The Main Thing

Praise and Worship:

Offering and Prayer:

Intro:

If you’ve ever tried to build something from a set of instructions—like a piece of furniture or an engine—you know that if you get the very first step out of order, nothing else lines up down the road. You can spend hours twisting screws and forcing parts together, but if the foundation is crooked, the whole project is unstable.

A lot of us live our everyday lives exactly like that. We spend all week trying to put things in order, stressing over our bank accounts, worrying about what people think, and trying to secure our own personal gain. Then, we try to squeeze God into whatever leftover time and energy we have left at the end of the weekend. We call Sunday the last day, scripture calls it the first day. We wonder why we are constantly anxious, exhausted, and feeling empty. The issue isn't that you aren't working hard; the issue is that your order of operations is completely backward.

In "The Trade-In" (Week 4), we talked about recognizing the unmatched value of the Kingdom. Today, we close out the month by putting that value into practical, daily motion. We have to stop making our personal comfort the main thing and intentionally put the King’s priorities at the very top of the list.

Scripture:

Matthew 6:31–34 NIV

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.

Title, Prayer:

The Main Thing

Application: The Order of Operation (Put First Things First)

The way we navigate life this week is simple but demanding: Reorder your daily priorities around God’s kingdom, not personal gain.

True biblical application means "Grasping the truth of the Gospel, understanding what it meant when it was written and knowing how the spiritual value today can help me conform to the will of God." We apply this text by refusing to let worry dictate our schedules. We submit our agendas to Christ, and we persevere through the temptation to chase worldly shortcuts, knowing that our King takes care of His people.

Point One: The Kingdom Shift (Moving Beyond "Me-First" Living)

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus gives a direct command: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." The word first doesn't just mean first in a sequence of events; it means first in importance. It means the Kingdom is the filter through which every single decision in your life must pass.

Our natural human instinct is to run a "Me-First" operation. We think, Let me secure my career first, let me secure my retirement first, let me secure my reputation first—and then I’ll see how I can serve God. But Jesus completely flips the script. Mark 9:35 “35 He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”” When you live under a new rule, your primary question changes from "What do I get out of this?" to "How does this honor the King and advance His kingdom?" This shift requires Faithful Trust that God is a better manager of your life than you are.

This is why I teach more than preach. The word in the King James Version doesn't say praise ye, or shout ye, or entertain ye, or even feel ye first. It says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."

Seeking the Kingdom of God is about gaining knowledge. You don't go to college or send your kids to college with the intent of being entertained or being comforted. College is about studying. Studiers do better in life. Too often, we con to church expecting to be entertained. We have to recognize that the devil does not want you to study! He would rather you be comfortable or just entertained, because an entertained Christian stays a stagnant Christian. But God calls us to be disciples who study His truth so we can actually apply it.

Life Application: The Priority Audit.

The Schedule Check: Look closely at where your time, money, and thoughts went this past week. Did they go toward building your own little kingdom, or were they invested in God’s house and His people?

The Kingdom Filter: Before you make a major commitment or a daily decision this week, stop and ask: "Does this choice align with God’s commands, or am I just chasing personal gain?"

Point Two: The Promise of Provision (The Kingdom Takes Care of Its Own)

The second half of Matthew 6:33 contains an incredible promise: "...and all these things shall be added to you." What are "these things"? If you look just a few verses earlier, Jesus is talking about food, water, clothing, and basic daily survival. He’s talking about the very things that cause us the most anxiety and drive us to compromise our standards.

When you are deeply Rooted in Christ, you realize that the King takes care of His citizens. A good king doesn't let his loyal subjects starve. The friction we face is that we worry God won't show up, so we take control back into our own hands. But when you make the Kingdom the main thing, God takes care of the secondary things. You don't have to compromise your integrity at work to get ahead; you don't have to skip honoring God to secure an extra dollar. Put Him first, and watch how He covers the rest.

Life Application: Trade Worry for Worship.

Drop the Anxiety: Identify the one area of your life where you are most tempted to take control away from God because you are worried about the outcome.

The Action Step: Intentionally step back, practice Longsuffering, and give that area to the Lord in prayer. Choose to honor His boundaries this week, trusting that His provision is entirely guaranteed.

Benediction: Fix Your Eyes

According to our biblical foundation in Hebrews 12:1-2, we run this race by "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." You cannot run a straight race if your eyes are constantly darting around, looking at what you can gain for yourself.

We’ve spent this entire month learning what it means to live under a new rule. Don't walk out of here today and go right back to white-knuckling your own life. Let go of the need for self-rule. Make the King the main thing, put His righteousness first, and live in the total freedom of knowing that the King has already sorted out everything else you need.