- Sunday Worship - 11/2/2025

I'm accepted, you were condemned I'm alive and one, your spirit is within me Because you died and rose again Amazing love, how can it be You, my King, would die for me Amazing love, I know it's true It's my joy to honor you And all I do, I honor you Very good.

Is there any part of the set that you guys want to go over? Alright. Well, let's take a few minutes and then we'll meet at 925 in the corner to pray. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team.

Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thanks team. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning, church family. Happy Lord's Day. We will now begin our service. Let us sing.

Let us sing. Let us sing, I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. You were condemned. You were condemned. You were condemned. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven. Your spirit is within me Because you died and rose again Sing that one more time I'm forgiven Because you were forsaken I'm accepted You were condemned I'm alive and well Your spirit is within me Because you died and rose again Amazing love Amazing love How can it be That you, my King, would die for me Amazing love I know it's true It's my joy to honor you And all I do I honor you I'm forgiven I'm forgiven Because you were forsaken I'm accepted You were condemned I'm alive and well Your spirit is within me Because you died and rose again Amazing love Amazing love How can it be That you, my King, would die for me Amazing love I know it's true I know it's true It's my joy to honor you And all I do I honor you You are my King You are my King You are my King Jesus, you are my King Jesus, you are my King Amazing love Amazing love Amazing love How can it be That you, my King, would die for me Amazing love How can it be That you, my King, would die for me It's my joy to honor you And all I do I honor you And all I do I honor you Good morning, everyone Good morning, everyone Okay Can you hear me?

Okay A few announcements this morning Women's Ministry Holiday Outreach Boots All of the Women's Ministry Holiday Outreach Boots Will be located in the courtyard For sign-ups and additional information So please visit there Cleaning and Maintenance Day Is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th At 9 a.m. This is a great opportunity for us To serve the church Not only serve the church But to also get to know each other As members of the church So please sign up for that And then Thanksgiving Outreach Dinner Scheduled for Saturday, November 15th At 6 p.m.

So the Berean Outreach Team Is hosting a Thanksgiving Outreach Dinner For our members to invite their unbelieving friends Or families And even their co-workers To share a meal And to hear the gospel But also to hear why we are thankful In seasons like this And then in regional Thanksgiving dinner The sign-ups are up And it's scheduled for Sunday, November 23rd At 5 p.m.

Regional Thanksgiving dinners Will be hosted at various homes Based on location And both members and non-members Are welcome to sign up So please sign up for The regional Thanksgiving dinner If you have not signed up already If you have a physical offering We do have a box back there And if you're giving digitally Please scan the QR code For offering online And let's go to the Lord in prayer Before we start our worship God, thank you for Just giving us a place Where we can gather together To freely worship you And just as you had said You are looking for those Who are worshiping you In spirit and in truth And I do pray That that is the heart attitude That we have As we are worshiping you I pray that you would help us To lay down all the distractions That we might have had Over the week So that we can come before you Humbly to give you The attention and the adoration That you deserve in our worship But I also In our act of worship of giving I pray that we would recognize That you are the sovereign Lord Over our life And that everything that we possess Is from you And I pray that we would freely give With a cheerful heart Knowing that this is For your kingdom And I pray Lord That it will go towards Further advancing the gospel And I pray Lord That you will be Pleased with our offering And so Lord Thank you again For just allowing us To gather together To worship you And we pray all this In the name of Jesus Christ Amen Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us pray Lord Let us all rise and spend a few moments to greet the neighbors around us before we continue.

Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let the heavens shake and split the sky. Let the people love their hands and cry. Let us all rise and see you. Not to us, but to your name be the glory. Let us all rise and see you.

Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you.

Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. Let us all rise and see you. "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "Not to us, but to your name be the glory." "I know that you are the glory." "I know you are working, you are working all things." "All things for your glory." "And my good." "Lord, you will accomplish everything you promise." "All things for your glory, and my good." "Though the enemy is mighty, and a thousand fall beside me." "You defend me." "But the wilderness is endless." "And I feel the weight of darkness." "You are with me." "You are with me." "I know you are working." "You are working all things, all things for your glory." "And my good." "Lord, you will accomplish everything you promised." "You promised all things for your glory." "And my good." "Till the day, till the day you come in power." "When I reach my final hour." "You will keep me." "You will keep me." "Till the day you come in power." "When I reach my final hour." "You will keep me." "You will keep me." "You will keep me." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I know you are working." "You are working all things." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I know you are working." "You are working all things." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I will praise you." "I know you are working." "You are working all things." "All things for your glory." "And my good." "I know you are working." "I know you are working." "I know you are working." "You are working all things." "All things for your glory." "And my good." "Lord, you will accomplish." "Everything you promise." "All things for your glory." "And my good." "All things for your glory." "And my good." Amen.

You may be seated. "Good morning, everyone." "If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Philippians chapter 4." And this morning we're reading Philippians chapter 4, verse 6-7. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that you do work all things for your glory and for our good. And I pray that as the message goes forth today, you would give us years to hear and hearts to receive and understand the message that you have prepared for us this morning.

And so, Lord, I pray that we would give a listening ear to your word and help us to find encouragement from your word so that we can move forward in confidence knowing that you are a good God. And so, Lord, thank you again for this opportunity that you've granted to your servant to share the word.

And we pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. All right. So, question for everyone this morning. What are you anxious about? What is dominating your mind and robbing you of peace day after day? You know, many of us, if not all of us, have struggled with anxiety or are struggling with anxiety.

And what does it mean to be anxious? According to the Oxford Dictionary, anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. And for Dodger fans here this morning, anxiety for you is extra innings in game seven of the World Series.

But they won. So it's hard for me to say this, but congratulations. Go Angels. Maybe in about 10 years, right? But in our present text, as we read in Philippians chapter 4, the word anxious is translated from the Greek word mernao. And we'll examine this word more closely later on.

But the word mernao means to be apprehensive, to be troubled with care. I recently read a book authored by Johnny Artavanis titled Consider the Lilies. I'm going to reference some talking points from this book this morning. But in this book, he recounts his experience as a camp director, dean of campus life at the Masters University, and as a pastor of a local church.

And learning from those experiences, he said that young and old, Christians and non-Christians all struggle with anxiety. And he defines anxiety in this book saying the inevitable worry, fear, and unrest that rises in our minds when we direct our gaze to the problems, pressures, and uncertainties of life rather than God himself.

Many of us have experienced anxiety, not because we want to feel anxious. I mean, who wants to feel anxious, right? But we feel anxiety because we focus our attention on the problems, the pressures, and the uncertainties of life rather than the almighty God. And you know, doing some research, I found that only about 8% of the things that we worry about actually come to pass.

But the 92% of the things that we worry about don't even come to pass. And if you're on the extreme side and you're anxious about everything so that even the 8% causes fear and paralysis in your life, you are unfairly imprisoning yourself to your unrestrained thoughts. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, "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?" Here we find Jesus using the very words worry. He said, "Do not be worried." And I mentioned that in the Greek word for anxious in Philippians 4:6 is marinao. Well, guess what the Greek word for worry is in Matthew 6:25?

It is the same word, marinao. And I have to point to something very important here. In the New Testament, the Greek word marinao is translated in a few different ways and it depends on the context. Marinao can be translated in different ways. We just need to observe carefully the context in which the word is being used.

Marinao can be used interchangeably to mean care and concern or it can mean anxiety and worry. Now, we must understand the definition of marinao in its context so that we can know how to distinguish between legitimate care and concern from ungodly worry and anxiety. Marinao is used to describe both sinful, anxious distraction, but also positive God-honoring concern for others.

The word marinao is used 19 times in the New Testament. And the same word is used interchangeably to define care and concern or anxiety and worry. For example, Paul wrote to the Philippian church and he said in Philippians 2:20, "For I have no one else of kindred spirit," and he is speaking of Timothy here.

He said, "I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned, marinao, for your welfare." Paul also wrote to the Corinthian church and said in 1 Corinthians 12:25, "So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care, merinao, for one another." The use of the word merinao in both of those passages are positive.

You see, Paul used the word to express godly concern for the church. This is a genuine concern for the believers. This is a genuine concern for those who are in need. This is a genuine concern for those who are struggling. This is the type of concern that moves us to right actions.

And in Paul's case, he had a genuine concern for the Philippian church. And that is why he wanted to send Timothy to check on their welfare. That is a positive, God-honoring concern that we all need to possess as Christians. This is a concern for the welfare of the church that moves us in the right direction.

And I must ask this morning, do you have this type of concern for the body of believers here at Berean Community Church? How often do you think about this body and the ways in which you can serve this body? Or do you think to yourself, "Oh, that's a big church.

They have enough people to serve. So I'll just sit this one out and have others do it." And I am speaking to the members of our church this morning. You who confess Jesus as Lord and have committed yourself to building up and strengthening the body of Christ by developing and using your spiritual gifts.

Are you being faithful to this promise? You know, a regenerate Christian will not be passive. Christianity is not a passive faith. Christians are to maintain a holy relationship with our God. We are to maintain a loving relationship with one another as brothers and sisters. And we are to maintain a life of service to one another.

Many of us know scripture is clear on these subject matters that grace without holiness is dead. That faith without works is dead. That discipleship without obedience is dead. And that love without deed is dead. And having understood this, we must obey what scripture commands. And scripture commands us in Philippians chapter 2 verse 3 to do nothing from selfish or empty conceit.

But with humility, regard one another as more important than yourselves. You tell that to a non-believer, they're going to think that's crazy. But for us who have a new nature in Christ Jesus, this is not too far-fetched. Remember, Jesus came to this world not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We're just following the model of our Savior and Lord. Serve one another. And do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others. And so I want to encourage you this morning to be faithful to the church that God has placed you in and to the people that he has called you to love.

Be actively engaged in the life of the church. Be concerned for the welfare of the church. And if you have a genuine concern for the church, no one has to tell you to go above and beyond your service to this body. You see, your genuine concern and love for the body of Christ will naturally move you to action.

We all agree that believers are new creations in Christ, right? And that with this new nature, we're given a renewed desire to serve God and serve one another. And because we have the love of Christ poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we have this genuine concern for the welfare of the church.

And so when an individual is led by the Holy Spirit, his or her genuine concern for the church moves them to action. They view the church as a household of God, and rightly so, because we all belong to the household of God. And so as they view the church as the household of God, they grasp the opportunity to use their gifts and service toward the people of God.

This form of care and concern for the church is a good thing. This is the type of concern and care that we should all possess and nurture as believers in Jesus Christ. We must never possess an attitude that says, "Ah, it's a big church. Someone else will take care of it and just sit on the sidelines." We must present ourselves as a living sacrifice, acceptable to God.

And as each one has received the gift from God, we must employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the many-fold grace of God. That is a genuine concern. That is a concern that we should all have. But moving away from the positive usage of the word merinao, this word is also used to define anxiety and worry in a negative sense.

In at least 12 of the 19 times the word merinao is used in the New Testament, it is translated either as anxiety or worry. For example, Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, "Do not be worried, merinao, about your life." And do you know why Jesus said, "Do not worry"? It's because when we worry about our life, it chokes out the message of God in our lives.

It's like that parable, and many of you are familiar with this, right? In this parable of the sower, the seed which was sown among the thorns. They hear the word, they even receive it with joy and say, "That is a great message." But Jesus said, "The worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and they become," what?

"It is not unfruitful." We also read in Luke chapter 10 verse 41, Jesus telling Martha, "You are worried, merinao, and bothered about so many things." And I hope you remember this story because Pastor Peter taught on this not too long ago. When Martha was busy preparing and hosting her guests, Mary was at the feet of Jesus listening to his words.

And Martha came to the Lord and complained and said to Jesus, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?" And so here's a good illustration of our worries producing a spirit of complaint and distraction from our devotion to Jesus.

And so in situations like these, worry is sinful and it is ungodly. It is a misdirected gaze at our problems, fears, and troubles rather than on God himself. And let me share with you a scenario to help us distinguish between Godly concern and ungodly anxiety, okay? So here's the scenario.

When a husband and a father loses his job, and I don't know how many of the men here could relate to this, but when a husband and a father loses his job, he is rightly concerned about finding a job to provide for his family. And it is not wrong for a man to be concerned about how he must provide for his family.

And with this concern, he takes all the necessary steps to create the resumes and fill out job applications, all the while praying to God that he will lead him to find employment so that he can provide for his family. And throughout this process, he remains thankful. You see, he trusts the Lord as the faithful shepherd who will sustain and care for him and his household.

And so he keeps his heart fixed on the Lord. He's not wavering in his commitment, not turning to the left or to the right. Instead, he trusts God, the sovereign God, to supply all of his needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. This is good and acceptable.

However, when our concerns and care grow out of control to the point that we lose sight of God's wisdom, we lose sight of God's sovereignty and love, and we become anxious, that is an ungodly worry. And so we take the same illustration, but this time, the same man is not diligent to search for a job.

And he's not diligent to pray to the Lord and depending on him. You see, he loses all sense of reliance on God and he takes matters entirely into his own hands as he takes his gazes off God's love and his wisdom, his sovereignty and his provisions to place his gaze on the what ifs and the uncertainties of life.

In this scenario, the man's legitimate concerns have become a sinful anxiety. When we are fixated on our fears, our concerns and cares, that is when we fail to exercise our faith in God, who is our heavenly father. Many of our anxieties may start as legitimate, but when we carry our burdens instead of casting them onto God who cares for us, that is when we sin.

When we are paralyzed with fear and worry over things that we cannot control, we are essentially telling God, I do not trust you. I'm going to figure things out on my own. And yes, we often don't have a choice about the problems and the pressures and the uncertainties of life.

We don't have an option to choose if or when we'll have to face life's many challenges. And you know what? Frankly, if it were up to us, we'd probably opt out to never experience trouble in this world. But even if we don't have a choice about the pain or troubles that we may face in this life, I want to remind you this morning that we have a choice in deciding where we look in those seasons of our life.

We either look at our problems or we can look towards God. You know, by default, I can look at my problems and ask the question, "Why is this happening, God? Can you explain yourself to me?" And I can arrogantly demand an answer from God. Or, I can direct my gaze toward God and be assured that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

I can behave like an unbeliever and challenge God to explain himself. Or, I can repeat the words of Job who said, "I know you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." And with that kind of a mindset, I can conclude and say, "God, this season in my life is very difficult.

It's challenging and I don't understand why I'm going through this season in my life." But you don't have to explain yourself to me. Because I know who you are. You are a good God, a righteous God. And just as you had promised, all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who have been called according to your purpose.

I might be going through a terrible season in my life, but I still trust you. Because you're my God. Paul is telling us in Philippians chapter 4 verse 6, "Don't let anxiety dictate your way of life. Instead, take all your anxious thoughts captive and come before the Lord in prayer." And I want to remind you, Christians have a privilege of prayer.

You see, by the means of prayer, we are granted access to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We have direct access to God. And so we pray in seasons of difficulty with thanksgiving because we believe prayer can effectively relieve our anxious hearts.

And when we pray, the posture of our heart is focused on God with thanksgiving. And so we offer our petitions to Him, crying out to God, sometimes even with tears, with our problems, our fears, and our anxieties because we trust that He cares for us. We need to understand that challenging days will come to all of us.

It is inevitable. None of us are exempt from trouble. But it won't do us any good to be preoccupied with our problems and unnecessarily fill our hearts with anxious thoughts. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 27, "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?" Can any of you recall a moment in your life when a problem was resolved because you worried about it?

You sat down, thought about your problems and your fears? You know, in many cases, you make the situation worse. You add to your problems rather than ease it, right? Some of you lose sleep. Your blood pressure elevates. Your emotions are wrecked. Nothing good comes from just worrying about the problem.

Your emotions are wrecked. In fact, studies have shown that anxiety affects us physically. You see, anxiety causes fatigue, insomnia, indigestion, ulcers, heart palpitations. And if you develop any of these symptoms, these symptoms contribute to other health-related issues. It doesn't get better, it gets worse. There's wisdom in the words of our Savior who says, "Do not worry." Why worry about the things that you have no control over?

The solution to an anxious heart is the Lord. When we fix our gaze toward God and go to Him in our prayers with supplication and thanksgiving, that is when we behold the faithful character of God who alone can calm our anxious hearts. And let me get to the heart of the matter.

I'm not trying to diss anyone or criticize anyone who is struggling with anxiety this morning. But you must know that the Bible speaks of anxiety and worry as a sin. It is when you fail to exercise your trust in God and turn your gaze away from Him, then you begin to feel the pressures of life which causes anxiety and worry.

And I want to invite you to examine yourself and search for the root cause of anxiety and worry. Again, the book, Consider the Lilies, identifies three root causes of anxiety. And these are treasures, sight, and masters. The author identified the causes from the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-24.

And so to have a diagnosis of our condition, we must turn to Matthew 6:19-24. And here, we consider the words of our Lord as He tells us what our problems are. So beginning in verse 19, the Lord said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Verse 22, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then, the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness? No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the others.

You cannot serve God and wealth." So first thing that Jesus says in verse 19, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth." And Jesus said this because the source of our worry is often found in the things that we treasure. And what did Jesus mean by treasure? When Jesus talks about treasure, He was referring to what we prioritize, the things that we value, the things of this world that constantly compete for our affection and our attention.

And did you know we can treasure things we don't yet possess, but have already established on our hearts? Whether it's a career, whether it's dating, marriage, children, possessions. All these things can take precedence in our lives and can easily turn our affections away from God. Now, I'm not suggesting you shouldn't pursue a good career, or you shouldn't date to find a potential spouse for marriage.

These are good things when done correctly. But sometimes good things can become idols. And when they do, that is when we become anxious. To lay up treasures on earth means to elevate our lives to it. We elevate our relationships, we elevate our possessions, our status, and positions above God Himself.

And then the moment we obtain what we had imagined was our dream home, our dream job, our dream spouse. It is at that very moment that we worry about losing everything. The more you have, the more you have to lose. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 5, beginning in verse 10, these are words of wisdom.

He said, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on? The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much.

But the full stomach of the rich does not allow him to sleep." And then verse 13, "There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun. Riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost were a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.

As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so he returned as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hands." Those are the wise words of Solomon. You came into this world naked, you are going to leave this world naked.

We see many of us are prone to anxiety because we have stored up for ourselves treasures here on earth. And the fear of losing it one day troubles our minds. Because in some weird sense, we think we are going to keep it forever. We deceive ourselves thinking that everything that we possess in this world is forever.

But it's not. And so Jesus said, "Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth. Because moth and rust will destroy and thieves will come and steal." Everything this world has to offer is fleeting. And so if we live for this world, then yes, we have reasons to be anxious.

Because everything in this world is very short-lived and unpredictable. But if we store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves cannot break in and steal, we will live our lives with a blessed detachment from this world." So where is your treasure?

Secondly, Jesus said in verse 22 how we need to be careful where we are looking. He said, "The eye is the lamp of the body, so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.

And the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness." So how do we create idols in our hearts to begin with? Where does it start? Well, it begins with our sight. Genesis chapter 3 records the fall of man. And it says in verse 6, "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to her eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from it and ate." Once we fix our gaze at something and obsess over it with our minds, it then becomes an idol in our hearts.

We give ourselves over to what John said in 1 John chapter 2 verse 16, that the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. And once the lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin. So I have a question for everyone this morning. Where are you looking at?

What are you allowing to consume? What are you feeding your mind with day after day? Scripture commands us to be renewed in our minds with the Word of God. Because this is one way that we keep our eyes focused on the Lord and our minds fixed on heavenly things.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 123, beginning in verse 1, he said, "To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens, behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God until he is gracious to us." Is this what you were doing this morning?

Keeping your eyes focused on the Lord? Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 and 2, "Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth." And then in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witness surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith, who is the pattern of godly living, who is our ultimate example.

We need to keep our eyes on him. If we are going to deal with the root cause of our anxiety, we must be honest and identify where our eyes have been looking. And as the hymn suggests, right? We must turn our eyes upon Jesus. Remember that song, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus?" Right?

And it tells us to look fully in his wonderful face. And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. That is where we need to focus our attention on. Turning our eyes upon Jesus. And when you do that, the things of this earth will grow strangely dim.

And then back in Matthew chapter 6 verse 24, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and well." And so here's the point. We cannot serve two masters.

When Jesus talked about what or whom we serve, he was speaking in relation to our hearts. The cause of our anxieties can be found in our allegiance to people or to things. The cause of our anxieties. And I'll keep this one short by saying, if Jesus is not the Lord over your life, you will not experience everlasting contentment and joy that comes from knowing him.

If Christ is not the sovereign Lord over all aspects of your life, you will constantly struggle with ungodly anxiety and worry. And if we dig deeply and get to the root cause, and I might hurt some people this morning, we will find that our anxieties, all our worries are caused by our lack of trust in God as our Father.

And I'm not saying this as in the sense that we no longer believe in God like an atheist, but that we no longer believe God or trust God as our Father. My two sons, Matthew and Amos, they're no longer with us. And so I don't have any parental experience to share with any other parents here.

But I do know what it's like to have this innate desire, this paternal instinct that wanted to provide for my own sons. When Becky told me she was pregnant with our first son, Matthew, I remember being overwhelmed with happiness. And I remember thinking ahead, even dreaming of all the Angels baseball games that we're going to attend together, which is not a lot because Angels haven't made it to the postseason in years, 20 years.

But I wanted to experience all of that, camping trips, sporting events, all the things that a father dreams of doing with their own children. I even opened the savings account and applied to get life insurance. I did everything I could to prepare so that in the event something happened to me, my son's future will be okay.

And I know, if my sons were with us today, I would not hesitate to give them, maybe not the best life that this world has to offer, but a good life. My desire was to be present in their lives so that I can provide for them, to protect them, and to also raise them up in the fear and admonition of our God.

I would have done anything for my sons. So why am I sharing this with you this morning? In Matthew chapter 7, verse 9 through 11, Jesus was speaking to a crowd of men. And Jesus asked many of the fathers in this crowd. He said, "What man is there among you?

When his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him?" I am a sinner.

I am imperfect. And yet I know how to give good gifts to my own. But our God, he is infinitely greater than any earthly fathers, and his care for us is infinitely greater. So how could I not trust him? How could I not trust God who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all?

Unbelief in God's sovereignty is a cause of our anxiety. You see, it is when you grasp at the illusion of your own control instead of trusting everything in your life to God that causes you to feel anxious. And I want to tell you right now, to those who think you have control over your life, you don't.

There are a lot of variables, there's a lot of uncertainties in this life. But when you grasp at the illusion that you are, and you lose your focus on God who is in control, yeah, you're going to get anxious. But even when life is tumultuous, even when life seems uncertain at times, when we understand the character of our God and trust him, that is when we have the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension.

And isn't this the reason we sing every Lord's Day as we gather as a church? Because he lives. We sing that at the end of every worship. Because he lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future, my life is worth the living because he lives.

I hope we're not just singing off a prompter, just words from our lips. I hope that is coming from our heart. That because a sovereign God who loves me and cares for me lives, I can face tomorrow. J.I. Packer wrote in a popular book titled "Knowing God," and I quote, "The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know about God.

Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded. As it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you, this way you can waste your life and lose your soul." All of us are prone to anxiety. And this is because we live in a sin-cursed world.

You see, anxiety makes sense when we consider the consequences of sin. Anxiety is common when we realize that the world we live in is plagued with trouble. We live in a sin-cursed world filled with trouble, pain, and suffering. And with that context in mind, anxiety makes sense. The reason we get anxious is because the world that we're living in is messed up.

It makes perfect sense that people are naturally anxious in a world that is filled with violence, pain, suffering, civil unrest, economic downturn, and various other trials. But you know what doesn't make sense in a world that is corrupted by sin? What doesn't make sense in this world is peace.

And so, coming back to Philippians 4, when Paul said, "We have access to the peace of God." This doesn't make sense to a lot of people. And it shouldn't make sense because it surpasses all comprehension. The unbelieving world offers a pseudo-peace, a peace that is circumstantial. A peace you only experience when things are within your own control, when circumstances are in your favor.

That is the peace that the world offers. Let me ask you this. How often do you experience that type of peace? When a family member dies, a beloved family member, when you lose your job, when you break up with someone, when you are sick, when you fail an exam, what happens to your peace then?

You lose your peace immediately. But a Christian's peace is not dependent on circumstance. We don't experience God's peace when things are good. We experience the peace of God because we are confident in the character of a good God who walks with integrity and works righteousness. We believe that all the ways of God are blameless and that it is always good.

Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful." The peace that Christ gives to us is different from the world's standard for peace.

You see, the peace that the world offers is circumstantial. And it can only be obtained in the absence of trouble. And if you wait around seeking that kind of peace, you are going to find it very elusive and you are always going to be searching for peace. But the peace that our God gives is not dependent in circumstance, nor in the absence of trouble, but in spite of it.

Why? Because we know and trust the character of our God. And if you are prone to anxiety, I need you to know that true and lasting peace cannot be found in this world. We have to come to terms with that. True, lasting peace can only come from knowing God as he reveals himself in his word.

The sovereign God who is in absolute control. The God who knows all. The God who is all-powerful. The God who is ever-present with you wherever you are. The God who does not change. This loving God who is rich in mercy. Almighty and personal God commands us to trust him.

We do not have to live a life with an anxious heart. True, enduring peace is granted to those who know God. But in order to have the peace of God which surpasses the understanding of the unbelieving world, we need to trust God at his word and set our minds on things above where Christ is.

Again, you are not going to find peace in positive thinking, okay? You could do all your meditation and empty your mind. You are not going to find it there either. You are not going to find peace in the absence of trouble. You are not going to find peace in the absence of conflict.

You are not going to find peace in favorable circumstances. The peace of God comes from knowing God. Knowing that he is good. Knowing that he is sovereignly in control. And when we can come to that place where we can relinquish control to the Lord and submit to his authority in our life, that is when you have peace.

Isaiah chapter 26 verse 3 tells us, "The steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in you." In other words, God keeps those who trust in him in perfect peace. And so in the following verse, in Isaiah chapter 26 verse 4 he says, "Do the Lord forever, for in God the Lord we have an everlasting rock." And don't get easily entangled with the affairs of this world that it should pull you away from your devotion and prayer time.

I want to encourage everyone this morning not to forsake your devotion and prayer time. Be consistent with that. Because your devotion and prayer time is your spiritual lifeline. This is how you draw nearer to God and know God. Because without this, like J.I. Packer said, you will stumble through life blindfolded because you don't know God.

And in closing, I ask that you examine yourself and ask, "How well do I know God?" Do I just know him on an intellectual level? So that when I'm hearing the messages come from Sunday and then when I go to Bible study, "I agree with it because I know that it's historically true." But you have to ask yourself beyond the intellectual level, "Have you ever committed yourself to that truth?" You could agree with it.

You could say that that makes sense, but have you ever committed yourself to that truth? Do you know God? Do you know that he is the sovereign over all who is in control? We have to understand that the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension is a peace that is only available to those who have peace with God.

In other words, you will not experience the peace of God until you are at peace with God. And let me briefly explain what I mean by this. We are all sinners. There is no one righteous, no not one. And I don't have to explain that to anyone here this morning.

But from the time of Adam to the present, all sinners are at enmity with God. Many of us don't like to hear that because some of us think that we're just good friends with God. But because of original sin, all of us here are at enmity with a holy, powerful God.

We are his enemies. And because unrepentant sinners are the enemies of God. Isaiah chapter 48 verse 22 says there is no peace for the wicked. There is no peace for the wicked. In order to have access to the peace of God, you have to first be at peace with God.

You must repent of your sins to God and in faith turn away from sin and turn toward Christ. And Romans chapter 5 verse 1 tells us, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it is at that moment where we lay down arms and we recognize the sovereign lordship of Christ and we submit to him.

Only then, when we repent and accept Jesus as our Lord, are we at peace with God. You see, without Christ, there is no peace. But in Christ, you have the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension. And so, if you are in Christ and are justified by faith to have peace with God, I want to encourage you to pray and direct your gaze toward God who alone can ease your anxious heart.

You do not have to live with an anxious heart. Come humbly before the Lord, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the assurance of scripture is this. This is the promise of God's word, that when we come to him with supplication and thanksgiving in our hearts with prayer.

It says that the peace of God, which surpasses all our comprehension, is going to guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. That is the privilege that we have as Christians. We have access to the throne of God's grace so that we can seek help in time of our need.

And when we do that, scripture says we will find it. It might be beyond comprehension. But to us, as believers, when we come to the Lord with our anxious thoughts. When we come to the Lord with our troubles and our fears. Sometimes even weeping on our knees, asking God to help us.

Scripture says that he will grant us that peace which guards our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus. So I want to encourage all my brothers and sisters here this morning. Use that privilege. Go to the Lord. Pray. Ask him for peace. And he will be able to grant that for you.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, I want to thank you again for the reminder that you are our sovereign God. And that you work all things for your glory. I pray, Lord, that we will daily trust in you. Knowing that you work all things for your glory and for our good.

Help us, Lord, to fix our gaze upon you and not on the problems. And help us to trust you knowing that you are our Heavenly Father who cares for us. And so, Lord, thank you again for the reminder this morning. We pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen. Would you please stand for our final hymn? O God, before the mountains were brought forth, or days of spring and summer filled the earth, from everlasting you are God. And all our days are held within your hand. We dwell beneath the stars in ancient skies. A thousand years are nothing in your sight.

A thousand years are nothing in your sight. From everlasting you are God. And all our days are held within your hands. And all our days are held within your hands. And all our days are held within your hands. Your perfect love and favor have no end. We rest within the wisdom of your plan.

Everlasting God. We rest within the wisdom of your plan. Everlasting God. Oh God, when joy and tragedy collide, and loss reminds us life is but a sign. From everlasting, you are God. And all our days are held within your hands, your perfect love and favor have no end. We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting.

O God of light, our ways are known to you, but by your grace you're making all things new. So satisfy us in our numbered days, establish every effort while we wait. From everlasting, you are God. And all our days are held within your hands, your perfect love and favor have no end.

We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting. And all our days are held within your hands, your perfect love and favor have no end. We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting life. And Lord, you are the everlasting God, and you've numbered our days. And I pray that you would help us to be mindful that our life is just a vapor, that we're going to appear for a while and vanish.

But I pray, Lord, that in that short period of time that we have, we will learn to honor you with our life and help us, Lord, to live our lives in obedience to your commands. And so, Lord, we want to just honor you and ask that you guide us.

And now, may the grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the love of God, the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen. Amen. God said to the Son, then He called Him, Jesus, He came to love you. He came to love you.

God said to the Son, then He came to love you. God said to the Son, then He came to love you. God said to the Son, then He came to love you. God said to the Son, then He came to love you. God said to the Son, then He came to love you.

- Sunday Worship - 11/2/2025

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