MD - God First in a Me First World

Intro

Anecdote:

”In Italy, we build a Church, and then we build the town around the Church.

In Australia, you build a pub, and then you build a town around the pub.”

Putting God first in our lives, especially above ourselves, has become counter-

cultural.

The Church is viewed as an oddity for even believing in and following God, and the

way we express that through Worship and life lived God’s way. But while the world

may view a God-first life as strange or even outdated, living God-first in a “Me first”

world is actually a road to timeless blessing.

1. It’s Not Easy

Jonah 1:1-3

This might seem an odd verse for a message about a God-first life, but it actually

highlights a point that we cannot escape.

Ask yourself: “Why did Jonah run?” Forget the rest of the Jonah story for a minute,

and just focus here on the beginning: “Why did Jonah run?”

For Jonah, putting God first in this moment meant dropping everything that he was

doing and going to preach against the people of Ninevah. We hear in that instruction

that their wickedness had caught God’s attention, but not much more.

The thing about Ninevah, is that the wickedness God mentions, was a people prone

to absolute brutality. It was the capital of the Assyrian empire, full of pride, sin, and

evil. Being sent to Ninevah as an outside would have felt to Jonah like a death

sentence - and a brutal one.

@February 5, 2022 9:15 PM

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So why did he run?... He was scared. His mission was exceedingly difficult, and

even though God had made a way for him that would ultimately see Ninevah come

to repentance, he was scared.

We often look at putting god first through a lens of making sure we come to Church,

give our tithe and offering etc - and these certainly are part of a God-first life. But

living God first also means answering and following where He calls us to go and, just

like Jonah with his call to Ninevah, that can be hard - and scary.

It’s not easy to leave your home town and head to the mission field or to a

promised land (just ask Abraham!)

It’s not easy to live a life of forgiveness for those who do wrong by us

It’s not easy to put God first in our finances

It’s not easy to rearrange our calendars to prioritise Godly opportunities

It’s not easy to say no to the things of the world that clash with the things of God,

especially when their harm is not immediately obvious.

But these, big and small, are all examples of what living a God-first life looks like.

2. It Takes Sacrifice

Luke 18:18-23

1 Kings 19:19-21

Matthew 16:24-26

3. It Seems Strange

I have a good friend who is an accountant. He used to work for a firm that handled

the finances of a number of charities, including churches. He told me a story of a

former business client who is a Christian and, while their business was doing it

tough, always remained faithful in their giving.

This idea that faithful giving wasn’t a discretionary item that could be cut, but a

priority above all else was perplexing to someone of the world. The idea of a life

lived God-first financially was strange.

But God calls us to live this strange life, and makes it clear the world won’t

understand it.

John 15:19

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Conclusion

It’s worth it...