Seek Ye First
Pastor Bill Nichols - April 25, 2010Today's scripture reference is Matthew 6: 25-34
Introduction
As we continue through our series on the Sermon on the Mount, we come today to a passage that had a great impact on Becky and my life back in 1978. Let me share with you a little background leading up to that moment. Becky and I began dating as sophomores in high school. After school, I joined the Air Force and we were married in April of 1972. Our first duty station was March AFB in Riverside California. We rented furnished apartments during the two years we were there, and then we went to Germany where we were provided furniture by the military. For the first five years of our marriage, the only piece of furniture or electronics we owned was a 13 inch black and white TV that we bought at K-mart on credit.
When we returned to the U.S. in 1977 we were assigned to Lowry AFB in Denver Colorado. After several days of looking for an apartment or house to rent, the realtor suggested we consider buying a home. With the GI Bill, we were able to buy a home with no money down and payments that were no more than what we had been looking at renting.
While in Germany we saved some money, and with good credit at Sears, we were able to completely furnish our home including washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, living room, bedrooms, the works. We even bought a 25inch console color TV. We were living the good life.
Carey was three, Brandon was ten months, and Ryan was on the way. Becky could not work to help pay the bills, so I got a second job. I would go into work at Lowry at 6:00AM and get off at 2:30PM. Four nights a week at 3PM and mornings on Saturday I went to work as a teller at Western Federal Savings and Loan. I did this for about 18 months.
The bills were getting paid, we had all this neat stuff and a house to call our own. But our kids were growing up without a father and Becky was home alone with the kids almost all of the time.
Then one Sunday morning, Cliff Hazard, our minister preached a sermon on this passage of Scripture and it really hit home hard.
If we are honest with ourselves, this scripture can bring us to a deep sense of conviction concerning where our heart is. (Remember last week's sermon?)
Why do you worry about your needs? - verse 25
Matthew 6: 25-34
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Do you see that first word in verse 25
, the word "therefore?" I remember in college being told, when you see the word therefore, you need to stop and ask yourself, what it is there for? Jesus has just finished making the statement, "No one can serve two masters. . . You cannot serve both God and money."
When money is your god, you have to worry about getting it, you have to worry about keeping it and you have to worry about what you are going to do with it. Money is a big source of worry. If you do not have much, or if you do not have any, your life can be consumed with worrying about things like, where your next meal is coming from or what you are going to wear. I would venture to guess that most of us do not worry too much about these things. We might worry about having to eat hamburger instead of steak or wearing off brand clothing rather than designer clothes, but most of us do not have to worry too much about having these things. And yet, how many of us do?
I believe that the jest of Jesus' lesson says this. God feeds the birds. God clothes the fields. If God cares about the birds and if God cares about the fields do you not think He cares about you? Do you not understand that God will take care of your needs too?
In verse 32
Jesus says that these are things that pagans run after. What is a pagan? An unbeliever. If you do not believe there is a God, then it would be quite natural for you to worry about everything in life. If there is no God, then you are dependent upon your own resources, or the resources of someone else to meet your basic needs in life.
Then Jesus says something that can radically change a person's life if they are willing to do it.
The Key to Overcoming Worry About Your Basic Needs in Life.
Notice first, in verse 32
, Jesus says that your Father (God) knows that you have basic needs in life. Then Jesus gives us the key to overcoming worry about these things. It is a simple solution, but also a radical one. "Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."
When Becky and I heard this verse of scripture back in 1978, it dawned on us that we were chasing the wrong things in life. Now I want you to notice, Jesus does not say that God will give you a beautiful home and a fancy car and a big bank account and all the other things that our society tells us that we need in order to be successful. But He does say that God will provide what we "need" in life if we will seek His kingdom and His righteousness first.
When we heard this verse, we (I) realized that our priorities were out of kilter. I certainly was not seeking God first, I was a slave to money. I had to work 13 hours a day to provide for our basic needs, the things God said that He would provide.
So, in order to serve God, to grow in righteousness, and to have more time with my family, we sold our house, paid off our bills and moved into base housing. This allowed me to quit my second job and be at home more with Becky and the kids, and become more involved in our church.
It also marked a beginning in my life where I began trusting God more and worrying less about things in my life.
Conclusion
"Seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness."
What does that mean? For me it means two things. Seek ye first the kingdom of God means becoming a part of God's kingdom through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. In a real sense, the church is the kingdom of God on earth. I know and understand that God's kingdom entails much more than that, but becoming a Christian is the beginning point. Jesus is saying, and you have to remember that He is talking to pious religious leaders, quit worrying about amassing wealth, quit trying to accomplish things by your own means. Quit playing church and become a part of it. Make your relationship with God first priority in your life.
Seeking God's kingdom, becoming a member of God's kingdom is only half of what Jesus said. Jesus also said, seek God's righteousness. I believe that the Bible mentions two kinds of righteousness. The first is an imputed righteousness. It is the righteousness that you receive when you accept Jesus as Lord and God forgives you of your sin. Because of the blood of Christ, when you stand before God someday, He will see you as righteous. This kind of righteousness is freely given to all who call on Jesus for forgiveness of sin.
The second is a righteousness that is attained as you live your life for Christ. The problem of the Pharisees was they were self-righteous. The righteousness that God wants you to have is one that is attained by loving and serving Him and loving and serving others. It is a form of righteousness that will never be completely reached in this lifetime. As a matter of fact, it is something that you will have constant tension with as you battle the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit in your life.
There are some days that I get it right, there are many days when I get it wrong. But I want you to notice something here. Jesus does not say you have to get it right all the time, He just says that you are to seek it as first priority in your life. If you seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, God will take care of the things that cause you worry.