Seek First His Kingdom

”Seek First His Kingdom” (Matthew 6:3 3 )

Introduction: Have you ever seen a weight lifter training for the Olympics? Have you ever watched a professional baseball player practice his batting in the batting cages? Have you ever noticed the amount of time that a medical student puts into his studies? Have you ever watched an amateur artist paint a very complicated landscape? If you have seen these things, or can imagine what they are like, you should recognize that they all have something in common. They all require a great deal of effort. Nothing which is worthwhile in life comes easy. The great accomplishments require great amounts of work. But what is it that makes the professional athlete, artist, scholar, or skilled worker put that amount of effort into their work? What is it that drives them to be the very best in their field? It is because they have set their hearts on it. Somehow, that particular thing that they do has captured their attention and their affections. What a person does as a habit of life, reflects what is in their heart, what they are really in love with. Just ask yourself why you do the things that you do. Why do you children play as much as you do? Isn’t it because you really love to play? Why do you young adults enjoy listening to the music that you do, or spending time with the people that you do? Isn’t it because they have found a special place in your heart? And why do you adults devote so much time to your particular pursuits, such as hunting, fishing, sports, or other hobbies? Why do you work so hard in your employment? Isn’t it because there is something that you have set your heart on that you want to obtain? All a person needs to do to see where your heart and affections are is simply to see where you spend your time, to notice your priorities. Your goals in life will reflect where your affections are located. The question, of course, that this text is asking you this morning, is whether your goals and affections are in the right place. Are God and the things of His glory, His kingdom, and His majesty the things that your life is aimed at? Or is it aimed at something far less worthy, something far less valuable? Last week, you were exhorted by the Lord through Solomon to give to Him from the first of all of your increase as a simple act of faith. This week, the Lord is showing you that, His kingdom and righteousness is to be your heart’s desire, rather than the things of the world. The message of the sermon could be summarized in this way: Do not spend your life seeking after the things which make your life more comfortable and pleasant. Instead, seek after doing what the Lord wants you to do, and being what the Lord wants you to be, and He will take care of all of your needs. I.

First, The Lord Tells You this Morning What Your Goals Should Be, Where Your Affections Are to Be Aimed. A. First, Your Affections Must Be Aimed at the Kingdom of God. 1 . The kingdom of God is that kingdom which Jesus Christ came to establish in this world. a. It is that which Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount. b. It is that which is the subject of the numerous parables which Jesus spoke, such as the parable of the sower who sows the seed of the Word in the world, or the parable of the wheat and the tares where the sons of the righteous and the

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sons of the wicked grow together until the harvest, or the parable of the mustard seed that pictures the kingdom which is small but becomes larger than all the other kingdoms. c. It is the kingdom which Christ is building in this fallen world of which He is the Lord and King. d. It is the kingdom which is made up of subjects who are Adam’s lost children, but who have been recovered by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and faith in His name. e. It is that invisible kingdom which exists primarily in the visible church of Christ, but which will some day become that which fills the whole earth in the eternal kingdom of God. f. It is called the kingdom of God because He is the Lord and the Sovereign over it. He is the One who wields absolute authority over His people, and He is the One who disposes all things for their good. 2.

It is this kingdom that you are called upon to ”seek”. a. You must always be careful about the meaning of words. Words can sometimes mean different things in different contexts. b. The word ”seek” can mean ”to look for in order to find.” But those of you who are here this morning already know where the kingdom is to be found. It is that sphere of authority which the Lord controls, which is, as I’ve already said, primarily in His church. The meaning here is not to look for something which is hidden. c. Rather it means here ”to try and obtain”, or ”to desire to possess” something (BAG 339). (i) This word can mean to desire something which is bad, such as when Judas was given thirty pieces of silver, ”AND FROM THEN ON HE BEGAN LOOKING FORISEEKING A Goon OPPORTUNITY TO BETRAY” Jesus (Matt. 26:16), or such as when Jesus had been handed over to the chief priests and Council, who ”KEPT TRYINWSEEKING TO OBTAIN FALSE TESTIMONY AGAINST JESUS, IN ORDER THAT THEY MIGHT PUT HIM TO DEATH” (Matt. 26:59). They were not merely looking for these things, but their wicked hearts strongly desired to obtain them that they might put Jesus to death. (ii) It can also mean, of course, to desire to obtain something which is good, such as in Romans 2:7, where those ”WHO BY PERSEVERANCE IN DOING GOOD SEEK FOR GLORY AND HONOR AND IMMORTALITY,” shall obtain ”ETERNAL LIFE,” and in Colossians 3: I , where those who have been raised up with Christ are to, ”KEEP SEEKING THE THINGS ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST IS, SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.” d.

What Jesus is telling you here is that you are to strongly desire to seek and obtain, the kingdom of God. (i) Now for those of you who are outside of the kingdom, it is obvious why you ought to seek to obtain the blessings of the kingdom. As long as you remain outside the door, you are in imminent danger of being lost forever. (ii) You are like the one who stands in the wedding feast of the Lord, but who does not have the wedding garments

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(iii)

w h i c h the Lord p r o v i d e s . And w h e n t h e y a s k y o u , ”FRIEND, HOW DID YOU COME IN HERE WITHOUT WEDDING CLOTHES?” y o u w i l l s t a n d s p e e c h l e s s . And the Lord w i l l s a y t o H i s servants, ”BIND HIM HAND AND FOOT, AND CAST HIM INTO THE OUTER DARUNESS; IN THAT PLACE THERE SHALL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH” (Matthew 2 2 : 1 2 - 1 3 ) . Even i f y o u a r e i n the visible church a s a p r o f e s s i n g member, y o u must s t i l l s e a r c h y o u r h e a r t t o see i f y o u h a v e r e a l l y f o u n d entrance t o the kingdom through f a i t h in J e s u s C h r i s t . I t i s always p o s s i b l e t h a t you a r e d e c e i v i n g y o u r s e l f , t h a t y o u never h a v e been born again. ( a ) Maybe y o u w e n t f o r w a r d a t an evangelistic a l t a r c a l l and p r a y e d the ”sinner’s p r a y e r , ” but nothing r e a l l y ever changed i n y o u r l i f e . ( b ) Maybe y o u j o i n e d the church and h a v e been a member f o r many y e a r s , but i t was not f o r Christ’s honor or f o r a d e s i r e t o serve Him, but f o r other r e a s o n s w h i c h were p u r e l y s e l f i s h and s e l f -seeking. (c) And maybe y o u r h e a r t h a s never been s e a r c h e d b y the Word before, b e c a u s e y o u r ministers d i d not k n o w how t o a p p l y the Word i n t h a t way, and so y o u h a v e thought y o u r s e l f t o be i n a good s t a t e , w h e n y o u a r e r e a l l y dead i n y o u r t r e s p a s s and sin.

T h e S p i r i t s a y s t o y o u t h i s morning, ”SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND; CALL UPON HIM WHILE HE I S NEAR” ( I s a . 55:6). Y o u must seek H i m t o change y o u r h e a r t . (v) A p a r t f r o m C h r i s t and H i s g r a c e , y o u cannot s i n c e r e l y seek the Lord, f o r y o u r e a l l y don’t w a n t t o f i n d Him. ”THERE I S NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE I S NONE WHO SEEKS FOR COD” (Rom. 3: l l ) , ”FOR EVERYONE WHO DOES EVIL HATES THE LIGHT, AND DOES NOT COME TO THE LIGHT, LEST HIS DEEDS SHOULD BE EXPOSED” ( J o h n 3: 2 0 ) . ( v i ) A p a r t f r o m God’s g r a c e , y o u can o n l y seek the Lord p u r e l y out o f self- interest, p u r e l y t o s a v e y o u r own skin f r o m h e l l , and not out o f a true love f o r God and H i s C h r i s t . ”THOSE WHO ARE IN THE FLESH CANNOT PLEASE COD” (Rom. 8 : 8 ) . ”CAN THE ETHIOPIAN CHANGE HIS SKIN OR THE LEOPARD H I S SPOTS? THEN YOU ALSO CAN no Goon WHO ARE ACCUSTOMED TO DO EVIL” ( J e r . 1 3 : 2 3 ) . (vii) But J e s u s s a i d t h a t t h i s is something t h a t y o u must d o , i f y o u a r e t o h a v e a n y h o p e o f f i n d i n g H i s mercy. T h i s is not something w h i c h y o u can a f f o r d t o p u t o f f . ”STRIVE TO ENTER BY THE NARROW DOOR”, J e s u s s a i d , ”FOR MANY , I TELL YOU, W I L L SEEK TO ENTER mn W I L L NOT BE ABLE” ( L u k e 1 3 : 2 4 ) . Once the d o o r o f s a l v a t i o n is c l o s e d , i t is c l o s e d forever. Y o u must embrace the Lord J e s u s C h r i s t b y f a i t h and turn f r o m y o u r sins i n humble r e p e n t a n c e now. Y o u must seek the Lord t o change y o u r h e a r t and g i v e y o u the d e s i r e t o enter H i s kingdom t o d a y . (viii) But f o r those o f y o u who h a v e come t o k n o w J e s u s C h r i s t through f a i t h i n H i s name b y the g r a c e o f God, i t may not be a s c l e a r t o y o u what y o u a r e c a l l e d b y the Lord (iv)

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to do here. (ix) You must not forget that when Jesus said to ”STRIVE TO ENTER BY THE NARROW DOOR” (Luke 13:24), that He was talking about a continual striving, a lifetime of striving. You are not to stop until you have reached the eternal kingdom. (X) Salvation is only promised to those who persevere to the end. ”BUT THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END, HE SHALL BE SAVED” (Matt. 24:13). This perseverance means to continue in obedience to all of His commands. It means to seek the furtherance of God’s kingdom through being what the Lord has called you to be, and doing what He has called you to do. (xi) If you believe that you have found the Lord, or rather that He has found you, and yet you have stopped seeking and earnestly desiring the Lord, His kingdom, and His work, then you have never really been found in the first place. ”THE ONE WHO ENDURES TO THE END, HE SHALL BE SAVED.” You need to keep seeking salvation. (Xii ) But if you are persevering and still earnestly striving in your walk, then the grace of God is truly revealed in your life. His grace is the powerful force which drives you on. It can never be lost, it can never be extinguished. All the forces of hell cannot overcome it. You must never forget that the only reason you can persevere is because the Lord upholds you. Christ will never lose even one of His sheep. (Xiii) And so first, you are to seek His kingdom.

B.

Second, You Are to Seek After His Righteousness. 1 . This does not mean that you are to seek after God’s personal righteousness, as though you could ever possess this. a. You are never given the righteousness of God. This is something which God alone possesses as God. b. The righteousness which He gives you through faith is the righteousness of Christ. It is the righteousness which He actually earned in working out your salvation. c. When you trust in Christ for your salvation, this righteousness is credited to your account. It is a free gift through His grace. 2. Rather, what the Lord calls you to here is to seek to be conformed to God’s righteous character, for this is His standard for all of the subjects of His kingdom. a. Jesus said, ”BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED” (Matt. 5:6). b. The Sermon on the Mount virtually explains and applies what it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness. c. And this agrees so well with what we have already seen. To continue to seek the kingdom is also to continue to grow in holiness. As a matter of fact, the author to the Hebrews warns us that if we are not seeking after greater holiness of life, we will never finally enter God’s kingdom. He writes, ”PURSUE PEACE WITH ALL MEN, AND THE SANCTIFICATION WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD” (Heb. 12: 14). d. This is so broad a subject, that God gave us the whole Bible

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to show us how we might be holy. But one broad principle I want to remind you of is what the apostle Paul gives us in Romans 8 : 1 3 , ”FOR IF YOU ARE LIVING ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, YOU MUST DIE; BUT IF BY THE SPIRIT YOU ARE PUTTING TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF THE BODY, YOU WILL LIVE”. If you are to pursue holiness, you must put off the old man of sin, and put on the holy qualities of the new man. e. And so Jesus says to you that you are to desire the kingdom of God and righteous behavior. C.

Thirdly, I Want You to See that the Lord Calls You to Seek These Things First. 1 . The word means ”in the first place”, ”above all”, ”especially” (BAG 734). You are called upon to make His kingdom and His righteousness your main pursuit in life; you are to seek them before and above everything else (JFB Bethany 2:55). 2. You will recall last week that with regard to giving, the Lord wanted you to give of the first of your increase, not of the last. The same principle applies here. a. The Lord desires to be first in your life, or He will not be in your life at all. b. How easy it is for us to slight God and to clutter our lives with so many things which crowd Him out. C. After we have budgeted all our money, then we see what is left over for the Lord’s work. d. After we have committed all our time, then we see where we might possibly find some for Him. e. After we have used up all of our strength, then we see what we might have left over to do His work. f. Is this the way that you treat your Lord? Is He the first on your list of priorities or last? Do you give Him your best, or do you give Him your worst? g. The Lord wants your best. He wants to be first. And this He wants to be always. Yes, there are times when the grace of God burns low in the furnace of our hearts. Yes, there are times when it seems as if our love for Him almost disappears, because something else has captured our affections. But the pattern of our lives must reflect at least sometimes, if not a majority of the time, that we love God and His Christ. Does your life show that you love Him? And that you love Him more than anything else? h. If it doesn’t now or never has, don’t deceive yourself about your condition. Come to Christ, and beg Him to change your heart, to put His love within it. i. If your life rarely shows that you love the Lord most of all, then turn from your selfish and self-seeking ways, and call on the Lord to again rekindle His love in your heart. j. But if Christ is at the center of your affections, so that you are gladly and joyfully serving Him with all of your heart, and you life actually shows that you are, then praise the Lord for His mercy and His grace, for you could not do it without Him. k. So the Lord has told you where your affections are to be aimed: at earnestly pursuing His kingdom, at developing His righteous character, and at making Him first in your life.

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11.

Secondly, and very Briefly, the Lord Gives to You a Promise, That If You Will Put Him and the Things of His Kingdom First, He Will Provide the Things that You Need. He Says, ”BUT SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE m m n TO YOU.” A. The ”all things” in the context refers to those things which the world is seeking after, the food, the drink, and the clothing. Jesus says, ”FOR ALL THESE THINGS THE GENTILES EAGERLY SEEK” (v. 32). B. Maybe these are the things that you have been seeking after, the things which have caused you to neglect your pursuit of the kingdom. Maybe your own personal interests and desire for leisure and recreation have crowded out your seeking after Christ’s glory. c. Neglecting the things of the Lord in order to pursue these things is not the answer. Rather, you must put your priorities straight. ”SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE m m n TO YOU” (v. 33), ”FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU NEED ALL THESE THINGS” (v. 32). n. Don’t set aside those things which are for your eternal welfare to pursue the things you will one day no longer need. The things of the earth are worthless. God gives them to the heathen and they will perish with them. But the true riches are reserved for you who lay hold of Christ and serve Him in His kingdom. They are far more precious than the things on earth. The damned in hell would give a thousand worlds of earthly treasure to have what you have. E. Don’t seek after the world. Rather, put your priorities in order. Seek the Lord and His Kingdom first. If you do, He will not only give to you all the spiritual wealth of His kingdom, but He will also add to you all you need for the present life (JFB 55). Listen to the Words of your Lord this morning. Renew your covenant with Him, and seek Him with all your might. Keep heaven as your goal, and let holiness lead you in the way (Henry Bethany 55). Amen.