Sermon Tone Analysis

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Commands of Christ – 22a

(As relates to…) A Christian’s Ambitions

In response to the Great Commission, we have been attempting to systematically going the commands of Christ.

Jesus said in: Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We are on the second of 6 broad divisions outlined in the Tom Blackaby book: The Commands of Christ: What it really means to follow Jesus.

I am using several resources for our study, but is the organizing resource.

The first division in his book was Jesus’ commands related on “Coming to God.”

We are currently working through the division that relates to “Christ as Lord.”

And rather than break the Sermon on the Mount across several divisions, I’m covering it all together.

The next 4 divisions in Blackaby’s book relate to Christ’s commands concerning:

Our Character

The Way we relate to and interact with Others

Our Calling

Cautions to help us avoid the pitfalls and entrapments that prevent us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus gives.

We not only want know Jesus’ Commands — which is a HUGE task!

But also “to follow” to obey ALL that He has commanded us.

The last couple of weeks it seems we have REALLY hit an area that needs a lot of attention.

In Matthew 6:25 (2015 AMP) Jesus commanded: "Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear.

Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing?

It seems that worry and anxiety are as prevalent in the church as in society.

Is that the way it should be?

Why or why not?

4 years ago we did a six-month study concerning anxiety based on a video series by Max Lucado called: Be Anxious for Nothing

Watch on RightNow Media (Free account through the church)

I went back and skimmed the lessons.

I have concentrated what we studied and have created this handout.

Let’s review some of that material:

Especially if you tend to be a worrier or struggle with anxiety:

KEEP THIS HANDOUT CLOSE!

Not everything came from Lucado, but it is associated with that study.

Charles Spurgeon: Anxiety does not empty today of its sorrows, it only empties today of its strength.

4 ways anxiety zaps our strength (from website: ChristianQuotes.info)

First, anxiety Wastes Energy

a. Jesus once said, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (Matt.

6:27)?

Matthew 13:22 (NASB 2020) And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Isaiah 55:10–11 (NASB 2020) “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it produce and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.

Could anxiety negate this verse?

Why or why not?

b.

Anxiety is an apprehensive uneasiness of mind, usually over an impending or anticipated event, and it can actually shorten a person’s life because it stresses the body and creates tension in the mind, neither of which helps their life.

c.

Most of what we worry about never comes true anyway, so what a waste of energy it is to be anxious over things that will probably not happen.

Second, it produces a Lack of Trust

a. Paul gives the church at Philippi, and by extension gives us, the command: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil.

4:6).

b.

We shouldn’t be anxious about anything but instead commit it to prayer.

c.

By remaining in a state of anxiety, we are not solving anything, and we actually show a lack of trust in God.

Otherwise, we’d pray about it and leave it up to God because for Him, nothing is too hard.

Third, it leads to a Wrong Focus

a.

It is so easy to focus on our needs and even our wants, but God doesn’t want us to have our focus on these things,

b. as Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes” (Matt.

6:25).

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt.

6:33).

c.

The focus should always be first and foremost on the kingdom and, more specifically, the King of that kingdom.

Then God will take care of all these other things.

Finally, anxiety Robs Joy

a.

After Jesus’ statement about “seeking first the Kingdom” in Matthew 6:33 He says: “therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt.

6:34).

c.

In other words, Jesus is saying to let tomorrow come and that you can deal with it then.

We have enough to deal with today without having to borrow trouble from tomorrow.

And let it rob our joy.

Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing, teachings Based on Philippians 4:4-8):

READ: Philippians 4:4-8

Philippians 4:4–8 (NASB95) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.

The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Anxiety is not so much the onslaught of a storm as the continual threat that one is coming.

It’s a big heap of “what ifs.”

The word anxiety actually comes from a Latin root that means “to choke” or “to squeeze.”

Its strong grip interrupts your sleep, chokes your energy, and harms your overall well-being.

We have been taught the Christian life is one of peace.

When we don’t have peace, we assume the problem is within us, which leads us to feel guilty.

But while the presence of anxiety is unavoidable, the prison of anxiety is optional.

When Paul writes to “be anxious for nothing,” he is referring to an ongoing state.

His words could be translated, “Don’t let anything in life leave you perpetually in angst and breathless.”

Paul’s prescription for anxiety is a call to “rejoice in the Lord.”

This is not a call to a feeling but to a decision.

A decision about our attitude.

Can a person who rejoices in the Lord be a HABITUALLY anxious person?

Rejoicing in the Lord always is about a deep remembering.

Remembering that the Lord is here, always.

Remembering that the Lord is in control, always.

Remembering that the Lord is not only the giver of your day but also the ordainer of every minute inside of it, always.

Remembering that amidst the pressures, pain, and anxiety in life, he is sovereign, always.

Habakkuk 3:17–19

Then we are called to have a “gentle spirit.”

The Greek word for gentleness in Philippians 4:5 describes a temperament that is seasoned and mature.

A gentle person is level-headed and reacts to stress with steadiness and fairness.

Can a “gentle” (calm) person be a habitually anxious person?

Contagiously calm people trust that God is always in control and encourage others around them that everything will be okay.

Paul employed epieikēs in Philippians (4:5) as a neuter adjective for an abstract noun which is virtually “untranslatable” (see Hawthorne, Word Biblical Commentary, 43:182).

The modern versions confirm Hawthorne’s observations of this paradigmatic text: “forbearance,” RSV; “moderation,” KJV; “reputation for gentleness,” Phillips; “magnanimity,” NEB; “gentle attitude,” GNB; and “gentleness,” NIV.

“Gentle toleration for others, in spite of having justification for intolerance,” might aptly state the essence of epieikēs.

How do WE react to stress?