Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Don't Worry! Part 27 of 31
TEXT: "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? 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. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:25-34).
IDEA: "All these things" is not a sure-fire way to get rich.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand what Jesus is promising to His followers in Matthew 6:33.
Do you watch religious television?
How would you evaluate the subject of some of the teachings you might hear?
I. Preachers have used Matthew 6:33 to promise material prosperity.
How do some of the sermons develop from this passage?
What do preachers get right about this passage?
Jesus is talking about material "things" being added to us.
What might they get wrong from this passage?
What is Jesus promising to His followers?
What is He not promising -- that here is a sure-fire plan to get all that you want from God?
II. How does the immediate context speak against misapplying Matthew 6:33 as a formula for gaining wealth?
Is it possible to misuse Christianity as a way of seeking after "things"?
Can this be dangerous or damaging?
