Sermon Tone Analysis

*/Getting the Conversation Started – part 2/*

*/“Can You Hear Me Now?”/*

*/March 18, 2004/*

*/Used the basic idea from a sermon by Chris Seidman, Farmers Branch Church of Christ/*

 

*Big Idea:* Prayer is the key to handling anxiety in your personal life, your family, your job, your church, and your world.

*/They're everywhere.

\\ You can run, but you can't hide.

\\ Just when the sun breaks through to your heart, they attack, \\ conjuring up a dark cloud to squelch your joy.

\\ Even believers can fall victim to the joy snatchers.

They put our joy in \\ jeopardy daily.

Who or what are they?/**

Stacey S. Padrick***[1]**

*/ /*

Here are a few of the most insidious culprits.

Fear of rejection, failure, and not being protected;  Anxiety about the future, change in life transitions;  Concerned about what others think;  Comparing our lives to others;  Coveting what others have; Sin;  Busyness and over commitment; holding on too tightly (having control); worry warts; and unbelief.

These represent the short list of joy snatchers.

Because we easily gravitate toward worry, we may not be sure when it begins to take over.

A tense back.

A mind that constantly has thoughts racing through it.

You have a lack of joy and lightheartedness.

You are impatience with others and yourself.

You take yourself to seriously.

We forget to thank God for his blessings – all of these signs points to the presence of smoldering coals of worry in our heart.

Like a smoke detector warning of impending danger, they alert me to the asphyxiating smoke of worry.

God never intended for us to live joyless lives.

Joy is an inward

·        The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

*/Psalm 126:3/*

·        But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, */Galatians 5:22/*

·        Nehemiah said, “… for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

*/Nehemiah 8:10/*

·        Jesus said, “I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” */John/**/ 16:22/*

 

Last week we began talking about “Getting A Conversation With God Started.”

In our prayers we have an inside connection in prayer with Jesus Christ.

It isn’t what we know, do or don’t do, it’s who we know.

We also discussed that we never pray alone because Jesus and the Holy Spirit are continually interceding on our behalf.

The third cool part about last week was that we can “Come As We Are - warts, sins and all.”

We want to continue that lesson today.

A major obstacle that stands in the way of our prayers is anxiousness.

The church in Philippi was facing many difficulties that was causing great anxiety among the brothers and sisters in Christ.

1:12 - Their good friend Paul was unjustly put into prison.

1:27 - The Philippians were struggling to do the right thing and focus on being united during difficult times.

3:18 –/18 Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ.

I have often told you about them, and it makes me cry to tell you about them now.

19 In the end, they will be destroyed.

They do whatever their bodies want, they are proud of their shameful acts, and they think only about earthly things./[2]

They use the teachings of Christ for their benefit.

4:2-3 – There were two influential sisters in conflict with each and it had negative impact on the church.

It is these situations and  many others that take away our joy today.

Then you add in quick fix mentality of our culture, unless God responds very quickly, then we really lose our joy.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians and to us to help  reestablish joy that was had previously and joy that you can have today.

in our hearts.

Paul gives us the key to knowing how to deal with anxiety.

/Let’s read Philippians 4:4-7.

//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 everything, 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.

/

Prayer is the key to getting back our joy or for getting joy for the first time in our lives.

*PRAY, KNOWING THE LORD IS NEAR*.

There is a right place to be and a wrong place to be to find joy in life, especially difficult times.

If you have lived long enough you have discovered that good health, power, property, possessions, status, education, or being in control is not the right place to be because they do not guarantee you joy.

Therefore, you have to look beyond this world, beyond ourselves.

In verse 4, Paul says, *Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again: Rejoice!”  *This verse puts in one phrase what Paul wants people to do.

Joy is such a vitally important factor in believers’ spiritual stability that Paul repeats his command for emphasis: *again I will say, rejoice!*/ /This repetition presupposes that it is not easy to find joy in difficult circumstances.

Paul was challenging them to rise above their circumstances.

/ /Joy is seen by many people today as a human emotion and find Paul’s twice repeated command to be puzzling.

How, they ask, can people be ask to produce an emotion/?/

It’s important to note that joy is not a feeling; it is the deep down confidence that God is in control of everything for the believer’s good and His own glory, and thus all is well no matter what the circumstances./

/Chairete (*rejoice*) is a present imperative, calling believers to the continual, habitual practice of rejoicing.

Intentional.

Neither Paul’s imprisonment nor the Philippians’ trials should eclipse their joy.[3]

That is Paul’s command for us.

REJOICE!

Stacey S. Padrick wrote that “rather than trying to extinguish the individual fires of worry that encircle us, we must identify the source of the flame.

Anxiety is most often sparked by unbelief or doubt in God's character.

When we worry, we've unthinkingly questioned His wisdom (that He knows what is best), His love and goodness (that He cares for us and wants what is best), and His sovereignty (that He is able to do what is best).”

“Worry reveals not only our distrustful thoughts about God but also an unrealistic view of ourselves: that we are ultimately in control; that we are responsible for other people's happiness (our spouse, children, parents, boss, friends); that we can determine better than God what we or others need.”

It is true that believers often cannot find reason to be happy in their specific circumstances.

Certainly the general wickedness, sorrow, misery, and death in the world evoke no joy.

Nor are people a reliable source of joy, since they can change, hurt, and disappoint.

The only sure, reliable, unwavering, unchanging source of joy is God.

That is why Paul commands believers to *rejoice in the Lord.*

The phrase *in the Lord* introduces an important principle: Spiritual stability is directly related to how a person thinks about God.

[4]

*PRAY KNOWING THAT GOD IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO LISTEN.*

Paul tells us that we need to realize that *God is Near*!

All of us know that we can be talking to someone in the same room but that doesn’t mean their listening.

Paul is telling us that God is not only near but He is listening.

Well, Mike, that sounds great but where is God?

Are you sure He is here?

I can’t seem to find Him.

We have questions and we want answers.

We are hurting and we want healing.

We have needs and we want God to fill them – RIGHT NOW! 

There’s a prophet in the Old Testament named Job who has had the same experience as you.

Job said, /“//If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!/

\\ /I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.”/

*/Job 23:3-4/*