Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Tonight I want to talk on a subject that I think many if not most of us will be able to identify with.

And of all things, Amazon kind of gives us some insight into this topic!

In 2007 Amazon released their first e-reader called the Amazon Kindle

5.5 hours after the release it sold out, it was a big hit!

There is this one feature that I love about kindle books

Feature I love: Popular highlights

Since its release Amazon has kept a database of all the highlights in the ebooks they sell

There was an article written in 2014 about kindle highlights

The Bible is the most highlighted book of all time

Within the Bible there was one verse that was highlighted more than anything else that gives us insight into the culture

What do you think is the most highlighted passage in the Bible?

You might think John 3:16, or Psalm 23

The most highlighted passage in the Bible is Philippians 4:6,7 (Read)

Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Here is what Amazon is telling us....a lot of people deal with anxiety

According to statistics, 40 million adults in the U.S. alone are affected with some sort of anxiety

So many people are looking for peace!

So I want to look at this passage in Philippians and there are a few things that I want to point out to us, because I think that Paul gives us an important key to dealing with anxiety and worry in our lives.

Unhelpful advice:

“just don’t worry” (now I’m worried that I won’t be able to stop worrying)

What happens when we try to stop thinking of something?

We are not just ridding ourselves of something, we are replacing

The goal is not to rid yourself of anxiety or worry, it has to be replaced with trust!

“You just have to pray more” and you think, “I already pray about everything”

We can come to God in prayer about anything and everything....but listen to this : not every prayer is going to cause us to walk away from the presence of God with a peace in our hearts!

Did you know you can spend time in prayer and take your burdens to God, and then walk away still not trusting, still holding on to your worries?

maybe praying “more” is not the answer…take it a step further!

“you just have to trust God” and you think “well how do I do that?”

its this abstract concept or principle that I don’t know how to apply to my life

Clarify

Anxiety is such a broad topic, and there are so many different kinds and causes…I’m not speaking to conditions caused by chemical imbalances that may require medication or things like that.

Im talking about anxieties and worries we face as a result of the uncertainties or circumstances in our life.

But the reality is that most of our anxieties are circumstantial, or are born of uncertainty.

What is my future going to look like?

What if I don’t amount to anything?

What if something bad happens to my life or my loved ones?

How do I go forward with this pain in my life?

You fill in the blank for yourself.

3 Points

Be Anxious for Nothing

Our English word “anxiety” is derived from a Latin word meaning “to choke, or strangle”

You ever feel like that?

He is setting this precedent that:

there is no circumstance/situation in your life that should choke out the peace of God

But when anxiety comes, let me show you what we tend to do

Quarter analogy

Perspective is everything

Listen to the trials the man who wrote this went through

The man (Paul) who is writing this encouraging letter, was in prison at the time he wrote it.

possibility of an execution looming over his head

He was well acquainted with hardships and trials

This is the man who wrote this in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27

2 Corinthians 11:24–27 (ESV)

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.

Three times I was beaten with rods.

Once I was stoned.

Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

He knew the feeling of uncertainty of future, or sleeplessness, of hunger, of the constant threat of being beaten....in constant danger

If anyone had the excuse to live in anxiety and worry, it was Paul, but it is this man who is writing a letter of encouragement to the Philippians saying, “do not be anxious about anything”

There is no problem or situation too big that the peace of God can’t speak to

Pray about everything

God should be the first place we go when worry and anxiety try to take over

Medication can be good, but that’s not the first place we should go

Therapy is good, but that’s not the first place we should go

Google has a lot of advice, but that’s not the first place we should go

Your friends are a support, but that’s not the first place you should go

Someon once said: “people can give you comfort, but only God can give you peace!”

You are not going to find peace in a method, program, person, item ,etc...

You can pray about anything and everything in your life, and it is not too big or too small for God!

The reason we are commanded not to be anxious about anything is because we can pray about everything!

This leads into the third point and what I believe is the key to unlocking the peace of God in our hearts!

Pray with Thanksgiving

Many of our worries and anxieties are rooted in a lack of trust in God!

Thanksgiving is an exercise of trust, and trust is the breeding ground for peace!

How is thanksgiving an exercise of trust?

I love the way that Miriam Webster Dictionary defines thankful:

Thankful: “to be conscious of a benefit received”

It means you are conciously aware of the faithfulness and promises of God in the midst of your trials

What are the benefits you have received?

What are the promises that you have been given that you can be thankful for?

Paul is giving us insight in how we are to pray!

You bring your requests, but you bring it with thanksgiving, in doing this we exercise trust in the faithfulness and promises of God!

Example of what this might look like

Health problems, life is falling apart, but you work all things together for good

I’m afraid of relationships because I’ve been betrayed, or hurt, help me with this…but I thank you that you promised you will never leave or forsake me.

God my future is really shaky and uncertain, but I thank you that you see the bigger picture and have everything under control, and you know what you’re doing!

All of a sudden when our requests are met with thanksgiving, our prayers are taken to a whole new level because with our thanksgiving we are exercising trust!

The feeling of anxiety may not always go away....but we move from a faith of focusing on our anxiety, to exercising faith and trust in a God that promises peace.

Salvation

You won’t find the peace of God until you have made peace with God!

A - Admit you are a sinner, there is an issue in me that I can’t fix on my own…so how do I fix it?

B - Believe that when Jesus died on the cross he paid my sin debt, someone has the pay the penalty of sin, you can pay for it yourself or you can believe that Christ has paid it for you

C - Confess him as Lord that is in charge of your life from this point on.

You let him lead your life

You don’t have to be perfect, just be honest.