Worrywarts Under the Microscope Program No SPEAKER: John Bradshaw

Transcription

1 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 1 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Program No SPEAKER: John Bradshaw In March of 2011, life in Japan came to a standstill when the largest earthquake ever recorded in that country rocketed seismographs way up to 9.0. However, most of the damage was caused by the tsunami that occurred a short while later, swallowing everything in its path including ships, cars, buses, trains, buildings, airplanes and most tragically, people. The people who got up that morning never realized it would be their last day alive. The Associated Press stated that this event resembled the scenes of a Hollywood disaster movie. Imagine, if you survived, living through all the aftershocks many in the range of 6.0 or higher. You never know when the next one is coming and you don t know how severe it will be. An American living in Japan said this: The aftershocks keep coming. It s gotten to the point where I don t know whether it s ME shaking or an earthquake. Those who live through an event like this no doubt experience fear and worry. What is it that causes you to worry? What keeps you up at night? As child, I remember seeing a billboard painted on the corner of a building. The words read, Why pray when you can worry? I thought to myself, that s odd, I m sure they meant it the other way, Why worry when you can pray? So I looked again, but sure enough, the billboard said, Why pray when you can worry? Are you a worrywart? Today we are going to look at what Jesus had to say about worry. Recently I got an from a friend, and it showed a photo of a sign in front of a church that said: Don t let worries kill you let the church help. Worry is a common human experience. Most of us worry about something every day small things and big things, worries about today, worries about tomorrow or the future, worries about yesterday and what is past, worries about the fact that we can t go back and change what was said and done. But I d venture to say that much of what we worry about may be unproductive. One person said: Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. (Glenn Turner)

2 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 2 Some of our worries may be legitimate, but a lot of our worries are no doubt an unnecessary withdrawal from our EMOTIONAL bank account. A psychologist friend once told me that we each have a daily allotment of emotional energy. And just like there are limits to our physical energy before we become exhausted, there are limits to our emotional energy as well. He said, Think of it this way: picture a glass, like a glass full of water, and every day you have a glass full of emotional energy. Now stop and analyze it. What is it that drains your emotional energy every day? We each choose how to spend our emotional energy just like we choose how to spend our money. And like money, you can t get your emotional energy back once it s spent. So how do you spend your emotional energy every day? How much of your emotional energy is spent on worry? I wonder if the person who wrote these words was writing from experience: A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. (John Lubbock) Much of what we tend to worry about is anticipating things that will never happen. It s not the things that actually happen to us, but the things we THINK will happen to us. Here is how some famous people described it: Mark Twain said: I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. Thomas Jefferson said: How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened. And Julius Caesar said: As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men s minds more seriously than what they see. A study was done to discover what we tend to worry about. Here are the results from a cross section of the general public. 50% on events that will never happen 25% on things in the past that cannot be changed 10% about unconfirmed criticism by others 10% about health (much of it apprehensive) and only 5% about real problems that will be faced Now, I would hope that Christians have a more positive outlook, because we have promises from Scripture that should give us hope and security. Like this one in 1 Peter where the Bible says (1 Peter 5:7): Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

3 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 3 The Bible says God cares for YOU. So, do you surrender all your cares to Jesus? Do you BELIEVE God really cares for you? God has promised to provide for all our needs, but we must ask ourselves: Is what God provides for us enough? Or do we want more? If we really believe that God cares for us in everything and in all situations, then we really have no need to worry about anything. When our lives are in God s hands completely, we have no reason to worry. But there are conditions: (1) We must be completely surrendered to God s will, and (2) We must accept His plan for our lives. Because we are selfish by nature, both of those choices are not easy or natural for us, and we must choose to do this on an ongoing basis. Each day, we need to make a decision to turn our lives over to God for that day. Every day comes with new challenges and new opportunities to become anxious or to go down that road of worry. The same person who wrote the Bible text we just looked at had a firsthand experience of what it means to cast all of our cares and worries on Jesus. Do you remember the story of how Peter walked on water? It happened right after the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus had told the disciples to go ahead in their boat and that He would follow later. It was nighttime and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. We pick up the story in Matthew 14 and verse 26 (Matthew 14:26-31): And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Earlier in the experience of the disciples, another similar story had happened. Do you remember the Bible story about Jesus and the storm? The disciples were in their boat crossing the Sea of Galilee, and this time Jesus was with them. In fact, He was in the back of the boat sleeping. The story is found in Matthew 8:24-26: And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us! We are perishing! But He said to them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

4 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 4 The disciples were worried about losing their battle with the storm. They were worried about dying. They were uncertain about their immediate future. Would they drown right then and there? They even forgot that Jesus was on board. In the storms of YOUR life, do you ever forget that Jesus is on board? A lot of what we worry about is not what s happening to us today, but what we fear will happen to us tomorrow. And much of that fear stems from a lack of faith. Do we doubt or question whether God will really take care of us? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us assurance about a God who loves us. In Matthew 6:25, he begins by telling us NOT to worry (Matthew 6:25-30): Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Could it be that Jesus is asking the same question of us today that He asked the disciples during the storms in their lives? O you of little faith, where is your faith? Why do you doubt my love for you? Why do you fail to trust Me completely? When we worry, we are in essence telling God that we don t believe the words we ve just read. When we worry, we are telling God we don t have faith in Him. Now here is an interesting thing about faith found in Romans 14:23: For whatever is not from faith is sin. Sin is the opposite of faith. Sin in NOT trusting God. Sin is saying, God I can handle my own life and supply my own needs. Sin is living a life apart from God. Do we really believe that we ourselves are better at running our lives than God? The difference between the word running and the word ruining is only a single letter, and that letter is I. For a lot of people, I gets in the way, and instead of running their lives, they end up ruining their lives. The difference between going in our own direction and having God in the pilot seat is that God already knows where things are headed. God knew the earthquake would hit Japan. He also knows when and where the next big one will hit. He knows the end from the beginning and He knows the next storm you will be facing. So would you rather worry about the road ahead of you, or travel with Someone in the driver s seat who knows the road ahead?

5 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 5 Someone once commented that if God is your copilot, you need to change seats! So the questions we all need to answer are: Will I allow God to pilot my life? Will I quit worrying? Jesus is saying here in Matthew 6 that it s not necessary for Christians to spend time and emotional energy worrying about the future or the things of this world. He goes on in Matthew 6 with these words (Matthew 6:31-32): Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. God knows exactly what we need and he has promised to provide it. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. If the Bible says it, all we need to do is believe it. God will supply all our needs. But it s important to keep in mind that every Bible promise has a condition. So far, Jesus has been describing God s great love and care for us, but He adds that in order for us to receive that love and care, it s only possible when we meet the condition he outlines in the next verse (Matthew 6:33): But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. We can expect God to provide for us and to care for us, but only if our lives are positioned to allow Him to do that. If any part of us is hanging on to the world, or following the devil, then God is prevented from doing for us what Jesus describes here in the Sermon on the Mount. Only when we give God permission to intervene in our lives can He do so. Let s get back to the glass described by my psychologist friend, and how we each have a limited daily supply of emotional energy. How does a glass of water get filled? If you put the glass upside down, you can pour water over it all day long, but it will stay empty. Only when the glass is facing the source of water will it begin to fill. The same is true with our lives. If we desire God to supply our needs and to fill our lives with His love, we must be sure that our glass is face UP and not face down. Our lives must be open to receiving the blessings of God. According to Jesus, the way we position our lives for receiving God s blessing is by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we do that, THEN all of those things shall be added.

6 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 6 What does Jesus mean by seek first His kingdom and His righteousness? It s very simple. Jesus is saying that you and I are caught in a cosmic conflict between good and evil, and that we have to choose sides. Who will we be loyal to? God or the devil? Jesus says that in order for God to be able to bless us, we need to choose to be loyal to the Kingdom of Heaven and live according to the principles of Heaven as outlined in the law of love. It s as simple as that. You can choose every day to make the Kingdom of God first in your life. We have each been given freedom of choice and no one can violate what we think, or what we believe and what we hold most dear in our hearts and souls not even the devil himself. You can choose right now to GIVE yourself to God and allow Him to pilot your life. You can choose to consecrate yourself to God every morning, and to surrender all your plans to Him who already knows the end from the beginning. God already knows what your day will hold in store. He already knows if it will be your last day, just like those who were unexpectedly swept out to sea during the tsunami in Japan. If you want to discover what s most important to people, just can just take a look at what s stuck on the front of their refrigerator. That s where you find the grocery list, the drawings done by children or grandchildren, the photos of recent and past events, the love notes, the calendar of important appointments and usually a newspaper clipping or two, or a comment on how to lose weight. But where is God on your refrigerator door? Is God important enough in your life that you d put Him on the front of your refrigerator? Let me suggest that you put a Bible text on your refrigerator door, to help remind you to turn your life over to God s control on a daily basis. Here s the text we read a moment ago (Matthew 6:33): But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Why do we visit our refrigerators on a regular basis? It s to seek physical sustenance. But where do you go for spiritual sustenance? Your soul needs spiritual food, just like your body needs physical food. If you re serious about wanting to experience the goodness of God in your life as described in Matthew chapter 6, then make God first in your life by making verse 33 a reality in your heart. Finally, the last verse of Matthew chapter 6 takes us back to where we began in verse 25. Jesus again tells us not to worry (Matthew 6:34): Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

7 It Is Written Script: 1214 Worrywarts Under the Microscope Page 7 Jesus tells us to live one day at a time, and to put the Kingdom of Heaven first by getting our daily supply of spiritual nutrition. If we do that, it will build our faith and trust in God, and therefore we will have no need to worry, no matter what troubles the day may bring. Someone once said: Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. Life is not about where I am it s about where I m going. The pain of this life is nothing compared to the peace and joy of eternity. But we can experience the peace and joy of Heaven right here and now. There is only one single requirement keep your eyes on Jesus. Make Him first every day and surrender all of your heart and life to him. And you can do that right now as we pray together. PRAYER: Our Father in Heaven, we thank you that we can cast our cares upon you knowing that you care for us. I pray that you will give us peace in the place of our worry and give us the joy of entering into that relationship with you where we yield our hearts to you, where we surrender fully and in trust completely and believe in the promises of your Word. Lord, please fill our hearts every day and be bigger and bigger and bigger in our lives so that before long, it s all you and none of us. We thank you today. We give you our worries and concerns and we pray in Jesus name, Amen. It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA USA Tel: (805) Fax: (805)