"Seek First" - Transcript
We thank you today for your boundless love thank you Jesus thank you Ten Thousand
Times Ten Thousand Times we praise you our words are inadequate
we can't find even the energy to appropriately bless the name of the
one who loved us and gave himself for us Lord as I prayed already today
this is a gathering this is a holy Gathering you knew before the foundation of the
world that we would be here today these people would be sitting where they're sitting
you knew who would be watching from Japan Saudi Arabia Australia
and many many other places I pray today now that the word of the Lord will find
deep root in our hearts and when we leave may we be different
may we be challenged to be different in Jesus name we pray
and everybody said amen amen you may be seated
what do you need Pastor okay thank you
as I study God's word I'm I'm constantly reminded
first of all I am never to lean on my under my own understanding
I don't really know it takes God telling me and teaching me
lean not to your own understanding in all of your ways acknowledge Him
he will direct your path I'm also admonished strongly by Jesus first of
all never to lean on this world to put any amount of confidence in it
the accoutrements of this world the
Securities of this world are not what the child of God relies on
Orleans on so I want to stand here first of all and
tell all of you who are followers of Jesus your heavenly Father Knows What You Need
better than you let me say it again your
Heavenly Father knows what you need right now
he knew it before you were born because he knows everything but right
now where you are sitting and where you are watching your heavenly Father Knows
the predicament you are in the problem you are facing the situation that's taxing you
your Heavenly Father knows
now in the words of Jesus therefore do not worry
in three places in the same chapter chapter six
of Matthew Jesus said therefore do not worry
therefore I say unto you do not worry
third time therefore I say do not worry
he is not just telling you not to worry about your finances
but about anything in your life or anybody in your life whatever you put into God's
hand God takes care of
whatever you release to him he takes charge of
you can't just put it in his hand and continue to hold on to it
because it appears that you might want to take it back when you give it to God
you've got to trust that God will solve it his way not yours
so when you come in that same chapter to the 33rd verse
it's a verse every one of you can quote when I start it you'll finish it I'm sure
but it's one of those verses I don't think we appreciate there are
things in God's word that become pivotal they become Lynch pins
they kind of summarize everything this is one of those verses it says but seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these
things will be added to you therefore do not worry
did you hear that things what things well he said the things that the
Gentiles worry about you are not to worry about
Gentiles are unsaved Nations or lost people or sinners
they worry about things clothes food
security he said but you have a Heavenly Father
and you are not one of them therefore do not worry your only task no your only
privilege is to seek first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness and everything else all those other
things will be automatically added to you
while you are seeking him things are chasing you
but your eyes are never on the things they're always on him and somehow when your eyes are on him
things don't seem that important anyway and yet God knows that you have need of
all these things so he just says I tell you what you keep your eyes on me you go
after me Chase me and see what kind of blessings will chase you but when you
start chasing me you'll never really catch me but the joy of chasing me is
what eternal life is all about because I already have you now I'm
giving you the joy of chasing me I've already captured you now you're trying
to grab hold of me it's just one big love tangle God taking care of his children
so how exactly are we supposed to go about this thing anyway you see you don't have to be a wealthy
person to be greedy um Jesus taught us very plainly those
things in Matthew chapter 13.
this is the attitude this is the diligence with which I am to
seek the kingdom of God are you ready for this
nobody's exempt from this message today you may be a pauper you may not have a dime in the bank and you may have just
lost your house but you can still be greedy you can be worth millions and of course
you too can be greedy because the Cry of the greedy is more
more that's what greed cries out all the time for more
more so Jesus said if you want this thing called The Kingdom here's how
you go about it the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure
um treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid
and for Joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field
that's it that's the end of the parable now I know there will be 75 or 80
different interpretations of the application of that Parable I'm not
interested in all of that today I'm looking at the seed in it and the seed
is when someone discovers something he considers so valuable
that he would sell everything else to get it then he understands what the kingdom of
God is all about but then Jesus added another one just right under it again
the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls
who when he had found one pearl of great price
went and sold all that he had and bought it into the parable
two short Parables some of Jesus parables are rather lengthy and in-depth
but these two just simply say if you want the kingdom of God you've
got to consider it treasure you've got to think of it as the pearl
of great price the most valuable thing you've ever seen in your life
and that you want it more than anything else in this life so to have it to to
gain that treasure and to hold that Pearl you counted nothing to sell everything
just so you can have that
it's an aggressive approach its Avid it's it's energetic
it's desperation that I may know
him at the cost of suffering at the cost of loss I just want to know Jesus
I'll give up everything to know Jesus there's no material thing there's not
even a person more important to me than Jesus The
Treasure of Jesus the beauty the inestimable
value of this beautiful pearl I want it I'll do
whatever it takes to have it I want a closer walk with him deeper knowledge of
him I want his presence to surround me I want him to be above me I want him to
fill me up I want my heart to cry out all day give me Jesus Just Give Me Jesus
I want to wake up saying thank you Jesus I want to eat lunch with a thank you on
my mind and as I go through the day and do the sometimes pitiful uh stuff you
got to do to be a human being in this pitiful world you just do it but you got
Jesus and while you're doing it you thank him that he found you and now he
lets you run after him thank you Jesus whatever you do when you sit down to eat
when you whatever you do you have this knowledge that the Lord found you and
saved you and now you get to dig deeper for more treasure and shine that
beautiful pearl in your soul every day what a blessing it is to wake up even in
the middle of the night just wake up and the first thing say I'm getting emotional that I and and what you're
thinking about is Jesus have you ever awakened have you ever awakened yourself saying hallelujah thank you Jesus it
happens to me all the time now I don't know what I was dreaming but I woke myself up saying hallelujah thank you
Jesus and with a scripture in my heart hasn't always been that way but now that
I've served him all these years and I've filled my life with this book I am just
coming to realize what a treasure Jesus Jesus is and there is no feeling no high
no car no home no amount of money nothing that can compare to feeling the
breath of Jesus in your face as you approach him
now the Lord was pretty strong about some things too
I turn over to chapter 12 of Luke he spoke a parable another parable
you don't know how blessed you are sir ma'am
to be able to understand what I'm preaching right now
blessed are your ears Jesus said for they hear and blessed are your eyes for
they see blessed are those that can hear and understand don't you ever take the fact
that you know who Jesus is for granted because most of this world does not know
and they do not care but here we said I'm off my subject now I don't care here
we sit in this Gathering today in the presence of the holy God of the creation
and we know who he is
another parable the ground of a certain rich man
yielded plentifully beginning with 16 chapter 12 Luke
now I need to just take my time here the ground of a certain rich man yielded
plentifully and he thought within himself
this is what he's thinking in his heart you see you can say one thing with your
mouth but think another thing in your heart he thought within himself saying what
shall I do I have no room to store my crops
I've got so much stuff I don't even know what to do with it I've got packages I haven't opened I've
got clothes that still have the tags on them and yet yet
I just want some more clothes you know
I've got this car but I've always really wanted that car but I don't want to get rid of that one
because I want both of those but I've also seen that one so wow what shall I do
I've got plenty of money in the bank I don't really have any Financial worries what shall I do
so he said to whom did he say it himself
he's talking to himself I will do this
I'll pull down my Barns and build greater and there I will store all my crops and
my goods I'll just do more I'll get more
you see that's the Cry of the greedy more more
and I will say to my soul this is incredible to me
this man is talking to himself I'll pull down what I got I'll build
Vigor and then I'll say to my soul so you have many Goods laid up for many
years take your ease eat drink and
be merry so he's in his heart he's saying I feel
pretty good if the economy crashes I still got stuff
I got so many different Investments and so much stuff laid up in so many
different places I know it can't all be affected I'll be all right
so soul take it easy you don't have anything to worry about
it doesn't matter what the economy does or Wall Street
you've you're pretty safe you've done well you've
planned wisely you got a lot take it easy
now somebody else is going to talk but God said
but God said to him fool
fool this night that Soul you've been talking to
will be required of you I'm calling it home it's over you're gonna die
all this planning you've done was done without me you you may have told people how good
God's been to you but you've been talking to yourself about how blessed you are and how secure you feel and your
security was not in me fool
You Don't Own Your Soul you may talk to it but when I am ready
for it I will call your soul home
then look at it whose will those things be which you
have provided somebody's going to pick it up when you drop it
somebody else is going to carry on your greedy Legacy somebody else is going to be viciously
infected with the poison of greed just like you are
and they'll talk to their souls and they won't talk to me and Jesus said so is he who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God
oh my and is not rich toward God
you know what my long tenure I've met a lot of people you know I have
met the poorest of the poor and I've met some really
Mega rich rich people too and the Cry of the greedy is always the
same more more I've had a number of people
you know have me look at their things their assets and say it's all the Lord's
is it what does he need with it God doesn't care what you accumulate he
wants to know what you did for my name's sake with him that wasn't comfortable was it
you can say that with your mouth but when you talk to your soul and says soul look what you've got look look what you
did look what you've built you sold this you are the master of this you crafted
this success Journey you're talking to your soul and God says but all I've got to do is look at your
soul and I'll call it home and then then where will all this stuff go so was
the man who is not rich toward God
did you notice the wording there Rich toward God he didn't say the man that
knows God or believes in God he said you've got an opportunity to be as rich
in God as you are in this world which one will you choose and I tell you
brothers and sisters and ladies and gentlemen one half second after you die
if you have not lived your life for the glory of Jesus you would give every thing you ever made
or owned or sold or bought for that half second to say Jesus
forgive me so I come today to comfort people who
are struggling right now but I've also come to warn people who have put their trust in the things
of this world God is looking for somebody to be rich
toward him to get to that place of abandoned total
abandonment where you say and I know this is a different context than a different book
if I perish I perish I am not going to live a protected
defensive lifestyle I'm going to be
adventurous with the word of God and in my faith
God has blessed me to be a blessing not to accumulate it so I can feel
secure in this present world I know this doesn't go over well with
lots of business people and you say what do you know you're a preacher
you see you may know money in business but I know this
so that's why you need to listen to me don't get upset with me
listen to me if you are listening to me it's a gift from God
that someone gets to stand here and remind you that a man's life does not consist of
the things which he possesses it doesn't matter how fat your wallet is
or how big your barns are or how full they are if you're not getting rich
toward God the Lord says that's foolish
you're just a fool so when Jesus said seek
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness what does he mean by that well one man
sought and found the treasure and another man sought and found the Pearl
you've got to go after it but I do need to tell you that you can't
do two things first only one thing can be done
first you can't be best at more than one thing
you can't give one thing to everything first means
first seek the kingdom of God
first don't seek the world and then use God as
an excuse and a crutch don't have a short little devotion in
the morning and then rush out to do what you really want to do and that's yet more
people live for the next accomplishment
the next project but unless we are living
for him and to know him God calls that whole thing
fully you know when you read the Apostle Paul in that very personal letter of
Philippians he kind of summed it up too
he said I used to be a man of means and I used to be an important man and a well-known man and I am an accomplished
man and if you look in my world he said you will see that nobody excelled me in anything
but what things were gained to me now I see that it is nothing but manure
dung rubbish do you hear me what things were gained to me now that
I've seen him now that I've tasted him
all that stuff seems so very stupid unnecessary
even offensive to me now this one thing I do
one thing the man that took the gospel around the
world said I only have one mission forgetting what's behind
because no matter what I did it doesn't matter and pressing forward going after it
seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness one thing I do
forgetting what's behind pressing forward to what's in front of me
I'm headed toward the mark of the high call of God in Christ Jesus
this one thing I do I wonder how many of us today
could could get near that I've got one thing on my mind no we have
way too many things on our mind it wasn't it David that said
one thing have I desired
one thing have I desired David had it all you know
but when it came down to that place and that part in his life where he realized where he came from who
brought him there how good God had been he said that's all I want from now on one thing have I desired of the Lord and
that will I see after I'm going for it
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his Temple I don't know if you understand the the
import of what he just said let me say it again one thing have I desired of the
Lord and that is what I'm seeking
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life meaning his presence
I want his presence that I may behold the beauty of the Lord
I just want to see him and that I may inquire in his Temple
that I may get all of my answers from him Lord you know this is so rich
right here I want to be in his presence I want to see his Beauty I want to get everything
from him he is my life
that's why Jesus said no man can serve two masters if you want this
you can't serve two masters so early this morning
I looked at this again when this this statement
that just kind of no man can serve two masters
either he will watch it either he will hate one and love the
other you can't like both
you can't love both you can't even hate both
no man can serve two masters you either really love one and you'll hate the
other one or else he said
you will be loyal to one and despise the other
see I don't know if we really see what Jesus is saying here he said you can't hold my arm and the
world's arm and walk through life he said you either love me or you hate
me um and if you hate me you love the world but if you love me you will
hate the world if you're loyal to me you will despise
the world but if you're loyal to the world you despise me there is no in between
brothers and sisters we're trying to make it that way
we are trying to make this thing compatible the kingdom of this world and the
kingdom of Our Lord will never mix light has nothing to do with darkness
and vice of versa God expects me
to want him all of him at the expense of this entire thing
called the world and he says to me
if you have any love for this world whatsoever you actually despise me
he that is a friend of the world is the enemy of God now that's what the Bible
says or is anybody still with me I'm just giving you what the Bible says
see I'm desperate now I've told you that many times about heaven about dying Let Me Clear My
Throat again about leaving this world I'm desperate because
once I take my last breath it's over friend for Here and Now
so I'm trying to get my act together and I'm trying to realize there is no
way that a man of God can stand up and preach the Bible and make friends with
worldly people or carnal Christians I cannot be an emcee of a religious
gallery I am not a cruise ship entertainment director
I am a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ [Applause]
and Jesus said if you love money you hate me
Jesus said if you like money you don't like me
Jesus said if you don't trust me but trust in this world you are
a fool and you offend me and you are not
loyal to me then Jesus turns around
after he had thrown those hand grenades in the crowd he looked at those precious
followers and said fear not little flock
it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom
little flock they didn't have the riches or the wickedness of the rich religious
leaders they were just common Folk and he turned and said don't you be
afraid little flock it is your father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom
Hallelujah so if I want that Kingdom I can have it
all I've got to do is love the Lord my God with all of my
heart mind soul body strength love my neighbor as myself have a prayer life I
walk through life on my knees I eat from the word of God I get my satisfaction in
my direction from the holy scriptures and if that's what I do the father is
giving me the kingdom because Jesus said the kingdom of God is
within you so when this whole world Goes to Hell and it's about to break loose now and
when you look at our government our government that's the most pitiful
disenchanting disappointing scary thing I've ever seen right now the leadership
of this country oh my wonderful Jesus
we are indeed trouble and is only going to get deeper
but my mind is not on that my mind is on the fact
that at any moment when this thing comes unraveled before
Sodom seized the fire there's going to be an invitation blown by a Trumpeter to
come up here and be with the Lord forevermore
[Applause]
so the kingdom of God is within you the kingdom of God is never the stuff
around you look at all my blessings look what God gave me that is not the kingdom of God
the kingdom of God is within you Paul further
explains the kingdom of God is Not meat and drink
have you read that what that means is you people in church are arguing about who's wearing this and
who's eating that and what day to worship on and all that religious garbage
y'all are acting like church people arguing about personal convictions he
said that ain't the kingdom of God kingdom of God is Not meat and drink
rules and regulations the kingdom of God is righteousness
peace and joy in the Holy Ghost
[Applause] what does that mean s the kingdom of God is righteousness
it means there's nothing between me and my savior
I don't have any secret sins I don't have any unconfessed sins I'm not living a double lifestyle
I'm not operating one one way at church and another way at business
I'm faithful to my wife I tell the truth I I have confessed all of my sins there
is nothing unconfessed in my living I've been washed in the blood I've been
justified by faith and the Lord looks at me as he looks at
his own son Jesus he loves me just as much as he loves Jesus the father does
righteousness it means I want to do the right thing righteousness means I don't care if I
ever make another dime but I've got to make some disciples uh oh the Lord are you taking me here
I need to tell the preachers that are watching I've said it many times but here we go
you gotta if you call yourself a preacher you better make up your mind
do you want to make money or make disciples because you can't do both
and brother I've met him I grew up with those guys didn't we Sandra
preachers that would preach on the weekend but they had jobs side jobs they
collected coins and sold cars they were investing in this that and the other they would preach on the weekend do that
all week long then get a message together right quick and go back and preach to the people they made more
money than they ever made disciples and I'm telling you you can't do that
if a man of God doesn't have time for a second job I'm not talking about men who
can't afford a salary in a church and they have to work another job I'm not
talking about bivocational pastors who would love to give everything they have
to the church but they've got to feed their family I'm not talking about that sir a man of God does not have time to
do anything else but seek God and know his word period
kingdom of God is within you is going on right now it's righteousness
and have you discovered that when you know everything is all right between you and God
there's peace you're not agitated and worried and all convicted and guilty righteousness peace
and have you noticed that when you have peace you just automatically feel Joy
and do you know that it all comes from the Holy Spirit brother the kingdom of God is the most wonderful Kingdom it's
not really visible right now it's in us one of these days it's going to be visible and he's going to Reign from
Jerusalem and the whole world is going to live according to his dictates his
laws and his Holiness but right now that kingdom is inside of me and right now
I'm supposed to Rejoice because I've been made the righteousness of God in
Christ Jesus I have the joy of the Lord that strengthens my soul and I have
peace that passes all understanding this comes from being in the kingdom of God
say amen somebody I think I preached long enough I don't
want to quit but I am stand with me please
oh I just had a good thought from the good Lord kind of go on another moment
they say I can
you ever wonder why it's so hard to give to the Lord sometimes you know I can't I can't
tithe you would see tithing is the least amount you're supposed to give
you ever wonder why it's so hard I'll tell you why
Paul explained it in second Corinthians chapter 8. that church there was so poor
they had already been persecuted their goods were stripped from them and they were they were in poverty
and yet they heard that the Saints in Jerusalem were starving to death under their persecution
and they got together and said let's take up an offering and they notified Paul when you get here
we got a big offering for you to take take to the Saints in Jerusalem
Paul said they gave out of their need but here's
here's what makes it make sense he said but first they gave themselves to the Lord
they didn't give their money first they first first hello first
gave themselves to the Lord may I tell you when you give yourself to the Lord first
everything else is easy all giving all work all sacrifice all
worship everything is easy when you have first
given yourself to the Lord
how about the nodding of the heads can I see some so if you're struggling with your
generosity you're struggling because you haven't yet
given yourself to the Lord You've not yet said if I perish I perish
you're still saying in case something happens I got some stuff laid up no the Lord says I don't want you to have
anything laid up I want you to trust me like Israel did they ate Manna every
morning and God made sure it was there and nobody went without trust me
and if you perish you perish but you won't because David said I have
been young now I'm old and I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed
begging bread who would raise your hands and bless God with me right now would you do that
bless him [Music]
Hallelujah Jesus thank you Jesus
let me say one more thing listen to me carefully if your goal was not to get out of debt
but to know Jesus you'd get out of debt
if your goal was to seek the kingdom of God first in his righteousness
God handles debt God can handle it
he handled your Eternal debt when Jesus Paid It
with his blood he can handle any other debt there is
all right you know I can't sing very well I've told you that 10 times in the last three
months I don't care anymore I'm going to take this old raspy preacher's voice and
give it the best I got this morning in the morning when I Rise
in the morning when I die
that's what I want now may the Lord
richly bless you
May the god of our salvation surround you
may he smile upon you and may you smile back at him
may you be free from the shackles of worldly security and dreams and hopes
may they be snapped as you now look upward and say my God
shall supply all my need according to his riches in
Glory by Christ Jesus
I have an assignment for you I would like for you to take those chapters that I referred to today
Matthew 6 13 Luke 12. and I would like for you to study those
chapters this week but I'm already in addition to that can you can you study
too much come on now so there it is Matthew 6 Matthew 13 Luke
12 write it write stuff down as God speaks to you get in a quiet lonely holy
place and just read it over and over and as God speaks to you you'll be amazed at
what he says to you amen let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my
heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer amen God
bless you church I love you [Music] thank you