Be Anxious For Nothing Part 1

Opening: Sports brings the best out of some, and the worst out of others. In my experience, I have watch sports bring the very best out of some athletes. In Ohio, a champion track runner had already one her first race the 200 meters. Then in the second race, the 400, she dropped back a bit but was still strong. One of the runners in front of her cramped up and fell. Instead of running past her as all the other runners did, the champion chose to stop, pick her up, and all but carry her to the finish line. It was an incredibly moving moment.

Sports also bring the worst out of people. Unfortunately, and embarrassingly, it usually brings the worst out of the people in the stands, not on the field. Over the years I have seen the beginnings of fights in the stands because one person says something about the other team, …seen that from my own family. I think the thing that gets me the most though is when I here some of the absurdities yelled from parents towards their kids. I cannot tell you the number of times as a referee, that stood over a kid that was hurt because his clock just got cleaned, and an uncaring parent yells from the stands “get up, your not hurt”… I always wondered how they could know that when they are 50 yards away.

Or, when at a baseball game, a pitcher throws a perfect pitch, and the batter swings and misses, and a parent yells at their child, by the way if you’re that child it doesn’t feel good, yells “you gotta hit that ball.” I wonder if a player has ever turned and yelled, your kidding me, is that what I am supposed to do. A family member of mine was playing baseball. He was the pitcher, and he was having a rough game. Finally, his wife yelled from the stands, you gotta throw strikes… from the mound, he yelled (and I will clean it up) What do you think I am trying to do.

This is very similar…..

We know … 25  Can any of you add a cubit to his height by worrying? 26  If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?

We Know

27  Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? 28  And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. 29  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!

We know…

6  Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

We know the verses, we know what we need to do, we don’t need anyone else to tell us “you just got to stop worrying…” every worrier knows that. We need to know how to stop. Over the next three weeks I hope we will learn from scripture how to do just that… and be anxious for nothing.

I want you to turn to I Peter Chapter 1.

Transition to

Set the stage: On the night of July 19, 64 A.D. a fire broke out in Rome. The fire is reported to have started near one of the shops lining the Circus Maximus. The fire rapidly spread and burned for 6 days. There are several rumors about this fire. Some report that Nero set the shops of fire, so that he could build his dream system of palace’s. Others reported that there were gangs of thugs that kept people from fighting the fire. Some even reported that Nero played his violin while Rome burned. The details regarding the fire are many, however, most do support the fact that Nero was intricately involved. What we do know is that Nero blamed Christians for the fire, and this sets the stage for understanding I Peter.

Nero was ruthless. He hated Christians and what they stood for. For a public spectacle, Nero would feed live Christians to the Lions, at gladiator fights. It is recorded that the garden at his palace would at times be lined with Christians burning at the stake. Nero was severely disturbed. He would later commit suicide, but not before persecuting many Christians

1 Peter 1:1–2 HCSB

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To the temporary residents dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

1 Peter 1:

1 Peter 1:3–9 HCSB

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith —more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:3-9

1 Peter 1:10–12 HCSB

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.

I Peter 1:10-12

Main Point: As Christians, our victory over trials and anxiety is built on the foundational hope that is found in Christ.

Reread vs 3

Our new hope comes through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. When we struggle with anxiety, or worry I want you to think about what we are doing, but in order to that, I have to take you the final days of Jesus’s life. He beat. He was spit on. His side was pierced with a sword. He died on the cross. He was laid in a borrowed grave. A stone was rolled in front of the Grave. Soldiers were assigned to guard the stone, and the grave. Friday passed. Saturday passed. The on Sunday, the ground began to shake, the stone was rolled away, and out of the grave walked our Savior. He is alive. He appeared to many people over the next forty days, and then He ascended into Heaven, the victor. So think about his, when we worry, when we are anxious we are really saying to the Savior who over came all of that, Savior, I simply can’t trust on this one. I have never been crucified. I have never laid in a grave, I have never ascended to Heaven, like you.... but I just can’t trust you on this one.

I know this is easier said than done, but you and I must trust the Savior that has done and continues to do infinitely more than you or I ever can do.

Truth #1: You are being actively protected

John McArthur says it like this: if the Omnipotent God is for you, no person, and no power can successfully oppose you. You are protected.

When I was in 6th or 7th grade, I would walk to my uncle’s apartment every Tuesday, so that I could go to Boy Scouts that evening. I had my routine, I would walk to his apartment, then grab some of his quarters and walk down the street to the arcade. One day as I was walking to the arcade, I walked passed a person who was breaking into another apartment. It scared me to death, and so I began to run. I am certain that he chased me. (I say that I am certain, because I was so scared, if he would have done anything, I would have determined that he was chasing me.) I will never forget that.

When I joined the Navy, I never had another fear like that. (I want to be clear here, I did not live in fear, in fact I seldom even thought about that day). But I never thought about stuff like that because; in order to get to the sailors, they had to get passed guards with M-16s. Then they had to get passed two more guards that have Colt 45 (and I am not talking about the beer), then they had to avoid being seen by a whole security detail, that roamed the ship 24 hours ad 7 days a week.

Here is why I tell you this. Each one of us need to know that 24 hours a day, God, and his Angels are watching out for us. Not one thing is going to happen to us, outside of God’s care. We don’t have to be anxious.

Truth #2: In the life of a Christian, there is never a trial that God cannot use to grow us

Take comfort in this: God will never say, wow, I wasn’t expecting to see that… What should I do? God will never say that. In fact, those words cannot even be a part of who He is.

Practical Steps you can take today

#1 Turn off politically motivated news

I am not saying stick you head in the sand and hope everything works out. I am saying turn off the politically motivated news.

a. This past election cycle was one of, if not the most, anxious times in America. If you watched CNN Donald Trump was leading America to sure destruction. If you watched Fox Hillary was the worst person in the world…. Right now, if I know people some of you want to blurt out he is, or she is… don’t. Before you do that, take a step back and look at how each one of them were accused of doing similar things… Politically based news is not news, it’s party propaganda. I personally like some of the personalities on Fox News, but I, at times have to turn it off.

b. Find a news outlet that is not politically motivated and yes they do exist

c. Read the news in the newspaper, because you can pick and choose what you put into your brain.

#2 Don’t be a Google doctor

What’s a Google doctor, you ask. A Google doctor is the person that anytime something happens, you sneeze, your knee buckles, whatever it is you go to Google to find out what is wrong with you. Here is the hard-core truth that you need to hear, if you do that, you will one day read something that you did not want to read, and then your mind will not turn off. This is not a good practice. Instead, find you a doctor that you trust, and talk to him or her. Well, I don’t want to bother him all the time, then it is probably not what you are making it out to be. I have never heard of a person with a serious illness say, I really don’t want to bother my doctor.

Another thing that I want to point out to you… one of the worst things that has happened in the recent past is pharmaceuticals have started advertising on t.v. Let me highlight something for you… what good does it do for you to see an advertisement for say Xeralta? Not one bit, you can’t write yourself a prescription. The enemy, the Devil, loves these commercials because it puts questions and anxiety in your mine.

a. Let me highlight something for you… what good does it do for you to see an advertisement for say Xeralta? Not one bit, you can’t write yourself a prescription. The enemy, the Devil, loves these commercials because it puts questions and anxiety in your mine.

#3 Go for a walk with your husband or wife, or a close friend

#4 Invest in, and minister to someone else

1. Invest in, and minister to someone else

#5 Men, talk to Christian brothers. Women, talk to Christian sisters. Get in an accountability group.

#6 Slow down, and rest