write letters to the churches to encourage or admonish them.

All of this is care and concern that is well within the bounds of godliness.

But if Paul were to start dwelling on events that had not happened yet, like, “How will they respond to my letter?” and turning that over and over in his mind.

Perhaps he could dwell on possible threats to his safety from the Jews or other false teachers.

He could ruminate on whether or not he would have enough money for his future journeys, or for next week’s sustenance.

Do you see? 

Considering the needs of the future and prayerfully making plans is one thing.

But to dwell on something beyond your control, turning it over and over in your mind is another.

One causes you to be of a single mind, undivided, trusting God.

The other causes you to be double-minded, split between the present and an unknown future, failing to trust God.

The Bible does not advocate a flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants manner of living, where life is lived so moment-by-moment that there is no thought for the future and everything is purely reactionary; not at all.

The Bible advocates for diligent planning, taking life with a proactive view that prepares for godliness and avoids sinfulness.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, \\ But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”

\\ (Proverbs 21:5 NKJV)

This is an example of God clearly advocating for informed decision making that tends towards being proactive, “the plans of the diligent.”

The one being criticized here is the one making ill-considered decisions, the one who fails to plan and experiences unnecessary poverty as a result.

This poverty is not merely financial, either.

It can be an

* emotional poverty that is due to a lack of foresight in cultivating intimacy in a relationship.

* It can be a spiritual poverty from the result of failing to plan for avoiding temptation and developing spiritual maturity.

Those are all things that don’t happen by themselves, but are the result of forethought, planning and working the plan.

So, the first choice that Christians must make in order to experience the God of peace is you must choose to abandon dwelling on your circumstances, which results in anxiety

The second choice that every Christian must make

*II.

In order to experience the God of Peace, you must choose to commit your circumstances to God, which results in peace (v.6b-7)*

 Paul does not write, “Pray about it!”

He is too wise to do that.

He uses three different words to describe “committing our circumstances to God”: /prayer, supplication, /and /thanksgiving.

/Committing our circumstances to God/ /involves all three.

*A.

Committing our circumstances to God involves approaching Him (v.6b)*

The word /prayer/ is the general word for communication with God.

It is both an action and a perspective.

It an action when we do it, it is a perspective when we are conscious of the reality that God never leaves us or forsakes us, we are His temple and He dwells within us, therefore we can talk to Him all the time.

Literally without ceasing, as 1Th 5:17 tells us.

So, whenever we find ourselves worrying, our first action ought to be to talk to God about it.

Worship Him! Adore Him!  We must see the greatness and majesty of God!  We must realize that He is big enough to solve our problems.

Too often we rush into His presence and hastily tell Him our needs, when we ought to approach His throne in humility and awe, but also realizing that He beckons us to come anytime!

*B.

Committing our circumstances to God involves asking Him (v.6b)*

The second is /supplication,/ an earnest sharing of our needs and problems.

While we know we are not heard for our “much speaking” (Matt.

6:7–8), still we realize that our Father wants us to be earnest in our asking (Matt.

7:1–11).

Be specific with God, be honest and forthright about how you are feeling and what your concerns are.

We have not because we ask not.

*C.