Seek First His Kingdom | Matthew 6:19-34

You're listening to the Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Well, good morning, good morning, we talk the home that through. Good morning, good morning to you and you and yes, good morning you. Welcome to the Bible guys. Man. Yes, what a great way to kick off the day, or, as we learned earlier this week, the evening. Yeah, the drive home, the drive home from work. Good afternoon. Oh wow, that does change it. Good evening and good evening, wow, good afternoon. Good okay, wow, well hey it's it's good morning now. Now you know what, I'm never gonna forget that. Now we looked up time of day and that's going to mess me up every time I send that song. Thanks for drawing that to my attem. I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry. Yeah, take the joy right out of it. Yeah, but it is a good morning. We're here at the Bible Guys, and we're in the middle of a series and it's talking about God's promises. And this week focuses on a theme and every day this thing we're talking about God's provision. He always provides, that's right. Yes, but before we do that, yes, We're going to try one more time, yes, because we've we've been trying to make this one work and Dez just won't give it up. Yep. So you know what she's thinking. That's right, she knows what she wants. She's thinking, you guys, you know I can eventually get this right. Yeah. So this is our last shot. It's the fill in the blank. Okay. So what's gonna happen is I'm going to start a sentence and then you have to complete it in an unexpected way. Okay, okay, So I hear a few of them? Okay, good? And should I do it like a movie? Should I do like a movie? Intro? Always? Okay? Okay? Always? All right, here you go? Ready, okay, ready, Yes. When the last shred of dignity clocked out early, oh that's it. I was really preparing for something more that was very. Very few in the last shred of dignity clocked out early. Okay. When the last shred of dignity clocked out early, Charlie found himself standing in front of his classroom doing the spelling bee totally naked. You see, Charlie's whole life. He had had anxiety about being embarrassed in front of his friends, and now his worst humiliation has come true. But then Charlie woke up and thanked the lord. It was just another dream. Wow, But you sounded like William Shatner, you're timing. Yeah, And then Charlie woke up, so you sounded like, Okay, how about that? That was unexpected? That was pretty awesome. I mean, I mean it took me a minute, but I yeah, he got there. The sun had barely risen. And yet so hard, and yet the goblins were eating the wheat. The goblins had invaded once again Old McDonald's wheat field. Usually they wait until the evening, but they couldn't even wait until the sun got up that morning. But this time Farmer McDonald was ready for them. He had seven what do you call those things? But they tear up the wheat with the big razors, they plow. It, come on harves. Yea, what do you call those combines? Yeah? Combines? Remember remember cars? Remember remember they had Chase Vader. Okay, okay, yeah, he had seven combines waiting, and as soon as the goblins showed their face, all seven of his sons mowed them down, and they had goblin. Stew Wow, that's rough. Well, I mean pretty good. It was epic, you said, movie. Yeah, yeah. Can goblins be in the sunshine? Don't they turned the stone? It depends on what kind of goblins they are. Okay, all right, all right, one more I'm really going deep on okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Goblins eating wheat with farmer Y Donald applying them down. It's pretty rough. They said it couldn't be done, and they were right. Oh wow, the highest this the world record holder of a high dive, swore that he would break his own record by adding one thousand feet to his high dive and landing only in a glass of water. They said it couldn't be done, and they were right because once he decided to dive, when the whistle blew and the crowd was gathered around about three quarters of the way down, he thought, maybe this was a bad idea. And guess what, that's the last thing he thought. Do you know what the last thing was? It went through his mouth, his feet. That's awesome. Those were some pre imaginative So he's he's. Gonna jump dive into that's what? What is he like? The Geico gecko? No, no, no, he's a full size man. Yeah, that was a bad choice. Yeah, okay, okay, I. Don't to be honest, I think we sort of nailed it. Yeah. I don't know if that was what she was intending, but we got there. All the pressure on me. Yeah, good job, Chris. I used my imagination on that one. Yeah. So, hey, I hope you were riveted. That was It was absolutely riving. You wanted to know what else is riveting? You know what? That doesn't become our default transition. All we do is speaking. Speaking of what else is? All we have to do is like pick one word and then. Just apply it. That has really become our default transition? Is it is? It is so easy, and maybe we're getting tired? Should we or should we not abandon the bad transition? Maybe maybe maybe we should start doing like legit transitions. But that requires hundred eight hundred and three episodes in now. That requires work, And it's the premise of the Bible, guys, is two guys sitting down, opening the Bible, talking about it and having a meaningful uh conversation about what God says about it, right. And find practical ways waste So it's all spontaneous. I don't know if our listeners know this, Yes, on purpose. Yeah, we do it one hundred percent spontaneous. We're not coming in with show notes or prepping or any of those things. Zero. So Dez gives us the things and from there we just come in and we open the Bible. We've got good study bibles, so we like looking at what the notes have to say. We like to just take and we think that the words on the page can can really speak to us. Yeah, because guess what, every new Christian is in the same boat, right, that's right. So every new Christian opens the Bible and they're and they're like, okay, I've never read this before. I mean, obviously we've read the Bible several times once or twice, once or twice. But but but every new Christian would do that. They wouldn't have any other preparation other than say, okay, let's read and what does God? What does God's word have to say about it? Yeah? Of course we you know, we we definitely have, you know, a knowledge of reservoir. So so here here's a thing I want to say, get yourself a good study Bible, for sure. I've had so many people ask us recently ask me, Hey, I want to get a good Bible. Get it in the lobby. I want to get a good Bible. What kind of by whould I get? And I'm like, you listen to the Bible, guys, you don't know what Bible we get. So we always like to say, and Tyndale does not sponsor us, the publisher, but we really really like the life application study Bible. That's right, right, And so here's how a study Bible works. You'll have the text that you're reading, and like on this page today, it's the top half of the page. Then there's some really interesting thoughts right here, seven reasons not to worry from this passage that's highlighted. And then below for each of the verses there's a little note that explains what's happening most of them. Yeah, And then on the side column, for ever, almost every verse nineteen twenty, twenty three, twenty five, twenty six, twenty nine, thirty, thirty, two, thirty three, there are cross references where this same idea is referenced in another place in the Bible. Yeah, and so like for verse nineteen, Proverbs twenty three four and James five two through three. So people go, wow, how do you know all these things because we read the notes and we do the cross references right, right, And that's really how it works. And the more you get familiar with the Bible, the more the Holy Spirit can bring it back to you remind you again. So get yourself a good study Bible. Mine here is kind of getting beat up by. Bought it online at Amazon for like twenty bucks. It's a hardcover version because it sits on my shelf easy. And then the type of Bible is different than the translation of the Bible, right, So we choose the NLT most of the time at Heritage just because it's a practical translation. In fact, one time I remember hearing a very well respected pastor say that the NLT was translated for the eighth grader. Yeah, or maybe it was eight year old eighth grade. It's a conversational, very conversational in this style, and it's written for eighth grade reading level. Yeah, which by the way, is exactly how. It's designed for memory content and all those things. Yeah, Jesus taught on that type of level where he where where he taught things at their fundamental basic leve these stories, you know, parables, and so yeah, eighth grade reading level honestly, is where most of us learn the best. Most of us speak in a high school level conversational way, and so this is a conversational style translation, New Living translation. So life application study Bible, and then we always use a New Living translation, so we don't think it's the only one. We just think it's a practical one for what we're doing. So that's right. Here we go in Matthew chapter six. We're gonna start off FM verse nineteen. We'll read to the end of the chapter. Is that correct? Yep? Okay. Jesus said, don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where the thieves break in and steel. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is there, the desires of your heart will also be. Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is? No one can serve two masters. For you hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. That is why I tell you not to worry about every day life, whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food in your body more than clothing. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food and barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries at a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the littlies of the field and how they grow, And they don't work or make their clothing. Yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed as beautiful as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown in the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don't worry about these things? Say saying what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today is trouble enough for today, and and that's the truth. Today is trouble enough for today. Yeah, that's right, that's right. Today brings its own trouble. Don't even worry about tomorrow. I think that way for going to bed, and I solved as many of the problems I could solve today. Tomorrow is going to have its own problems, and just go to bed. So in our guest room above the bed and our guest room is a great big sign and it says give it to God and go to sleep. That's great. This is right up about the bed and guests. So it's uh so that that works if you get in a fight with your guests. He said, just go go to bed, we'll read the sign and give it to God. That's right. So the promise in this chapter, obviously there's a lot of promises, there's a lot of truth there, but the one that sort of wraps everything up is seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and you and live righteously, and then he will give you everything you need. And then we learned it as seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Yes, which is the King James. Version, and which of course is a. Song, Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. Yeah. Yeah, good, and sing it. You sing it? No, you sing it, You sing it. The people want you to sing it. I'm not saying it. You sing it. Seek ye first, the Kingdom of God and his righteousnesses, and all these things shall be added unto you. Haley lou a lailu. Yeah. And you sing it in a round too, Yeah, I'm not going to do. And then there's a girl part. She's like see yeah, so yeah. In my wife would always sing the girl part and we were singing at church and and so yeah. I mean it helps you to memorize scripture when you put in the song. And so this is a very famous one, and I love that it says above all else. It's almost like an overarching principle that says, if you seek God and make that your primary thing that you seek, then you're going to find and he's going to provide overall. Because after all, he's already given examples. He's talked about Lily's and he's talked about sparrows, and he's talked about all these different things, and he talked about the futility of worry. So he's gotten into our he's gotten into our tendencies, the human the human reaction, you know, the anxiety, the worry. He's gotten into all of that, used practical examples, and then he ends with this sort of big promise that says, if you seek God above all else, he's going to provide for you, and he's going to take care of you. He's going to give you everything that you need. So you know, we've talked about this before. How the Middle Eastern mind and the teaching works a lot of times rabbis, especially the Middle Eastern thought process is often we start with an idea out around the edges, we kind of talk around it, we come to the middle of the conversation is often the main point of it, and then it pivots back off again. It goes out to the big ideas all around it. What they're doing is they're probing all the ideas you and I. For Western thinkers, most of us start off at point A, and we go point B, point C, point D, we continue to logically build an argument. Whereas a rabbi will start with the ideas, but he's taking you to the center or the core of his idea, and then he'll expand back out from there. Blow your mind right as she does. So the center of this because he pivots. The beginning is he teaches us a bunch about the law in chapter five. This is all the sermon of the Mound. Chapter five. Yeah, and then in chapter six he's teaching about giving and prayer and fasting. That's a whole big idea, yep. And then he pivots again. And now he's talking about how we feel about money, right, and so in that don't store up treasures here on earth. Oh hey, that's a new idea. Where are you going? He's starting out on the edges, and then he's gonna take you to the core of this. You cannot serve God in money. You can't serve God and money rights. That's where he's gonna take He's gonna take you to the center of that. So on the front end, don't store up treasures here on earth. Then in the middle, you can't serve two masters. You gonna have to choose who you can serve. It's either going to be money or God. But if you serve God, that what's the very last verse, seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously all these things. He will give you everything you need, so you don't have to worry about tomorrow. Well, technically they didn't have verses when this. Was written, now I know, but this idea, because then he moves on from there, and he chapter seven starts off with judging others. So every one of these ideas he starts out, he starts out on the edge. He brings you to the center, the main point, and then he finishes. So the front edge of this is quit just trying to collect stuff. You're putting all your trust and money. You're gonna have to decide. In the middle, you have to decide who you're gonna trust. Either you trust God or you trust money. You can't have two gods. And then the end is but if you seek him first above all else, he'll give everything you need. Yeah, And I think it's also interesting how he talks about treasures because actually the word translates his money here, but the actual word is mammon, right, and you know that mammon is actually better translated as the word stuff stuff yeah, which of course money buys. Right. So so really we got to say. Do you remember do you remember veggietails? Of course? Smart? Yeah, stuff Mart. Yeah, we love stuff so great. It's so great, stuff Mark. It's a big story. They like the shop at stuff Mark. Stuff Mart. But the idea is is you can't serve God and stuff. It sort of goes right along with he starts with this idea of like, hey, a lot of you put so much value in earthly treasures, and to be honest with you, we do. I mean like when this iPhone sixteen pro came out, whoa, I guess what I did. I went and got it. You know why because I could because I didn't need it. I didn't need it all although my phone was the battery was getting a little fritzy and I needed to. I'm getting there, yeah, yeah, yeah, mine's about to be. Yeah. So but the point is is that now the iPhone seventeen's ooh right, so I haven't. Done that jump there's seventeen. Yeah, good, there's a piece of garbage obsolete. But the but the whole point is is that we can value stuff and even even you know, like I, you know, I've never necessarily said that you get into the ministry to make a ton of money. And so I don't think I've been a person that's necessarily had a lot of stuff. But the stuff that I do have, I recognize I've had it. It's it's better than most of the world, right. I mean, it's a twenty year old, crappy lawnmower, but people don't have a lawnmower, right, It's that kind of thing, right, And so but by the way, I gave away that lawnmower, and I do have a brandow I do because but I did keep it for twenty years. I did keep it. But the point is is that like, there are people out there who do have a lot of wealth and then they then they end up getting stuff. And I just I'm going to give you an example of a guy that I know. I'm not going to say his name, and I'm not joking this time. I'm really not going to say his name, but he is the poorest rich person that I know. Yeah, and amazing, Yeah, right, I've known people like that. Yeah, he is super wealthy, makes millions with an S. And all he can do when we're together is talk about how he is so poor compared to the billionaires that he hangs out with because he's on a boat of a billionaire And let me tell you about this boat and then this other guy who makes. This and he gap in the game. I just talked about that. Yesterday, Yes, and he just he is the poorest millionaire guy that I've ever met my entire life. I mean, just the kitchen cabinets and everything about it. And I'm like, bro, you just tore out perfectly good cabinets, and you spent seventy thousand for kitchen cabinets, and somehow you're telling me about these other cabinets that you didn't get. Are you kidding me? Do you realize the privilege of what you've just told me? Right? Anyway, the point is is that it's a I think what ends up happening is we compare ourselves among ourselves. And what does Corinthian say, right, when we measure ourselves by ourselves, when we compare ourselves with ourselves, that's not wise, right. Keeping up with the joneses, Well, it's interesting because in this one God doesn't give us options for other gods. He basically says, your two masters are either God or money and what money can buy those are it, right? And ultimately the main god when it comes to money is yourself. So it's either you or yourself. It's either you or God. Those are are the two gods, right. And he's really so that means he's really directing this to those who sort of have got money as there God. Yeah, well I think so all of us need money. Ye. Money is a necessity. You got to have it any Stanley always says, you have to eat and live indoors. Yeah, I'm I'm a big fan of both, big fan of living indoors. Although you know at my house when Bonnie, but you know, we got this new house. I have that place set out back. It's like a really good for it, isn't it Like a big fancy treehouse. And it's like my my plan, my fallback plant. Bonnie ever kicks me out of the house, at least I'll have some place to stay. I also have a storage barn, and that's my that's my. That's your plan. I get a little cot there you go. I could bring like a mattress and put it up in the loft and I would be just fine. But at least that's what Liz say. But you know, a big fan of living indoors, And so he says, isn't it amazing? The whole thing isn't really about stuff. That's the thing. When people read it, they go, oh, he's talking about money, talking about treasures, talking about moths and rust and don't worry about money and all these things. But it's not the point is not that. The point is where are your priorities? Who are you worshiping? Are you worshiping your stuff and money and essentially yourself, or are you trusting God? Because what God says is, listen, if you seek Me above all else in my kingdom, the mission that I'm trying to reach the whole world. If you seek me first and put my kingdom first and my righteousness first, but righteousness is just right living, he says, then I'll give you all these other things. So Jesus says, dude, it's a no brainer. You do what I need you to do, and you'll have everything you need. If you chase all the things you think you need you're always going to be poor and you won't have my blessing. It really for me, Matthew six thirty three is a no brainer. I mean, about five hundred episodes we talk we talked through this passage. I don't know it was five hundred, but it was one hundred and hundreds ago episode. Yeah, No, like five hundred episodes ago. It was three when we were going through the Gospels right at the beginning, and I mentioned I had been going through a really difficult time. I had some people that I thought were my friends who just turned on me really, really, really hard. It was it was a bad situation, and I think, you know, I don't carry a lot of depression with me. I don't carry a lot of like second guessing. But it just hurt a lot. And I was like, man, I've been making sacrifices. And then on top of that, we had some financial issues that happened, and a guy shows up at our church, one of my big outlets. I love nature, I love being outdoors, and I love bow hunting and just hunting in general. This guy shows up at our church just started attending starts trying to meet with me. I just was busy and couldn't meet with him for a few times, and then finally he gets a hold of me in the lobby and he says, hey. He starts explaining, I grew up in a pastor's home all this. I just have a heart for pastors and for pastors kids, and I know it can be difficult sometimes. I just want to be a blessing. I've got some property you want to hunt. I just lost my hunting property. I got some property you want to hunt. I was like, that'd be great, and so he gave me directions, and I drive out and I pull in my pickup truck. I pull into this area on the farm, and then I stepped around front to grab some of my stuff. When I came back, there was a gun case sitting on my tailgate and he had written on there Matthew six thirty three. That's all it said. And up to that point, I had never had anybody give me a big gift like that. It was several hundred dollars, and I'd never in my whole ministry I ever had anybody. I'm not the kind of guy people go just gonna love this, We're gonna buy I don't you know. So I just had never had that before, and I just stood there and I remember, like big tears came in my eyes. And I'm not a big emotional guy, but because I knew immediately Matthew six thirty three is seek first guy's kingdom and all these other things to be added, you know, to you. And so it was like a hug from God in the moment. I went outside to deal with it, but we took it home. We hate it, but the idea of being God has a way when you decide you're all in with Him, not part way in all it because I can't serve two masters, so I can't be part way. But when I'm all in, no matter what's going on around me, Tomorrow is going to have its own problems, but God, on a regular basis is going to remind you, hey, I'm going to give you everything you need. That's great. And I didn't need that gun, but I needed a hug from God and that's what he did for me. That's awesome. Yeah, great story. Yeah, Hey, well that looks like our time. So hopefully we'll see tomorrow on the Bible. Gus