Greg Laurie - Don't Worry, Pray! (12/07/2017)
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Pastor Greg Laurie digs into Philippians 4 with the message "Don't Worry, Pray," showing how Paul, even from prison, commands us to rejoice always, stop being anxious about anything, and instead bring every need to God with thanksgiving. He promises God's peace will guard our hearts and minds when we pray right, think right on true and noble things, and live out what we've learned. The bottom line is worry chokes us spiritually, but turning worries into prayers brings real peace and strength for whatever comes.
Introduction: From Worry to Prayer
Well, we are in Philippians chapter 4. So why don't you grab your Bible and we are going to dig in. And then following this message we are going to have a communion service. Which is always... you probably figured that out, right? Seeing that that was your first clue right there in front of you. The communion trays. The title of my message is "Don't Worry, Pray." Let's pray before we start.
Father, we ask now that as we open the Word, and as we talk about the topic of worry and anxiety, that we will see how important prayer really is. That we will get a handle on what you are saying to us here in Philippians about rejoicing in the Lord always and how that works in real life. So we invite you to speak to us from Scripture now and we ask this all in Jesus' name. Amen.
Hey, quick question. How many of you have ever been gripped by fear? You know the feeling. Probably most of you right? You know the feeling. Your blood goes cold. You get the shiver down the spine. Your hair stands on end. In my case that is singular, not plural. One single hair. Sort of like a cupid doll, right? Like that. Yeah. You know your stomach sinks. Your mouth goes dry. All those emotions associated with fear. This may have happened when your life was in danger. Or it may be something you actually paid money for. I am amazed at how people will spend good money to be frightened out of their wits. You know like some of these crazy roller coasters that you can go on. I gave up riding roller coasters years ago.
The Cost of Fear and Worry
I think that I just said, "oh it is really fun. It is really fun." And then one day, maybe I was in my 30s, I just said, "this isn't fun." And I don't know that it ever was fun. Because all I know is when I am on the top of that roller coaster, getting ready to drop or whatever it is. And I am looking at those people down there. I would give anything to trade places with them. So I am completely over roller coasters. Or you spend money to go to that scary movie. And then when the most frightening part of the film comes up on the screen, you cover your eyes. Isn't that why you went to the movie? And then there is that emotion that is often coupled with fear. And I am talking about worry.
There is a lot of things people can worry about today. The state of our country, our economy, terrorism, threat of a war of some kind. But according to a cover story in Time Magazine, we actually worry about the wrong things. For instance, we often worry about flying. Some people have a fear of flying. Do any of you have a fear of flying? I won't mock you. It is okay. I understand that. But according to this article, there are more people that die from other things than from flying. For instance, they said, here are the things you need to be worried about. 600 Americans die each year from falling out of their beds. Are you afraid to go to bed at night? And then there is that fatal plunge down the stairs. That bite of sausage lodged in your throat. The tumble on the slippery sidewalk. As you leave your house. So basically, as long as we don't fly, eat, sleep in a bed, go downstairs, or walk on the sidewalk, we are good to go. Right?
But we are a nation that is filled with anxiety and worry. And of course, there are those personal worries. We are concerned about our health. We are concerned about our family. We are concerned about our future. In fact, a poll was done. And people were asked what they worried about the most. Now, what do you think made the list of what people worry about the most? Threat of nuclear war. Threat of losing their health. Well, the number one fear that people have in the world today is their appearance. I love that. Yeah, I may get nuked, but how do I look in this outfit? You know? What is going on? But we may worry about how long we will live. Modern medical research has proven that worry actually breaks down your resistance to disease, and it actually diseases the nervous system, specifically the digestive organs and the heart. In fact, research has revealed that 79 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are stress-related complaints.
The Dangers and Futility of Worry
Charles Mayo, the founder of the famed Mayo Clinic, said he never knew anyone who died of overwork, but he knew many who died of worry. He said, quote, "you can worry yourself to death, but you will never worry yourself to a longer life." John Curtis, who is the director of the University of Wisconsin Stress Management Institute, says, quote, "I believe that 90 percent of stress is brought on by not living in the present moment, worrying about what has already happened, what is going to happen, or what could happen."
So, we all have our issues with worry. And I have to tell you, there is nothing productive about it. In fact, it is interesting to point out that the word worry comes from an old German word, which means to choke or to strangle. And that is exactly what worry does. It chokes you spiritually. It creates an emotional and mental stranglehold on your life. It doesn't ever make anything better, and in fact, it makes things worse. When you worry about the future, you cripple yourself in the present. Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. That is why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "why do you worry about tomorrow? Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has trouble of its own."
I read about a fable that has been told over the years that deals with the problem of worry. It is the story of a man who came face to face with the dangers of worry. One day he saw death walking into his town. And so the man approached death and said, "what are you here to do?" And death said, "I have come today to take a hundred people." So the man ran ahead of death and warned everybody about what was coming. And then when the day had come to an end, a thousand people had died. And the man said to death, "I thought you were only going to take a hundred. A thousand people died." Death said, "I only took a hundred. The other nine hundred were taken by worry." That is often how it works. In fact, you could put this on the tombstones of many Americans today. Hurried, worried, buried.
We are the only nation in the world that has a mountain called Mount Rushmore. Maybe we should take a cue from our Aussie friends, the Australians. I love this expression they have down under. They will say, "no worries, mate." You know, if you walk up to an Aussie on the street and say, I am wondering how to get to this place or whatever. And they will very pleasantly respond. And then often say, "no worries, mate." No worries, mate. You know, that is actually theologically very sound. To not have worries in your life.
Paul's Command from Prison
So Paul tackles this topic here in Philippians chapter 4. We will start in verse 4. Read down to verse 8. These, by the way, are some of my favorite verses in all of the Bible. "Rejoice in the Lord always," writes Paul. "And again I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 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 that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."
Now, before we dive in, let's consider the context. In other words, where was Paul when he wrote these words? Was he kicking back in some Mediterranean beach? No. He was incarcerated. He was under house arrest because he had appealed to Caesar as a Roman citizen, and he was waiting for the time where he would have his moment with the leader of Rome. Now he didn't know what was going to happen. He might be beheaded tomorrow. He didn't know what his future was going to be. And then to make matters even worse, some of the believers were against Paul, and they were criticizing Paul. Others were for Paul. So here is Paul in a difficult situation. He is trapped in this prison cell under house arrest. He doesn't know what his future is going to be. And what does he say? He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." Great words. "Be anxious for nothing" could easily be translated "Don't worry about anything, but instead pray about everything." The word that is used here for anxious in verse 6 means to be pulled in different directions. To be pulled in different directions.
You see, what happens with worry is our hopes pull us in one direction and our fears pull us in the other. And we find ourselves focusing on the wrong things in life and completely missing the point. Heard about a lady that was very lonely. Her husband had died. So she was told that a parrot would make a great companion. They lived very long. Plus they talked. And so she went down to the local pet shop and picked out a parrot. And the owner assured the lady that this was a very talkative parrot. So she took it home. And about a week and a half went by. And she brought him back and said to the owner of the pet shop, "Excuse me, sir. This parrot that I paid a lot of money for has not said a single word."
The pet shop owner said, "Well, ma'am, did you buy the parrot a mirror? Every parrot needs a mirror. And when they see the reflection in the mirror, they will just chat away. Get the parrot a mirror." So she bought a mirror. Took it home to her parrot. And another week and a half went by. She came back. She says, "The parrot still isn't talking." He says, "Well, ma'am, does the parrot have a ladder? Every parrot needs a ladder. Get him a ladder. He will go up and down that ladder and just start talking." So she buys the ladder. Takes it home. Another week and a half passes by. She comes back again. The parrot isn't talking. "Oh, but does he have a swing? Every parrot needs a swing." And so she bought the swing. And she took it home to the parrot. Already had a mirror and a ladder. Now he has a swing. Still, the parrot doesn't talk.
Now about six days go by. And she returns to the pet shop outraged. And she says, "Sir, not only did the parrot not talk, the parrot died." And the pet shop owner said, "Did he say anything before he died?" She said, "As a matter of fact, he did." "Really? What did he say?" He said, "Don't they have any food down at that store?" These are the jokes, people. See, that poor woman had her priorities out of whack. So what am I supposed to do? Instead of worrying, look at verse 4. "Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice." Joy and rejoicing has been the reoccurring theme in the book of Philippians. And here it is, Paul again reminding us of it. And by the way, these are a command from God. In other words, in the original language, this is not a suggestion. I suggest you rejoice. No. Paul is saying, "Listen. I command you." More specifically, God is saying, "I command you. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice."
Rejoicing as an Act of Obedience
Let me say something that might surprise you. To not rejoice can be disobedience to God. It can actually be an act of disobedience. You know, we will justify worry. We'll say, "Well, I'm just a worrywart. And my mother was that way. And I just..." Okay, you know, I understand that. Some people may be more prone to worry and anxiety than others. But that doesn't rationalize it. God says you are to rejoice. I think we would all do ourselves a huge favor if we would just stop taking ourselves too seriously. And lighten up a little bit. You know, I think you can find humor in a lot of situations. Sometimes even very difficult ones. The Bible promises a cheerful heart to the follower of Christ. In Proverbs 15:15, it says that a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Scripture tells us, "In His presence there is fullness of joy. And in His right hand pleasures forevermore." But yet some believers walk around and act as though they were baptized in lemon juice. You know, they are always bummed out about something. Depressed about something. Down about something.
Here is Paul in the worst circumstances imaginable. And he is saying, "Hey everybody, newsflash. Let's all lighten up a little bit. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice." He is effectively saying, "Look, if I can rejoice where I am, then definitely you can rejoice where you are." And he was facing hardship, as I said. Any idiot can rejoice when things are going reasonably well. But when you are facing adversity, or hardship, or sickness, and then you rejoice, my friend, you are obeying God. Listen to Habakkuk 3:17. "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren, even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." Wow. That is like saying, "Even when the car has been repossessed, and the bank is coming to repossess the house next, and there are unpaid bills piled up on the kitchen counter, and everyone in the family is sick, I am going to still rejoice in the Lord." It does not say He is going to rejoice in the circumstances. You are rejoicing in the Lord. See, God is still on the throne. God still loves me. God has promised He can work all things together for good to those that love Him. He has promised He will never leave me or forsake me so I can rejoice. It is not about rejoicing only when everything is going well. It is rejoicing in the Lord regardless of how things are going.
It is hard to sing songs to the Lord in times of adversity. Psalm 42:8 says, "Through each night the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I will sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life." Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night? I do. Not every night. And it is really depressing when you wake yourself up because you are snoring, isn't it? "What was that noise? Oh, it is me." Oh, yeah. But you may wake up. Whatever wakes you up. Wakes you up. But maybe it was a dream. And you are filled with anxiety. And why is it all those worries come flooding in, you know, at 3 o'clock in the morning? It is too late to get up. And so you just lay there. And this is when you have got to really put these scriptures into practice and just rejoice in the Lord.
Remember when Paul and Silas were in prison, we read in Acts 16:25, "at midnight they sang praises to God." When you are in chains, the midnight hour is not the easiest time for a worship service. Nor is it when you are in the waiting room waiting for the test to come back from the lab. Nor is it easy to rejoice when you are in the hospital waiting room when a loved one is having surgery. Or a thousand other scenarios we could come up with. But we are to rejoice in the Lord.
Three Keys to Overcoming Worry
Now these are very important things Paul is telling us. If you want to be free from worry, it comes down to three things according to Philippians 4. Right praying, right thinking, and right living. Right praying, verses 6 to 7. Right thinking, verse 8. And right living, verse 9. We have them on the screen. Right praying. Right thinking. Right living. So we will break those down. Let us start with number one. Right praying. The next time you are tempted to worry, pray instead. Let me repeat that. The next time you are tempted to worry, pray instead. "Don't be anxious about anything," Paul writes, "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." We need to get into the habit of turning to God when we feel worry approaching so that our reaction in times of trouble will be like a conditioned reflex.
A normal reflex is different than a conditioned reflex. A normal reflex comes naturally. For instance, if you touch a hot iron, you will pull your hand away quickly because it's hot. And a child will do that too. They don't know at first, but oh, they realize, you know. And it's like the guy who went to a doctor with two severely burned ears. The doctor said, "what happened to you?" He says, "well, I was ironing and I got preoccupied because the phone rang and I answered the iron instead of the phone." "Well, that explains your right ear. What happened to your left ear?" "Well, they called back." So a normal reflex comes naturally. You touch something hot, you pull back. But a conditioned reflex is something you learn. You teach yourself to do it. For instance, through repetition, you find yourself doing it naturally. Like when the Star Spangled Banner is sung, we all stand up. We've been taught out of respect for our country and its symbol of the flag. We stand during the singing of the national anthem and wonder if they're actually going to hit that high note, right? Or when we offer the pledge to the flag, we put our hand over our heart. That's something we've been taught to do. So that is a conditioned reflex. It can be compared to driving. You know, when you... Do you remember when you first got behind the wheel of a car? You had to consciously think about everything that you did. Okay, let's see. Oh yeah, key in the ignition and look over your shoulder and pull out, you know. And then when you're making that turn, you look over your shoulder, turn on your turning signal, change the lanes, and oh no, okay, I'm coming to a light. Right. Hit brake now. And you know, you had to think about it. Or was that just me? But you know, at first it was challenging. I remember when I first learned to drive a stick shift, you know, that was harder than automatic transmission because, okay, you have to, you know, accelerate, then you push in your clutch and put it into gear and release your clutch slowly and give it gas as you're... And you know, I'm hitting the brake instead of the clutch and hitting the accelerator instead of the brake and you know, like this. But after a while, you get it down and it comes naturally. You don't even think about it anymore. You pop in the car. You just drive.
Now let's apply those same principles to fear and worry. Our natural tendency when we're in trouble is not to pray. It's to worry. Something happens. Oh. Oh no. And we go through these scenarios that just start stacking up like dominoes in our minds. "What if this happens? What if that happens? What if this other thing happens?" But here's what we need to teach ourself to do. Natural reflex in trouble is to worry. Conditioned reflex is to pray. It's not what you naturally want to do. Bad news comes on the phone. What do you do? Stop. Let's pray. Everybody let's pray. That's what you do. You just pray right there in the moment. That is what we are being taught here in Scripture. Often when we face adversity our first instinct is to turn to people for help. And God can work through people. And He can provide through family and friends and help us no question. But ultimately we should turn to God when trouble comes. And it will come.
Why We Should Pray Instead of Worry
Why should I turn to God and pray? Number one that is the reason of all because Jesus told us to. Do we need another reason? Jesus told us to pray. Luke 18:1 He said men ought always to pray and not lose heart. So we should pray because Jesus told us to. Even if prayer were a difficult thing to do which it is not or an unpleasant thing to do which it is not we should pray because we are commanded to pray in Scripture. The Bible says men ought always to pray and not to give up. Number two we should pray because prayer is God's appointed way for obtaining things. Let me repeat that we should pray because prayer is God's appointed way for obtaining things. Now, that can sound somewhat mercenary. It sounds like I'm describing God like some big Santa up in heaven. And I'm not. But the fact of the matter is, the Bible tells me I should go to God with my needs. And we all have needs. Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer, "after this manner therefore pray, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread." Jesus taught us that we are to approach God with our needs. Do you have needs right now? Pray about it. Do you need His provision? Pray about it. Do you need His healing touch? Pray about it. Go to God with your requests. And Scripture tells us, "Your Father who knows you have need of these things will hear you." And listen to this verse from James 4:2. "You have not because you ask not." Think about this. You might wonder, "Why is it I never know what the will of God is for my life?" Answer. "You have not because you ask not." You might say, "Why is it that I never have the opportunity to lead people to the Lord?" Answer. "You have not because you ask not." I wonder how many answers to prayer would be waiting for you if you would just pray about it, ask about it. "Lord, I have never actually brought this before you, but I am praying about it now." Worst case scenario, God says no. But what if He says yes?
Number three, prayer is the way by which God helps us overcome our anxiety and worry. Again, prayer is the way by which God helps us to overcome our anxiety and not worry. Notice Paul says in verse six, "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving." He doesn't say, "In only the big, hairy, scary things of life pray." You know, just pull out the prayers when things get really bad. Otherwise, just sort it out yourself. No. "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God." Listen to this. Nothing is too small to bring to God in prayer. Even the smallest details. He is interested. We sometimes only think about the big things, but little things, of course, turn into big things, don't they?
You know, I love kittens. They are so cute. The problem is they do grow into cats. Or how about as Easter is coming, you know, people will sometimes get little bunnies and chicks. This happened more when I was a kid, actually. I don't see this much in pet stores anymore, but back when I was growing up, you would go down to the pet store and they would sell little chicks. And sometimes, I am sure the animal rights people would be outraged by this, they would dye the chicks. So they would be like bright blue and bright pink, you know. And so they were so adorable. Or you could buy the little bunny and you would take it home. Of course, the problem is, is that the little chicks turn into chickens. Chickens walking around your house. It is not as cute when it is a full grown chicken, right? And the cute little bunny is so soft as a rabbit pooping everywhere now, you know. In fact, that would be a great way to torment a family. "Look, I got your kids chicks and bunnies." Ha, ha, ha. Yeah, these things grow up. Say, "Greg, have you lost your mind?" I don't know what you are even talking about. The answer is, yes, I have. But I am making a point. See, little things turn into big things. And little problems turn into big problems. A lot of times, we don't think something is an issue. We say, "oh, I can handle this. I have got this little bit of a, you know, substance abuse problem, but I can handle it." "Oh, yeah, yeah, I like to drink a little bit, but, you know, I'll never come under the influence or get a DUI or have an alcohol problem." "Oh, yeah, I like to look at a little, you know, porn here and there, but..." these are not autobiographical statements, by the way. "And I can handle it. I won't go too far." You know, "I'm married, but I'll go ahead and flirt with that guy." That's definitely not an autobiographical statement. I'm sort of putting myself in the feminine position for a moment to communicate an idea. But, you know, "I can flirt with that guy. It's cool. I would never, you know, cross a line." Yeah, famous last words. Bunnies turn into rabbits. Little sins turn into big sins.
Praying with Thanksgiving and Perspective
Maybe sometimes with raising our kids, when they are so little, we think, "well, I don't need to pray for them that much. They are so innocent and so obedient and they basically do what I said." Then one day they get into their preteen years and we say, "what's happening?" The raging hormones and the boys and the crazy decisions of the girls. And we start praying, now, no, you should have been praying for them a long time ago. And you should be raising them in the way of the Lord. In fact, when the Bible says, "train up a child in the way that they should go. And when they are old, they will not depart from it." In the original language, that phrase, "train up a child," is translated multiple ways. Meaning just a little infant to a young boy or a young girl to a preteen to a teen. Even a child well into their twenties. The idea is, parents, you pray for your kids and train your kids in the way of the Lord from infancy to adulthood. Remember the story of when the parents are bringing their kids to Jesus, to be blessed. And the disciples were shooing them away. He said, "hey, you guys, back off. Let those little children come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." I love the fact that in the original language, it says they kept bringing their children to Jesus. So these persistent moms, we're not backing down. You know, we're coming back with kids, you know. And Jesus is saying, "bring the kids. Get out of the way, disciples. I love those children," but I love the persistence of the mothers. And we need to keep bringing our children to Jesus as well. Nothing is too small or too big to bring to God. And "everything by prayer," let your requests be made known to God.
But notice it also says in verse 6, "and everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving." Do I give thanks to God before the prayer is answered? Absolutely. Do I give thanksgiving to God even if he doesn't answer the prayer the way that I prayed it? Absolutely. Because God is in control, and he has a purpose. So what does it mean with thanksgiving? It means get perspective. Coming back to the Lord's Prayer, the model prayer. Jesus said, "after this manner therefore pray." He didn't just say, "when you're in big trouble, this is the killer prayer." You can pray it in trouble. Nothing wrong with praying the Lord's Prayer verbatim. It's a beautiful prayer. But it is also a template or a model for all prayer. "After this manner, in this way, therefore," Jesus says, "you should pray. 'Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'" Okay, so when I pray, here's what God is saying. Don't start off with your personal petitions. Glorify God and give him thanks.
Now think about your prayers. How often we pray. "Well, let's pray. Lord, we pray that you'll provide this and provide that." Nothing wrong with asking for his provision, but that's called cutting to the chase. Why don't you start... Now there's exceptions. You know, like if the plane is going down, just... Or to an earlier point, if the sausage is lodged in the throat, or... "God help now." Skip the formalities. Let's get to it. But the idea is contemplate the greatness of God. Why is this important? Because it puts your problems in perspective. Listen to this. Big God, small problems. Big problems, small God. See, if I see God in all of His glory, I'll see my problems in the proper perspective. It's not that your problem isn't serious. It's just that your God is greater. And if I see that, it will change the way that I pray. So I might say, "Lord, I want to just praise you for your power, and your love, and your goodness. And Lord, I thank you that you're in control of my life, and you have not forgotten me or abandoned me. And now, Lord, I bring this need to you." See, you kind of give yourself a little solid theology before you even start to pray. And so with thanksgiving ahead of time, and let your request be made known to God.
God may say yes, and God may say no. Do you say yes to everything your children ask for? "Yes, I do." You're an idiot. Children don't know what's best. They need a parent to be a parent. By the way, guess what? Your kids don't need dad to be their best friend. And they don't need mom to be their girlfriend. They need mom to be mom, and they need dad to be dad. And be parental, authoritative figures in their life that love them enough to warn them and to model for them what it means to follow Christ and so forth. But here's the thing. Your kids will ask for crazy stuff. You know, if they had their way, they would eat candy for breakfast and watch cartoons all day or play video games or even do all of those things at the same time while they're texting. You know, so you say, "honey, no, I'm not going to let you do that right now. I'm going to put a limit on that time you have in front of your computer. I'm going to say, no, you can't eat that. You need to eat this more balanced." "Oh, you don't love me." Actually, it's because I do love you. And in the same way, God may say, "no, I'm actually not going to give that to you." And we think, "God, it's so unfair." Did you ever stop and think God had something better for you? For we are told in Scripture, Ephesians 3:20, "glory be to God by His mighty work within us. He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever dare to ask or hope." That's why you should never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. That's why you should never be afraid to say, "your will be done." Again, back to the Lord's prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Then He says, then pray, "give us this day our daily bread." So before I offer a word of personal petition, I say, "now Lord, what I'm about to pray could be out of your will. And I'm just saying to you, please overrule it if it's not your plan for my life." That's how we need to pray. With rejoicing.
The Promise of God's Peace
And what does God promise He will do if we pray this way? He promises to bring us peace and "the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus." By the way, that phrase "guard" is a military term. And it means to stand guard. Scripture is essentially saying that God will stand guard over your heart day and night if you will pray about everything with thanksgiving. I like that. Sergeant peace has been assigned to watch over your heart. But you need to pray about these things. But notice He also mentions the fact that we are to do it with supplication. Now what does that mean? Well here is a good illustration in the Old Testament. It's the life of Daniel. Remember old Daniel? He was always praying. Every day he would go to his house, open up all of his windows, get down on his knees and pray to God. Well Daniel had some enemies that didn't like him because he was in the king's favor. He was a brilliant man. A powerful man. They thought "we have to bring this guy down." But the problem is there is no skeletons in his closet. There is no lack of integrity. There is no evil. Man the only way we are going to get him is if we find something about him and his God. So they got the king to sign a decree. No one could pray to any God except the king himself. The king said, "oh I like that. Yeah." Put his signet ring on it. Not realizing he was sentencing his trusted advisor Daniel to a certain death.
So Daniel's enemies lay in wait for him to pray as he always did. Now that would have been a nice time to close your windows and draw the shades. But Daniel wasn't going to compromise. And he prayed openly as he always did. They reported it to the king and the king was forced to do what he had said he would do. And the law was fulfilled and Daniel was arrested. But he is taken into a prison. Actually he is thrown into a lion's den. Now here is what is interesting. Daniel prayed. We read about it in Daniel 6. And we read that he prayed and gave thanks before his God. Knowing about this decree by the way. And then also that he made supplication before his God. So Daniel was praying and giving glory to God. And then he was praying for others as well. Possibly even for the king. Here is the way Daniel thought. You know, "what does that matter? I am in a win-win situation. Option number one, I get a good night's sleep. Use this big old fat cat for a pillow. And wake up to serve the Lord for another day. Option number two, I am dinner for the lion. And I wake up in heaven." Reminds me of a story of a guy who was out camping and suddenly heard a rustling in the trees. And a big grizzly was running at him full speed. So he is running for his life praying, "Oh God save me. God help me." And the bear is getting closer. And he finds a tree. And the man is climbing up the tree. And the bear is coming up right after him. "God deliver me. God save me." And the bear has almost got his leg. And the man says, "Oh, well at least Lord let him be a Christian bear." And then the bear looks up and says, "Lord for this meal that I am about to receive I give you." These jokes are so lame tonight, aren't they? I am dropping all my lame jokes on you on one message. You will use it someday. You watch.
Daniel thought, "it is all good. I will trust God." Well we know how. The Lord delivered him out of that lion's den. They did not eat him. But they did eat the accusers that set the trap for Daniel that were thrown into the same den by the king. Daniel would not compromise. But notice he rejoiced in the Lord and he gave supplication. Supplication is when you pray for others. That is a great way also to see your problems in perspective. Pray for someone else. Don't make your prayers all about you. There is a place for that. But pray for others who are in need. Pray for others who are struggling. Pray for others who need God's guidance. You can sum it up in a simple acronym. ACTS. A-C-T-S. Let us see how quickly they will get this on the screen. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Here we are. Good. Okay. ACTS. A-C-T-S. This is a good way to remember kind of the model for prayer. Adoration for A. C for confession. T for thanksgiving. S for supplication. So when you pray, remember the ACTS formula, if you will. Adore and glorify God. Confess your personal sin. Bring thanks to the Lord. Supplication. Praying for others.
Right Thinking: Guard Your Mind
So it is right praying. Number two, it is right thinking. Verse eight. "Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there is any virtue or anything praiseworthy, meditate or think on these things." Another translation puts it this way. "Sum it all up, friends. I would say you do your best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." Maintaining personal peace involves both the heart and the mind. Isaiah 26 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee."
Listen, I have put this passage to the test. I have faced the worst case scenario when our son died. And when I got the news on July 24, 2008, I felt as though I could have died on the spot. And I will tell you, and I do not say this so you will be impressed. "Oh, Greg, you are so spiritual." But I prayed. I cried out to God. Did I say, "Why, God?" Oh, I am sure I did. But I cried out to God because I needed God's help to get to the next five minutes, much less the next hour and the next day and the next week and the next month. And it is just, you know, I went into a state of shock. I collapsed at the crown. I did not know what, but I prayed. And I called on the Lord. And then in the aftermath, as you are processing the unimaginable that your son, who is 33, who has been with you all these years, is not with you, it is really hard to adjust to. It seems impossible to adjust to. And when I would go to sleep at night, my mind would be filled with thoughts that would terrorize me, and frighten me, and depress me, and unsettle me. So I kind of had this passage in my mind, Philippians 4. And as thoughts would come to my mind, I would just ask myself, "Is that true, what I am about to think? Is that helpful? Is that inspiring?" No. I would reject it. "Not going to think about it. Nope. Not going to go there. Not going to go there." Then I filled my mind and my heart with the Word of God. Fill it with the Word of God. And that is how I got through it. And that is how I get through it. So these are not theories. This is true. And you will find it true for you.
I hope you never face a scenario like that. I hope you never get a call from the doctor saying you have cancer. I hope that you never have to face some of these horrible things that life throws our way. But if it does, I want you to know, God will be with you. And He has given you the equipment you need to get through these things as you trust in Him. And so we need to remember this and prepare ourselves ahead of time. You know, we decide what we put in our mouth. Right? Food doesn't just jump in our mouth. Unless it is an insect. And it may do that. I have had bugs fly in my mouth. That is usually when I am riding my motorcycle with my mouth open. No, I don't do that. But you know, you decide.
You say, "I am either going to eat that or I am not going to eat that." And so you pick it up. You take a bite. And you swallow it. You chew it, hopefully, first. Guys probably don't even chew it all. We just swallow and, you know, inhale. It is more like the way a man eats. Similar to how a dog eats, as a matter of fact. But, you know, so you just take it in. And you decide what food goes in your mouth. So don't be upset later when you are putting on weight. And, "oh, how did that happen?" That happened because you put things in your mouth. Okay? In the same way you decide what goes in your mind. You decide. And you let certain thoughts in. And you reject other thoughts. And this is important because the first temptation that came to Eve in the garden was a temptation to think wrong about God. Genesis 3:1 says, "The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord had made. And he said, 'Did God really say you will not eat of every tree of the garden?'" He didn't say, "Hi, I am the devil, the enemy of God. You have probably heard about me. I adorn the cover of the orange Julius cup." No, you didn't do any of that. No, he just came and he was more subtle like a serpent. He was snake-like slithering in. I know a little about this because as a kid I collected snakes. I told you I had tropical fish and birds. I had snakes too. And the thing with snakes is they always were getting out of their cages. And they could get out of the smallest little spaces. And so you had to really keep your eye on a snake, you know. And that is what the devil is like. He is serpent-like.
I read a story from the paper. True story. I am not making this up. About a large python that ate a family's dog. A silky chihuahua. And the kids aged five and seven watched as the snake finished their dog. Now that is sad but odd. Because the local zoo owner who was eventually called and picked up the snake said, "You know, the family owned that dog and had seen it in the dog's bed. Which was a sign it was out to get the dog. They should have called me then, but they did not." And the snake came back. I mean, hello? When there is a snake in your little dog's bed, that is not a good sign. Especially when he is a big old gnarly python. Yeah, that snake may come back again. So maybe I should take some precautions. And we can be the same way. "Oh yeah, I can handle this. I can control that." And Satan comes and attacks our mind. That is why we are told in 2 Corinthians 11:3, "I am afraid lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness... your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion in Christ." Control what goes in here, folks. Because it is here that we fantasize. It is here that we dream. It is here that we contemplate. It is here that we reason. With our mind we can reach to the past through our memories and reach into the future through our imaginations. Train your mind to think properly and listen and biblically. Teach your brain to think biblically. Not emotionally, but to fill it with the word of God.
I would suggest when you find yourself facing trouble, talk to yourself. Now you have lost your mind, right? "Talk to myself?" Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Talk to yourself. What does that mean? Well, in Psalm 42, we read the psalmist was troubled. His emotions seemed to be getting the best of him. So he cries out, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me?" Then he talked to himself. In other words, he applied faith and reason and biblical thinking to this situation. And he said, "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." He talked to himself. He quoted scripture to himself. Have you ever done that? I have. I've preached to myself. I've actually rebuked myself. It's kind of fun. You should see it. I'm getting serious for a moment. In the aftermath of our son going to be with the Lord, I would think, "I'm never going to see him again. That's the last time I'll ever see him. Ever." And that was such a devastating thought. Then I started talking to myself. I said, "You listen to me, Greg. You'll see your son again. Because Jesus said, He is the resurrection and the life. And he that believes in him, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever lives and believes in me." Greg, I would just preach to myself. Sometimes when I'm driving, people are like, "What's going on?" See, that's the idea. You apply biblical truth to your irrational thinking. And get yourself back in line. Back where you need to be.
Right Living: Put It into Practice
So, we are almost done here. How do we overcome fear and worry? Right praying. Verses 6-7. Right thinking. Verse 8. Now the third and final principle. Right living. Verse 9. "These things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. These do. And the God of peace will be with you." Listen. We can have Bible studies all week long. And it isn't going to do us any good if we don't apply it. We are not just to be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. And I fear that there is a lot of sermon connoisseurs running around. You know we compare preachers. "Well I like this preacher. He is good in this area. But he is weak in this other area. But this other guy..." Shut up with that. This isn't battle of the bands here. I am not trying to be a better preacher than another preacher. This is the word of God. And so we need to be taking what God says and applying it in our lives. The Bible tells us we are not to just be hearers of the word, but doers. And if we are only hearers and not doers, we are like a person that looks at themself in the mirror and forgets what they look like. So we need to apply it.
And Jesus said, "whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will tell you what he is like. He is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And when the storms came and beat upon that house, it stood strong. But whoever hears these sayings of mine and does not do them, I will tell you what he is like. He is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And when the same storms came and beat upon that house, it collapsed like a house of cards." See, so if you do it, you will stand the temptations and the test of life. If you hear it and don't do it, then you will collapse. So we are all hearing it right now, audibly. We are hearing it, hearing it, hearing it. Are we going to do it? I don't know. That is up to you. You are going to walk out of here, and you are either going to do it or you are not going to do it. You are going to say, "yeah, I am going to fill my mind with all this junk." Or "no, I am going to guard my mind and fill it with the word of God. I am going to make a right decision here." That is up to you. And we need to pray that God will give us the power to live the life He has called us to live.
Communion: Remembering Christ's Sacrifice
Now we come to the communion table. And why do we do this? Well coming back to why we should pray. Why do we pray? Because Jesus told us to. Why do we have communion? Because Jesus told us to. Why? He gathered His disciples in the upper room and He said, "This do in remembrance of me." And as often as we do it, we remember the Lord's death until He comes. One day Christ is going to come and there will be no more communion services. But until that day, we are to remember. Communion jogs our memory. I have a ring on my finger here. It signifies that I am married. It is not that I forget. There is also a woman in my house for the past 37 years. That reminds me. Named Kathy. But this ring, it just jogs my memory. "Oh yeah, right." That is a reminder. God has said, "I want to jog your memory. And I want you to remember how you came into all of this. How you came into the family of God." It wasn't because you were a good person. It wasn't even because you were raised in a Christian home. It is because Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin. And you were a sinner separated from Him. But He loved you so much He laid His life down for you. So I want you to remember this. I want you to remember it was through my shed blood and my broken body. So bread symbolizes my body. And the wine or the juice in our case symbolizes the blood. A broken body and shed blood.
But then Paul tells us in the book of Corinthians when we receive the elements of communion, we are to not receive them in an unworthy manner. What does that mean? It means that these elements, though not holy in and of themselves, symbolize one who is. We don't believe in transubstantiation here at harvest, where bread turns into flesh, or juice turns into blood. But we believe they represent the Lord Himself. So when we hold these elements in our hands, we are serious about it. We are not playing some little game. We are not flippant. We are not cavalier. We are not like in a rush. Here is what we need to do. Just kind of push all those thoughts out of your mind that might be in there right now. You know, like, "oh no, did I leave the iron on at home?" You may have. Just don't answer it when you get home. That is all I am saying. "Oh wait, what am I going to eat after church? Should I get the pork taco?" No, no, don't think about that. "Oh, how am I going to pay this one bill?" Don't think about that. Push those thoughts out. "Oh wait, I am going to miss my TV program. I need to get home American Idol." Don't think about that. Think about Jesus. Remember what He did. Think about the cross. Think about the nails in His hands and feet. Think about the blood that was shed. Think about the sacrifice He made for you. Think about the words that He uttered from Calvary. And remember, it all reminds you of His love.
Maybe you have never put your faith in Jesus. Maybe you don't know for certain that you are a Christian. Listen to this. If you are not a Christian, please do not receive these elements that we are going to serve in a moment. You say, "well no, these are good little rituals we should go through and it might bring me closer to God." Actually not at all. Because to receive these elements, to hold the bread, to drink the cup, and not believe in the one they represent, according to the Apostle Paul, is to eat and drink judgment to yourself. And what that means is it is almost like you are mocking God. So you don't want to go there. You want to believe in the one they represent. You need a relationship with Him. You know those jackets people still wear to this present day? I don't know why. That is for members only. What club are you one member of exactly? I don't know, but it is for members only. Little tag right here. We have got Epplets. Yeah. Well listen. Communion is for believers only. Believers only. Those who have put their faith in Christ. If you have not done that yet, if you do not know if Jesus is living in you and that your sin is forgiven, if you are not certain that you are a Christian, why do not we get that taken care of right now before we receive communion?
Final Invitation Before Communion
So let us all bow our heads for a prayer, if you would. Everybody praying, please. Father, I pray for any that have joined us tonight that may not yet know you. Lord, would you help them to see their need for Jesus and help them to come to you and receive your forgiveness, we pray. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven, if you are ready to say yes to Jesus, would you lift your hand up wherever you are and I will pray for you. You want Christ to come into your life? You want Him to forgive you of your sin? Raise your hand up wherever you are. God bless you. Let's lift it up where I can see it. God bless you.
Anybody else? Lift your hand up. God bless you as well. You want His forgiveness. You want Jesus in your. Raise your hand. I'll pray for you. God bless you. Maybe you've fallen away from the Lord. You need to recommit your life to Him tonight. Would you lift your hand up? You need to come back to Christ. Lift your hand up if you would. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand now. God bless. All of you that are raising your hand, if you would please, would you just stand to your feet? And I'm going to lead you in a prayer right where you stand. Just stand to your feet, you that raised your hand. Even if you did not raise your hand, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Christ, stand up. And I am going to lead you in a prayer.
Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you that are standing. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you. God bless you. Stand now. You want His forgiveness. You have fallen away from the Lord. You want to come back to Him. You are not sure that you are a Christian, but you want to be. Stand to your feet now. I am going to lead you in a prayer before we receive communion. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you. Alright, all of you that are standing, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. And this is where you are asking Jesus to come into your life. So again, as I pray, you pray this out loud after me. Pray this now.
"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But you died on the cross for me. And shed your blood for my sin. I turn from that sin now. Come into my life. I choose to follow you from this night forward."