Seek First

Last week’s message was on the verses immediately preceding the climactic verse of Jesus’ sermon. The climax of Jesus’ sermon is found in Matthew 6.33 where He implores His audience to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness with the promise that the other matters he has mentioned (food and clothing) will be given by God because He is our caring Father.

Three times in this last part of Matthew 6 we find the words “do not be anxious” (vv. 25, 31, 34) which means Jesus thinks this is serious business. A principle of interpreting the Bible is if we find something repeated it is probably important, and if it is repeated within a few verses, we truly need to take note.

So, I got to thinking about the idea of being anxious. If we are commanded not to be anxious, then it must not be natural. That is, we must learn how to become anxious. So, when does that start? Of course, our parents, relatives, and friends teach us about anxiety when we watch them fret over paying the bills, working out schedules, etc. This is real anxiety, and specifically the kind Jesus mentioned in His sermon. But another kind of anxiety is more short-term, but very real. When we watch movies and television shows, we become anxious as the suspense is built towards some sort of resolution. And that thought got me to thinking about movies many children watch. Specifically, I began to think about Disney movies and the fact that in the midst of the movies, kids learn not be anxious, even as the suspense builds throughout the movie. For instance, in the Jungle Book, Baloo sings that we should forget about our worry and strife as we get life’s bare necessities. And, we can’t forget everyone’s favorite meerkat and wart hog, Timon and Pumbaa, and the motto they adopted of “Hakuna Matata.” And, of course, we might even adapt the thoughts of the song most young girls sang just a few years ago – “Let it Go.”

But the point is that Jesus commands us not to be anxious because we have learned to be anxious. Ultimately, His command is for us to remember where our allegiance really lies and where our true security is found. When we seek the treasures of this world, we will inevitably find ourselves anxious at some point, and we will be sorely disappointed in the end. But, when we seek God, first and foremost, then we will find ourselves less concerned about matters of the world, and more concerned about what He wants for His creation.

So, let us take a few moments to review the words of Jesus and explore what it means to seek God first.

Seeking God First Means to Seek Differently

Matthew 6.33 is a verse that is quoted often. It is one that I mention regularly, but if truth be told I misquote it all the time. Perhaps you do too. This is what I say, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Now, you might be thinking that is what the verse says. Well, it is what the verse means, but it is not what it says. The verse begins with the word “but.”

Jesus is contrasting what has been said just before. In verse 31, Jesus says many are anxious about what they will eat, drink, or wear. Then He says that even the Gentiles go about expressing similar concerns, but the children of God do not need to worry over such matters – the Father already knows what you need.

One objection you might offer is that many Christians live and/or die in extreme poverty. I certainly have the same thoughts, but that is not the fault of the Father; rather, it is the fault of His children. It is the fault of His children who do not share!

Just as an earthly father might provide certain items for his sons and daughters to share, so too does our heavenly Father. Again, we acknowledge our need to share when we pray, “give us today OUR daily bread.” When I have enough, I am to share with those who are less fortunate. And, as Luke 12.48 reminds us, to whom much is given, much is required. So, our argument that God does not provide is not sound. The fault lies with His children who do not adequately share. And that gets to the heart of what Jesus is saying here.

Jesus is painting a contrast to what we often desire to what we should desire. When we seek earthly goods (even food and clothing), we often do so at the expense of what God wants for us and from us. “But” Jesus says, to seek God and His kingdom first is to think differently. It is to consider God’s desires over our own. It is to seek God, and His rule in our lives, over food, over clothing, and even over what we might drink. All of these items are real needs; we must have food and drink to live. But in seeking these items first, we may miss God. When we seek God first, we will get these items and more. It is as I have asked many times, “Do you want God’s blessings, or do you want God?” One is idolatry; the other is worship.

Seeking God and His Kingdom first is about recognizing who He is. Seeking other items first is to choose another master (verse 24). Seeking God first is contrary to what most people do, and that is why Jesus says, “but” in regard to seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first...because to do so represents a completely different way of thinking.

Seeking God First Means to Seek Primarily

Our seeking is to put God and His righteousness first. Here, the word first does not mean sequentially, as in seek God first, then other stuff second. It means seek God above all else. Seek Him first. Put Him first. Keep Him first. And when we do all of these other things will be added to us.

Furthermore, seeking God will satisfy us. At least, seeking His righteousness will. Remember, the promise of the fourth beatitude is that hungering and thirsting for righteousness will satisfy us. That is, hungering and thirsting for God’s righteousness will satisfy us. The problem is we often seek a righteousness that is not from God. Perhaps it is our own righteous thinking or perhaps it is like that of someone else.

Again, Matthew 6.33 is the climax of this sermon, but the theme of righteousness has been prevalent throughout Jesus’ sermon. In Matthew 5.20, Jesus explicitly warns His audience not to get caught up in how righteous the scribes and Pharisees appear to be. Then Jesus proceeds to show what true righteousness is – it is evidenced by more than our actions; true righteousness affects our thoughts as well. It will also affect our giving, our prayer, and our fasting. And now, to conclude this section, being truly righteous will affect what we pursue – God or stuff.

The problem is that for many people, self-righteousness is the primary desire. We compare ourselves to others by what we do and don’t have, what we do and don’t do, what we think and don’t think, etc. But these comparisons only make us self-righteous. And, we all have self-righteous tendencies. In fact, the following quote epitomizes the thought. “We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam.” – J.C. Ryle 

Self-righteousness comes in all kinds of forms. Whenever we think we are morally better than someone else, we are being self-righteous. Whenever we think that our sacrifices are better than someone else, we are being self-righteous. The truth is that the only righteousness that is worthy anything is the righteousness that comes from God – a righteousness that is only available to us because of the blood of Christ. It is that righteousness that has cleansed us from our sin not so that we are better than others, but so we can share with others that God desires to make them righteous too.

And when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, this is exactly the attitude and approach we will take – that we are making our concerns the same concerns of God – a love of people instead of a lust for things.

Seeking God First Means to Seek Daily

Jesus concluding thoughts on this portion of His sermon are to remind His hearers to focus on today. Just as He taught the disciples in the prayer, He emphasizes the needs of the day over the considerations of the future. “Give us today our daily bread” forces us to focus on God’s provision for today rather than wondering about how we will manage next week, next month, or next year. As I mentioned last week, this does not mean that we cannot plan ahead; however, it does force us to rely upon God even as we consider the future. That is, we can plan for tomorrow, but we do not need to worry about it.

The problem is that too many people waste their lives worrying about tomorrow. In verse 27, Jesus said that worrying about various matters cannot add a single hour to our lives. In fact, we know that worry leads to stress and stress actually is harmful to our lives and takes months and years from us.

So, Jesus says that we should manage ourselves today and not worry about tomorrow. When we take this approach, we will never need to worry, because it is always today. Yesterday was, tomorrow may be, but today is. What I mean is that you never arrive at tomorrow. You only live when it is today. So, consider and plan for tomorrow, but don’t worry about it. Remember and reflect on yesterday, but don’t fret about it. Live today. And live for today. It is the only day you have available.

How would having a knowledge of the glory of the Lord affect this teaching?

As I said last week, and a few times in various conversations this week, it is much easier to say or type that we should seek God, His kingdom, and His righteousness first than it is do it. Trust me when I say that I am still in the process of learning this and adapting the principle to my life as well. But Jesus words are clear and we must not ignore them. So, how does this truly apply to us?

Well, first, we must seek God first when things are going well. We must seek God first when we have plenty of food, when we like the clothing we have, when our friends are treating us well, etc. We cannot begin to place our trust in our comforts for they offer no real security. For, as Jesus said, moth and rust may soon destroy or thieves may break in and steal. Or a rumor could harm a relationship, etc. Thus, when things are going well, we must still seek God first and as we do we should praise Him for the time of peace in our lives.

Second, seeking God must be our first response when our lives hit a rough patch. We must turn to God when we don’t have enough money to make it to the end of the month, when we don’t have enough food to last the day, let alone the week. We must seek God when our relationships are suffering, when the car won’t start, or whatever problem life throws our way. And problems will come. As Jesus said, each day has enough trouble of its own.

But God! But God is still on the throne and that is why we seek His Kingdom. But God still cares for His children and that is why we seek His righteousness. But God still desires to share Himself with you and that is why we can trust Him even when most everything around us seems to be falling apart.

So, whether life is going well or during times of struggle, we must consider what we will seek? Where will we seek to find comfort? Will it be in stuff, or in God?

CONCLUSION

As I mentioned at the beginning of the message, at some point we learn to worry. We learn what it means to be anxious. Thus, it is not natural, and therefore, it can be unlearned. To reverse our learning on much of life can be quite difficult, and reversing our tendencies towards worry and being anxious is especially difficult. But if Jesus said, “Do not be anxious” (and He did, three different times in the last ten verses of Matthew 6), then it is possible otherwise Jesus would be condemning us to break His command.

So, whether you adopt the motto of “Hakuna Matata” or simply seek the “bare necessities” do so only after having begun to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” When you begin to seek His Kingdom differently, primarily, and daily, the rest of life’s worries will begin to fade into the background.

So, with that said, our JOURNEY letter for today is: R – REVERE.

Again the basic question is, will we seek what God can give us, or will we seek God? Jesus commands us to seek God. It is what He did and therefore as His followers, what we should do as well. In doing so, we show God how important He is to us and that we desire to worship Him.

Based upon today’s message, how can we raise the bar and live on earth as it is in heaven?

NEXT LEVEL STEP(S): LIVE.

Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness is not about stopping and waiting. It is about living with purpose – God’s purpose. You may have heard the phrase: “He’s so heavenly minded, he is of no earthly good.” Well, Matthew 6.33 suggests that if we want to be of earthly good, we must begin by being heavenly-minded. So seek God’s rule and righteousness and then live your live accordingly.