"Winning over Worry" October 9, 2011

SERMON # 4  “WINNING OVER WORRY”    October 9,  2011

From Sermon series, “You are Important to God.

Isaiah 25:1-9, Ps.23, Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 6:25-34

Once upon a time two men held a conversation:

“I have a mountain of credit card debt”, one man told another. “I have lost my job. My car is being repossessed and our house is in foreclosure, but I am not worried about it.  No, I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying for me, and that way I don’t have to think about it.”

 “That’s fantastic!” his friend replied.  “How much does your professional worrier charge for his services?”
“$50,000 a year”, the first man answered. “$50,000 a year? Where are you going to get that kind of money?” “I don’t know”, responded the first man.  “That’s his worry.”

From today’s reading from the Letter to the Philippians, Paul says

 “Do not worry about anything. Don’t be anxious about your life.  Be happy.”

EASY TO SAY.  HARD TO DO. For Americans living in the 3^rd millennium ---we are a people bombarded by stress, anxiety, and worry, according to one author reporting on recent polls. He writes,

·       43% of all adults suffer health effects due to worry and stress.

·       75% - 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are stress & anxiety related complaints or disorders.

·       Stress is said to be responsible for more than half of the 550 million workdays lost annually because of absenteeism.

·        Add to the list the mental fatigue of nights without sleep and days without peace, and we get a glimpse of the havoc worry plays in destroying the quality and quantity of life.

·        Worry has been linked to all the leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis and suicide.

Wow.  That’s a lot anxiety.

It think it’s safe to say that most of us expect some short term and minor anxieties, which we typically face in a normal day of life. Most of the time, we can deal with such minor worries as they emerge, using our own personal resources and coping skills.   But the type of anxiety that I would like to discuss today is what I call MAJOR WORRIES.    The English word “worry” is actually rooted in old English and German words, which mean to “strangle,” or to “choke.”

When faced with upon problems, which we cannot immediately resolve with our own efforts and resources, many of us frequently react with “life choking worry.”

·       For example--declining health and disease, like cancer, heart trouble, Alzheimer’s may threaten us, or those we love.

·       Or think of the many, many dangers that our children face, including drug & alcohol abuse, car accidents, predators, immorality, and the like.

·       Financial concerns and loss of employment, in a very uncertain economic climate, can cause us to worry. 

·       Some of us worry about familial conflict, divorce and/or estrangement with those we love.

·       Caring for infirmed parents or spouses can be worrisome—just wondering if you have the strength to carry on.

So the potential dangers we face are real---but what about our many unnecessary worries, that are self-imposed?  I am convinced that many of us, including me, have lost many precious years of our lives by overindulging in unnecessary anxiety and worry.

Once upon a time, a man had a dream, when he met “Death.” Death was walking toward a city and the man asked, "What are you going to do?""I’m going to take 100 people," Death replied."That’s horrible!" the man said. "That’s the way it is," Death said. "That’s what I do."
The man hurried to warn everyone he could about Death’s plan. As evening fell, he met Death again.” You told me you were going to take 100 people," the man said. "Why did 1,000 die?"
"I kept my word," Death responded. "I only took 100 people. Worry took the others."

Some of us become unnecessarily obsessed with worry, to the point where anxiety can poison our lives.

So, for example---a number of years ago, I was facing a problem at my last church.

·       In my own mind, I began to worry that the problem might get worse.

·        If the problem got worse, then I figured that it was my fault and I would get the blame.

·        If that happened, & the problem continued, & then things deteriorated, then I might lose my job.

·         If I lost my job, then I’d not be able to find another one, and then I’d become impoverished.

·        If I became poor, I would not be able to support my family.  I’d be humiliated…we’d be homeless, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Well, it may have taken me longer than others to figure this out---but I lived through this pattern of cycles of worry, much of my life.

·       Finally, I realized that I could not personally manage the anxiety in my life.  I needed to do something different than what I was doing, because I was depressing those I loved, and I was unnecessarily making myself miserable.

·       Anxiety had taken over like some bully tinhorn dictator. Well, that was it.  I had had it.  I wanted to over throw that dictator, and put Jesus back on the throne of my life, where he belonged.  So, I decided to take some action.  Now, it didn’t happen quickly.  Indeed, there were lots of fits and starts over the years, involving prayer (by myself, and with prayer ministry, like that offered after Sunday services by our prayer team), and many conversations with my loved ones, friends, and a therapist. But eventually, the Lord led me to win over worry. And there were three major factors that led to that victory: 

1.  FIRST, SOME OF US NEED NEW PRIORITIES.   Across our whole culture, too many of us are consciously or unconsciously on a quest for materialism, which adds unnecessary anxiety to our lives. Materialism is doomed to let us down, because the love of things can separate you from loving God. 

·        Jesus points out that some Christians are so worried about worldly rewards, riches, and pleasures, that they cannot hear God’s word.   They are like seeds, planted in the thorns, which are choked to death before bearing fruit. 

·        It’s interesting that the root word for “worry” in the Greek, means being of a double mind.  This is what Jesus means when he says, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Rather than elevating money to such an important place in our lives and being choked with worry, Jesus has a different idea.  He says, “Seek first my kingdom anomy righteousness, then all things will be added to you.”

2. SO, SOME OF US NEED NEW PRIORTIES, AND WE ALSLO NEED A NEW PERSPECTIVE.

·       There are times when I finally realize that worry has pushed Jesus off the throne of my heart. At those times, wherever I happen to be, I confess my sin to God.  I say, “Jesus, I apologize for letting godless worry consume me. It’s my fault—because you have given me the tools I need, to live a full, rich and abundant life.

·       “Your blood and resurrection power are more powerful than anything in this world.   I have overindulged this worry, like an alcoholic overindulging in whiskey.  Please forgive me, and deliver me from the sin of toxic worry.”  

·        When I choose, like that, to ask for God’s help in that way---most of the time, I begin to feel my burdens lifting.  Would you please take out the tricolored insert, and look at the line in blue, on the right side of the center page:   Repeat after me, “Rest in my love.”  (REST IN MY LOVE.)   That comes from Jesus words, when he said, “Come unto me, all you who travail and heavy laden burdens, and I will lift your burdens, and give you rest.”   (Mt. 11:28) When I come to God in this way, I feel released from oppressive worry, because I have humbled myself before God, and articulated before Him and me, the true priorities of my life.

·       God’s word is so encouraging in helping to change our perspective from exhausting anxiety, to resting in faith.  Let’s look at another word: This one is printed in red, and is one the right hand center page, above the red tulips.  Please repeat after me, “Trust me, and I will not fail you in anyway.”

·       As each of us grows to more fully embrace God’s perspective that 'we are important to Him,' we will also learn to trust him more, and not be so anxious.

·       And that leads to our third point of winning over worry, which is to remember and to receive GOD’S PROVISION. Once we have learned a new perspective, and we realigned our priorities, then we can be confident in receiving God’s provision. Today’s psalm, Psalm23, is perhaps one of the most powerful and beloved portions of scripture for any people looking for hope.  Would you take out your scripture insert, and read the first verse with me?  Saying together, “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT BE IN WANT.”

·        Do you know whether or not the Lord is your shepherd?  If not, can you imagine what that would be like?  If He is was your shepherd, you could then say, with some confidence, “I will not be in want.”  The Lord wants you to have that confidence in him.  This is a conviction, a belief, a change of heart, which can grow by remembering how He has provided for you in the past.

·       Would you please turn over your bible reading inset to the back page, so that we can look at the Philippians reading.  Look at the first column second to last line.  Find where it says,”The Lord is near.”  Let us now read the sentence that follows.  Saying together, “DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE KNOWN TO GOD.”

·       The key word in this section is “THANKSGIVING.”  Tell God you are thankful for what he has already given you.  If I give you a present, and you never thank me, can you expect me to give you another?  Giving thanks to God is a powerful force that acknowledges the truth that we proclaims every Sunday, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

·       When we thankfully remember the ways He has already helped us, we can have greater inner confidence to believe Him.   For years and years, my wife has started out everyday, by giving thanks to God for 5 blessings she received in the previous day.  Remembering how God  provided for her yesterday, lays the foundation of a grateful heart, so that she can see  just how  God is  going to provide for her, today.  Consequently, her heart is not filled up with worry, but with faith.  Now, I am nowhere as disciplined as my wife is, but when I remember how God has provided for my family, my churches, and me, in the past, and then my worries in the present are put in their proper place.  I, too, can look back and see, thankfully, hat he has provided for me—and now I can see that reality is stronger than all my worries.

So, three steps to diminishing anxiety involve perspective, priorities, and provision.   1) Get God’s fresh perspective; 2) set Godly priorities; and 3) remember & and receive God’s provision. 

You see, like the man in the story at the beginning of the sermon, God hired a man to take all your worries upon himself.  He carried them to the cross and died.  THEN HE rose from the dead, lifting those burdens for all who come to Him. Through Him you have been set free; AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.  AMEN.