Joy in Anxiety-Free Living

Pastoral Prayer

Leader:

Almighty God,

You are the sovereign over all nations.

Kingdoms rise, and kingdoms fall,

But your name stands above them all.

As we approach election day in the United States of America,

Keep our eyes fixed on you.

Helps us to see what John saw in Revelation:

[Pause here, closing your eyes for a few seconds]

All:

Your throne is at the center of the universe

Beside the throne stands the lamb who was slain.

Jesus, Your loving and sacrificial death

is the victory that overcame evil.

Your resurrection is the reason we have hope

For life beyond death,

For new creation coming,

and for the restoration of all things.

[Pause here, closing your eyes for a few seconds]

Leader:

We pray for your rule to arrive on earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for your will to be done in the world.

We pray for the church in America to reflect the Kingdom of God

in all that we do and say.

[Take the hand of the person on either side of you]

All:

Help us to be salt--

preserving what is good in the world around us

and preventing the rot of sin and wickedness.

Help us to be light--

putting your goodness, righteousness, and justice

on display in the world.

Use our actions and our agency,

Our votes and our voice

For the good of our neighbors and for the glory of God.

Leader:

No matter the outcome of this election,

Fill us, your people, with your peace.

Remind us of our mission in the world.

Keep us faithful to our call,

and joyful in your service.

All:

Until that great day when every knee bows

and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father,

And the kingdoms of this world become

the Kingdom of our God and of His Messiah,

And he shall reign forever and ever.

Amen.

Leader:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” -- Romans 15:13

Scripture Reading

Philippians 4:1–7 NIV

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, 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. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Mike Ahr, Scripture Reader

Membership

Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and depend upon Him alone for your salvation according to God’s Word? If so say, I do.

Do you promise to be a faithful member of this congregation, sharing in its worship and ministry through your prayers, financial generosity, and service, and seeking the fellowship of the church wherever you may be? If so say, I do.

Do you submit yourself to the government and discipline of the Church and to the spiritual oversight of its leaders, and do you promise to promote the unity, purity and peace of the Church? If so say, I do.

To the Congregation:

Do you accept their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? If so say, we do!

Do we welcome these new members to the life and ministry of Moraga Valley

Presbyterian Church? If so say, We do!

Will we stand with them in need, grow with them in faith, and serve with them in the purpose God has given us as a church—to worship God regularly and to make disciples? If so say, We will!

Candidate & Congregation:

Let us confirm our faith together as one family through the Apostle’s Creed:

ALL please stand.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the

Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy universal church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Baptism

Through baptism Christ calls us to new obedience: to love and trust God completely; to forsake the evil of the world; and to live a new and holy life. Yet, when we fall into sin, we must not despair of God’s mercy, nor continue in sin, for baptism is the sign and seal of God’s eternal covenant of grace with us. We present those before you for the sacrament of Baptism.

To adult baptism candidates:

Trusting in the grace and mercy offered to you in Jesus, do you commit to turning from the ways of sin and evil in this world? I do.

Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and trust Him as Lord of your life? I do.

Do you commit to live in faith and obedience to God; letting the Holy Spirit guide, help and strengthen you as you follow Jesus in loving and serving others? I do.

To the Congregation:

Do you promise to love, encourage, and support God’s people by teaching the gospel of God’s love, by being an example of Christian faith and character, and by giving the strong support of God’s family in fellowship, prayer, and service? If so, say "We do."

Body of Sermon

Good morning! Thanks for joining us this morning! Turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians 4. This morning we’re going to be talking about a subject that feels near and dear to the present moment we’re experiencing in North America. Today we’re talking about finding joy through anxiety-free living.

Admittedly, this is a hard subject.

Every morning I take 10mg of Escitalopram, which is the generic medication for Lexapro, an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication… I felt like that was an important thing to disclose to all of you, that you might think I live in a near perfect world and don’t struggle with anxiety, but I think it’s been just the opposite.

Also to that end, I’m not a psychologist, or a psychiatrist, and I can’t pretend to be a mental health professional — but what I do feel committed to doing is mining the scripture on a weekly basis to find out what Jesus has to say towards our regular and daily needs.

If there’s joy that can be found in the middle of anxiety, I want to know about it, and as your pastor, I want you to know about it.

Turn with me to Philippians 4:1-7, and we’ll begin with this notion that joy can be find when times feel less than joyful. Really, the premise that I want to begin with, is that joy can be found — even in the midst of anxiety — because Jesus is near.

Paul has just been encouraging the church in Philippi to keep pressing on, to keep their attention on Jesus, and as they do the Lord will do a miracle in their midst and change them to look like more like Christ.

There are a couple of incorrect responses to Paul’s teaching that could have surfaced at this point, most recently it could be the idea of perfectionism, or back in Philippians 3:15

Philippians 3:15 (NIV)

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things…

And Don talked about this last week, where Christians throughout time have believed that we can experience perfection on this side of heaven, that salvation should imply the absence of sin — if that were the case, Paul wouldn’t have made it in, and I wouldn’t make it in into eternity. The best response to perfectionism is the work that God does in us, not the work that we do.

Working to an end that you will never be able to do will be an enemy to your joy.

Another incorrect response to Paul’s teaching happens in verse 2, and this is the idea of factionalism or tribalism, where we create disunity where the Lord has called us towards unity.

Look with me at verse 2. Philippians 4:2

Philippians 4:2 NIV

I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

Two women are up to no good in Philippi, and Paul’s request is that they would be “of the same mind,” they would choose unity over whatever trivial matter they’re building sides for.

Whatever it is, its obvious that the division that is being created, is ripping this community apart.

Tribalism, or factionalism, creates something other than unity around Jesus to be of greater value.

When believers rally around something other than the person and work of Jesus, it will be an enemy to their joy.

In verse 3, Paul is tapping on the shoulder of an unnamed person, who he calls his “true companion” to act as a mediator — and these two woman, and the dissenting community, need Christian accountability in how they are living lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus. Paul says these women are written in the “book of life,” they’re a part of the family of God, their behavior should indicate that their name belongs on the family tree.

We don’t know what they’re arguing about… but if we remember in Philippians 2:14, Paul reminds this church that they are to do:

Philippians 2:14 NIV

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

If they’re going to live lives that demonstrate that Jesus has done a massive and transforming work in their lives, then they’re going to need to stop the dispute… when the church gathers they are meant to shine like lights in the darkness. This is what Paul has already said in Philippians 2:15

Philippians 2:15 (NIV)

Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

There are greater Christian responses for the world to see other than grumbling and complaining, greater than building up sides, trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong — and it’s what Paul is pointing to in verse 4.

Philippians 4:4 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

In the Bible it’s common to raise the importance of an issue by repeating it. Paul thinks that their public display of joy to be infinitely greater importance than fighting and arguing with each other.

And the believer doesn’t get to decide when they rejoice, and we see this in the addition of the word “always” at the end of verse 4.

Pastor Jason Meyer says, “The command is always in season. It is always the right time to rejoice… The Philippians can always rejoice ‘in the Lord’ because what they have in Christ cannot fade, spoil, or expire. No one can steal their joy, for no one can take away their victory in Christian.”

Tribalism is here today. Gone tomorrow. We’ve been picking sides since the very beginning… but Paul seems to indicate that it’s an awful way to spend your time.

Paul wants to give an even better way to spend their time in verses 5 & 6. Philippians 4:5-6

Philippians 4:5–6 NIV

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

My therapist said to me recently, “Brandon, anxiety is when we live in the future.” As I’ve reflected on this statement, I find that I agree with it more and more.

Others have described anxiety about a worry or uneasiness about an outcome, and often, we feel anxiety about the future.

We’re anxious for our financial realities. We’re anxious for our kids. We’re anxious for the outcome of the election. We’re anxious about going to the doctor because we don’t want to find out that something is wrong with us.

Everybody in Philippi is wanting to know what’s next: how do they settle this dispute? What’s it going to be like when two different members of these dissenting parties see each other in Safeway? What does it mean to reconcile with each other in the same way that Jesus reconciled us back to the Father? Do we really have to be merciful over this or that? Because these people hurt me!

Do you see? There’s all sorts of tension about the future, about the outcome.

Paul gives two responses around the anxiety of this situation, and it’s all tied together to how near Jesus is.

First, there’s no room for grudges when we’re working towards gentleness.

Why? Because Jesus is near.

The church has always believed that Jesus was coming again, soon. Believers are waiting, preparing, praying for His return.

Here’s the idea: when the most merciful person in the world shows up, do you want to be found withholding mercy?

Christians are always participating in the work of Jesus that we’re waiting on Him to finish.

Revelation 21:5 (NIV) says

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

What was broken, deserves to be fixed.

If there’s a grudge, it deserves to be forgiven — because someday we’ll stand in the presence of the One who has forgiven us. It’s not just that Jesus is returning soon, it’s that Jesus is present now.

The second response that Paul gives around the anxiety of this situation is prayer. We thank God, and we ask God, not because God doesn’t know what we need, but because we’re placing our futures into the hands of a capable God. A near God. A present God. A worthwhile Savior. He is attentive to our needs and someday soon He’s coming back to fix everything that is broken.

We bring with us the right attitude of approaching God, because with God we don’t have to worry about our future, our future isn’t uncertain, it’s certain in what Jesus has accomplished. That’s why we pray with thanksgiving, with a heart of gratitude, because amidst everything that is uncertain, with God our futures are spoken for.

There are two major beliefs concerning the future events of the world, concerning the future of relationships, concerning how we are going to be impacted by outside pressures:

One is that you can rest easy about what you bring to the table regarding whatever circumstances that you bring.

The other is that you can rest easy about what Jesus brings to the table regarding whatever circumstances you’re going through.

The latter is what happens when we have entrusted ourselves to a God who is near, who is intimately involved with our futures, and this is the result that Paul is talking about in verse 7. Philippians 4:7

Philippians 4:7 NIV

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul is already living the result of this peace. He has no fear of the future. Earlier in the letter, he’s worked on his travel arrangements because he thinks his trial in Rome is going to go swimmingly and that he’s going to survive this whole thing.

Why? Because Paul’s future is certain in Christ.

One scholar concludes it like this, “God’s peace is different. Worldly peace must be guarded; God’s peace guards us.”

This is the difference in what God is able to do when we place our lives into His capable hands: anxiety might creep in, but your heart and your mind stand guarded.

Grudges, grumbling, guarding what doesn’t belong to us — have little to no appeal when we think about how close Jesus is. He’s with us. He’s returning soon.

So instead of arguing, complaining, and protecting our own self-interests — we rejoice and we always keep rejoicing. Why? Because my life is perfectly in His care and wherever I go, He’s there with me. In trial, He’s with me. In Victory, He’s with me. He was with me yesterday, in this moment, and He won’t take time away from me tomorrow.

Let me give you one idea on how we can increase our joy and decrease our anxiety.

It’s a simple practice called: The 3’s or 3-3-3’s.

Here's how it works:

Three times daily (morning, noon, evening), pause for just 3 minutes, Focus on 3 simple truths:

"Jesus is here with me right now"

"Jesus is working in this situation"

"Jesus is coming back to make all things new"

What makes this powerful is how it reorients our perspective:

It breaks the future-focused anxiety cycle by grounding us in Christ's presence. It transforms routine moments into reminders of eternal hope. It creates a rhythm of rejoicing that's tied to Christ rather than circumstances.

When the bills pile up, or the doctor calls, or the news seems overwhelming, we have a choice: we can scroll through our phones looking for answers, or we can sit in the presence of Jesus. The 3-3-3 practice helps us remember that the same Jesus who is coming in power is already present in peace. Each 3-minute pause is like setting up a guard post where God's peace can stand watch over our hearts.