Seek First the Kingdom
Matthew 6:25-34
The issue that Jesus confronts in our text is worry, being ‘excessively thoughtful’ or ‘anxious’ or ‘troubled with cares.’[1] As we saw last time, Jesus gave several reasons why we are not to be worried about our life, our daily needs, or the concerns of tomorrow. Our Lord commands us not to do it; our life is more than the things we worry about; our Father has already proven Himself to be a good provider; worry does no good; and it’s contrary to faith in our faithful heavenly Father. John MacArthur says worry “is unnecessary because of your Father, it is uncharacteristic because of your faith, and it is unwise because of your future.”[2]
Ray Fowler points out that there are two ways we serve money instead of God. The first is when we lay up treasures on Earth instead of Heaven. The second is when we worry about life instead of trusting God. The first is the problem of covetousness; the second is the problem of care. Jesus says the solution to both of these problems is the same: seek God’s kingdom first.
When Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed, he identified the seed that fell among the thorns as: “he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22) There Jesus warns about the same two problems again: the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. They are two sides of the same problem, which is focusing on the temporal and material things of this world rather than the eternal and spiritual things of the Kingdom of God.[3]
But it’s not enough to simply try to stop worrying. If you focus on ceasing from worry, you know what you’ll do; don’t you? You’ll soon find yourself worrying about worrying. When all you do is focus on the problem, all you will see is the problem. What needs to happen, then, is that we need to replace worry with something else. The “something else” comes in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
All of Matthew 6 can be summed up in two words: “God first.” When we do good works, we are to seek God’s approval, not man’s approval. When we give, pray, or fast, we are to do so to our heavenly Father in secret and He will reward us. When we pray, we are to pray for God’s concerns first, before we pray for our concerns. When we store up treasure, we are to store up treasure in heaven rather than on earth. It is a matter of our heart because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” (Matt. 6:21). We are to serve and love God—not money. And now, Jesus tells us we are to seek God’s kingdom first and all the other things we might worry about will be given to us as well.
Look at Matthew 6:33 again, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Many of us have memorized this verse, quoted it, and tried to live by it. Because we know it so well, we may fail to let this verse challenge us and change us. So, rather than just skimming over the surface of this truth, let’s dig into it a little deeper.
First, notice that it begins with a word of contrast, “But seek first the kingdom of God.” In the context, the conjunction “But” makes the contrast with the Gentiles. Jesus has just said, “31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matt. 6:31-32). Jesus is saying rather than being like the pagans who are concerned about their physical needs, the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven should be concerned about and seek after the things of God.
Your life as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven should be radically different from the rest of the world who do not know God. The contrast should be stark because your priorities are different from the world, your treasure is stored in heaven, and your focus is on serving and loving God.
Next, notice the command that Jesus gives, “seek.” The word “seek” means to search for, aim at, or strive after something. This is a present, active imperative that gives the sense of continually or habitually seeking. Jesus is saying that the antidote to worrying is to make a daily choice—make it your habitual practice to prioritize God’s kingdom and righteousness. The world won’t stop tempting you to seek its passing pleasures—you must not stop seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Also, notice the word “first”. The Greek word protos means “first in time or place, first in a succession of things or persons, the most important or prominent.”[4] It’s a word that speaks of priorities. Of all the priorities of life, the Kingdom of God is number one for us.
So with just these first three words of the verse, we see that rather than being like the rest of the world, we are to make a priority to habitually aim at the Kingdom of God. What does it mean to seek the Kingdom? The world “kingdom” means sovereignty, royal authority, kingship, dominion, or rule. The Kingdom of God is the reign of God, Christ’s rule, or God’s dominion. God’s Kingdom is present right now wherever Christ is ruling in the lives of His people. God’s Kingdom is also future because someday when Christ returns, He will reign unopposed over all heaven and earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
We are also to seek first “His righteousness.” The word, “righteousness” means the quality of being upright or justified. Righteousness is the opposite of sin. It includes rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men. This is the righteousness that Jesus spent most of Matthew 5 describing: the righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees, the righteousness that has to do with the heart–the righteousness that only God can give.
So, rather than pursuing the things of the world, we are to make it a daily priority to pursue Christ’s rule and Christ’s character.
So what is Jesus teaching us?
1. Priorities — Put your Father’s concerns first.
One of the things that seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness means is that I make my relationship with Christ first. Jesus does not just want a place in your life. Jesus does not even want prominence in your life. Jesus wants preeminence in your life. Jesus wants the first moments of every day. Jesus wants the first day of every week. Jesus wants the first part of every paycheck. He is the first—treat Him as first. The Lord Jesus Christ is not interested in being the first runner-up in the contest for your life. He is not interested in being vice president in your corporation. He is not interested in being second in command in your army. He wants to be the King on the throne of your heart.
What would it mean to seek first God’s kingdom? Certainly, it will involve things in the service of His kingdom. One basic thing for all of us is our Lord’s ‘Great Commission’. He said:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
In other words, we are to seek our Father’s kingdom by doing our part in the great work of making disciples of Jesus Christ. For some of us, that may involve teaching. For others, it may involve preaching. For others still, it may involve missions work. For others, it may involve such things as praying, giving, and supporting those who do the work on the front lines. For all of us, it would certainly involve bearing a witness for our Lord to family, friends, workmates, and neighbors.
And what would it mean to seek first God’s righteousness? That would mean doing what our Lord commands and placing a priority on living a life that is in conformity to His will. It would involve repenting of sin. It would involve having regular fellowship with one another as believers and building one another up in the most holy faith (Jude 1:20). It would involve feeding daily on His word. It would involve growing in a personal relationship of love with our heavenly Father through faith in His Son Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. It would mean pursuing “holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).
2. Faith – Trust God to provide all you need.
As we make His kingdom and His righteousness our primary concern, we should trust God to provide everything else. Jesus said that as we do so, “all these things” – that is, the things we need for our daily bodily sustenance – “shall be added to you.” In the grammar of Jesus’ original words, we are being described as the passive recipients of those things. They are “added” to us by Another, our Father in Heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 6:32, “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” We can count on the promise that the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “… My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Psalm 84:11 says, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 34:9-10, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.”
Our Lord is telling us that if we place the priority on our Father’s concerns for us—on seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness—we don’t have to worry at all. He will take care of our daily needs. When you find yourself worrying, shift your priorities. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, knowing that He’ll provide everything else.
3. Live Today – Depend on God’s grace in the present.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” The point is God has put you here to serve Him today. But you can’t serve Him today if you are constantly worried about tomorrow.
Warren Wiersbe comments that “Worrying about tomorrow does not help either tomorrow or today. If anything, it robs us of our effectiveness today—which means we will be even less effective tomorrow. Someone has said that the average person is crucifying himself between two thieves: the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow. It is right to plan for the future and even to save for the future (2 Cor. 12:14; 1 Tim. 5:8). But it is a sin to worry about the future and permit tomorrow to rob today of its blessings.”[5]
The fact that Christ calls us not to worry is not based on the fact that believers are exempt from hardship. Christ says today will have “trouble.” We live in a sin-filled world—we will hurt people and they will hurt us. Because of man’s sin, God’s curse is on creation—we experience earthquakes, flooding, drought, and other natural disasters. The curse affects our work—there is pain and toil in our daily labor, and it’s often unfruitful. There will always be some trouble in the day, and some days will have more than others. Charles Spurgeon once said that “our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.”[6]
However, amidst the troubles, God promises to give us grace for the day. Jeremiah lived through more troubles than most and he wrote, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23). As we wake up in the morning and seek His face, God gives grace. As Israel in the wilderness only received enough bread for the day, God often does the same with us. He often gives grace for the step that we are on, but not the next step—only grace for the day. God gives you the all grace and mercy you need for each day. Take advantage of the grace God gives you to be faithful today. You’ve got a trial in your family? Do your best to love them today! Don’t worry about how you will love them tomorrow. You’ve got a difficult boss that you can’t stand? Honor and serve him today!
God has only given us one day to live at a time. It’s alright to plan for tomorrow. It’s wise, in fact, to plan for the future when we can. But as we make our plans, we must invite God our Provider into the process. And it isn’t permitted for us to live in worry about the future. Each single day has all that—by God’s design—we are meant to bear. He takes care of the rest.
So how should we overcome our worries? Put Christ first. Trust God to provide all you need. Live in God’s grace today.
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[1] Larry Pierce, Blue Letter Bible Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3309/nkjv/tr/0-1/
[2] John MacArthur, Mastering Materialism, Overcoming Financial Worry, Part 2, https://www.gty.org/library/study-guides/40-0595/mastering-materialism
[3] Ray Fowler, Not to Worry, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/not-to-worry/
[4] Pierce, ibid. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4412/nkjv/tr/0-1/
[5] Warren Wiersbe, : Bible Exposition Commentary. Matthew. 1989. Victor. Quoted on https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew_633-34
[6] C. H. Spurgeon, quoted by Bruce Hurt, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew_633-34
