The Good Is Often the Greatest Enemy of the Best.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing and dealing with sin in our lives, and seeking God's best instead of being satisfied with lesser good.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the necessity of divine intervention to reveal the true state of the church and individual believers, urging congregations to seek God's perspective on their spiritual condition. He warns that settling for 'good' can hinder the pursuit of 'best,' as many are complacent with minor improvements rather than striving for the fullness of God's promises. Murray calls for a heartfelt plea for the Holy Spirit to illuminate sin and complacency within the church, encouraging believers to seek a deeper relationship with God and His vision for their lives.
Text
To discover sin is God's work.
It is this we need in our assemblies -- the hand of God falling on us, and making us feel that he is dealing with us; the Spirit lifting us between earth and heaven, above the things of earth, and bringing us in the visions of God to Jerusalem.
Yes, let us plead for this in our assemblies or in secret -- the hand, and the Spirit, and the visions of God to bring us to see what is the real state of God's church as he sees it.
In plain words, let us beseech God to show us, in the visions of God, what he thinks of the state of his people, of our own state.
It is so easy to congratulate each other on all the signs of advance we see, as compared with the past, that we have lost the power of realising how much evil and sin there is, as compared with God's standard.
The good is often the greatest enemy of the best. People rest satisfied with a lesser good, with what was meant to be but a beginning of something far higher and better, and never think of seeking God's best, the full and overflowing measure he has promised.
Let us ask him to show everything in the life of his people, or our own, that he condemns and grieves over, that he would have different.
(Excerpted from The Coming Revival, by Andrew Murray , pg. 46)
Sermon Outline
- The Need for God's Work
- The Power of the Spirit
- The Danger of Resting on Good
- The good can be the greatest enemy of the best
- Resting on lesser good instead of seeking God's best
Key Quotes
“To discover sin is God's work.” — Andrew Murray
“The good is often the greatest enemy of the best.” — Andrew Murray
“Let us ask him to show everything in the life of his people, or our own, that he condemns and grieves over, that he would have different.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We should ask God to show us what he condemns and grieves over in our lives, and seek to make changes to align with God's best.
- We should not be satisfied with lesser good, but instead seek God's full and overflowing measure.
- We should seek to understand our lives from God's perspective, and make necessary changes to align with his vision.