Anxious for Nothing Part 1

we live in an age of anxiety it's like an illness you can't sleep you don't laugh anymore stress is your constant companion the reality is there's a lot to worry about loved ones get sick people lose their jobs friends get cancer families struggle so we worry and feel anxious but be encouraged while worry is a part of life it doesn't have to dominate it God offers peace in the midst of the storm he is sovereign present bigger than your problems and always right on trust him and you can be anxious for nothing all right good morning liquid Church I welcome you back from the beach it's great to see you guys I'm pastor Tim and especially if you're new special welcome if you're visiting our church liquid it meets in six locations what we call campuses kind of all over the state and today we need to give a special welcome to our Middlesex County campus it is their grand reopening at Sayreville High School can we hear for them congratulations guys Pastor Chris and team we're so proud of you guys you saturate the Sayreville area and region with the gospel Jesus Christ what we're doing is we're kicking off this brand new series called anxious for nothing which is about dealing with anxiety anybody here who struggles with stress a little bit of worry perhaps I think this is perfect timing because we're actually quick show of hands how many of you you either went back to work or you sent your kids back to school this week just show our hands okay yeah pretty much everybody right there's like had a big transition happening everybody's back from vacation back to school back to work back to sports back to schedules back to stress basically can I be honest with you our family was down the shore on Monday for our last Labor Day you know fling at the beach it was beautiful day we relaxed we rode the waves we body served you know we understand in the toes until about 6 p.m. we were like we're gonna drain the last drop of summer here you know and but then the clouds start rolling in and the stress start creeping up as we got ready to head home you guys had this right we we hurried a pack and it's like you know get your clothes and all the beach gear in the car that's stressful then we try to wolf down dinner before we hit the park way more stress and can we talk about the Garden State Parkway on a Monday night of Labor Day weekend can you say highway to hell that's like you know three Red Bulls and you know smoke a cigarette talk about anxiety we merge onto the Parkway north it is a sea of red taillights cuz everybody had this I can't believe they stole my idea let's drive home late on Monday and miss the traffic said everybody bumper-to-bumper I feel my blood pressure rising it was funny because it's like whatever relaxing effect that vacation had sort of vanished in that moment as we began re-entry into North Jersey that is called a hard landing right there it's funny because as we're driving you know my kids are in the backseat they're trying to finish their summer homework assignments of course because school starts at 7:30 a.m. and we got home at 11:45 p.m. but that's just bad parenting right there okay let's just acknowledge that's like a parenting it seemed like a smart idea on the beach next morning super anxiety and stress as our fall schedule kind of slapped us back to reality but you've got your own stories to tell I mean the start of fall can be a trigger for anxious thoughts as we kind of anticipate what's waiting for us over the summer I read a great book by author Max Lucado it's called anxious for nothing finding calm in a chaotic world which I can highly recommend to you it's on which this series is based but I love it Luque doe describes anxiety this way he says it's a low-grade fear it's an edginess a dread it's a wind that won't stop howling it's not so much a storm as it is the certainty that it one is coming always coming just for you I had a mom tell me this week she said Tim I haven't slept in three days why because she said my youngest is starting kindergarten and I have all this anxiety you know like what if he doesn't fit in you know what if he's bullied and she said my oldest is starting middle school and we're my my husband I we just feel anxious about her friend group there now they all have cell phones now and snapchat and there's parties now you know at middle school and she feels anxiety as a parent about how to navigate all that you guys know with anxiety you don't sleep well you don't laugh as much you don't see the Sun you only see clouds coming on the horizon and some of you feel that as we hit the fall right what if I don't hit my marks in my job what if I don't pass my board exams I've been studying for three years I fail it all goes down the drain what if this lump right here is a tumor see anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs what if I don't close the deal at my job what if I don't get the bonus what if then we can't afford braces for the kids right what what if then the kids have crooked teeth and and what if that crooked teeth presents them from you know getting married and and what if someday they end up you know hungry and homeless with a cardboard sign that says my parents couldn't afford braces for me in fall you know we laugh but anxiety is no laughing matter it's like this splinter in your mind it's assuming that the other shoe is always about to drop it's like you're part Chicken Little and Part II or you know the sky is falling but it's falling disproportionately on me and so we feel anxious or we experience anxiety I mean take a look at this word what is anxiety well you can kind of see in the root word at the root of anxiety is the word angst or worry it's this dread about what might possibly happen in the future if it's odd judaa if you're italian if the illogic you know just it's this it's always circling your thoughts the busy thoughts the hard drive the panic a vague feeling about all the bad things that possibly could happen in the future now understand here some of you are like oh yeah yeah I feel fear from time to time no no anxiety is not the same thing as fear did you know that if fear and anxiety are not twins they're cousins they're related fear sees a threat it's an actual physical you can it's a realistic grounded in reality threat but anxiety imagines one if fear is what you feel when you look out in the backyard and you see a raccoon in your yard and it's like frothing at the mouth right you feel fear you're like okay whoa fight or flight moment right anxiety is the voice that tells you never ever go in the backyard again there is a rabid raccoon named rocky waiting for you behind the garbage can okay fear results in fight-or-flight our adrenaline kicks in but anxiety just creates doom and gloom angst worry odd juda irrational worry you see that mole I bet it's cancerous we can't go on a trip without the kids what are we gonna what if our plane goes down we can't travel doubt the kid then they'll be orphan a friend told me his wife struggles daily with anxiety he said Tim it affects everything it impacts all our family decisions where where we travel and where we don't what we eat and what we don't anxiety ain't fun especially if somebody in your family struggles with it just show of hands how many of you have someone in your family who struggles with anxiety okay yeah don't point to them that that's cause more anxiety just okay we're identifying alright okay it's not surprising we live in an age of anxiety the research that I did is a little startling the National Institute for Mental Health says that anxiety disorders are now reaching epidemic proportions this year alone 50 million Americans will feel the effects of a panic attack your chest will tighten you'll start feeling dizzy maybe a little light-headed like you're drifting you'll feel fear kind of crowds and avoid people and want to be around them in the United States anxiety is now the number one mental health problem among women number two among men second only to drug and alcohol abuse and what's most disturbing is that anxiety is exploding among young people this is the most alarming statistic the average high school student today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s think about that and I'm like how could that be like our kids today have like more opportunities more education they've got more toys more clothes more gadgets than ever but they're nervous wrecks they're tied up in knots why is that I mean think about it right now in our culture our cars are safer than they've ever been we live longer than anybody's lived we have better healthcare in most cities in America crime is actually on the decline statistically most Americans don't live under the constant threat of attack but we are pretty sure that disaster is waiting right around the corner for us one study actually declared the United States is now the number one nation in anxiety in the whole world in other words if worry was an Olympic event guys we won the gold medal give yourselves a hand look at us Wow not so much the land of Stars and Stripes has become the land of stress and strife so my question is what's the cause of this anxiety epidemic what is it about our particular way of life that's kind of killing our calm and composure well psychologists point to the rapid social change just the speed of change today in society is is next snapping right researchers note that our society has changed more in the last 30 years than in the previous 300 you just look at technology right you have the existence of the internet social media smartphone screens everything's 24/7 everywhere we're constantly in touch which means we're hyper we're at all times of all the global threats warning after warning every day right terrorism nuclear war mass shootings natural disasters and it's interesting because we have like three generations represented in this church in this room at our campuses in my grandparents generation if there was an earthquake in India my grandma would hear about it three days later in the newspaper in my parents generation they would turn on the 11 o'clock news and then they'd hear about the you know earthquake in the morning but now earthquake in India it's a matter of seconds before your smart phone starts buzzing in your pocket right your browser served blinks one crisis basically followed by the next followed by the next and you can't even process one terrible event before the next one hits there's this media saturation that researchers point to they said you know what think about how you go to sleep most Americans go to sleep right watching cable news not helpful toxic politics mass shootings disasters that's how we go to sleep thinking about that stuff then we wake up and check our phones with updates about the next scandal or implosion and what about the tsunami just of personal crises right I mean right now in this room you or someone you know is you know fighting cancer we're facing foreclosure we're dealing with divorce or fighting an addiction I mean there are legitimate reasons for anxiety people do lose their jobs couples struggle with infertility adults worry about their kids learning disability or your aging parents now dementia we didn't what do we do now how do we fund retirement and so we we worry we get we get anxious in fact you want to hear something twisted I know this about some of you you know it's got some of you're really really worried some of you feel worried about feeling worried like I think I feel more worried than most people I think then that's apart you know you feel guilty for it because if you a lot of people think well Christians if anybody should be exempt from anxiety but I'm not maybe you've been taught your whole life that the Christian life is just a life of peace and unicorns and rainbows and when you don't have peace you assume the problems with me so now you get to add on a layer of guilt on to your anxiety and I feel anxious I feel guilt about that now I'm more anxious repeat it's no wonder we're tied up in knots but guys this series I'm not here to preach to you about the cause of anxiety I want to help you find the cure Amen because the Bible says anxiety will always be a part of life it just doesn't have to dominate it it doesn't have to dominate your life with God's help you can practically win the war on worry I really believe that I believe if you're here today and you're easily overwhelmed your mind is constantly crowded with nervous panic thoughts then I want to introduce you to a friend his name is dr. Paul not dr. Phil dr. Paul the Apostle Paul okay and in the year 61 AD dr. Paul basically pulled out his prescription pad and he wrote the original prescription for anxiety wasn't xanax though you know medication I'm not poking fun medication can be helpful and God can often use that to treat medical anxiety I'm talking more in this series about situational anxiety that we all face in life but dr. Paul pulled out his pad and he wrote a prescription in 61 AD he wrote Philippians 4 6 through 8 does anybody know what the scripture says this is a set of verses my mom had me memorized as a little kid I wasn't grateful then thankful for it now and I would nominate this passage for Bible verse Hall of Fame you know like there's a Hall of Fame of Bible verses there's like John 3:16 there's like the Lord's Prayer there's like Psalm 23 I would nominate philippians 4 6 through 8 for the bible Hall of Fame as well because here's why listen to this you guys know the Kindle the Amazon like you read or download books ok the most dilated book book on Amazon is the Bible and on the Kindle the most highlighted book is the Bible guess which verse in the Bible is the most highlighted around the world the one we're about to read Philippians 4 6 through 8 people are desperate to know the Bible's cure for anxiety what is dr. Paul's prescription for peace I want to read the scripture out loud together we're going to do that for the next three weeks and every campus I want you to participate we're gonna do this in unison one big loud voice read it like you mean it so here we are we do sit up straight everybody shoulders back fill your lungs with air your heart with hope say it like you mean it church here we go ready be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus finally brothers and sisters here he goes whatever is true whatever is noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things how many you have heard part of this verse before okay you've recognized okay that's cool you're going to become very familiar with this over the next three weeks I want to challenge you to read this every day in the morning I want to challenge you to commit it to memory over the next 21 days because Philippians 4 is God's prescription for peace in an age of anxiety I mean these three verses if you look at them contain four commands that lead to one powerful promise the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus your heart is your emotions your mind is your thoughts can I ask could you use some calm in your life this this fall I'm going to write that C L a LM ciaela and calm did I spell it right someone's like taking notes or like more clam in my life like calm people alright get anxiety about spelling in front of people okay listen God what God wants to give this to you I can tell you that you know some people are like what's God's will for my life let me tell you what's not it is not God's will that you lead a life of Perpetual anxiety I can tell you that it is not God's will that you face every day you wake up and your mind starts spinning with dread and trepidation God made you for more in life than soul splitting worry and angst is a chapter for you this fall and I believe he's ready to write it but it's going to require some work on your part for the next three weeks what we're gonna do is we're gonna unpack philippians 4 and we're gonna work it into the soil of our heart and mind so you can confront and win the war on worry with God's truth because God's God's God's Word it's a weapon guys and in this passage dr. Paul is going to teach you how to talk yourself off the ledge God's going to teach you how to view bad news through the lens of his sovereign plans and you're gonna learn how to cultivate a spirit of positive peace in your daily life let me listen when anxiety attacks I'm gonna teach you how to stay calm C ILM if you're taking notes we have notes in our mobile app if you haven't downloaded the app downloaded there's gonna be notes every week you can on the blank if you're filling in the blanks and our mobile app calls prescription for calm has four steps if you look at it Philippians four he says the first thing is you have to acknowledge control belongs to God that is there's a bedrock belief in God's sovereignty that you must have to win the war on worry secondly he says you've got to ask him for help he says pray about everything give God your requests he has the power to move mountains and then he says you've got to leave your worries with him that is when we pray you actually make a trade with God you say God I'm gonna give you my worries and in exchange God says I'm gonna give you my peace and then watch this is important it is a mental battle you have to think about what you think about and meditate on good things Paul says whatever is true noble right pure lovely excellent praiseworthy think about that stuff don't binge on the blogs and all it can speak if you want to win the war and worry you got to think about what you think about you got to monitor your mind and actually discipline your thoughts did you know just because you have a word thought you don't have to entertain it you don't actually have to say well what if it you can actually stop it as track and take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ part of this is I'm going to train you how to filter out the negative thoughts because here's a deal the devil's lies grow like weeds in your mind and if you're fertilizing it all day with Netflix and social media and news you can't expect God's peace the only way you get calm is you can control belongs to God you ask him for help you leave your words with them and you're gonna meditate on the things that Paul talks about this is the outline for our whole series this is Paul's ancient prescription for our modern age of anxiety and I'm gonna go through this each step in the weeks to come but before I do let me just give a quick disclaimer before we unpack the first step today I don't want to give you the impression that anxiety can be like waived away with a magic wand right or like a simple memory verse it's gone in fact it's real serious specifically for some of you those of you who are dealing with mental illness or maybe you're dealing with you know medical anxiety disorder God's healing may very well include the help of medication or therapy ok that's completely fine if you take medication or you do therapy don't you think for a minute that you're somehow a second-class Christian or you're weak in some way don't you think that that's a lie doctors medicine counselors all of them are gifts from God that he can use in the healing process amen so when I talk about anxiety in this series I'm not referring to medical anxiety where there's like a chemical imbalance or mental illness I'm mainly talking about situational anxiety meaning there are certain situations that cause a rational worry or or panic in your mind in the general population we all deal with this for instance you may be here today and you're like well I'm actually a pretty peaceful person except when it comes to my kids you know like the minute they walk out the door my mind starts to be about all the different things that could possibly happen to them I feel anxiety about my children or you may feel anxiety about conflict like you're a totally chill person unless there's conflict then your neck gets red and blotchy you want to I'm not here this isn't happening I'm not in the room you avoided at work in your family it makes your heart race that's situational anxiety personally for me I'm not a particularly anxious person but I feel some situational anxiety whenever I fly on an airplane ok I had a had a bad flight with turbulence a few years ago play about a little bit later but I'm gonna draw my plane here here's the wing here's the windows here's Tim freaking out right here ok when I got on board I had a bad flight and a significant storm and again I'll tell you I don't want to act freaked out right now ok but whenever I got on a plane my palms get a little sweaty you know it's actually it's so irrational you know my mind starts racing as I get on the board actually do this weird thing I actually like look in the cockpit I'm like who's the pilot today you know I don't never met a pilot you know I'm like does he look drunk you know and then I kind of I go down but you know as you're walking down and you're kind of looking like who might look a terrorist oh you've never done this please and then you're like who looks like an Air Marshal because that guy looks like he could take you know I'm weird it's who thinks these things I do and then I get to my seat and then that's the best part while you're sitting there they're going through the instructions I'm figuring out how many steps it'll take me get to the emergency exit because if something happens at 30,000 feet I'm going Booch and then I'm like Tom Cruise like I'm like I'm gonna land somewhere it's crazy it's irrational that's situational anxiety okay and it's just an everyday irrational fear that God has helped me with through this passage I'm serious nowadays when I get on a plane let me tell you something I don't pop a valium I pop open my Bible to Philippians 4 I take with dr. Paul's prescribing here I actually pray God's promises back to him I'd say father my life's in your hands be anxious for nothing I won't be anxious about this and everything by prayer with Thanksgiving God thank you for my wife I put her in your hand Lord my children I put them into your hand they're yours to be good and I'm letting my requests be known to you father and as I pray and I meditate I pray some worship music that's what happens the peace of God that passes understanding begins guarding my heart and mind I start settling down in my spirit and I actually have freedom to fly without worrying about every bump or panicking on the plane again that's me what's it for you how would you complete this sentence I feel anxiety about blank how'd you complete that what is currently right now causing you the most anxiety just be honest most of you were actually I put this on Facebook on Thursday you guys are nervous wrecks oh my gosh there's like hundreds of comments I appreciate this sermon input and you put on Facebook it's fair game bro so I'll just give you some examples people said I feel anxious about my three daughters safety in the scary world Carlos says and know this is silly but I really get anxiety when my gas light turns on and there's no gas station in sight onyx I feel anxiety about student loans the need to try to be in control that's a that's at the root of it too next one I feel anxious about retire how to help my child or relative who has anxiety right some you don't know how to handle that Emily said okay here we go my kids social interactions financial situation my child with special needs am i doing enough my purpose my marriage depression my relationship with God you see how all those things can be spinning around within moments there next what a Meg was awesome Meg's like what do I feel like she's about how about this dating student loans finances traffic that stops too quickly when my but this is great when my boss says hey can you come to my office for a minute please when I forget my umbrella and the radio says it's gonna rain all day I can continue and then she did Facebook this right now it's causing me anxiety but this is incisive watching other people's progress family relations and feeling like I'm behind or not doing as well as they are social media in general causes major anxiety amen I think that's true it just amps up the whole thing lasts less live here just get last few examples I want to honor this Adam said you know it caused me anxiety being judged by people at church do you know there are some people who before they came this service they were feeling anxiety because they am I gonna walk in are people gonna judge me I just want to honor that thank you for that honesty my son driving you know the Knicks appreciate that John okay I'm freaking out about the Yankees the one game playoff who are they gonna start it's gonna be seven Reno it's a glow my niece has cancer my son going off to come guys right most of these are valid concerns we all have legitimate reasons to worry but I want you now to go back and look at the first part of dr. Paul's prescription he says okay out of all these things what is what's the thing you should feel anxiety about ready here it is Paul says be anxious for no thing nothing nada zip zilch zip zero I mean Paul you would he could he could have wrote be anxious only about the big stuff he could have said be anxious only if the doctor calls but doesn't leave a message write or be anxious for junior year because that's when the college application process begins and that's when your grades really count and edit it nothing Paul leaves no leeway here and it's enough to make you be like you know I think Paul's out of touch I mean yeah I'd be nice to be an apostle you know in the Bible you know right no watches no cell phones or just hanging out you know right that's how we think of it but now watch let me give you a little background it's going to make a difference to you does it make a difference to you to know that when Paul wrote these four words be anxious for nothing he was an old man bent over looking out the window of a gloomy Roman prison cell make a difference to you that this moment he's over 60 years old 30 years as a Christian and he's suffering and as he looks out this prison cell you'd see his back is a spiderweb of scars from the whippings he's endured he's been beaten and stoned and left for dead deserted by his friends be anxious for nothing Paul has survived three shipwrecks storms starvation and he's tired Paul's looking out this window and he's probably half blind at this point that glaucoma and what's more you know why he's in prison he's awaiting trial before Nero the Roman Emperor the same Nero who discovered that if you want to be popular with people you kill Christians and Paul's the most famous Christian so understand when Paul writes this Paul's in prison an old man snooped over suffering waiting to be executed his future looks as bleak as his gloomy prison cell and yet you read the words be anxious for nothing you think he just won a all-inclusive week at a jamaican resort you know yeah mom be anxious for nothing mom yeah pray about these things mine okay yeah we like them a coconut man come on you know you get the peace that passes understanding okay it's weird his letter to the Philippians doesn't contain a single word of complaint not one word of worry the whole book is four chapters long and it's Paul's ode to joy his joyful he never rings his hands or shakes his fist at God rather he raises his hands and thanks to God he actually opens letter he says this he says rejoice in the Lord always I'll say it again you want me repeat it rejoice the Lord is near Paul's prescription for peace from a prison cell begins with the command to rejoice in the Lord while he's in the slammer how is that possible I'll tell you why because Paul discovered a secret in that cell the Apostle Paul had a bedrock belief in the sovereignty of God sovereignty is the biblical term used to describe how God is in complete control of every element in the universe including your life if you look in the middle of the word sovereignty you'll see the word reign right when a king reigns or rules from his throne sovereignty means that the creator of the universe who you get to call father is raining right now ruling over everything every element in creation from the sand and the sea to the stars in the sky God says oh I created it all I named it all I sustained it all and I control it all and the Apostle Paul was convinced in that cell that God is in complete control of my entire life can you say that God is in complete say that together God is in complete control of my life even when life feels out of control your loving father is still in control and your father is completely trustworthy your your life is in the palm of his hand watch this everything is going according to his perfect plan you're not falling behind now running too far ahead everything's going according to plan may not be your plan is going according his plan and in Chapter one Paul Paul just he shines a spotlight everywhere on his life on God's sovereignty look what he says he says I'm confident of this I'm a hundred percent sure that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus you know what he's saying you are not a victim of chance you're not a victim of random circumstance God as a Christian what it means is God says I've begun a good work in you you're my child your whole life you're our beneficiaries of a perfect plan by a loving father and I'm going to bring it to completion even when things go wrong they're gonna turn out right because of God's sovereignty think about this Paul's suffering in prison and he writes these words he says what's happened to me I know it seems bad what's happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel as a result it's become clear throughout the whole palace guard and everybody else that I am in Chains for Christ you see these handcuffs right on time now look pull don't want to be in prison so I'm a martyr but as he looks at his life through the lens of God's sovereignty he says oh okay I see God's gonna use my season in jail to give me the chance to tell this soldier who I'm shackled to about Jesus Paul was actually chained to the palace guard he's like oh look a captive audience yeah see guys here's a secret listen listen clean cleaning true peace doesn't come from the absence of conflict but from the presence of Christ it's not about the absence of conflict it's about the presence of Christ in that crisis it's looking at whatever situation that's causing you anxiety and worry and say deep breaths sigh of relief God is in complete control even when life seems out of control you know while back I was visiting a friend in the hospital he's going through cancer treatment team many many side effects Kenley didn't look so good he had nausea and all sorts of IVs and all that stuff obviously he didn't wanna be in the hospital nobody does you know I I I always uh you know he's sort of depressing right you get a hospice no the hospital smell there's jello everywhere you know that hole and so I'm visiting him and just as a friend right you know and so I sit down next to his bed to chat and I could see like he's trying to you know he he's in pain you know but he's trying to interact with me and as we're talking the nurse walks in and in his face suddenly brightens he says there she is my guardian angel pastor ten this is nurse Becky she god Tim God sent nurse Becky to take care of me and get me back on my feet and NIRSPEC he smiled she said oh you're the pastor I said yeah I'm pastor and she says well your friend is quite the preacher he has a strong faith he's preaching to all of us and he says don't forget God is my strength Becky I can do all things through Christ I may have cancer but cancer doesn't have me you know what I thought yeah give that God a praise listen I thought of Paul I thought of Paul because here's my friend in the prison of a hospital room and nobody wants to be there right cailli my friend but because he has this this bedrock belief in the sovereignty of his Savior he's redeeming that opportunity share his faith in Christ he's like well even if I'm the one in the bed I'm gonna take care of the soul of nurse Becky and share my faith with her and so God is using my friends sickness even his cancer for something good a kingdom purpose just as book as Paul believed in prison my friend believed in the hospital even though circumstances are bad my God is still good amen he says he's still ruling he's still reigning from the throne in heaven and that gives me peace on earth Paul writes in Philippians 2 he says it's God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his what church his louder good purpose did you know God has a perfect purpose for your life is it going to happen let me tell you something it ain't up to you God has a perfect purpose for your life and it doesn't matter if an illness is not going to stop it prison health crisis bankruptcy ain't gonna stop it divorce nothing can stop his perfect plan being fulfilled in your life because of Jesus Christ so let your breath out give God a praise he's got this he's got it even when life seems out of control God is in complete control okay so he may be like well guys let bad things happen great question we're gonna get into that but I got to lay the foundation you see this is step one of creating calm in your life acknowledging that control belongs to God alone I mean who did you think was in charge can we talk about control for a minute because at its core anxiety comes from a perceived loss of control you guys know this when you're in control it creates this sense of calm I am again look on a plane it's the weirdest thing when there's a little bit turbulence I'm like I wonder if I should go in there because if I you know I've watched a lot of Mission Possible I might be able to because something might had like if I had my hands on the throttle we'd be in control I'd be calmer I'd wait I'm a pastor not a pilot if you feel uncertain about an outcome all of a sudden you're anxious what in other words anxiety increases as control decreases that's why the most stressed-out people in life are control freaks anybody have a control freak in your family okay again don't point you don't want to don't it's weird right it's ironic the more they can try to control the world the more stress they cause but what do you do about it do you just try harder to control everything in life never board a plane without a parachute well the kids are going kids are going to school today bring the bubble wrap we're just going to wrap them up just kind of you know put them out the but no what are you gonna do never give your heart away for fear of maybe maybe I'll have it broken again I can't control it guys listen you know the reason you can't control anything is because control was never yours to take you can't control the outcome health people a health health nuts I just I'm not I'm not dogging your routine I'm just telling you nuts and veggies you can eat them all you want you can still be diagnosed with cancer no matter how much money you save you can still lose it all in a financial collapse no matter how hard you try you can't anticipate or control every contingency but good news guys control was never your roll it's not your job control belongs to God alone who alone is sovereign you are not so I want to do something right now that's going to be very liberating for some of you all right here we go all our campuses I want you to put your right hand over your heart go Eddie right hand over your heart raise the other hand and repeat after me all our campuses ready repeat after me today I resign from running the universe I've surrender control to my sovereign Savior I quit as CEO of my life now give a high-five to somebody next to you you just got you resigned today let that feel good I feel I'm out of control oh my text a friend I just resigned its shirts from flip I gave control back to God where it belongs how did I pick that up see the Apostle Paul had the right idea he said rather than try to control every situation as a follower of Jesus here's your job you got a surrender control of every detail to a loving God who was 100% trustworthy he says I want you to turn everything over to God and trust his sovereignty to manage your life you know what will happen as we do this over the next three weeks you're gonna find that your focus shifts from micromanaging and hyper controlling your world to actually looking at God and you start finding rest in the strength and power and love of this Almighty God who loves you and has promised to work all things together for your good and His glory amen lasting peace doesn't come from the absence of problems it comes from the presence of a sovereign God who's ruling and reigning over the lives of his children from his throne in heaven you know the Bible says every hair on your head is numbered you got a lot of that man every speck of dust every sparrows feather doesn't fall without passing his permission and even the bad stuff your God is bending it like beckham to fit his perfect plan it's what joseph said in prison oh they meant it for evil but God meant it for good the saving of many lives but God does anything this is what Paul's practically shouting from the Philippians he says I am confident of this I have no doubt that he who began this good work in me is going to carry it on to completion I guarantee you my imprisonment will turn out for the salvation of others and my two lives I have no doubt can I ask do you do you have a bedrock belief in the sovereignty of God if the answer is no where I'm not sure with all due respect I think we've just stumbled on the root cause of your anxiety think of it this way I told you flying in an airplane source of situational anxiety for me it's not rational but it happened about 15 years ago Colleen and I were in a flight over Atlanta and we hit terrible turbulence and we would flew into an electrical storm I don't know if actually lightning struck the plane but all the lights went out our plane plunged a hundred feet in the dark people screaming gripping you know white knuckling the armrest I felt the the oxygen mask came down in the dark hit a star hit us in the face right now the pilot he made it through we eventually landed but it was super stressful it was it was the kind of flight I've ever been in one of these it's a kind of flight where when you land everybody claps thank you Jesus and United we are alive right now understand something that trauma 15 years ago is the trigger for the anxiety that I feel today whenever I have to travel somewhere okay I did four flights summer my stress was at Newark Airport or the TSA or the lack of tasty snacks on United I wish they would correct it but I get up here's what I do I get on board I buckle my seatbelt and my thoughts start racing I actually look out the window and check the wing is there any damage on that not because I know I can't control what kind of flight this is going to be now I want you to imagine something with me I want you to pretend I'm getting on board a flight tomorrow some of you're going to do this and I get on I look it up and I make my way down the row I find you know 27 D and sit down and then I notice three passengers across the row from me and there's a guy sitting in CA one guide sitting in seat B and there's a young woman sitting in seat C and as we get ready for takeoff I hear them talking and it's okay because I'm a pastor so I like eavesdrop on stuff and they're like talking about the pilot of the plane and passenger ace is something like kind of weird it's kind of funny he says the passenger B he says you know I don't actually think there's a pilot on this plane ya know I heard I think it's an Amazon drone I it's like weird right like he's like no but i walked i went by the cockpit nobody's there i'm telling you this is probably a drone there's no one in the cockpit in fact i bet there's some you know pimply teenager in Scranton with a joystick who's gonna be kind of like getting I'm just telling you just no pilot on the plane all right passenger B says well that's kind of crazy I think there's a pilot I just don't think he's awake you know I know I've seen this on the Internet I know what these pilots do they get the plane 30,000 feet in the air and then they hit the autopilot button you know what they do they play for at night they take a nap they read a book I'm telling you pilots sleep through the whole flight and they wake up just in time for the landing passenger B now passengers C can't believe what she's hearing she looks at these two tools and she she kind of she kind of squints her eyes and she's like no offense I know we've just met but can I just tell you guys something we are in a plane that is piloted by one of the best pilots in the air day in fact I know for a fact he is awake he is alert and I know for a fact he is experienced and more than that the pilot has a personal interest in getting us safely to our destination today guarantee you and pastors a and B look at this young girl and they're like well how do you know that and she says because I had breakfast with him this morning he's my father you have three different views of the pilot a says the pilot is absent B says the pilot is bored he's there he's not paying attention and Carol the flight goes but C says the pilot is in complete control he is skillful he is caring in fact I have a personal relationship with the pilot he is deeply involved he would sacrifice his life for me because I'm his daughter and he's my daddy now I want you imagine 15 minutes later they're making their ascent turbulence strikes the playing shakes masts drop people popping around like popcorn in a paper bag what do you think the reaction these three passengers is to the turbulence I think they're all just gonna react the same way no way I guarantee you passenger a and B are gonna panic they are going to get sucked into the sinkhole of anxiety because they believe that the pilot is absent or asleep he's not in control passenger C she didn't like the turbulence nobody does but while everyone else is panicking she actually has an inner peace why because she has a personal relationship of total trust with that pilot that's her daddy flying the plane and she knows her daddy loves her cares for her and is a hundred percent committed to getting her home safely can I ask who flies your plane who flies your plane I know it sounds like an oversimplification but there are really three views of God in the world today a there is no God he's absent B there's a God who started everything but any backed away he's not caring or in control and then C varies the god discovered by the Apostle Paul and a prison cell there is the God who millions of us call father including me who is in complete control and says I love you like my precious son or daughter and we have an unshakable relationship with him through Jesus Christ who gave His life to guarantee we will get safely home who flies your plane friends I want you to take this into your heart move it from your mind a thought into your heart the more you rest in the sovereignty of a loving trustworthy God the more you will be anxious for nothing so nowadays when I get on a plane I don't pop a pill I don't order a gin and tonic not judging you if that's your thing and just saying I flipped in Philippians 4 and I meditate on this tonight it's a promise so I pray this promise back to my daddy in heaven I actually pray Lord I will be anxious for nothing because you have my wife and my kids and you've already pre-planned this trip for me and you put me on earth for a purpose and we're we're saturating the state with the gospel lord I if I'm helpful to you down here awesome but I can't wait to be with you and then the peace of God which passes all understanding begins guarding my emotions in my thoughts through Christ Jesus I tell you the effect that has on me this peace that passeth understanding begins calming my anxious thoughts and filling my hurried heart as I surrender control to my sovereign Savior I actually wrote in my margin of this Philippians for I wrote my life is in my father's hand and everything is going according to plan he's piloting the plane guys he has promised to get you home safely that's how practical this is don't you dare think the sovereignty of God is some abstract theological concept God's Word is your weapon in winning the war on anxiety amen can I challenge you to memorize this verse over the next three weeks I want you to underline it I want you to read it every day take a screenshot commit it to memory give it a home your heart in fact I want to pray this out loud together like a closing prayer so all of our campuses let's do it together let's sit up straight come on sit up straight folks deep breath fill your lungs with air fill your heart with hope let's say it like you mean a church here we got ready be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind through Jesus Christ father I pray right now we thank you for this beautiful promise and we declare you are sovereign we lift up the name of Jesus Christ we have an unshakable hope as your sons and daughters we see you on that cross Jesus you went through the worst you went through death so that we could have life eternal life with you but also peace on earth with those we love and so father I just appreciate that you have dealt straight with us in your word Jesus you said in this life you'll have trouble but take heart I've overcome the world I'm gonna give you a piece not the kind you can take away the kind that passes understanding so father right now I pray for every man and woman and child blanket them with your peace I pray an outpouring this fall on this church flood us with the Holy Spirit and the fruit of your peace overwhelm us with your love and your affection that you're working all things together for our good we trust you lord love you and we thank you for Jesus it's in his name we pray everybody said together amen would you give the Lord a hand giving a hand folks

Channel: Liquid Church

Views: 4,227

Rating: 4.710145 out of 5

Keywords: Liquid Church, #LiquidChurch, New Jersey, Christian Church, Tim Lucas, Pastor Tim Lucas, Non-Denominational Christian Church, Christianity, Contemporary Christian Church

Id: BXzWen5z6sU

Length: 51min 33sec (3093 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 10 2018