Bible Study Series: The Book of Philippians
Bible Study Philippians 4.6-7: Be Anxious for Nothing
By Fraser Gordon
Hello, Saints. Continuing with our studies in the Book of Philippians Chapter 4. Last time we looked at verses 1-5 about two women having trouble in the fellowship. Paul urged them to be of the same mind in the Lord and then finished with Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
A nervous wreck
Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Our topic today is anxiety and we all suffer from it in one form or another. The meaning of anxiety is a feeling of worry, fear, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome. When we look around today anxiety is everywhere and there seems to be much more now than when I was growing up. Everybody lives busy lives. People are rushed off their feet and working hard to pay mortgages or rent. Most of the time both parents work. There is stress at work, at home and in family life and sometimes stress in marriages. Both my adult children work with youth and they say the same thing, there's a lot of anxiety in young people. Part of that is technology which like most things was meant to make life easier for us but has its pitfalls. What can be used for good can also be used for bad and cause harm. Our children’s self esteem is linked to social media. Their whole worldview and self esteem revolves around staying connected and people's opinions of them and it's fueling anxiety. How they are perceived, whether they are criticized openly, or whether they fit in socially.
Another aspect is that parenting has changed quite a bit as well. Parents are rescuing their children a lot. They don't allow them to fail and are always there to pick them up, sort out the situation, or fix the problem. They are called helicopter parents. There's also no risk in play with everything revolving around health and safety. Children don't learn how to climb a tree anymore. When our children were younger we had a big old super trampoline with no pads on the springs. We had the odd accident but nothing serious and a child soon learns they have to jump in the middle to keep from going through the springs. These days risk is taken out of everything and as a result we’re not building resilience into our children. Later in life when difficult times come, and they will come, our children will be snowflakes. Instead of being resilient and able to handle trials and troubles they will not be able to handle them. This adds to the anxiety of our children and our culture.
I read a survey recently which stated that about 40% of people were anxious, afraid or worried about something that will never come to pass. 30% were anxious about something that happened in the past and 12% were anxious about criticism or people's opinions (I think this survey was done a long time ago because now I think the 12% would have risen significantly, mainly due to social media). 10% of anxiety was about health and that left 8% which were the real problems. 8% is a very small percentage. Most things we worry about don't actually come to pass and only a small percentage of things are real problems.
There was a man who slid down a rope into a very dark well. He thought he had given himself ample length on the rope to get to the bottom but to his dismay he reached the end of the rope without reaching the bottom of the well. It was pitch black and he didn't have a torch or light to see. All he knew was that he had come to the end of the rope with no sight of the bottom. Unable to pull himself up he hung onto the rope until eventually he fell a total of 5 inches! Many problems are like that, we're holding on not knowing what the outcome is going to be and usually it’s not as bad as we think.
When we see the lilies spinning in distress,
Taking thought to manufacture loveliness,
When we see the birds all building barns for store;
‘Twill be time for us to worry: NOT BEFORE. (author unknown)
This quote from Charles Spurgeon is also very true.
“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but empties today of its strength”.
Charles Spurgeon
Yes, anxiety will strip away all your strength. I'll also tell you a little kiddy joke. “What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches. A nervous wreck!
The yips
Everyone suffers from anxiety and we are bombarded throughout the day with things that can cause it. One example I can give is called choking in the sports field. Someone will have a sure win in the bag but something happens and you'll see the person get anxious and crumble. It just snowballs. It has happened to me in golf. I was playing the Stroke Play Champs at the Golf Club and I had a chance of winning. The night before the final I was practicing my putting into a cup in the lounge. I missed the first shot so I dragged the ball back and tried again. I missed it again and then missed it a third time. I then developed a little twitch as I was about to stroke the ball. My wife was there and could see it. I thought, oh no I've got what they call the yips which is a nervous twitch when hitting short putts. I went to the golf course the next day trying to have a positive attitude and not think about what had happened the night before. I got onto the practice putting green and sure enough the yips were still there. I came to the 1st hole and I fell apart. The 2nd hole I five putted. I couldn't even sink a putt a foot away from the hole!. I'd go to stroke the ball and I'd have a nervous twitch at the bottom and my swing and the ball would go off at a right angle. I went from bad to worse and the people I was playing with couldn't even watch. Every time I went to putt they would turn their backs in case they caught what I had. I ended up putting with my driver, that's how bad it got. The reality was that I cared too much about getting a little golf ball into a hole, and that developed into anxiety. It built up and up until I was having a sword fight every time I putted.
There are a few scriptures on anxiety:
Psa 94:19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. You see we all have anxieties, and the need is actually God himself.
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. Notice that David always exposes the full extent of his heart. He doesn't hide his anxieties from God. He asked God to bring them into the open.
Pro 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. Anxiety can lead to depression because it's all consuming. So if you come across someone who is depressed, remember that a good word makes it glad.
How is it that you have no faith?
Jesus speaks about worry, anxiety and how we react to life’s necessities in Luke 12.
Luk 12:22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
God can take care of you, He knows what you need and He can supply it. He takes care of the whole animal kingdom and they are not stressed because God provides what is needed. You are much more valuable to Him. Jesus does not want us to worry about life's necessities because God knows what we need.
Mar 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" 39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
Jesus likened the fact that they were troubled to being anxious. The disciples thought they were going to die but Jesus, who was in the same situation, was fast asleep! He was not concerned in the slightest. He said to them, How is it that you have no faith? Unbelief, anxiety, fear and worry are all unbelief.
Nothing means nothing
Do you think Jesus was ever anxious? Did the Lord Jesus ever have a panic attack? Every situation Jesus found himself in He exposed to His Father and the Father worked through Him in each and every situation. There was one event however where we do see anxiety and that is Gethsemane. Mark 14.34 reads "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death”. In Luke 22.44 we read And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. This is the only place I can find where Jesus was troubled and anxious. Yet He says to the Father in Luke 22:42 "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Jesus rebounds straightaway to His Father. He's feeling the agony of having to undergo the cross, become the sin offering and be separated from his Father for the first time in all eternity. All of that is weighing on our Saviour in the garden.
Sweating drops of blood they say is possible only under extreme anguish of the soul. Luke tells us that Jesus was in agony of soul, the only time when our Lord was anxious. He asks the Father, “take this cup away from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. Here is a wonderful picture for us; no matter what is over our heads it has to be put under the Father's feet. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ did.
In Philippians Paul writes be anxious for nothing. Nothing means nothing which means that nothing in life should cause us to fear, worry or be anxious. However, the reality is something different because we all have things which make us anxious. Paul means place everything under the feet of the Father. Put everything in the Lord's hands. Whatever comes to us we shouldn't be afraid or worry. Nothing means nothing. From Genesis to Revelation there is a constant theme. God is always saying to fallen man, “Fear not, do not be afraid”, and unfortunately the fall of man has brought this about. We need to learn that for every situation that’s over our head it's under our Father's feet.
But in everything by prayer and supplication. This means everything. Supplication and prayer is the antidote for anxiety. Let God have the things over your head which are causing worry. He knows all about it anyway. It's a little bit like when your kids come home from school and you want to know how their day has gone. You want them to tell you everything. The good, the bad and the ugly because you want to be involved in their life and know everything that is going on in their little world. God knows everything that is going on in our world. The good, the bad and the ugly. Paul reminds us to let God know by prayer and supplication. He knows it anyway so bring Him into what is happening in your life. In this we develop a relationship with Him and we find him to be faithful in everything.
The sacrifice of thanksgiving
Paul goes on to write with thanksgiving. Two little words. You see many pray to the Father and many give all their troubles to God but is thanksgiving included in that? Paul exhorts us to pray for everything but also to include thanksgiving. We need to freely thank Him. Thankfulness goes along with prayer and supplication. Are you thankful for the salvation that has come to you? Are you thankful that God reached down and chose you? Are you thankful that mercy has been given to you so that you could receive the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you thankful that you've got a roof over your head, that you have a job, money, a vehicle to travel in? Are you thankful for your wife, you're kids? Are you thankful for Jesus Himself?
Psa 116:12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? 13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints. 16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.
Take the cup of salvation offered. The Lord Jesus was crucified for all mankind, freely take Him. The writer of Psalms asks, What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me? For His great goodness and grace. I will take the cup of salvation, …and I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving. The writer will take it up and will say thank you. Whenever the Lord Jesus Christ addresses His Father He always says thank you. Thank you Father for this situation, and then He continues. Thanksgiving is one little word that is really important. Be thankful Saints for all that God has done. It is an act of faith because we are saying to God that the situation is in His hands. Hebrews 13.15 says, Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Let your requests be made known to God. Tell God everything that's going on.
The peace of God
Php 4.7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Now Paul writes about what will happen if we expose everything to the Father. There are different types of peace. This is not like a beauty pageant question where they ask, “What do you want?” And the answer is usually “world peace”. World peace is good but there will not be peace until the second coming of Christ when the Lord Jesus reigns in the Millennium. There is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ as our substitute. He was made sin for us. This peace has been provided by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then there is the peace of God which is the presence of Christ within the believer.
In John 14.27 Jesus said to His disciples, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
How does the world give peace? Every single person has a hole inside them that can only be filled by God's presence. God gives lasting peace not like the temporary peace the world gives. A small amount of peace gives pleasure. You may find peace or pleasure in the work you do, in the money you have, the sport you play or in relationships. They are all good things but will not provide the lasting peace our souls need. Jesus himself is that peace and He will fill all our needs. Paul writes, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. We all go through things that we do not know what the outcome is going to be. If we expose the situation to God suddenly we are filled with peace. We don't understand why we feel the way we do, but we know that the situation is under God's feet and in His hands. He can take care of it and it enables us to rest in Him and to enjoy Him. There will be situations God will lead us into to show Himself real to us by this presence of peace in our souls. The situation may be dire and we should be worried and afraid. But the peace of God that comes on a believer surpasses all understanding. You won’t understand why you feel at rest. Because it's in God's hands and under His feet He gives you rest and comfort in your soul. You know it and it's His business whatever comes.
The amplified version says a garrison around the heart instead of guard. You get a picture of the believer with a fort around him. The peace of God is pictured like a garrison protecting your heart and mind. In Ephesians 6 the breastplate of righteousness protects the heart and the helmet of salvation protects the mind. Both of these areas are prone to Satan's arrows. He's always firing them at the heart and mind. The peace of God guards what goes on in the top two inches affecting how we think and feel. It's vital. When I had the yips in golf crazy stuff was going through my mind. I cared too much and I became a nervous wreck. 2nd Corinthians 10.5 says bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Proverbs 4.23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. We must protect both the mind and the heart and how we think and what we do in any situation. Do we instantly fear or get worried? Do we allow anxiety to grow? Or do we do what Paul said? In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Bring God into every aspect of your life. Paul says if you can do that peace will guard your heart and your mind, it will garrison around your life and give rest to your souls.
Father, we thank you for these two verses. We all get anxious, but we thank you for the promise that you are a great God. For everything that is over our head we need to put it under your feet. We thank you for your sovereignty and we thank you for the presence of Christ that protects our minds and our hearts. We thank you that we are in you, a risen Christ. We are thankful for your involvement in our lives. Teach us to not be anxious. Teach us to bring you into everything so that you may live through us for your glory in Jesus name. Amen.