Seek the Kingdom Above All Else

In one paragraph

This message, preached from Luke 12:13-34, centered on one main idea: seek God's kingdom above all else. Rather than zeroing in on greed and worry as problems to fix, the sermon pointed to a rich relationship with God as the solution that naturally pushes those things aside. The invitation was to pursue genuine joy in God, not a begrudging, discipline-only kind of faith. The sermon opened with a...

Read together

1. Luke 12:13-34 main passage read aloud and expounded throughout the sermon
2. Galatians 5:1 quoted as 'it is for freedom that Christ has set you free' to anchor the theme of freedom in Christ

Talk about it

1. Matt Chandler talked about flooding your life with things that stir your affections for Jesus and cutting away things that rob you of those affections. What does that actually look like in a normal week for you?
2. The sermon drew a contrast between discipline without delight and an ongoing loving relationship with God. Where do you find yourself landing most of the time, and what do you think drives that?
3. Jesus warns against greed but the sermon was careful to say stuff itself is not the problem. How do you personally think about the line between enjoying what God has given you and letting it get in the way of your relationship with Him?
4. Luke 12:25 asks whether worry can add a single moment to your life. Can you think of a time when worry actually changed an outcome for the better, and what does your honest answer tell you about why we still worry anyway?
5. The sermon closed with the idea of living with an open hand rather than a closed fist, and making investments that are eternal rather than just building up what we have here. What would a concrete next step look like for you personally in seeking God's kingdom above all else?