Choose Peace Over Anxiety, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ in the world. He said you have tribulation could be a picture of notices promised me you can have peace among the publishers know from I'm not in a promise you, you see, no tribulation. I'm not promising that all Christians are treated unfairly. Just like not Christians get all the diseases that non-Christians person go through all the trials and everybody else got Jesus and among a change that is the tribulation of the world to get away from that going to glory what I can do second piece she I can give you peace. No matter what the circumstances and the like joining us today on this additional fellowship of the word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us God's word meets over the years the repeat over and over. Some of those words are found in John 10, in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and he says that I came that they may have life and have it abundantly and I said over the years that that kind of life. According to the Scriptures is a life that is filled with joy and peace and hope meaning and purpose, regardless of the circumstances, the abundant life is available to all of us. And yet, over the years. I gotta tell you I have a problem with it in the problem is my own experience with you. It seems to me that it is hard enough to find a Christian who is experiencing the abundant life is Bigfoot just so few of you experience this life and I can't tell you how much I would pray that you would. This is a life that immunizes you against the world. This is a life in a carrier through the darkest valleys you ever find yourself in, and yet so few of us ever experience it. Now I know for one thing I can say that the words of Jesus are empty. Can you that what is telling us is not really true.

And so if it's not the words of Jesus that are empty. What's the problem with this, and Isaac given this a lot of a lot of thought and I believe it's this for you and I do experience the abundant life. There are certain choices that you and I have to make you and I have to make certain choices and if we make those choices we experience the abundant life.

And if we don't, we never will. So I want to start a series today called, of all things, the choices of the abundant life.

This morning, but I want to talk about is this. I want you to choose peace rather than anxiety. I want you to choose peace rather than anxiety. Anxiety is an epidemic in America.

More than 40 million American adults are anxious at any moment and I mean really anxious over 18% of the population in the United States suffer from severe anxiety is rising unabated among children, teens and college-age kids when I was at the end our seminary and studied under Paul Meyer. The minute Meyer clinic.

They had said it was overwhelmingly the most business they ever conducted and not just that clinic. The clinics and around the world were trying to deal with believers who experience anxiety ranks about almost everything on me wrenches about our finances. You know the monthly bills whether we lose our job how we going to pay for college for children.

What about her medical bills get it done.

What about retirement nine a little anxious about this, we experience anxiety about her health for a lot of us every year you go for a checkup to go with great trepidation. All you hope the numbers work in the last thing on earth you ever want to have to deal with if you don't want anyone to say the word cancer so you don't want to hear that beginning of Alzheimer's. I don't want to hear that that'll make me really really anxious or anxious about our children cultural drugs, alcoholism, sexual immorality, the crime-ridden world we get a good education and a good job on a certain level anxiety doesn't even make a lot of sense. I found the steps this week can verify I'm talking about people who are extremely anxious 40% of the things were anxious about will never happen. Not ever, but were anxious 30% of the things were anxious about her things in the past that can't be changed so that 70% of her anxiety 12% are things about criticism by others arose mostly untrue about us, but were anxious about, and only 8% is about real problems that will have to face in our life. So doesn't even make a lot of sense to be really anxious and yet we are people of anxiety go to doctors 3 to 5 times more than people who don't or anxious about almost everything.

The Scripture actually says be anxious for nothing, and that makes some of you anxious you know now, I don't feelings. I feel guilt I feel extremely guilty about this Jesus weighs in on anxiety or look at a couple places he does open your Bibles to John chapter 14 John chapter 14 and verse 27.

I want you to understand what the context of this is this is why it's so important. This is the night before the crucifixion. What you think. Anxiety level among the disciples is like talk the chart.

They are extremely anxious. By the way you knows not anxious one is going to be arrested.

The wonders can be crucified is not anxious at all, but his disciples are so Jesus says to them in that context in verse 27 he says peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I get to you. He says do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it. He says be fearful. The first thing he says is I want to give you peace but understand something. This is not peace like we think about peace.

This is supernatural peace. This is his peace is nothing I want to give you peace. He said notice not as the world gives you see how does the world give you peace. One of the ways the world give you peace is your circumstances change right you really were worried, some was going to happen and it didn't happen yourself. I feel peaceful now that's knowledge is talking about the other way the world gives peace is chemically we just Medicaid it will just give you enough medication that you're so numb in your thinking you call peace. That's all the world gives peace. Jesus is a peace I give is not like that at all.

He said it's my peace. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you not as the world gives do you do not let your heart he says be troubled that were troubled.

That's the same word that's the exact same word as the verb form of anxious except it's a noun may translated troubled its don't be anxious. He said whatever you do don't be anxious about this, that's really tough for us. But Jesus says I want to give you peace is his desire but the problem with it is you may not accept it. You may decide in a strange as it sounds, and you don't really want it rather have anxious thoughts. This can be very detrimental to our spiritual growth. Go with me to Luke chapter 8 Luke chapter 8 delegate deal with the parable of the sower except I'm not going to deal with the parable of the seller. That's for different time. I want to do the parable of the sower. It's a great parable, but not today. I want to talk about one verse in there. One thing that Jesus says concerning anxiety and peace. When is explaining what the parable means he goes line of verse 14 he says this this seed which fell among the thorns. These are the ones who heard and as they go on their way. They are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity at all.

No growth, no fruit is choked and one of the three things a rich. There is with worries. The English word, worry comes from an old English word meaning to strangle.

How appropriate that Jesus is choked. He says your anxiety will choke you will choke a spiritual life out of you, you'll never grow spiritually.

Living your life is in anxious Christian Jesus is I want to give you my peace. I want you to have it and he can do that. That'll be up to you. Go with me now to Romans Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 in verse one what I want you to see here is just the first point of trying to make today.

Romans five in verse one, the apostle Paul writes this piece is therefore having been justified by faith, having been justified past perfect tense at a point in time in the past, you were justified.

The results of your justification go on forever. That's with the past perfect means.

Therefore, having been justified at a point in time when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. You have been justified.

Now notice what he says. Then we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. See one of the things Jesus gave every single one of us as believers is peace with God you realize will never be a time ever, and all from now into all eternity that you won't have peace with God and the reason you have that is nothing to do with you, but it's through Jesus Christ. Jesus was able to buy for us we deem us to have peace with God gave his own life for this you and I are forever at peace with God and the problem that you and I have with anxiety is not the problem. Peace with God. The problem is we struggle with the peace of God. You see, that's a different kind of peace that means something else I have peace with God, but I don't have what he calls the peace of God.

In John 16 Jesus said these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace in the world. He said you have tribulation, but be of good cheer of overcome the world.

Notices promised there in me. You can have peace among a promise you know troubles I'm not going to promise you, you see, no tribulation. I'm not promising that all you see Christians are treated unfairly. Just like non-Christians, Christians get all the diseases that non-Christians get Christians go through all the trials and everybody else does Jesus and am looking to change that. That's the tribulation of the world you finally get away from that we going to glory what I can do is I can give you peace. You see, I can give you peace. No matter what the circumstances of your life are. So he offers us the peace of God to replace our anxiety go with me now to Colossians chapter 3 Colossians chapter 3 again.

The apostle Paul, this time speaking to the church of Colossae. I'll pick it up in verse 12, even though that's not the verse of stop at but in verse 12 he says. So as those who had been chosen of God. I'll call that peace with God.

You have peace with God you been chosen of God, you never have to worry about that you will always have peace with God. Notice God's assessment of you.

So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, that's us were holy, set apart by God were beloved by God. He said put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Notice that's going to be up to us bearing with one another, forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you beyond all these things he says put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity and then he says this let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Why does he tell us that because I'm capable of not allowing the peace of Christ rule in my heart. I'm very capable of allowing anxiety to rule in my heart. He says no you have to let the peace of Christ. He says rule in your heart to which indeed he says you were called in one body.

And be thankful he sorta gives the temp up here. How do I get this piece of God was the key element he links them together here whenever the peace of God is ruling in your heart, your thankful went your thankful you have an opportunity for the peace of God to rule in your heart. This is really difficult for us.

We been so conditioned that the circumstances of my life is what's going to establish whether I have peace of whether I'm going to have anxiety is what we often do as Christians is we think that we are victimized by anxiety not victimized by the perpetrator of you see when he says when he when he tells us to be anxious for nothing, that's a commandment so that when I am anxious about something. One of my doing, I'm breaking a commandment. What is it when I break a commandment sin. You see, anxiety is a sin, I said hi to. I'm not victimized by I perpetrated as a child of God. While you sure this is possible I read not long ago about one of the truly great men coming out of Germany in World War II. Imagine just how horrible that was his name is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the truly great pastors of the last century. Bonhoeffer was preaching the gospel continuing right on with the Nazis eventually got up and arrested him and send him to prison. He was in prison for about two years while he was in prison he wrote up a little book called letters and papers in prison, which is priceless to read.

Why was there an English military officer was imprisoned with them and he said this about Bonhoeffer.

He said bond offer was all humility and sweetness. He always seem to defuse whatever the atmosphere was with happiness and with joy. In the even the smallest event in life. He said he had a deep gratitude for the mere fact that both he and us were still alive. He was one of the very few men I ever met, to whom his God was real and close to him witnessing statement is experiencing the abundant life.

By the way, in April 1945 behind Dietrich bond offer in prison and he knew he was going to be hung when he went there, and yet he had peace. How do you do that is exactly what the word of God says now would like you to go with me is removing peace with God. The peace of God, the how do we appropriated Philippians chapter 4 few pages to your left.

Philippians chapter 4 what I want to say is this. We appropriate the peace of God by praying honestly with gratitude toward God and I'll explain it now as we go one notice verse six very short and sweet.

Be anxious for nothing. There's no circumstance and you can go to God and say God I can react any other way.

You know I have to be anxious about is that you don't need to be anxious about anything, and as with the one we begin comes a little bit clear pieces.

Be anxious for nothing, he says, but in everything, now what does that include that's everything right if that's everything I can imagine he says in everything by prayer.

That's a common word for prayer is normal. It means face-to-face literally think about that whenever you pray you go face-to-face with God. This is important on how you approach God.

Remember the burning bush with Moses and never got to take your sandals off to remember why he said this is holy ground. You're my presence. See, I'm holy whenever you pretty face-to-face with God, your holy ground. She that's the important thing of what John writes in first John 19 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now all my sins of been forgiven at the cross I'm justified.

But in my relationship with God. I need to keep short accounts with my sins. I need to confess or say the same thing home in the ghetto that God does about my sins. I need to be aware of my sin.

Why has a lot to do with my prayer life.

In fact, in Psalm 6618 David writes, if I regard wickedness in my heart you will not hear me.

There's a condition here if I'm going to come and pray to God that I'm in holy ground face-to-face with God. Notice another thing at the end of that verse. He said make a request known to God.

You don't pray to St. you don't pray to a priest you don't pray to anybody you pray to God we have a mediator between us and God. We have a high priest's name is Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews said, come boldly to the holy of holies you see where you may receive mercy and grace come boldly into the presence of God. He said you need to pray.

You need to come boldly in everything he says you need to do that he says in everything by prayer and supplication. That's an interesting word is a pleading word. It's a word that deals with a real special need it it's it's an emotive world word. It means emotional a specific need. Some of the commentators and I have a tendency to agree with them say that it's what's behind my prayer, supplication, and that is what am I maybe never thought of this but whenever I'm praying for something. What is my spiritual prayer behind my prayer. You see, I want uncle Luis Testa combat benign right and the question would be why you have a spiritual reason for you see that I'm going to be a better testimony for the Lord that uncle you may be exposed to the Lord and receive the gospel.

Do I have something more in mind than just simply that it's benign or something more behind this. That's my supplication. I challenge you as you prayed to think, what's the spiritual thing. I'm praying for your it's a good challenge for all of us. He then says after that in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving or that's the key notice he said you need to be thankful when you pray when are you thankful when he answers what you want right now I'm thankful isn't Jesus good. Be careful with anybody who gets what they want believer unbelievers happy thankful person ago.

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