Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Thankful in Tough Times

Theme: Guarding Your Heart in This Life

Series: Full Measure of Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

This passage of Scripture was written while the Apostle Paul was in prison and gives us truths to protecting our spiritual hearts in this life.

(The Ryrie Study Bible; Matthew Henry Commentary; The Expositors Bible Commentary) The people to whom the Holy Spirit led Paul to write were faced with worrisome things.

(Daily Study Bible Series) The fact is just being a human being, vulnerable to all chances and the changes of this mortal life is itself a worrying thing.

The Early Church, just like us had normal worries over human situations.

Being Christians did not protect them nor will it protect us from giving in to the temptation of taking one’s life into his own hands.

There is a magazine, “The Smithsonian Institute,” saying that “we are in the golden age of anxiety.”

Pastor Rick Warren came across a study done by Dr. Walter Calvert, giving us the results of the sin of worry.

He writes:

“Forty percent of what you worry about will not happen.

Thirty percent of your worries concern the past.

Twelve percent of your worries are health issues.

Ten percent of your worries are insignificant and petty issues with only eight percent of your worries having actual legitimate concerns.”

Those are interesting statistics, however, you and I know that there are real stress issues that do not need to be proven by a study.

The death of a spouse or a loved one, the effects of divorce, our nation’s financial instability, our war on terror and especially the eternal condition of souls who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.

I would propose to you there are three powerful truths in today’s key text that will protect your relationship with Jesus Christ and enable you to express a life of thankfulness to God regardless of the circumstance.

Just what are the truths found in Philippians 4:6-7, truths the Holy Spirit revealed so powerfully to the Apostle Paul in prison?

Just how can we apply them to our everyday life?

Do not worry or be anxious about anything

The first step to guarding your heart and mind in this sin cursed world is, do not worry or be anxious about anything.

Worry is a constant attack from the devil to distract us and keep us from enjoying God’s best.

Paul addressed the sin of worry and so did Jesus.

He taught, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

…But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

(Matthew 6:25-34)

The Apostle Paul and Jesus are on the same page and both of them are not giving a pep talk, but a charge not to worry!

(The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible) The reason for this charge to all Christians is because worrying expels trust in God (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) and implies to those looking on that the Lord is not present.

The Biblical goal set before every child of God is to present the truth, “God is our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.”

(Psalm 46:1)

With this truth set before us, we must seriously consider, “What is worry?”

“Worry” or “anxious” (merimnao) means not to be troubled in thought and heart so as to cripple you.

(The Complete Word Study Commentary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek, New Testament; Dictionary of Biblical Languages) The application is to be pulled in different directions.

Our hopes and dreams pull one way, but fear takes us another direction, thus preventing or crippling us from enjoying all that God has for us.

The Old English root word from which we get our word “worry” means to “strangle.”

You and I have fallen into this type of worry, thus we find ourselves not thinking clearly, no longer being productive, and looking for other avenues through which to work.

Hours are wasted daily because of this sin and vision is not prayed through to completion.

(The Bible Exposition Commentary)

From a spiritual point of view, worry is wrong thinking and wrong attitude of heart about circumstances, people, and things.

Worry is the great thief of joy.

Being surrendered over to anxiety binds people and causes them to withdraw, fall into hesitation, cowardice, depression, discouragement, and a defeatist attitude, perform quick and unplanned actions, make unwise and harmful decisions, and suffer physical sicknesses, emotional problems, spiritual backsliding, distrust, and unbelief.

It is not enough to just tell yourself “Do not worry!”

Only an inside work can enable one to enjoy the peace of God.

If Christians are going to conquer worry and experience a secure mind, they must meet the conditions that God has laid down in Philippians 4:6.

The child of God who is thankful in tough times is literally living in the light of the Lord’s presence.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

The peace of God is given to born again Christians as soon as they put their hope and trust in Christ.

His peace can be enjoyed right now if they choose not to worry and it can be continually enjoyed if they do not let even one thing that comes up in the future cause them to worry.

Our key text says, “not anxious about anything.”

“Anything” (medeis) means not even one thing, not one person, situation or circumstance.

(The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; Dictionary of Biblical Languages; Greek-English Lexicon)

C. Kingsley understood the heart of this portion of the message and it is so clearly presented as he wrote, “Be not anxious about tomorrow [or anything].

Do today’s duty, fight today’s temptations [through Christ] and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see and could not understand if you saw them.

Enough for you that the God you serve is just and merciful, for He [rewards] every man according to his [labor].

The heart of this part of the message is, Christians are to be concerned about the things of this present life, but with a heart that enables them to look to the Lord with such a confidence that it frees their minds, strengthens visions and embraces the peace of God through Jesus Christ.

This is done by taking to heart 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him [Christ Jesus] because He cares for you.”

Christians are told to pray

Once Christians grasp the truth that worry is sin, keeping them from enjoying the true peace of God, they are told to pray.

Our key text says, “but in everything, by prayer and petition, …present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) Ephesians 6:18 says, ““And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.”

The Holy Spirit has three powerful words in our key text today that will enable you be thankful in tough times, not thankful for the trial, temptation or affliction, but thankful to Jesus Christ in the midst of troubled times.

(The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

The first word is prayer, “(proseuche) which means a house devoted to prayer.

(Thayers’ Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament) The house of prayer God wants to hear from is us, the temple of the Holy Spirit of Christ.

Prayer here is a personal application of a child of God coming to Him in the Name of Christ, and yes there are to be set times of corporate prayer as well.

The application is there are to be special times of prayer with intimate worship with God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

This only comes as we make set times for prayer (Practical Word Studies in the New Testament) and are committed to making it to those prayer appointments.

These prayers are to God, for the glory of His purpose in the midst of the circumstances Christians are in.

(Word Studies in the New Testament)

The second word is “petition” (deesis) meaning a specific petition coming from the heart with intense crying out, a gut cry for something or someone.

It is interceding for a situation only God can do a work in or through.

(The Preacher’s Outline &Sermon Bible; Practical Word Studies; The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament)

A third word is “request (aitema) meaning we are to be specific, giving details, telling Him exactly what we need.

There should be no fear that we are giving God too much information or that we are bothering God.

Neither should we hold back in prayer because we are afraid that God will not answer yes to the request.

Christians have convinced themselves that they will appear spiritually weak if the Lord does not grant the request.

(The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; The Complete Word Study Dictionary) It is imperative that you understand that God does not need these details in order to give you an answer to prayer, you need to let the anxiety go as you present the request.

God knows what you need even before you ask.

(Matthew 6:8)

Paul stresses that we can take everything to God in prayer.

There is nothing too great for the Lord and nothing too small for His attention.

Christians may take their disappointments and their triumphs to Him.

When no one else will pray, each child of God may take His own petitions, supplications and requests to God.

Christians can pray for forgiveness of the past, for their circumstances and for their future.

For application’s sake, the Apostle Paul formed the habit of prayer as he faced every circumstance in this life.

Have you and do you follow as Paul followed Christ?

A.B. Simpson wrote, “Our God has boundless resources.

The only limit is us.

Our asking, our thinking, our praying is too small.

Our expectations are too limited.”

Heart of thankfulness in all things

Thankfulness in tough times begins with not being anxious, by taking everything to God in prayer and by having a heart of thankfulness in all things. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”