Kingdom First

Do Not be Preoccupied With the Things of the World

There are a lot of things in the world we can be worried about.

The Needs of Our Body (25, 28)

Food

Clothing

Preserving Our Life (27)

Jesus Gives Us Two Real World Examples of His Provision

The birds of the air (26)

The lilies of the fields (28)

More beautiful than Solomons’s clothing

They will be destroyed

2 Peter 3:10 “10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

Revelation 21:1 “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

We Do Not Need to Worry (31-32)

Therefore: because God is in control, we need not worry

The gentiles worry because they do not have the Lord, we have the Lord, so we do not need to worry.

Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Proverbs 16:33 “33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:37–39 “37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? 39 Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins?”

Because God is in control we can avoid worry

Seek First the Kingdom

When we stop worrying about things of this world, we can focus on things of eternity. It allows us to focus on His glory. To seek first the Kingdom.

What Does it Mean to Seek the Kingdom of God?

Seek salvation

Matthew 16:26 “26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Seek the Best for Others

Philippians 2:1–4 “1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Have an eternal focus

It is really easy to focus on the events of the day

Instead we need to look to the eternal promises of God

Hebrews 12:1–2 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Colossians 3:1–2 “1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

What Does it Look Like to Be Kingdom First?

Romans 12:15 “15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

We’ve lost people, but being Kingdom focused means we rejoice when they are maturing in Christ, even if it means they are leaving us

We rejoice when we are made weak, so that the body can be made strong