“No Fear” Series
Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
Life is Better Without Worry
10/16/02
I. Fear is…
a. Anxiety caused by real or possible danger, pain, etc.; fright
b. Awe; reverence
c. Apprehension; concern
d. Synonyms: (noun) fright, terror, horror, panic, dread, dismay, awe, scare, revulsion, aversion, tremor, mortal terror, cowardice, dread, timidity, misgiving, trembling, anxiety, phobia, foreboding, despair, agitation, hesitation, worry, concern, suspicion, doubt, qualm, funk, cold feet, cold sweat.
II. Fear = Worry
Have you ever worried about anything? Have you ever been involved in doing something and you didn’t know the answer, so you started worrying that what you were wanting to do, or what you had to do wouldn’t happen? For instance: You have two pages worth of homework due tomorrow, but you forgot to bring your book home from school. So, instead of calling one of your friends to see if you can borrow his/her book, you start worrying about not being able to get your homework done. Then you start worrying about failing the class, which leads to worry about failing the whole grade, and that leads to worry about Summer School or not graduating on time. From one homework assignment, worry has already taken you through the process of failure, and failure doesn’t make anybody happy. Well, you may say, “Worry doesn’t hurt anybody; I worry sometimes and I’m ok. It’s no big deal.” And you may be ok, and it may not be a big deal to you. But, after you see what the Bible says about it, you may change your mind. What is worry? Worry- to strangle, to twist, choke, to pluck at, to push on, to annoy, bother, tease, to harass, to weary, to fatigue, to tear, to cause to feel uneasy or troubled, to make anxious, to distress. Any way you look at it, worry doesn’t sound fun.
III. Why Worry?
I. Jesus Said Not To
The number one reason why you shouldn’t even bother to worry is because Jesus said not to. If Jesus, being God, tells me to do something, I’m gonna do it. It’s a matter of obedience. If He tells me not to do something, I’m not gonna do it. It’s that simple. He knows what’s best for me. He’s looking out for me. He’s on my side. I’m gonna take his advice.
Matthew 6:25-34 “25Therefore 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? 26Look 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? 27Who 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. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If 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? 31So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
II. Worry Is Useless
List everything you’ve ever accomplished by worrying. You’ve never accomplished anything good or worthwhile through worrying. Think about that. Worry won’t get you anything. It won’t buy you a new car. It won’t get you a new house. It won’t get you a pack of Twizzlers. It won’t even do your homework. Worry gets you nothing. Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” You can’t.
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 “22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.”
Here this guy is working hard all day long, worrying about the answers to the problems he faces. He works and works and works, and even at night his mind keeps worrying, trying to figure out the answers. The writer says it’s meaningless. It’s useless. If it doesn’t help you or get you anything, why worry?
III. Worry and Happiness Aren’t Friends
Play Song – Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Proverbs 12:25 “Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up.” (The Message)
If there’s anything that is opposite to happiness, it’s worry. I’ve never seen anybody with a smile on his face say “I’m worried about…” when asked how he’s doing. Have you ever heard the phrase “I’m sick with worry, or I’m worried sick”? Now, that doesn’t sound happy at all. Not only does it not sound happy, it doesn’t sound healthy. It’s not just don’t worry, be happy, it’s don’t worry, and you will be happy because you’re not worrying.
IV. Worry is NOT Faith
Sometimes you can have a good idea about what something is by discovering what it is NOT. For instance, if I were trying to describe how a buffalo chicken wing tastes to someone who has never had a buffalo chicken wing, I may say, “Well, it’s not sweet.” Then he says, “It must be sour.” Then I say, “No, it’s not sour.” So, he says, “Well then, it’s spicy.” Well, he’s discovered what a buffalo chicken wing tastes like by discovering what it is NOT. Worry is definitely not faith, and has nothing to do with faith. Worry and doubt go hand-in-hand, they’re partners, working together to get you to not have faith at all. Worry comes in and makes room for doubt. Worry says, “I don’t know how I’m gonna finish this homework without my book.” Then doubt comes in and says, “I don’t think I’ll finish this homework at all.” When worry encounters a problem, doubt is the answer. When faith encounters a problem, prayer is the answer.
Philippians 4:6,7 “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.”
Worry brings doubt, which brings feelings of failure and defeat. Faith brings prayer, which brings the peace of God. Peace is wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. I want peace more than I want defeat. I’m not gonna waste my time worrying. I’ve got a lot of things going on that I could worry about, but I choose not to. House story.
Worry is being fearful about the future, about the everyday affairs of life. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.” When worry comes your way, just meditate on how much God loves you. That’s the whole message of Matthew 6 - God loves you. You don’t have to worry because He’s taking care of you. Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Because life is so much better without worry. Pray.
