KINGDOM BUILDING 101: FIRST THINGS FIRST
MATTHEW 6: 25-34
FEBRUARY 22, 2004
INTRODUCTION: A parable is told of a community of ducks waddling off to duck church one Sunday to hear their duck preacher. After they waddled into the duck sanctuary, the service began and the duck preacher spoke eloquently of how God had given the ducks wings with which to fly.
He pounded the pulpit with his beak and said,
With these wings, there is nowhere we ducks cannot go!
There is no God-given task we ducks cannot accomplish!
With these wings we no longer need walk through life.
We can soar high in the sky!
Shouts of Amen! were quacked throughout the duck congregation.
The duck preacher concluded his message by exclaiming,
With our wings we can fly through life!
WE......CAN.....FLY!!!!¨ More ducks quacked out loud AMENS! in response.
Every duck loved the service.
In fact all the ducks that were present commented on what a wonderfully convicting message they had heard from their duck preacher....
and then they left the church and waddled all the way home.
APPLICATION
Too often We waddle away from worship
the same way we waddled in....
Unchanged. Contributed by: George Rennau
TRANSITION THOUGHT: I have been wrestling with this one all week. The text Tony read for us today has a very, very familiar line in it: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).” We all learned this one in the King James and it says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” The thing I have wrestled with all week is how do we apply this text to our lives. How do we truly become God seekers? What does it mean to put first things first? Maybe the real issue is how do we not apply the text to our lives. We all seem to be stressed out most of the time and I include my self in this reality. God’s word, our text clearly teaches an opposite lifestyle for those that follow Jesus. So what can we learn from Jesus, this text, and putting first things first? How do we ducks learn to fly and not waddle?
THESIS SENTENCE: WHEN THE KINGDOM IS FIRST IN OUR LIVES WORRY IS LAST IN OUR LIVES.
I. A WORRYLESS LIFE IS KNOWING OUR VALUE VV. 25-27
A. WORRY IS THE PROBLEM
1. There is one word in this text that I just can’t seem to get around. Can you guess what the word is?
2. Why one earth would Jesus use the same word six times in 10 verses? I do believe our Lord is making a point! Not only is he making a point, He is sharing a Command. The command is: “DO NOT WORRY.”
3. Is this just pie in the sky by and by? Surely Jesus is just speaking to the simpletons of HIS day who had no real life issues to worry about?
B. VALUE IS THE ANSWER
1. Value in and of itself is not the answer our text shares with us. We put value on many things and have value placed upon us for many reasons. We value an old sweatshirt because it is comfortable. Friends and family because of mutual needs value us.
2. In our text, however, we are given value by the highest member of our family. He is our heavenly Father.
3. Life seems to be the worrisome issue here and Our Father seems to understand life and how to perpetuate it.
4. “Give us today our daily bread” (6:11) has just been shared with us and it seems that Jesus is validating the reality that Our Heavenly Father can handle the request. He feeds the world; he can feed us.
5. The highlight of these verses is really the why of it all. We are much more valuable than everything else our Father feeds.
ILLUSTRATION: A story is told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in the attic of his ancestral home for generations. "I couldn’t read it," the friend explained. "Somebody named Guten-something had printed it." "Not Gutenberg!" the book lover exclaimed in horror. "That Bible was one of the first books ever printed. Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!" His friend was unimpressed. "Mine wouldn’t have brought a dollar. Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it in German."
Our Daily Bread, June 7, 1994.
TRUTH: OUR HEAVENLY FATHER VALUES US!
QUESTION: DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE VALUABLE?
II. A WORRYLESS LIFE IS LEARNING FAITH VV. 28-30
A. WORRY IS THE PROBLEM
1. Here we go again. That worry thing just keeps coming up. Let me ask us a question. How often do we worry? Is it just once in a lifetime about one issue, or could it be once a minute about most issues?
2. Well, what ever we might answer, Jesus is at it again. The issue is worry and Jesus just has to ask the question, “And why do you worry (vv. 28)?”
3. I don’t know about you, but I read a little bit of a rebuke or chastisement here. Could this thing be getting to Jesus, this constant worrying about life, food, drink, and of all things CLOTHES?
4. One more question and this is a dangerous one, Ladies, have you ever worried about what you were going to wear?
5. This could be a real deep issue here. I have thought a lot about this one. What was the real issue of “Raiment?” Could this be a physical need? Could this be a social need? Could this be a pride issue? Whatever the issue, Jesus seems to have a problem with us having a problem with worrying about such things.
B. FAITH IS THE ANSWER
1. Again, faith in and of itself is not what our text is about. I have faith in my car to get me to work. I have faith in my wife as we journey life’s road. Faith is trust and belief. It is also hope.
2. But our text speaks of God! Here Jesus moves away from the intimate language of “Your Heavenly Father,” and states that God is at work. HE takes care of clothing needs!
3. What is interesting is Jesus’ response to this lack of trust and maybe even understanding. “Will he (God) not much more cloth you, O you of little faith (vv. 30).”
4. Did you catch in verses 26 and 30 that Jesus says, “MUCH MORE?” I really like “Much More”. I think of this in terms of food and money. “Much More” is always better. How about Love? Isn’t “Much More” a lot better than “Much Less?”
5. Jesus is saying, “Don’t you trust God? Come on, get with it! Faith is the answer!”
ILLUSTRATION: Tim Hansel writes, “One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and then yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk.
When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???"
He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you’re my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn’t this even more true for a Christian?”
Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, pp. 46-47.
TRUTH: TRUST IS GOD IS FAITH AND FAITH IS REALLY TRUSTING GOD!
QUESTION: WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY OF US, O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH OR WOW, WHAT FAITH!
III. A WORRYLESS LIFE IS A NEW PRIORITY VV. 31-34
A. WORRY IS THE PROBLEM
1. Question and Answer time is over with Jesus. Again He commands, “So do not worry (vv. 31).”
2. He isn’t done, either. In verse 34, Jesus will command again, “Therefore do not worry.”
3. I am not the brightest guy on the planet, but I am starting to get this thing. “Do not worry.” 6 times in 10 verses Jesus talks to me about worry and it is always a prohibition! Worry is a major problem and for our whole text, it is about the basics of life. Think about it, these are not the want kind of issues. These are the basics of life without which we will parish.
4. Does Jesus just not care about our basic needs? What is going on here?
B. KINGDOM IS THE ANSWER
1. I believe verses 32-33 are two of the most clarifying verses Jesus will ever give us. He teaches us two realities, or a two-world order. He may even be speaking about two America’s here, as I heard one of the politicians coin the phrase.
2. Jesus states there are two priorities that stand in total opposition of one another. Back in verse 24, Jesus has taught, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matt. 6:24).”
3. In verses 32-33 he is saying the same thing. You can run after the things of this world, the things that those who don’t know “YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER,” or you can seek his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be give to you as well.”
4. Did you get it? You get it!! You get it when you get it in the right order.
5. The point is, “YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM (VV. 32).” The issue is where we place our priorities.
ILLUSTRATION: A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in two’s for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.
"Where’s Harry?"
"Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail."
"You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?"
"A tough call," nodded the hunter, "but I figured no one is going to steal Harry."
The Jokesmith, Christian Clippings, p. 27.
Surprised to see an empty seat at the Super Bowl stadium, a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sitting nearby. "It was my husband’s," the woman explained, "But he died." "I’m very sorry," said the man. "Yet I’m really surprised that another relative, or friend, didn’t jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him." "Beats me," she said. "They all insisted on going to the funeral."
Coffee Break.
TRUTH: SEEKING THE KINGDOM OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS OUR GREATEST PRIORITY!
QUESTION: ARE WE SEEKING AFTER THIS WORLD, OR THE WORLD TO COME?
CONCLUSION: Today could just be another Sunday and another sermon. Today could be just another day in the life and times of CHWC and those who were present today. Today could be utterly meaningless. Today could make all the difference in the world! The only difference in this reality of today is what the Holy Spirit has said to you and how you respond. My conscience is clear. Let’s sing hymn 335, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus”. Will we??
BENEDICTION: REVELATION 1: 5-6
