Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
September 15, 2002 P.M.
Overcoming Worry & Anxiety
Reading - Matthew 6.25-34
Our study in this series is HEARTS FIT FOR THE JOURNEY--- How to take the principles of Jesus and apply them to every day living... So that we can enjoy the life that Jesus came to make possible... The abundant life He promised in John 10.10.
We are what we think... We are what we are in here... In our heart. So, if we are to enjoy the JOURNEY OF LIFE... We must prepare our hearts.
With this series of lessons... We are learning to TRAVEL LIGHT. We are learning how to jettison the every day psychological baggage which...
- Burdens our hearts...
- Drags us down...
- Exhausts us physically...
- Tries our patience...
- Depresses us...
- Makes us weary of the journey...
Access a Bible or a worship bulletin and let's see what Jesus has to say about worry and ANXIETY.
Perhaps the most difficult command in the Bible to obey is not...
* Thou shall not kill.
* Thou shall not steal.
* Thou shall not commit adultery.
* Repent and be baptized.
* Forsake not assembling yourselves together.
But, Philippians 4.6... "Do not worry or be anxious about anything." The King James says... "Be careful for nothing." This is certainly difficult for me... How about you?
As we begin our study... Let's try to define worry & anxiety. Webster says worry means... To trouble or torment oneself.
- Worry is uncertainty.
- Worry is faithlessness.
- Worry is the anthesis of faith... Just the opposite of faith.
Worry and faith are mutually exclusive... They cannot occupy the same heart--It is impossible. In English, the word worry comes from a root word meaning to choke or strangle. The Greek word for worry means literally to have a divided mind or heart. Worry is an internal tug-of-war pulling at our faith... Robbing us of faith.
Now, there are two things wrong with worry...
First... Worry robs us of the good life... Keeps us from enjoying the journey.
Secondly... Scripture tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.
So, worry ruins this life, and it robs us of the faith necessary to be saved. These are two good reasons for us to learn to control worry... RIGHT?
The dictionary defines anxiety as uncertainty... dread... fear. Now, here is something we must know about fear. FEAR does not occupy just a part of the mind... It does not divide it.
- Fear demands all or nothing.
- Fear excludes all other thoughts,
- It paralyzes and polarizes all our thinking and actions.
- Fear clouds and chokes out the JOY of life and living.
So... In a real sense... Worry is a lack of faith. And fear is the direct result of uncontrolled worry and anxiousness. Someone once wrote... Feed your faith... and your fears will starve to death... Feed your fears... and your faith will die..
I want us to know tonight that worry and anxiety are powerful tools of Satan. I once spoke on worry and fear at a church and a man told me afterward... "Preacher, you ought to be preaching on sin." Folk... I'm telling you tonight that the Bible teaches us that worry and anxiousness are sinful! They can, and are, destroying our faith daily. And anything that destroys faith is sin... RIGHT?
Let's see what we can learn from Jesus in our text tonight...
First... We learn that Worry Is Unreasonable.
"Do not worry about your life, what you'll 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?"
Worry is unreasonable because we tend to worry about the wrong things. Jesus is saying... If you're going to worry about something... Make it something eternal, not those things that are tentative... If it's not going to last... Don't worry about it. I've seen people have coronaries because they spilled something on their dress or tie. We get upset about the silliest things.
Church... What or whom did Jesus tell us to fear in Matthew 10.28?... Don't be afraid of... Don't fear those who kill the body. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Secondly... To worry about something we cannot change is unreasonable. If we can change it... Then change it!... If we can't... Why worry about it. The important thing is the wisdom to know the difference.
Here it is church... We need to ask God to give us the wisdom to know the difference between the things we can change... And those things we cannot change. And then not worry about the things we can't change.
Worry is unreasonable because it always exaggerates the problem. Have you noticed that when we worry about something... It has a tendency to get bigger and bigger until finally it consumes us with doubt and fear. Worry makes mountains out of mole hills... That's the way worry is. Jesus is saying worry is illogical and unreasonable... Because it throws things all out of proportion.
Worry Is Unnatural. Note verse 26... 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?
Verse 28 says... Look at the lilies of the field, God clothes them, Yet King Solomon in all his glory was not clothed as beautifully as they.
We must know tonight that worry doesn't come from God... But from (WHOM?)... Satan... Worry and anxiousness are products of the fall, when sin was introduced into our journey.
Church... If anybody is on God's welfare role... It's the birds. God says... I take care of birds... Aren't you a lot more valuable than they? Then He says... Look at the flowers. You see, God took the time to make a flower that's not going to last but a few days at the most.
The point is... God created the flowers for a few days... He created us for eternity. If flowers don't worry... Neither should we. Jesus says... Animals don't worry... Plants don't worry. The only thing in creation that worries... That doesn't trust their creator is people... Human beings.
Listen to Psalm 145.16... God satisfies the desire of every living thing... DOES HE?... DOES THIS VERSE HOLD TRUE IN MY LIFE AND YOURS?
I've had folk say... Well... Brother Randall I'm a born worrier. No, you're not... There are no such things. Worry is a learned response.
Now here's the good news... Since worry is learned... It can be unlearned. We have learned to worry, and some of us have practiced it so much so that we've become real good at it. Jesus is saying... Don't worry... Because God will take care of us.
Thirdly... Worry Is Unhelpful. Jesus says it doesn't work... Who of you by worrying can add a single inch to his statue or a single hour to his life?...
You see... Worry can't...
- Make us taller...
- It can't make us skinnier...
- It can't make us healthier...
- It can't help us live one day longer..
Worry doesn't accomplish ANYTHING... ANYTHING... Does it?
Worry is stewing without doing. It's like sitting in a rocking chair... There is a lot of motion, but there is no forward progress.
When we worry about our past... Does that change it?
When we worry about the future... Does that control it?
Worry only messes up today... WORRY & ANXIETY are useless baggage.
Worry is unhealthy. Worry not only makes us miserable mentally... It also affects our physical health. Ever heard anybody say... Man I am worried sick?.. They're right... Worry can make us sick. Here's are some Bible verses which reinforce this truth...
Proverbs 12.25 says... An anxious heart weighs a man down... But a kind word cheers him up.
Proverbs 14.30 reads... A heart at peace gives life to the body.
Proverbs 12.22... A cheerful heart is good medicine... But a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
William George Jordan said... Worry is the most popular form of suicide today. S.I. McMillin in the preface to his book... None Of These Diseases, says that 60 to 100% of all our illnesses is caused by our emotions... By how we think in our hearts. Then he lists the most damaging emotions in this order...
- Fear...
- Sorrow...
- Envy...
- Resentment...
- And hate.
I read recently that heart surgeons have discovered that blood clots in a happy person in 8 to 12 minutes. But in a fearful... anxious... person... It can clot in as little as 1-3 minutes. INDEED!... Worry CAN... And is killing us... It is unhealthy.
This brings us to point number five... Worry Is Unnecessary. And if God cares for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he surely care more for you! O you of little faith?
Remember what Paul says in Philippians?... Do not worry or be anxious about anything. Then he tells us why... For God will meet all your needs according to his riches. ALL YOUR NEEDS... Is there anything outside of ALL?
When you put Matthew six... and Philippians four together... We find God saying that He will supply all our:
- Emotional needs...
- Physical needs...
- Spiritual needs...
- Relational needs...
If we'll trust Him... Have faith in him. Note now closely what God says... I will supply all your needs... Not greeds... But needs. Would you agree there's a difference? There may be a difference between our needs... And our wants. God says... I'll take care of you... You don't have to worry... It's unnecessary.
This brings us to the point that... Worry Is Unchristian. Did you know that when we worry... We are acting like an atheist. We're acting as if God doesn't exist... And that He won't do what He's promised to do. Faith is a confidence and trust in God and in His promises. Worry is really a lack of trust in God.
So... The issue really becomes this: WORRY... OR... FAITH... Which will it be for me?
Isn't it amazing that we will trust God with our eternal salvation... Yet will not trust Him with...
- Our family problems...
- Our financial problems...
- Our health problems, etc. Worry is practical atheism!
Romans 8.28 assures us... "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." If God works all things out to our benefit, then what in this world do we have to worry about? Worry is indeed unchristian.
Before we go on to the second part of our lesson... The Antidote To Worry, I want you stop and write in the outline your greatest worry... That which you are the most anxious about.
Now... If the person next to you is your greatest worry, just draw an arrow and God will know who you're talking about. What is your greatest worry? I want you to identify it... Because I don't want you to miss the blessing of the next three points.
Okay... Does everybody have a worry in mind? Now I'm going to give you what Jesus says about how to get rid of that worry.
JESUS' ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY & ANXIOUSNESS
PLACE GOD FIRST IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE
I like the way the Living Bible words Matthew 6.32-33... "Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need, and he will give them to you ...IF... IF you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to live." You see... Worry is always...
- A warning light on the instrument panel of life
- An indication of mixed up values
- A loss of perspective and direction
- It indicates a loss of faith and trust in God and His ability to work all things out for our good. Worry is an indication that something has taken first place in my life besides God and my faith in Him.
Here it is church... Any area where God is not number one in our life, becomes a source of worry for us.
* It may be money...
* It may be our health concerns...
* It may be grades in school...
* It may be family problems...
* It may be in our job...
* It may be in religion...
It doesn't matter what it is... Wherever God is not first, that area will become a source of worry for us. We can count on it... Because nothing was meant to take the place of God.
The commandment is WHAT?... REMEMBER?... No other gods before me. Jesus says... If we will put Him first place in our life... He'll take care of all our other things. Isn't this what Jesus said in our reading?... Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
NUMBER TWO... LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Don't worry about tomorrow... Because tomorrow will have its own worries.... Each day has enough trouble of its own. Don't open up your umbrella until it starts raining. There are two days of the week we should never worry about... yesterday & tomorrow.
Why should we live only one day at a time? Because, in worrying about tomorrow's problems... We miss today's blessing. God doesn't promise to give us grace for tomorrow... He only promises grace for today. Now, it's okay to plan for tomorrow... But don't worry about it.
In teaching us to pray... Jesus says... Give us...
- Yearly bread?...
- Monthly bread?...
- Weekly bread?...
Give us our what?... OUR DAILY bread. Why, because He wants us to depend on Him one day at a time. Here it is church... Here is how to genuinely enjoy the journey... Live one day at a time.
TRUST GOD TO CARE FOR THINGS BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
The root of worry is found in verse 30... O you of little faith.
We must decide...
- Are we going to trust our worries?... Our anxieties...
- Or, are we going to trust God?
You see... We can either panic or pray, when we face the tough situations of life.
Listen to 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."
He says don't WORRY... But (WHAT?)... PRAY
Listen to this!!... I am told that there are over 7,000 promises from God in this book? They are like an insurance policy. When we get an insurance policy we read what it covers... And then we don't worry about it. Because we know if something happens, the insurance company will take care of it.
- Read the Book...
- Study it...
- Memorize it...
- Learn its promises...
AND THEN DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEM.
Consider these scriptures with me...
- When Joshua was about to undertake the awesome task of taking the Land that God had promised, God admonished him and Israel to... Be strong and courageous.... Do not be terrified... Don't worry... Don't be anxious... Do not be discouraged... For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
- In 2 Chronicles 20... Jehoshaphat was going to war, and he was outnumbered three to one. There was no way he was going to win this battle. So, God says... Jehoshaphat.... Do not be afraid or discouraged... Don't worry... Don't be anxious... For the battle is not yours... But God's.
Church... Here is the truth... We should stop worrying, and allow God to fight more of our battles.
- Matthew 10.29-31 has Jesus saying this... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So (WHAT?)... Don't be afraid... Don't worry... Don't be anxious... You are worth more than many sparrows.
- Romans 8.28 promises... We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- 2 Corinthians 15.57-58 says... Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.
What are we worried about tonight that appears out of our control...
- Finances?...
- Our children's future?...
- Our health?...
- Our eternal salvation?...
- A ruptured relationship?...
Do what you can... And turn the remainder over to God. He promises to supply our needs.
Free yourself from the worry of your eternal destiny ... By becoming a child of God... by Faith... Repentance... and New Testament baptism... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
Free yourself from unforgiven sin by confessing them... Acknowledging them to God.
Perhaps we need the prayers of this church to help us overcome some worries and anxiousness that's robbing us of our faith and making our journey miserable.
Respond to tonight's lesson... As we stand and sing this invitation song... Will you come?
