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Introduction:
How badly do you want to go to heaven? Do you want it more
than anything else? I know you do. We would all like to know the
sure way to accomplish that goal. I do not want to oversimplify
things. However, I believe I can show you a verse that will give
us the sure way to enter heaven. If we will follow this one verse,
everything else will fall into place naturally and heaven will be
given to us as God promised. The verse is Matthew
6:33. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” When
all is said and done, if we make this verse our constant guide, we
will go to heaven and God will take care of us here also. Examine
what this verse means. Discussion: I.
“Seek” A.
This word is active, not passive, and is also used to
describe the woman in Luke
15:8, who searched diligently until she found her missing
coin. We must seek actively and diligently. B.
Jesus had already taught that we should hunger and thirst
for righteousness (Matthew
5:6). We are to desire, crave and long for the kingdom of God
and His righteousness. We are to be like the song that we sing,
taken from Psalm 42:1,
longing for the Lord and His will like a deer panting for water.
Imagine yourself coming home from a long day at work or school in
which you had to skip lunch. As soon as you got home and were
about to eat, an emergency came up. Finally, you get back home
late in the evening, what are you searching for? Food. That is the
starving desire with which we should pursue God’s kingdom and
righteousness. C.
The fact that Jesus tells us to seek the kingdom of God and
His righteousness implies some very important concepts. First, we
do not already have it. We are not at the goal yet. We must keep
progressing, growing and improving. Second, we must be looking for
God’s kingdom and righteousness. We will not stumble across it
accidentally the way we may stumble across a $20 bill some one
accidentally dropped. Third, God’s kingdom and righteousness
take work. This is not a natural or passive thing. You do not fall
into God’s kingdom and righteousness the way you fall into bed.
We must seek God’s
kingdom and righteousness. II.
“The kingdom of God and His righteousness” A.
Jesus is referring back to the theme of His sermon (Matthew 5:20). He said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, we will “by no means enter the
kingdom of heaven.” As the scribes and Pharisees promoted a
physical kingdom that would conquer the Romans, they lived an
outward righteousness that focused on trivial rituals but
neglected the weighty matters of God’s will for them (Matthew
23:23-28). Instead of seeking their kingdom and righteousness,
we must seek God’s kingdom and righteousness. B.
Jesus helps us understand the kingdom of God in Luke
17:20-21 as He explained to the Pharisees that the kingdom of
God would not come with observation. It would come in the hearts
of men, “the kingdom of God is within you.” The Pharisees were
looking for a physical, earthly, national kingdom which ruled over
the territory of cities, countries and continents. But, Jesus said
God’s kingdom is different. It is not of this world (John 18:36). The territory that God rules is the hearts of men.
Seeking the kingdom of God then, in this context, means seeking
God’s rule over my life. If God were living my life, what would
He do? C.
Seeking God’s righteousness is clarified by Paul in Philippians 3:9. The righteousness of God is not our own
righteousness, but rather the righteousness that comes through
faith. Faith here is not a mental assent, but an absolute
surrender. Having God’s righteousness comes from surrendering to
God’s will. If God says it works in a certain way, then that is
the way it works. If He tells me how to deal with other people,
that is what I will do. If He tells me how to live at home, on the
job, at school, etc., I will live His way, no matter what anyone
else thinks about it. D.
These two concepts of seeking the kingdom of God and His
righteousness are summed up in Galatians
2:20. My life is not mine. Jesus is on the throne in my life.
He governs my choices. He is living through me. I let that happen
because I have surrendered myself to Him in faith, believing at
every level that God’s way is best, despite what my friends,
family or foes think. III.
“First” A.
The most challenging part of this verse is that Jesus
commands us to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first.
Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness should be the central
governing factor in all we do. In every choice we make, our first
thought should be what is God’s rule on this? If I really
believed God and His promises, how would I behave or act? What
choice would I make? If God’s kingdom were really the most
important thing to me, what would I do here? This concept is
illustrated by Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Martha was worried by many things. Mary was focused
on the one important thing—God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Jesus said that Mary’s choice would not be taken away from her. B.
Jesus sets seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness
in contrast with the Gentiles who seek after clothing, food and
riches. Their decisions are made based on material goods. They ask
what will give them the highest financial return. They wonder how
they can make more money. They make decisions based on what will
provide financial security over the long haul. We are different.
We want to know what will grant us God’s kingdom and
righteousness. C.
There will be some choices in which more than one option
meets the standard of God’s kingdom and righteousness. In those
cases, then you can allow other standards to help you make a
decision. For instance, consider your career choice. There are
many career options that fit in with seeking first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness. God does not care which one of those
options you choose. Feel free to follow your hearts desire based
on whatever standards you choose (Ecclesiastes
11:9), so long as they also fit in with seeking first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness. D.
Many of the hard questions we must answer individually are
answered in this verse. We ask, “When is it forsaking the
assembly?” It is forsaking when we are not seeking first God’s
kingdom and righteousness. “When is a dress too short or a shirt
too tight?” When our apparel is not motivated by seeking first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I do not want to
overstate the case, but I believe that every question we have to
ask about crossing lines is answered by this verse. We have
crossed the line when our choices are not motivated by seeking
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. IV.
“And all these things will be added to you.” A.
If we seek God’s things first, He will provide our
physical needs. We are to be content with that provision (I
Timothy 6:8), remembering that we brought nothing into this
world and will take nothing out. Spending our days fretting over
these things will not help us in eternity. B.
These are secondary benefits to serving the Lord. As Jesus
taught in Matthew 19:29,
when we forsake all in this life to serve God, we will actually
receive a hundredfold, plus eternal life. God will take care of
us. That does not mean we will be wealthy, though most of us, by
the standard presented in I
Timothy 6:8, are extremely wealthy. But whatever we have, God
has provided and we will be thankful, no matter how we compare to
others whom God has also blessed. C.
When I spend my life seeking first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, God will add all these other things to me. But
it does not work the other way. If I spend my life seeking first
financial security, physical health, emotional well-being,
personal happiness and pleasure, God will not add His kingdom and
righteousness to me. We must ask what Jesus asked in Matthew 16:26. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world,
but lose his soul? D.
Jesus concludes in Matthew
6:34 that we should not be worried about tomorrow. That is
typically the worry for those who seek first all those other
things. Most of us have clothes and food today. We worry about
tomorrow and the next day and next year. We worry about
retirement. Jesus said instead of seeking first physical and
financial security for the years to come, seek first God’s
kingdom and righteousness today—God will take care of us if we
do. If we do not seek first His kingdom and righteousness, then
all those other things will not help us a bit when our souls are
required of us (Luke
12:16-21). Conclusion: Do you really want to go to heaven? The only way is to seek it consistently and constantly by making every choice based on Matthew 6:33—“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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