"Moving From Anxiety To Peace" | March 7, 2021

[Music] hi i'm robert jeffress pastor of first baptist church in dallas we are so excited to have you join us on the i campus today for a time of inspiring worship and biblical teaching you are part of a vast online community gathered from all over the world we consider you a part of our first baptist church family and we hope you feel a part of what god is doing in and through first baptist dallas no matter where you are we hope and pray that this is a time you will grow in your relationship with god and others as we worship our savior together welcome to worship [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well good morning everyone and welcome to worship at first baptist dallas let's stand together we welcome our guests high campus viewers joining us across the world for worship today let's sing about the great faithfulness of our lord great is your faithfulness o god you wrestle with the sinner's heart he leads us you lead us into mercy and nothing can keep us apart your promises [Music] enough [Music] god you use the weak you use the weak to lead the strong you lead us in the song of your salvation all your people sing and all your people sing along so remember your people remember your children remember [Music] is enough for [Music] is [Music] [Applause] your children remember your promise oh god we declare it so remember your people remember your children remember [Music] is [Music] [Music] me the lord this morning all grace all power be to his name let's sing o hail the power of [Music] jesus [Music] bring forth them [Music] oh [Music] he is [Music] him who saved you by his grace [Music] lord of all [Music] [Music] and [Music] is [Music] is [Music] he's lord of all amen incredible worship church you may be seated we welcome you and everyone joining us here in the room and online for worship this morning here at first baptist dallas and if you are a guest with us we have a very special gift just for you it's our pastor's brand new leather bound 500 page pathway to victory daily devotional and guest as you came in this morning you received a worship guide you'll find in close this guest card please take the time to fill this out and keep the card with you at the conclusion of the service take it outside these main worship center doors you'll find the welcome center our staff is waiting there for you to exchange your completed card for your devotional today as well as answer any questions you might have regarding our church if you can't make it to the welcome center you'll find some orange receptacles on your way out you can slip the card in there we will mail you a copy of your gift those joining us on icampus we have a special gift for you as well follow the link on your screen for your gift lots of exciting events are taking place and upcoming here in the life of our church at first baptist dallas so let's all take a look together at the screen good morning we are so thankful to be with you and worship today and we have an exciting spring ahead and want to take a moment to tell you about a few upcoming events on saturday march 13th we will host serve dallas which is our church-wide opportunity to gather and make a difference in our community by serving through our local mission partners then on sunday march 14th eric mataxis is coming to first baptist dallas as our guest speaker for the morning he is a radio show host speaker and new york times best-selling author his new book fish out of water will be available for purchase following worship then join us for palm sunday on march 28 with grammy award winner chris tomlin and the first dallas choir and orchestra we will have a free gift for first time guests and dr jeffress will deliver a special message that evening we will gather for a free night of worship with chris tomlin and the observance of the lord's supper you can also join us live on icampus for both services then invite your friends back on easter sunday april 4th we will have a powerful morning of worship and a special resurrection message from dr jeffress titled life's most important choice finally it is good to gather together to worship as we continue to reopen our church and our ministries in the new year you can help maintain a healthy environment for everyone using our hand sanitizing stations for more information on everything happening at our church visit firstdallas.org events our scripture reading this morning is found in matthew chapter 6 and we'll read together verses 25 through 30 reading from the new american standard bible and as always you'll have those words on the screen here in the worship center and for eye campus you'll have the words as well so that we can read god's word together would you join me in standing so that we can honor the reading of god's word matthew chapter 6 beginning with verse 25 ending with verse 30. for this reason i say to you do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor for your body as to what you shall put on is not life more than food and the body than clothing look at the birds of the air that they do not sow neither do they reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not worth much more than they and which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his lifespan and why are you anxious about clothing observe how the lilies of the field grow they do not toil nor do they spin yet i say to you that even solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these but if god so erased the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace will he not much more do so for you o men of little faith may god richly bless the reading of his word let's keep standing as we continue to lift up the name of jesus jesus there is no greater name and at that name every knee shall bow and tongue confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father let's worship let's praise him together lost our saved find their way [Music] feel no shame of your great name every fear has no place of your great name the enemy he has to leave of your great name [Music] jesus the son of god amen [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] of your great name [Music] jesus [Music] the son of god amen [Music] oh [Music] my [Music] my [Music] my dreams jesus worthy [Music] the son is god amen [Music] jesus [Music] jesus [Music] your way [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] praise that great name jesus this morning amen you may be seated as ben levorne our executive pastor comes now with a special mission 1 8 milestone thank you choir and orchestra for leading us in worship this morning good morning church i want to update you on some of the things that we've been seeing and doing through our church as you know last week as part of our mission 1a courageous ministry strategy we hosted our heartstrong faith women's conference and our women's ministry led by pam brewer worked tirelessly to make this possible in partnership with kcbi which is a ministry of our church first baptist dallas kcbi one of the most listened to christian radio stations in the country well last weekend even in the midst of this pandemic as we continue to emerge from this crisis we had over 700 women in attendance at our women's conference we had another 1200 women who tuned in online from all over the country and even from other countries and i love this we had eight other churches who tuned in and had watch parties for the women at their churches as they participated in our women's conference now this year's theme was anxious for nothing it was a study of the book of philippians and we had women literally from all over the nation and even from other countries who contacted us just to let us know how encouraged they were how they were strengthened and equipped by last weekend i want you to be encouraged as well because when you give to support the ministries of first baptist dallas through mission 1a courageous you are making events like this possible you are making the ministry of our women's ministries and others like that possible and when you do that you are ministering here locally through the local church you are reaching out online nationally and internationally and you're even building into our partner ministries like the ministry of kcbi now you're going to have another opportunity to participate in a similar event in the next few weeks you have two important cards in your worship guide today one of those we talked about last week and that is your my three prayer card i hope you've already given this some thought but i want you to think about three people you know who need to know the love of jesus christ or need to be introduced to our church family write the names of those three people on that my three prayer card and begin praying about how you might invite them to attend palm sunday or easter either here in person or worshiping with us online now you also have in your worship guide today what we've called our palm sunday and easter checklist and this gives you a step-by-step process that you can go through over the next several weeks as you're praying for those people and you plan to invite them to worship with us on either palm sunday with chris tomlin or on easter sunday as our pastor brings a special message on that morning so thank you for your ministry thank you for your commitment thank you for your service to the lord through his church now as we continue our time of commitment and worship this morning we're going to go to the lord in prayer you have the opportunity to leave your tithes and offerings in the boxes as you exit the worship center you can also give those online but i want to invite you as you're able to kneel all over the worship center as we approach his throne this morning heavenly father we are encouraged today as we worship you and we pray as the psalmist prayed and we thank you for your mighty acts for your wonderful deeds for men we thank you lord for your mercy and your grace and your love that sustains us and encourages us and equips us we thank you lord for the joy of our salvation through jesus christ who we know has the power to save us and the power to keep us and so this morning lord during this time of commitment we pray that you would strengthen us by your holy spirit that you would help us to contend for the faith that as a church and as individual members of your body lord that we would reflect your mercy by snatching others from the fire and even as we give to you lord our tithes and our offerings we do so as a spiritual act of worship to praise you and to express our commitment to you and we asked lord that these would be used to accomplish your will and your purpose and we pray this in the saving name of jesus christ amen [Music] so [Music] their little boat was tossed about a upon the stormy sea the disciples woke the master crying lord save us please then jesus spoke with authority [Music] he commanded be still and instantly every wind and wave obeyed the master's wings [Music] so many times i am tossed about upon life's stormy sea and though the winds of trouble blow my savior pilots me i know peace be still guides my little boat i'll not fear the winds for he who's kept me safe this far will keep me all the way is peace in jesus in a troubled world today there is peace [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] it's a troubled world [Music] on [Music] seems to be just a dove with broken wings troubled times within without [Music] [Music] jesus [Music] in jesus [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you so much first dallas choir and orchestra you sing that like you believed it and i believe they do and that's a perfect song for today as you'll discover in just a moment we want to welcome the multitude of you who joined us in our day one service on our first dallas high campus and the millions of you who watch or listen on pathway to victory you know it is astounding every week it seems like we're setting records and viewership a pathway to victory god is using that program in such a powerful way i thought you would be interested in an email we received recently and this is just something we get every day of the week but i thought you would be encouraged by it bobby is a woman who watches pathway to victory listens in another state recently she wrote me and said pastor i got saved one morning while listening to pathway to victory on the radio when it happened tears started falling from my eyes i bought a new bible and i began to read it and could not get enough of god's word since that day i have found a wonderful local church and i continue to listen to pathway to victory every morning on my way to work thank god i found pathway to victory but that word of thanks belongs to you thank you church family for having a vision for reaching beyond the four walls of our church reaching our nation and our world with the gospel of jesus christ when famed novelist f scott fitzgerald sent his 11 year old daughter to summer camp in august of 1933 he wrote her a letter telling her the things that she needed to be concerned about and the things she didn't need to worry about on the list of things she needed to be concerned about included courage cleanliness and horsemanship the things he told his daughter not to worry about were mosquitoes flies and boys wouldn't it be nice to live in a world when the only thing you had to worry about were mosquitoes flies and boys instead we live in a world in which we're confronting a global pandemic possibly poverty possibly the loss of a loved one but you know one thing i've discovered is it really doesn't matter what the size is whatever you're worrying about whether it's big or small if you don't deal with it properly it can consume your complete thoughts and all of your energy somebody has said that worry is like a thin stream trickling through the mind if left unchecked it cuts a deep channel into which all other thoughts are drained it doesn't matter whether you're dealing with mosquitoes or with a pandemic worry can absolutely separate you from the life god has intended for you what murray what matters is not the size of the object you're worrying about but your focus did you ever do this as a child take out two pennies and put them in front of each of your eyes and you could be standing in front of a huge mountain and those two pennies have the ability to block out that mountain that is millions of dimes larger it's the same way with worry something as insignificant as a mosquito if it becomes an obsession can absolutely block out the peace that god intends for you to experience and so today as we continue our series invincible uh conquering the obstacles that separate you from the blessed life we're going to talk about how to conquer the whole problem of worry or anxiety the bible says a lot about anxiety let's look at just some of the commands that the bible gives about anxiety in his sermon on the mount in matthew 6 that we'll look at in just a moment jesus said do not worry then he said it again do not worry a third time he says do not worry that greek word matthew uses for worry is the same word that paul used in philippians 4 that we read just a moment ago do not be anxious for anything that word anxious annexus comes from the latin word but it's the same word the german word for worry is worgen it means to strangle and that's what worry does it strangles the joy out of our life do you remember in mark chapter 4 verses 18 and 19. jesus was giving us the parable about the seed that fell on four types of soil the seed represented the word of god and the soil is the different conditions of the human heart and he talked about some of the seed fell on soil and it began to take root and it began to grow but then because of a vast network of weeds underneath the surface the life of that plant was strangled out jesus said in mark 4 18-19 these are the ones who have heard the word but the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it becomes unfruitful that's what worry does it just chokes the spiritual life out of you corey ten boone that great saint of god said one time worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles it empty today of its strength worry do not worry why do we worry what is it that causes us to worry as i look through god's word i find at least three reasons that christians sometimes worry first of all a misguided perspective a misguided perspective listen to this whenever you build your life around that which is temporary instead of that which is eternal you're going to be infected with worry because deep down you know what you're building your life around can be easily taken away from you and you act accordingly if your life is built around money financial security you know that can change overnight and so you do everything you can you work as hard as you can you accumulate as you much as you can to try to prevent uh your peace of mind from being destroyed or if your happiness is linked to another person if that's what you're building your life around you know that person could leave you or die and so you smother that person with affection and many times may end up chasing them around away if your security is built around your health what do you do you you know you can diet obsessively you can go to the doctor every time you feel an ache or a pain anytime you build your life around the temporal instead of the eternal you're going to be infected with worry that's why jesus said in matthew 6 19 and 20 don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth why that's where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal if you build your life around money it can be taken from you instead store up yourselves for yourselves in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also he's not just talking about money whatever it whatever you value in life whether it's possessions whether it's another person whether it's a position you have it can be taken away from you one person said one time trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment trust in money and it may be lost trust in your friends and they may betray you or die but trust in god and you will never be confounded with time or eternity many times a misguided perspective causes us to worry secondly unconfessed sin can be a source of constant anxiety if you're not a christian yet this morning you're born with an innate sense that there is a god and that you're going to meet him one day and if you're not prepared to meet him there's going to be anxiety in your heart but even in the life of a christian when we have unconfessed sin things we haven't dealt with there's this feeling that god's going to get even with us or we're going to face the discipline of god jonathan edwards said one time the ungodly tremble at the rustling of the leaves if you are not right in your relationship with god you're frightened by anything and everything even david experienced that remember when king david kept silent he tried to cover over his sin with bathsheba and the murder of her husband he felt unease in psalm 32 verses 3 and 4 he said when i kept silent about my sin my body wasted away through my groaning all day long for day and night your hand was heavy upon me and my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer a third source of worry can be satanic attack satanic attack in ephesians chapter 6 you may remember in our series the divine defense we talked about the spiritual armor that god has given us to deal with the attacks of satan verse 13 he said therefore take up the full armor of god so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm and then verse 16 among the pieces of weaponry were to use take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one a roman soldier part of his weaponry was a shield it was actually a piece of plywood four by six that was covered with leather that had been soaked in water why because many times the enemy would send a flaming missile an arrow whose tip had been dipped and pitched and set on fire and when that flaming arrow would come all the soldier would do is hold up that water-soaked shield and when the arrow headed it was extinguished immediately now satan has some flaming arrows he loves to send toward you sometimes it's greed sometimes it's sexual immorality there can be many different temptations that come into our life but i think one of the most effective arrows he sends into our life is the arrow of worry and one reason i think it's his favorite tool is because of what it does to us worry has a way of paralyzing us keeping us from moving forward in what we know god wants us to do this doesn't happen to me as much as it used to and i'll tell you why at the end of the message but it used to happen to me a lot i'd be sitting at my desk in my study working on my sermon and all of a sudden this fear out of nowhere would come into my life you know is there a tumor growing inside of me or you know is something wrong with one of my children or you know what if the church gets mad at me and so forth i mean all these irrational fears would come out of nowhere and it would paralyze me or maybe i'd be on vacation i'd be at the beach with my family enjoying a great day and suddenly one of those fears would come and i couldn't enjoy the day i couldn't think about anything except that fear that's what satan does maybe he does that in your life sometimes as well you know two of the arrows of worry that god sends into your life that are the most effective one of them is labeled if only if only you know if only those two words deal with the unchangeable past we begin focusing on past regrets if only i talk to husbands who have been divorced and they'll say you know i just can't stop asking myself you know if only i hadn't walked into that bar if only i hadn't started flirting with my assistant if only i hadn't done this or that if only deals with the unchangeable past the other arrow of worry that comes into our life is labeled what if what if that deals with the unknowable future what if this happens what if this happens my daughter julia is a licensed professional christian counselor she's written a great book called pray big things and so many people have been helped by the book because she deals with anxiety we had a 19 year old boy who recently told our minister ministry his mom had given him the book to read and he was helped so much by it but she tells her very uh honest battle with anxiety she said when she found out that she was pregnant with the triplets suddenly she became overcome with anxiety of what could happen in the pregnancy and she started googling all the possible outcomes of a triplet pregnancy she said i out googled god uh worrying about these things and she shares how she found victory over anxiety in her life maybe you're that way right now you're thinking you know what happens if i correct contract the coronavirus what if i lose my job what if i lose my mate what if my child actually ends up marrying that jerk what if what if what if it could absolutely sap the joy out of your life what happens when we worry excessively look at the consequences of anxiety first of all the emotional consequences there's an emotional toll that comes from worry i was reading this week that according to the anxiety and depression association of america did you know there was such a group the anxiety and depression association of america wouldn't that be a fun christmas party to go to anyway they have said in their study that there are 40 million adults in america who suffer from anxiety and depression anxiety disorders include panic disorders social anxiety disorder obsessive-compulsive disorder anxiety can lead to eating disorders headaches irritable bowel syndrome sleep disorders fibromyalgia chronic pain and stress all of that traced back to anxiety it reminds me of what jesus said in john 10 10 talking about satan he said the thief comes to steal kill and destroy what satan wants to do he wants to rob you of joy in your life the thief comes to steal kill and destroy but i have come that you might have life and you might have it more abundantly secondly there are spiritual consequences of letting anxiety rule your life in colossians 3 15 paul said let the peace of christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful that word rule let the peace of christ rule in your heart it's a word that we get our word umpire from you know what an umpire does he calls balls and strikes he calls whether a player is out or safe when they slide into home the umpire is the one who makes the final determination paul is saying when problems come into your life you can't control that necessarily but you get to decide how you're going to label those problems you can decide whether you're going to have the final say or you're going to let christ have the final say let the peace of christ let jesus have the final say about that challenge that's coming into your life if you're in charge then you're on the throne of your life you're the one trying to manage it you're trying to make sense of it or you can say christ i'm going to let you handle this problem i'm going to let you have the final say i'm going to trust your promise that nothing comes into my life except according to the perfect and loving plan of god there are spiritual consequences when you allow fear which is really allowing yourself to have the final say in your life rather than jesus christ well why shouldn't we allow worry to reign into our life i want you to turn over to matthew chapter six for just a moment matthew chapter six we're going to talk about five reasons that we shouldn't be anxious about anything but before we do i need to offer two disclaimers about this command do not worry do not worry many christians misinterpret this number one do not worry does not mean do not plan i hear people using uh this command of jesus don't worry don't worry as an excuse for laziness oh don't worry don't worry about tomorrow well that means i don't need to worry about planning for retirement i don't need to worry about having a plan for my business i don't need to have a plan for my family and so forth they adopt the case attitude toward life whatever will be will be the future is not ours to see quesaras or i don't have to make any plans about anything no that's not faith that's foolishness not to plan the bible says we should plan but all of our plans are subject to the will of god in luke 14 verse 28 jesus said it is foolish to try to build a house or to go to war without making adequate plans remember in james chapter 4 james says come now those of you who say tomorrow we shall go to such and such a city and stay a year and make a profit he said you don't know what your life is going to be like tomorrow he said instead you should say if the lord wills then we shall go to such and such a city james wasn't saying don't make plans he was saying realize your plans are subject to the will of god do not worry does not mean do not plan and secondly do not worry does not mean do not be concerned there are some things we should be concerned about my friend david jeremiah says it well when he says if you don't worry about your children playing your traffic you're a terrible parent if you're not concerned about walking off the roof of a skyscraper you'll learn the meaning of that old poster that said gravity it's not just a good idea it's the law there are things you need to be concerned about there's a difference between carefree and careless now when jesus says do not worry he's talking about don't be overly concerned why notice these five reasons we're not to be overly concerned and anxious about anything first of all worrying is unreasonable look at verse 25 of matthew 6 for this reason i say to you do not be worried about your life as to what you will eat or what you will drink nor for your body as to what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing inherent in that statement or two questions who made you to begin with who made your body who determined what your body needs the answer to both of those questions is god the same god who is your creator is also the god who is your sustainer he will give you everything you need worrying is un reasonable secondly worry is unfounded it's unfounded you may say well i believe god can't sustain me but how do i know he will look at verse 26 look at the birds of the air that they do not sow nor reap or gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not worth much more than they i did a little study this week i didn't know this about birds in the bible the sparrow is the smallest bird that the bible mentions and it was also the cheapest if you combine this verse with matthew 10 29 and luke 12 6 you discovered this about sparrows first of all they were very cheap you could buy two for a penny you could buy four for two pennies and if you buy bought four for two pennies you got a fifth sparrow thrown in for free and when you combine this with matthew 10 29 what you'll discover is remember jesus said not a sparrow falls from the sky without god noticing it that sparrow he's talking about is the fifth sparrow the one that just got thrown in for free it has no worth whatsoever and yet even when that little tiny worthless sparrow falls from the ground god notes it he's aware of it if he is aware of what happens to uh sparrow when it falls don't you think he's concerned about your life and what happens to you the bible says it's absolutely nonsensical to worry worry is unfounded if god takes care of the sparrows and is concerned about them is he not more concerned about you thirdly worrying is unproductive jesus said look at verse 27 which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto a stature now depending on which manuscript you use for the greek new testament there are two lines of thought about what jesus is saying here that word cubit is an uh measurement in jesus day of about 18 inches one cubit was 18 inches so some people believe that jesus was talking about you know by excessively worrying you're not going to add one inch to your stature other manuscripts talk about a span of time you can't worry one additional hour under your life span i think he probably had both ideas in mind here the point is there is nothing productive about worry it changes absolutely nothing your height or the amount of time that you have and certainly not your circumstance fourth why not worry jesus said worrying is unnecessary why are you so worried about clothing verse 28 observe how the lilies of the field grow they do not toil nor do they spin yet i say to you that even solomon and all of his glory clothed himself like one of these but if god closed the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace will he not much more clothe you oh you of little faith jesus was saying when the grass wakes up in the morning it doesn't fight the traffic on central expressway it doesn't work 60 hours a week in order to buy a pair of designer jeans the grass isn't concerned about what it's going to wear god clothes the grass with the beautiful wildflowers if he's able to do that can't he take care of your apparel needs as well and finally and this is the heart of it why not worrying worrying is ungodly look at verses 31 and 32 do not worry then saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing for the gentiles eagerly seek all of these things for your heavenly father knows that you need all of these things when you worry about all of these things you're no different than the unbelievers the gentiles that's what they spend their life doing worrying about their survival listen to me at the bottom the basis for all anxiety in our life is this calculating without god calculating without god when you get to the root of why you are worrying it is calculating without god we get concerned about our children we get concerned about our health or our financial future we get concerned about our dreams and our goals and we keep thinking about what if what if what if what if what if but with all of our plans and calculations we forget god we forget god you know i think about the life of joseph and so many times joseph found himself in an impossible situation and then you find those words in scripture but god but god this was happening to joseph but god intervened in his situation worrying is calculating our lives without god how do you cure anxiety if that's something that you deal with again turning to the word of god let me mention several ways to conquer the mountain of anxiety first of all and most basic repent of any known sin in your life listen to me my daughter told me dad don't say worrying is a result of sin well it's not all the time but sometimes it is sometimes it is she was right there are many other causes for anxiety but worrying can be traced to sin sometime if you are not yet a christian there's going to be a low-grade anxiety in your life until you're in a right relationship with god if you're a christian who's living disobediently it's going to feel like the sword of damocles is hanging over your head you know that at some point something's going to happen in romans 5 verse 1 paul said we can never experience the peace with our circumstances and peace with ourself until we're at first at peace with god paul wrote in romans 5 1 therefore having by having been justified by faith we have peace through our lord jesus christ secondly how do you deal with anxiety remove any unnecessary fear in your life a lot of us carry around this low-grade anxiety that just stays with us because we have these things issues in our life we haven't confronted maybe because of this pandemic you haven't gone to your doctor in over a year to have a checkup and you're fearful of doing so because it's been a long time since you've seen your doctor you're afraid of what the blood work or his exam may reveal about your health we're getting ready to enter income tax season i don't know if you have this problem but i do i dread getting everything together for my income tax because i'm afraid of what i'm going to end up owing the government so i just keep putting it off but it doesn't put off the anxiety at all i carry that around remove any unnecessary fear how do you do that those three simple words do it now is there an email you need to write that's difficult do it now is there an appointment you need to make do it now is there a task that needs to be completed do it now there's a great verse in proverbs 26 verses 13 to 14 about the fool of the lazy person the sluggard says there is a lion in the road a lion is in the open square as he turns as he turns as a door turns on its hinges so does the sluggard turn on his bed the lazy person is always coming up with an excuse not to begin something and not to complete something but the wise person lives by that motto do it now thirdly how do you deal with anxiety remember god's past faithfulness you know in psalm 3 we find king david was facing many things to legitimately worry about his younger son absalom was leading the revolt against his dad david was in danger of losing the kingdom he had many things to fear and he writes about that honestly in the first two verses of psalm 3 oh lord how my adversaries have increased many are rising up against me many are saying to my soul there is no deliverance for him in god pause but then in verse 3 can't you hear our choir singing this but you o lord are a shield about me my glory and the one who lifts my head i was crying to the lord with my voice and he answered me from his holy mountain what changed david's emotion from anxiety to trust he looked back and he remembered the many times god had been faithful a shield to him in the past and that gave him courage for the present and the future now earlier first samuel 17 37 when david was facing goliath the giant remember what he said the lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear he will deliver me from the hand of this philistine david was always able to look back in his life at times of god's faithfulness and listen to me that's the great thing about getting older hopefully as you get older you're not growing more fearful you're becoming less fearful because the older you get hopefully the more stories you have to reflect upon as to when god intervened and delivered you from whatever trouble you were facing at the time remember god's past faithfulness and finally remain in contact with god i want you to turn over to philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7. i've been looking so forward to this practical application of how to move from anxiety to peace remember when paul wrote these words he was imprisoned facing what could have been his execution and yet he had tremendous freedom from anxiety why i want you to notice what paul did and what he tells us to do today we're talking a lot about vaccines i want to share with you a three dose vaccine against anxiety okay ready for it number one paul says pray persistently look at verse six and seven be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to god and the peace of god which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus pray persistently as the living bible says don't worry about anything pray about everything we've talked about that before take your worry list and make your worry list your prayer list that's dose one pray persistently but it's not quite enough number two think truthfully think truthfully look at verse eight he says finally brethren whatever is true please underline that 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 he's talking about what you choose to think about will determine your level of anxiety so you don't get to choose your circumstances but you can choose what to focus on and frankly there are a lot of things to focus on these days that will rob you of anxiety you get to choose what to focus on and what to think about and your level of anxiety depends upon that choice that you make now i know i risk offending some of you and i'm sorry about that but i'm not speaking to you to offend you i'm your pastor and i'm your friend but i'm going to tell you i'm concerned about the number of christians who are right now focusing on the wrong thing and because of that their anxiety is going through the roof and they don't even see the connection let me tell you something the media doesn't care one thing about your peace of mind i don't care whether we're talking about left-wing media or right-wing media in fact they want you to feel anxious they want you to be filled with fear because that means you'll click on their internet site or you'll tune into their television program not listen i know what i'm talking about they have meetings every morning and their question is what can we do what story can we cover that will make our viewers either anxious or angry because i'll keep them coming back for more they do they want to make you angry or anxious dr seuss got cancelled i can't believe it dr seuss dr seuss now look i'm sorry dr seuss got cancelled but i've got some great news for you the gospel of jesus christ doesn't depend on the cat in the hat okay it really doesn't right yeah you can cancel the cat and the hat and it's not gonna change one thing it really isn't and as far as the word of god being canceled forget about it paul said even if i'm in prison the word of god's not imprisoned are all these conspiracy theories oh have you heard there's a secret society of hollywood and washington dc and they're drinking infants blood you heard that now look i don't agree with joe biden about a lot of things but i can assure you joe and jill biden aren't sitting in the white house drinking babies blood right now so calm down it's not happening the bible says focus on whatever is true what's honorable what's right what is pure did you know all of those words deal with the word of god psalm 19 same words you can focus on what the media wants you to focus on or you can focus on god's word and notice what happens when you focus on god's word psalm 119 verse 165 those who love your law god have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble think truthfully that's our second dose and here's the final dose of the vaccine against anxiety live obediently look at verse nine the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and the god of peace will be with you it's not enough to know god's commands we are to do god's commands and when you know your life is in alignment with the word of god it gives you a supernatural peace live obediently you know william barkley the new testament scholar says there may be greater sins than worry but there's none more disabling but here's the good news you don't have to be disabled by anxiety any longer god has given you everything you need to conquer to conquer the mountain of anxiety by moving from anxiety to peace let's bow together in a word of prayer i'm going to ask no one to leave or move for any reason this is the most important time of our service our invitation time and i know i'm speaking to some right now both here in day one and watching online who have had anxiety in your heart for some of you you may already be christians maybe it's because you've had the wrong focus in life maybe there is unconfessed sin in your life that you need to get worked out with god today instead of arguing with god agree with him if we confess our sins the bible says he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness today as a christian you may say god i'm not going to argue with you about this any longer you're right i'm wrong today i'm going to begin obeying you that will give you a peace unimaginable in your life but i realize also i'm speaking to some of you right now who may not yet be christians you know there's a god you realize there is a great distance between you and god you don't need a pastor to tell you you're guilty of sin we all are maybe you're fearful of coming to god you'll never have peace with yourself peace with your circumstances until you're at peace with god and how do you do that paul said through faith in jesus christ when you understand and accept that you can't clean yourself up you can't forgive yourself but god can that's why he sent jesus to die on the cross for you to pay the debt you owe for your sin and when you trust in christ as your savior you are forgiven by god forever today if you would like to experience that forgiveness and that assurance that you are now at peace with god because your sin has been paid for i want to invite you to pray this prayer silently in your heart as i prayed out loud knowing that god is listening to you right now would you pray this with me wherever you are dear god thank you for loving me i know that i have failed you in so many ways and i'm truly sorry for the sins in my life but i believe what i've heard today that you love me so much you sent your son jesus to die on the cross for my sins to take the punishment i deserve for my sins and right now i'm trusting in what jesus did for me not in my good works but in what jesus did for me to save me from my sins thank you for forgiving me and help me to live the rest of my life for you in jesus name amen today if you're watching online and you prayed that prayer with me i want you to right now go to the top of the screen and click on that link that says i prayed the prayer with dr jeffress as soon as you do i'll be notified and i have some free material i want to send you this week about what it means to live as a christian so don't wait even until the end of the program right now go to the top and click on that link that says i prayed the prayer to trust in christ for those of you in day one or here in our worship center i'd like you if you would to take out this card in your bulletin and today if you prayed that prayer with me just a moment ago check that third box that says i prayed the prayer with dr jeffress and i'll send you the same material we're sending to our friends online maybe you're a guest today check that first box maybe you want more information about our church maybe today and i know there's some who've said they're going to join today if you'd like to join our church it's so easy all you have to do is check this final box i'd like to join first baptist dallas today whenever you've completed this card regardless of the number of boxes you check when you finish the card if you would just drop it off at the welcome center outside of our worship center or our historic sanctuary we'll exchange your card for a copy of my 500 page devotional for the new year would love that to be our gift to you for coming today if you don't want don't want to stop by the welcome center just drop this card in one of the orange bins and we'll process the card and get the book to you right away thank you so much for doing that well i hope you'll plan to be with us next sunday we have a great opportunity uh eric texas the new york times best-selling author radio host is going to be here to talk about his own spiritual pilgrimage from being a doubter to being a believer in jesus christ it'd be a great day to bring a guest with you and then of course later in the month our palm sunday our easter sunday lots of things happening and lots of opportunities to bring a guest to first baptist dallas hope you have a blessed week thank you for being here let's stand together now as tyler comes to lead us in our final song thank you pastor in church as we close today wanted to make you aware that as you leave members of our ethics and religious liberty ministry team they're going to be at tables on the concourse and in the crystal center lobby with important information christians should know regarding some recently proposed legislation we want to encourage you to stop by those tables for more information well let's close in singing together as we worship and we praise his holy name blessing this is my story this is my story this is my song praising my savior all day long this is my story this is my song god bless you church hi campus family thank you so much for being here today and joining us in worship we hope that you are blessed by today's service make sure to invite your friends family and loved ones to join you each and every week right here on the first dallas i campus also stay connected with us all week long on our social media channels and join our new icampus global facebook group to know what's going on right here at first baptist dallas we love you guys so much and we'll see you next week hi i'm robert jeffress pastor of first baptist church in dallas we are so excited to have you join us on the eye campus today for a time of inspiring worship and biblical teaching you are part of a vast online community gathered from all over the world we consider you a part of our first baptist church family and we hope you feel a part of what god is doing and improve first baptist dallas no matter where you are we hope and pray that this is a time you will grow in your relationship with god and others as we worship our savior together welcome to worship [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] well good morning and welcome to worship at first baptist dallas today let's stand together we welcome our guests joining us i campus viewers to welcome you across the world today let's sing about the great faithfulness of our lord great is your faithfulness oh god you wrestle with the silver's heart you lead us you lead us by still waters into mercy and nothing can keep us [Music] your apart remember your children remember your [Music] your promises is enough is [Music] and all your [Music] your children remember [Music] [Music] your is remember your children remember your promise oh god we declare so remember your people remember your children remember your promise for god oh god your grace is enough your grace is enough for me [Music] [Music] is praise the lord this morning we thank you lord for your great grace all powerful is your name [Music] [Applause] [Music] straightforward [Music] oh [Music] let's continue to worship as we lift [Music] is [Music] his grace and [Music] mr to him [Music] [Music] oh [Music] we have his speech will join me he's lord of all amen great worship church you may be seated and let's turn our attention to the baptistry thank you tyler we continue our worship today as this one comes to profess faith in the lord jesus christ she came to the lord last year and now she is coming to say that she is following christ all the days of her life this is riley grace chapman her grandmother works in ptv and she's been carefully taught visited with our children's department riley because you have placed faith in the lord jesus christ and in obedience to the lord's high command i baptize you my little sister in christ in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit buried with christ in the likeness of his death and raised to walk in newness of life amen that is incredible we welcome everyone to first baptist dallas for worship this morning we welcome guests joining us in the room as well as on our eye campus we have a very special gift just for our guest today it's our pastor's brand new pathway to victory daily devotional and guests as you came in this morning you received a worship guide you'll find enclosed this guest card please take the time to fill this out keep the card with you at the conclusion of the service take it outside these main worship center doors right there to our welcome center you'll find our staff there to meet you and to exchange your completed card for your gift today as well as answer any questions you might have regarding our church if you can't make it to the welcome center you'll find some orange receptacles on your way out you can slip the card in there and we will mail you a copy of your gift those joining us on icampus follow the link on your screen for your gift as well so many exciting events are taking place here in the life of our church at first baptist dallas so let's all take a look together at the screen good morning we are so thankful to be with you and worship today and we have an exciting spring ahead and want to take a moment to tell you about a few upcoming events on saturday march 13th we will host serve dallas which is our church-wide opportunity to gather and make a difference in our community by serving through our local mission partners then on sunday march 14th eric mataxis is coming to first baptist dallas as our guest speaker for the morning he is a radio show host speaker and new york times best-selling author his new book fish out of water will be available for purchase following worship then join us for palm sunday on march 28 with grammy award winner chris tomlin and the first dallas choir and orchestra we will have a free gift for first-time guests and dr jeffress will deliver a special message that evening we will gather for a free night of worship with chris tomlin and the observance of the lord's supper you can also join us live on icampus for both services then invite your friends back on easter sunday april 4th we will have a powerful morning of worship and a special resurrection message from dr jeffress titled life's most important choice finally it is good to gather together to worship as we continue to reopen our church and our ministries in the new year you can help maintain a healthy environment for everyone by wearing your mask practicing social distancing and using our hand sanitizing stations for more information on everything happening at our church visit firstdallas.org events our scripture reading this morning is found in matthew chapter 6. we'll be reading verses 25 through 30. it's part of a passage as jesus deals with the idea of anxiety our pastor will be preaching on that in just a few moments we're going to read from the new american standard bible so those will be the words you'll see on the screen here in the worship center and for eye campus as well so that we can all read god's word together and we invite you to stand with us we do that to honor the reading of god's word as we read together matthew chapter 6 beginning with verse 25 and we'll end with verse 30. for this reason i say to you do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor for your body as to what you shall put on is not life more than food and the body than clothing look at the birds of the air that they do not sow neither do they reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not worth much more than they and which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his lifespan and why are you anxious about clothing observe how the lilies of the field grow they do not toil nor do they spin and yet i say to you that even solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these but if god so arrays the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace will he not much more do so for you o men of little faith may god richly bless the reading of his word let's keep standing and continuing to lift up the name of jesus jesus there is no greater name and at that name every knee shall bow and tongue confess that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father let's continue to worship and praise his name together lost our savior find their way at the sound of your great name all condemned feel no shame at the sound of your great name every fear has no place of your great name the enemy he has to leave at the sound of your great name [Music] jesus worthy is the lamb that [Music] the son of god amen [Music] of your great name [Music] hungry [Music] grace of your great name of your great name [Music] jesus the son of god amen [Music] [Music] oh [Music] my [Music] oh jesus worthy is the land that was the son of god amen [Music] jesus [Music] the is will praise [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Applause] praise that great name of jesus amen you may be seated as ben lavorne our executive pastor comes now with a special mission 1 8 milestone thank you tyler thank you choir and orchestra good morning good morning church it's good to be with you this morning i want to keep you updated on some of the exciting happenings in our church as part of our mission one eight courageous ministry strategy just last weekend we hosted another great event our heartstrong faith women's conference and this was put on by our women's ministry led by pam brewer who worked tirelessly to make this possible in partnership with kcbi a ministry of our church which is one of the most listened to christian radio stations in the country well we hosted this two-day event the focus of which was anxious for nothing a study of the book of philippians and even as we emerge from this pandemic this challenging time that we've been dealing with over the last year we had over 700 women who joined us on site for this two-day event and another 1200 women who joined us online literally from across the country and even from other countries and i love this eight other churches hosted watch parties so their women's ministries can participate in this conference as well that's worth applauding that's worth applauding we had women who were both here on site and also who joined us online people from other states and even other countries who contacted us just to let us know how encouraged they were and how they felt equipped with god's word to move forward in their lives through this women's conference and i hope that you will be encouraged as well because this is something that you're a part of when you give to support the ministries of our church through mission 1 8 courageous when you serve in different capacities you are making events like this possible events that our church can use to minister to people here locally in our community that we can reach outside the walls of our church through our online ministries and minister nationally and internationally and in this case even bolster the ministry of our our partner ministries like kcbi radio now you're going to have another opportunity to participate in our mission in just the next few weeks and there are two important cards in your worship guide that i want to bring to your attention today one of these we talked about last week and this is your my three prayer card and we're asking you to take this card and write down the names of three people that you know that need to be introduced to your lord and savior jesus christ or that need to be introduced to your church family here at first baptist dallas and you're gonna have the opportunity to invite them to attend a worship service or to join us online in the days ahead we also have in your worship guide what we've called our palm sunday and easter my three checklist well if you ever think man i want to invite somebody to be here at church or i want to reach out and share the love of christ but i just don't know what to do well we have provided you step-by-step instructions so you have no excuse we're asking you to take these steps over the next several weeks as you pray for your my three and you prepare to bring them or invite them to worship with us for palm sunday with chris tomlin or on easter sunday as our pastor brings a powerful gospel message so thank you for your participation thank you for your faithfulness to give and thank you for your commitment to our lord now as we continue our time of worship through giving and commitment i'll ask you as you're able to kneel all over the worship center as we go to him in prayer this morning heavenly father we come before you excited about what you're doing through our church and we pray as the psalmist did lord and we thank you for your mighty acts for your wonderful deeds for men we thank you for encouraging us and strengthening us and upholding us by your righteous right hand lord we thank you for the joy of our salvation through jesus christ the one who has the power to save us and the power to keep us we thank you for your mercy and your grace and your love that encourages us and sustains us and builds us up into the body of christ lord we pray today that you would equip us by the power of your indwelling holy spirit to reflect your mercy to contend for the faith to snatch others from the fire lord even as we give to you our tithes and our offerings this morning we do so as a spiritual act of worship a representation of our commitment of our entire lives to you and we asked lord that you would use these to accomplish your will and your purpose and we pray this all in the saving and holy and powerful name of jesus christ amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] their little boat was tossed about upon the stormy sea the disciples woke the master crying lord save us please then jesus spoke with authority he commanded peace be still and instantly every wind and wave obey the masters so many times i am tossed about upon life's stormy sea and though the winds of trouble blow my savior pilots me i know peace be still guides my little boat so i'll not fear the winds always for he who's me safe this far will keep me [Music] very peace in jesus in a troubled world today there is peace [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] in a troubled world today it's a troubled world it's a troubled world [Music] [Music] he seems to be just a dove with broken wings troubled times within without just cause to fear but through the glue [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] us in a troubled world [Music] today [Music] is [Music] [Applause] hey [Applause] what a perfect song for the message today thank you so much wonderful first dallas choir and orchestra for your music today we want to welcome the hundreds of thousands of you who are watching our service on our first dallas eye campus and the literally millions of you who are watching or listening on pathway to victory we are amazed every week how god continues to expand that audience we just received word this week that for the sixth month in a row our church's program pathway to victory is the most watched program on the entire trinity broadcasting network and we praise god for that but all of these numbers millions of people all represent individual lives that are being changed i thought you'd be encouraged by this this week i was given a note from a woman named bobby who listens to us in another state she wrote and said pastor i got saved one morning while listening to pathway to victory on the radio when it happened tears started falling from my eyes i bought a new bible and began to read it and could not get enough of god's word since that day i have found a wonderful local church and i continue to listen to pathway to victory every morning on my way to work thank god i found pathway to victory and that a great note of encouragement and you know her thank you really belongs to every one of you members of first baptist dallas thank you for your vision for reaching beyond the four walls of our church and truly transforming the world with god's word one life at a time in august of 1933 famed novelist f scott fitzgerald wrote a letter to his 11 year old daughter who is away at summer camp he was trying to counsel her on the things she needed to be concerned with and the things she didn't need to worry about included on the things to be concerned about were courage cleanliness and horsemanship the things he told her his daughter not to worry about were mosquitoes flies and boys wouldn't be nice to live in a world in which the biggest thing you had to worry about were mosquitoes flies or boys but that's not our world is it global pandemic threat of loss of our job contracting the corona virus losing a loved one those are the things that we are combating today and yet one thing i've discovered is the size of what you're worrying about really doesn't determine your level of anxiety you could be worried about a pandemic or be worried about mosquitoes but they both have the ability to sap the strength and joy right out of your life it's not the size of the object you're worrying about it's your focus for example have you ever done this before take a penny and put it in front of each eye and that tiny penny if you're standing in front of a mountain can block out an entire mountain range millions of times larger than the penny it's not the size of what you're worrying about it is your focus somebody has said worry is a thin string trickling through the mind if left unchecked it will cut a deep channel into which all of our other thoughts are drained we're in our series invincible and we're talking about conquering the ten mountains the ten obstacles that separate us from the kind of life god wants us to experience jesus said if you have a faith of a mustard seed you can move a mountain now obviously you can't actually move the mountain but you can change your perspective of that mountain you can conquer that mountain and in the same way there are obstacles we face we may not be able to remove those obstacles but we can conquer them and none is more debilitating than worry anxiety and so today we're going to talk about how to conquer the mountain of anxiety by moving by shifting our focus from anxiety to peace if you have revivals turn to matthew chapter 6. throughout the scriptures we are told do not worry do not worry we saw that in the passage we read this morning from the sermon on the mountain three times jesus said do not worry do not worry the greek word matthew uses for worry is the same word that paul used in philippians chapter 4 when he said do not be anxious for anything annexus the latin word for anxious same word for worry interestingly there's a german word for worry worgen it means to strangle to choke out and that's a perfect description of what worry anxiety does it chokes out the joy of our life it was corey ten boom who said worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles it empties today of its strength and that's why jesus in mark 4 verses 18 to 19 described worry this way remember his parable of the seed that fell on the four different types of soil the seed represented the word of god and the soil represented different conditions of the human heart and jesus said some of the seed fell on ground it began to take root but there were weeds underneath the top soil that strangled out the new plant and caused it to wither away and die and he made this application these are the ones who have heard the word but the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke out the word of all of the things that can choke the word of god and render it ineffective in your life at the top of the list are the worries of this world well why do we grow anxious especially as christians i've noticed in the bible several reasons that god's word gives for anxiety in our life first of all a misguided perspective can be a source of worry what i mean by that is whenever we build our life around the temporal instead of the eternal we're going to be fearful of losing what we prize the most for example if we've built our life around money instinctively we know that can be taken from us and so we work and work and work and accumulate more and more and more horde more and more but we know deep down we can't protect ourselves from loss or maybe we've built our life around another person and so what do we do we know there's a possibility they could leave on leave us or die on us and so we just smother them with affection and end up chasing them away or maybe your security your life is built around your health and so you exercise and diet obsessively or every time you feel an acre of pain you run to the doctor because instinctively you know you can lose your health that's why jesus said in matthew 6 19 and 20 do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal money can be lost instead store up for yourselves treasure in heaven for neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also he wasn't just talking about money he was talking whatever you value in life that's where your heart is going to be d.l moody said one time trust in yourself and you're doomed to disappointment trust in your money and you may lose it trust in other people and they may betray you or die but trust in god and you will never be confounded in time or eternity sometimes our fear is caused by a misguided perspective secondly unconfessed sin can be a source of anxiety certainly if you're not yet a christian if you've never received god's forgiveness of your sin there's a barrier between you and god and that barrier can produce fear in your life about the possibility of facing god with your sins unconfessed you will never be at peace with yourself you'll never be at peace with your circumstances in life until first of all you are at peace with god therefore having been justified by faith paul said we have peace with god through faith in our lord jesus christ others of you may be christians but there are some areas of your life that you're disobedient in and there's this fear that god is going to discipline you you feel like the sword of damocles is hanging over your head and god is going to deal with you and he is going to deal with you if you don't confess that sin but first john 1 9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness third a third source of fear in our life anxiety can be satanic attack in ephesians chapter six do you remember paul lists the spiritual weaponry we need to utilize in our battle against satan he describes the soldiers different weapons that are at his disposal he says in ephesians 6 13 therefore take up the full armor of god so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and having done everything to stand firm and then verse 16 he mentions one of those pieces of armor taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one what is he talking about a roman soldier had a shield it was actually a four by six piece of wood that was covered in leather that had been soaked in water why because many times the enemy would send a flaming arrow that is an arrow whose tip had been dipped and pitched and set on fire and when that flaming arrow would come the soldier would hold up that water-soaked shield and the arrow on impact would immediately be extinguished many times satan will shoot a flaming arrow into your life directly into your life to try to take you out he has many arrows at his disposal but i have found through the years that one of his most powerful arrows is anxiety worry the reason i say that is there's something about worry that paralyzes us this used to happen to me more when i was younger it doesn't happen to me as much anymore and i'll tell you why at the end of the message but there was a long period in my life i'd be sitting in my study working on a sermon and all of a sudden out of nowhere this fear would come into my life you know i wonder what kind of tumor is growing inside of me or i think about worried about my kids or worry about the church and i get obsessed with this worry i can't even work on the sermon any longer i'm paralyzed with fear or i could be off on vacation with my family spending a day at the beach having great fun when all of a sudden this alien thought would come out of nowhere and it would paralyze me maybe you've experienced things like that as well where do those things come from satan knows fear is a powerful powerful uh arrow that paralyzes us if you've ever found yourself dealing with that you know uh two of the anxiety arrows that satan sends into your life one of them has on the tip of it the words if only you know one way satan destroys our peace of mind is that phrase if only if only deals with the unchangeable past he loves us to focus on that which is unchangeable i've talked to men who have been divorced and they would say to themselves you know if only i hadn't walked into that bar if only i hadn't flirted with my assistant if only i hadn't sent that email if only if only if only the second arrow of worry is labeled what if what if deals with the unknown future the unknown future what if i contract the corona virus what if i lose my job what if my daughter ends up marrying that jerk you know what if what if what if and we get paralyzed my daughter julia many of you know is a licensed professional christian counselor she's written a wonderful book called pray big things and uh in fact we heard from a 19 year old boy recently who read the book his mom had given it to him and he actually read it and talked about how much that helped him but in her book she talks about when she found out she had triplets was going to give birth to triplets almost immediately she became anxious well what if this happens what if this happens and she began lifting up all of the possibilities of what could happen in the pregnancy she said at one point she out googled god you know looking up all of these things that happened and she describes in her book how god gave her peace and helped her conquer that problem of anxiety the fact is that phrase what if can destroy the peace that god has given us if you think i'm overreacting and saying this is satanic attack do you remember what jesus said about satan in john 10 10. he said the thief comes to steal kill and destroy but i have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly mark it down remember it satan wants to steal your joy as a christian he wants to destroy it and one of the ways he does it is through anxiety what are the effects of anxiety first of all the consequences of anxiety there are some emotional consequences of anxiety according to the anxiety and depression association of america did you know there's such an organization the anxiety and depression association of america wouldn't that be a fun christmas party to go to but it's real and they say there are 40 million americans who suffer from a high degree of of anxiety anxiety disorders include panic disorders social anxiety persistent depressive disorder it can lead to eating disorders headaches irritable bowel syndrome sleep disorders fibromyalgia and a host of other serious diseases all coming from anxiety but there are spiritual consequences of anxiety as well in colossians 3 15 paul said let the peace of christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful you know that word rule is the word that means to umpire when a challenging situation comes into your life you don't get to choose that circumstance but you can choose how to label that circumstance you can choose to label it insurmountable unending devastating or you can let christ be the empire and have a final say about that problem let the peace of christ umpire in your hearts you know if you replace jesus christ on the throne of your life and allow fear to rule your life it's really putting yourself on the throne of your life jesus i don't think you're capable of handling this i'm going to be the one to take control of it and your life quickly goes from being god-centered to being self-centered well why shouldn't we worry let's look at the case against anxiety and you find it in matthew 6 in the middle of the sermon on the mount now before we look at the five reasons that jesus gave us not to worry i need to give you two disclaimers okay first of all disclaimer number one do not worry does not mean do not plan you know uh there are a lot of christians who use jesus words don't worry about tomorrow today has enough trouble of its own as an excuse for laziness oh i don't need to plan for my retirement i don't need to plan for my family i don't need to make any plans about my career case or ra sarah whatever will be will be the future is not ours to see queso ras or ra folks that's not faith that's foolishness jesus said we need to plan in luke chapter 14 verse 28 he said a general doesn't go into battle without planning somebody who's building a house or a fortress doesn't build without counting the cost you better plan know what the bible's warning against is planning without consulting god remember in james 4 james said come now those of you who say tomorrow we'll go to such and such a city and earn a profit and stay there a year you don't know what your life is going to be like instead what you should say is if the lord wills we'll go to such and such a city it's not planning that the bible is against it's planning without god secondly second disclaimer do not worry does not mean do not be concerned we do have responsibilities we have concerns that ought to occupy some of our effort concerns about our lives our family lives concern about our nation this is a phrase about don't be overly concerned don't be anxious my friend david jeremiah says it well when he writes if you don't worry about your children playing near traffic you're a terrible parent if you're not concerned about walking off the roof of a skyscraper you'll learn the meaning of that old poster that says gravity it's not just a good idea it's the law there are things you need to be concerned about there's a difference between carefree and careless now when jesus says do not worry he's saying don't be overly concerned why notice the five reasons he gives us first of all he says worrying is unreasonable verse 25 for this reason i say to you do not be worried about your life as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor for your body as to what you shall put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing inherent in that verse are two questions who made your body god who knows better than anyone what your body needs to survive god then why are you worrying it's unreasonable god is not only your creator he's your sustainer secondly jesus said worry is unfounded well i believe god made me and can sustain me but will he that's the real question you ask look at verse 26 look at the birds of the air that do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not worth much more than they i did a little study this week on birds in the bible i found out that the sparrow is the smallest bird mentioned in the bible and when you combine this verse with matthew 10 29 and luke 12 6 here's what jesus is saying the sparrow was the cheapest bird you could buy two for a penny you could buy four for two pennies but if you bought four they threw the fifth one in for free so it was five sparrows for two pennies when jesus said in matthew 10 29 not a sparrow the tiniest bird there is not one sparrow falls to the ground without god knowing about it and the sparrow he's talking about is probably that fifth sparrow not even the sparrow that doesn't cost anything that is worth nothing when it falls from the ground god knows about it it's worth something to god and if god cares about that tiny free sparrow how much more do you think he cares about your life that's what jesus is saying worry is unfounded third he says worry is unproductive look at verse 27 which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature a cubit was 18 inches worrying yourself to death doesn't add an inch to your stature or some translation say it doesn't add an hour to your life so why do it it doesn't change anything fourth worrying is unnecessary look at verse 28 why are you so worried about clothing observe how the lilies of the field grow they don't toil nor do they spin yet i say to you that not even solomon in all of his glory clothed himself like one of these but if god so clothes the grass of the field which is alive today and thrown tomorrow into the furnace will he not much more clothe you for you of little faith the grass doesn't wake up in the morning and say oh boy i got to get to work i'm going to battle the traffic on central expressway and get there and i'm going to work 13 hours today so i can buy a pair of designer jeans no grass doesn't even worry about what it's going to wear because god clothes it with the beautiful wildflowers of the field if god's going to take care of the grass don't you think he's going to take care of you and finally and this is the heart of it why not worrying worrying is ungodly look at verses 31 to 32 do not worry then saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing for the gentiles eagerly seek all of these things for your heavenly father knows that you have need of these what jesus is saying is gentiles unbelievers they worry about what they're going to eat and what they're going to put on they worry of their life but they're unbelievers shouldn't it be different from you you know i want you to remember this if you don't remember anything else i say today the basis of all anxiety in life is calculating without god calculating without god that's the basis of all of our worry we get ourselves all worked out about what's happening to our children or at the workplace or what's happening in the country and we get worked up and worked up and worked up but we forget god we leave out the god factor out of the equation you know you look at the life of joseph over and over again joseph was in an impossible situation and you find those two words in scripture but god but god but god whatever you're concerned about don't leave out god don't forget you have a heavenly father who made you who loves you who sent his son to die for you who wants to spend all eternity with you don't leave out the god factor in your equation and god that god who loves you created you died for you wants to spend eternity with you that god cares about what it is you're worrying about and he can do far and above anything you can possibly imagine and that's why jesus said seek first god's kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be added to you do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself each day has enough trouble of its own how do you cure the problem of anxiety let me just give you some simple steps all based in god's word first of all repent of any known sin in your life now julia gave me uh a word uh last night about this message she said robert don't tell people that sin is the cause of their anxiety and that's a good word sin is not always the cause of anxiety there are many other causes sin isn't always the cause of anxiety but sometimes it is and again if you're listening today and you're not yet a christian the most important step you can take is to receive the forgiveness that christ offers you if you're already a christian go ahead and acknowledge the sin that's in your life and make things right between you and god if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness secondly remove unnecessary fear from your life remove unnecessary fears some of your fear can be removed by you let me illustrate what i mean we're coming up on april 15th income tax day i don't know if you're like me but i put off and put off and put off getting my information together to file my income tax return because why i'm fearful of what i'm going to end up owing does putting off doing my responsibility alleviate that fear no it means i just carried around with me or maybe some of you it's been more than a year because of the pandemic that you've been to the doctor and now you're fearful without going to the doctor have him lecture you on how much you've deteriorated over the last year how lousy your blood work is and so you keep putting that off but you still have that fear no here are three words that can help you alleviate unnecessary fear in your life do it now is there a difficult email you need to return do it now is there an appointment you need to make do it now you say where do you find that in scripture you know proverbs is filled with warnings about the sluggard the lazy person and in proverbs 26 verses 13 to 14 the sluggard says there is a lion in the road a lion is in the open square as a door turns on its hinges so does the sluggard on his bed the sluggard the lazy person is always looking for a reason not to begin doing what he needs to do or to finish doing what he's going to do and he ends up miserable remove unnecessary fear from your life unnecessary fear from your life number three remember god's past faithfulness remember god's past faithfulness when you find yourself the victim of one of satan's arrows of worry reflect on god's past faithfulness david did that you know there was a time in his life which is the background for psalm 3 in which david was facing the rebellion of his son absalom he was facing losing his kingdom he had many things to worry about and he wrote honestly about that worry in psalm 3 1-2 oh lord how my adversaries have increased many are rising up against me many are saying of my soul there is no deliverance for him and god the word selah means pause and then notice verse 3 but you o lord are a shield about me my glory and the one who lifts my head i was crying to the lord with my voice and he answered me from his holy mountain why that pause because as david's anxiety level rose suddenly he remembered the faithfulness of god he reflected on how god had been faithful to him in the past and he thought the same god who delivered me in the past he's capable of delivering me from absalom right now you know that was david's pattern when he was younger much younger and he was facing the giant goliath remember what he said in first samuel 17 37 the lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paul the bear he will deliver me from the hands of this philistine as a young boy david could look back on his experiences when he was a shepherd and god delivered him now here's the point i want you to see the longer david live the more examples he had of god's faithfulness in his past ladies and gentlemen growing older should not make you more fearful growing older ought to make you less fearful you ought to have more times you can look back on in your past when god delivered you and protected you and that same god is the same yesterday today and forever remember god's past faithfulness finally most importantly remain in contact with god remain in contact with god you know we're talking a lot about vaccines this day today a lot about vaccines it's all over the news i want to share with you a three dose vaccine that will vaccinate you against anxiety would you like one of those vaccines okay no there are three doses to it but i'm going to give you all three doses right now turn over to philippians 4 for just a moment philippians chapter 4 paul was in prison facing what could have been his execution and he gives us this three dose vaccine against anxiety dose number one pray persistently look at verses six and seven be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to god and the peace of god which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in christ jesus i love the way the living bible says it don't worry about anything instead pray about everything remember we've talked about how you need to take your worry list and turn it into your prayer list don't worry about anything pray about everything that's pretty powerful but that's just dose one pray persistently paul goes on with dose number two think truthfully think truthfully look at verse eight 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 think on these things whatever is true pure lovely remember how i said at the beginning of the message you can't control necessarily it's not the size of what you're worrying about that determines your anxiety level it's what you're focusing on you determine your focus in life and paul said one important anecdote to worry is making sure you're focusing on the right thing now this is going to offend some of you i know and my goal is not to offend you i'm talking to you as your friend and pastor but i have to say this there are many christians who are feeling anxious right now because they've got the wrong focus can i tell you a secret the media doesn't care one thing about your level of anxiety they don't care about your peace of mind they really don't and i'm talking about the left-wing media and the right-wing media they don't care about your peace of mind they care about one thing getting you to click on their website are getting you to watch their television program that's all they care about and they're constantly thinking how can we get more viewers and they've discovered the secret they've discovered the secret is to either make you angry or to make you anxious if they can do either one they can get you to tune in make you angry they've canceled dr seuss dr seuss is cancelled oh my oh my oh my what are we gonna do no look i like dr seuss i don't believe in the canceled culture i'm sorry they've canceled dr seuss but i've got some great news for you if you're all worked up about that the gospel of jesus christ does not depend on the cat in the hat did you know that in that great news it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't and somebody wrote me between services well pastor they may cancel you they may cancel you yeah they may cancel me but good news they're not going to cancel the word of god paul said the apostle paul said he said even though i'm in prison the word of god is never going to be imprisoned it's unchained it's unleashed or they make us anxious they make us anxious oh have you heard there's the secret cabal of the elite in hollywood in washington dc and they're drinking the blood of babies they're drinking the blood of babies have you heard that listen i don't agree with a lot of things joe biden is doing but i can tell you for absolute certainty he and jill aren't sitting in the oval office drinking the blood of babies okay christians quit falling for that foolishness quit allowing your anxiety level and your anger level to go through the roof quit listening to that stuff instead make your focus whatever is true whatever is honorable whatever is right did you know all of those words are descriptions of the word of god you find them in psalm 19. make god your focus his word his promises and here's the promise in psalm 119 verse 165 those who love your law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble pray persistently think truthfully you gotta have this final dose for it to work live obediently look again at verse 9 of philippians 4 the things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things and the god of peace will be with you it's not enough to know the word of god it's to practice the word of god live obediently and when you live obediently you don't ever have to worry about god's discipline in your life you will never stumble william barkley the new testament commentator said there may be bigger sins than worry but there is no sin as disabling as worry here's the good news you don't have to be disabled by anxiety any longer god has given you everything you need to conquer that mountain of anxiety and moving from anxiety to peace let's bow together in a word of prayer nobody leaving please for any reason i'm speaking to some of you here today some of you watching maybe you're already a christian but you've struggled with this issue of worry it may be because of a wrong value system you're building your life around the wrong thing it may be because of an unconfessed sin in your life there's a secret area in your life you've been holding on to but maybe today you would say god i'm going to quit arguing with you you're right i'm wrong about this and with your help i'm going to start to live obediently but i also know there are many of you watching who are not yet christians you believe there's a god you're terrified frankly about the idea of standing before him one day but you can have peace with god right now you'll never be at peace with yourself or your circumstances until first of all you're at peace with god how can you be at peace with god therefore having been justified through faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ when you admit to god that you're a sinner and that you need a savior when you believe that jesus paid the debt for your sin god forgives you he forgets your sin he begins a forever relationship with you and today if you would like to have that peace of mind knowing all is right between you and god i want to invite you wherever you are to pray this prayer in your heart as i prayed out loud knowing that god is listening to you would you say it with me dear god thank you for loving me i know that i have failed you in many ways and i'm truly sorry for the sins in my life but i believe what i've heard today that you loved me so much you sent your son jesus to die on the cross for me to take the punishment god that i deserve to take for my sins and right now i'm trusting in what jesus did for me not in my good works but in what jesus did for me to save me for my sins thank you for forgiving me and help me to live the rest of my life for you in jesus name amen if you're watching online right now and you prayed that prayer with me i want you to right now go to the top of the screen there's a link that says i prayed the prayer with dr jeffress click on that right now and when you do i'll be notified of your decision and i have some free material i'd like to send you this week about what it means now to live as a christian don't wait any longer just right now go to the top of the page click on the link i prayed the prayer with dr jeffress for those of you in our worship center today i'd like to ask you to take out the card that's in your bulletin and if you prayed that prayer with me check the third box i prayed the prayer with dr jeffress maybe you're a guest today you can check that first box maybe you'd like more information about our church the second box maybe like in our first service you'd like to join our church you can actually doing it do that by just checking that final box when you have finished with this card if you'll drop it at the welcome center outside we'll exchange your completed card for a copy of that 500 page leather bound devotional our pathway to victory devotional it's our gift to you for doing that now if you don't want to stop at the welcome center just deposit this card into one of the orange bins we'll process it and send you the book this week don't forget next sunday we're going to have eric mctaxis new york times best-selling author who's going to talk about his journey from being a doubter to a believer in christ i hope you'll invite somebody with you now we've got a very special guest here today actually two guests some good friends of our church and representative louie gohmert and his wife kathy who grew up in our church are here today louie where are you and kathy i want you all to stand up so we can welcome you today with us our good good friend now i want to tell you why louie and kathy are here our ethics and religious liberty committee have invited them to a luncheon to which you're invited if you'd like to come i think it's in center stage is that right where is it gary wicker gym in the gym okay okay it's in the gym in the horner center the reason we invited them here is to discuss a piece of legislation that we don't need to be worried about but we need to be concerned about and it could have a very destructive impact on the church and all religious organizations and so louis is going to come to inform us about the equality act and why we need to ask our senators the man that they vote against that piece of legislation so louis thank you for coming we're not christians who bury our heads in the sand we're going to exercise our responsibility but we're not going to be anxious while we're doing it so come and hear louis today at noon if you'll do that thank you church family for being here today let's stand together as tyler comes now to lead our closing song thank you pastor let's close and worship together singing his praise this is my story [Music] this is my story this is [Music] have a blessed day church hi campus family thank you so much for being here today and joining us in worship we hope that you are blessed by today's service make sure to invite your friends family and loved ones to join you each and every week right here on the first dallas i campus also stay connected with us all week long on our social media channels and join our new icampus global facebook group to know what's going on right here at first baptist dallas we love you guys so much and we'll see you next week you

Channel: First Baptist Dallas

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Length: 182min 46sec (10966 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 07 2021