"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these things shall be added unto you." - Matthew 6:33

Introduction

Jesus made this command whilst teaching/preaching to the crowd at what we all now call the'Sermon on the Mount'.

As believers we are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world. First and foremost, it means we are to seek the salvation that is intrinsic in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than the world's riches. God's business should be a priority. Seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of His kingdom with others and then He will take care of our business as He promised. The command to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first, enjoins us to treat this subject with utmost importance.

I will be exploring the topic in the sub-headings as detailed below:
What is the kingdom of God?
What is Righteousness?
Key Points on Righteousness
The Promise
Conclusion

What is the kingdom of God?

Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is within people (Luke 17: 20-21), is approached through understanding (Mk12:34) and entered by receiving it like a child (Mk 10:15).

Daniel explains that God will replace the human kingdoms with the Kingdom of God.

"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Daniel:2:44).

The kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal sovereign God over all creatures and things (Psalm 103:19; Daniel 4:3). The kingdom of God is also the name for the sphere of salvation entered into at the new birth (John 3:5-7), and is synonymous with the "kingdom of heaven."

The kingdom of God embraces all created intelligence that are willingly subject to the Lord and are in fellowship with Him. The kingdom of God is universal, and it includes created angels and men. It is eternal, as God is eternal, and it is spiritual (found within all born-again believers). We enter the kingdom of God when we become 'born again', and we are then part of that kingdom for eternity. It is a relationship "born of the spirit" (John 3:5), and we have confident assurance that it is so because the Spirit bears witness with our spirits (Romans 8:16). The Time is Now!

The Kingdom of God is unlike the kingdoms of this world which is invested with earthly splendor, fitted to exaggerate their nation, and minister to their national pride. The Kingdom of God did not come with outward show, it must be within men, and that it was not of this world.

Christ himself reigns in the hearts of his people, securing the perfect submission of the will, and the consecration of every power to himself. Thus his kingdom is within; it is invisible, and It puts on no outward glare. In the hearts of men He writes His laws by His Spirit, and thus rules over them to deliver them from Satan and sin, and translate them into His own kingdom of peace and love.

This is the kingdom we are required to seek. To seek it, implies that we seek to belong to it, seek to know Christ's will and to do it, seek to be recognized by Christ as one of his subjects, and seek to promote the interests of this kingdom.

What is Righteousness?

This means doing what is right and just in the sight of God. Being right with God or coming into a state of acceptance with Him. This includes both the free pardon of past sins and the being sanctified so that we are not actually sinning.

Key Points on Righteousness

• Righteousness involves living for God's Kingdom – Matthew 6:33, '[If you] put the Kingdom and righteousness in first place, then all these [other] things will be given to you.'



• Seeking to be righteous, you can be – Matthew 5:6, 'Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blest because they will be satisfied.'



• If you flaunt your righteousness, you won't receive a reward – Matthew 6:1 'Be careful not to do righteous things in front of men so they can see what you are doing. Otherwise, you won't have a reward with your Father in heaven.'



• The things you do prove whether you are righteous – Matthew 11:19, 'Wisdom is proven righteous by the things it does.'



• The things that you say prove whether you are righteous – Romans 3:4, 'Your words can prove you righteous, and you can win when you're being judged.'



• Someone who deliberately misleads other people can never be found righteous – Matthew 12:36, 'I tell you that everything people say to mislead others, they will have to answer for on the Judgment Day.'



• Immoral, unclean, and greedy people will not be found righteous – Ephesians 5:5, 'All those who are immoral, unclean, and greedy (which really amounts to being an idol worshiper) won't have any inheritance in the Kingdom of God and the Anointed One.'



• To be counted righteous, you must treat other righteous people very well – Matthew 25:37-40, 'Then the righteous will ask, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison, and come to you? And the king will say to them, I tell you the truth, when you did it for one of the least of these my brothers, you did it for me.'



• Righteous people are at peace with others – James 3:18, 'The seeds of the fruit of righteousness are planted in peace by those who are making peace.'



• You have to be an honest judge to be found righteous – John 7:24, 'Quit judging from the way things look on the surface; judge righteously!'



• Righteousness involves standing up for right things, even if that invites persecution – Acts 4:19, 20, 'If it's righteous in God's eyes to listen to you instead of to God, judge for yourselves. But we can't stop talking about the things we've seen and heard.'



• A righteous person has faith in God and His promises – Romans 3:28. 'We believe that a man is called righteous due to his faith, so he doesn't have to follow the Law.'



• True righteousness requires more than just faith – James 2: 24, 'A man is called righteous by the things he does, not just by his faith.'



• To be counted as righteous, you can't be immoral or continue in a sinful course – Romans 6:12-14 'As the result, don't allow sin to rule your mortal bodies and don't obey its desires. Nor should you offer your body parts as unrighteous weapons of sin. Rather, offer yourselves to God as someone who has been raised from the dead, and [offer] your body parts to God as weapons of righteousness. So, sin must not be your master, because you aren't under the Law, but under God's Grace.



• Although faith is required to prove ourselves righteous, speaking about what we believe is what saves us – Romans 10:10 'It is this belief in your heart that makes you righteous, but it's your mouth, when it confesses this, that brings salvation.'



• If you are not severely persecuted for being righteous, you won't be accepted in God's Kingdom – Matthew 5:10, 'Those who have been persecuted for doing what is right are blest, because the Kingdom of the Heavens belongs to them.

The Promise

To this command Christ annexed a promise 'and all these things shall be added unto you' but first we must "Seek first the kingdom of God;"

"And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?

And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Be not therefore anxious, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you "- Matthew 6: 27-33

This promise includes all that is necessary for us, now and in eternity. The connection however, shows that Christ had principal reference to provisions for our earthly wants. He knows what these wants are. He formed the constitution which creates them, and he passed through this very state of physical want himself.

Do my business and I will do yours. Take care of my kingdom, throw your whole soul into its interests, and I will supply your physical wants. Do your duty as I command, and I will be responsible for these lesser things.

It is very easy to see that for Christ to require us to seek the kingdom of God first; we have no option but to obey.

Remember God's idea of what we need is often different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally meet our expectations. For example, we may see our need as riches or advancement, but perhaps God knows that what we actually need is a time of poverty, loss or solitude. When this happens, we are in good company. God loved both Job and Elijah, but He allowed Satan to absolutely pound Job (all under His watchful eye), and He let Jezebel break the spirit of His own prophet Elijah (Job 1–2; 1 Kings 18–19). In both cases, God followed these trials with restoration and sustenance.

Conclusion

The injunction seek God's kingdom first, implies that we seek it first in point of time. It should be the first thing attended to. It is not merely to be admitted as of first importance, but should really be put first in point of time.

We should also seek it with supreme sincerity - agonize to enter in at the strait gate, to press hard for entrance, with the greatest seriousness, and the most strenuous efforts. God requires us to seek with all our hearts, to lay out the utmost strength of our souls, if we would successfully resist the devil, and really break the chains of sin, and secure so great a treasure as eternal life.

Seek the Kingdom of God with perseverance, press on till we obtain. When Christ was on earth, he admitted no apology for delay. He allowed nothing to interpose between the soul, and its present duty. On a certain occasion, Christ called a man to follow himself. The man replied, "Suffer me first to go and bury my father." No, said Christ, "leave the dead to bury their dead" (the dead in sin to bury the natural dead) "but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." You would suppose if any circumstances would justify delay, these would as God has said we should "Honour thy father;" Shall we then forsake a father's burial, and leave to others? Let the dead bury their dead; thou hast a call from God to go out and preach his kingdom.

Finally, God is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and rules over all of His creation. However, the description "the kingdom of God" compasses that realm which is subject to God and will be for eternity. The rest of creation will be destroyed. Only that which is part of the "kingdom of God" will remain. The Time is Now!

By Funke Oyewola

"Seek Ye First" Commissioner