God is our protector. He is our “refuge and our fortress, our God, in whom we trust” (Ps. 91:2). Sometimes, this protection comes in the form of other people — or even angels!

Last week in our Wednesday night study on anxiety, we talked about the role of angels and people in helping us trust God more and overcome our worry and anxiety. Doing a study on angels may seem surprising in the middle of a study on anxiety, but the Bible makes clear they are one of God’s forms of protection, and should give us courage and joy. My teaching notes and an audio recording are below, or you can click this link to visit the podcast. In this lesson, we talk about…

• An entire spiritual realm of angels and demons
• How God sometimes uses angels to protect and deliver us
• The different types of spiritual gifts and how the Spirit uses them in the church today
• How to reconcile God’s promise of protection with the evil, injustice, and persecution that believers still face

ANXIETY CLASS – WEEK FIVE
KNOWING OTHERS ARE LOOKING OUT FOR YOU

1. Welcome, Announcements, and Prayer
2. Introduction
• Review: Laying aside every weight (Heb. 12:1-2)
• A close call in the desert! For every close call we’re aware of, there may be hundreds we don’t even know about. There are so many dangers, so many threats. We can’t begin to list them all, nor should we try. Don’t crawl into your shell. Just trust God.
• Thankfully, God promises his own protection (Ps. 91:1-2; Heb. 13:5-6)
Two of the ways he protects us is through his angels and through other people
3. Angels
• What are angels anyway? Wayne Grudem explains, “Angels are created spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence but without physical bodies. Angels have not always existed; they are part of the universe that God created. In a passage that refers to angels as the “host” of heaven (or “armies of heaven”), Ezra says, “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host … and the host of heaven worships you.”… they cannot usually be seen by us unless God gives us a special ability to see them (Num. 22:31; 2 Kings 6:17; Luke 2:13). In their ordinary activities of guarding and protecting us (Ps. 34:7; 91:11; Heb. 1:14) and joining with us in worship to God (Heb. 12:22), they are invisible. However, from time to time angels took on a bodily form to appear to various people in Scripture (Matt. 28:5; Heb. 13:2).” (Systematic Theology, p. 516)
• We know Satan and the demons tempt and attack us. But don’t forget there are also angels of light who have their attention on us, except for our good!
• They help care for our needs (1 Kings 19:1-8. See quote on p. 80)
• They protect us from danger – both physical danger and our spiritual enemies (Dan. 3:28; 6:22; Ac. 27:21-24). In a missions trip years ago to the Philippines, the roads were muddy and it would have been easy to get stuck in the jungle or slide off into a ravine. We could almost feel those angels protecting us!
• They deliver us from times of trouble (Ac. 5:19-23; 12:2-4). “It’s exciting to know you can’t ever get yourself into a situation that God can’t remove you from if he so chooses. Let that truth help melt away any anxieties you have about a situation you currently dread” (p. 83).
• They’re used by God to answer our prayers (Ac. 12:5; Daniel 9-10).
• They serve us.
• They may even guide us (Ac. 8:26-27)
• Conclusion – see page 84
4. Fellow Believers At Your Service
• Two types of spiritual gifts active today – speaking and serving (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Rom. 12:6-8). These spiritual gifts can help us battle fear and anxiety!
• There was a third type of gift given to some during the New Testament (Mt. 10:1-4; Ac. 19:11; Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12-14; 2 Cor. 12:12). These were used to authenticate God’s messengers and help quickly spread the news of Christ.
• Fellowship and the one-anothers (Gal. 6:2; Jam. 5:16; etc).
5. A Final Question – What if God doesn’t protect us? Is that even possible?? God’s Word acknowledges that suffering is part of this world, and that all who are godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We may not understand in the short run why God allows suffering in our lives, but we can rest assured he is still with us guarding and protecting us, and that he will work all things together for our good.

Faith is the essence of the Christian life. We “walk by faith, not by sight,” Paul says (2 Cor. 5:7).

Stop and think about that for a second. Paul is saying that most of the time, we will not be able to see the full picture or know all that God is doing. Even as we make plans and carry out our daily routine, we can expect surprises, setbacks, frustrations, and fears. But we know that God is working all things together for good, to those who love him! (Rom. 8:28). We can simply take God at his word and cling to him by faith.

Last week in our anxiety class, we looked together at Hebrews 12:1-2. We learned that worry is a besetting sin that easily creeps into our lives and impede our growth. Like barnacles on a ship, anxiety can slow us down and prevent us from being fruitful and effective. Instead, we must fix our eyes on Christ, and learn to praise him.

You can listen to the recording here, or read through my outline below. This is part 4 in an 8-week study on the topic of anxiety. To learn more, we recommend the book Anxious for Nothing by John MacArthur.

LIVING A LIFE OF FAITH & TRUST
ANXIETY CLASS – WEEK 4

1.  Introduction

2.  Lay Aside any Encumbrance

3.   Look to Jesus

4.  Praise God Now … Through the Psalms!

Last week in our anxiety class, we discovered an interesting connection between humility and faith. The more one humbles himself, the more he will avoid anxiety and grow in faith. On the flip side, the more one is boastful, prayerless, and self-reliant, the more likely he will be tossed to and fro by the storms of life and be filled with anxiety.

1 Peter 5:5-7 teaches us to cast our cares on the Lord. Some of the things we talked about in this lesson include…

• Humble men and women in the Bible
• Common manifestations of pride
• Why God alone has the right to receive glory
• Practical ways to cast our cares on the Lord

You can listen to the recording or read through the notes below. This is part 3 in an 8-week study on the topic of anxiety. To learn more, we recommend the book Anxious for Nothing by John MacArthur.

CAST YOUR CARES ON GOD
ANXIETY CLASS – WEEK THREE

1. Welcome, Announcements, and Prayer
2. Introduction
   1. Read 1 Peter 5:5-7
   1. There is an interesting connection between humility and trust. This also means there is a connection between pride and anxiety. Where there is a stench of worry in your life, the skunk of pride is probably nearby.
3. Develop a Humble Attitude
   1. What is humility?
   1. What do the following verses teach us about pride and humility? Proverbs 16:19; 18:12; 22:4; 27:1-2 (cf. 25:6-7)
4. What are some possible manifestations of pride? (think of the most obvious, and then think of more subtle forms.)
   • “God has a strong reason for hating pride…” (p. 55)
   • At this point, you may be wondering, “If God opposes the proud, why does he advance his own glory and fame? Isn’t that prideful?” (I want to raise this question in the most careful and reverent of ways.) The reason God is not guilty of pride is because he deserves praise. As sovereign king and creator, he is inherently beautiful, and rightfully deserves all praise. He shares his glory with no one. In fact, for him to downplay his glory and majesty would be a lie.
   • Wayne Grudem: “The difference between God’s being and ours is more than the difference between the sun and a candle, more than the difference between the ocean and a raindrop, more than the difference between the arctic ice cap and a snowflake, more than the difference between the universe and the room we are sitting in: God’s being is qualitatively different. No limitation or imperfection in creation should be projected onto our thought of God. He is the Creator; all else is creaturely.” (Systematic Theology, p. 162)
   • “Never view the mighty hand of God in your life as a slap in the face…” (p. 59)
5. Learn to Trust
   • Casting our cares on the Lord (Ps. 55:22) – to throw something onto something else. Putting dog food onto the shopping cart. Heaving a piece of luggage into the trunk.
   • This acknowledges our cares are heavy! Don’t try to carry it on your own.
   • “That doesn’t mean we won’t feel shaky” (p. 61)
   • What are some practical ways we can “cast our cares” on the Lord?
   • God cares for you! Look up the following verses and note how God cares: Psalm 103:13-14; Psalm 142:4-5; Psalm 139:13-18; Matt. 6:28-32
6. Make sure you don’t take the burden right back. Leave it in God’s hands.
7. Discussion – What are some particular cares or burdens you carry right now? How can you cast these on the Lord?

In a fix? Philippians 4:6!

A friend shared that little jingle with me years ago, and it’s stuck with me ever since. Any time we find ourselves in a trial or struggle, Philippians 4:6 is a great place to turn. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.“

Last night in our anxiety class, we learned that anxiety can be overcome only by praying with thankfulness and focusing on things that are true and praiseworthy. We also discussed the importance of putting off and putting on when it comes to breaking any bad habit and forming a new one in its place.

Here’s an audio recording of last night’s message, along with my teaching notes below. This is part 2 in an 8-week class on the subject of fear, worry, anxiety and learning to trust God. Our study will continue next Wednesday and you’re welcome to join us in the Fellowship Hall!

AVOIDING ANXIETY THROUGH PRAYER
ANXIETY CLASS – WEEK TWO

1. Introduction –
   • Every trial is a new opportunity to trust in God. One opportunity for our family.
   • Habits save time and free up mental space, but are hard to break. Ever been “Stuck in a rut”?
   • “The best way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a good one” (p. 38)
   • The principle of putting off and putting on (Eph. 4:22-32)
   • To aid our study of the Bible, we are using a supplemental book by John MacArthur called Anxious for Nothing.
2. React to Problems with Thankful Prayer (Phil. 4:6-7)
   • “Being thankful will release you from fear and worry. It is a tangible demonstration of trusting your situation to God’s sovereign control. And it is easy to do, since there are so many blessings to be thankful for” (p. 39).
   • Look up the following verses and share why we can give thanks: Phil. 4:19; Ps. 139:3; Lk. 10:20; Rom. 8:29.
   • Not all blessings are tangible. Some are. But others take faith!
3. Focus on Godly Virtues (Phil. 4:8)
   • The importance of the mind.
   • See Martin Lloyd-Jones’ quote on p. 44-45
   • Think on what is true – Christ and his word are the standard (Jn. 14:6; 17:17).
   • Think on what is honorable– serious, weighty, dignified, worthy of respect
   • Think on what is just– righteous, consistent with God’s holiness
   • Think on what is pure– holy, unstained, undefiled, like priests of the Old Testament
   • Think on what is lovely– rare word. Agreeable, kind, causing pleasure or delight.
   • Think on what is commendable – (Gk. eúphēmos) well-sounding, pleasing, repeatable.
   • Think on anything excellent and praiseworthy – don’t be a curmudgeon!
   • Possible sources – Bible reading, Bible memory, hymns, books, church, Christian fellowship, music, prayer journal, other journaling, nature, art, podcasts, websites, apps, movies, magazines, news, family, etc. Not always easy in a dark world!
   • Corollary – be careful of thinking on anything that does not fit this criteria. At best, it is worthless. At worst, it is destructive. And it can often perpetuate our fears.
   • Retrain the direction of your thoughts. See Adams’ quote on p. 48.
4. Practice What Has Been Preached (Phil. 4:9)
   • Right thinking leads to right behavior
   • God’s Word restrains the flesh. See p. 49.
5. Discussion
   • Could my worry be a result of “overthinking” things? Why or why not?
   • How do godly attitudes, thoughts, and actions work together?
   • Complete Personal Application Question 1 (p. 183)
   • What is one area you try to be an example to others? What’s an area you would like to grow?