Maybe Being a Christian Means a Little Bit More: Why Your Worry Reveals Your Faith

Maybe Being a Christian Means a Little Bit More: Why Your Worry Reveals Your Faith Have you ever watched the Grinch's heart grow three sizes and wondered what made the difference? It wasn't the presents, the ribbons, or the bags. It was the realization that Christmas meant something more than he understood. "Maybe being a follower of Jesus means a little bit more than what you think. Maybe following Jesus, maybe being a disciple, maybe looking and talking like Jesus means a little bit more than just going to church." When the Light Illuminates Everything Changes In the beloved Christmas story, the Grinch comes down from his mountain perch, frustrated and confused. He had stolen everything Christmas-related, yet the Whos were still singing. "He begins to sing the song though he doesn't know the words, but he's really excited about the moment because the truth of the moment mattered." This mirrors what Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:14 when He says, "You are the light of the world." Just like the Grinch's moment of illumination, "when we are illuminated, we begin to see things different." The problem is, "too often how we see things is we see through a dim lens. We see things through our own perspective." The Treasure Problem: What Really Has Your Heart In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus warns against laying up treasures on earth, explaining that "where your treasures are, your heart is." But there is something crucial: "it's not only monetary, but it's mental. It's this Greek word, this idea that it's not just the money that I have, but it's the things that I hope for." This leads to the penetrating question: "What is the source of your security? What are the things that bring you joy? What are the things that bring you peace?" Some of us have treasures under the Christmas tree, but Jesus is calling us to something deeper. "Your treasure should be spending eternity with me.” The Anxiety Epidemic Among Christians Here's where the message gets uncomfortably personal. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus says, "Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life." The word "life" here comes from the Greek word that means "your breath and that which brings satisfaction to you." "Can we just be honest with one another today? We all worry way too much about our life. We worry about what the future is going to hold." Whether you're a high school student wondering about the next step, a thirty-something unsure about your direction, or someone approaching retirement wondering if you'll have enough, "we get anxious about our lives." But Jesus says, "don't worry about your job, your house, your spouse, your lack of spouse, your future, your past, your present, the rapture, or or even what your lunch plans are." The Uncomfortable Truth About Christian Worry In Matthew 6:30, Jesus delivers a stinging rebuke: "Oh, you of little faith." When we look at that moment, "Jesus equates worry and being anxious and upset and all of that with those that have a diminished faith." Think about that. "Every time my mind begins to go off track, I begin to worry. Jesus is like, 'Oh, you have little faith. What's your faith in? What's your hope in?'" The statistics are sobering. Research shows that "56% of all Christians believe that Jesus has only a little bit to do with their life." When researchers compare Christians to non-Christians, "they don't see much difference." Jesus makes it clear: "The minute you look like the world, guess what? You are the world. The minute you act like the world, if you're just as frustrated or scared or anxious or worrying, he says, 'You're just like the world.'" The "But If God" Moment Here's where hope enters the picture. In Matthew 6:30, we find one of those powerful "but if God" moments in Scripture. Jesus asks, "but if God has taken care of the field and taking care of the grass and taking care of the flowers and take care of the birds he's taken care of all of everything else, but if God has done all that how come God cannot do for you what he's done for them?" "If you believe that God is great and that Jesus died on the cross for you, why are you anxious?" It's a question that cuts to the heart of our faith. Seek First: The Solution to Anxiety The answer comes in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." "What you should seek, what you should focus on is his kingdom. What does he desire to do in your life? Who is he to you? Does he love you? Does he care for you?" Jesus promises in John 16:33, "I have said these things to you that you may have peace... take heart because I've overcome the world." Tomorrow's Troubles and Today's Peace Matthew 6:34 offers practical wisdom: "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." Pastor James notes, "Tomorrow is going to have trouble... Tomorrow will have its problems tomorrow." But here's the key: "When you're anxious about tomorrow, when you're worried about your life, when you're worried about your next step, you don't truly believe that I can do all things." The Call to Be Different The early Christians faced real persecution - arrest, beatings, loss of jobs and family - "and yet they still had joy and we whine about a little bit of persecution when somebody is not so nice to us when we say something about Jesus Christ." "He came that you would be different. You need to shine brighter than anything else out there... when someone is dealing without hope, and when they're lost, when that day comes, they know the person to go to because they see something different." Putting It into PracticeExamine Your Treasures Ask yourself honestly: "Where are you at this morning? Do you have worry? Do you have anxiety? Do you have fear? Are you letting the things of the past hold you back from what God has for you?" Check Your Difference Factor "Do my neighbors see I'm different? Do the people in the grocery store see that I'm different? Are you different?" If people can't tell you're a Christian by how you handle life's pressures, something needs to change. Focus on the Kingdom Instead of letting your mind run wild with worry, "all we do is focus on the cross. All we do is focus on our hope. All we do is focus on Jesus because I know he's the sustainer and the fulfiller of all things." Share Your Hope Look for opportunities to share the hope you have with others who are struggling with anxiety and worry. Be the light that points them to the One who has overcome the world. The baby in the manger came for more than just Christmas morning. "He came to teach us that he has overcome the world so that you and I could be different." The question is: are you living like you believe it?