Phil 4:6-7

Intro to me and my family

To whoever stole my copy of Microsoft Office, I will find you. You have my Word.

1. Being anxious about this week.

2. V.6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God v.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus[1]”[2]

this is a major theme in the bible

Matt 6:25-34 “25 “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? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble[3]

a.

i. Anxiety is similar to anger it only hurts you, but so some reason you feel in control

b. Worry is “Anxious harassing Care” or “attempting to carry the burden of the future on oneself” “Unreasonable anxiety”

c. Why are we to be worry-free? Look to v.5 Because the Lord is near!

d. There has been a lot of anxiety this last year and half, much of it out of our control. People are taking 34% more anxiety meds since the pandemic started.

When has there been a time where you trusted God in prayer and situation worked out better for you? What are some ways this past year that you have made steps towards trusting God? When have you sensed his peace in a situation?

4. But in EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION

a. In Everything means ““in all the details and circumstances of life.” In situations where others fret and worry, we believers in “the Lord” submit our case to God in prayer, accompanied by thanksgiving. [4]

b. What does everything exclude?

c. PRAYER

i. When we are worried about people we love they fill our minds. It can cause great stress. When this happens instead of worry, Pray for them. Release their life to God

d. Supplication Is the earnest asking of God for things.

e. We don’t do enough asking! As the great Charles Spurgeon wrote “According to our Saviour's description of prayer, there should always be some definite objects for which we should plead. He speaks of things—"what things soever ye desire."

f. We NEED TO ASK FOR THINGS. God gets the glory by giving. By asking for things we show we need God.

5. With Thanksgiving..

a. To begin by praising God for the fact that in this situation, as it is, he is so mightily God—such a beginning is the end of anxiety[5]

i. Not only do we need to thank God for things we already have, but also thank him for the outcome that we are praying for. This gives God the power and not ourselves, which is the key to ending anxiety.

6. Let your requests be made known to God

a. This is the 3rd installment of “prayer” Paul is basically saying that prayer, 3 times over, is the key to lasting fulfillment in life.

b. Essentialliy Paul is saying In everything prayer, prayer prayer

c. Paul is calling for full self-disclosure in God’s presence. By expressing our specific requests to God, we “acknowledge our total dependence upon God.” The preposition to in the phrase to God pictures this kind of prayer as a “movement or orientation toward” God. Prayer orients our lives toward God; we grow in an open relationship with God by presenting our specific needs and desires to him.[6]

7. Peace of God

a. But here is an affirmation and promise As you submit your situation to God in prayer, with thanksgiving, what you may expect from God is that his “peace” will “guard” your hearts and minds as you remain “in Christ Jesus.”[7]

b. This Greek word for peace with God is found nowhere in the new Testament

i. It is not peace with God as comes from our salvation, but an experiential peace

ii. Peace comes because prayer is an expression of trust, and God’s people do not need to have it all figured out in order to trust him[8]

c. We get to exchange peace for anxiety. And that peace will fight against anxiety, it will guard us from it.

Questions

When has there been a time where you trusted God in prayer and situation worked out better for you? What are some ways this past year that you have made steps towards trusting God? When have you sensed his peace in a situation?