First Things First
Matthew 6:33
Most of us live our daily life by a schedule. We carry with us our “Daily Planner” and are constantly making entries so that we will know where we are supposed to be, and exactly when we are supposed to be there! Some of us where watches or pagers that have an alarm that we can set so as to remind us of important meetings. Because of the complex and busy lives we live, such planning is absolutely necessary because there are certain things that must be done each day, and they must be done in a specific pattern, or order. It is not that we like conducting our lives in such a manner, but scheduling, and prioritizing is beneficial to us. Not only are we able to accomplish our work with less headache and hassle, but we are also more productive.
As we look at the text this morning, we find that Jesus is preaching His famous, ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ This sermon of ‘practical life lessons’ was far more than just a seminar on scheduling and how to make the most of one’s time. Rather, Jesus was teaching men how to escape the pressures and worries of this world by placing their faith and trust in the God of Heaven, and in so doing, spiritually prioritizing one’s life..
Several times Jesus begins His teaching of a particular subject with the word, ‘first.’ The word first, by simple definition, means number one. One is ‘first place,’ ‘at top of the list,’ ‘the priority.’ The definition given in the Greek dictionary for first is ‘that which is foremost.’ We often use the word ‘priorities’ to say that “…we must get our priorities in order.” Well, guess what? According to the dictionary I searched, there is no such word as priorities because there can only be one thing in first place at any given time. This is the very thought Jesus had in mind when He told His followers to “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.”
As Jesus taught that day, He sat on a hillside. Before Him was a vast multitude of people who had followed Him there. Seated before Him was a sea of faces representing a complete cross-section of humanity. There were people of different races; of different economic groups. There were people of different lifestyles and professions; people of different education and philosophies. While it may be easy for us to view them as being so vastly different from us as modern man, they were very much like us in attitude, and in the desires of their heart. They were a people who had cares and concerns; people who were troubled and often worried about the future.
Jesus, who walked among them, as the Incarnation of God; as the very One who created and sustained them, knew of their concerns. So, He devoted one third of His sermon that day to that very subject. Jesus talked about food, clothing, and shelter and told the people not to worry about any of those things because God the Father knew their need long before they ever had it. Therefore, He, who fed the sparrows and clothed the grass of the field; He who numbered the very hairs on their head would meet the physical needs of their life as they looked to Him!
Then Jesus added, But seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Beloved, Jesus was not suggesting to men that there be some heavenly trade-off! He was not saying that God will only meet the needs of those who favor Him with their time and attention as a some favor in return. The word declares to us that God “…causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on the just and the unjust alike.” But, what Jesus was saying is this: “God, our Father, knows every need of our life; whether it be great or small. He is faithful to meet our needs, so therefore do not worry and fret about them. Rather than wasting time and energy fretting over the things of the world, spend that time focusing upon a relationship with God. And, Jesus further declared that there is to be but one priority! There is to be only one thing in the position of first place in our life…and that is God, Himself!
I find it interesting that Jesus preceded the word ‘first’ with the word, ‘seek.’ The word ‘seek’ means to ‘covet earnestly; to strive after.’ Both definitions suggest that a serious effort must be made. In other words, something so precious as a growing, prospering, and productive relationship with God requires effort.
Beloved, have you ever noticed that there are many things that just naturally fall into ‘first place’ in our life. There is no real effort on our part to put them there because we simply want them to be first! But, when it comes to a really meaningful relationship with God,; and one in which He is our priority, it often requires a serious and concentrated effort.
Let’s be honest with ourselves this morning. Which requires the most effort?
1. Sitting down and reading the scriptures for one hour, or sitting down to read the newspaper or a magazine for an entire evening?
2. Going aside for one hour of intense prayer and supplication for others, or spending three hours before the television watching a long-run movie?
3. Going out on Monday night on a soul-winning visit, or going to a friends house for dinner?
Folks, I have got to be honest with you this morning. I don’t believe there is one person out of a million who, if you called them up and asked them to go with you to a professional sporting event, or to Carver’s Steakhouse for a ‘prime rib’ dinner would say: “Sorry, I’d love to but I can’t. To go with you would seriously cut into the time I have set aside today to spend with God in prayer and the Word.”
Should we be at all surprised at this? Not really! Because it is the very nature of man to seek to satisfy his own pleasures first. Paul wrote to the Romans concerning this very thing in Romans 3:11. He is describing the sinful nature of man saying, “….there is none that seeketh after God.” Beloved, if you share a relationship with God this morning, it is not because you went seeking after God, but it is because God, in love and mercy, came seeking after you. He wanted more than anything for you to be saved by His marvelous grace through faith in His Son, Christ Jesus. He made the eternal redemption of your soul His priority. He came seeking after you and drew you to Himself through the wooing of His Holy Spirit…and because you are His priority, He wants to be yours.
As I think of one seeking after God as a serious effort, I cannot help but think of the apostle Paul. Last Sunday morning, I made reference to Paul’s letter to the believers at Philippi, in which he expressed a sincere desire to know and experience a meaningful relationship with God in Christ. In 3:7-11 he wrote:
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but rubbish, that I may win Christ,
And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by nay means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”
Paul said, “I want to win Christ….,” that is, “….to possess and be possessed by Him.” Paul said, “I want to be found in Him…..,” that is, “….to have Jesus as the very foundation of my life and the purpose for my existence.” Then, Paul said, “That I may know Him….,” that is, “…to have a complete and absolute understanding of who He is, what He can do, and how I am made perfect and complete in His acceptance of me.”
Beloved, there is no question but that Paul was serious seeker of God, but it all began when God first sought Paul on the road to Damascus. While Paul’s intent was to wreak havoc in the church of Jesus Christ by destroying followers of Christ; God’s intent was to wreak havoc in the heart of one self-righteous Pharisee named Saul. When God arrested him and brought him to his knees, Paul’s first response was “Who are you, Lord?” Then, when Jesus identified Himself, Paul’s second response was surrender and a sincere seeking to do the Lord’s will as he asked, “Lord, what will you have me do?”
The book of Acts tells us that Paul immediately joined company with the disciples and began to preach the gospel of Christ. Then, within a short period of time Paul separated himself from other leaders in the church and searched diligently for God to reveal Himself and the mystery of His will.
In Galatians 1:15-19 Paul wrote: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned unto Damascus. Then, after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the apsotles saw I none, save James, the Lord’s brother.”
Beloved, the significance of Paul separating himself from the other apostle’s is that he was sincerely seeking the truth. The gospel which he came to preach….and that which was also preached by all of the other apostles….was not taught to him by man….but by the revelation of God as Paul sought to know God’s heart, and mind, and will. And, the first thing Paul learned was that his righteous standing before God was not to be found in his works, but in the person of Jesus Christ who alone could satisfy the righteous requirements of God; and did, by the shedding of His own precious blood as an atoning sacrifice for sin.
Looking back to the text, Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….” Beloved, man by his very nature is unrighteous. Jeremiah the prophet declared that “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God.” That means that the very best we have to offer God in the strength of our flesh is nothing more than a pile of rotten , stinking bandages. So, in order to share a relationship with God we turn from trying to gain acceptance by the works and deeds of our flesh; admit that we are completely and totally spiritually bankrupt….and draw our righteousness from the righteousness of God’s Son who declares us to be righteous before God when He covers our scarlet stains of sin with the crimson flow of His own precious blood.
Then, beloved, having obtained redemption and the forgiveness of sins….having entered into a relationship with God through the righteousness of Christ….God’s will and way for us is to seek His kingdom purposes in daily living. The spiritual application of Jesus’ sermon was this: “Put first things first!” As God’s people God is to be first in our life. World desires and ambitions are to take a back seat to that which is spiritual.
In his second letter to the believers at Corinth, Paul wrote in 5:14-15 and said: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then all were dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”
Beloved, our purpose for living is not that we might live unto ourselves as those who are self-seeking….but that we might live unto God as those whose very lives bring honor and glory unto Him. That is exactly what Paul meant when he wrote to the Philippians in 1:21 and said: “For to me to live is Christ.” You see, Jesus was not only Paul’s pattern and power for living, Jesus was his purpose for living, altogether. Life simply had no meaning apart from Jesus Christ.
In closing, Paul further admonished the believers at Colossae to seek spiritual things above all others. In Colossians 3:1-3 he wrote: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, and not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Beloved, our heart is not only the seat of intellect, but it is the well of our affections from which our desires are drawn. As we search our hearts, the question before us is this: “What comes forth?” Are we seeking God above all things? Is a meaningful relationship with Him that which is ‘first place’ in our life? God would have us to stop scrambling for the meaningless and temporal things, and start focusing our hearts and minds upon Him. It is only then that life will be fulfilling for each of us.
As we bow our heads and close our eyes, perhaps you are one today who just is not satisfied. You have much in the way of this world’s goods, but nothing ever seems to fill an emptiness in your life. My advice, is the same as that of Jesus. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….” Only then will things really fall into place and life will have depth of meaning and purpose.
