Seek the Kingdom Above All Else

In one paragraph

Carl brought a message from Luke 12:13-34 on what it looks like to seek God's kingdom above everything else, with greed and worry as the two joy-robbers Jesus warns us about along the way. The throughline was not a list of rules but an invitation into a rich, living relationship with God, one that makes those joy-robbers lose their grip naturally. Carl opened by playing a short video clip about...

Read together

1. Galatians 5:1 quoted to remind listeners that Christ came for freedom: 'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free'
2. Luke 12:13-34 the main passage read aloud and expounded, covering the parable of the rich fool, warnings against worry, and the call to seek the kingdom

Talk about it

1. Carl talked about sanctification as a pursuit of joy in Jesus, flooding your life with things that stir your affections for Him and cutting away the things that rob you of those affections. What are some things in your own life, even morally neutral ones, that you have noticed pulling your affections away from the Lord?
2. Carl said that following God becomes 'discipline without delight' and 'begrudging submission' when it is not rooted in a loving relationship with God. Have you experienced that kind of joyless obedience at some point in your walk with Christ, and what did it feel like?
3. In the parable of the rich farmer in Luke 12, Carl pointed to verse 19 as the moment where the farmer's thinking goes off the rails. He sits back and says to himself, 'I have enough stored away for years to come, take it easy.' What is the difference between wise planning and the attitude Jesus is warning against here?
4. Carl read from Luke 12 that it gives the Father great happiness to give us the kingdom, and he underlined the words 'great happiness.' How does that picture of God change or challenge the way you normally think about Him and His commands?
5. Carl closed by saying we were not made to be satisfied with stuff but with God, and that a relationship with God does not spoil, fade, or wear out. Where in your everyday life do you find it hardest to seek God's kingdom above the temporary things that compete for your attention?