What Comes First? - Tommy Dyck

Priorities show up in an actual week, not just in what somebody says about God coming first. Busy schedules, hard work, family responsibilities, and real needs matter to God, but “didn’t have time” is not always the whole truth. Comfort, work, scrolling, games, and getting ahead can take room that was meant for God, his Word, and the people he has called his people to love. The word “later” can become an answer to God for a long time.

Jesus puts treasure right in front of the heart. Earthly things wear out, get stolen, break down, and quickly become normal, even after somebody spent years trying to get them. Treasure in heaven comes through trusting God rather than riches, being generous, ready to share, and rich in good works. Money can be used, or it can start using somebody. The healthy eye sees what matters to God, while an eye fixed on more can fill the whole life with darkness. God and mammon cannot both get the final say.

Mary and Martha show that even good work can become a distraction. Martha served, but her serving made her anxious, frustrated, and focused on what Mary was not doing. Mary chose the good part by sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening. Scripture keeps service from becoming about self, comparison, or bitterness. God’s Word brings people to Christ, corrects them, and equips them for every good work, but it calls for an honest heart that asks, “What needs to change in me?”

Peter shows that laying up treasure in heaven often looks ordinary. Prayer, love, hospitality, showing up, using a gift, and helping carry somebody else’s load all matter to God. Service must come by the strength God supplies, not by complaining or making somebody feel bad for needing help. Faithfulness means following through, even when helping costs an evening, money, comfort, or something somebody wanted for himself.

Jesus answers the fear underneath all of this: the Father knows what his children need. The birds and lilies do not promise an easy life, more money, or no trouble tomorrow. They show that God sees real needs and can be trusted when obedience costs something. Salvation does not come from getting schedules right or doing enough good things. Jesus died and rose again, and sinners must come to him in faith. Christ first changes what a person treasures, how he uses his time, and how he loves others.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Treasure always pulls the heart Jesus does not treat treasure as a neutral thing. What somebody invests in begins to shape attention, decisions, worries, and what gets protected. Earthly possessions can be enjoyed, but they become dangerous when they start deciding what obedience is worth. [07:01]
• 2. Listening comes before fruitful serving Martha’s problem was not that she served, but that anxiety and distraction took over her service. Scripture keeps a person close to Jesus so that serving does not become bitter, proud, or focused on everybody else’s failures. The Lord of the work must remain more important than the work itself. [13:14]
• 3. God’s grace gives gifts for others Every believer has received something from God that can help another person. Gifts are not mainly for building a place for oneself, but for serving as a steward of God’s multifaceted grace. Faithfulness often starts with a simple question: “Where am I needed?” [20:36]
• 4. The Father knows real needs Jesus does not deny bills, hunger, work, or tomorrow’s trouble. The Father’s care frees his people from making fear their master and gives them room to obey when obedience costs something. Seeking the kingdom first means trusting God with outcomes that cannot be controlled.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:23] - What Priorities Look Like in Real Life
• [02:30] - Treasure, Heart, and Mammon
• [05:36] - Rich in Good Works and Generosity
• [07:52] - Who Gets the Final Say?
• [10:16] - Mary and Martha: Listening to Jesus
• [14:19] - Scripture Changes and Equips Believers
• [18:43] - Serving as Stewards of God’s Grace
• [23:06] - Hospitality Without Complaint
• [25:49] - Trusting the Father With Real Needs
• [29:45] - One Change and Following Through
• [31:13] - Salvation Is Grace Through Faith

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:19-24
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” [03:10]

Luke 10:38-42
“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” [10:38]

Matthew 6:25-34
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” [25:49]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 6:19–24, what contrast does Jesus make between treasure on earth and treasure in heaven, and how does he connect treasure to the heart? [04:11]
2. What words describe Martha’s condition as she serves, and what has Mary chosen instead in Luke 10:38–42? [11:55]
3. According to Matthew 6:25–34, what real needs does Jesus name, and what reasons does he give for trusting the Father rather than living in anxiety? [27:47]
4. What are some ordinary ways believers can serve one another with the gifts God has given them, including hospitality and practical help? [19:49]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says that a person cannot serve both God and mammon. What does it look like for money, possessions, or the desire to get ahead to become a master rather than a useful tool? [07:52]
2. Martha was doing needed work, yet she became anxious, frustrated, and focused on Mary’s failure to help. What does this show about the difference between serving Jesus and serving in a way that becomes centered on self, comparison, or control? [12:51]
3. Jesus tells his followers to seek first God’s kingdom while also acknowledging daily needs and troubles. How does this keep believers from treating trust in God like a promise of an easy or wealthy life? [28:01]
4. God’s Word corrects and equips believers for good works. Why is it important that a person asks, “What needs to change in me?” instead of only seeing how Scripture applies to someone else? [16:03]

Application questions

1. Looking honestly at a normal week, what usually receives the time and attention that is meant for prayer, Scripture, family, or serving others? Is there something good—work, comfort, entertainment, scrolling, or getting ahead—that may be taking first place? [01:17]
2. Is there an earthly treasure that has been shaping your decisions, worries, or what you are unwilling to give up? What would it look like to use that resource more generously for someone else’s good? [08:16]
3. When service starts to make you impatient or frustrated with what others are not doing, what might help you return to listening to Jesus before continuing the work? [13:14]
4. What is one realistic way you could make protected time for God’s Word this week—perhaps by putting away your phone, changing a routine, or giving up a small amount of screen time? [30:20]
5. Where might you be needed right now in the church, your home, or your community? Is there a person carrying a burden that you could help carry, or someone you could simply invite, encourage, or check on? [21:54]
6. When helping someone costs an evening, money, comfort, or a plan you had for yourself, what fear tends to rise up? How does the Father’s knowledge of your real needs help you obey him in that situation? [25:28]
7. What is one change God may be calling you to make this week, and what specific step will help you follow through rather than putting it off until “later”? [30:41]