Be Anxious For Nothing

Open with video, welcoming everyone to the service, then verbally welcome the visitors to the service!

Ask for Ron Bailey to come up and share about the Coming Convergence DVD and book.

OPEN WITH SHOWING THE PICTURE OF BLACK BART

Allow me to introduce you to, Charles E. Boles, or alias, C.E. Bolton. Do either of those names ring a bell with any of you? If not, then let me give you another name that he was better known by. In the late 1800’s, Mr. Boles was the most wanted man by the Wells Fargo stage coach company, in conjunction with a series of robberies from their stage coaches. Robberies that happened at the hands of a man who went by the alias name of “Black Bart”! Black Bart was a professional thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stage line. From San Francisco to New York, his name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed 29 different stagecoach crews. Amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a single shot. In fact, Black Bart never even carried a loaded gun when he robbed the Wells Fargo stage coaches! Because a hood hid his face, no victim ever saw his face. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims. His sinister presence was enough to overwhelm the toughest stagecoach guard. And because of His time and experience serving in the military during the Civil War, Boles knew how to set up decoys at the scene of his robberies, that gave the illusion of there being other men present, who were armed, and who were assisting him in the robberies! He was also well known for leaving witty poems at the scene of each crime, for the law officers to find and to so allow him the ability to gloat in his escapades! He was eventually caught and sentenced to 6 years in prison, of which he only served 4, due to good behavior. During the 8 years of his chain of robberies, it was always said of him, that he was a most distinguished gentleman to everyone that he robbed. And yet, because of the lore of his reputation and because of the essence of FEAR that he employed on his behalf, through the unknown and elusiveness of the mask that he wore, he had his way with the coaches, each and every time!

The reason that I am sharing this with you this morning, is to make a point. This man had his way with numerous other people for about 8 years, through the art of controlled FEAR and was able to walk away with an estimated $1-2 million dollars!

Now, I’m not saying this to glorify the illegally gained money that this man amassed, neither am I saying it to encourage any of you to don a mask and a gun and try to rob a modern Wells Fargo truck!

The point that I am wanting to get across to you this morning, is that anxiety and and worry and fear can completely cripple and control people in their lives!

Just as the stagecoach drivers in this account, were controlled and manipulated by the lore and the legend of this notorious robber, even though, in reality, no one was ever shot or hurt by this man. In fact, Black Bart was truthfully at a disadvantage, because he was using an unloaded gun each and every time that he robbed other men and he never even attempted to use violence to scare his victims. He only deployed the art and illusion of fear through the use of suggestions and props!

You see, once the enemy gets inside of your head and into your heart, with whatever it is that he is using at the time, he can begin to control and manipulate you in your life.

And this is done many times over, through circumstances and events that are either currently happening in your life, or even worse, through the prospect or knowledge of something that is possibly coming in the very near and unforeseen future and this “something” is an event that you haven’t even experienced yet.

I’m talking about the proverbial, “WHAT IF” scenario!

“What if” the stock market crashes tomorrow?!

“What if” my health ever fails me?!

“What if” my relationship with this other person doesn’t work out?!

“What if” the president doesn’t get re-elected this next term?!

This and a host of other “what if” questions, can begin to paralyze you with fear and anxiety, if you allow them to!

That is what I want to briefly talk with you about this morning. Our worries and our anxieties and our fears, that we have within our lives.

Now, I know that this past October, I did a three part message, entitled, “Things That Go Bump In The Night”, in which I spoke about people’s irrational and unhealthy fascination with FEAR. Specifically, the FEAR that comes from people’s unhealthy fascination with the macabre and the occultic and demonic.

Those things are not what I am talking about this morning. This morning, I want to address those areas in our lives that are more inherently common to most people and that control many of us and limit many of us and hinder our walk with the Lord.

I am talking more about life in general and the things within it, that we allow to take over in our hearts and minds and dictate to us, our walk with God and how effective we will be as His witnesses.

In reading yesterday, I read a couple of studies from this past year that I found especially intriguing since I am speaking to you this morning about worry and anxiety and stress and fear.

In last year’s Gallup Poll, it was found that Americans are among the MOST STRESSED people in the world!!!!

Last year, American’s reported feeling stress, anger and worry at the highest levels in a decade!

In this study, 55% of the people that were polled, stated that the day before they came in for the poll, they experienced high amounts of stress/anxiety during their day.

Consider the fact that the global average for this has been found to be around 35% in people around the world, who have high stress before such a poll has been conducted!

In fact, other nations that were polled, stated that the day before they came in for the poll, these people had great days: 87% said that they were treated with respect, 72% felt well-rested and 71% had smiled a lot or laughed a lot the day before!

Not in America though! well over half of our nation states that it was under a lot of stress/anxiety the day before!

We are talking about the most blessed nation in the world, as far as opportunity and provision and economic potential is concerned, unarguably, and yet, look at the stats!

And the demographics of who is being the most affected by this HIGH insurgence of worry and stress and anxiety, is what is really shocking.............its the younger generation!

Ages 15-49, are the ones found to be most stressed and worried and anxious and angry, over all!

WHY? The younger population should be the ones who see the future and the doors of opportunity before them. And yet, their hearts and minds are distracted with worry and anxiety and anger!

There are so many amazing opportunities in this nation for a hope and a future, if you are a young person. I looked it up yesterday, our unemployment rate is at 3.5%, as of the closing of 2019.

The last time that it was lower than that, was the year that I was born in 1968, when it was at 3.4%!

Interestingly enough, one of the main culprits in this arena, is that of social media!

People live’s and their longing for acceptance and social well being, are linked, inextricably, to this quagmire, that we call social media!

I find it interesting that

People are busier in their daily lives, now, more than ever, and yet according to current studies, only 2 hours and 48 minutes of the average person’s day, is considered productive time!

At least 134 other countries have laws which set the maximum length of work per week and per person; the US, however does not have such a law!

In fact, in the United States, 85.8% of men and 66.5% of women work MORE than 40 hours per week.

And in the middle of this hustle and bustle of working longer hours and yet not being as productive in our days, we have more obligations of places to go to and meetings to attend and functions to support, we then add in the conundrum of spending our precious time staring at and engaging in the world of social media!!!

And the end result is simple..........statistically, more than half of these people feel stressed and anxious and angry, when the day closes out!

Think about everything that I just said to you for a second and let that sink in. In a nutshell, it boils down to this. We, as Americans, as a world superpower, have a nation of people who are stressed and worried and fearful and angry and anxious, a lot of the time. And the churches in this country are filled with these same people. People for different reasons, will fill these buildings, looking for something that “religion” can offer to them.

And for a time and season, if the church has enough programs and social outlets for these people, they will find some source of relief, from the all of their worries, as they hear about a Savior who truly cares for them and who wants to take away their cares and their worries and all of life’s anxieties.

And between the really dynamic music and the great words of encouragement offered by the speaker, these people “feel” like it is helping.

And there will be some, who will truly find the narrow gate and enter into it through the Christ and they will engage Him and His words of life. And they will plug into the body of Christ and become discipled and serve the Lord with their life.

And yet, for others, the broad path, the easy way to heaven, seems like the right choice and these people will engage the church and its programs and its social venues and in the end, the whole thing just becomes another routine and another function that they have to fit into their already hectic schedule.

And they begin to find that it creates one more source of stress in their life. And so they gradually slide away from the church with the understanding that they will still go sometimes and they can just plug in to the online service and be a part that way!

And therein lies a large part of the problem. God is NOT, nor has He ever been, an online option!

A relationship with God cannot, nor will it ever be fulfilled with or supplemented by electronic devices and online media options!

God has always desired to have face to face encounters with His children. He wants us to come to Him and spend time with Him alone, listening to Him, as He listens to us!

Let’s look at a Biblical passage this morning that is really the backbone of this message about being stressed and fearful and worried and anxious all of the time.

Turn with me in your Bibles to the New Testament book of , if you would please. [If you do no have your Bible this morning, or you are unsure of where Philippians is in the Bible, it’s OK, we’ll get there together. You can just look ahead onto the screens and we’ll have it up here for you.]

Philippians 4:4–9 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:4–9 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

If you do no have your Bible this morning, or you are unsure of where Philippians is in the Bible, it’s OK, we’ll get there together. You can just look ahead onto the screens and we’ll have it up here for you.

There are just a few simple, straight forward points about this passage that I want to mention to you this morning and of what Paul is stressing to the people in the body of Christ.

First of all, look at what Paul says to us in the opening of this passage. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

I like the way that the AMP version of the Bible reads for this verse, where it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!”

How many people can say right now that having peace and contentment in your life is a desire that you would love to have?!

Well, this passage says that we are to DELIGHT/GLADDEN ourselves in God.

And according to David in the ,

The first key to victory in this life, over stress and worry and anxiety and fear and anger, is found in what Paul says to us in the opening statement. You and I must REJOICE, DELIGHT/GLADDEN ourselves in the Lord God.

And then, Paul stresses the point, by repeating the statement, “I say it again—rejoice!”

How you and I TRULY view God and how we think of Him in our heart, is the key to having JOY in the Lord!

How many people can say right now that having peace and contentment in your life is a desire that you would love to have?!

Well, this passage says that we are to DELIGHT/GLADDEN ourselves in God.

And according to David in the ,

Psalm 37:4–5 NLT

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

God and the desire to be with Him, at all times, is the key to having abounding joy. You cannot REJOICE in the Lord, unless you spend time with and truly know and love the Lord!

Did you ever wonder how and why David, was known by God as, “a man after His own heart”? (EXPOUND ON HOW DAVID DIDN’T HAVE THE COMPLETE BIBLE, NEVER LAID EYES ON THE CHRIST, etc.)

First of all, David didn’t have all of the distractions of life constantly competing for his time and attention, like we do today. David sat out in field early on, watching over the sheep; that was it.

David spent his time talking to the Lord. He spent his time meditating on the law of God and the words of God, as given through the the first 5 books of the Bible.

David fell in love with the laws and commands of God, because he came to understand that being in and under God’s laws, was a safe place and it was a place of intimacy between he and God!

This is why the opening Psalm of the Bible, as written by David states that a person is blessed in their life, if they “delight themselves in the law of the Lord and if they meditate on God’s law day and night.”

If the words of God are in your heart and in your mind, then you have the key to JOY and peace!

The late, great A.W. Tozer, in talking of the attributes of God said, “What comes into our minds, when we think about God, is the most important thing about us. If we were able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man!”

In other words, how you and I see and revere and think of God, truly in our hearts, is the key to our spiritual future.

It is for this reason that Jesus, took the 613 laws of the Jewish people and broke them down into 2 laws, which starts with the love of God, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.”

The love of God in our hearts is the most imperative thing that exists!

For until you and I truly begin to know and love God, as our ONLY desire and walk with Him in daily intimacy, we will NEVER truly know how to love anyone else!

And there is the key to every broken relationship that ended in hurts and strife and anxiety. If God is not your first love and the true desire of your heart, NO ON ELSE WILL EVER FILL THAT SLOT!

So, being able to REJOICE in the Lord, is saying that you truly KNOW and LOVE the Lord, amen?!

The next part of this passage in Philippians that I want to look at and which is the key verse in this passage, is that of verse 6, which says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Or, as the NLT reads of this same verse, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

Look very carefully at what the apostle Paul says here, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”

When circumstances in life turn bad, what is the first thing that you do? Does worry, stress, fear and anxiety well up inside of you?

Paul instructs us to not worry about these things, but rather to pray about these things. Take them to God and lay them at His feet and leave them there.

This is NOT advice that Paul is giving to us; it is a command that will lead to true peace in your life.

Why is stress and anxiety and fear, our first response to the troubles with life? Simply put, because we are trying, in ourselves, to be the source and answer to these troubles and issues.

And we tend to think that doing more and being on the go more and staying busier is better and thus showing and proving that we are trying to resolve the issues.

Our culture and society (the world) says, “You need to be doing more, you need to be proving yourself more, you should stay busier and on the go more” and yet, I find God in His word saying to us, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Once you allow fear and anxiety and worry into your life, you have empowered the enemy and diminished your relationship with God.

And you will find, if you look closely, that once anxiety becomes prevalent in your life, it gets easier and easier to become anxious over things. Even the basic and most simple things.

For this reason, in stressing our relationship with the Father, Jesus taught us in that we are to be anxious/worry about NOTHING! He said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

The late Cory Ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrows; it empties today of strength.”

When you worry about the things of this world that are happening in your life and you are not taking these concerns to God in prayer and believing that He has a perfect plan for you in these situations, then you’re spiritual life begins to weaken and your trust in God begins to lessen.

And in reality, all of the worry and anxiety and stress that you go through, does you absolutely NO GOOD.

Jesus said, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

And the simple answer to this is, “NO”.

God knows that we have physical needs, such as, clothing, food, shelter and He has said that if we will seek Him first in our lives and trust in Him, He will provide these things.

It may not be the way that we want, or the kind that we want, or the brand that we want, but He will provide and meet our actual NEEDS; not our selfish WANTS! (Like the man who was stranded on the house in the flood and a rowboat, a motor boat and a helicopter came and we refused to go, saying that God would save him.)

Look, anxiety and fear and worry, are part of this life. They exist and the enemy will constantly try to get into your heart and mind via these things. They are temptations that he presents, that serve only to detract from our trust in God.

Did you know that Jesus, Himself, experienced fear? Now before you lynch me, I didn’t say that Jesus yielded to and succumbed to fear, but only that He experienced it.

is the account of Jesus praying in the garden before His arrest.

Verse 44 says, “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

The Greek word used here for agony, is agōnia, and it means, “great fear, terror, of death; anxiety, agony.”

Jesus felt fear, such great anxiety was upon his flesh that night that his capillaries ruptured into His sweat glands and He sweat blood, which is an actual medical condition, known as hematidrosis.

Jesus experienced fear, but He didn’t yield to it and make a decision based on fear. Instead, He yielded to the perfect will of His Father and overcame the fear in the flesh and went to the cross!

tell us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Look at the promise that the Bible gives to us about taking our worries and anxieties and fears to God and leaving them there with Him and in His all powerful hands. Paul says in our passage in ,

Philippians 4:7 ESV

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

God’s peace, which is a part of the fruit of His Holy Spirit, will actually form a bulwark around your heart and my heart and protect them from the enemy.

And in closing, I want to finish with rest of that passage and stress a point and a promise to you.

Instead of dwelling on the concerns of this world and all of its worries and fears, Paul tells us what to focus on, he says in verse ,

Philippians 4:8 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

And then comes the promise to those who entrust God with their concerns and who dwell on the things that are of God and that are pleasing to God, Paul says in verse 9, “practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Did you catch the way that Paul speaks of PEACE in this passage?

In verse, Paul said that the PEACE of GOD would guard your heart.

And then in verse 9 he says that if we focus on the things of God, the GOD OF PEACE would be with us!

I want the God of peace with me at all times and I want the peace of God guarding my heart at all times!

Close with Habakkuk and his questioning God and then the reality of trusting in God, whether the answer comes the way we want or not!