God’s Cure For Worry

Date: July 13, 1997-P.M.
Speaker: John Phillis Main Scripture References: Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:25-34

One of the features of the religion of Jesus Christ is that it is designed to bring happiness, both here in this life as well as in the hereafter. Such words as “happy”, “blessed”, and “rejoice”, which often appear in the Scriptures, show that our religion should be a daily experience of joy and gladness. David said, “Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah,” Psalm 33, and verse 12. And again he said, “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord,” Psalm 144, and verse 15. And no less than eight times in the Sermon on the Mount does Jesus use the word “blessed”, which is the equivalent of “happy”. And even from his prison cell in Rome, Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”, Philippians 4, and verse 4. And just a few verses after that, in verse 10, he says, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord…”.

Yet for many, if not most of us, these days are filled with anxieties and perplexities. We live in troubled times and there are many things to worry about. Just read the newspaper or watch the news on television.

But I believe that the Lord knew that we would be confronted with anxious feelings and heavy burdens in this life. And so…God gave us a cure for worry. We want to look at the cure for worry that God gives us, tonight in this lesson. But before we get to the real cure, let’s first look at maybe some false cures.

Many feel, and would have us believe, that the cure for worry and the prescription for happiness can be found in the possession of wealth. The theory seems to be that “if I could only amass more and more wealth, it will confer upon me a certain happiness.” We need to be reminded that “he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, or he that loveth abundance with increase. This is also vanity,” Ecclesiastes 5, and verse 10.

And how timely the warning of Jesus was when He said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in abundance of his possessions,” Luke 12, and verse 15.

And once again, let’s look at the wisdom of Solomon when he says, “…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God,” Proverbs 30, verses 8[b] and 9. Solomon did not want riches for fear that he might be lifted up in his pride and forget God; that he might become too independent, too self-sufficient. On the other hand, he didn’t want poverty either for fear that it might make him steal. Rather, in between these two extremes, he only wished for the necessary material blessings to sustain life.

Well, some people may also believe and suggest that the certain road to happiness is the path of honor. On this point, Solomon said, “I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil,” Ecclesiastes 6, verses 1 and 2.

This world’s honor, like the pleasure of sin, is for but a season, and often the honor of the world runs counter to the honor of God. In fact, oftentimes, in order to achieve the honor and recognition of men, we would have to do things that were contrary to the Will of God.

Some people feel that happiness comes through pleasure. Many people, like the ancient Epicureans, feel that pleasure is the only good and worthwhile objective in this life. [See Acts 17:18.] Some seek pleasure in the unrestrained indulgence of sensual appetites. There are pleasures in the gratification of the flesh, but not lasting pleasure. For, once again, the pleasures of sin are only for a season, Hebrews 11:25. There’s a poem written by Robert Burns, and a verse of that poem, I think, expresses this idea rather well. You may recognize this:

Pleasures are like poppies spread;
You seize the flower; it’s bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white, and then gone forever.

So God’s cure for worry is not found in the possession of wealth. God’s cure for worry is not found in the honor of men. And God’s cure for worry is not found in the pursuit of pleasure.

As we talk in this lesson tonight about God’s cure for worry, I want to consider three points: first, the evil can be avoided; second, how to avoid the evil; and third, the pleasure to be enjoyed.

And for our text tonight, let’s turn to Philippians, the 4th chapter, and look at verses 6 and 7…Philippians 4:6-7. Paul writes: “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.”