First Not Last | Week 3 | Vision Series

When God is first, your life becomes a beacon of His love, joy, and peace.

²⁵ “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? ²⁷ And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? ²⁸ And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Matthew 6:25-34 NASB 1995

The “reason” in verse 25 comes from Matthew 6:19–24.

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ~ Matthew 6:19–24 NASB 1995

Prioritize adding value to what is Godly (¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; ²¹ for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 NASB 1995).

Prioritize a vision for what is Holy (²² “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ~ Matthew 6:19–23 NASB 1995).

Prioritize slavery to worship over worry ( ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ~ Matthew 6:24 NASB 1995).

Key Insights

• Birds (²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  ~ Matthew 6:26 NASB 1995)
• Flowers (²⁸ And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, ²⁹ yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! ~ Matthew 6:25-34 NASB 1995)

Operating out of God’s capacity instead of your own creates:

• Joyful freedom (birds).
• Beautiful attraction (flowers).
• Inner value (“Are you not much more important than they?”).
• Resists the enemy’s attacks on identity.

Seek First His Kingdom : ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  ~ Matthew 6:33 NASB 1995

Kingdom Definition

• The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 14:17 NASB 1995)
• The kingdom of God is within you. (²⁰ Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; ²¹ nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” ~  Luke 17:20-21 NASB 1995)
• The kingdom of God is power, not just words. (²⁰ For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:20 NASB 1995)

Practical Application at The Crossing Church

• First Conference: Aligning vision and making room for God’s prophetic voice.
• Church-wide fasting: Seeking God’s will corporately with humility.
• Groups ministries: Building community and discipleship.
• Engaging the mission: Serving, evangelizing, and making a tangible difference in the community.

 ³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. ~ Matthew 6:34 NASB 1995

• Each day brings trouble; releasing it in the now is the only way to avoid collapsing under tomorrow’s weight.
• When God is first, everything else falls into place.

Words of Knowledge

• We believe the Lord wants to heal someone suffering with frequent nose bleeds.
• We believe the Lord wants to heal someone struggling with extreme fatigue or exhaustion.
• We believe the Lord wants to heal someone today that is dealing with an undiagnosed rash that is really dry, itchy, and painful.