Seek First (Matthew 6:25-34)
Good morning. Please open your Bibles to Matthew 6, beginning in verse 25.
This week, a church member asked to meet with me for a few minutes. This person has had a lot on her plate lately, and it was causing her a lot of anxiety. And what she said to me was so tender and honest and vulnerable. She said, “James, I’m worried that God is going to fail me.”
I had to ask her to clarify. At first, I thought she was saying she was worried that when God looked at her life, He was going to give her a failing grade. But the more we talked, the more I realized it wasn’t that. It was that she was worried God was going to let her down.
She said, “We just have so many things our family has been trusting God for. But what if He doesn’t come through?”
We have some health challenges in our family, and we’ve been praying for healing. But what if it doesn’t come?
I’ve been praying for a new job. But what if it doesn’t pan out?
And I realized as a pastor that there are times when what God gives me to say doesn’t seem to match up with what you guys need to hear.
Let me explain.
Over the last several weeks, we’ve listened to what Jesus had to say about money—how we handle it, how we think about it, and how it shapes our hearts.
We started off talking about greed—the man who stored up treasure for himself but wasn’t rich toward God.
Then we looked at the servants who were entrusted by the Master and learned that what matters most isn’t equal gifts, but equal faithfulness.
We talked about motives—how God cares more about why we give than what we give.
Last week, we talked about the widow who trusted all she had to God, believing that not only was He worthy of it, but that He could be trusted with it.
And maybe that’s where some of us are right now.
You’ve heard Jesus’ teaching on money, and you’re thinking, “Lord, I want to be faithful. I want to trust You. But if I give, how will I make it?”
Or the question we don’t want to say out loud:
If I trust you with my finances, how do I know you won’t fail me?
In Matthew 6, Jesus shows that He gets us. I want you to notice that right after his pronouncement in verse 24, that
“You cannot serve both God and money,”
He pivots immediately to…
“Therefore I tell you, Don’t about your life…”
See, Jesus wouldn’t have said ‘do not be anxious’ unless He understood that these kind of conversations cause us all sorts of anxiety. Because when you let go of control, anxiety always tries to take its place.
And He doesn’t shame us for it. He exposes the root of it. He knows that worry grows in the soil of divided trust. That’s why the very first word of verse 25 is ‘Therefore’—He’s connecting worry to what He just said about serving two masters.”Because when you let go of control, anxiety always tries to take its place.
But Jesus doesn’t just say don’t worry—He shows us why we don’t have to.
This morning, I want you to walk out of here with the assurance that Jesus is not going to fail you. And if that makes you a more confident giver, awesome. But that’s not the reason I’m telling you this. I’m telling you this because I want you to put your trust in the one who will never fail you.
Let’s look at Matthew 6:25-34 together. I’m going to read from the Christian Standard Bible this morning, mainly because it uses the word “worry” instead of “anxious”
[READ]
[pray]
Before we look at what Jesus tells us not to worry about, let’s talk about why worry is a problem.
1. The Problem of Worry (v. 25)
In verse 25, Jesus says, “Don’t worry about your life.” For a lot of us, that’s like telling water not to be wet. Everybody worries. We worry about bills, health, kids, aging parents, retirement, the future.
And to be fair, when Jesus says in verse 25 “Don’t worry,” He isn’t talking about the concern that your outdoor picnic is going to be rained out. And He certainly isn’t saying to just blow it off and go back to sleep if your teenager is two hours late coming home.
Verse 25 is a present imperative in the Greek— that means it’s a command calling for constant and continuous action. In other words, stop letting worry be your default setting. Don’t allow worry to define your life.
Then He asks a painfully practical question in verse 27:
Matthew 6:27 ESV
27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
The answer is, no one. And science bears this out: Studies show that chronic worry can actually take years off of it. A 25–year study found that people with high anxiety were 66% more likely to die early.
The American Medical Association estimates that up to 75% of all doctor visits are stress-related.
Why? Because worry batters the body. It raises blood pressure, weakens the immune system, disrupts digestion, causes headaches and muscle pain, and fuels insomnia—over 70% of people with chronic anxiety struggle to sleep. And when you don’t sleep, you can’t think clearly. Worry literally shrinks the part of your brain that makes wise decisions and enlarges the part that panics.
Worry doesn’t affect tomorrow’s outcome. It affects today’s joy.
But Jesus knew something even deeper was going on. Because worry isn’t just a physical problem.
Worry is a worship problem.
Worry is what happens when our mind fixates on “What if?” instead of “Who is?” It is the symptom of a heart that’s not convinced God will take care of us.
And most importantly, when we are consumed with worry about our life, we are forgetting whose life it is in the first place. But as Christians, our life doesn’t belong to us anymore.
Jesus asks a rhetorical question in verse 25: Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? And the answer for a Christian is, of course it is!
Philippians 1:21 ESV
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Colossians 3:3 ESV
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Galatians 2:20 ESV
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
You see, worry is a symptom that we still believe our life is our own. It shows that we haven’t truly trusted Jesus. And it could be an indication that you never fully surrendered your life to Him in the first place. Danny Akin, in his commentary on the sermon on the mount, says that, “Worry is a sin because it is a symptom of unbelief.”
So what do we do when an area of sin is uncovered in our life? We repent of it. We confess it— “God, I confess that my worry about this issue has been me saying, “God, I don’t believe you are powerful enough to take care of this. Or, God, I don’t believe that you are loving enough to want the best for me.
Once we confess, we repent. We change our way of thinking. We turn and walk in a different direction. We turn away from worry and we turn toward trust.
And Jesus is about to show us exactly why we can trust Him.
2. Creation is the proof
Jesus doesn’t just command us not to worry—He gives us reasons we don’t have to. And where does He take us to prove His point? Creation.
He basically says, “Let’s go on a nature walk.”
Jesus says in verse 26, “Consider the birds of the sky.”
The word “look” isn’t a casual glance. In the Greek, It means “study, pay attention, think deeply.” Birds don’t plant. They don’t harvest. They don’t store food in barns the way the rich fool did back in Luke 12. And yet—they eat every single day. Why? Not because birds are strategic planners or hard workers. They eat because God is faithful.
Then Jesus asks, “Are you not of more value than they?” In other words, if God feeds creatures that don’t bear His image, how much more will He care for His children who do? This is not a lesson in biology—it’s a lesson in theology. Your value isn’t based on what you produce. Your security isn’t based on what you’ve saved. Your worth is determined by your Father.
But Jesus doesn’t stop with birds. In verse 28 He says, “Observe the wildflowers of the field.”
“Observe.” Different word this time. “Consider” means “examine, learn from, reflect.” Don’t just look at the flowers. Study them. They don’t work. They don’t spin thread. They don’t shop sales or follow fashion trends. And yet Jesus says that even Solomon in all his glory wasn’t dressed like one of them. Why? Because God didn’t make flowers merely functional—He made them beautiful. Think about that. Beauty isn’t necessary for survival. Flowers don’t feed the world. They don’t build houses. So why did God cover the hillsides in color and texture and fragrance? Because beauty tells us something about His heart. He is not just Provider—He is Artist. He is not just Sustainer—He is Father.
Then Jesus makes the stunning comparison: If God so clothes the grass of the field—which is here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow—how much more will He clothe you? Grass is temporary. Flowers fade. Birds fall. And God still cares for them. You, on the other hand, are eternal. You bear His image. You were purchased with His blood. So why would He take care of sparrows and wildflowers, and then forget you? He wouldn’t. He won’t. He can’t.
And that’s when Jesus delivers the real issue in one sentence: “O you of little faith.” Worry isn’t just an emotional problem. Worry isn’t just a physical problem. Worry is a faith problem. It is what happens when we believe the wrong story about God. It is what happens when we start to live as though we are our own provider and protector. Worry whispers, “God won’t come through.” Creation shouts, “He always does.”
Birds preach: God provides.
Flowers preach: God delights.
And together they tell us: God can be trusted.
But Jesus knew something else. He knew that it’s one thing to look at birds and flowers—and another thing when the bills are due. When the diagnosis comes back. When your kids are hurting. When the future is uncertain. So Jesus is about to take us deeper. He’s about to show us that worry isn’t just about what we look at—it’s about what we live for.
And that’s where He says one of the most important sentences in the entire Bible: “But seek first the kingdom of God…”
God’s Kingdom is The Priority (vv. 33-34)
Jesus knows worry doesn’t just come from what we fear—it comes from what we focus on. So He doesn’t simply say, “Stop worrying.” Instead, He redirects our focus entirely.
Verse 31:
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’”
Notice something—worry always sounds like that.
“What if? What if? What if?”
Verse 32:
“For the Gentiles seek after all these things…”
“Gentiles” here means people who don’t know God. In other words, the world chases survival like it’s the ultimate goal. Life becomes a desperate scramble for security. But Jesus says:
“…and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
That one sentence changes everything.
God knows. God sees. God cares. God provides.
But then Jesus makes a shift. He doesn’t just comfort us—He reorders us.
Verse 33 is the turning point of the entire section:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The key word is seek.
In Greek, this isn’t casual browsing—it means to pursue, crave, prioritize above all else.
It’s the language of hunger. The thing you seek first is what you believe will satisfy your soul.
Everybody seeks something first.
The only question is: What’s first in your life?
• Some people seek security first.
• Some people seek success first.
• Some people seek comfort first.
• Some people seek control first.
Jesus says, “Let the Kingdom be first.”
Let God’s will, God’s glory, and God’s purposes be the organizing center of your life.
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…”
This means:
• Before I make a decision—What honors the King?
• Before I spend—Will this advance His Kingdom?
• Before I pursue something—Is this about my righteousness or His?
Don’t miss the promise that follows:
“…and all these things will be added to you.”
What things?
All the things we worry about.
All the needs that keep us up at night.
All the questions about tomorrow.
Jesus doesn’t say God might add them. He says He will add them.
In other words:
If you make God’s Kingdom your priority, He will make your needs His responsibility.
This is the complete reversal of the world’s logic.
The world says:
• Seek success and maybe you’ll be successful.
• Seek money and maybe you’ll be rich.
• Seek comfort and maybe you’ll comforted.
Jesus says:
• Seek Me, and you will everything you truly need.
• Seek My Kingdom, and I will add all these things.
Hear me clearly:
The cure for worry isn’t trying harder not to worry.
The cure for worry is living for something bigger than yourself.
Because when the Kingdom is first,
worry loses its place.
Jesus doesn’t just say, “Stop worrying.”
He says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God… and all these things will be added to you.”
There was a wealthy man who, along with his son, collected priceless art—Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet. Their gallery was legendary.
But when the son went to war, he died in battle. The father was devastated.
Not long after, a package arrived. It was a portrait of his son—painted by a soldier who had served with him. It wasn’t impressive to the world, but the father loved it more than any masterpiece he owned.
Years later, when the father died, his entire collection was put up for auction.
Collectors from all over the world came. This was the art sale of the century.
The auctioneer began with the first piece—the portrait of the son.
People grumbled.
“Start with the real art.”
“We didn’t come for this.”
“Move on!”
But the auctioneer said, “According to the will… this painting must be auctioned first.”
“Who will open the bidding? $100? $50? $10?”
Silence.
Finally, a neighbor—who had known the father and loved the son—said softly, “All I have is $10. I’ll give that.”
“$10 going once… twice… SOLD!”
Then the auctioneer closed the book.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the auction is over.”
Stunned silence.
“What do you mean, over?”
“What about the Picassos? The Rembrandts? The Monets?”
The auctioneer said,
“According to the will…
whoever takes the son…
gets it all.”
Church… that’s the gospel.
Whoever takes the Son… gets everything.
Forgiveness.
Provision.
Peace.
Hope.
Eternal life.
The Father’s love.
The Kingdom itself.
So the real question today isn’t “Will God take care of me if I give?”
The real question is…
Do you have the Son?
Because if you’ve taken the Son… you already have everything you truly need.
Invitation:
• If you’ve never trusted Jesus as your Savior—today is the day. Take the Son.
• If you’ve been clinging to worry—release it. If He didn’t fail you at the cross, He won’t fail you in your circumstance.
• If you’ve been holding back in fear—seek first His Kingdom. Let Him handle “all these things.”
Whoever takes the Son… gets it all.
Page . Exported from Logos Bible Study, 6:05?AM October 12, 2025.
