FIRST: GOD

Introduction:

1. Two Key Thought- Our identity

a. We are disciples of Jesus
i. Two words – In Christ
ii. We are owned by Jesus
iii. Not by any political/presidents/groups
iv. It Supersedes but not negate others.
v. First Identity is not that I’m an Adventist, husband, father, sibling or
neighbor.
vi. Those have a deep importance but each is made more important, clear, and
committed by the fact that I am in Christ!
b. Who we are defines what we do
i. Jesus was clear that His Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
1. My kingdom is not of this world if it were then would my servants
fight.
ii. Having said that, our citizenship in that spiritual kingdom defines every
aspect of how we live in this world. Everything we do in this world is defined
by who we are as members and family of the kingdom of God.
c. PRAY

2. Priorities in 2023
a. Middle of 2023
i. Still the same as last year
ii. We think that that when the clock strikes midnight and the year turns and it
becomes the first of January that all that stuff back there will be left behind.
However we soon discover actually not a whole lot has changed and
because of that even though we're only a few months into the year you
have probably come to the conclusion I still have all this stuff with me.
iii. In fact you may feel like this driver.
1. Difficult setting priorities
2. Couldn’t decide was essential and what could be left behind
3. And here's the simple truth when we cannot prioritize, everything
becomes essential and when everything is essential, our life is
overloaded. We get ticketed and towed.

3. Biblical principles on setting priorities

a. So today we begin with first god so when we're setting priorities when we're sorting
through what comes first second third fourth what biblical help might we find?
i. Matthew chapter 6
1. Occurrence of the word worry (NIV 6 times)
2. Occurrence of the word first (Greek protoss) 1 time
ii. Anytime we're considering priorities and anytime Jesus uses the word first
we ought to pay attention Jesus lays before us in these words two different
ways that we can go about to the setting of priorities.
iii. READ Matthew 6:25-34
 1. Jesus is talking about the bottom line needs of life
2. When he said this he was talking to people who live in a society and
culture where the things that he mentioned was probably high in
the priority in order for them to survive
3. No refrigeration, no running water
4. It might be for many people who were listening to Jesus when they
got up in the morning the legitimate and penetrating first question
was what are we going to eat, where's the water we're going to
drink. In a world like this water was more precious than gold. You
could not assume that it was available.
5. What about us. When we move to a new place we spend very little
thinking about food and water.

iv. New testament scholar Robert

1. Since serving God rules out serving money, which is what Jesus has
just said in the previous section of the Sermon on the Mount, the
logical conclusion is that followers of Christ should not be
anxiously concerned about food and clothing. God takes care of
the birds who neither plant nor gather a harvest into barns. He
also addresses the flowers of the field and garments more
beautiful than Solomon with all his wealth could secure. Children
of the kingdom are certainly of greater value than birds and wild
grass is here today and gone tomorrow. When you worry about
such things, you're not only like the pagans but you dishonor God
as well. He is fully aware of your needs. Worry is practical atheism
and an affront to God.
a. Don’t set your priorities by the way of worry
b. Don't let the anxiety and the stress of all that you have to
take care of in life be the driving force for how you list your
priorities.
2. So Jesus takes the way of worry as a mechanism for setting our
priorities and he sweeps it aside. All right Jesus, then if that's not
how we set our priorities exactly how do we set them?
a. Matthew 6:33
b. Enter the way of worship
c. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all
these things will be given to you as well.
d. Picture the scenario of the location of this message
i. People are tallying the things they need to do that
day
ii. Where to get our water, water, our clothes
iii. They are making priorities.
iv. BUT JESUS SAYS STOP.
v. SEEK FIRST the KINGDOM of GOD and HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS
e. What does that mean?
i. Does it mean we just in our home, waiting for the
water to come. Or Sit in our balcony waiting for our
food hoping someone will bring food?
ii. What do you mean Jesus?
 f. Makin All Things New (Henry Nowin)
g. Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by
saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs. He
does not try to pull us away from the many events activities
and people that make up our lives. He does not tell us that
what we do is unimportant valueless or useless nor does he
suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements
and live quiet restful lives removed from the struggles of the
world.

by Jesus saying seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, He is
not saying don't make a plan of where you're going to find it, don't cook a
meal, don't even go looking for a clothes. He is not doing any of that.

 Jesus response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks

us to shift the point of gravity to relocate the center of our
attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from
the many things to the one necessary thing. It is important for us
to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted
world. Rather he wants us to live in it but firmly rooted in the
center of all things. Jesus does not speak about a change of
activities a change in contacts or even a change of pace. He speaks
about a change of heart.
 This change of heart makes everything different even while
everything appears to remain the same this is the meaning of set
your hearts on his kingdom first and all these other things will be
given you as well.
 What counts here is where our hearts are when we worry we have
our hearts in the wrong place. Jesus asks us to move our hearts to
the center where all other things fall into place.

I want you to understand that Jesus is driving us in the direction of a change of heart, of a change of
where our heart is centered and located so where should that be third paragraph what is this
center? Jesus calls it the kingdom the kingdom of his father. For us in the 20th century, that's
when Nowin wrote this, this may not have much meaning. Kings and kingdoms do not play an
important role in our daily life. But only when we understand Jesus’s words as an urgent call to
make the life of god's spirit our priority can we see better what is at stake.

A heart set on the father's kingdom is also a heart set on the spiritual life. To set our hearts on the
kingdom therefore means to make the life of the spirit within and among us the center of all we
think say or do.

Not a change of activity, not a change of connection, not a change of demands, but a change of
heart. I puzzled a bit about how to illustrate that.

And then i realized i actually live it every day of my life. December 16, 2018. December 16, 2018 was
the day when Donna and I said i do to each other. That changed the location of my heart, of our
hearts.That changed the center of our hearts. You see before then, quite naturally, the primary
words that we use were words like I and me and mine.
Primary among the ones that we had to consult and decision was ourselves. But once we had said i
do that shifted now the key words became words like us and we and our. Now she for me and me
for her became key in every key decision in life.

So like nowin said Jesus is not saying change everything that you do what he is saying is give me your
heart. Give me the first last and best of who you are and when you are in that kind of relationship
with me then everything you do will be seen through the lens through the prism of the divine
companion who walks with you. Every day, every decision, every action every thought, is seen
through that lens.

In that way we seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness.

It struck me as i was reading this passage this week that the bible has a word for that. When we love
God with all of our hearts souls minds and strength. When we honor God for his worth in our lives
his place in our lives. When we give him the best of what we are, when we give him our service.

The bible has a word for that and the word is worship.

Worship so when jesus tells us seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness he is asking us to
set our priorities based on the way of worship. Because He knows that when we love him supremely,
when we honor him with all that we are when we've changed the center of our hearts every other
priority will fall into place in deeply meaningful ways.

So i invite you i encourage you to reject the way of worry to embrace the way of worship to honor
God with your love and your life and all else will become more simple.