Introduction

Good morning, church family. I'm so glad we're all gathered here together to dig into the deep wisdom of the Bible. Today, we'll be exploring Matthew 6:19-34, where Jesus speaks directly to us about the priority of seeking God, the provision of God, and the peace of God.

To kick us off, I want to share an insightful quote from A.W. Tozer. He once wrote, "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One." This is a profound truth that we'll see echoed in our passage today, reminding us that when our hearts are set on God, we're not lacking anything.

Let's take a moment to read the scripture in full:

[Read passage]

Let us bow our heads in prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word, and for this time to gather and study it together. We ask that You open our hearts and minds, that we might truly understand and apply these teachings to our lives. Help us to prioritize seeking You, to trust in Your provision, and to rest in Your peace. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Now, let’s dive into this beautiful passage together.

The Priority of Seeking God

The priority of seeking God is a concept that Jesus emphasizes repeatedly, urging us to shift our focus from earthly treasures to heavenly ones. This isn't a call to abandon our responsibilities or to neglect our needs. Rather, it's an invitation to reorder our priorities, to place God at the very center of our lives, and to trust that everything else will fall into place as it should.

Verse 19: When Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth," He's not just talking about material wealth. He's talking about anything that we value more than God, anything that we're tempted to put our trust in instead of Him. This could be our careers, our relationships, our reputations, our achievements, our comfort, our security, or even our health. These are all good things, but they make poor gods. They're unstable and unreliable. They can be taken from us in an instant. And even when we have them, they can't truly satisfy us or give us the peace and joy we long for.

The treasures in heaven: These ones that Jesus encourages us to store up are imperishable and unshakeable. They're not subject to decay or theft. They're not dependent on our circumstances or our efforts. They're gifts from God, freely given to those who seek Him and His kingdom above all else. These treasures include His love, His grace, His presence, His peace, His joy, His wisdom, His strength, His comfort, His guidance, His provision, His protection, His promises, and ultimately, His very self. These are the things that truly matter, the things that truly satisfy, the things that truly last.

Verse 21: When Jesus says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," He's revealing a profound truth about our hearts. Our hearts follow our treasures. Whatever we treasure, whatever we value, whatever we prioritize, that's where our hearts will be. That's what will capture our thoughts, our desires, our emotions, our time, our energy, our resources. That's what will shape our decisions, our actions, our relationships, our character, our destiny. That's why it's so crucial to choose our treasures wisely, to choose God as our ultimate treasure.

Verse 24: When Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters," He's warning us about the danger of divided loyalties. We can't serve both God and money, or God and anything else. We can't have two ultimate priorities, two ultimate treasures, two ultimate masters. We'll end up loving one and hating the other, or being devoted to one and despising the other. We'll end up torn and conflicted, unstable and unfulfilled. We'll end up missing out on the abundant life that God wants for us, the life of freedom, purpose, and joy that comes from serving Him and Him alone.

Verse 33: When Jesus says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well," He's giving us a promise and a strategy. He's promising that when we seek God first, when we make Him our top priority, when we pursue His kingdom and His righteousness, He'll take care of all our needs. He'll provide for us, protect us, guide us, strengthen us, comfort us, bless us. He'll give us everything we need to thrive, not just survive.

A strategy for dealing with worry and anxiety: Instead of obsessing over our problems, our needs, our fears, we should focus on seeking God, on knowing Him, loving Him, serving Him, obeying Him, trusting Him. As we do this, our worries will fade, our fears will shrink, our faith will grow, our peace will increase, our joy will overflow.

Pastor, here would be a good place to share a personal story about a time when you made seeking God your top priority and saw Him provide for your needs in unexpected ways. How did this affect your faith and your life?

The Provision of God

The provision of God is a theme that is not only prevalent in this particular scripture, but throughout the entire Bible ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO