First Things First

Text: Matthew 6:33

Series: Restoration Sermons

Date:

Speaker: Ed Rangel

Location: Waupaca Church of Christ

Bible Version: NASB 1995

Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

By the close of this lesson the hearer should be able to:

1. See that God and man rank things differently, and that God's order must govern.
2. Recognize the human tendency to major in minors and neglect the weightier matters.
3. Put the kingdom and righteousness of God first, as God commands.

Thesis

God and man value things differently; man is forever putting first what God puts last, and last what God puts first — so the whole art of right living is to see and rank things as God does, and "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness."

Burden

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). The trouble is not usually that people refuse the kingdom outright, but that they put it second — after the job, the bank account, the comfort, the body. They get the order wrong. And a life with the right things in the wrong order is nearly as ruined as a life with the wrong things, because what comes first crowds out what comes after. This outline drives at the order of our priorities, exposing how naturally we major in minors. The burden of this lesson is to get the sequence right — to see and value things as God does, and put His first things first.

Introduction

God and man see things differently and value them differently. Man should see and value things as God does — and only then can he know how to put "first things first." The outline develops the theme in three parts: the importance of the subject, the wrong emphasis man so often places, and the spiritual things God puts first.

I. The Importance of Getting the Order Right (Matthew 6:33)

1. We must know God's classification of things — what He counts great and small.
2. We must learn to classify as God does, not by our own taste.
3. We must know what the "first things" are.
4. Because some put first what God puts last — and a life ordered backwards is a life misspent, however busy.

II. The Wrong Emphasis Man Places (Matthew 23:23)

Jesus rebuked exactly this disorder in the Pharisees:

1. The Pharisees and hypocrites tithed scrupulously (Matt. 23:23) —
2. down to mint, anise, and cummin, small garden herbs grown for flavor —
3. yet neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness, "the weightier matters of the law."
4. Jesus said it was right to tithe even the herbs, but wrong to neglect the greater — "these you should have done without neglecting the others."
5. They failed to put first things first — meticulous in the minor, careless in the major.
6. And people do the same today:
• We clean the body first and the soul second.
• We lay up treasures here first and heaven last.
• We save money first and souls last.

The Pharisees' error is the perennial human error — straining over the small thing while letting the great thing slide.

III. God Puts Spiritual Things First (Matthew 6:33)

Over and over, God's word fixes the order with the word "first":

1. Seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).
2. And first His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
3. The scribe asked which is the first commandment — and Jesus named love for God first (Mark 12:28-30).
4. First be reconciled to your brother, then bring your gift (Matt. 5:23-24).
5. First cast the beam out of your own eye, then help your brother (Matt. 7:5).
6. First forgive others, before you ask God to forgive you (Matt. 6:14-15).
7. The Macedonians first gave themselves to the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5).
8. Andrew first found his own brother Simon and brought him to Jesus (John 1:41).
9. And underlying it all: the soul is of greatest value — "what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36).

God's "firsts" are all spiritual: His kingdom, His righteousness, reconciliation, forgiveness, self-surrender, soul-winning. Get these first, and the rest falls into place.

Application

Examine the order of your life, not just its contents. It is possible to be a decent, busy, even religious person and still have everything in the wrong sequence — body before soul, money before souls, earth before heaven, the small careful duties crowding out justice, mercy, and faith. Jesus did not tell the Pharisees to stop tithing herbs; He told them to stop neglecting the weightier matters. So with us: the question is not only what we do but what we put first. Does the kingdom of God actually come first in your week, your wallet, your worries — or somewhere down the list after everything "practical"? Reorder your life by God's classification. Seek His kingdom and righteousness first, and trust His promise that "all these things" will be added.

Conclusion

The art of right living is the art of right order. Man's instinct is to put first what God puts last; God's word is forever saying "first" over the spiritual things — His kingdom, His righteousness, reconciliation, forgiveness, the soul. See and value things as God does, and put His first things first. Get the order right, and the rest follows.

Invitation

The first thing — before career, comfort, or anything else — is to settle your soul with God. "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matt. 6:33): believe on the Lord Jesus, repent of your sins, confess His name, and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). Put first things first today, and all else will find its proper place. Come while we sing.

Word Study

Scripture Interlock Table

---

Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 63. Doctrinal audit: core-framework (right priority — seeking God's kingdom and righteousness first; the weightier matters over the incidental; the supreme value of the soul); no correction. Style audit: OCR cleanup (page number "6j"→63). All of Boles' citations verified and retained; Mark 12:28 expanded to 12:28-30 and Matt. 5:23/6:15/7:24-equivalents kept as given (5:23-24, 6:14-15).