GOD DOESN'T CARE
14 November 2004
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6
| 6:25 "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? |
| 6:26 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? |
| 6:27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? |
| 6:28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; |
| 6:29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. |
| 6:30 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? |
| 6:31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' |
| 6:32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. |
| 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. |
-- let me ask you a question -- do you ever think much about heaven and what it will be like when you get there? -- I think about heaven quite a bit -- but I'm not sure what it will be like -- but, I am sure that I want to go
-- I once heard about this elderly couple who died in a car crash -- they were both 85 years old and had been married for 60 years -- they had been in excellent health the last 10 years mainly because of the wife's interest in health food and exercise
-- when they reached the pearly gates, St. Peter took them to their mansion, which was decked out with a beautiful kitchen and master bath suite and Jacuzzi
-- as they "oohed" and "aahed," the old man asked Peter how much all of this was going to cost -- "it's free," Peter replied -- "This is heaven"
-- next they went out back to look at the championship golf course the home backed up to -- they would have golfing privileges every day -- and each week the course changed to a new one representing the great golf courses on earth -- the old man asked, "what are the green fees?" -- Peter replied -- this is heaven -- you play for free
-- next they went to the clubhouse and saw the lavish buffet lunch with the cuisines of the world laid out -- how much to eat, asked the old man -- Peter replied with some exasperation, "Don't you understand yet? this is Heaven, it's free!"
-- "Well, where are the low fat and low cholesterol tables?" the old man asked -- Peter explained, "that's the best part -- you can eat as much as you like of whatever you like and you never get fat and you never get sick -- this is Heaven!"
-- with that the old man went into a fit of anger, throwing down his hat and stomping on it and shrieking wildly. Peter and his wife both tried to calm him down, asking him what was wrong -- the old man looked at his wife and said, "this is all your fault -- if you hadn't made me eat healthy low carb meals, I could have been here 10 years ago!"
-- well, this morning we're not going to talk about heaven, but I did want to just throw that out because I think we all need to keep in mind our ultimate goal -- that's what Jesus was saying in this passage that I read, "Seek first the kingdom of God" -- don't ever forget that our ultimate goal is to get to heaven
-- and regardless of what we think heaven's going to be like, we know it is going to absolutely perfect because we all know that God is good all the time
-- as a matter of fact, we all know that little saying -- please respond as I say it -- "God is Good" [All the time] -- "All the time" [God is good]
-- great -- do this one -- "God doesn't care" [all the time] -- All the time [God doesn't care]
-- what happened? Why didn't you respond to that one?
-- you don't believe it's true? -- well, let's talk about that a little bit this morning
-- I've been witnessing and sharing with my coworkers about Christianity and about Jesus for several years now -- and I've gotten a little frustrated because it seems like they always have an objection to Christianity or to accepting Jesus as their Savior
-- and I know you've heard these objections from other people -- in fact, Christianity Today came up with a list of 10 common objections to Christianity the other day -- let me just give you a couple that my friends have told me
-- first one is, all Christians are hypocrites -- that's a favorite of theirs
-- another one is "all the church wants is your money"
-- but those aren't really true, are they -- but, there is some truth in them, isn't there -- all Christians are not hypocrites -- every one of you sitting out there today is not a hypocrite -- but some of you might be -- so it's not a complete all or none like they want to make it out to be
-- just like the one where they say, "all the church wants is your money" -- now, all the churches are not just interested in getting your money -- maybe some churches are -- maybe some preachers are -- but not all of them -- so there is a basis of truth in what they are saying, but it's not entirely that situation all the time
-- it would be more correct for them to say "some Christians are hypocrites" and "some churches only want your money" -- that would be acceptable
-- the other day, as we were getting ready for the election, we were discussing the situation in Iraq and all the crime and violence and suffering in the world today -- and one of them said -- that is clear proof of one of two things -- first, either there's not a God -- or, if there is a God, then God doesn't care
-- now think about that for a minute -- we all know that there is a God -- otherwise we probably wouldn't be here this morning -- so what about the second part -- God doesn't care
-- now, of course, my friends were implying the same thing they did with the other objections -- that is was an all or nothing proposition -- they were saying "God doesn't care...all the time" and "all the time...God doesn't care"
-- they were basing this assumption on the fact that there is pain and suffering in our world -- now, this is not the major focus of my message this morning, but let me just quickly touch on that
-- I think my friend's basic premise was wrong -- just because pain and suffering exists and just because God allows pain and suffering to enter our lives is not proof that God doesn't care -- pain and suffering is just a byproduct of living in a fallen world -- the pain and suffering occurs because of sin and because of the curse put on the earth in the Garden of Eden -- that's not God's doing -- that's ours
-- but God does allow it to happen -- not because He doesn't care -- but because He works through the pain and the suffering for us -- as it says in Romans 8:28, "in all things -- even in the pain and the suffering -- in all things -- God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose"
-- in other words, pain and suffering are a fact of life -- but, because God does care about us, He uses the situations of pain and suffering to increase our faith in Him, to mature us as Christians, and to help us recognize our need for a Savior
-- as C.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pain; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world"
-- God uses pain and suffering as a signal to warn us of even greater danger -- for example, think about what happens when you put your hand on a burner -- it hurts -- and because it hurts, you turn away from the source of danger -- what would happen if you didn't experience pain when you touched the burner -- you might leave your hand on there and receive serious damage
-- the past several weeks there has been a story on the news about this little girl in the Savannah area that is incapable of feeling pain -- she doesn't know when she's doing something that is hurting her body -- and so her parents really have to watch her to make sure that she is not hurting herself and possibly endangering her life -- she could put her hand on a burner and never know that she was causing extreme damage to herself -- all because she can't feel pain
-- we need pain to survive -- it may not be pleasant, but God uses the pain and the suffering in this world to lead us to Him -- to turn us away from paths that are endangering our eternal lives
-- so, my friend's proposition that the existence of pain and suffering proves that God doesn't care is not correct -- I think we all agree with that
-- but, like I said, in all these objections, there is a point of truth -- "God doesn't care...all the time" and "all the time...God doesn't care" is not correct -- but, neither is the statement "God cares....all the time" and "all the time....God cares"
-- let me explain -- when you say "God cares" it begs the question, "about what?" -- God cares about what?
-- now, we kind of imply "God cares about us" -- and that is true -- and I'll submit that God does care about us all the time -- and all the time God cares about us
-- but what about other things? -- are there some things that God just doesn't care about?
-- yes -- there are some things that God doesn't care about -- but we don't like to say that, do we? -- so we -- as people -- put importance on some things in our lives and in our churches that God just doesn't give a flip about
-- and, sometimes, these things keep people away from Christ
-- look back for a moment at the passage in Matthew 6 -- Jesus is speaking here and He's trying to get this same point across to His disciples and to all those who were listening to this sermon -- He's trying to get them to see that sometimes we put too much importance on things that just don't matter to God -- and that it can keep us -- and others -- away from what's really important
-- look back at verse 25
| 6:25 "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? |
-- do you see that in that passage? -- the people in Jesus' day were worried about the things of this earth -- they were making what they ate and what they drink and what they wore -- more important than trying to get their heart right with God
-- and He says down in verse 28, "don't worry about clothes -- God will provide all you need -- don't focus on these things" and His ultimate point is in verse 33, "but, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"
-- what Jesus was trying to get His disciples to see there was that they were worrying more about things God didn't care about and not worrying about what God did care about
-- there's a principle here that we need to understand
-- God doesn't care about the type of clothes you wear -- that doesn't mean He wants us to be naked -- Jesus tells us here that God will provide -- but God doesn't care if you come to church dressed in a suit and tie or if you come in jeans and a t-shirt -- what's more important is the reason you come
-- but for some reason, we have made the decision that God cares about all that -- and some churches really put an emphasis on what type of clothes you need to show up in on Sunday morning -- and that can keep people from Christ
-- a pastor friend of mine was talking with a couple the other day and invited them to his church -- and they said, "we can't come to the Methodist church -- we don't have the clothes for it" -- God doesn't care what type of clothes you wear, but somehow, we have convinced the world that He does
-- Kind of like the story about the man who shows up in church -- dressed in old jeans with a hole in the knee -- wearing a t-shirt -- congregation won't sit by him or talk to him -- at the end of the service, as he's leaving the church, the pastor stops him and thanks him for coming but suggests to him that he really should keep in mind that when he's coming to church, he's coming to see Jesus, so he should dress in his finest -- the pastor says, "why don't you pray and ask Jesus what you should wear to church?"
-- the man goes on his way and the next Sunday, he shows up again wearing old jeans and a t-shirt -- the preacher said, "I thought I suggested that you ask Jesus what you should wear when you come to see Him in this church?" -- the man said, "I did -- I asked Jesus what He would wear when He came to this church, and He told me He didn't know -- because He had never been invited to come"
-- God doesn't care about the kind of clothes you wear -- He doesn't care about the kind of car you drive -- but you sure couldn't tell that if you drove past some of our churches on Sunday morning -- you'd think we were trying to impress God with our cars
-- there's a lot of things that God just doesn't care about -- He doesn't care about our clothes and our cars -- He doesn't care about how much money we have -- He doesn't care about the kind of job you have -- He doesn't care about the size of your house -- He doesn't even care what race you are or what sex you are -- God just doesn't care about that kind of stuff -- and we shouldn't either
-- but, we do -- we may not just come out and say it -- we may not even realize that we're doing it -- but we tell people all the time -- with our actions and with our interactions with them that these are the things that God cares about -- and when we care more about that and worry more about that than seeking God, then we're falling way short of where God wants us to be
-- we've been talking a lot lately about personal responsibility as Christians -- about how we shouldn't compare ourselves to others -- or judge others -- Jesus tells us that in His word -- He says "do not judge, or you too will be judged" -- but when we tell others -- either verbally or through our actions -- that they must measure up to our standards in order to come to church -- that is exactly what we are doing -- we are judging them based on the things of this world -- things that God doesn't even care about -- and we are keeping them from God
-- that couple my friend invited to church are probably sitting at home this morning and not in church -- all because they couldn't meet the requirements that we put on them
-- they were judged by the church and found lacking -- that is not our job -- that is not our right
-- our job is to show people the love of Christ and not to ever make them think that God cares about things that He doesn't just because they are important to us -- it breaks my heart to think that people might be in Hell just because of the clothes they wear or the car they drive or the house they live in
-- there's a song by the group Casting Crowns called "If we are the body" -- I want you to listen to the words of the chorus from this song and think about the times we have failed to live up to our call to be the body of Christ because we have imposed our standards on others
-- If we are the body, then why aren't His arms reaching? -- why aren't His hands healing? -- why aren't His words teaching? -- and if we are the body, why aren't His feet going? -- Why is His love not showing them there is a way? -- there is a way
-- and it closes with this line -- "Jesus paid much too high a price, for us to pick and choose who should come -- and we are the body of Christ -- and Jesus is the way"
-- this morning, if you don't get anything else from this message, I want you to leave here understanding two things
-- first, God always cares for you all the time and all the time, God always cares for you
-- and secondly, God doesn't care about all things, but He does always care about bringing people to Him
-- as I close in prayer, please examine yourself and examine our church and let's see if we have been picking and choosing who should come to Christ because we worry and care too much about things that just don't matter
-- if you find that you have, then let's commit to making a change today -- so that all will be welcome before our Lord and Savior
-- let's pray
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