Seek First the Kingdom

Pre-introduction

Last time I preached, we studied the first half of this passage where Jesus teaches about material wealth. The main point of verses 19-24 was: instead of loving material riches that do not satisfy, we’re to love God with our whole being. Do you remember the three questions that asked ourselves? Where is our treasure? Are we storing up for ourselves fleeting earthly material things that can be destroyed and stolen, or are we laying up indestructible treasures in heaven, investing in things that will have an eternal effect? What is our vision? Our spiritual eyes are our deepest guiding values and principles. Are they healthy and generous, leading to a life full of light? Or have we’ve been blinded by the darkness of materialism? Who do we serve? We can only serve one master. Is it God who controls us, or is it money?

Today we will be looking at the second half of this passage, verses 25-34. Here, Jesus talks about the problem of anxiety and goes deeper into what it means to lay up treasures in heaven, to be full of light, and to serve God. Let’s pray before we begin.

Our heavenly father,

We ask for your help as we learn from the word’s of Christ from Matthew today. May your Holy Spirit be working in us, to convict us of any areas of our lives that are not aligned to the way you want us to live. Let your will be done in our lives as we study your Word today.

Introduction

The American evangelist Billy Graham once said, “Historians will probably call this present era in the Western World that we are living in ‘The Age of Anxiety’. This generation is dying, not from external pressures but from internal combustion. In other years men feared death, today they seem to fear life”. If I asked everybody in this room to raise your hands if you worry, I would expect every hand to go up. In modern Australian society, we live comfortably, we have everything we need in terms of food, drink, clothing, but at the same time we are filled with worry and anxiety. We see that from high levels of mental health disorders and substance abuse.

We think that the great spiritual battles are fought out there in the world, but more often than not they’re fought between our ears, in our minds. Anxiety is one of those great battles. It is state of mind characterised by worry, fear, and unease. Anxiety may come from something very real, like from an exam coming up; but it also comes from imaginary scenarios: what if I get sick, what if I fail, what if this, what if that. Worry and anxiety can be paralyzing. They can rob us of joy, peace, sleep a lot of other things.

It’s important to know that worry and anxiety are not necessarily sins. As humans, anxiety is our creaturely response to the challenges and uncertainties of life in a fallen world. People also suffer from clinical anxiety, a debilitating physiological malfunction, and like those who are physically unwell, we cannot call this sin, rather it is another consequence of living in a broken world. These people should seek professional treatment. God can sometimes use our anxieties to drive us to our knees towards a deeper faith. There’s anxiety that leads to faith but there’s also anxiety that leads to faithlessness.

So it is equally important to know that worry and anxiety certainly can be sins. Worry can disrupt our daily life, negatively affect the way we treat others, and can also lead to us not trusting in God. This type of anxiety will the focus of today’s message. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus our comforter gives counsel to us worrying and anxious people. He calls us not to be anxious about our material needs, but to instead trust God, and seek first His kingdom and righteousness. Don’t be anxious about your material needs, but instead trust God, and seek first His kingdom and righteousness. Let’s journey with Jesus through this passage.

Body

Don’t be anxious about material needs because there’s much more to life

In verse 25, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you ...”. Notice the “therefore”. The “therefore” is telling us that what Jesus is about to say next is a consequence, a development, of what he has already said in verses 19-24.

In my last message, which covered those verses, we asked ourselves three questions: Where is our treasure? What is our vision? Who do we serve? And it is only after we’ve made our choice, to store treasures in heaven and not on earth, to be full of light and not darkness, to serve God and not money, that we can have the freedom from anxiety that Jesus talks about here. So Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious”—about what?—“about your life”. More specifically, “what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on”. Back in Jesus’ time there would have been a lot of insecurity surrounding food, drink, and clothing. A lot of things were outside of peoples’ control. Seasonal rain would bring a good harvest, but famines and droughts would lead to food shortages and starvation. But what does Jesus say to these people? He says, “do not be anxious about your life”.

Today, we have taps that magically provide us with as much clean water as we want, and we can get everything else we need from a supermarket. But we’re no different to the people back then. We still worry, we’re still anxious about material things. We worry about our careers. We worry about our finances. But Jesus says, “do not be anxious about your life”. And why? Jesus challenges us with a question, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”. And the implied answer is yes. Life is so much more than just about having our material needs met. We don’t live just for the sake of living. Jesus isn’t denying that our bodies have physical needs—he just taught us to pray for our daily bread. What he’s saying is that we shouldn’t become completely absorbed in material comforts and our physical well-being. Getting caught up in material needs leads to a false view of human beings, as if we’re just bodies to be fed, watered, and clothed. It also leads to a false view of human life, as if physical survival is the be-all and end-all of existence. Such a view on life leads only to anxiety.

One of my favourite movie’s is Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Interstellar. On face value it’s a movie about survival. The story follows Cooper who has left behind his family and home, and has blasted off into another galaxy as the pilot of an interstellar mission in search of a planet to replace earth which is becoming unlivable. He’s on a mission with the survival of the human race at stake, but what keeps him going are video messages he receives from his loved ones back home. There’s a scene where he watches 23 years worth of those messages in one go, because of time dilation 23 years had passed on earth but only a couple hours had passed in his own life. He sees his son get married, have kids, and his daughter all grown up, and he’s laughing one moment and crying the next. There’s a memorable quote from Dr. Brand, Anne Hathaway’s character, “Love is the one thing that we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space”.

One of the main messages of the movie is that, even in the cold empty indifference of space, life is more than just physical survival. Or as Jesus puts it: “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Yet a lot of today’s advertisements are aimed at just those things - diets and supplements promising good health and well-being, gyms enticing us with images of fit bodies, happy models showcasing the latest clothing. Jesus isn’t saying that we shouldn’t look after our bodies. But when physical well-being is all we live for to the point that we get anxious about it, then that is problem, that is a false view of life. If life was just about food, drink, and keeping warm, then we’d be no different from the animals. A pointless existence might be the logical conclusion of atheism, but it is not the Christian conclusion. Christianity says that we have been made in the image of God, and His vision for our lives as His image bearers is far greater. So the first step in overcoming our anxiety about material things is to recognise that there is more to life than material things. As we shall see, God has so much more in store for those who serve Him.

Don’t be anxious about your material needs, and instead trust God

Don’t be anxious because we are valuable in God’s eyes

In the next couple of verses, Jesus continues to counsel our anxious minds by reminding us to trust in Our Heavenly Father, and he does so by using two ‘how much more’ arguments. Let’s have a look at the first of these in verse 26 where Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them”. At my parents place there’s an umbrella palm in the backyard, and every afternoon the tree becomes filled with beautiful rainbow lorikeets who eat the fruits. And thank you to Ni for taking that photo.

“Look at the birds”. Birds don’t grow crops, they don’t have barns to store food, nor pantries or fridges. But they still live, they have enough food, and they flourish, because God takes care of them. They live their lives day by day, feed by feed. God provides for His creatures. “Your heavenly Father feeds [the birds]. Are you not of more value than they?” Friends, “Are you not of more value than they?” Of course you are. Our Heavenly Father values us so much! Unlike birds, we’ve been fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image; and God so loved us that He sent His one and only Son and He gave His life for us. But if He loves us so much, then why do we still face troubles, why are there are still so many things to worry about?

In the book of Job, there’s a man named Job who’s lost everything, he’s lost his children, his home, and even his health. If there’s anyone who has the right to be anxious, it’s him. Most of the book is about Job and his friends trying to figure out the reason why he’s suffering. But towards the end of the book, God speaks, but He doesn’t give Job the reason for his suffering. Instead, God reminds Job of who He is, that He is the Maker and Sustainer of the universe and that He knows His creation inside and out. And he does this by asking rhetorical question after rhetorical question. God’s question to Job in Job 38:41 echoes our passage today, “Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?” Who provides for the hungry raven? God provides.

Friends, God never promises us a trouble free life. We might not understand the purpose of our troubles, we might not get to bottom of our anxieties. But let us remember who Our Heavenly Father is. He is the sovereign God and Creator of the Universe. He is in control; he knows the world inside and out; He knows what He’s doing. So we can trust in Him.

“Look at the birds”. If He provides for lowly birds, then how much more would he provide for us, His children, because we are immensely valuable to Him.

Elizabeth Cheney’s poem titled Overhead in an Orchard imagines a conversation between two birds:

Said the robin to the sparrow, "I would really like to know Why those anxious human beings rush around and worry so." Said the sparrow to the robin, "Friend, I think that it must be That they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me."

Friends, do we live as if we have no Heavenly Father? Are we living anxious lives as practical atheists? Unlike real atheists who don’t believe in God, a practical atheist is someone who believes in God but acts like He doesn’t exist. Sometimes, when we’re worrying and anxious, we are basically acting as if God doesn’t exist. We don’t really trust in Him, we don’t believe he’s sovereign and in control, we don’t believe He provides. Worry and anxiety turns our gaze inwards, as we stress and try to figure out a solution within ourselves, and we forget that we’re children of the almighty of God, the Creator and provider of all things; the one who feeds the birds of the air, and are we not of more value than they? Friends, we have a Heavenly Father, and we are valuable in His eyes. 1 Peter 5:7 says that we can cast all our anxieties on Him, because he cares for us. Don’t be anxious about your material needs, but instead trust God and remember who He is.

Don’t be anxious because it’s pointless

In verse 27, Jesus gives the next reason for why we shouldn’t be anxious through another rhetorical question. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” And the implied answer is none of us. We can’t add an hour, a minute, or a second to our lives by worrying. On the contrary, it wouldn’t be surprising if worrying actually shortened our lives. We can’t add to our lives by being anxious, but being anxious certainly takes away from our lives: wrinkles and sores appear on our face when we can’t find peace; our forehead and lips are creased into a frown when we lose our joy; racing thoughts keep us up at night and so we have baggy eyelids and no energy for the day. Our relationships might suffer, our prayer life might suffer, our faith might suffer. What’s the point in being anxious? Jesus is asking. It doesn’t help, it doesn’t add to our lives.

Don’t be anxious because God provides

Let’s now have a look at verses 28-30, the second ‘how much more’ argument. Jesus has told us to “Look at the birds of the air”, and now he asks us to “consider the lillies of the field”. So Jesus says, “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these”. In Arnhem Land, while we were out four-wheel driving one day, we stumbled across a beautiful field of purples flowers. There were no gardeners or sprinkler systems in sight. They were just growing there, flourishing in the wilderness. They didn’t do work, they didn’t spin thread to earn or buy their beauty. They just grew.

Jesus says not even Solomon in all his glory can compare to the beauty of a wild flower field. 1 Kings 10:4-5 gives us a glimpse Solomon’s glory “And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.” When the Queen of Sheba saw Solomon’s wisdom, servants , and wealth, it took her breath away. Solomon’s glory was literally breathtaking. But Jesus says the beauty that God clothes the flowers with is so much greater.

And so Jesus continues in verse 30, “But if God clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” The flowers and grass of the field are are short-lived and disposable, and were used as fuel in baking ovens, but yet God clothes them with beauty and majesty greater than that of Solomon. So how much more would clothe and provide for you? Jesus calls His anxious audience, “O you of little faith”, because at the centre of many of our anxieties is a trust issue. We don’t trust that He will look after us. We still worry, we’re still anxious about that exam that we think will determine our future, we still worry if we can get a job that pays enough. The argument is simple, if God cares for the lowly birds and for disposable flowers, how much more does he care for us?

It might be helpful at this point to make clear what Jesus is not saying. Jesus isn’t saying that we don’t need to work to make our own living. Do birds feed themselves or does God feed them? The answer is yes. God provides through nature the means for the birds to feed themselves. The same can be said of flowers and grass. God clothes them with beauty through rain and sunlight. So do we work to provide for ourselves or does God provide for us? The answer is yes! God has placed us within caring families, he’s given us abilities we can use for work, he blesses us through the generosity of others. God provides but we need to cooperate.

The missionary, James Hudson Taylor, learnt this lesson on a voyage to China in 1853 when he was 21 years old. A violent storm off the Welsh coast threatened the safety of his ship, and he felt it would be dishonouring to God to wear a lifebelt. So he gave his away. But he later realised his mistake and wrote: “The use of means ought not to lessen our faith in God, and our faith in God ought not to hinder our using whatever means he has given us for the accomplishment of his own purposes”.

Friends, “look at the birds”, “consider the lilies”. Our Heavenly Father values us, cares for us, and provides for us. “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Trust in Him.

What are we seeking?

Let’s now move onto verses 32-33 where Jesus calls us to reflect upon our purpose, our ambition, what we strive for in life, what we seek. Worry can easily become idolatry, because when we’re worried our hearts and minds become absorbed by that thing we’re worrying about. The object our worry becomes our primary concern, our first priority, a false god. Our anxieties and worries reveals what what we seek in life. So friends what do we worry about? And what does that tell us about where we’re storing our treasure? Where our heart is? And who we serve?

The term Gentiles in verse 32 literally means “the nations” and refers to anyone outside of the Jewish community, and in this context, anyone outside of the faith community. Jesus says, “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all”. Jesus knows that all human beings are ‘seekers’, people don’t usually drift aimlessly through life. We need something as the goal of our lives, something to give meaning to our existence, something to set our ‘hearts’ and ‘minds’ on, something to ‘seek’. Back in Jesus’ time people were preoccupied with the three things he’s been talking about: food, drink, and clothing. They were seeking material security as the goal of their lives.

It’s still the same today. People seek material security as the goal of their lives. People pursue education, not to seek truth and to be of help to people, but for that six-figure salary at the end. People hoard toilet paper and other basic goods during pandemics. People tell us that, “Before you go into full-time ministry you’ve gotta have a decent savings balance, a house, this this and this”, and then we never end up taking that step. People worry about bills that need to be paid, the rising cost of living, housing prices, and the list goes on. To seek material security as the goal of our lives is a path that leads to anxiety, because it can never be attained. We live in a world where rust and moth destroy, where thieves break in and steal.

What does Jesus say? This is the is the climax of the passage, here in verse 33. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. “Seek first the kingdom of God”. To “seek first” means to seek as the number one goal of our lives. Striving for the kingdom of God and His righteousness are to be the number one goals of our lives. The kingdom of God is all about God as king, it’s about his rule over our lives and over the lives of everyone on earth. Seeking righteousness, which is moral goodness according to God’s standards, goes hand in hand with that.

Firstly, seeking God’s kingdom means we seek to live under His rule. We must first honour God as the king over our own lives before we do anything else for Him. If he’s our king, then we seek to obey Him and to follow the ways of His kingdom. His kingdom is an upside-down kingdom where glory comes through sacrifice and humble service, not through selfish accumulation. Jesus showed us through this through his life, death, and resurrection. His kingdom is an inside-out kingdom where true righteousness comes from our inner heart attitudes and not from outward following of rules. Jesus has taught us this.

Secondly, seeking God’s kingdom means we seek to spread His rule. God’s rule is good and righteous, and as His servants should want others to come into His kingdom as well. For some of us, like Aunty Tin and Uncle John, this might mean leaving every behind to share Jesus in a different culture. For most of us, this will mean being involved in the work of our local church, praying for and giving to mission work, and sharing Jesus with our friends and in our communities. But for all of us, it is about identifying the gifts that God has given us, and then using those gifts for His glory.

Our Heavenly Father knows that we need food, drink, and clothing; and Jesus says that if we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, then all these things will be added to us. But does this mean that as Christians, we will never lack, in food, drink and clothing? If so then why do some faithful Christians starve and thirst even to the point of death? I don’t think this passage answers these questions, and I don’t think it intends to. But I have some brief thoughts. First and foremost, we can trust what Jesus has said throughout this passage. We can trust Our Heavenly Father to provide for us because we’re valuable to Him, he knows our needs, he’s in control, and because every good thing finds its source in Him. God will provide for those who seek first His kingdom and righteousness. But often His idea of what we need is different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally be what we expect. We may think we need riches and success, but perhaps what we truly need is a season of loss and failure. Just look at the life of Job, God allowed Satan to take everything from Job; he lost his children, his home, his health. But through this Job is humbled, he realises he doesn’t understand anything, including why he’s suffering, and he also comes to realise the greatness of God. And the point of the book of Job is, even if we may not understand why things are happening, God knows what he’s doing, because He is God and we’re not. At the end of the book of Job, Job his restored, and God gives his twice as much as he had before. Restoration will come for us too, whether in this life or the next. So may we trust in God and respond in worship to whatever trouble may come as Job first did in Job 1:21 “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Conclusion

Friends, we have a choice, we can either seek to anxiously build up our own little kingdoms like many people in this world. Or we can seek to boldly live our lives for God’s kingdom and His righteousness. Most of you are young, you have your whole lives ahead of you, and I’d like to encourage you to make the right choice. Yes, that’s me in Year 11, and I give you permission to laugh. In high school, my dream was to become an Air Force pilot. I liked the idea because it was different, it was cool, and being in a selective school, it was rebellious. In Year 12, I applied, I went through the selection process, but I failed to pass. But through that failure, God taught me that what I was seeking was for my own glory, I was trying to build up my own little kingdom. Since then, I’ve tried to surrender my dreams and my interest in aviation to God.

Friends, surrender your dreams and ambitions to God, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and He will provide for you and work in you and through you in ways that you would have never imagined. I never imagined that I’d be flying teachers and students in and out of some of the most remote places in Australia, but that’s where God took me. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.

I also encourage us this week, to put our phones down, and to spend some time paying attention to what is around us. “Look at the birds”, “consider the lillies”. Let us make that a habit to remind ourselves that we do not need to be anxious, because we have a Heavenly Father who values us, loves us, and cares for us. He will provide, so trust in Him.