Matt 6:33 Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
When we talk about the Kingdom of God we establish that:
- It has a King.
- It has a territory.
- It has laws.
- It has subjects or citizens.
- It has a purpose.
The thing that Jesus talked more about than anything else was the Kingdom of God. Jesus gives us the key to life when he tells us to first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. The Kingdom of God has priority over all other kingdoms. When Jesus preached, he always made the Kingdom of God his priority. He taught it, lived it, and demonstrated it.
To be able to enter my office you will need a key. If I just handed you a bunch of keys it will take you a while before you figure out which key lets you in. Jesus is helping us to identify the key to His domain. The name of the key is: “Priority.”
In another verse about priorities, Jesus emphasizes this fact by saying:
If you don’t give up family, houses, land, and friends you are not worthy to be my disciple. Does Jesus hate family and friends? Absolutely not. He is emphasizing that the Kingdom takes priority. What does that look like?
I view family and friends and everything I do through the Kingdom lens. If we make Him or his Kingdom the priority then he promises that we will not need anything. All these things that you need will be added unto you, including houses and land and family and friends – Mark 10:29-30.
The second thing that Jesus speaks through this verse is that it is not just that the Kingdom takes priority but that we must also seek his Righteousness. What does it mean to have His Righteousness and how do you get it?
To enter the Kingdom you must be born again.
John 3:3;6 Unless you are born again you can not see the kingdom of God…..unless you are born again you can not enter the Kingdom of God.
I was born in South Africa. My birth made me a citizen of South Africa. Even though I was a citizen of that country by birth I had to learn the culture of South Africa and obey the laws of South Africa. We do things a certain way. Citizenship did not guarantee that I would be a great citizen. Citizenship offered me the opportunity to abide by the law of the country. I could still break the laws of the country and end up in jail.
When we immigrated to America in 1999, we had to adhere to the laws of the new country to be able to become citizens. It took ten years before we became citizens in 2009. We were now naturalized, American citizens. We could no longer live by the culture we grew up with. We accepted the new citizenship but with it also the American culture. We benefit from being citizens but we also benefit when we obey the law.
The Kingdom is no different. By the born again experience we became citizens of heaven but we must also accept and learn the new culture of the Kingdom of God. The culture of the Kingdom is Righteousness which means: I claim citizenship but I also adhere to its lifestyle governed by its laws. Two ways I can violate that is by:
1. Accept citizenship but refuse the new culture or lifestyle (offender).
2. Refuse citizenship but want the benefits of the culture (illegal alien).
You can not claim to be Kingdom and keep your old habits. You can not claim to qualify for the benefits if you are not in the Kingdom.
Jesus says: Seek first his Kingdom and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
What is your priority today? Are you seeking Him and His Kingdom first? Does your life show that you are a citizen of heaven?
Next week we will continue talking about the Kingdom of God.
