FIRST THINGS
Matthew 6:31-34 and other Scriptures
Intro
One week a Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her class the Christmas story, how Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem and how Jesus was born there. So the teacher asked, "Who do you think the most important woman in the Bible is?"
Naturally the teacher was expecting some to say, "Mary." But instead, a little boy raised his hand and said, "Eve." So the teacher asked him why he thought Eve was the most important.
And the little boy said, "Well, they named two days in the year after Eve. You know, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve." -- C. Edward Bowen, EMPHASIS, Nov./Dec. 1999, p. 60.
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At the first of the year it seems good to think of the “first things” God wants us to do. Following are most of the NT scriptures with the word “first” in them.
A. Prayer and Thanks
1Ti 2:1-6: I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
* Prayers and Thanksgiving for everyone, especially our country’s leaders – whether you like them or agree with them. Perhaps especially, if you don’t. For Paul, this was the terrible Nero.
Why? 1) that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
2) It is good, and what pleases God, and
3) Particularly because the Gospel can be spread more easily in peaceful times.
So Paul follows his own advice in Romans 1:7-8:
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
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One Christmas, a mother decreed that she was no longer going to remind her children of their thank-you note duties. As a result their grandmother never received acknowledgments of the generous checks she had given.
The next year things were different, however.
"The children came over in person to thank me," the grandparent told a friend triumphantly.
"How wonderful!" the friend exclaimed. "What do you think caused the change in behavior?"
"Oh, that’s easy," the grandmother replied. "This year I didn’t sign the checks."
* We need to give people thanks and appreciation.
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As most of you know, Time Magazine’s 2003 Person of the Year went to the American soldier. Looking back on 2003, I would have to say our church’s Person of the Year award would be similar. It would go to all you in our volunteer army who filled ever so many roles to make our church the special place it was and is. Thank you so much.
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B. Pleasing God
2Co 8:1-5 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
* Even in “severe trial” the Macedonian churches gave generously. Why? Because they gave first to the Lord; their great desire was to please the God they loved with all their heart and soul. They did what Jesus taught:
Mt 22:35-40 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Out of this love of God we love our neighbor; and the greatest thing we can do for our neighbor is to introduce them to Jesus.
C. Preaching the Gospel
1. Clearly and Faithfully
1Co 15:1-9 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
* Here is the Gospel in a nutshell. It is something all Christians can communicate to another person: the atoning death of Jesus Christ, his real death and burial, and his resurrection and appearance to hundreds of people. It is simple enough a child can grasp, and so deeply profound we will never completely plumb its depths.
And despite scoffers, the living Jesus shall return again:
2Pe 3:1-4 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
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The U.S. government will now require foreign passenger and cargo airlines to have armed law enforcement officers on certain flights over the USA. The concern is that terrorists will again use jets as weapons in 9/11 type attacks. The cost to the world of sin and evil continues to escalate.
It will continue to until the Lord Jesus returns to create a new heavens and earth in complete righteousness.
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What can we do to speed his coming? One thing: Mk 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Mk 13:5-10 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
* Preach the Gospel faithfully, for Christ will not come until he says the job is done. Preach, and don’t fear the opposition; preach…
2. Without Fear
Mt 24:8-14 All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
D. Loving People
* They will know we are Christians by our love (and be able to accept the Gospel message when they see it lived out in lives of love).
1Jn 4:15-21 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
With Forgiveness:
Mt 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Humbly:
Mt 7:4-5 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
* Jesus never said not to help others, but make sure you really can by approaching your brother clear of hypocrisy and condemnation, with humble love.
As a Servant Leader:
Mt 19:24-30 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
* There are always some who love to be first, even in the NT:
3Jn 1:9-11 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
* First place to Jesus is the servant leader (listen up now, husbands and fathers!):
Mt 20:25-28 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
What We Can Learn From the "Lesser Knowns"
The media makes note of the well-known celebrities who die, and this year there is quite a long, sad list: John Ritter. Fred Rogers. Johnny Cash. June Carter Cash. Bob Hope. David Brinkley. Gregory Peck. Katharine Hepburn. Buddy Hackett. Buddy Ebsen. But we also lost a lot of lesser or little knowns-- people who never the less contributed their many gifts to the betterment of us all. It is always interesting what you find out about a person at a funeral or memorial service.
My husband and I walked into a funeral home recently for the wake of my co-worker’s father, Earl D. Greaser. He was a long time member of an a cappella quartet and was a great lover of music, so at his memorial service it was natural to celebrate his life with much music of the church. He seemed young at 76, but had lived long enough to see his personal dream fulfilled: overseeing the completion of an entire beautiful retirement village here in Virginia with state-of-the-art and quality care for persons of all income levels and stages of ability.
Earl spent most of his career working with elderly persons in one
facility or another, born out of a desire to help care for those who
couldn’t care for themselves. At his memorial service I learned about
another side to this renaissance man: not only was he a church leader,
musician and retirement village visionary, but the kind of man who would
drop what he was doing to go and help someone else whether it was
installing a switch for a well pump, "Uh, I’ve never done that before,
but let’s see what we can figure out" or loaning the use of his carpenter
shop and tools to a young father who wanted to build a crib for his
baby-to-be. There were many other stories along these lines.
I wish some of his spirit would rub off on more of us, too: always ready
to take the time to help someone else. If you haven’t written your New
Year’s resolutions yet, here are two maybe different ones to consider:
Take time to be more childlike, or just enjoy being with a child; and
take time to help other people. - Contributed by Melodie Davis
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E. Putting Christ First
Rev 2:1-7 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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Sanctity of Life week, next week, week Jan 19
Dr. Frederic Loomis faced the most difficult decision a physician could ever make--whether to allow a deformed baby to live or die. He had only seconds to decide. Dr. Loomis had delivered hundreds of babies, but this one was different. The infant lay in a breech position, promising at best a difficult and dangerous birth. One of its feet stretched only to the knee of the other leg. Furthermore, it was missing a thigh. The mother, a frail person visiting the sterile delivery room for her first time, was not aware of the grossly deformed child struggling to survive.
Dr. Loomis closed his eyes; at his fingertips squirmed a pitiful creature yet unborn. Would not the most loving thing be to detain the birth long enough to cause the child to be stillborn? He agonized within himself. Will this kid not be considered a freak, a twisted burden to its delicate mother? How can I justify playing a part in such a cruel drama? Surely no one will ever know if I spare this family from inevitable pain. The doctor, through the baby’s cord, felt its heartbeat--dancing in rhythm to his own wildly racing heart. As Dr. Loomis continued to prevent the birth, he felt the normal foot pressing for passage into the world. Suddenly, he could no longer justify "playing God." Instead, he would trust God to care for this child against what seemed to be impossible odds. Dr. Loomis delivered the infant into the world, which, he sensed, would be very unkind.
In the years that followed. Dr. Loomis often second-guessed his decision. He watched the anguish of the family as desperate parents sought in vain to find some correction for their child’s deformity. Even after they moved away Dr. Loomis continued to lament the burden that he had saddled upon the family. The heartache, he often said to himself, was his fault.
In time, however, Dr. Loomis would find peace. It came at an unexpected time and place--the hospital Christmas party. Typically, it was during the holiday season when his pain seemed most severe. He could not shake the image of that unfortunate child from his mind. While the world celebrated the greatest birth ever known, Dr. Loomis obsessed over the saddest birth he had ever known.
At this particular party, the most heavenly music filled the room. The sadness seemed to dissipate as the rich tones of "Silent Night" washed Dr. Loomis’ anguished spirit. Following the concert, a woman approached him. "Doctor," she said excitedly. "You saw her."
Dr. Loomis studied the woman’s face, wanting to recognize her but unable to recall the memory. "I’m sorry. I should know you, but you may need to help me."
"Don’t you remember the little girl with only one good leg, 17 years ago?"
Remember. . . it was the one thing in his life that he couldn’t forget! In disbelief, he listened to her story.
"That baby was my daughter, doctor. And I saw you watching her play the harp tonight! She has an artificial leg. She’s doing well." At her Mom’s bidding, the lovely harpist walked toward them. With soppy eyes, Dr. Loomis enveloped the girl in his arms.
"Please" he said in a tightening voice, "please play Silent Night’ for me one time." The young lady returned to her harp and played his request with poise and perfection. As she played, Dr. Loomis reflected on the incredible gift of life. He thought about the sanctity in every person. And he exhaled 17 years of questions and wondering whether or not it was wise to grant a baby its life. -- By Karl Haffner, College Place, WA Source: Gleaner, August 2003, ISSN 0746-5874, mailto:gleaner@npuc.org. Cited in WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 6, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794.
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Conclusion:
First things first. The basic summary is in Matthew 6:33.
Mt 6:31-34 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own
GETTING THE AIR OUT
In one of his meetings, D.L. Moody was explaining to his audience the truth that we cannot bring about spiritual changes in our lives by our own strength. He demonstrated the principal like this:
“Tell me,” he said to his audience, “how can I get the air out of the tumbler I have in my hand?”
One man said, “Suck it out with a pump.”
But Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter it.”
Finally after many suggestions, he picked up a pitcher and quietly filled the glass with water. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then explained that victory for the child of God does not come by working hard to eliminate sinful habits, but rather by allowing Christ to take full possession. -Contributed by: Ritch Grimes
Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Doxology
Jude 1:24-25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
