Seek First

City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

We can all “seek first” the Kingdom of God in our prayer and daily living.

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Change your hearts and lives, because the kingdom of heaven is near.’” – Matthew 4:17 NCV

What did this subject of Jesus’ teaching mean to the initial audience?

Preach – publicly announce spiritual truth and principles while urging acceptance and compliance

Repent/Change – change one’s way of life as the result of complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness

Kingdom – area ruled by a king, domain,

Realm – a region of activity, knowledge, or influence

Heaven – the spiritual realm owned and operated under the control of God alone

At Hand – near, close, approaching, arriving now and ultimately arriving in the near future

Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven – throughout human history

Kingdom of God through Jesus and His followers – Jesus Movement: initiated by God’s purpose accomplished through Jesus’ miraculous birth, life, death, burial, resurrection and ultimate fulfillment yet to come upon the return of Jesus to earth

Before the ultimate victory of Jesus, the followers of Jesus are commissioned to declare His Good News, follow His teaching and example, while building local churches as expressions of His purpose of God’s Kingdom on earth, urging and teaching others to follow Jesus and participate in this movement.

“Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:33-34 NCV

Seek – to try to obtain something from someone, to look for something until you find it,

Context from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”: (handout)

What about my life here and now? Does God care about it? Does God understand what I’m facing?

“And when you pray, don’t be like those people who don’t know God. They continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. So when you pray, you should pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name always be kept holy. May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And do not cause us to be tempted, but save us from the Evil One.’ (The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever.) Amen.’ Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:7-15 NCV

Let the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray shape how we view God, ourselves, and our purpose.

What do we learn from the teaching of Jesus?

1. The Kingdom of God is eternal and most valuable, including the spiritual realm and our natural environment.

2. Here and now, God is accomplishing His passionate purpose through His Kingdom on earth.

3. We are invited to participate in God’s Kingdom here and now.

4. Through the communication of prayer, we are shaped by God’s purpose.

5. There is a vital connection between the Kingdom of God and our daily living.

What should we do about this?

1. We should build our lives on the foundation of Jesus’ teaching.

2. We should set our values based on God’s priorities and passionate purpose.

3. We should pray according to Jesus’ teaching.

4. We should plan actions that are based on Jesus’ teaching.