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Philippians 4:4-9 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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All right, please take your copy of God's Word and turn with me to Philippians chapter 4.
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!
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It just reminded me, and I just thought it would be worth mentioning this morning as we find ourselves in a kind of a troubled age as it concerns Christianity,
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that today is the anniversary of the Diet of Worms, where Luther stood trial and was required to recant all of the writing that he had done,
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which included the 95 Theses, but also much more that he had written about biblical Christianity and the kind of the offense to that that Rome was perpetrating.
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And he famously said,
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My conscience is held captive to the Word of God.
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Here I stand.
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I could do no other.
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But you may not realize, I mean, we certainly live in a day where boldness is necessary,
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and sometimes people want to point to Luther as an example of brashness.
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And I don't think Luther was that at all.
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In fact, before he made that statement,
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My conscience is held captive to the Word of God.
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Here I stand.
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I can do no other.
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He asked,
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May I please have some more time to consider?
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And that gets left out of history altogether.
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He was a humble man,
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and I think even timid in some respect,
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but when pressed to the point, right,
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he said,
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Oh, no,
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we must listen to God's Word.
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So let that encourage us as we open God's Word together this morning.
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You know, it is altogether possible to understand the gospel for the salvation of your soul,
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which is its primary purpose, right?
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That you would be saved from the judgment to come,
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but to miss the point that the gospel has implications for the way that you think and feel and act today.
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We flee to Christ to be saved from hell,
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and we flee to Christ to be saved from sin,
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or at least we should.
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Having been saved from sin,
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we ought to also want to live holy lives.
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We have much opportunity as a church of the living God
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to make him known in the world
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through the careful application of the gospel
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to the daily struggles of this life.
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The gospel speaks to the every day.
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Of course, doing this,
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putting God on display in this way,
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does not preclude gospel proclamation.
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We must proclaim the good news of Jesus,
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but it most definitely should accompany it.
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Each of us have and will likely experience some measure of anxiety in this life.
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Anxiety is reportedly on the rise in our society in massive ways.
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You can just imagine the pandemic and what it may have brought out in many people.
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You yourself may have experienced this or seen this in people that you know and love.
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Some of us have a greater propensity toward anxiety than others,
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and I don't want to be insensitive this morning to the fact that there are some anxiety disorders.
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There are some people who have a medical propensity towards anxiety,
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but most of us are experiencing anxiety in ways that are not medical but spiritual.
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It's inevitable that fallen people living in a fallen world from time to time
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will feel the weightiness of this reality that we live in.
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Some people are abundantly aware that they are anxious,
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but many are not.
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We use a lot of kind of cloaking words for things like anxiety, worry, concern, etc.
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So I hope two things for our time together this morning just before we read the text.
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That you will have a clear understanding of your personal anxiety
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and be better equipped to fight for your joy.
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And secondly, that you will have a clear understanding of others' anxiety
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and be better equipped to fight for their joy.
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We are instructed to love one another,
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and Paul tells us in Galatians 6-2
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that if we love one another, we will bear one another's burdens.
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We're to take on the trouble of others.
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So if you're in a relationship with somebody who deals with anxiety,
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which if you're unaware of this, you are.
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You're in a relationship with somebody who deals with anxiety, right?
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They're going to ask for help,
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and you ought to be able to give them good biblical answers to their spiritual problems.
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So our text for today is Philippians 4, verses 4-9.
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Before I read it, beloved, let me remind you this is God's word to us,
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written for his glory and our good.
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We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises
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and obey its commands.
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Verse 4.
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Rejoice in the Lord always.
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Again, I will say, rejoice.
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Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
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The Lord is at hand.
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Do not be anxious about anything,
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but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
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let your requests be made known to God.
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And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
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will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
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whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
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whatever is commendable,
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if there is any excellence,
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if there is anything worthy of praise,
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think about these things.
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What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,
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practice these things,
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and the God of peace will be with you.
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I was once at a biblical counseling conference,
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and in an afternoon session,
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the speaker began his lesson by saying,
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very boldly, he said,
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tell me what you worry about or what makes you angry,
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and I will show you your idols.
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Well, I found this emphatic statement just too strong
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to not wrestle out its implications.
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In fact, I probably would have done well
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to listen to the rest of what he had to say,
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but I spent the next hour writing down things that worried me
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or things that angered me
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and tracing each thing to its source.
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I just kept asking,
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but why?
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Why does that worry me?
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Why does that cause me to be angry?
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And I was shocked to discover that most,
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if not all,
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of my worry was sinful anxiety.
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Paul tells us in verse 6,
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do not be anxious about anything.
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However, in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 28,
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he writes,
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after a list of things that he had suffered,
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he says,
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The word in Greek is a very flexible word,
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and that's why Paul can use the word
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in two different places,
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and contextually we can understand it differently,
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and in our English we just get the word anxiety
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in both places.
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But what we can learn is that it is possible
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to be faithfully concerned about a matter,
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not to be flippant, uncaring,
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but you can be faithfully concerned about a matter.
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But the command of Paul in verse 6
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to not be anxious about anything
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is in reference to a faithless concern.
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And this is an anxiety that must be remedied
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for our good and for the glory of God.
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Wouldn't it be wonderful to set aside
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faithless concern,
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faithless anxiety.
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Now before I give you the outline for the text
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and we begin our study of it,
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I want you to see something significant.
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Everything Paul is teaching us to do
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is an expansion of what he has previously declared
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we are.
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Take a look back at chapter 4, verse 1.
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He says,
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Therefore, my brothers whom I long for,
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my joy and crown,
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stand firm thus in the Lord,
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my beloved.
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What does standing firm look like?
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In verses 2 and 3,
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Paul tells us it is working toward
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and maintaining the unity of the church
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and other things that follow in our text.
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Right?
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He's saying,
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Therefore, live like this.
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But 4.1 begins with a therefore.
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Paul is saying,
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Stand firm because of something.
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What is that something?
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is the reality of who you and I are
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in Jesus Christ.
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Right?
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If we have placed saving faith in Him.
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Right?
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Because of who you are.
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Notice verse 1.
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He calls my brothers and he says,
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Beloved.
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Right?
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Signifying words.
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Titles for people who are found in Christ.
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Therefore, stand firm.
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firm.
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You can back up a bit more
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into chapter 3
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and see verses 20 and 21.
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He says,
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But our citizenship is in heaven
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and from it we await a Savior,
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the Lord Jesus Christ,
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who will transform our lowly body
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to be like His glorious body
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by the power that enables Him
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even to subject all things to Himself.
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If we are in Christ,
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we are not living primarily for this life,
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but primarily for the life to come.
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We are part of a theocracy
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being ruled by King Jesus
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who is bringing all things under His reign.
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Right?
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Now and forevermore.
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We have to have this framework in our minds.
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Right?
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This text, verses 4-9,
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is written for Christians.
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People have placed their faith in Jesus
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and helps us to understand
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how to deal with sinful anxiety.
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So the outline for the text will be as follows.
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Number one, fight for your joy.
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I'll go back to these
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if you're not familiar with the way
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I format sermons.
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Number one, fight for joy.
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Number two, be gracious toward others.
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Number three, turn to God
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with all of your concerns.
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And number four,
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if you're scribbling these right now,
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I'm sorry,
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dehabituate by rehabituating.
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I won't spell that for you.
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Dehabituate by rehabituating.
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All right, number one.
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Fight for your joy.
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Look at this in verse four.
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Rejoice in the Lord always.
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Again, I will say rejoice.
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Lasting joy,
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true joy,
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the kind of rejoicing
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that Paul's talking about here
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is not circumstantial.
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It has nothing to do
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with what's going on around you.
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It has everything to do
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with the state of being
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because of who you are.
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We may find temporary happiness
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in our circumstances, right?
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And that's fine.
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That's good.
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I took the boys
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to a birthday party yesterday.
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We had fun.
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It was an enjoyable time.
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But we will just as readily
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find great misery
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in our circumstances.
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If you're always looking
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to circumstances,
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you will have highs
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and you will have desperate lows.
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Paul here exhorts us
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to rejoice always.
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How is this possible?
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It is possible
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and it is only possible
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if we find joy
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in an unchanging,
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eternal source of joy, right?
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in the Lord.
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It's the only place
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this kind of always rejoicing
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can come from.
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And beloved,
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this is a battle of the mind.
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Romans chapter 12 and verse 2.
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Paul says,
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do not be conformed
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to this world,
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but be transformed,
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changed by the renewal
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of your mind.
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This is not a battle
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that needs to take place
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at the level of your feelings.
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You will lose that battle.
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This is a battle
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that has to take place
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in the mind.
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In our recent study
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of the book of Hebrews,
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we learned at the end
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of chapter 10
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about the bizarre behavior
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of a suffering church.
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Not behaving at all
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like the world, right?
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Not conformed to the world,
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but like transformed people.
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We read in verse 34
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of Hebrews 10.
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You had compassion
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on those in prison.
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So there were believers
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who had been imprisoned
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for their faith.
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And you joyfully accepted
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the plundering
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of your property.
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I think we could easily say,
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I think many of us would go,
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yeah, yeah,
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compassion on those in prison.
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I could do that.
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But as they did this,
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they were identifying themselves
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as Christian, right?
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They were showing themselves
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to be in relationship
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with these people
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who had been imprisoned
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for their faith.
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And as a result,
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their property was plundered, right?
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Their homes were ransacked.
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And the author of Hebrews
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says the most curious thing.
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They did this joyfully.
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They joyfully accepted
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the plundering
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of their property.
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How?
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How?
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How are they rejoicing always,
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even in a circumstance like that?
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Well, he tells us.
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I know you don't have it
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open in front of you,
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but I'll tell you.
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He goes on in that verse to say,
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since you knew,
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in the mind,
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mindfully,
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you knew
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that you yourselves
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had a better possession
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and an abiding one.
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One that could not
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be taken away, right?
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One not based in circumstance,
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but in the Lord,
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an unchanging source
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of joy.
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John Newton,
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this is on your bulletin,
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I believe,
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if I'm tracking my mind right,
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who was an 18th century
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Anglican minister.
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He's famous for writing
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the hymn Amazing Grace.
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Use this wonderful analogy.
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He said,
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suppose a man was going
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to New York
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to take possession
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of a large estate
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and his carriage
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should break down
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one mile
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before he got to the city,
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which obligated him
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to walk the rest of the way
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to the inheritance, right?
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So here's a man
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doing well
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and now suffering,
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but he's headed somewhere, right?
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He's headed to receive
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a great inheritance.
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Newton goes on to say,
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what a fool
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we should think him
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if we saw him
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wringing his hands
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and blubbering
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all the remaining mile.
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My carriage is broken.
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My carriage is broken.
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And many of us
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live this way.
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We have eternal reward
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promised to us
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and we're blubbering
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and wringing our hands
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about temporal loss.
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C.S. Lewis,
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in The Weight of Glory,
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wrote,
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we are half-hearted creatures
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fooling about
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with drink and sex
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and ambition
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when infinite joy
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is offered us.
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Like an ignorant child
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who wants to go on
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making mud pies
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in a slum
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because he cannot imagine
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what is meant
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by the offer
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of a holiday
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at the sea.
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We are far
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too easily
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pleased.
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So we have to fight
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for joy
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and we have to do so
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by reorienting
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our thinking.
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Secondly,
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be gracious
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towards others.
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Verse 5.
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Verse 5 says,
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let your reasonableness
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be known to everyone.
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The Lord
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is at hand.
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Now,
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the Greek word
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translated
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reasonableness
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in the English
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standard version
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of the Bible
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that most of us
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have this morning.
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If you don't,
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don't feel left out.
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It's okay.
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But this word
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is a very rich word.
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Commentators
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and translators
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have varied widely
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on its rendering.
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You ready?
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Here's some of the suggestions
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for this Greek word.
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Reasonableness,
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generosity,
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goodwill,
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friendliness,
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magnanimity,
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charity,
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mercy,
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leniency,
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big-heartedness.
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I don't love that one.
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Moderation,
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forbearance,
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and gentleness
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are some of the attempts
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to capture the meaning
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of this word.
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It is a very flexible,
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expansive word.
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Possibly,
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the best word,
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and I say this with humility,
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is graciousness.
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Perhaps the ESV
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translates
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reasonableness
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because of the connection
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of these ideas,
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right?
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If we're going to be
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fighting for joy,
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we're going to see
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that there's a way
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to do this further
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in the text,
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right?
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Paul certainly seems
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to be juxtaposing
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anxiety in verse 6
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with joy in verse 4
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and peace in verse 7.
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And then in verse 8,
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he tells us to be
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thoughtful and mindful
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and to set our minds
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on particular things.
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And so I think
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that's a pretty fair word,
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reasonableness,
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right?
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If we're going to be
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joyful and peaceful
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rather than anxious,
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we will have to be
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reasonable,
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right?
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Romans 12,
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2,
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transformed by the
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renewing of our minds.
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But I think it is
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important that we see
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our reasonableness,
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right,
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connected to this
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more expansive idea
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of graciousness
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or friendliness,
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charity,
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mercy,
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leniency,
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all of these ways
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this word can be
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translated.
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We need to see
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that the way
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that we live our lives
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should reverberate
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to others
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the love that God
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has shown us.
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God has been
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gracious to us
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in Christ.
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Therefore,
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we should display
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the same graciousness
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toward others,
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right?
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We should show
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people the great
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confidence that we
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have in our God,
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which is perhaps
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why the uninspired
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verse and chapter
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numbers,
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sometimes these drive
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me crazy,
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but it's perhaps
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why the Lord
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is at hand
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is included
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with verse 5,
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although it sure
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feels like it
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belongs with
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verse 6,
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right?
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Because God
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is near,
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right?
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We can be
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reasonable,
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right?
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Or,
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as I'm suggesting,
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we can be
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gracious towards
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others because
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God has been
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gracious toward
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us.
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So we need
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to fight for
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our joy,
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for not to be
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anxious.
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We're to be
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gracious towards
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others by
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displaying our
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confidence in
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this gracious
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God.
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And we're to
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turn to God
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with all of
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our concerns.
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Verse 6
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and verse 7,
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right?
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The Lord is at
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hand.
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You want to
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insert here a
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therefore at the
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beginning of verse
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6, right?
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Because God is at
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hand, because he
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is a present help
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in times of
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trouble, we
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can go to
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him in our
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anxiety.
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Do not be
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anxious about
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anything, but
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in everything,
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by prayer and
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supplication, with
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thanksgiving, let
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your requests be
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made known to
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God.
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And the peace
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of God, which
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surpasses all
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understanding, will
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guard your
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hearts and your
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minds in Christ
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Jesus.
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There is an
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alternative to
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your anxiety
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and mine.
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Faith.
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The alternative
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to our sinful
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anxiety is
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faith.
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We can not
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be anxious about
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anything, but
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in everything, we
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can turn to
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God because he
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is at
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hand.
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Now, the
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prayer and the
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supplication and
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requests were
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meant to take
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their troubles to
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him with our
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synonyms that
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refer to direct
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petitions made
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of God.
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God, I
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believe that
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Paul uses the
20:15
repetition to
20:16
note that our
20:17
going to God
20:18
with all of our
20:18
concerns will be
20:19
often and it
20:21
will be varied.
20:22
There are a lot
20:23
of things for us
20:24
to be concerned
20:25
about.
20:27
To not be
20:28
anxious, we
20:29
will need to
20:29
pray and we
20:31
will need to
20:31
pray and we
20:33
will need to
20:34
pray.
20:35
Paul also
20:36
instructs that we
20:37
should do this
20:38
with thanksgiving.
20:40
The fact that
20:41
God has done
20:42
so much already
20:43
ought to give us
20:45
the confidence
20:46
that he will
20:47
continue to
20:48
do so.
20:49
Why are we so
20:51
prayerless so
20:52
often?
20:53
I think we've
20:53
forgotten God's
20:54
goodness to us
20:55
already.
20:56
We ought to be
20:57
driven to prayer
20:57
when we remember
20:59
how very kind
21:00
he's been to us.
21:02
We are in the
21:03
midst of a tough
21:04
circumstance.
21:05
It can be
21:06
difficult to
21:08
remember or to
21:09
notice anything
21:11
positive.
21:13
I will tell you
21:14
for myself, I
21:15
have to put a
21:16
great deal of
21:16
mental effort
21:17
into remembering
21:19
all of God's
21:20
goodness to me.
21:22
As we say
21:23
often, we are
21:24
slow learners and
21:25
we are quick to
21:27
forget.
21:28
We far too often
21:29
find ourselves
21:30
prayerless in
21:30
trials.
21:31
No wonder we
21:32
become anxious.
21:34
Prayerlessness is
21:35
a sign of
21:36
faithlessness.
21:38
When we don't
21:38
pray, it is
21:39
because we
21:39
have forgotten
21:40
who is in
21:42
control.
21:44
We too often
21:45
think that we
21:46
are in control
21:46
and when that
21:48
illusion comes
21:49
crashing down,
21:51
you think you
21:51
can, I got
21:52
this, and
21:53
something outside
21:53
of your control
21:54
just comes crashing
21:55
down.
21:55
I'm not in
21:56
control of
21:56
anything.
21:57
I can do so
21:58
little.
21:59
We become
22:00
anxious.
22:00
Of course we
22:01
do.
22:02
We think we
22:02
can control
22:03
our world.
22:03
The world is
22:04
falling apart.
22:05
We ought to
22:07
rightly be
22:07
anxious in
22:08
those moments
22:09
except that
22:12
we know who
22:12
is in
22:14
control.
22:15
It is a
22:15
very good
22:16
thing that
22:17
we are not
22:18
in control
22:18
when we
22:19
recognize who
22:20
is in
22:21
control.
22:23
Peter writes
22:24
in 1 Peter
22:24
chapter 5
22:25
verse 6
22:26
and following,
22:27
humble yourselves
22:28
therefore under
22:29
the mighty
22:30
hand of God
22:31
so that at
22:33
the proper
22:33
time he may
22:34
exalt you.
22:35
Humble yourself.
22:36
Recognize who
22:36
you are under
22:38
God and his
22:39
might.
22:41
Verse 7,
22:41
casting all
22:42
your anxieties
22:43
on him
22:44
because he
22:46
cares for
22:48
you.
22:50
Peter goes
22:50
on to say,
22:51
be sober
22:51
minded, be
22:52
watchful.
22:53
Your adversary
22:54
the devil prowls
22:55
around like a
22:56
roaring lion.
22:57
Seeking someone
22:58
to devour.
23:00
You may be
23:00
familiar with
23:01
verse 8 of
23:02
1 Peter chapter
23:03
5.
23:04
It's often
23:05
disconnected from
23:06
this idea of
23:06
casting our
23:07
anxieties on
23:08
God.
23:09
Who cares for
23:10
us?
23:11
So recognize
23:12
that your
23:12
anxiety is a
23:13
spiritual thing
23:14
happening.
23:15
The devil
23:15
wants to
23:16
steal away
23:17
your joy
23:18
and your
23:19
peace because
23:21
it doesn't
23:22
display who
23:23
our God is
23:24
to us in
23:25
Christ.
23:27
We become
23:28
ineffective
23:28
witnesses when
23:29
we're as
23:30
worried about
23:31
the things
23:31
that the
23:31
world is
23:32
worried about.
23:34
We're all
23:35
tied up in
23:35
knots because
23:36
of the
23:36
coronavirus or
23:37
the next
23:37
election cycle.
23:39
Our God
23:41
continues to
23:42
reign.
23:43
He is who
23:43
he said he
23:44
is and will
23:45
continue to
23:46
be forever.
23:48
We sing a
23:49
song often on
23:50
Sunday mornings
23:51
called What a
23:51
Friend We
23:52
Have in
23:53
Jesus.
23:53
And it's
23:54
a little
23:54
sing-songy so
23:55
maybe we
23:56
miss sometimes
23:56
the beauty
23:57
of the
23:59
words.
23:59
I love
23:59
this verse.
24:01
Oh what
24:01
peace we
24:02
often forfeit.
24:04
Oh what
24:05
needless pain
24:06
we bear.
24:07
All because
24:08
we do not
24:09
carry everything
24:10
to God
24:11
in prayer.
24:13
We can
24:14
take our
24:15
anxieties
24:15
to God.
24:17
Verse 7
24:17
says in the
24:18
peace of
24:19
God which
24:20
surpasses
24:21
all
24:21
understanding
24:22
will guard
24:23
your hearts
24:24
and your
24:24
minds in
24:26
Christ Jesus.
24:27
I think
24:27
Paul means
24:28
for there to
24:28
be some
24:29
duality in
24:30
what he's
24:30
saying here.
24:31
I think
24:31
he's first
24:31
referring to
24:32
Romans 5
24:33
1.
24:34
Therefore
24:34
since we
24:35
have been
24:35
justified by
24:35
faith we
24:36
have peace
24:37
with God
24:37
through our
24:37
Lord Jesus
24:39
Christ.
24:39
The peace
24:40
we have
24:40
with God
24:41
ought to
24:41
inform the
24:42
rest of
24:42
the way
24:43
that we
24:44
live.
24:44
And I
24:44
do also
24:45
think he
24:46
means a
24:47
feeling.
24:48
A feeling
24:48
of comfort
24:49
in the
24:50
midst.
24:50
of trial
24:52
because this
24:52
is a
24:52
peace that
24:53
surpasses
24:54
all
24:54
understanding.
24:56
People ought
24:57
to look at
24:57
the way we
24:58
walk through
24:58
trial as
24:59
Christians and
24:59
think us
25:00
strange.
25:01
Like those
25:02
Christians that
25:03
the author of
25:04
Hebrews writes
25:05
to joyfully
25:06
accepted the
25:06
plundering of
25:07
your property.
25:08
People ought
25:09
to be looking
25:09
at us that
25:10
way and
25:10
asking us
25:11
about the
25:13
hope that
25:14
we have.
25:15
Jesus talks
25:16
about anxiety
25:17
in Luke
25:17
chapter 12.
25:18
You may be
25:19
familiar with
25:19
much of
25:20
this passage.
25:21
It's so
25:21
good for
25:22
our souls
25:22
to hear
25:23
it again.
25:23
Beginning in
25:24
verse 22.
25:25
And Jesus
25:25
said to his
25:26
disciples,
25:26
therefore I
25:27
tell you,
25:28
do not be
25:28
anxious about
25:29
your life,
25:29
what you
25:29
will eat,
25:30
nor about
25:30
your body,
25:31
what you
25:31
will put
25:31
on.
25:32
For life
25:33
is more
25:33
than food
25:34
and the
25:35
body more
25:36
than clothing.
25:37
Consider the
25:38
ravens.
25:38
They neither
25:38
sow nor
25:39
reap.
25:39
They have
25:40
neither
25:40
storehouse
25:40
nor barn.
25:41
And yet
25:41
God feeds
25:43
them.
25:44
Of how much
25:45
more value
25:45
are you
25:46
than the
25:47
birds?
25:48
And which
25:49
of you,
25:49
by being
25:49
anxious,
25:50
can add a
25:50
single hour
25:51
to a span
25:52
of life?
25:54
If then you
25:54
were not
25:55
able to do
25:55
a small
25:56
thing as
25:56
that,
25:57
why are you
25:58
anxious about
25:59
the rest?
26:01
Consider the
26:01
lilies,
26:02
how they grow,
26:02
they neither
26:03
toil nor
26:03
spin.
26:04
Yet I tell
26:04
you,
26:04
even Solomon
26:05
in all his
26:06
glory was
26:06
not arrayed
26:07
like one
26:07
of these.
26:08
But if
26:08
God so
26:09
clothes the
26:10
grass,
26:10
which is
26:10
alive in
26:11
the field
26:11
today,
26:12
and tomorrow
26:12
is thrown
26:13
into the
26:14
oven,
26:15
how much
26:15
more will
26:16
he clothe
26:16
you,
26:17
O you
26:17
of little
26:18
faith?
26:19
And do
26:19
not seek
26:20
what you
26:20
are to
26:20
eat and
26:21
what you
26:21
are to
26:21
drink,
26:21
nor be
26:22
worried.
26:24
For all
26:24
the nations
26:25
of the
26:25
world seek
26:26
after these
26:26
things,
26:27
and your
26:27
Father knows
26:28
that you
26:28
need them.
26:30
Instead,
26:31
seek his
26:31
kingdom,
26:32
and these
26:32
things will
26:33
be added
26:33
to you.
26:35
Fear not,
26:36
little flock,
26:36
for it is
26:36
your Father's
26:37
good pleasure
26:38
to give you
26:39
the kingdom.
26:40
The Lord
26:41
is at
26:43
hand.
26:44
He is
26:44
working
26:44
grand
26:45
purposes
26:46
for the
26:46
sake of
26:47
his name
26:47
and for
26:48
our good.
26:49
We can
26:50
take
26:50
everything
26:51
to him.
26:53
And the
26:54
promise as
26:54
we're doing
26:55
this is
26:56
that we
26:56
will have
26:57
an
26:58
un-understandable
27:00
peace.
27:02
Great joy
27:03
accompanies
27:04
recognizing
27:05
your position,
27:06
your place
27:06
in the world,
27:07
your inability
27:08
to control
27:08
your circumstance.
27:10
We act,
27:11
the birds are
27:11
actually looking
27:12
for food,
27:12
but God's
27:12
providing it.
27:14
We're not
27:15
ultimately in
27:16
control,
27:17
ever.
27:20
The account
27:21
of the
27:21
conversion of
27:22
Blaise Pascal,
27:23
who was a
27:24
17th century
27:24
French mathematician,
27:26
a wonderful,
27:27
fascinating man,
27:28
was found on a
27:29
piece of parchment
27:30
sewn into his
27:31
coat eight years
27:32
after his death.
27:34
I love that he
27:35
wrote this down
27:36
and had it
27:37
sewn into
27:38
his coat.
27:39
It was found
27:40
this many years
27:40
later.
27:41
This is what
27:41
he wrote.
27:42
Year of
27:43
Grace,
27:44
1654,
27:45
Monday 23
27:47
November,
27:48
Feast of
27:49
Saint Clement.
27:51
From about
27:51
half past
27:52
ten at night
27:52
to about
27:53
half an hour
27:53
after midnight,
27:55
fire.
27:56
God of
27:56
Abraham,
27:57
God of
27:57
Isaac,
27:58
God of
27:58
Jacob,
27:58
not of
27:59
philosophers
27:59
and scholars.
28:01
Certitude,
28:02
heartfelt joy,
28:04
peace.
28:05
God of
28:06
Jesus Christ,
28:06
God of
28:07
Jesus Christ,
28:08
my God
28:09
and your
28:09
God,
28:09
joy,
28:10
joy,
28:10
joy,
28:11
tears of
28:12
joy,
28:12
Jesus Christ,
28:14
Jesus Christ,
28:15
may I never
28:15
be separated
28:16
from him.
28:18
Isn't that
28:18
cool?
28:19
I'll write
28:20
that on the
28:20
inside of my
28:21
jacket.
28:23
So we need
28:23
to fight for
28:24
joy.
28:24
We need to be
28:24
gracious towards
28:25
others.
28:26
We need to
28:27
turn to God
28:27
with all of
28:28
our concerns.
28:29
And fourthly,
28:30
dehabituate by
28:31
rehabituating.
28:33
Verse eight
28:34
and nine.
28:36
Finally,
28:36
brothers,
28:37
whatever is
28:37
true,
28:37
whatever is
28:38
honorable,
28:38
whatever is
28:39
just,
28:39
whatever is
28:39
pure,
28:40
whatever is
28:40
lovely,
28:40
whatever is
28:41
commendable,
28:42
there's any
28:43
excellence or
28:43
there's anything
28:44
worthy of
28:45
praise.
28:45
Think about
28:45
these things
28:47
which you have
28:48
learned and
28:48
received and
28:49
heard and
28:49
seen in me.
28:50
Practice these
28:51
things and the
28:51
God of peace
28:52
will be with
28:53
you.
28:54
Right?
28:54
So he's
28:54
talking both
28:55
about thought
28:56
and practice.
28:57
Right?
28:57
And you see,
28:58
we could,
28:59
I mean,
28:59
we don't have
29:00
time this
29:00
morning to talk
29:01
about all
29:01
these things,
29:01
true,
29:02
honorable,
29:02
just.
29:03
But what he's
29:03
saying is take
29:05
you worry and
29:06
put them on
29:06
things that
29:07
are worthy
29:07
of your
29:08
thoughts.
29:09
Right?
29:09
You're
29:09
dehabituating
29:10
by
29:11
rehabituating.
29:12
You're
29:12
changing the
29:13
way that
29:14
you think.
29:14
You're
29:14
focusing on
29:16
these wonderful
29:16
promises of
29:17
God to
29:17
us in
29:18
Christ.
29:19
And the
29:21
things that
29:21
they've seen
29:21
modeled in
29:22
the life of
29:23
Paul,
29:23
that you see
29:23
modeled in
29:24
the text and
29:25
in leaders in
29:25
your life,
29:26
that you ought
29:27
to practice
29:28
these things.
29:29
Be about the
29:30
work of
29:31
God as
29:32
well.
29:33
We are
29:34
creatures,
29:35
of habit.
29:37
When I
29:37
drive into
29:38
Dahlonega,
29:39
when I
29:40
hit that
29:40
first light
29:40
in town,
29:41
I instinctively
29:42
turn right.
29:43
It's hard for
29:44
me not to
29:44
get into that
29:45
turning lane.
29:45
If I'm
29:46
heading right
29:46
into the
29:46
middle of
29:46
downtown or
29:47
I need to
29:47
go left
29:48
out towards
29:49
52,
29:49
I've got to
29:50
make a
29:50
real mental
29:51
effort as
29:51
I'm coming
29:51
down the
29:52
hill.
29:52
Don't go
29:53
right,
29:53
don't go
29:53
right,
29:53
don't go
29:54
right.
29:54
Because we're
29:54
creatures of
29:54
habit.
29:55
We just
29:55
do things
29:56
instinctively.
29:58
I bet that
29:58
each one of
29:59
you put on
29:59
a particular
30:00
shoe this
30:01
morning first.
30:01
any thought
30:03
to it at
30:03
all.
30:04
I challenge
30:04
you to
30:04
start paying
30:05
attention to
30:05
what you
30:05
do.
30:06
I put on
30:06
my right
30:07
sock and
30:08
my right
30:08
shoe and
30:08
then I
30:08
put on
30:09
my left
30:09
sock and
30:09
my left
30:10
shoe.
30:10
I don't
30:10
put on
30:10
both socks.
30:11
I don't
30:11
know why,
30:12
but it's
30:12
the way I
30:14
do it.
30:14
And if there
30:14
was something
30:15
morally wrong
30:15
with the way I
30:16
was putting
30:16
on my socks
30:17
and shoes,
30:17
I would have
30:17
to train
30:18
myself to
30:18
do it
30:19
differently.
30:19
I would
30:20
have to
30:21
rehabilitate
30:22
myself to
30:24
do it.
30:24
The scripture
30:25
said you must
30:26
put on your
30:26
left shoe
30:26
first.
30:27
I'd have to
30:27
really work
30:28
at doing
30:28
such a
30:30
thing.
30:30
And so
30:30
if we're
30:31
to not
30:33
be anxious,
30:34
if we're
30:34
to set
30:35
our minds
30:35
on the
30:36
things we're
30:36
to set
30:36
our minds
30:37
on,
30:37
we're going
30:38
to have
30:39
to work
30:39
at this.
30:41
Paul said
30:42
in 1 Timothy
30:42
chapter 4
30:43
or 7,
30:44
train yourself
30:46
for godliness.
30:47
Train or
30:48
discipline
30:49
yourself
30:50
for godliness.
30:52
In a book
30:53
called The
30:53
Christian
30:53
Counselor's
30:54
Manual by
30:54
J. Adams,
30:55
he addresses
30:55
this,
30:56
this
30:56
re-habituating
30:57
and there's
30:59
a he in
31:00
here.
31:00
He's talking
31:00
about a
31:01
counselee
31:01
and he'll
31:02
mention the
31:02
counselor.
31:04
But he
31:04
says this,
31:05
how may I
31:05
discipline
31:06
myself,
31:07
he,
31:07
the
31:07
counselee,
31:08
may ask
31:08
insistently.
31:10
First,
31:10
the counselor
31:11
must indicate
31:11
that the
31:12
word discipline
31:12
clearly shows
31:13
that godliness
31:14
cannot be
31:15
zapped.
31:16
It cannot
31:16
be whipped
31:17
up like
31:18
instant
31:18
pudding.
31:19
Godliness
31:20
doesn't come
31:20
that way.
31:22
Discipline
31:22
means work.
31:24
It means
31:24
sustained
31:25
daily effort.
31:27
The word
31:28
Paul used
31:28
is the one
31:29
from which
31:29
the English
31:30
word gymnastics
31:31
and gymnasium
31:32
have been
31:33
derived.
31:34
It is a term
31:34
related to
31:35
athletics.
31:36
An athlete
31:37
becomes an
31:37
expert only
31:38
by years
31:39
of hard
31:39
practice.
31:40
There are
31:40
no instant
31:41
athletes.
31:43
It takes
31:43
years of
31:44
regular practice
31:45
to achieve
31:46
athletic
31:47
skill.
31:48
And so
31:49
in the
31:49
same way
31:50
as we
31:50
wrestle
31:50
with the
31:51
anxiety
31:51
in our
31:52
life,
31:53
and again,
31:53
I'm not
31:53
talking about
31:54
disorders,
31:54
I'm talking
31:55
about the
31:55
spiritual
31:56
anxiety
31:56
that most
31:57
of us
31:57
are going
31:58
to experience,
32:00
right?
32:00
We're going
32:01
to have to
32:02
train ourselves
32:03
to think
32:03
differently.
32:05
most of
32:07
my life
32:07
next to
32:09
the sink
32:09
in our
32:10
kitchen,
32:13
Philippians
32:13
chapter 4
32:14
verse 8
32:15
was written
32:15
on a
32:16
note card
32:16
and stuck.
32:17
We lived
32:17
various places
32:18
and that
32:19
same note
32:19
card was
32:20
stuck in
32:21
that spot.
32:22
Whatever's
32:22
true,
32:23
whatever's
32:23
honorable,
32:24
whatever's
32:24
just,
32:25
etc.
32:25
was up
32:26
there.
32:27
And as
32:28
a child,
32:28
I just
32:28
never thought
32:28
to ask
32:29
my mother
32:29
why it
32:30
was put
32:31
there.
32:32
But now
32:32
as an
32:33
adult,
32:33
as a
32:34
pastor,
32:34
I just
32:34
thought,
32:35
Mom,
32:36
Philippians
32:36
4.8,
32:37
why was
32:37
that there?
32:38
And my
32:39
mom shared
32:39
with me
32:40
her lifelong
32:41
struggle with
32:42
anxiety.
32:43
What my
32:43
mom was
32:43
doing was
32:44
retraining
32:45
herself.
32:45
She was
32:46
rehabituating
32:47
by going,
32:48
this is not
32:48
what I need
32:49
to be thinking
32:49
about.
32:49
What I need
32:50
to be thinking
32:50
about are
32:51
things that
32:51
are true
32:51
and honorable
32:52
and just
32:52
and pure
32:52
and lovely.
32:53
She was
32:54
changing the
32:55
way that
32:55
she thought.
32:57
So,
32:58
beloved,
32:58
if you want
32:59
to fight
32:59
your anxiety,
33:00
it's not
33:01
going to be
33:01
found in
33:02
popular
33:02
psychology.
33:03
It's going
33:04
to be
33:04
found in
33:05
knowing the
33:05
promises of
33:06
God to
33:06
you in
33:07
Christ and
33:08
thinking about
33:09
those things,
33:09
meditating on
33:10
those things.
33:11
You've got to
33:12
change the
33:12
way you
33:12
think.
33:14
It's a
33:15
shocker by
33:16
changing the
33:17
way you
33:17
think.
33:18
God's
33:32
empowered word
33:32
retraining the
33:34
way you
33:35
think.
33:36
So,
33:36
we need to
33:36
fight for
33:36
joy,
33:38
be gracious
33:38
towards others,
33:39
turn to
33:40
God with
33:40
all of our
33:40
concerns,
33:41
and dehabituate
33:42
by
33:43
rehabituating.
33:45
May we
33:46
be a
33:46
people who
33:46
lay faithless
33:48
anxiety down
33:48
for joyful,
33:50
peaceful
33:51
faithfulness.
33:53
May we
33:53
be a
33:53
people that
33:54
live in a
33:54
way that
33:55
the world
33:55
would see
33:56
how very
33:56
reasonable
33:57
we are
33:58
because of
33:59
how great
33:59
Jesus Christ
34:00
is.
34:01
Let's pray
34:02
together.