Sermon Tone Analysis

I usually don’t remember my dreams, but I had one this week that stuck with me.

In my dream, Dave & I were at an art museum.

We were having a great time.

When it came time to go, we passed through the first set of doors and were about to cross the breezeway when we saw that the main exit doors were blocked.

The area was under construction.

Now my husband thought that we could climb through barrier, and despite my protests he did just that.

I, on the other hand, decided it would be better to follow the signs and exit the building another way.

The other way turned out to be the new entrance to the building.

It was a beautiful entrance way, with lots of light, colored marble walls, and a huge floating glass staircase.

When I opened the doors to the stairway, I noticed that there was no handrail nearby.

Everything to the right of me was open to the atrium.

The hand rail was about 20 feet to my left.

As I started down the stairs, I looked down, through the glass stairs and realized how high I was above the floor below.

I decided it would be a good idea to get to the hand rail.

I took a step to the left and sat down.

I thought it would be a better idea to skooch my way down the steps.

I remember someone asking me if I was all right?

Did I need help?

Right there, in the middle of the dream I had an anxiety attack.

I couldn’t move.

I wouldn’t move.

Go get my husband.

And then I woke up.

What bothered me about this dream was that I had an anxiety attack.

Why would I be filled with anxiety when I was doing the right thing?

I followed the signs & used the right door.

This morning we’re going to look at anxiety and the ways to defeat it.

Webster defines anxiety as

“an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse) marked by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with it.”

In my dream I wasn’t able to descend the staircase.

I doubted that the staircase was solid.

Because it was glass and I could see through it, anxiety told me it wasn’t there, even thought there were other people walking on it.

Anxiety affects the way we think.

Why?

Because when we are anxious, our focus is on our situation and not the remedy.

Our thoughts end up controlling us and lead us to giving up instead of finding answers.

Anxiety, left unresolved, can debilitate your mind and body.

Turn to Matthew 6. You’ve probably read this passage a hundred times before and depending on the Bible translation you are using, the Greek word for “anxiety” is sometimes translated as “worry” which I think is a disservice.

To me if you compare the two, worry is benign and anxious is malignant.

Worry is being concerned, and anxious is being obsessed.

With that insight, you can see how the following passage is more important than we have been taught to believe.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry [be anxious] about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Do you see the difference?

Worry would be a teenager concerned about having the perfect dress to wear to prom.

Anxious would be the teenager who becomes anorexic to fit into that perfect dress.



26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 “And why do you worry [be anxious] about clothes?

See how the lilies of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.



 

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Little faith in God, little faith that He cares about and for you.

Anxiety breeds distrust for the power and love of God.

That’s why Jesus says it again:

31 So do not worry [be anxious], saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

In other words, replace your thoughts with God’s thoughts.

Put on the mind of Christ and God will take care of all your physical needs.

And one more time, for emphasis.

34 Therefore do not worry [be anxious] about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Did you catch that?

Anxiety and worry lead to trouble.

Jesus is telling us, not to worry about the future even though it will have its share of problems.

God has a plan.

Things will work out.

Deal with trials as they come, you can’t solve them in advance.

Providing for tomorrow is good, but worrying about tomorrow is sin because it doubts that God is in control.

Anxiety about tomorrow will paralyze you and your relationship with God.

Colossians 3:2 says,

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth”.

Focusing on God is the answer to anxiety.

Ø    When I spend time with him, I get to know him more intimately.

Ø    When I read his word, I learn more about him.

Ø    The more I know him, the greater my trust in him becomes.

Ø    The more I trust him, the less I have to be anxious about.

So when I feel anxious, I need to focus on God.

How can I avoid anxiety?

Paul gives us 3 steps to avoid anxiety.

Turn to Philippians 4.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

 

Step 1: pray with thanksgiving.

Don’t fill your prayers with anxiety.

“Oh God, I just don’t know what to do.” “God you have to get me out of this mess.

I’m sick God.

I’m so worried I can’t go to work.”

No, no, a thousand times no!

If your kids came to you with words like that, you’d tell them to snap out of it, get dressed and go to school or work.

Right?

Fill your prayers with thanksgiving.

“thank you God that I can come to you, that you hear my prayers.”

“thank you God that despite the mess I have made, you love me and want the best for me.”

“Thank you God that you have given me the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ”.

“I thank you father, that in you I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Fill your prayers with Thanksgiving.

Even Jonah in the belly of the whale cried out to God with Thanksgiving: Keep your finger in Philippians and flip over to Jonah 2 real quick:

7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.