Sermon on Worry and Anxiety | Overcoming Worry and Anxiety
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon Outlines
Sermon on Worry and Anxiety — Sermon outline by Tom Moore explaining what the Bible says about the necessity of overcoming worry.and anxiety.
INTRODUCTION:
A. We are living in a time that many refer to as an “Age of Anxiety”
1. It seems that worry is the watchword of our world today
a. No job … we worry
b. Job … we worry
c. No money … we worry
d. Money … we worry
e. Sick … we worry
f. Not sick … we worry
2. One worrier said to another, “I have so many troubles that if anything happened to me today it would take me two weeks before I could get around to worrying about it.”
B. Now, we know that life cannot be lived free from all sense of anxiety and concern
1. For example, being concerned about having an automobile wreck will cause us to practice rules of safety.
2. Concern over becoming ill will cause us to practice rules of good health
C. However, the problem is this: “It is easy to let our CONCERNS becomes our CARES, and our FORETHOUGHTS to become our FEAR-THOUGHTS.”
DISCUSSION: (Discussion of this sermon on worry and anxiety.)
A. THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WORRY
1. People worry about things that have already happened
a. This is very futile!
b. Worrying about that which has already happened is like trying to saw sawdust!
c. Worrying about the past is like trying to put toothpaste back into the tube
d. Past deeds cannot be undone, or past words unsaid
e. If the past involves sin, obey the conditions of pardon and God will abundantly forgive
1) Isaiah 55:6-7
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
2) When God forgives you, forgive yourself
f. Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of England, once said, “I have made it a practice of my life always to close the gate behind me.” — And that is what we need to do with things that have already happened!
2. People worry over things that will inevitably happen
a. Some worry that their children will marry
1) Marriage is honorable (Heb. 13:4)
2) Men & women were created for marriage (Gen. 2:24)
b. Some worry about dying — but we will all die (Heb. 9:27)
c. Some worry about growing old — but we grow old…
3. Some people worry about things that will never happen
a. Mark Twain once said, “I have worried over a great many things in life, the most of which never happened.”
b. Surveys have shown that 80% of the things we worry about never happen
B. THE LORD’S CLASSIC TEXT ON WORRY (Matthew 6:24-34)
1. Worry is unnecessary
a. Because our heavenly Father knows our needs (v. 32)
b. God is sensitive to our needs — so why worry?
2. Worry is cruel
a. Matthew 6:26
b. It is cruel to think that God would care more for birds than He would for us
c. Any father would feed his children before he would feed the birds
3. Worry is prohibited
a. “Do not worry” (vs. 25, 31, 34) — take no thought, KJV
b. The same Lord that made belief and baptism essential to salvation (Mk. 16:16), is the same Lord who said don’t worry!
4. Worry is futile
a. Matthew 6:27
b. Worry is like a rocking chair — it gives you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere
5. Worry is heathenish
a. “For after all these things the Greeks seek…” (v. 32)
b. Jesus is saying that worry is not characteristic of a child of God
6. Worry shows a lack of faith
a. “O you of little faith” (v. 30)
b. Human reasoning produces doubt, doubt produces fear, and fear produces anxiety
c. John 14:1
C. WHY WORRY LEADS TO SIN
1. It is a disregard for the commands of God
a. Philippians 4:6 … or, Don’t be troubled
b. 1 Peter 1:13
c. We are concerned about obeying the others commands of God — why not this one?
2. It deters from duty and a is futile waste of time
a. Studies have shown that only 8% of what we worry about are legitimate things to worry about
b. Energy spent in worry could be better spent elsewhere
c. “Redeem the time” (Eph. 5:16)
3. It impairs health
a. “He worried himself sick” can certainly express the truth
b. Excess worry causes high blood pressure, fatigue, hives, ulcers, mental disorders, insanity and even suicide
c. The field of psychiatry is flourishing as never before because of worry and anxiety
d. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 teaches us not to harm the body
4. It is a robber, robbing one of joy, happiness and peace
a. “Worry” originally meant to strangle, a continual snapping or biting, to shake & mangle with the teeth
b. Worry grasps us by the throat and prevents happiness
c. And yet, the Bible tells us of the need to rejoice
1) “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4)
2) “Rejoice evermore” (1 The. 5:16).
5. It is a prohibitive against our prayers being answered
a. For prayers to be answered we must be asked in faith
1) James 1:5-6
2) Mark 11:24
b. Worry is distrust in God
c. We must not be like the man who prayed for protection throughout the night; and, then, stayed up all night to see if God would.
Finally, in this sermon on worry and anxiety…
D. HOW TO OVERCOME WORRY
1. Make up your mind that you are going to conquer it
a. We must not allow our thoughts to push us around
b. Abraham Lincoln said, “I have been as happy as I have made my mind to be.”
2. Form the right relationship with God
a. Philippians 4:7
b. The closer we are to God — the fewer worries we have
3. Develop the right attitude of mind
a. First, look at the silver lining
b. Second, count your blessings
c. Don’t concentrate on the bad to the neglect of the good
4. Do what you can and turn the rest over to God
a. Do what you can — leave the rest to God
b. We must trust God!
c. Isaiah 26:3 — You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
d. Romans 8:28
5. Live one day at a time
a. Yesterday is buried and tomorrow unborn
b. The best way to prepare for tomorrow is to fulfill the duties of today
c. Matthew 6:34
6. Engage in purposeful work
a. Even in Eden, God saw the need for employment to insure man’s happiness (Gen. 2:15)
b. He was a wise man who said that “he had no time for worry, for in the day time he was too busy and at night he was too sleepy.”
CONCLUSION: (End of this sermon on worry and anxiety.)
*information came from Wendell Winkler