Worry More Or Worry Less

How many would like to learn how to worry more?

How many of us feel that our lives would improve if we could spend more time worrying about things?

The English word “worry” comes from the old Germen word “wurgen” and it means to strangle or to choke. The Greek word for worry is “merizo” and it means to divide, to rip or tear apart.

Sometimes when people worry they will say that they are concerned. There is a difference from being concerned and worrying.

Being concerned about something means that you have an interest in and want to give attention to something.

Worry is much more than that. Worry is an uneasiness of the mind that is accompanied with an anxious apprehension.

Worry can become even worse as it can develop into anxiety which is an overwhelming apprehension that causes people to become distressed, distraught, and tormented with the inability to cope.

Concern can become worry if we fail to turn every situation over to God.

Which is the whole point of this message.

The day and age that we live in has been called the “Age of Anxiety.”

People are smiling less, they are more apprehensive, there is less trust and more alienation, and more and more people are being diagnosed with nervous breakdowns, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and ulcers.

It is a proven medical fact that the cause of all of these diagnoses can be traced back to anxiety and worry.

People today are worried about so much. We worry because life can be difficult; we worry because sometimes bad things happen.

We worry about our daily provision.

We worry about our jobs.

We worry about our future.

We worry about our children’s future.

We worry about life and death.

We worry about our health.

We worry about our personal relationships.

We worry about our finances.

And believe me, there are enough people out there who will give you advice about all your worries.

They will tell you, “Don’t worry, be happy.”

Don’t worry; think positive.

Don’t worry; you are in charge of your future.

Don’t worry; bite the bullet.

Don’t worry; it will get better, maybe.

Don’t worry; have another drink, have another hit, have another smoke.

Don’t worry; go see your therapist.

Don’t worry; it will be over soon.

There was once one man who used to worry about everything.

One day, his friend noticed that he had stopped worrying and that all the anxiety in his life was gone. So the friend asked, “How did you overcome your worries?”

The man replied, “I hired a man to do all my worrying for me.”

“Wow!” the friend exclaimed, “It seems to be working for you. How much is that going to cost you?”

The man replied, “$1000 a week.”

“$1000 a week! How are you going to be able to afford to pay someone $1000 a week?” the friend asked.

The man answered, “That’s his worry.”

Are you a person who worries a lot?

Are you a person who worries a little?

Here is the bad news. We live in a real world that has sin in it. Because sin is in the world bad things happen. People will get sick, cars will break down, there will be wars, there will be forces of nature that cause things to happen.

I am not trying to be fatalistic. I am not saying what will happen will happen so there is nothing we can do.

Our future can be uncertain and that is the main reason people worry. We worry because we don’t know what is going to happen tonight, tomorrow or next week.

We worry because we are not in control.

We worry because we can do all we can do and still it is not enough.

I would hate to leave you at this point in the sermon without giving you the good news.

The good news is that we don’t have to worry! God has given us an antidote for worry.

PRAYER

Father, open my eyes to see Your Word.

Open my ears to hear.

Open my mind to understand.

And open my heart so I may receive Your Word today.

AMEN

Jesus addressed the topic of worry and it is recorded in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 6:25-34

This portion of Scripture is found in the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Jesus describes the character of a godly person.

(It will make a great series)

There are twelve points to Jesus’ message. 6 points are illustrations of the character applied to the life and 6 points are examples of the character expressed.

Jesus’ point about worry is number 5 of the second group of six.

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? 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?