
SERMON NOTES | March 29, 2020
TEXT | Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:5-8
SERMON TITLE: A PROMISE FOR YOUR PROBLEMS!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything…” —Philippians 4:6
Big Idea
God provides a profound plan from His word that will help you live boldly and confidently in your daily lives!!
Tension
The problem of anxiety and fear is elevated when God’s provision and care is different from what I expect!!The common element in fear and anxiety is the “UNKNOWN!”
Sermonic Focus
God does not respond to calamities with an explanation, but an agenda!!
(See Habakkuk 1:1-3 and 2:1-2; Elijah 1 Kings 19)
He will give us all the strength, all the courage, all the faith we need to rebuild and go on with our lives!
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Remember
There is a Promise for every Problem, and Provision in every Promise!
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him, who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises…” —2 Peter 1:3-4
• There are promises for every circumstance in life! Whatever your problem(s) are, there is a promise that you can count on!
God wants to bring life and opportunity into your daily situations!!
There are anywhere between 3,000-7,000 of these promises given to guarantee your victory. All you have to do is lay hold of them, as the Bible encourages us to do.
Question
Where is God amid this pandemic? Is He driving the virus?
No! He can be found in our response to the pandemic!!
He is the “peace that surpasses all understanding!”
He is urging us to seek His face!
God is urging us to remain faithful—
YOU CAN’T CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS ‘TO’ YOU, OR WHAT GOD DOES, BUT YOU CAN CONTROL ‘HOW’ YOU RESPOND!!
Introduction
According to data released by Amazon on the most highlighted passage in Kindle ebooks, the most popular passage from the Bible is one on reducing anxiety and finding trust in God.
The specific passage is Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version), which states:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” —Philippians 4:6-7
When things do not go exactly as we had planned and we find we are no longer in control, we are apt to become impatient. We get tired of waiting, insisting that everyone and everything should change this instant.
Anxiety
To pull in different directions; to look out for one’s own interests; to be divided into pieces–
• Anxiety is an automatic reaction “to a threat, real or imagined.”
• Closes the heart and the mind to revelation
• How anxiety is addressed will determine outcome more than anything. Your responsible and enlightened behavior will influence the situation more than any other action.
• Anxiety affects human functioning by tightening thinking or restraining behavior.
- Repressive thinking: Anxiety comes from an interesting family of words. The great-grandfather is the Greek ananke, meaning “throat” or “to press together.” In fact, Ananke was the name of the Greek god of constraint who presided over slavery. Ananke was the word used for the yokes or rings on the necks of slaves. Anxiety can hold us back, take us by the throat, and chain us like a slave. It HIDES OPTIONS
a. Anxiety tightens: we think in a narrow-minded way or behave in predictable patterns.
- The Infectious Effects: Anxiety is also contagious. It connects people.
a. Acute anxiety is situational—it is something viewed as a threat cf. Peter (warming hands)
b. Chronic anxiety is built in one’s personality. Any issue, circumstance, or topic can provoke anxiety cf (wilderness wandering)
- The Reactive Effect: Awareness that arouses and arrests our attention
a. Reactivity is automatic. No thought goes into our action. An instinctive imperative drives our behavior.
i. Oversimplify situation
ii. Ignore situation
iii. Freeze
iv. Indecisiveness