PRIORITIES (Matt 6:24-34) A. Jesus repeated something 3 times: Do not worry (6:25, 31, 34). 2 Cor 6:16-7:1 For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them & walk among them. I will be their God, & they shall be My people." 17 Therefore, "Come out from among them (unbeliever, lawless, darkness) & be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, & I will receive you. 18 I will be a Father to you, & you shall be My sons & daughters, says the LORD Almighty." 7:1 Therefore, having these PROMISES (cf. Matt 6:33), beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh & spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (seek 1 st the kingdom of God). 1. All these things shall be added to you if you seek the kingdom first. 2. When Jesus promised all these things He did not suggest the quantity or amount. a. You say, I see people all around who don t seek the kingdom of God & who have these things in abundance. b. Yes, BUT, God has NOT made THIS promise to them!!! c. Jesus is not saying, If you seek the kingdom first, then ONLY YOU will have food, drink & clothing. d. He is saying that if you seek the kingdom first, then He will be specifically attentive to your needs, because you are His child. Prov 15:16-17 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure with trouble. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. Prov 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness, than vast revenues without justice. Prov 17:1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife. Prov 19:1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, & is a fool. Prov 28:6 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich. Eccl 6:9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. 1
a. Why are these things better? Because God has dispensed these blessings to His children. b. Their better condition is not measured by the AMOUNT of food, drink & clothing, but by the PROMISE that God is their PROVIDER. B. A publishing house once brought together a group of historians & educators. 1. Assignment: select the 100 most significant events in history. a. First, the discovery of America. b. Second, the invention of movable type by Gutenberg. C. God gives Jesus a much higher evaluation. Rev 22:13 He is the Alpha & the Omega, the Beginning & the End, the First & the Last, Col 1:15-18 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. 17 And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. [Where does the Lord rank in our lives? That is the question! An our answer will determine whether the Lord s promise (Matt 6:33) applies to us. Are you certain that you re seeking FIRST the kingdom of God & His righteousness? Let me suggest setting four fundamental priorities to help us achieve that goal.] c. Eleven events tied for third. d. Jesus tied for fourth, with the constitution, ether, x-ray, & the airplane. I. KINGDOM BEFORE PHYSICAL NEED 2
A. Read (John 6:1-6, 15-17, 22-27) 1. What had happened between (6:2) & (6:26-27)? THEY WERE FED!!! B. What did Jesus mean by the statement Labor not for the food, which perishes? 1. He certainly was not advocating laziness (Matt 6:19-21; Eph 4:28). [To put our physical needs ahead of the kingdom is to labor for the food that perishes & not for the food that endures to everlasting life.] In other words, we are NOT seeking first the kingdom of God & His righteousness.] II. KINGDOM BEFORE CAREER & FAMILY A. Read (Gen 13), emphasizing (13:14). 2. He was telling those Jews to put the kingdom of God before their physical needs. 1. Lot thought that he was doing what was best for his career (future, family), & it turned out that the LORD was preparing to bless Abraham. 3 3. Many have sacrificed their convictions in the word of God to feed themselves. a. I can t come to services; I have to keep this job. b. I don t agree with everything this church does or believes, but they sure put on a good feast. B. Lot had his priorities backward for a good portion of his life. 1. When he pitched his tent toward Sodom, he was putting his career & his family ahead of the kingdom of God.
2. Lot didn t understand the difficulty into which he had placed his family until years later. a. They were captured by enemy troops just for being in the wrong city (Gen 14), & Abraham came to their rescue. b. What did Lot do? He went right back to Sodom. c. By that time, his career & family were so entrenched in the customs & pleasures of Sodom that it would take an act of God to move them out of that wicked environment. d. In the end, Lot lost his career, his wife, his reputation & his self-respect (Gen 19). 1. The devil is cunning in the way he uses our desire for excellence & approval against what is in our soul s best interest. a. We begin by justifying our obsession, I m doing this for my family. I need to enhance my resume. I have to build up the business. b. We start out with motives that sound worthy, but somewhere in the pursuit of our ambition we can forsake the true needs of our family & the kingdom. [When wrong choices are made, great losses follow when our priority is not to seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness.] III. KINGDOM BEFORE CULTURE C. When we put career & family acceptance ahead of God s kingdom, there can never be any lasting gain. A. Read (John 10:22-31). 4
B. What kind of culture do we live in today? 1. We live in a post modern culture, a culture that raises questions & doubts about established norms, & working to establish new norms. 2. The fundamental teachings of Scripture are now fully rejected by popular culture. a. The six day creation week b. The uniqueness of the divine inspiration of Scripture c. The deity of Jesus d. Marriage between one man & one woman e. The God-given roles of man & woman f. God s condemnation of homosexuality, adultery & fornication g. The possibility of religious unity (Eph 4:1-6). 3. If we are not very careful to read the Word of God to grow in faith we can gradually begin to compromise... little by little; accommodating ourselves to religious & popular culture rather than to the will of our heavenly Father. 2 Thess 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast & hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. 1 Cor 11:2-3 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things & keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, & the head of Christ is God. C. There is a factor relating to our priorities that must never change; we are sheep of the good shepherd. 1. When the sheep follow the herd, instead of the Shepherd they always get into trouble! 2. Our priorities ought to be set with this relationship in mind. 5
[When we follow the wave of culture instead of the Lord; when we compromise His word for fear of being different, then our priorities are out of order & we are not seeking first the kingdom of God & His righteousness.] CLOSING A. Jesus said, Seek ye (YOU) first the kingdom of God & His righteousness, & all these things shall be added to you. 1. We must set our priorities with the kingdom of the Lord uppermost in our minds. 2. His Word must establish our beliefs & shape our culture. 3. Then, we need not fear the present or lose hope for the future. 6