Winning against Worry
Matthew 6:25-34, 11:28-30
Series: Winning the Battle with Anxiety
May 12, 2013
Morning Service
Have you ever dealt with dense fog? Fog causes problems with visibility, it creates problems with maneuverability and it slows everything down. A massive patch of fog that covers 7 city blocks at 100 feet deep contains very little water. In fact, that much fog contains less than one glass of water. There is actually more water in this bottle than in that massive patch of fog. Fog is made of millions of droplets of water spread out over a large area but in reality there is little to it.
Worry works a lot like fog. Worry multiplies our concerns. It tends to make our problems and our cares multiplied. Worry magnifies our concerns. It spreads out our perspective over a large area and makes things seem larger than they actually are. Worry keeps us from effectively maneuvering the roads of life. Worry slows our lives down with cares and concerns. Worry clouds our outlook.
Statistics show that only 8% of the things that we worry about are things that we actually have to deal with. This means that only 8 of every 100 things that you worry about are things that you have to face. We worry about far more things than we ever have to deal with. We live in a state of worry, instead of a state of faith. When we worry we disrupt our ability to trust God.
What do you worry about? How many of you have lost sleep this past week over one of these issues?
• Family Problems
• Finances
• Issues of faith
• Failures from the past
• Guilt and shame over sin
• Health issues
Worry does nothing for us. It does nothing to help us cope with the troubles of the day. It does nothing to give us greater strength to face life’s challenges. It does nothing to assist us in overcoming the trials of life. Worry does absolutely nothing!
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will 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? 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? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-34
Worry flows from a lack of trust
Jesus makes it clear and He makes it plain – do not worry. These words are not some advice or a suggestion, they are a command. Worry is a state of mind where a person is overwhelmed by cares and concerns. Worry happens when we place our focus on the wrong things for too long.
Our English word worry is actually rooted in a German term that means to choke or to strangle. Worry will literally choke the quality of life that you have.
The Greek word for worry means to be anxious, to be troubled with care or to be agitated.
Jesus says, “Do not worry,” three separate times in this passage. He is giving them emphasis for a reason. Why does Jesus so concerned about worry? Worry is not only an emotional issue, it is also a spiritual issue.
The Greek word for worry also means to seek one’s own interests or to be absorbed with one’s own affairs. The central issue of worry is really the central barrier to discipleship, selfishness. Jesus is striking at the heart of the issue of worry and showing the true heart of discipleship. It is absolutely impossible for you to follow Jesus and do your own thing.
Worry is not the root of the problem; the root grows out of a lack of trust in God. Worry is removing our trust in God. There is a fundamental problem with worry that many of us might miss. Worry will erode our ability to trust God.
Worry does the following to us:
Worry disturbs our minds
Worry divides our attention
Worry disrupts our focus
Worry distracts our spirit
Jesus does not say that we should live our lives without concern. Jesus does not say that we should not live our lives without personal effort. Jesus does say that we cannot allow the concerns to take over. We cannot allow our personal efforts to short circuit the work of God.
Worry is a nothing but a waste
Worry is wasting today’s time to clutter up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles
Worry will waste our time
Worry will waste our energy
Worry will waste our efforts
Jesus uses three specific areas of life that cause us the most worry.
1.) Food
It is important to remember that in the time of Jesus, that food was daily concern. Each day the family worked with the goal to place food on the table. We are so spoiled in America, that we think nothing of having food to eat. We get wrapped up in the kinds of food we have, the amounts of food we have and strive to satisfy our likes over our dislikes.
God cares for the birds that we see each and every day. Have birds been made in the image of God? Do birds have a place prepared for them in heaven? Can birds have a special relationship with God? If God cares for the birds, what makes you think that He is not going to take care of you?
2.) Long life
How many of you have seen a commercial this week that deals with some type of anti-aging product?
Life is gift from God and every day that we have is just part of the gift. There will come a day that I will no longer live on this earth. I accept that fact and I embrace it. Why? I am not leaving this world before God’s time and when the time comes I will be ready. I cannot add any more time to my life by worrying about when it will end or by trying to add more time.
3.) Clothing
This is one of those areas that most Americans don’t have to worry about. How many of you tried on more than one outfit before you came this morning? Our worry about clothing is not about having it but how we appear.
The ancient use for the grasses of the fields was to start ovens for baking. The grasses would be cut, which included the dried flowers, and placed into the oven to get fires started. The grass would not last long but God gives it an incredible beauty. How much more important to God are you than the flowers? You are made to last for all eternity. God will take care of you.
Jesus makes it extremely clear that worry and faith will not and cannot mix. Either we have our trust in God or we don’t. Either we live like Christians or we live like pagans.
Jesus clearly is saying the things that worry the world are not the things that Christians need to concern themselves with. The three things mentioned by Jesus were symbols of wealth and fame. The focus is complete place on the earthly rather than the eternal.
Jesus gives a clear solution for the issue of worry. He says to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Remember, one of the definitions of worry is to seek one’s own interests. Jesus is telling the disciples to do exactly the opposite of what the world does. Our first priority in life needs to be on God. When we live our lives pursuing God, he gives us everything that we need.
How do we combat worry?
We focus on assisting others
We adjust our attitude
We take positive action
We acknowledge the role of God
We become aware of our limitations
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
Rest the spirit
During times of stress people often become so focused on dealing with problems and issues that they forget their need for rest. Fatigue only increases the effects of stress on the body. Higher levels of stress create a greater need to get appropriate amounts of rest.
Relax the mind
Many times people falsely believe that rest and relaxation are the same thing but this is not the case. Rest is often a physical reality and relaxation is focused much more on the mind. Relaxation is a resting of the mind, which is often more difficult than resting the body.
Release the pressure
There are times when stress is high and people just need to let go. The tighter that we hold on to our problems and stress the worse it becomes. The reality is that we often cannot experience peace until we are willing to let go. Letting go is one of the hardest things to do in stressful situations but can be one of our best options. Letting go is not giving up or quitting but rather is handing the situation over to the hands of God. The moment we release our grip, we begin to let God take over.
