Untitled Sermon (4)

Verse ConceptsAnxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

:7Verse Conceptscasting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for youIsaiah 41:10Verse Concepts'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

:7Verse Concepts

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

:4Verse Concepts

I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears

The Punctuation of the Sentence

The NIV and RSV put a period at the end of verse 6 and make verse 7 into a new sentence. "Humble yourselves . . . Cast all your anxiety on him." But that break obscures the connection. The NASB and the KJV don't have a period because verse 7 does not start a new sentence in the original Greek. It is part of the sentence in verse 6 and continues with a participle: not, "Cast all your anxiety on him . . . ," but, " . . . casting all your anxiety on him."

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Not: "Humble yourselves. And cast your anxiety." But: "Humble yourselves . . . casting your anxiety."

Casting Your Anxiety on God Is Part of Humbling Yourself

That's the connection between verse 7 and what goes before. "Clothe yourselves with humility toward each other and humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God by casting your anxiety on God." Well, God is willing to carry your anxieties the same way a donkey carries your baggage. One of the greatest things about the God of the Bible is that he commands us to let him work for us before commanding us to work for him. "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (). "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you" (). "Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save" (). "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him ().

God wants to be a burden bearer because it demonstrates his power and puts him in a class by himself among the so-called gods of the universe. "No one has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him." So throw the garments of your anxiety onto him. He wants to carry it.

says, "Cast your anxiety on God by trusting that he cares for you." And says, "Cast your anxiety on the Lord by praying and letting your requests be made known to him." The connection is simple. Trusting that God cares about your anxiety is expressed in prayer. Prayer is the trust turned toward God and spoken

What is anxiety?

What is the Christian’s response to anxiety?

What does this look like in our lives?

Now what?