First things first. Are your priorities straight? Are you putting first things first? Are you putting God’s things first?

1. FIRST OF ALL (3)

2. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Moreover, brethren, we
make known to you the grace of God
bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: (2)
that in a great trial of affliction the abundance
of their joy and their deep poverty abounded
in the riches of their liberality. (3) For I bear
witness that according to their ability, yes,
and beyond their ability, they were freely
willing, (4) imploring us with much urgency
that we would receive the gift and the
fellowship of the ministering to the saints. (5)
And not only as we had hoped, but they first
gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us
by the will of God.

3. FIRST
A.Last two weeks we looked at sixteen
“Firsts” in the New Testament.
1. First be reconciled
2. First seek God’s kingdom
3. First remove the plank from your eye
4. First bind Satan
5. First will have been last
6. First clean the inside of the cup
7. First feed the children
8. First commandment
9. First follow Jesus

4. FIRST
10. First say, “peace to this house”
11. First count the cost
12. First, share Jesus with those closest to
you.
13. First, thankfulness for faith
14. First give to God
15. First division is wrong
16. First of all the gospel
B.This week we will look at eight more.

5. I. FIRST GIVE YOURSELF
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Moreover, brethren, we
make known to you the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia: (2) that in a
great trial of affliction the abundance of their
joy and their deep poverty abounded in the
riches of their liberality. (3) For I bear witness
that according to their ability, yes, and beyond
their ability, they were freely willing, (4)
imploring us with much urgency that we would
receive the gift and the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints. (5) And not only as we
had hoped, but they first gave themselves to
the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.

6. II. FIRST A WILLING MIND
2 Corinthians 8:8-12 I speak not by commandment,
but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the
diligence of others. (9) For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for
your sakes He became poor, that you through His
poverty might become rich. (10) And in this I give
advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing
what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;
(11) but now you also must complete the doing of it;
that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there
also may be a completion out of what you have. (12)
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted
according to what one has, and not according to
what he does not have.

7. III. FIRST COMMANDMENT WITH
PROMISE
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2 "Honor your father and mother," which
is the first commandment with promise:
3 "that it may be well with you and you
may live long on the earth.”

8. IV. FIRST THE DEAD IN CHRIST
WILL RISE
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you
by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive
and remain until the coming of the Lord will by
no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ
will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus
we shall always be with the Lord.

9. V. FIRST, PAUL WAS A PATTERN
1 Timothy 1:15-16 This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptance, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief. 16 However,
for this reason I obtained mercy, that in
me first Jesus Christ might show all
longsuffering, as a pattern to those who
are going to believe on Him for
everlasting life.

10. VI. FIRST OF ALL PRAYER
1 Timothy 2:1-4 Therefore I exhort first of all
that supplications, prayers, intercessions,
and giving of thanks be made for all men, (2)
for kings and all who are in authority, that we
may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all
godliness and reverence. (3) For this is good
and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, (4) who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

11. VII. FIRST, TEST ELDERS AND
DEACONS
1 Timothy 3:8-10 Likewise deacons must
be reverent, not double-tongued, not
given to much wine, not greedy for
money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith
with a pure conscience. 10 But let these
also first be tested; then let them serve
as deacons, being found blameless.

12. VIII. FIRST SHOW PIETY AT HOME
1 Timothy 5:3-5 Honor widows who are
really widows. (4) But if any widow has
children or grandchildren, let them first
learn to show piety at home and to repay
their parents; for this is good and
acceptable before God. (5) Now she who
is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in
God and continues in supplications and
prayers night and day.

13. WHAT IS FIRST IN YOUR LIFE?
A.Are your priorities straight?
B.Are you putting first things first?
C.Are you putting God’s things first?
D.JOY = Jesus first, Yourself last, Others
in-between.

15. HAVE A PRIORITIZED WEEK