Theme: “Seek First things”
Text: Matthew 6:25-34
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We praise God for the grace of God for enabling us to enter into the 5th month in 2020. This month the Spirit of God inspires us to meditate under the Theme “ Seek the Welfare”.
First of all, let us “Seek First things First” according to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are going to meditate this great theme from the Gospel of Matthew 6:24-34. The whole world is worried about many things. Worry about the Extinction of the human race by CORONA, worry to find the right Vaccine, worry about GDP growth, worry about the future of the Children, and everything. At this juncture, Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us “First seek the First Things”.
We will learn three important teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ from this passage titled:
1. Do not worry about daily cares
2. Do not Hurry but wait upon the Lord
3. Be Merry at God’s providential care
I hope this sermon will uplift your soul and boost your spirit to go forward with great faith and strength after the lockdown.
1. Do Not to Worry about daily cares (Matthew 6:25-31)
This passage starts with the oration of Jesus Christ telling his followers and listeners not to worry about: Food, Drinks, and Clothes. (Matthew 6:25-27) Every morning, I am sure all of us, have these thoughts or questions as Jesus has said. What shall we eat? What shall we drink? And what shall we wear? (Matthew 6:31). These questions are of two natures: One is out of nothing. The second is out of plenty. For the first category of people, these are questions of survival. For the second category of people, these are questions of choices.
I am not sure where you stand today after 40 days of lockdown in our own country/context. The food, drink, and clothe are unavoidably connected to our employment, earnings, and savings. Nowadays We are experiencing no gain but loss, no income but recurring expenditures, No development but static. Even at this juncture the Word of God never changes and challenges us to trust in God.
In Luke 12:29 Jesus utters to his disciples ‘do not set your hearts on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it’. These things will pull your hearts downward, bind you with fear. It will fill you with anxieties of life and it will trap you (Luke 21:34). Paul Johannes Tillich (a Lutheran Theologian, German-American, lived from 1886 to 1965) wrote about 3 types of worry. First is a worry about fate and death. Second is worry about two feelings. The feelings are about two lacks. Lack of inner satisfaction and lack of meaning to life. The third is a worry about being guilty and deserving punishment”.
The Greek word for worry is ‘merimnao’ it refers “to be apprehensive, be anxious, be unduly concerned”. The English dictionary definition of worry was very nearer to it as "mental distress or agitation resulting from concern, usually for something impending or anticipated, anxiety”.
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson says, ‘Anxiety, worry, fret, distress, agitation, tension, irritability’ are the expression of a person’s present and future conditions of himself and his loved ones. These are the parameters to test our trust in God. We must be aware of the importance and impotence of the Worry. More focus on worries and cares leads to the destruction of faith and trust. The destructive anxiety eats faith, brings unrest to the soul, deprives sleep, robs present peace, satisfaction, and joy, and propels into a mythical future, consumes our present joy and satisfaction in God, and misleads our direction for future steps (ref. Site:Jesuswalk.com). No doubt worry shortens our life and nothing else. Willian Barclay comments ‘Worry is blind to learn from nature and irreligious to believe in God. Worry affects human judgment, lessens his powers of decision, and renders him progressively incapable of dealing with life’ (ref.site:studylight.org).
Jesus challenges us to look at: Birds of the Air, Lilies of the valleys, Grass of the field as best example to understand the providence of God, the care of God and the protection of Almighty God. He also compares those creations with Crown of creations, the human beings. God never failed them (Matthew 6:28-30, Psalm 104:24-27).
Worry cannot change anything in life but Trust and prayer change things, change the course of life directions. S, St.Paul's says 'Do not anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer, petitions, and with thanksgiving present your request to God', even cast all your anxieties on God because he cares for you and he knows the ‘necessities of life’ are needed for all of us. Then turn your thoughts from perishable cares to imperishable honorable, noble, and praiseworthy thoughts of God (Read: Philippians 4:6-8 and 1 Peter 5:7). Psalm 68:19 affirms that 'Daily he bears us up'.
Soo, Don't worry about the necessities of Life. These acts must follow Act of Seeking God, seeking the Kingdom of God and seeking His Righteousness.
2. Do not Hurry to get the daily cares (Matthew 6:32)
Jesus further says that the Pagans run after all these things. Who are Pagans? According to the dictionary, “Pagan” is a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions or simply the non-Christian. Today, the Pagan can be an unbeliever in Christ and his Power. The unbeliever can be part of any religion including Christianity. Whoever runs after the worldly cares without caring for Godly presence is a Pagan. Pagan is one who lives for the present and seeks the satisfaction of body and mind. He has no idea of the future, no interest in God and his providence. Pagan has forgotten that God knows that these things are needed for children (Matthew 6:32). Anybody can take the place of Pagan at any time of life and any stage of the Christian journey. Pagan has all ungodly characters defined in the scripture. He thinks only to earn, eat, drink, and die (Luke 12:19). Pagan has respect for another pagan, he does not respect the children of God (Matthew 5:47).
Is Jesus against seeking welfares of Life? Is Jesus teaching his followers not to work, or not to save? Or not to have thought for the future and tomorrow. It is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. A simple misinterpretation can lead a follower of Christ to be foolish and vagabond. Right understanding will bring glory to God and more blessings upon God’s children. The careful reading with the help of the Holy Spirit unveils the Truth about cares of the Life.
A diligent reading of this passage reveals a silver line in this teaching. Jesus was emphasizing that disciples and followers of Christ must not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34 a) but work for the given day. In this passage alone the word worry is used by Jesus 'six times' (Matthew 6:25, 27, 28, 31, 34. a, 34. b). So we must care for a day and work for that day and not worry for a given Day and not hurry for the future. God has given us “One Day” at a time in our hands. Let us make use of that precious day with the providence of God, with prayerful planning, to execute it, according to the will of God, with the power of God and with the guidance of Holy Spirit, and enjoy the fullest blessings of the day (Matthew 6: 34. b).
Worry and Work are opposite to each other. Worry and faith are two different roads. From the beginning of creation, we are given the responsibility to till the land(Genesis 3:17-19), sow the cereals(Genesis 9:20), harvest them in due season and store them for future(Proverbs 6:6-11) and Paul urges the believers to work and eat(2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). No worries and anxieties but work hard. Be a responsible person. One who trusts in the Lord will not panic (Isaiah 28:16). All things can be done for the one who believes (Mark 9:23). Murmuring is the sign of the last days over the food, clothes and all that men have (2 Timothy 3:2, 1 Corinthians 10:10, Numbers 11: 4 & 31).
Worry also makes you hurry. Do things quickly and hastily and ends in failures and problems. So seek the Lord your God (Isaiah 55:6 & Deuteronomy 4:29), always seek His face (Psalm 105:4), watch daily at his gates (Proverbs 8;34), seek the Lord until he showers righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12). He is not far from each one of us (Acts 17:27). Seeking God implies waiting for God. “ ‘Waiting’ means waiting for the time of God, awaiting the people, events, and things that He has arranged for you, waiting for His will to gradually reveal itself to you” (Site: Testifygod.org). Jesus does not want our decisions made out of fear of the future. But must be established on eternal truths and promises of God (The cure for Anxiety: Pastor Scott L. Harris).
Read: Isaiah 40:28-31 says he gives strength to the weary, increases the power of the weak, those who hope in God, wait for God will run and not grow weary or worry. They will walk and will not faint. The Pagan’s have a different aim in life as Jesus told about the Rich Man in Luke 12:19, “you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry”. Lamentations 3:22-26 summarises the goodness of God as Steadfast love never ends, Mercies never come to an end, faithfulness is great, Waiting for the Lord is good because he is good.
God the Father is aware of the fall of the sparrows (Matthew 10:29), then how he will not care for us. Now the Lord is fully aware of the COVID-19 death counts. Friends we should not worry, we should not hurry, we should not be merry at worldly things but merry at Godly things and on God’s providential care.
3. But Merry at God’s Providential Cares (Matthew 6:33-34).
Jesus tells his disciples to be cheerful and merry in God’s wonderful principles and doctrines. He taught them two-fold seeking: the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Sixty-one times this expression of “Kingdom” is found in synoptic gospels, if we count parallels it amounts to “85 times” and “3 times” in John (John 3:3,5). Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are synonymous( Matthew 19:23-24). We must be clear what does it mean the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven and Righteousness of God in our present world and the meaning of “seek ye first” the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “the Kingdom of God also known as the Kingdom of Heaven is the spiritual realm over which God reigns as King or the fulfillment on earth of God’s will”. The Greek word is ‘Basileia’ equivalent in Aramaic is ‘malkut’ refers to the activity of the king himself his exercise of sovereignty than the limited geographical area.
In the beginning, the followers of Christ understood it as the Political Kingdom through Palm Sunday events (Mark 11:11). Then later understood as the Spiritual Kingdom is God's rule in the human heart, the kingdom of God is within you"(Luke 17:20-21). The great confession of Thomas to Jesus as ‘My LORD My GOD’ (John 20:28) refers to his acceptance of Christ as KURIOS. I am sure now, The church clearly understood that the Kingdom of God is spread over to all geographical areas without political affinity, not virtually identified with rulers and the kingdoms of the earth but with the hearts of his followers when they do justice and righteousness. However, the complete and perfect Kingdom of God would appear at the end of the age after the last judgment.
James Burton Coffman comments: “This is a divine appeal for men to put first things first. The kingdom of God should be placed first: (1) in importance, (2) in point of time, and (3) in emphasis. The righteousness men should seek is that of Christ, not their own”. Assign the first rank to the Kingdom of God (Calvin). It should be sought with the point of interest (McGarvey and Philip). Ron Rhodes, Theology Professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, offers this bite-size definition of the Kingdom of God: “…God’s present spiritual reign over His people (Colossians 1:13) and Jesus’ future reign in the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20).” Graeme Goldsworthy summarized the Kingdom of God in even fewer words as, "God's people in God's place under God's rule." (site:learnrelgions.com).
Lord Jesus expects his followers to put forward their energy into things that give more meaning to life than mere daily care. True followers must strive to discern God’s pattern of working in the world "God's kingdom" and to participate in the acts of justice on behalf of Christ wherever could and possible "God's righteousness" (Emerson Powery, Professor of Biblical Studies, ref. site: workingpreacher.org,). William Barclay says “Let a man give his best to every situation--he cannot give more--and let him leave the rest to God”. Reading of John 18:33-38 gives more clarity on the concept of Kingdom of God by Jesus Christ. His Kingdom is built in hearts of His followers and on Truth. So be merry on the given day because he has made it (Psalm 118:24).
Throughout history, Christians are struggling to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of the people and not on geographical locations. The Kingdom of God was the foundation for Christians' social responsibility to work for the redemption of slaves, sex workers, bonded laborers and to fight for rights of the people groups and communities. The Kingdom of God is spiritual as well as social as that of Two Sides of a Coin. Both are done with love compassion, justice, and righteousness. Established so-called Christian nations, Christian forums, and organizations even Churches may fail to be effective agents of the Kingdom of God. But God has his people to establish His kingdom and his righteousness throughout the History till he returns.
Conclusion:
David says ‘I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37;25). Is it possible for the children of God go without food, without a job, without prosperity, without posterity, without resources for rebuilding the business? Our God loves and cares for all of us. If you and I are children of the righteous God, he will not forgo us, he will not forget us. Your future is in His hands. Your life plans are with him.
Through Prophet, Jeremiah God says, for I know the plans I Have for you, declares the LORD, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). That Christian faith and obedience lead to worldly prosperity are proved by countless instances that are multiplied with each succeeding day. The security of Christ's kingdom leads to that cheerfulness which renews the strength, and to that undistracted industry which brings success (McGarvey and Philip).
Now, very confident we can sing:
"Because He lives I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives" (William and Gloria Gaither, 1971).
