Overcoming Anxiety and Worry With Jesus

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A man sits alone in his office . It's been a good year , actually , no , it's been a great year . He's risen to the top of his company far quicker than he ever thought he would . People say he's the golden boy of the company . He's next in line to be the CEO . His bank account would tell it that he's making far more than he ever could imagine he would make at this young age . And yet here he is sitting in his office alone . Far after dinner . He had to call his wife yet again saying he would be late , that it's just a season . But he's wondering if it really is just a season . The pressure he feels to keep performing , to keep climbing , is immense , and it's not necessarily the pressure other people put on him , it's the pressure he feels himself . What if I can't live up to my expectations ? What if I don't make it ? He feels this weight . It's almost an indescribable feeling , this just weight that's on his shoulders to keep doing more , to keep doing better . He's weighed down by worry .

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A mom lays in bed at night just staring at the ceiling . She knows she should be asleep , but how can she sleep when her kids haven't contacted her ? You see , when her kids went off to UWS and she was promised by them that every day they would text her before they went to bed . Now her son , who's the junior , he's kind of the responsible one , and so he texts exactly at 10 o'clock every night saying hey , mom going to bed . Now she wonders if he has it on some sort of auto send . But it's fine , at least she gets a message from her . But her daughter , the freshman , the creative one , well , she doesn't always text And she worries . She wonders what is she doing ? Is she okay ? Why hasn't she sent a message ? Is she out doing ? she's a free spirit , is she getting into trouble ? And she lies awake , wondering what to do , staring at the ceiling , drowning in a sea of worry . A once financially secure man stares at his credit card that lost an worry . A couple entering retirement , not knowing what to do , not that they have all this free time . A woman at the height of her career stares at a doctor blankly as he utters the word it's cancer . A young couple wonders if they will ever have kids . A divorced woman wonders if she'll ever find love again . A student lays in bed , wondering if he'll figure out why he feels this way . Why is he in this funk , all these people lost in deep , deep worry .

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Today we're continuing our series called Searching for Answers , and the one thing that most of us don't know what to do with , but all of us in some way , big or small , struggle with , is this issue of anxiety or worry , and Jesus knows this . In fact , jesus tackles this subject head on in Luke 12 , and he asks us this simple question , but this perplexing question Why do you worry ? Because we worry , i worry . Just a couple of weeks ago , i was in bed , just paralyzed by so many issues in life , just frozen by worry . So what do we do with that ? How do we handle it ? Well , jesus has a lot to say on this subject . So let's look at Luke , chapter 12 , beginning in 22 .

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I'm going to read several verses , so just hang on . It's important that we read all of these . It says this Consider how the wildflowers grow . They don't labor or spend . Yet I tell you , not even Solomon and all his splendor was dressed like one of these . If that's how God closed , the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire , how much more will he clothe you ? you of little faith , don't set your heart on what you will eat or drink . Don't worry about it . The pagan world runs after those things and your father knows that you need them . But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well . Don't be afraid , little flock , for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom . Sell your possessions , give to the poor , provide purposes for yourself that will not wear out , a treasure in heaven that will never fail , where no thief comes near and no moth destroys for your . Where your treasure is , there your heart will be also . You know , as we hear Jesus words about worry , there's a couple of things we need to consider , and the first thing is this it's kind of a warning at us , and it's this that the worries we carry will absolutely 100% crush us . They will crush us if we let them . This is why Jesus says again and again in this passage Do not worry , do not worry , do not worry .

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Now , jesus's audience had a lot to worry about . This is a group who , by and large , lived hand to mouth . Most of them were incredibly poor . They lived on less than a dollar a day . 95% of them , historians tell us , could not read or write Because of lack of good healthcare . Many were sick with no medicine . Plagues would sometimes come and kill off one third of an entire city . Most of them would not see past the age of 30 .

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One historian describes it this way The smell of sweat , urine , feces and decay permeated everything Outside . On the street , it was little better mud , open sewers , manure and crowds . In fact , human corpses get that . Human corpses , adult as well as infant , were sometimes just pushed into the street and abandoned .

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And so when Jesus comes in and says , don't worry , they're like really , jesus , have you seen what we're dealing with ? How can we possibly not worry ? See , they had a big box of worries that they carried around . Maybe we could picture it this way . You see , in their box of worries were things like how much money do they have ? In fact , jesus talks a lot about this and they didn't have much . They're kind of like me , in fact . My stepson , when he saw how much money I had up here , said really just $2 ? That's all I got . So that's kind of how they felt how much money they had , whether they would be able to clothe themselves . Apparently they dressed like Northern Wisconsiners clothe themselves or clothe their family . They worried about work or lack of work . You see , they were manual laborers , but they couldn't find work most of the time And , of course , since they lived in the conditions they did , they were concerned about their health and whether or not they would be healthy , whether the kids would be healthy .

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That one in their worry box . And while this passage doesn't talk about it directly , a little bit later in this chapter Jesus talks about the family and how much worries that that comes . And so their family went in there as well , and since they only are expected to live to the age of 30 , they were worried about their future and how much time they had left . And so that one in their worry box as well . And so they just were carrying around , everywhere they went , this big box of worries , and the more they carried it , the heavier it got . And the more they carried it , the more they added to it . And Jesus just comes in and says why are you carrying that ? How's that working out for you ? You know , the reality is we're not really that different .

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My guess is that one or two of us in this room , in our box , have worries about money . Maybe we're in debt , maybe we're just kind of living close to the edge of debt . Inflation certainly doesn't help . We certainly have our family in there . And you know what about our kids ? Why don't we have kids ? What about the broken relationships in our family ? Is our spouse going to keep loving us ? Are we ever going to find a spouse ? And certainly in there is our health .

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We don't know what to do with what the doctor said , or maybe it's the health of somebody we love . And of course , we're worried about our future . God , what am I supposed to do ? God , this wasn't the dream , but I had a five-step plan that I was going to fulfill in my life and I only got to step one , and now it's all off course . God , what do you want me to do ? Because this ain't it ? And we carry around all these worries and soon we start to question ourselves I know I've been there Like is there something inherently wrong with me ? God , look at all this mess . And the more we carry it , the heavier it becomes . Because that's what worries do ? They get heavier and they grow and eventually they crush us .

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Worries don't start off that way . In fact , jesus talks about it several places . He says they actually just start off at what we call troubles , what he calls troubles , and that shouldn't be a surprise . In fact , in Matthew's version of the same teaching , jesus says this don't worry about tomorrow , for tomorrow will worry about itself . Each day has enough trouble of its own . And Jesus would say this in John in this world , guarantee 100% , don't be surprised by this , you will have troubles . But so often we forget that and we don't know what to do when troubles come our way .

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I remember when my daughter , jenny , was five and she was learning how to ride a bike And I remember one day she declared to me dad , it's time to take off the training wheels . I looked at her are you sure You ready for this ? Because this is big time . Are you ready for training wheel , less riding ? She said , yeah , dad , i'm ready . I said , okay , here's the deal , jenny . I know you can start off well , but inevitably there will come a point maybe half a block down where you're going to see a bump or somebody's going to walk down the sidewalk . Just keep pedaling . Troubles are going to come , but just keep pedaling . And she said , dad , i got this , don't worry about me . In fact , i'll move out tomorrow . I got this , i'm good . And she started off pedaling . I mean it was amazing . I mean she could be in the Tour de France . She was just pedaling and setting a world record for a five-year-old as her speed and grace on a bike And then , as I predicted , there was a bump and she didn't take my advice .

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She froze and she fell . Thankfully she had a helmet on , but she fell . And I said Jenny and she said what I said you forgot to keep pedaling . And she said I know , but it just seemed so scary . And that's what we do . Jesus says hey , troubles are going to come , it's just part of life . Keep pedaling .

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But when we don't , and when we freeze those troubles , well , they become bigger And we start staring at them and they start to overwhelm us . And that's when they become what Jesus says here a worry . And when they're a worry , we feel like we've lost total control . What happens if this thing doesn't change ? What can I do to change it ? Why isn't this situation changing ? Why don't you even care anymore ? And ultimately , the more we stare at it , it's not just a worry anymore , it's not just a trouble , there's that bigger one . You can't see it there , but it says fear . It becomes a fear . When it's a fear , we feel like we've lost all hope . When it's a fear . It paralyzes us . I think that's why Jesus , even in this passage , changes his words from worry to fear to , at the end He says don't be afraid , little flock .

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It's no surprise that the number one command in Scripture is this don't be afraid . But so many of us are , worries that we've carried around for so long now grow into fears and they just absolutely 100% crush us . They crush us in a variety of ways . They crush our bodies . They crush our bodies physically . I find it ironic that in verse 25 , jesus says whoever you , by worrying , can add a single hour to your life . Because here's the reality worry doesn't add hours to our lives . Worries actually , according to the doctors , take hours away from our lives . They cause headaches , ulcers , stomach aches , sleep deprivation , worrying stress adversely affect our heart , blood pressure , immune system . But I don't have to tell you this . We know that When I was deep in worry a few weeks ago , it's not a surprise that I caught a flu . I caught an infection . That happens all the time .

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That's why those of us who have struggled with depression in our lives know that oftentimes , when we're in a state of depression , all we want to do is sleep . Why ? Because worry crushes our body . It crushes our immune system , it crushes our ability to function physically . That's why Proverbs says this an anxious heart weighs a man down . It crushes our bodies And , secondly , they crush our relationships .

Why We Worry

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You see , since we can't control what is going on inside of us , those worries and anxiety , it comes out on the people closest to us . James writes about this . He says this what causes fights and quarrels among you ? And his answer isn't because that person's a jerk . No , don't . They come from your desires . That battle within you . In other words , you have all this stuff that's all tangled up inside . You're worried about it , you can't figure it out , you can't control it . In that tension and that anxiety and sometimes that anger over it , it just comes out on the person closest to you , not because they've done anything wrong , but it's just because they're close to you . And that stuff that's within is always going to come out . That's why , when you're worried about work , you take it out on your kids or your spouse or your friends , not because they did anything wrong , but because they're just there , crush our relationships . They crush our character .

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See , worries and fears that won't go away often leave us feeling like we need to medicate ourselves And so soon we're overeating or drinking a little too much , or going to those websites or working beyond a level that's healthy , and ultimately they crush our dreams . Since we're living in a constant fear , we don't feel like we can take risks like we used to . We live in the fear of the what is , and our dreams become distant memories . So let me ask you what's in your box ? Because we all have a box that we carry around . What's in yours ? And I'm just going to say this as an aside that , yes , messages like this are important , but sometimes we need professional help to deal with our box . I've gone to therapy a lot of my life and continue to do so , for my own health And some of you . You just need to find a good counselor who can help you work through these things , because it's just hard . But what's in your box ?

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But Jesus' original question still remains why do we worry ? You know , i think at its roots , the reason we worry is our perspective has gotten out of whack . When we start to stare at our worries and to grow and grow , all sorts of things go out of focus . And so why do we worry ? Well , first of all , we worry because our view of life is too short . That's too short .

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This is where Jesus begins , in verses 22 and 23 , says don't worry about your life , what you'll eat , or about your body , what you'll wear , why ? For life is more than food and the body more than clothes . In other words , jesus is saying the reason you are worrying so much is that your view of life is too short . You don't have an eternal perspective on it . And you see , when we don't have an internal perspective on our money or all we think about that , all we have in life are these things in this box , that life is only about the money we have , or about the relationships , making sure our family's happy and healthy , or about our work , when all we have in life are these things , of course the moment that they shake , of course the moment that we lose some of what's in there , of course we're going to spin into worry and even into despair .

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That's why Jesus says in verses 29 and 30 that when we operate that way , we're no different than the pagans , in other words , those who don't believe in God . He says this , for the pagan world runs after all such things , and that's what we do all the time . We chase after the things in our box and when we don't have them , whether or not what we thought they would look like we're lost . We don't know what to do . And Jesus says the reason you do that is that you're viewing life in a limited way . You have to start seeing it from an eternal perspective , that life is so much bigger than the things in your box . I think that's why , in verse 33 , he says provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out , a treasure in heaven that will never fail , where no thief comes and no moth destroys .

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See , one of the reasons we worry is our view of life is too short . One of the other reasons we worry is our view of ourselves is too high . We think too highly of ourselves . In other words , we assume we can control things that are actually beyond our control . Jesus talks about this in a very sarcastic way . In fact , one of the things I encourage you to do as you read the scriptures , read the stories of Jesus teaching us see where he's actually kind of funny . And here's a place where he's actually kind of funny . He says this who of you , by worrying , can add a single hour to your life ? And if that wasn't sarcastic enough , he says since you can't do this very little thing , why do you worry about the rest ? I mean , i love this . Think about it . If somebody had an ability to add an hour to the day , we would think that they are the most powerful person in the universe . And Jesus is saying that's nothing compared to what I can do , that's just a little thing . It says that if he's saying you're not God , you think you are , you try to be , but you're not , you can't even do the things that I can do with my hands tied behind my back . Maybe we could picture it this way .

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I don't know how many of you would like to bowl , but I enjoy bowling , but it's fascinating . I enjoy bowling not so much bowling myself but watching other people bowl . And the funny thing about bowling is everybody lines up , they have their bowling ball and they do whatever they do to get it just right And they bring it back and then they let it go . And you would think at that point that they would just go back and sit down and see what happens . But they don't . They stand there at the edge of the lane and they start to do weird motions . If they want it to go left , they start to lean to the left . If they want it to go right , they start to lean to the right . I've even seen some people hop as if to make it go that way . Some people will move their hands and some people I've even seen will blow as if that's going to help . I mean , do you ever think that a bowling ball halfway down the alley thinks to myself , you know what ? because that idiot back there is blowing , i think I'll go to the right for them ? No , but that's what Jesus is saying .

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We do in life . You do the best you can with your kids and you let them go , but we stay back in our house . Please do this , do this , do that . We have no control , but we do the best we can at work and we let it go . It's in our boss's hands , but we stay up at night leaning this way , saying turn left , turn left , pick me , pick me . And Jesus just comes and says what are you doing ? You're not God .

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Who of you , by worrying , can add a single hour to your life ? Who of you , by worrying , can change the diagnosis ? Who of you , by worrying , can make her say yes ? Who of you , by worrying , can make him change ? Who of you , by worrying , can get your kids to talk to you again ? Who of you , by worrying , can be God . You see , oftentimes we worry because our view of ourselves is too high , but interestingly , sometimes we worry for just the opposite reason Our view of ourselves is too low , our view of ourselves is too low . In other words , we don't feel like we're worth God's time . He helps other people , not us . We're lost cause . We messed up too much . We're not important enough . Nothing will ever change , never has , never will . We're not worth his time . That's why Jesus uses the examples he does in this passage .

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He first says verse 24 , amazing . He says consider the ravens . They don't sow or reap , they have no store room or barn . Yeah , god feeds them . And how much more valuable you are than birds . Now , that's fascinating enough , but it's even more fascinating when you understand what ravens were in the Jewish culture . See , the Jewish people weren't even allowed to touch ravens . They were considered the most unclean bird possible . And so what Jesus is saying is the bird you won't even touch , i take care of , the bird that's considered in the culture unclean I provide for . And if I do that for that bird , how much more am I going to do that for you , who is the crown of my creation for you , who scripture says is the apple of my eye for you , who is made in my image ? How much more am I going to take care of you ? And then he goes on to wildflowers in verse 27 and talks about how they are addressed to the finest detail by God . And he says this in verse 28, . If that is how God closed , the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire , how much more will He clothe you , you of little faith ? The grass and flowers He was talking about would actually be used by His audience to put into their clay ovens for fire . And He's just saying the grass , we just burn that stuff , but I take care of it . You live forever . How much more am I going to take care of you ?

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And yet sometimes we think God doesn't . We think , because other people have told us we're worthless , that God thinks we're worthless . We think that , because other people have said that we're a lost cause , that God thinks we're a lost cause , and I think that , because we made that mistake , that we are a mistake , and so we worry . But ultimately , the reason we worry the most is whether our view of ourselves is too high or our view of ourselves is too low . Either way , it leads us to this conclusion that our view of God is too small .

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Maybe we could picture it this way and we could get up the graphic on the screen . You'll see here that when my view of myself at the top is too big , but I don't view God properly , i think God can't do what I need him to do . He's not powerful enough . And when I don't think he can , i just try to grab control of things that I can't control . But ultimately that leaves to worry . But the same thing happens when our view of ourselves is too small because I think God won't . Yeah , he's powerful enough , but I don't see him properly , so I don't think he will actually help me . And when I don't think he will , i just go around playing the victim in life , like nobody wants to help me . Of course things are going to be messed up , because that's my story . Either way it leads to worry . Either he can't and I try to grab control , or he won't and I play the victim . It ends up in worry .

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Let me ask you why do you worry ? Is it because your view of your life is too short , or your view of yourself is too high or too low , or is it ultimately because your God has become too small ? Well , that's all the bad news . What's the good news ? How do we get out of worry ? Well , the key is this to remember how good your heavenly Father is . Remember how good your heavenly Father is .

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I love being a dad and a stepdad , and one of the things I love to do with my stepson , exxon , who's here and I probably didn't realize I was going to talk about him is I love to put him in a lock in my legs and tell him that he needs to have a password to get out , and the password is this dad is awesome because I'm a bit ego-tistical , so if he says those words , then I'll let him out , and while that may make us smile a little bit , this is kind of what Jesus is getting out here . It's like how do you get out of worry ? Well , you just realize your heavenly Father is awesome . In other words , he's saying you know why you can handle the things that cause you to worry , because your heavenly Father is awesome , because your heavenly Father is so unbelievably , indescribably good .

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And you see , we think this passage is about us . It's not . It's about our heavenly Father , and Jesus wants us to know that the only way out of worry is to stop looking at these things that are in your box . Get your head out of the box and start looking at your heavenly Father , who has been there all along , walking with you , crying with you and leading you . So your good Father knows what you need . He knows what you need .

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If we didn't get this by now , he says this verse 30 , for the pagans run after these things , and your heavenly Father knows that you need them . But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well . And actually that term for Father is Abba , which is translated Daddy . It says , if Jesus is saying , you don't have to be frightened , you don't have to be worried because your Daddy is here , seek him . He knows what you need . He's going to provide what you need . Now . It doesn't mean we're passive and say , okay , god , you do all the work . No one of the ways he provides this for us is giving us guidance on how to wisely handle our finances or how we should engage in relationships , or how do we should think about work and health in the future , but he promises not to let us hang out to dry . So let me ask you when it comes to the things in your box , are you just staring at them , not knowing what to do ? Jesus says get your head out of the box and start looking at your heavenly Father . He's been right there all along and he knows what you need .

Living for Something Bigger

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The second thing about your good Father is that he gives you something bigger to live for . He gives you something bigger . See , when Jesus talks about our heavenly Father , he says seek his kingdom . He wasn't just talking about going to heaven one day . No , he was talking about living for something bigger than the things in your box . See , life , he says , is not about you . It's a story that God began at the beginning of creation and he's invited you into . It's a story that's so much bigger than these little things that are in your box . It's a story of communities being changed , of wrongs being made right , of relationships being restored .

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But the only way you will ever be able to be a part of that kingdom is if you stop looking at your little kingdom in here and start looking at his kingdom and saying God , okay , this wears me out anyway , would you help me get my head out of the box , because this , this doesn't deliver . I mean , i hope you have lots of money . You think you can take me out to dinner . I hope your family's great . I really do . I hope you have a great future and that your seven point plan for life works out the way you thought it would . I hope you have a job where you get promoted every six months .

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But even if you get all that , it's not what you were made for . You were made to be a part of a kingdom . It started from the beginning of time and expands all into eternity . You were made to help change this community , the people that are around you , in a much bigger way than just giving them a few bucks , in a way where your life rubs up against them and they say I don't know what you have , but I want it . You were made to live far beyond your own issues to bring hope and healing and peace and compassion to a world that desperately needs it .

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You're made to be a part of his kingdom , and that's why Jesus says this in verse 32 , Do not be afraid , little flock , for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom , and so today he is offering you this kingdom . He's saying will you take it ? It's my present to you . It just takes a step of faith , just takes a step of saying , yes , i will follow and I will do that . But if you're ever going to take that kingdom , if you're ever going to take that gift , jesus says you first have to give him this Because this is too heavy for you . And so will you give that to him And take the gift he has waiting for you .