The Obstacles of Purpose - Part 1

Introduction

Typically during this time of year many people are setting goals, making vision boards and trying to come up with viable ways to improve. Folks are searching for purpose. We have to understand where the essence of our purpose begins. What are we paying attention to, how are we drawing near to God, what are we choosing to serve? Affectionately known as the sermon on the mount we are introduced to a number of lessons given by Jesus. Honestly, by internalizing Matthew chapter five and six one would see the true expectation of what it means to live for Jesus. Beyond the gifts that God has given us, beyond the calling that is on our live the commonality of purpose that we all have as followers of Christ is to be a witness, to share the gospel, and to show love to everyone. What you choose to serve typically dictates the way you live your life. We can’t say that we love God and treat our neighbor like they have no value, we can’t say we are followers of Christ yet treat the immigrant like they are not human. The obstacles that get in the way of purpose are

Unhealthy vision

Worrying

Refusal to Shift Your Attention

Healthy Outlook

The Christian Standard Bible translates verse 22 as “the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light”. How healthy are the things in life that you are looking at? We need to be serious about what we look at and listen to. When we tip the scales in favor of negative scenery and negative speech we fill ourselves up with negativity.

This word healthy in this text is defined by having a sense of generosity and sincerity attached to your outlook. We look for so many ways to build up for ourselves but the honest question is how will you be a blessing for someone else? How to you plan to serve? To see generosity as a priority I have to see the need for a giving heart despite my circumstances. When we only look out for self it’s hard to see how you can be a blessing to other people.

Astigmatism - Normally, the cornea and lens at the front of the eye have an evenly round shape. This helps focus light rays sharply onto the retina so you can see clearly. Bad vision doesn’t always equate to an unhealthy eye. Sometimes people just need to be put in position to see things differently. (Costco)

With astigmatism, light rays do not refract (or bend) properly as they enter the front of the eye. Vision is blurry at near and far because light rays either fall short of the retina or behind it.

Some of us are suffering from a spiritual astigmatism, in other words there’s not enough light that is passing through your eyes so you have a hard time seeing the goodness of God therefore you see things out of obligation and can’t see past yourself due to your lack of faith and spending to much time trying to see purpose in a place of darkness. It’s similar to trying to read without proper lighting eventually you strain your eyes to a place where your vision is permanently damaged. I can’t expect to see God in a place where Godly behavior doesn’t exist. I can’t expect to find generosity in a place of selfishness, I can’t expect to find generosity in a place where integrity and sincerity does not exist.

See here’s the thing when I’m in a place where the light of Jesus does not exist it doesn’t matter what people offer from the outside, if I’m not open enough to receive the message of Jesus it’s going to be challenging for me to reach a place of generosity, love and peace.

Worry

Let’s leave worry behind, worry puts us in a place to say we have faith but let the attainment of things get in the way of us truly depending on God.

24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

The reason we find ourselves serving the wrong master is because of worry. Serve is defined as normally in a humble manner and in response to demands or commands of others. What is commanding you? Is it a dollar? Is it influence. Are we truly going to walk into another year and continue to trust in ourselves and serve things that will never have the same abundance that God has? Here’s the crux of the matter, in the greek text it is essentially saying man cannot be a slave to God and money. The idea of despising or hate in this text is to dislike strongly or to have hostility toward someone or something. Ministry isn’t the issue, the issue is our prioritizes push us to look at service through an obligatory lens. During this time servings idols and other gods was the challenge. It may not be a golden mythological creature that we are serving but some of us have put jobs, affiliations, and accolades ahead of the God that opened the door for you in the first place.

The church isn’t the problem, our outlook is the problem. When we are a slave to material things, worry is the outcome. I’m not worrying any longer, I’m going to do what I can, and leave it in God’s hands.

25Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious 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 the food, and the body than the raiment? 26Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? 28And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults (19.1% of the population) age 18 and older every year.

Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 1 in 4 people in need (27.6%) receive any treatment.

People with an anxiety disorder are 3-5x more likely to go to the doctor.

Anxiety disorders develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events

Anxiety is real and in today’s economy it’s not surprising. The call to not be anxious about basic needs to survive can be quite the task. I don’t know about you but when you don’t know what you’re going to eat, that stress is very real. I need us to understand that if you’re focus is material things you can have a lot or you can have a little you’ll still be anxious about your condition and think that you never have enough.

The question in verse 27, “Which of you can by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

It’s interesting that one cubit is literally a foot and a half. Worrying doesn’t change your situation a lot, nor will it change your situation a little bit. We have to be careful because anxiety has the power to consume your life. Trade worry in for faith. It isn’t the fact that you don’t believe things will work out, it’s the fact that you don’t believe you’ll be taken care of. That if God can provide for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, how dare we sit back and think that God won’t take care of us?

Shift Your Attention

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6

33 But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you

Instead of worrying, seek the kingdom. Apply for the promotion but don’t you dare believe that your value or all life’s problems will be solved because you get a little more money or influence. To seek first doesn’t mean that we don’t seek other things but they should be sought secondarily with lesser attention than we do God!

Seek, or obtain something from God by seeking His face every chance we get! Seeking isn’t about action but it’s about orientation. Orientation or the relative position of something or someone, especially one’s self. How close you are to God determines how much you’ve prioritized seeking His face. We get caught up in specific action, am I in church every Sunday, did I complete my devotion today, did I take communion. Seeking God is deeper than completing a task.

Seeking the kingdom and all His righteousness this is holistic in a sense, to do what is right, but also to be in right relationship with God meanwhile practicing the acts of what it means to bestow the Love of God in a dark world. When you seek God you treat people right, you don’t mind serving, you don’t mind standing up for justice. This isn’t about popularity or notoriety it’s about ensuring that God gets the Glory he deserves.

Matthew 6:1 ““Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

See when we live to acquire things we end up mistreating and stepping on people, our hearts are divided our will is controlled by material things and that leads to worry. This is why people can achieve success and still be in a state of heavy worry and anxiety! Put God first and live according to His values!

Illustration: “The Chair That’s Already Holding You”

I want you to imagine something simple.

Every one of us walked into this sanctuary and sat down in a chair. And not one of us paused to inspect it.

You didn’t flip it over. You didn’t ask who built it. You didn’t test the weight limit.

You just sat down.

Because your trust wasn’t in the chair— your trust was in the fact that it had been holding people long before you sat in it.

Now here’s the truth: Most of us trust chairs better than we trust God.

We say we trust God, but we still hover. We still brace ourselves. We still carry the weight like we’re the ones holding everything together.

That’s anxiety.

Anxiety is living like everything depends on you, even when you say you believe in God.

Jesus looks at a worried people and says,

“Consider the birds… Consider the lilies…”

He’s saying, “Look again.”

Because worry isn’t just emotional—it’s directional. It’s where your attention goes when life feels unstable.

Some of us are anxious because we’re staring at the storm, measuring the bills, counting the days, watching the news, scrolling the feed— and wondering if the chair is going to collapse.

But Jesus says,

“Seek first the Kingdom.”

In other words: Sit down. Let God hold what you were never designed to carry.

You cannot add a cubit to your life by worrying. You can’t make yourself taller, stronger, or safer by being anxious. All worry does is convince you that God is absent— even while He’s sustaining you.

The chair doesn’t shout. It doesn’t explain itself. It just holds.

And God is saying this morning: “I’ve been holding you longer than you realize.”

You’re still here. You’re still breathing. You’ve made it through things you didn’t think you would survive. And you’re worried… but not abandoned.

Landing the Illustration (Transition to Call)

So here’s the invitation today:

Stop hovering. Stop bracing. Stop serving anxiety like it’s your master.

Sit in the faith that God is already holding you.

Seek the Kingdom— not because life is easy, but because God is faithful.

Let the birds remind you. Let the flowers teach you. Let the chair confirm it.

You are not held together by money. You are not sustained by hustle. You are not protected by control.

You are held by God.

And if He can handle the birds, if He can clothe the field, then surely—surely— He can take care of you.