Discover “Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm” and learn to prioritize God’s kingdom over worldly worries, unlocking peace and divine provision in your life – video, audio, and notes. But how can we seek his kingdom if it has not come yet? How can seeking the kingdom be the antidote and answer to worry and anxiety if it’s not obtainable yet? Would it not be silly of the Lord to tell us to seek first the kingdom if it were not obtainable? See, friends, the kingdom is obtainable now, today.
Sermon On The Mount Sermon Series
Seek First the Kingdom: How to Live in God’s Realm
By Pastor Delbert Young
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Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Scriptures: Matthew 6:25, Matthew 6:31, Matthew 6:34, Matthew 6:29-30, Matthew 6:32, Matthew 6:33, Deuteronomy 28:2, Matthew 6:34,
Oscar Schindler saved more Jews during the Holocaust than any other single person. In the movie Schindler’s List, though Schindler saved many, he realized he could have saved more. He realized that he could have exchanged some of his earthly treasures for two more, one more life. One day, we will all look back and think, “I could have gotten one more.” One day, we will say, “If I had only reached this one.” “Had I not been so taken with this treasure… Had I been more into the purpose of the kingdom and less into my purpose, I could have saved more.”
THE LORD DOES NOT WANT US TO WORRY:
The section we look at today is fascinating from a theological viewpoint. Jesus has been talking about materialism—earthly treasures and the master called mammon. He connects that thought of a materialistic focus to his next thought with a “Therefore I tell you…” That is interesting because his next thought was about worry and anxiety. He said, “Do not worry…” Three times in this section, Jesus said not to worry.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry…
Matthew 6:31 So do not worry…
And again in
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry…
Nowhere in the Bible are we told to worry about our problems or talk about our problems. God does not want his people to worry, but not worrying is tough. It’s easier to worry than not to worry. There are the bills, the kids, the crazy spouse. Also, there is the job and thousands of things we need to get done. Still, we are not to worry.
INSTEAD SEEK/ENTER THE KINGDOM:
Interestingly, Jesus said seeking the kingdom is the solution and antidote for worry. This section ends with that answer to worry. Jesus told us not to worry, to speak God’s solution to our mountains, and to pray God’s will for our problems, but he never told us to worry about our problems.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Jesus connected materialism – earthly treasures and mammon – to worry. Do we realize that we only worry about our earthly treasures? We worry about temporal things. The emphases of our worry are things associated with self-indulgence – eating, drinking, the body, and clothing/shelter. The truth is that those things do not produce real life. They cause real worry and anxiety, but not real life.
WHY DOES JESUS ADDRESS OUR WORRYING?
It’s simple. Worrying will take us out of the kingdom of heaven. Worrying will block us from entering the kingdom of heaven. I don’t mean we will lose our salvation if we worry. However, it is impossible to function in the supernatural as we should when consumed with worry. It is impossible to have righteousness, peace, and joy if we are having an anxiety attack. Father desires that our lives be full, happy, content, and abundant. Worry places us in a position where the abundant life is tremendously affected.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
I probably need to take a moment to ensure we are on the same track with Jesus.
There is nothing wrong with having nice things. As we have discussed, Jesus obviously dressed nicely if the soldiers gambled over his clothing at the cross. He obviously had money if he cared for twelve men for over three years. He enjoyed staying at the nice homes of his friends. It’s not that there is something wrong with having things. But something is amiss when we worry about having nice things or keeping or maintaining the things we have. Something is wrong when having things control our thoughts.
Also, we don’t need to have nice things to worry about having nice things. A person can have nothing and worry about getting. A person can have everything and be anxious about keeping or maintaining it. The issue is that worry over materialism can and, if allowed, will control us. It becomes our master, and therein lies the problem.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
ELEMENTS OF WORRY:
JESUS gives the three elements of worry—food (survival), body (health), and clothing (shelter/things). These three elements summarize everything for which we worry.
FOOD AND DRINK:
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
There are millions and millions of birds on earth, and they are healthy and happy. They don’t suffer from anxiety, hypertension, stress-related diseases, or high blood pressure. Why is that? It’s because they don’t worry. They don’t reap and sow, but Father cares for them.
Jesus isn’t saying we should be lazy or meander through life aimlessly. Birds go hunting for food, but they don’t worry about food. Birds plan for the future. Many fly south during the cold, hard months. They build nests to birth their young. They do what God created them to do. Father cares for birds, and we are much more valuable than they. Father will make sure that we have what we need. Again, the point is not to worry and be anxious. We cannot allow things to control us and stop us from seeking the kingdom of God.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
THERE IS THIS STORY ABOUT AN OLD WIDOW WOMAN.
She was on a small fixed income. She was faithful to God and constantly thanked God for providing her with food and provisions. Her next-door neighbor was far from God and mean. The neighbor decided to show the old widow that it was not God but people bringing her food and provisions. So, the neighbor went to the store, bought some groceries, and put them on the widow’s doorstep.
When the widow found them, she began thanking God. The neighbor said, “See, I told you it was not God. I put those groceries there.” The old widow looked to heaven and said, “Thank you, God, for these groceries. You not only provided for me, but you made the devil pay for it.”
God will care for us even if he has to make the devil do it. God knows what we need for survival. If we will follow his cloud, he will send manna from heaven. If we receive his ministries, he will cause a little flour and oil never to run out, and if we begin seeking his kingdom, he will multiply fishes and loaves. Our part is to seek the kingdom.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
BODY/HEALTH:
Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Worrying about food, drink, clothes, or our bodies will not add one hour to our lives. Worry does the opposite. It shortens life and damages the quality of life.
The Hormone Foundation and The Endocrine Society reported a study dated 2001 in an article with the following statement.
“Stress can cause or worsen some of our most common killers – cancer, heart disease, and cerebrovascular [brain] disease. It is also directly related to other common disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, impotence, and depression. In addition, the stress of illness itself can hinder recovery from almost any disease.”
We cannot allow worry to have a place when and if we are sick. Instead of worrying and confessing how ill we are, we should speak to the sickness and say, “By his stripes, Jesus healed me” (Isa 53:5; 1Pe 2:24). We should say, “The Bible says above all things God wants me to prosper and be in health” (3Jo 1:2).
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
We should stand upon the word of God, get baptized, and have holy spirit-filled believers lay hands on us so we can recover (Mar 16:18). Furthermore, we can get the elders to anoint us with oil and lay hands on us. They can forgive our sins, and the Lord will raise us up (Jam 5:14, 15).
LET ME TELL YOU A TRUE STORY that happened here not long ago.
Someone was having surgery. The surgery revealed the cancer. After the surgery, the person’s spouse called me and told me how bad things were. Worry mastered them. I think they had begun planning the funeral. I said, “Wait a minute. That is not going to happen. You will live and not die. I have prayed for you, and others have prayed for you, and it’s not your time yet.” I said, “I curse that cancer in the name of Jesus, and I speak health upon you. Also, I speak peace upon you.” I said, “God wants you to be prosperous and in good health. You will live and not die!”
That person is in our congregation today. The cancer is gone. They are healthier and feel better than they have felt in many years. I am telling you that you cannot allow those things to be your masters. Jesus said that worrying will not help. The answer is seeking the kingdom of God.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
I always get amazed when I know there are sick people in the congregation, but they don’t come down for prayer.
I ask them about that, and they say things like, “Well, I came down once for prayer.” Listen, Laban had to dip seven times in the Jordan River, but God healed his leprosy. The woman with the issue of blood had to keep pressing through until she reached the hem of his garment, but she received healing of cancer.
The guy with the palsy had to get his friends to carry him and tear the roof open on Peter’s house and lower him before the Lord, but Jesus healed him from paralysis. You need to get down here and let some people pray for you. You need to begin to speak God’s word to that mountain. That’s seeking first the kingdom.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
CLOTHING/SHELTER:
Matthew 6:28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Matthew 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
Matthew 6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
The lilies of the field are wild lilies or wildflowers, but they are beautiful. In dress, they outdo the most extraordinary dresser who ever lived, Solomon. They are not even able to labor or spin. People can labor and spin, so what will God do for people? If God clothes the grass of the field with beautiful lilies that only exist for a few weeks, “Will he not much more clothe you… ?”
We can expand this to financial situations. We worry about finances. Worrying about our finances will not change anything. Can I tell you what will change your finances? The answer is seeking the kingdom of God first. What I mean is doing your finances the King’s way. We need to take action and stop worrying.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
We need to begin giving, and then when things are tight, we can say, “The Bible says that if I tithe, God will open the windows of heaven and pour me out a blessing.” If we give alms to the poor, we can say, “The Bible says that if I give alms in secret, Father will reward me openly.” We can say, “I give, and it will be given to me, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together.” We can say, “I give cheerfully and bountifully, and I will reap bountifully.”
This works! I did this in my finances.
I have someone who wants to testify one day about their giving. They got tight in their finances, so “the Lord’s calf died.” They stopped giving, thinking that would fix their problem. The problem only increased. Finally, a light came on, and they began tithing again and standing on God’s promises. Today, they are better financially than they have been in a long time. We seek the kingdom by standing on his word.
JESUS SAID, O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH?
That’s a question. Jesus questions our faith when we do not believe God’s words. Where is our faith that tells us how much God cares about us? Father wants us to be prosperous. He sent Jesus so our lives would be abundant. It’s simply a matter of putting his kingdom principles first instead of everything else that will cause us to worry.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Jesus said,
Matthew 6:31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Matthew 6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Worry places the believer in the same category as the unbeliever. It removes us from the kingdom and places us in the natural world. If we live in the kingdom, we live in the supernatural. Father knows we need certain things and will ensure we have them.
Here is the answer to worry. Here is the antidote, the fix, the solution to any problem you or I will ever encounter.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The answer is in the kingdom.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
I AM NOT GOING TO GET ON MY SOAPBOX here, but how can we seek his kingdom if it has not come yet?
How can seeking the kingdom be the antidote and answer to worry and anxiety if it’s not obtainable yet? Would it not be silly of the Lord to tell us to seek the kingdom if it were not obtainable? See, friends, the kingdom is obtainable today. We can live in the kingdom. We can see it (Joh 3:3) and enter it (Joh 3:5). It’s at hand. It’s where good eats await. Also, it’s where health awaits. It’s where abundance awaits.
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
That passage goes on to say that we are blessed in the city and blessed in the country. God will bless our children and everything we have. The favor of men blesses us. When enemies arise against us, the Lord will smite them before our faces. The Lord will command a blessing upon us. People will look at us and come to the Lord because we are blessed.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Worry stops our blessings. Some of us are worried about our health. Stop worrying and seek the kingdom. Laban came for prayer, and God healed him after seven dunks. Some of us are worried about our finances. Stop worrying and seek the kingdom. Lift up your eyes as Jacob did, and God will show you how to take pealed sticks and become wealthy.
Some of us are worried about our children. There was a woman who had a daughter vexed by a demon. That means the daughter was giving her fits. She sought Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus took care of that demon. The girl didn’t have to come for an exorcism. The woman went home, and the girl had a right mind. Stop worrying and seek first the kingdom.
God will show you how to build an ark to save your household.
Some of us are worried about our spouses. Stop worrying and seek first the kingdom. Instead of complaining about him, begin to confess the word. Say, “He is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.” Say, “He loves me and will take me out of this situation.” You should say, “He is a man of God and will lead our family into the kingdom.” Lift up your eyes and begin seeing him differently.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
It does not matter what you worry and become anxious about. If you stop worrying and focus on the kingdom first, GOD WILL FIX WHAT YOU WORRY ABOUT. It’s a promise. The blessings will overtake you.
With that promise made, Jesus said,
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Jesus tells us something about our human nature. God did not build us to worry about tomorrow. He created us to take care of today’s events.
I want us to think about something. People who have committed suicide did not commit suicide because they couldn’t handle today’s events. They committed suicide because they could not handle tomorrow’s events. God created us to handle today’s troubles. The Lord designed us to handle the troubles of today and the future.
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Tomorrow will have its challenges and troubles, just as today has its challenges and troubles. We know we can make it today. With that reasoning, if we wait for tomorrow to become today, we will also handle that. We would all go crazy if today we attempted to figure out every problem we would experience for the rest of our lives.
Stop worrying and begin seeking the kingdom first. If we do that, God will supernaturally move on our behalf and deliver us from every problem. IT’S A PROMISE FROM GOD!
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
Seek First the Kingdom – How to Live in God’s Realm
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For Such Is The Kingdom: How to Unlock Heaven’s Potential
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