Sermon: Seeking And Abiding In The Kingdom Of God, A New Year Challenge

Sermon: Seeking and Abiding in the Kingdom of God

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-33 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Introduction: The Writer of Matthew is quite unique among the twelve. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew wrote to an audience of Greek-speaking Jewish Christians probably between AD 60 and 70.

Matthew was a part of the team. For his seventh or eighth pick (depending on the list you check), Jesus took on Matthew as a member of his original team of disciples. As was true of many of the other disciples, the choice was based on intangibles rather than any past records or achievements.

Jesus found Matthew at work, busy with his duties as a tax collector. Perhaps Jesus had already noted Matthew in action on a previous occasion in Capernaum, Jesus’ base of operations. Jesus walked by Matthew’s tables and invited him to join Jesus’ group. Surprisingly, the tax man jumped at the chance to follow Jesus. He left his table and invited Jesus to eat with him.

Matthew had a knack for numbers and details. Trained to pay attention to details, his record of Jesus’ life regularly appealed to the background of Jesus’ claims and repeatedly pointed out the many long-standing prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus’ life and ministry. When Jesus fed the multitudes, Matthew recorded the amount of people present, giving us a chance to feel the same awe he felt.

Like any successful accountant, Matthew was organized. This shows up sometimes in the way he puts things together. He grouped together Jesus’ seven parables about the kingdom of God (Matthew 13) that were probably not told at the same time. Jesus may have used these parables on numerous occasions, and Matthew organized them into a grouping. When Matthew became a disciple of Jesus, he immediately organized a party and invited all his disreputable friends. The religious onlookers would not have been impressed because tax- collectors were working for Rome (and not the Jewish people), and many were financially corrupt. We don’t know anything about Matthew’s past, but we do know that Jesus was glad to spend the evening with the kind of people he had come to save.

Matthew also went by the name Levi, a Hebrew name going back to the father of one of the original tribes of Israel. Matthew is an Aramaic name meaning “gift of God.” We know him best as Matthew, the Gospel writer. God used Matthew’s personal skills and contacts to advance the cause of his kingdom. Matthew 6:33 is the first mention of the kingdom of God in the New Testament. We are assured as believers, If we do our part to make our relationship with God our highest priority, He will do His part to provide for our every need, and that is something we can count on. Always keep the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first. It reminds us that our priorities should always be aligned with God's will and purpose for our lives. We should strive to live in a way that is pleasing to Him and seek His guidance in all that we do. At first glance, this verse may seem simple, but it holds a deep and profound meaning. We do not need to worry or be anxious about the things of this world because we have a heavenly Father who cares for us. As Christians, we are called to be different from the rest of the world. Our focus should not be on material possessions, success, or fame but on seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness. This means living a life that is centered on Christ and His teachings.

Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). The verse’s meaning is as direct as it sounds. We are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. Does this mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward them. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take care of our business as He promised—and if that’s the arrangement, why not try it?