2. "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord"
2 Peter 3:18
Lesson #1: First Things First (Matt. 6:33)
Lesson #2: Adding To Your Faith (2 Pet. 1:5-11)
Lesson #3: Unspotted From the World (Jas. 1:27)

3. First Things First "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord"
2 Peter 3:18
Scriptural theme: 2 Pet. 3:18
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Matt. 6:33
Lesson designed to help us grow and/or remind us of things we may have forgotten.
We cannot remain “babes” in Christ: 1 Cor. 14:20
We all need reminding: 1 Cor. 4:17; 2 Pet. 1:12

4. 1. Give ourselves to the Lord
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
1. Give ourselves to the Lord
We are no longer our own: 1 Cor. 6:19-20
We must remember the tremendous price God paid for us! Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 1:18-20
The saints in Macedonia put first things first: 2 Cor. 8:5
Other things become easier if we first give ourselves to the Lord.

5. First Things First 2. Develop a willing mind
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
2. Develop a willing mind
A willing mind is key: 2 Cor. 8:12
God has always required His people to have a “willing mind”: Ex. 35:5; 1 Chron. 28:9
Whatever we do in serving God must first come from a “willing mind”: Rom. 1:5; 16:26; 6:17

6. 3. Cleanse first the inside
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
3. Cleanse first the inside
We purify our soul when we obey the gospel: Pet. 1:22
So we must remain focused on keeping the “inside” clean: Matt. 23:25-28
Hypocrisy does great harm to the cause of Christ!
We must exert all effort to remain pure on the inside: 1 Tim. 4:12; 5:22
Requires a certain “mindset”: Prov. 23:7; Matt. 15:17-20; Phil. 4:8

7. 4. Cast out beam in our own eye
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
4. Cast out beam in our own eye
It is always easier to see the faults of others than our own: Matt. 7:3-5
Does not mean we don’t make “judg-ments”: Matt. 7:1-2, 6, 15-16; 1 Jn. 4:1, 6
We must not make hypocritical or hypercritical judgments: 1 Cor. 13:5-7; Jn. 7:24

8. 5. Be reconciled to thy brother
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
5. Be reconciled to thy brother
Problems with brethren are inevitable, the key is how we handle it!
Be peaceable and put the interests of others first: Rom. 12:18; Phil. 2:2-4
God does not accept our worship if we are at odds with our brother: Matt. 5:21-24
Jesus prescribes proper conduct when we are at odds with a brother: Matt. 18:15-17; 2 Thess. 3:15; Eph. 4:31-32
We must not let anger get the best of us: Eph. 4:26; Jas. 1:19; Eccl. 7:9

9. First Things First 6. Pray for all men
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
6. Pray for all men
Paul tells us who to pray for: 1 Tim. 2:1-4
The most important thing we can do for someone is to pray for them! 1 Tim. 2:4
We need to remember the power of prayer: Jas. 5:16
But we must pray in the correct manner:
Model prayer: Matt. 6:9-15
Pray with faith and persistence: Lk. 18:1-8
God hears the righteous: 1 Pet. 3:12
Pray without doubting: 1 Tim. 2:8; Jas. 1:6-8

10. 7. Findeth his own brother
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
7. Findeth his own brother
Is your desire the same as God’s desire? Tim. 2:4
We need to prepare ourselves to teach others the gospel: 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:16
We all should imitate Andrew: Jn. 1:40-42
No matter what our feelings might be for someone; we should be willing to share the gospel with them! Ezek. 33:8-9

11. 8. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
8. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
God promises to provide our needs if we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” : Matt. 6:33
What is the “kingdom” ? Matt. 3:2
What is God’s “righteousness” ? Rom. 10:1-4; 1:16-17
Attend regularly: Heb. 10:25
Give purposely and liberally: 2 Cor. 9:6; 1 Cor. 16:1-2
Study God’s word often: Eph. 5:17; 3:3-4; Acts 20:32
Work for the Lord: 1 Cor. 15:58; Matt. 6:19-21
Take time to be holy! Psa. 90:12; Jas. 4:14; Eph. 5:16

12. Conclusion First Things First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
Conclusion
Regardless of when we obeyed the gospel, we need to put first things first.
By putting first things first, one will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Have you been putting first things first?