Seek First the Kingdom

1. ENGAGE (Hook + Bottom Line Introduced)

Start with a relatable reality:

We live in an age of anxiety—food, finances, future, stability.

Even faithful Christians are often consumed with “what ifs.”

Ask:

What keeps you up at night?

What occupies your thoughts when life gets uncertain?

Observation:

Jesus is not speaking to pagans here—but to disciples.

Introduce the tension:

We say we trust God… but our worry often says otherwise.

State the Bottom Line clearly:

What you seek first reveals who you trust most.

Transition:

In this passage, Jesus is not just addressing worry—He is exposing misplaced priorities.

2. TENSION (The Problem in the Text & Us)

Textual Problem:

Jesus commands: (vv. 25, 31, 34) “Do not be anxious”

But anxiety feels natural, even responsible.

Real-Life Tension:

“If I don’t worry, won’t things fall apart?”

“Isn’t concern about provision just wisdom?”

“How do I trust God when real needs exist?”

Deeper Issue Identified:

Worry is not just emotional—it is theological.

It reveals:

A trust issue (Do I believe God will provide?)

A priority issue (What am I actually living for?)

Key Question Raised:

If God is trustworthy, why do we still live like everything depends on us?

Transition:

Jesus answers this by pointing us to three truths that reorient our hearts.

TRUTH

(Resolve the tension through the biblical text)

Text

Point 1: Worry Distracts You from What Matters Most (Matthew 6:25–27)

Matthew 6:25–27 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Jesus begins with a command that immediately confronts us:

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” (v. 25)

That word “therefore” connects us back to verse 24—you cannot serve God and money. So Jesus is not just talking about emotions—He’s talking about allegiance.

Then He names the very things we tend to obsess over:

What we will eat

What we will drink

What we will wear

These are not luxuries—these are legitimate needs.

And yet Jesus says: Do not be anxious.

Why?

Because, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Jesus is lifting their eyes—and ours—to something higher.

If God has already given you life—the greater gift— then why would He fail to sustain that life with the lesser things?

Then He presses it further in verse 27:

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

That’s almost rhetorical with a touch of irony.

You can worry all night… You can rehearse every scenario… You can carry the weight of tomorrow…

And it will not add a single hour to your life.

In fact, it often does the opposite.

Worry promises control—but delivers nothing.

Application:

We treat worry like it’s productive. Like if we think about it long enough, we’ll fix it.

But Jesus says worry is not just unhelpful—it is misdirected energy.

It pulls your attention away from:

God’s presence

God’s promises

God’s priorities

Big Idea:

Worry steals your focus but adds nothing to your life.

Point 2: God’s Care for Creation Guarantees His Care for You (Matthew 6:28–32)

Matthew 6:28–32 ESV

28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so 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? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Now Jesus moves from logic… to illustration.

“Consider the lilies of the field…” (v. 28)

That word “consider” means more than glance—it means study, observe, think deeply.

Look at how they grow:

They don’t toil

They don’t spin

They don’t strive.

And yet Jesus says:

“Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (v. 29)

Solomon was the wealthiest, most adorned king Israel ever knew.

And Jesus says: A flower… that will be gone tomorrow… is clothed more beautifully than the richest man who ever lived.

Then He makes the connection:

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field… will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (v. 30)

That phrase—“much more”—is everything.

You are not grass.

You are not temporary vegetation.

You are created in the image of God.

So if God is that attentive to something temporary… how much more will He care for His children?

And yet Jesus diagnoses the real issue:

“O you of little faith.”

This is not about resources. It’s about trust.

Then in verse 32, He contrasts two ways of living:

“For the Gentiles seek after all these things…”

In other words: This is how the world lives.

Consumed with:

Survival

Security

Material pursuit

But then comes one of the most comforting statements in the passage:

“Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”

He knows.

Not guesses. Not assumes.

He knows.

Application:

You are not overlooked. You are not forgotten. You are not on your own.

Your needs are not a surprise to God.

Big Idea:

If God faithfully provides for creation, He will not fail His children.

Point 3: Kingdom Priority Replaces Anxiety (Matthew 6:33)

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Now we reach the center of the passage.

Jesus does not just say, “Stop worrying.”

He gives a replacement strategy.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”

That word “seek” means:

Pursue

Aim for

Orient your life around

And “first” is not just chronological—it is priority.

This is not:

Seek God everything else after

Seek God when you have time

This is: Make God’s reign the controlling priority of your life.

The kingdom of God is:

His rule

His authority

His will being done

And His righteousness is:

Living in alignment with that rule

Then comes the promise:

“And all these things will be added to you.”

Notice what Jesus does not say:

He does not say you won’t have needs

He does not say you won’t face difficulty

He says: When your life is rightly ordered… God takes responsibility for your needs.

Application:

Most of our anxiety is not because we have needs… It’s because we have misordered priorities.

We are trying to:

Secure what God already promised

Control what God already holds

Big Idea:

When God’s kingdom is your priority, your needs become His responsibility.

Point 4: Daily Trust Defeats Future Anxiety (Matthew 6:34)

Matthew 6:34 ESV

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus closes with a final command:

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow…”

Why?

“For tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”

That’s a striking statement.

Tomorrow has its own concerns. Its own challenges.

And then He says:

“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Jesus is teaching a principle of daily dependence.

God does not give you tomorrow’s grace today.

He gives you today’s grace for today’s needs.

Application:

Anxiety lives in the future:

What if this happens?

What if that falls apart?

But faith lives in the present:

God is here

God is faithful

God will provide

Big Idea:

Trust God for today instead of fearing tomorrow.

4. CLOSING (Call to Response + Reinforce Bottom Line)

Recap:

Worry distracts (vv. 25–27)

God cares (vv. 28–32)

Seek first (v. 33)

Trust daily (v. 34)

Restate Bottom Line:

What you seek first reveals who you trust most.

Direct Challenge:

What is first in your life right now?

Your career?

Your security?

Your plans?

Or God’s kingdom?

You cannot claim to trust God while prioritizing everything else.

Gospel Connection:

The greatest proof God will provide:

He already gave His Son (Romans 8:32)

If He met your greatest need (sin),

He will meet your daily needs.

Call to Action (Clear & Concrete):

Repent of misplaced priorities

Stop living like this world is your kingdom.

Reorder your life this week

Time, thoughts, decisions centered on God’s kingdom.

Respond in obedience

Trust God fully:

Through surrender

Through faithful living

Through baptism (Acts 2:38)