Changing Our Priorities(Putting God's Kingdom First)(Sermon Only) 9-6-26

Matthew records Jesus turning anxious hearts away from food, drink, clothes, and tomorrow, and toward the Father who already knows every need. The birds do not sow or store, yet the Father feeds them. The lilies do not work or spin, yet God clothes them with a beauty Solomon could not match. Jesus presses the question: if God handles the birds and the grass, how much more will He handle His children, even when faith is little?

Transformational love changes priorities because it moves God from the outskirts of life to the center. Life before Christ can revolve around personal plans, comfort, success, relationships, money, and the future. The heart reveals itself by where time, energy, attention, and money keep going. God does not say food, clothes, work, marriage, or a house do not matter. God says the first thing matters. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” and everything else finds its proper place.

Possessions become dangerous when possessions begin to possess the person. Desire becomes crooked when it wants somebody else’s spouse, house, car, position, or life. The hunger for more acts like a tapeworm: the more it gets, the more it wants, and it never says enough. The kingdom changes the question from “What do I want?” to “What does God want?” The kingdom changes success from climbing ladders and collecting stuff to obeying the assignment God has placed on a life.

Happiness cannot carry the weight many people put on it, because happiness depends on happenings lining up. Joy comes when life does not line up, when tears are present, when the valley is dark, and when the storm is loud. Christ does not call His people to chase the next thing that might make them happy. Christ gives joy that stands when circumstances cannot.

Worry exposes whatever has been made first. Money, people, approval, jobs, promotions, and success can all dangle a person like a puppet when they sit on the throne of the heart. The cares of this world can choke the Word until people start tapping out of marriages, ministry, school, church, and life itself. God answers that pressure with rest, prayer, thanksgiving, and peace that does not have to make sense to anybody else.

God’s provision rests on God’s promises. God may not give every want on demand, but God will supply every need according to His riches in glory. Faith does not lean on a job, a bank account, a person, or personal understanding. Faith seeks the kingdom first, trusts God to order the steps, and stands on the promise when possessions disappear and people walk away.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Seek God before chasing everything else. God’s kingdom must become the first pursuit, not an item added onto an already crowded life. Houses, careers, relationships, and money can be received rightly only after God determines their place. A life aimed at God’s purpose gains a definition of success that cannot be controlled by human approval. [15:11]
• 2. Possessions must never possess the heart. Desire becomes a trap when getting more becomes the whole reason for living. The pursuit of stuff never finishes, because the next level always promises satisfaction and never delivers it. God reshapes desire so that a person wants what God wants, even when that path includes tears and disappointment. [12:46]
• 3. Joy survives when happiness falls apart. Happiness rises and falls with circumstances, people, money, and plans. Joy comes from the Lord and shows up in the valley, in the storm, and in seasons where nothing looks the way it was supposed to look. Christ gives a deeper stability than a life arranged according to personal preference. [17:33]
• 4. Whatever comes first controls emotions. A person made first becomes a puppet master, and money made first can destroy peace when it disappears. Approval, promotion, and success will always demand compromises from anyone who treats them as ultimate. God first means that no person, boss, bill, or setback gets the final authority over the heart. [26:52]
• 5. Promises outlast changing provisions. People can leave, money can disappear, and visible resources can run short, but God’s Word does not fail. Faith rests in the God who orders steps, supplies needs, and never leaves or forsakes His children. God’s promises give strength to wait without panic for His appointed provision.
  
  ## [39:38]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:14] - Take No Thought for Life
• [02:11] - Seek First the Kingdom
• [02:35] - Transformational Love Changes Priorities
• [06:09] - What Comes First
• [07:57] - Three Priority Shifts
• [08:21] - Change What You Seek
• [10:32] - When Possessions Possess You
• [15:11] - Seeking What God Seeks
• [17:33] - Joy Instead of Happiness
• [20:46] - Change What You Stress About
• [24:18] - The Cares That Choke the Word
• [26:52] - Whatever Is First Has Power
• [30:27] - God Supplies Every Need
• [36:12] - Provisions Versus Promises
• [39:38] - Looking to the Hills
• [42:12] - Standing on God’s Promises

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:25-34

Verse 25: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” [00:09]

Verse 26: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” [00:35]

Verse 27: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” [00:51]

Verses 28-30: “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” [01:05]

Verses 31-32: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” [01:44]

Verse 33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” [02:03]

Verse 34: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” [02:20]

Philippians 4:6-7

Verse 6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” [32:24]

Verse 7: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [33:07]

1 Timothy 6:10

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” [11:29]

Psalm 121:1-2

Verse 1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” [39:38]

Verse 2: “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” [40:05]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 6, what everyday needs does Jesus name, and what examples from creation does He use to address anxiety? [05:01]
2. What word is repeated in Matthew 6:33, and how does that word shape the order of God’s kingdom and the other concerns of life? [06:16]
3. According to Philippians 4:6-7, what is believers’ response to anxiety, and what does God promise will guard them? [32:24]
4. What examples are given of things that can become “first” and gain power over a person’s emotions? [26:52]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus does not say that food, clothing, work, or tomorrow do not matter. What is the difference between responsibly caring for these things and seeking them first?
2. What does it mean in practical terms to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”? How does that change the questions a person asks when making decisions about career, relationships, money, or goals? [15:35]
3. First Timothy 6:10 warns about the love of money rather than money itself. What signs show that possessions are serving a person, and what signs show that possessions are beginning to possess that person? [10:51]
4. Philippians 4 connects prayer, thanksgiving, and peace. Why might thanksgiving be important when a person brings a real need or fear to God? [32:27]

Application questions

1. Looking honestly at the past week, where have your time, energy, attention, and money gone most consistently? What might those patterns reveal about what has been first in your heart? [03:32]
2. Is there a possession, position, relationship, or picture of success that has started to feel like, “I have to have this”? What would it look like to place that desire before God and ask, “What do You want for me?” [15:51]
3. Where are you most tempted to compare your life with someone else’s—home, car, income, marriage, appearance, career, or something else? How has that comparison affected your gratitude and contentment? [08:54]
4. Is there an area where you have been chasing happiness because circumstances are not lining up? What could it look like to seek the joy of the Lord in that same difficult place? [18:11]
5. What specific worry is taking up the most space in your mind right now? How could you turn that worry into a clear prayer this week, including thanksgiving for what God has already done? [32:39]
6. Has another person’s approval, a job, money, or a hoped-for promotion been controlling your emotions lately? What boundary or change in perspective could help God regain first place in that area? [27:13]
7. When visible provision feels uncertain, what promise of God can you stand on? How can the group help one another keep looking to the Lord rather than putting ultimate trust in people or resources? [39:38]