Theme: “Returning to Our First Love”
Topic: Seeking God Wholeheartedly
Main Text: Matthew 6:1-34.
Key verse: Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (NKJV)
Introduction:
In today’s text, our Lord teaches on many topics – giving, prayer, fasting, and the kind of behavior that is eternally rewarded. Our topic focuses on two key words, ‘seek’ and ‘wholeheartedly.’ The Hebrew word translated as seek refers to a seeking for, or a striving after, someone or something. The word translated as “heart” refers to the seat of the inner self, which is composed of life, soul, mind, and spirit. To seek God ‘wholeheartedly ” is to strive after Him without reservation and with all that we are. To properly grasp the importance of this topic, one must situate it against the religious climate of the day. While a few understood that relationship with God went beyond that (e.g., Mark 12:29-32), most of the religious leaders came to equate it with temple worship and observance of the rituals outlined in the Law and the Prophets. When Jesus came, He sought to help people gain a clear understanding of what a relationship with God entails through teachings such as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapters 5 through 7. A key theme of these teachings is God’s kingdom and righteousness. In Matthew 5:20 (ESV), Jesus declared, “… unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Q1. Read Matthew 5:20; 6:33 (1a) How does seeking God wholeheartedly relate to the theme of ‘Returning to our first love’? (1b) From our passage, what is it about the righteousness of the Pharisees and Scribes that is contrary to seeking God wholeheartedly? (1c) What does seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness first mean to you? Are you doing so?
Paragraph 2:
It has been said that “the choice to seek first the kingdom of God is the fundamental choice everyone makes when they first repent and are converted…yet every day after that, our Christian life will either reinforce or deny it.” If we have been born again, then our regenerate hearts seek pure devotion to God, but we do not always win every one of our daily battles with “the world, the flesh and the devil” striving after Him unreservedly and with all that we are. In Matthew 6:1-18 and other passages, Jesus Christ denounced certain religious practices, not because they are bad in themselves, but because of the motivation that drove them. For instance, in Matthew 23:5, He condemned some people for their religious fashion shows, personified in their display of their knowledge of Scriptures, embroidered prayer shawls, and flowery prayers. In John 12:43, the Bible speaks of those who “loved the praise of men more than the praise of God”, yet thought they were doing the work of God.
Q2. Read Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 23:5, and Galatians 1:10 (2a). How does a wholehearted seeking of God contrast with the examples highlighted in these passages? (2b) In Matthew 6:4, 6, 8, Jesus reminds us that God sees and knows. How would focusing on these attributes of God help in a wholehearted quest for God? (2c) What are the effects of losing sight of God in our Christian life?
Paragraph 3:
If we lose sight of who God is—He is our loving, heavenly Father, who sees and knows all that we are and do — our spiritual exercises soon become people-centered or, worse, self-centered. In that event, we become like the Pharisees, seeking the applause of men. The Bible says when we do that, we have our reward and cannot expect one from God (Matt 6:2). Indeed, since our Lord tells us specifically not to be like them, to do so would be flagrant disobedience to God, which would prevent a return to our first love – God. Another danger to a wholehearted devotion to God is the cares of life – what to eat, wear, etc. In Mark 4:19, Jesus warns about life’s worries—the drive for more and more, the desire for other things—which close in on and choke the life of God out of us, making us unproductive.
Q3. (3a) Let a few participants share the idea in Matthew 6:24 in their own words. (3b) What lesson does Jesus want us to learn from the birds, and how can we apply that in guarding ourselves against the choking effect of life’s legitimate cares? (3c) ‘God will meet all the needs of those who risk all for Him’ (Proverbs 3:56). How does this truth help us in seeking God wholeheartedly?
Prayer: Lord, help us to behold YOU and to be ready to risk all in our pursuit of a wholehearted devotion to YOU. In Christ’s Name. Amen