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| SERMON #138 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? MAT 6:25. As we go through the Sermon on the Mount, there is such a blessed harmony in the entire message. There is continuity with one issue carrying into the next issue to become one message. From the very beginning, in MAT 5, the Lord is dealing with a practical application of principles to guide our daily life. V:25-34 in Chapter 6 speak of a wholehearted trust in God rather than trusting in self, or earthly treasure. We see in JAM 4:13-15 how the Apostle James brings out this same principle; "Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." The Apostle James is pointing out the same principle as the Lord Jesus is teaching; we are dependent upon the Lord for our very breath. Jesus says, "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" Jesus teaches how insignificant the cares of this world are when we can rest them upon the Lord. We see this when James says, "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Jesus is pointing out the same principle as we read in PSA 127:1, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Jesus first teaches us the wrong of hoarding earthly treasures for the wrong use. We have dealt with this issue in other sermons; acquiring earthly treasures in itself is not wrong, but to use them as the place of our confidence or to use them to exalt ourselves is wrong. We are to distribute to the poor. The wrong use of our possessions is building our hope on our treasures. MAT 6:19-21 says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." That is the bottom line. When we lay up treasures in this world, meaning it becomes a place of our confidence, the place upon which we trust, that is the place our heart will be. Jesus is teaching us that anxiety is unbelief; that the conversation of our heart should not be meditating upon what we shall eat, put on, or where we shall live. Now Jesus turns our attention to where we are to place our trust even though our natural tendency is to worry about our temporal needs. Many people worry about what will happen tomorrow, what they will do, how they will fare tomorrow, or how they will succeed; many worries are based on "what if...." The Lord is teaching us to turn from these anxieties and lay all of these cares upon Him; He tells us to take no thought for our lives. Don't worry about what we will eat, drink, or wear; such worry is not only needless, it is in fact a grievous sin of unbelief. Why are anxiety and frustration grievous sins of unbelief? If our heart is truly resting upon the Lord, we are content with what the Lord has given us. Many people flee to another place or a better job because they do not believe they will have sufficient where they are; they are not content with what the Lord has given them. The result is anxiety and frustration; that is unbelief. It is running after a mirage, running after the reflection of the sun on the sand; it is running after the gold mine at the end of the rainbow. When they get there, they find emptiness because they were not able to settle and rest in the Lord. Jesus is directing our attention to the fact that such worry is not only needless, but is in fact a grievous sin of unbelief. LUK 12:22-26 says, "And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?" What are the ravens? Why did the Lord Jesus choose to say, "Consider the ravens"? The ravens are the unclean birds. The Lord is teaching us that even those who are unclean, those who are not saved, even those who have not been washed in the blood of Christ are still fed by the Lord. He takes care of the ravens. In a spiritual sense, the ravens are those who have no storehouse. Joseph had the storehouse filled for those whom God would preserve alive in the time of famine. Joseph was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have learned in a spiritual sense to see their emptiness are fed from the storehouse greater than Joseph's, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our text says, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" MAT 6:25. After showing the single eye concept and reproving against serving two masters, Jesus uses the connecting word Therefore. It is important that we don't overlook what may appear to be insignificant words in a passage of Scripture. Jesus has just shown us two principles in MAT 6:24-25: how laying up treasures on earth, "where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal," does not satisfy, nor can we have our hearts divided between God and mammon and find satisfaction. Jesus is telling us, "Therefore," we must not have our hearts set on temporal things. In 2CO 5:7 we read, "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" It is important to understand what that means. To walk by faith means to be able to look to the Lord to supply even though human reasoning will disallow it. To walk by sight is to see and understand with our human reasoning that we have security and feel confident in the things we see with our natural eye. It is to see that the number on the end of the bank account is sufficient. Walking by faith sometimes means going forward when there is a zero balance at the end of the bank statement. However, we walk by faith because the Lord supplies, most often in a very remarkable way. We are instructed to walk by faith instead of by sight to teach us how to deal with material things without becoming materialistic. In JOH 17:14-15 we read, "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." The Lord did not decree that His people should be taken out of the world. We must be able to deal with material things, but we may not let material things become our master. Then we would become materialistic. The gospel as taught by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount is totally practical. We need to understand this fact. Jesus speaks of our private life in alms giving, prayer, fasting, and in handling this world's goods, i.e., how to live in the world without being of the world. In GAL 1:4 we read, "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." To "deliver us from this present evil world" means that our hearts must not be set upon the things of the world. It isn't that the world itself becomes such a concern, it is that our hearts go out to the world. We are in the world, but we are not to be of the world. Jesus taught us how to live before the world, i.e., not seeking our own honour, but seeking to hallow the Father's name. We are to be a light unto the world; we are to be the salt of the earth. We are to be an example to the world. The Lord Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount how we are to be able to live before the world, not seeking our own honor, but seeking the honor of our Father which is in heaven. We see this same principle in ROM 8:6. "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." If we become of the world, we become carnal and materialistic; that is spiritual death dwelling within us. We are to be spiritually minded to live in peace with God; we are to have our confidence, hope, and trust set upon the Lord as our foundation. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" These things are those which the carnal mind seek after, but Jesus teaches us to walk by faith, not by sight, and trust Him for our needs. The carnal mind is anxious; it is filled with frustration about the things of this life. The Lord Jesus is teaching us not to be carnally minded; we are to walk by faith. When Jesus said, "Take no thought," He is not saying we are not to intelligently plan our future, but that we are not to trust in our own planning, or live in anxiety about our future. I still think back to when I was in my twenties. I had it all figured out that Russia would take over our country and the world would turn to communism. I didn't want to get married; now I am a grandfather with eighteen grandchildren, Russia still hasn't taken over our country, and communism is crumbling. Anxiety and frustration fills our heart by nature; the cause is not looking to the Lord. We are dealing with human reasoning. I remember my dear mother. Many times when I'd go to visit I'd find her filled with anxiety. After we had discussed the uncertainties of this life and the fallacy of trusting in the things of this world, she was able to turn the page over, be thankful for what we had instead of being anxious about what we don't have. After explaining that, her heart would be as lifted up as it was cast down when I came, although nothing had changed; the circumstances were the same. The difference is perspective and whether we trust and look to God or to human reasoning. We need to balance the teaching of our text with 2TH 3:10-12, "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. [Our text does not teach us to become slothful.] For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." We are exhorted to work for our daily bread, but we are not to be anxious about it. We are to trust that the Lord will bless the fruit of our labors and that He will provide. We must see the fine line between going forward to earn our daily bread with diligent work, and placing our confidence in these things. We must work with careful planning and diligence, but it is not the place of our confidence. It is not the place upon which we trust, neither is it the place upon which we have anxious thoughts. Our text says, "take no thought." This word Thought, comes from the Greek word, Merimnao which means "To be anxious about--to be careful over--to be distracted over--to be divided or disunited over," i.e., to let our interests become divided over. "Take no thought" means we are not to be anxious, concerned, or distracted from God's will; we must not allow ourselves to become divided over those things we need for our daily living. We need not be anxious about them. This same word Merimnao, is translated as "thought" in the following verses: "Which of you by taking thought [through anxiety or distraction from God's will,] can add one cubit unto his stature?" MAT 6:27. "And why take ye thought [why would you become distracted from God's will,] for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin," MAT 6:28. "Therefore take no thought [do not be anxious], saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" MAT 6:31. "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," MAT 6:34. These verses do not mean we should have no thought about these things; they are saying that we are not to be overburdened or anxious about them. We are not to have such a concern or anxiety that it brings us into distress and pain over tomorrow because it distracts our attention from following the Lord; it is unbelief. It is to lose sight of the single eye concept looking unto Christ by faith because the Lord will supply. The word Merimnao, is also translated as "thought," in LUK 12:11- 12, "And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say." This does not mean that they were not to be prepared to give an account of the hope that was in them, but they were not to be consumed with anxiety over the event. They were to go in faith that God would be their provider. He would protect them and give them a quick mind to speak. The Holy Spirit would give them the words to speak. They were not to go in a fatalistic way; they were to go in faith. This corresponds with MAT 10:19-20, "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." When it comes to providing, we are to take no thought; we are to remove the anxiety for our heavenly Father will provide our food, clothing, housing, care of our daily needs, and give us words when He wants us to speak a word in season. Jesus is not teaching that we are not to make intelligent plans for this life, but we are not to be filled with anxiety, as though our success depended on us. That is the key we must understand. In PSA 12:3-5 we read, "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? [The Lord is teaching us that He wants us to become needy; He wants us to come to Him and He will provide. We are not so qualified as to be able to speak and bring forth our own cause.] For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him." This runs parallel to the admonition in LUK 12:11-12. We are not to come there so fully confident that our own tongue shall prevail. We do not have to be able to out-talk the man who is so clever with his tongue; we must only be needy before the Lord. We must trust that the Lord will help us to prevail. Then we are not trusting in our own tongue. I experienced a little of this one time. A person asked me to present a case where their whole livelihood depended on the outcome. That person was so clever with her tongue. The Lord laid those verses from PSA 12 on my heart as I was sighing before Him over my need for His help. I was so blessed by seeing the necessity of being needy and He would deliver. The Lord did deliver in a very remarkable way; it was a blessed thing to see how the Lord provided. That same Greek word Merimnao is translated as "careful" in PHI 4:6, "Be careful for nothing [have no anxiety about anything]; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." The word "Merimnao," is also translated as "careful," in LUK 10:41, "And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." Jesus was not telling Martha she should not serve, but her anxiety was distracting her heart from serving in an acceptable way. She was overburdened and troubled about serving as though everything depended on her. Martha's problem was that she "..was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me," LUK 10:40. This word, "Merimnao," is translated, "carefulness," in 1CO 7:31- 32, "And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord." We may use the world, but we may not use it as the place of our trust. It doesn't matter how much of this world's goods we have stored away, but Jesus cautions us not to let them become the treasure of our heart. If our worldly goods become the place of our confidence, then we will be filled with anxiety over events we cannot control. I know a lady who has an inheritance of over two million dollars. That poor woman was so afraid that some little thing might get to one of her dollars that she lived in utter anxiety and fear. Other widows with next to nothing of this world's goods live in perfect peace of mind believing in the Lord to supply their daily needs. We can have so much of this world's goods that we become very anxious that someone could break through and steal. That is where the moth and the rust corrupt, so we have the anxiety of how we can keep that from happening. We only become anxious if these worldly goods are our only treasure. That is the issue the Lord Jesus is addressing. 1CO 7:32 says, "But I would have you without carefulness. [without anxiety.] He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord." This is also an admonition against letting anxiety destroy our married life as though our sustenance depended on us. Many marriages are destroyed over the anxiety of the temporal things of life. See what it says in the next verse. "But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife," 1CO 7:33. Careth also comes from the word, Merimnao. Our text says, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" MAT 6:25. This is to say we are not to be filled with anxiety over material necessities of this life, as though there were no heavenly Father to provide. Anxiety is "concern respecting some uncertain future event, which disturbs the mind and keeps it in a state of painful uneasiness. It expresses more than uneasiness or disturbance. It usually springs from fear or serious apprehension of evil, and involves a suspense respecting an event, and often, a perplexity of mind, to know how to shape our conduct," Webster's Dictionary. Perplexity means one is at a loss of what to think. The word thought as used in our text means a state of uneasiness and disturbance, or concern respecting the future. It is a fear or a serious apprehension of evil. Our anxious thoughts are usually about some uncertain event in the future; now the Lord is telling us to take no thought of these things, have no such anxiety about these things; we are to lay it all on the Lord and walk by faith, not by sight. When I gave the definition of Merimnao it had two different meanings. Anxiety is the first; the other meaning of the word Merimnao is "to be distracted over--to be divided--or disunited over." When we become anxious about something, it distracts us from, and divides our attention from trusting in the Lord. The result is a divided heart; now we are no longer walking by faith; we are walking by sight when we are anxious to that point. We are trying to serve two masters--anxiety and the Lord. Our text begins with, "Therefore." Let's consider this now. The word Merimnao is in beautiful harmony with the verse that lays just before it. Living with anxiety is unbelief, and a divided heart brings us into contradiction with the single eye concept. This is where the word, Therefore, comes in. The Lord is showing us how "thought," anxiety, for the future causes a divided heart. This is why we see our text begins with, "Therefore." Jesus was re-emphasizing what He had just said in MAT 6:24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Some people are so anxious about the future that they are totally wrapped up in their concern. I will try to steer them to the principles we are discussing. They can hear and agree, but.... The word, but is the hinge that swings them back to serving their anxieties. Jesus tells us plainly that we should have no thought or concern about our future needs. When we profess faith in God and live in anxiety, we show we cannot trust God for our material necessities in our daily life. We are demonstrating unbelief. Oh, how many people are double-minded. They have faith, they have a religion, and they believe they can trust God for eternity and eternal things, but they must trust in themselves for the necessities of daily life. This is serving two masters if we serve the god of self for our material needs and the God of heaven for eternal needs. That is the meaning of the second definition of the word Merimnao. I have had many respected men, including ministers, tell me not to mix my religion with my business. Thus self is god six days of the week, and the Lord is God one day of the week. Jesus is cautioning us against this very thing. When we walk with a double standard and a divided heart, we shall find ourselves led into captivity to serve the king of Babylon, i.e., the king of confusion, in the climax of anxiety. When we turn our back on the Lord for providing our material needs, the king of confusion becomes our king. We will wind up serving him because that is the climax of anxiety. When we walk in the single eye concept, we shall understand DEU 33:27-29, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." Who is the enemy? Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, i.e., the king of confusion. Confusion is the greatest enemy to our peace with God; He will thrust out this great enemy from our lives. The word Babylon is a Hebrew word which means "confusion." Today, the Lord brings so many people into captivity to serve the king of confusion. This is God's judgment for unbelief and rebellion as we see in JER 3:25, "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God." Disobedience was what separated us from our original state of conciliation with God. ROM 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners..." It was only by the obedience of Christ that this state of separation was healed and reconciliation was obtained. Verse 19 continues, "So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." All confusion is the reward of disobedience as we see from ROM 1:25-32. When we worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, God leaves us over unto a state of confusion. "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet," ROM 1:26-27. Confusion is the curse of the broken law; peace is the reward of serving the Lord. ISA 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." In the history of the world was there ever a time when more confusion reigned than today? Anxiety and confusion are overwhelming the world. The Lord said in JER 7:19, "Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?" In our nation today, there is more prosperity, food, and comforts than any other culture has ever known, yet there is more anxiety and confusion than there has ever been. The Lord tells us in ISA 49:15, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Look at the confusion of our day; the womb has become the most dangerous place on earth. Millions of babies a year are being slain in the womb by whom? By the wish of their own mother. Isn't that confusion? Where does all this confusion come from? It comes from anxiety and living a life contrary to God's will! Look at the anxiety of our day; they can't trust the Lord. Why? Because they are serving the king of confusion, they are serving sin and self. They do not understand the principle the Lord is teaching us in His Sermon on the Mount. One and two generations ago our parents and grandparents often faced hardships without any welfare program, Social Security, Medicare, etc., yet they did not have the anxiety that is rampant today. I remember my mother telling me there was a time when the Red Cross actually brought shoes for the children, but the Red Cross was not what we see as welfare today. They were needy, but their lives were not built on anxiety. They still trusted the Lord; some of the most precious times my mother told me about were those times she experienced the nearness and blessedness of resting in the providing arms of the Lord. This is what we need today, and it is such a contrast with today's situation. There are so many welfare programs, insurance for every imaginable disaster, and government handouts plus charity programs today, but there is more anxiety and distrust in the Lord than ever before. Our nation was founded upon Godly principles; our leaders and our courts upheld the Word of God. Our nation was truly "One nation under God." Now our world has been led into captivity to serve that "Mystery, Babylon," i.e., the king of confusion. REV 17:5 speaks of that, "...MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." What is that? It is exactly what we are talking about. It is the professing church walking in spiritual adultery under the king of confusion. The more man serves self, i.e., walks in spiritual adultery, the more anxiety and confusion there will be. Jesus spoke of the anxiety that shall dominate the world in LUK 21:25-26. The Lord told us these times would come; He told us of the anxiety we are seeing today. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity [Do you know what that word perplexity, means? It is taken from the Greek word, Aporia, which means "To have no way out, to be at a loss mentally--perplexed.' with perplexity]; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear [anxiety is fear for the future], and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." The Lord Jesus is telling us this will come in the last days. Anxiety and perplexity are what we see in the world today as a result of unbelief. It is the result of spiritual adultery, serving the god of self. True peace and true freedom from anxiety can only be found in freedom from self. True peace can only be found by faith in God as the God of our life. We read of the one place we can find peace in ISA 26:3-4, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Isn't that a blessed contrast to what we just read in LUK 21:26 about men's hearts failing them for fear; being in perplexity? They were looking after those things which are coming upon the face of the earth. The Lord promises perfect peace for those who trust in Him; faith is a total opposite of perplexity and fear caused by unbelief. The Lord Jesus is teaching us this principle; we can have perfect peace. When we come to understand what it is to enter the kingdom of heaven, i.e., when we stop serving self and the king of confusion and begin serving Him, we shall be able to trust all our cares to our loving heavenly Father. As we enter the kingdom of heaven, i.e., as we come into the service of the Lord, we will understand 1PE 5:6-8, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Jesus is appealing to our reason and logic. Jesus asks, "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" He has given us a sound mind and the ability to reason, and now He has come to appeal to us through this reasoning. If God has given you life, will He not feed you? If He has given you a body, will He not clothe you? These are the questions Jesus is asking each one of us. The reasoning of Jesus here is that if God has provided the greater, will He not provide the lessor? Look what we read in LUK 12:25-26, "And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" If you can't do the least thing to provide for yourself, why don't you trust God for all your provisions? "Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" If God has provided for the greater necessities, why can't we trust Him for the little things? This principle is so plain, so logical, so obvious that Jesus uses the fowls of the air and the grass of the field to illustrate it in His art gallery. MAT 6:26 says, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Do you see the picture He is painting for us, the reasoning, the logic He uses to set our minds at ease? We can see how He takes care of them. MAT 6:28-29 tells us, "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Here you are worried about whether the Lord is going to put clothing on you. He points out that even a little flower in the field is arrayed with glory by God. Oh ye of little faith, can't you trust the Lord? He has given you your body and clothes to put on it; He gives you food to feed that body. All anxiety is unbelief which is a grievous sin. ISA 59:1-2 says, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." It is caused by unbelief, a lack of trust in the Lord, hearts filled with anxiety, and minds filled with perplexities being at our wit's end serving the god of self. Therefore, He will not hear us. We are serving the god of confusion, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, because we refuse to repent and enter the kingdom of heaven, as Jesus commanded in MAT 4:17. All anxiety is from our turning to human reasoning rather than serving the Lord; we are not trusting the Lord. It is the cloud of sin of unbelief that separates us from God so we go on in a fog of confusion and anxiety. The world will continue to sink in confusion and perplexity because it will not turn to the Lord; they will not hear, they will not trust, they will not believe in the Lord. Anxiety is unbelief, and without faith we cannot please God. That is an important point to understand. HEB 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." We must believe that He is a rewarder, that He will provide our needs. We must come to Him in faith believing He will provide our meat, raiment, shelter, and the other necessities of life. We must come to Him in faith believing that He is God, that He does take notice, that He will even clothe the lilies and give the fowls of the air their meat, and we are of more value than they are. We must believe He will reward us with peace in our hearts if we diligently seek Him. The Lord says in ISA 26:3-5, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust." The Lord wants our heart; He wants our whole heart, not a divided heart. He doesn't want us to look to Him only as a place to escape the just rewards of our sins. He doesn't want us to be heaven-seekers to escape hell. He wants us to serve Him; He wants us to trust Him instead of living in anxiety. He wants us to diligently seek Him and love Him. He wants us to look to Him as our God. Amen. |
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