Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Thursday, March 31,

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

Memory Verse 1 Tim 1:5, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

John 16:5, “But now I (Jesus) am going to Him (God the Father) who sent Me, and yet not one of you (the disciples) asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’”

John 16:6, “But because I have said (taught) to you all these things, sorrow (inward stress) has completely filled your heart (right lobe of the soul).”

Doctrine of Stress

F. L. O. T. (Forward Line of Troops) 11 Problem Solving Devices

F. L. O. T. (Forward Line of Troops) 11 Problem Solving Devices

F. L. O. T. (Forward Line of Troops) 11 Problem Solving Devices

22. Stress and the Sparrow Metaphor. Mat 10:29-31

a. If the integrity of God cares for a sparrow, how much more will the integrity of God care for the believer in Christ.

b. If God regards the sparrow as being so important, it becomes obvious that stress is not a part of the spiritual life. We are of much more value than many sparrows.

c. There never has been anything in our lives worthy of stress in our souls.

d. Vs 31, The Gnomic Present, Middle, Imperative of PHOBEO with ME, means “to stop having fear which is in progress”. This is a mandate for all time; past, present, and future.

e. “More value” is the Gnomic Present, Active, Indicative of DIAPHERO - “to carry through”, as in God carrying you through the adversities of life.

It also means “to differ, surpass, excel, or of more importance”. This is the reality of the situation. We are of more importance to our Father than a sparrow.

If He takes such care of them, will He not take even greater care to see you through the adversities of life.

f. Our Lord addresses stress by teaching about the Love of the Father via logistical grace blessing; which love exceeds that of a sparrow for which He cares so much.

g. The “hairs on your head” are analogous to problems. The number of hairs on your head are different each day therefore your problems change daily too.

God is aware of your problems and He is aware of the changes in your problems.

h. This indicates the intricacy and detail by which our Father watches over us and provides for us in all situations, including adverse ones that are trying to cause stress within your soul.

i. Having this knowledge of the Father’s love for you is another promise and PSD for you to exercise, preventing the conversion of adversity from becoming stress in your soul.

23. Paul’s Message on Stress. 2 Cor 4:6-9

a. Jesus Christ is the creator of all things, Gen 1:3, including His Word, 1 Cor 2:16, that reveals Him in hypostatic union.

Bible doctrine as light, shines in our hearts. This reminds us of the uniqueness of our spiritual life and the uniqueness of the Source of our spiritual life.

b. Vs 7, “earthen vessels” store the treasure of Scripture, which has enlightened us that we are more valuable than all the sparrows in the world.

Divine viewpoint from Bible doctrine in the soul is the “surpassing greatness of God’s power”. The other source of power from God is the filling of the Holy Spirit.

c. Vs 8, “afflicted” or pressurized. We will always have a certain amount of adversity from time to time. We are under adversity but not under the stress it tries to cause in our soul.

d. Vs 9, “persecuted”, we all receive unjust treatment in life. But we do not have to allow our souls to be destroyed by stress because we are not forsaken, (left behind or deserted) by our Father.

e. Likewise, you cannot blame stress on others who are unjust to you.

Grace Fellowship Church Thursday, March 31, 2011 Tape # Doctrine of Stress on Your Soul God’s Provisions to Overcome Stress Upper Room Discourse, Part 490 John 16:6; Mat 10:29-31; 2 Cor 4:6-9 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2011