The Greatest Mistake We Always Make
September 16, 2012
““Therefore I tell you, do not
your heavenly Father knows that
worry about your life, what you
you need them. But seek first his
will eat or drink; or about your
kingdom and his righteousness,
body, what you will wear. Is not
and all these things will be given
life more important than food,
to you as well. Therefore do not
and the body more important
worry about tomorrow, for
than clothes? Look at the birds
tomorrow will worry about itself.
of the air; they do not sow or
Each day has enough trouble of
reap or store away in barns, and
its own.” (Matthew 6:25–34 |
yet your heavenly Father feeds
NIV84)
them. Are you not much more
valuable than they? Who of you
by worrying can add a single
hour to his life? “And why do you
What Does Worry
worry about clothes? See how
Look Like?
the lilies of the field grow. They
- Dissatisfied
do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you
- Something is never quite
that not even Solomon in all his
right
splendor was dressed like one of
- When one thing is fixed
these. If that is how God clothes
another things is out of
the grass of the field, which is
whack
here today and tomorrow is
- Contentment is a foreign
thrown into the fire, will he not
experience
- What is – is not enjoyed
much more clothe you, O you of
because of what could
little faith? So do not worry,
be
saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For the pagans
run after all these things, and
Bruce Archer - BCC
The Greatest Mistake we Always Make
WORRY, COMFORT,
and MARTYRDOM
It is said that more Christians
have died as martyrs in the
twentieth century than in all the
period from the beginning to
1900. The “Western” segment
of the church today lives in a
bubble of historical illusion
about the meaning of
discipleship and the gospel. We
are dominated by the essentially
Enlightenment values that rule
culture: pursuit of happiness,
unrestricted freedom of choice,
disdain of authority… How
different is the gritty realization
of James: James 4:4 4You
adulterous people, don’t you
know that friendship with the
world is hatred toward God?
Anyone who chooses to be a
friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God. (NIV84). And 1
John 2:15 15Do not love the
world or anything in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love
of the Father is not in him.
(NIV84). 1
1
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
(214)
Matthew 6:6:25-34
Earthly Treasures?
The entire posture of our
embodied self and its
surroundings is habitually
inclined toward physical or
“earthly” reality as the only
reality there is. Hence, to
treasure anything else must be
wrong. It is to rest on illusions…
But of course if we do value
“mammon” as normal people
seem to think we should, our
fate is fixed. Our fate is anxiety.2
Faith In Confusion
There are times in spiritual life
when there is confusion, and it is
no way out to say that there
ought not to be confusion. It is
not a question of right and
wrong, but a question of God
taking you by a way which in the
meantime you do not
understand, and it is only by
going through the confusion that
you will get at what God wants.
The Shrouding of His Friendship.
Luke 11:5–8 . Jesus gave the
illustration of the man who
looked as if he did not care for
his friend, and He said that that
2
Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
(208-209)
Bruce Archer - BCC
The Greatest Mistake we Always Make
is how the Heavenly Father will
appear to you at times. You will
think He is an unkind friend, but
remember He is not; the time
will come when everything will
be explained. There is a cloud on
the friendship of the heart, and
often even love itself has to wait
in pain and tears for the blessing
of fuller communion. When God
looks completely shrouded, will
you hang on in confidence in
Him?3
Priorities
Whenever these concerns (what
we are to eat and wear) are
given priority, the more
important concerns of God’s
kingdom are crowded out and
man’s perspective on life
becomes perilously distorted.
The solution to anxiety lies in
casting every concern upon God
with thankful heart in the full
realization of His care for His
people (1 Pet. 5:7; Phil. 4:6).4
Was Jesus Crazy?
The writers try to prove that
Jesus is not mad according to
the standards of this world; but
3
4
Chambers, O. (1986). MUHH
ISBE(149). Wm. B. Eerdmans.
Matthew 6:6:25-34
He is mad, absolutely mad, and
there is no apology needed for
saying it. Either the modern
attitude to things must alter, or
it must pronounce Jesus Christ
mad. “Seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be
added unto you.” Volumes have
been written to prove that the
Lord did not mean that; but He
did. Common sense says, “That
is nonsense, I must seek my
living first, then I will devote
myself to the kingdom of God.”
In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul reasons
that in the view of God it is the
world that is mad, and that man
only becomes sane in God’s
sight when he is readjusted to
God through the Atonement.5
Further Reading
Proverbs 3:5–6 5Trust in the
LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding;
6
in all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will make your
paths straight. (NIV84)
5
Chambers, O. (1996)..
Bruce Archer - BCC
The Greatest Mistake we Always Make
Psalm 46:1 1God is our refuge
and strength, an ever-present
help in trouble. (NIV84)
Matthew 6:6:25-34
Notes
Philippians 4:19 19And my God
will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches
in Christ Jesus. (NIV84)
1 Timothy 6:8 8But if we have
food and clothing, we will be
content with that. (NIV84)
Matthew 10:31 31So don’t be
afraid; you are worth more than
many sparrows. (NIV84)
John 16:33 33“I have told you
these things, so that in me you
may have peace. In this world
you will have trouble. But take
heart! I have overcome the
world.” (NIV84)
Psalm 34:19 19A righteous man
may have many troubles, but the
LORD delivers him from them all;
(NIV84)
Bruce Archer - BCC