Good morning and welcome, glad you are here today. How many of you have ever played hide and seek? Everyone hides while one person closes their eyes and counts, then they try to find everyone else. Christ Jesus tells us that we are to seek first the kingdom of God, but what is really involved with that? Well pull up a seat, open your Bibles and let's do a little Bible surfing. Today we are in Matthew 6:33.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV). Another translation says it this way, Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. (NCV)The basis of our trust as Christians is confidence in God. We trust His sovereign care, believing that He is holding back the end, the final judgment of history, for the sake of His work of grace 2 Peter 3:9. When you are truly a kingdom member, having been born into the kingdom by the Spirit, it follows that your highest aim is “the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” This passage calls you to seek first the kingdom and leave the secondary matters to God's care.
What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God also known as the kingdom of heaven is the Messiah's kingdom, as a whole, both in its present spiritual invisible phase, and also in the future manifestation on earth in glory, when finally heaven and earth shall be joined (John 1:51; Rev 21:1-22:21).1 The entire earthly ministry of Christ Jesus is understood in relation to this important declaration of the presence of the kingdom. His ethical teachings, for example, cannot be understood apart from the announcement of the kingdom. They are ethics of the kingdom; the perfection to which they point makes no sense apart from the present experience of God's kingdom.2
Participation in the new reality of the kingdom calls you as a follower of Christ Jesus to the highest righteousness (Matt 5:20). As a disciple of Christ Jesus you must live a life that is different from those who have no trust in God the Father, really no trust at all except in earthly things. To seek first the kingdom “of God” is for you to desire above all else to enter into, submit to, and participate in spreading the news of the saving grace of God.
To seek God’s righteousness is the holiness of heart and purity of life which God requires of those who profess to be subjects of that spiritual kingdom. It is the pursuit of righteousness in a life that is fully submitted to the will of God. This kind of righteousness will lead to persecution by some (5:10), but others will themselves become disciples and praise the Father in heaven (5:16). This alone is worthy of your wholehearted adoration. “In the end, just as there are only two kinds of righteousness, the self-centered and the God-centered, so there are only two kinds of ambition: one can be ambitious either for oneself or for God. There is no third alternative” (Stott, p. 172). Within such a framework of commitment, you as a follower of Christ Jesus are assured that all the necessary things will be given you by our heavenly Father.2
So in the way of summery, your salvation ought to engulf you entirely: therefore all your desires, cares, and inquiries should be directed to Christ Jesus. Grace is the way to salvation—holiness is the way to happiness. If you are not righteous, there is no heaven to be had: if you are righteous then you will have the kingdom of heaven. And your needs will be met, not your wants, but your needs.3
So the kingdom of God has been ushered in by Christ Jesus and as Christ followers we are living in that kingdom now and forever. How awesome is that?
See you next week and I pray our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus watch over and bless you and yours.
Biblesurfer
1(from Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1998 by Biblesoft)
2(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
2 Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, pp. 181–182). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
3 Clarke, A. (2014). The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes (New Edition, Vol. 5, p. 93). Bellingham, WA: Faithlife Corporation.
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