Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning and welcome to CCC.

We are so glad each of you are with us this morning.

Happy Mother’s day to all of our mothers out there.

This morning I wanted to break from our Sermon on the Mount sermon series to bring a Mother’s day message.

I went back and forth on what to bring on this special occasion and landed on How To Turn Worry And Anxiousness Into True Peace.

I landed here in part due to conversation in Sunday School last week and then seeking where to go this week I felt like God led me here.

Let’s Pray

START OBS

I want to start by saying again everything must start and end in the Word of God.

Christianity, especially Western Christianity has moved away from this truth, everything beginning and ending with the Word of God.

Today’s Christians want everything to begin and end with the Word of God for somethings, usually bad things, lying, cheating, stealing etc.

And especially when those things are happening to them because of someone else’s sin

But on the hard hitting subjects, abortion, same-sex marriage, homosexual lifestyles, addiction, pride, lust, adultery being not just physical but in our hearts and minds etc

they shy away because for everything to begin and end with the Word of God a Christian then must take a stance and stand on the Word and that means going against society and the main stream and our own sinful nature.

That means being called hateful, a bigot, racist and whatever else the enemy uses as talking points to try and silence the Word of God.

That also means you have to apologize to spouses and significant others for your sins against them

Worry and Anxiety are no different.

God is clear in His Word how we are to handle these things and that is what I want to look at here this morning.

Philippians 4:6-9

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

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

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.

Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Remember last week I talked about yeah but.

This is for sure one of those passages that so many Christians see and read and say yeah but.

Yeah but I am wired different

Yeah but my grandma was a worrier, my mom was a worrier, I am a worrier by nature

Yeah but this person says this and this other person says that

Yeah but I read a book about this

Yeah but.........no yeah buts.....be even if Christians when it comes to the Word of God.

Even if its hard.

Even if I am wired different, God created you perfectly so instead of fight it learn to love it and the one who created you!

Even if i have a family history of worrying and being anxious I will stand on God’s Word

Even if someone gives me counsel....or should I say advice.

You see counsel is based on the Word of God so if the person giving you “counsel” is not a Christian it is just worldly advice.

If the “counsel” is not based on the Word of God it is nothing more than personal advice.

I don’t care what anyone says or writes in a book, the Bible speaks and that is the only counsel we are to seek! Godly council based upon the Word of God delivered by God’s Children

Even if......no matter what we say or think or feel we are called to be even if Christians.

God I don’t understand fully how this works but I will do what you tell me to do in your Word

God this is going to be one of the hardest things I have ever done but I am going to rely upon you.

God the world says all of these things that are opposite of your Truth but I am going to stand and believe and act on your Truth!

Don’t Worry About Anything

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The KJV says be careful for nothing.

In looking to the Greek the word translated worry and be careful means anxious.

Anxious means be troubled with cares.

God just said that as His Child you are not to worry, be anxious, troubled with cares about ANYTHING.

The word translated anything here (nothing in KJV) means not even on men or women, any, none, nothing

So literally don’t be troubled with cares about anyone or anything.

That is a big ask from God in fact an ask that humans are unable to carry out.

This morning is Mother’s day and I know from conversations with my beautiful bride that.....

Mothers are troubled with cares about their children, grandchildren, friends, family.

You may watch the news and be troubled with cares about what you see and hear there.

Mothers are troubled with cares about their work and marriage at times....they live with knuckle headed men.....i am enough to cause anyone to be troubled at times!!!!

Many mothers are troubled with cares from the past,

did I do enough,

are my mistakes going to ruin my child,

if I had only known back then what I know now

There is a difference between concern and worry/anxiety.

Dr. Winfred Neely a professor at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and a pastor says this

“We should care, we should be concerned.

If we are having financial struggles, we don’t have to worry about that, but we should be concerned.

If our children are not well, we don’t have to worry, but we should be concerned.

As God’s people, we are to be deeply concerned.

Healthy care and concern is one of the hallmarks of healthy church life.”

He goes on to say:

“Worry is concern that is separated from the grace, power, love, and wisdom of God.

It’s concern that we address in our own strength.

It’s concern that we handle by thinking that we are facing life alone and we have to deal with our problems alone without God’s help.”

That really gets to the heart of the matter doesn’t it.

A heart relationship with God through Jesus Christ!!!!!

Worry and anxiety are sins not because you care.....as a Christian you should care about people.

You should be concerned with situations and circumstances and ideologies and pain and suffering and persecution the list goes on and on and on

Worry and anxiety are sins because YOU are doing it.

YOU are worrying about it.

YOU are anxious.

YOU not GOD.

Worry and Anxiety are sins because you refuse to give those things to God.

You are turning to something or someone other than God

Many may say now pastor whoa…wait just a minute here worry and anxiety are not sins....

really God just said in Philippians DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING!!!!!!

If God says don’t do it and you do it it is a sin.

You can call it whatever you want but God says it is a sin.

James 4:13-17

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be!

For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.

Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

But as it is, you boast in your arrogance.

All such boasting is evil.

So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.”

Look at this scripture.

you who say today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city......

They are making the plans…turning to their own wisdom their own knowledge

God shot that down just as he shoots down being anxious for the same reason......you are making it all about you when it must be all about God.

God said be anxious for nothing so when you choose to be anxious and worry you are in fact choosing sin.

Not my words God’s Words.

Church it is time we return to calling things what God calls them and standing on God’s Truth no matter what!

God has a lot to say about being anxious.

Let’s get into God’s Word shall we?

I want to start by making sure we understand where God stands on anxiety and worry.