The King and His Kingdom
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33
Last Sunday was our Vision Night. A church with a clear vision is important, to know what we are supposed to do; the direction in which we are supposed to go; and the destination of that vision. Our 2020 vision is ‘Kingdom Priorities’. To be able to understand more about kingdom priorities, we have to first look at the core: the King and His Kingdom.
The REALITY of the Kingdom
You can only seek something that you can see, feel, hear, taste. This tells us the kingdom of God is real. In fact, the heart of Jesus’ teaching centered around the kingdom of God, mentioned 61 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Altogether, it’s found 85 times in the New Testament. Jesus even proclaimed that the reason He came to earth was to introduce the kingdom of God:
43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)
If Christ introduced the kingdom of God when he came to earth, does that mean the kingdom of God is here already? Well… the answer is a little complicated. It is clear that the kingdom of God is the future (Matthew 7:21). On the other hand, it is also clear that the kingdom of God is here now (Luke 17:20-21).
The RULER & RULE of the Kingdom
The word ‘kingdom’ literally refers to the rule or the reign of a king. Every kingdom has a king, and every king has a throne and royal subjects. What is the role of the subject? To do the will of the king. The word “SEEK” means “to actively pursue” or “to go after” and in Matthew 6:33 is used in present tense. This means our lives must revolve around seeking first the rule of God. When we can understand the kingdom of God, we will seek the rule of the kingdom.
The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Kingdom
In addition to His kingdom, Jesus goes on to say “seek His righteousness.” Meaning? We are not only to be seeking God’s control over us, but we are to be seeking God’ character within us. The kingdom of God is not just to be inwardly experienced, it is to be outwardly expressed. If God is ruling over you, then His righteousness will be within you as your character is simply the outward expression of whatever controls you on the inside. Character is always seen by its conduct.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to seek You more and more for who You are and not just what You provide. Be the King of kings in our life. Help us Lord that we seek to spend time in Your presence, not for what we can get from You but for what we can give to You. Lord help us to surrender for things we still hold back. Fill us with Your love so that our love may flow back to You and out to others.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.