Sunday, September 8, 2019 - Worrying Is Not Good
Pastor Roger Marcos
Sept. 8, 2019
Text: Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus categorically prohibited worry in a familiar portion of the Sermon on the Mount-Matthew 6:25-34. Three times in that short passage He commanded, "Do not worry!", and the way He said it shows the comprehensiveness of His charge. In verse 25 He acknowledges worry as a common practice and says, "Stop worrying;" in verses 31 and 34 He uses the same word, but in a way that means "Don't even start worrying." To continue worrying about anything, or to start worrying in the first place, is to violate the Lord's command.
If you worry, what kind of faith do you manifest? "Little faith," according to Jesus (Matthew 6:30). Now if you are a child of God, by definition you have a Heavenly Father. To act like you don't-nervously asking, "What shall I eat? What shall I drink? With what shall I clothe myself?"-is to act like an unbeliever in God's eyes (vv. 31-32).
A great percentage of our illnesses is in some way related to worry and anxiety and stress. In fact, the #1 killer in America is heart disease.
- 38% of all deaths are heart related and many of those are related to hypertension, high blood pressure and anxiety.
- Worry has been linked to cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis, gastrointestinal illness and suicide.
- 3/4 of all visits to primary care physicians are stress-related complaints or disorders.
Question- If we know that worry is a killer- then Why Do We Do It?
WORRYING IS NOT GOOD,
Matthew 6:25-34 “Do Not Worry”
If we try to take the Lord’s command seriously, and avoid the habit of worrying, we can make a distinct difference in our inner nature. “They are not content with their lot, do not trust in God but in themselves, and have solely worldly and earthly things in view, not heavenly ones. These people are ruled completely by anxiety for the future.
The passage goes on to describe, on the other hand, the kind of people who trust in the Lord: “Those who trust in the Divine are altogether different...in that they are not anxious, let alone worried, when they give thought to the morrow... They know that for those who trust in the Divine all things are moving toward an everlasting state of happiness....”
What Is Worry Anyway? Webster's 1828 dictionary says to "worry" is "to tease; to trouble; to harass with importunity, or with care and anxiety." It involves being troubled or harassed with something we are anxious about.
Based on this, worrying means "being harassed by something we care about." It's more than just a feeling. It wears us out and drains us. It steals our joy.
WORRY CAN'T CHANGE OUR PAST OR FUTURE, BUT IT CAN RUIN THE PRESENT.
1. WORRYING WILL ALWAYS ERODE OUR VALUES. The bible is very clear about worry, so we need to combat the anxiety of life. Jesus gives why his disciples should not be anxious. Time Is Short, Life Is Short-
A. Life Is More Than Food and Clothing. 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 than food, and the body more than clothes? WHY JESUS SAYING THAT?
And to this Jesus responds: if you are gripped by anxiety over these things, you have lost sight of the greatness of life. Life was not given primarily for physical pleasures, but for something greater - the enjoyment of God. Life was not given primarily for the approval of man, but for something greater - the approval of God. Life was not even given primarily for extension on this earth, but for something greater - eternity with God in the age to come.
Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 12:25, NIV)
25 Worry can rob you of happiness, but kind words will cheer you up GNT
Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles it takes away today peace, (Unknown)
How Do You Feel When Someone Tells You to RELAX
By learning to relax you can accomplish more, live longer, and be just plain happier.
And all that useless worry is detrimental to our overall mental and physical well-being. It can misinform decision-making, raise stress levels, keep us up at night and erode our happiness.
For some, anxiety and worry are so toxic and burdensome that medication and/or therapy is needed to fully function. "What worries you,"
B. The Birds Rely on God. 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?
WORRY CAN'T CHANGE OUR PAST OR FUTURE, BUT IT CAN RUIN THE PRESENT.
Worry is a dangerous thing. Because of worry, many Christians are unable to pursue God's will and are unable to trust in Him for every day. As God's people, we should not worry.
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life.
IN VERSE 27 The argument is very pragmatic: anxiety doesn’t get you anywhere. It doesn’t do you any good. Whatever problem is causing you to feel anxious, you can be sure your anxiety will not lessen the problem. It will only make you miserable while you try to deal with it. So don’t be anxious. It’s useless.
2. WORRYING WILL ALWAYS EXHAUST OUR FAITH.
Matthew 6:28-32 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers 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-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.
Worrying is non-productive, burdensome and exhausting. But it is not easy to simply stop worrying and turn off anxiety like a faucet -- OH, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could!!!!! But for those who live with a serious or life-threatening illness, the tendency to worry and become anxious is especially problematic because worry and anxiety rob us of peace, exhaust us and undermine our ability to make good decisions.
Yet God is well aware of our human tendency to worry. Scattered throughout His Word, the Bible, we find warnings against worry and advice for dealing with anxiety. In Philippians 4, we find great instruction for breaking the chains of worry -- let's take a closer look
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
"Don’t Worry About Anything ..."
God doesn't suggest or encourage us not to worry -- He commands us not to worry! When we worry, we carry a burden God never intended for us to bear. No wonder we buckle under its weight!
When we worry, it's as if we are saying to God, "You really aren’t in control here. You may be able to keep the universe running, the stars shining and the planets spinning but You surely can’t handle my problem." The truth is we don't trust God. I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief! Mark 9:24
At the root of much of our worry and anxiety is unbelief. Our faith is anemic. We don't actually believe God will help us. Like the father of the demon-possessed boy in Mark 9:24, we come to God for help but we aren't sure He can help. The good news is, like this desperate father we can admit our unbelief. We, too, can cry out to God ...
3. WORRYING WILL ALWAYS ELIMINATE OUR PURPOSE.
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer says worry is a technique you created to fill the moments of your life. Get his 5 suggestions for eliminating worry from your life.
What is worry? I define it this way: Worry is the act of becoming immobilized in the present moment as a result of things that are going, or are not going, to happen in the future.
The key words here are "present moment." Worry, then, is a technique you have created in order to use up the "now" moments of your life, rather than choosing to use these precious, present moments living a fully functioning, happy life.
Are you an excessive worrier?
When worrying becomes excessive, it can lead to anxiety, panic and even cause illness. When worried or anxious, your mind and body go into a state of ‘fight or flight’ as you constantly focus on “what could happen.”
Chronic worrying (often referred to as anxiety) can affect your daily life so much that it interferes with your work, appetite, relationships, sleep and reduces your overall quality of life.
Many people who suffer from anxiety get caught in the cycle of addiction in an unconscious attempt to control their inner turmoil.
They may over-eat, smoke, drink or take drugs in an attempt to get some relief. In extreme cases, when worrying and anxiety go untreated, they can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts
Matthew 6:33-34 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.
A ‘worry’ or ‘anxious’ thought occurs when the mind projects itself into the future and imagines something going wrong.
LET FAITH DISPEL YOUR WORRIES!--- “Don’t Worry Be Happy”