Seek Ye First

Always put the KING OF KINGS First.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His Righteousness.  We are all born in sin and into the kingdom of Satan - we are all born a child of the devil and in iniquity.  The reason Jesus said "seek ye first" the kingdom of God is that we are all are in a state of extreme danger, you’re in the kingdom of Satan naturally.  All men are in one of two kingdoms – either God’s kingdom or Satan’s kingdom.  The first thing that should be done in life is to enter into the kingdom of God as soon as possible.  And the only way to enter the kingdom of God is by being “born again” of the Spirit of God.

You must first submit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the kingdom of God.  Be ye reconciled to God; come to Christ immediately; leave Satan’s kingdom behind.  Ye must born again by the power and blood of God.  Find eternal life in Christ now.  You are by nature a child of wrath and disobedience.  As long as you remain outside the kingdom of God, you remain the captive and slave of Satan and you are under his power, and are in daily danger of hell fire.  Your soul remains imprisoned and chained in the dungeon of sin and nature’s darkness.

Don’t continue on blinded in prideful ignorance, led by your lusts, controlled by error, and ruled by falsehood.  The only way of escape out of the snare of Satan and the prison-house of sin is by trusting in Christ alone at once.  Look to the Bleeding Lamb and risen Redeemer for full and free pardon from your guilt and sin.  Only the Blood of God can extinguish your guilt.

Only Christ Jesus can deliver you from Satan’s kingdom of darkness, that is, the power of Satan.  Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of darkness.  You were born in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief; this is the natural state of men without Christ.  Your sin has made you subject to the punishment of eternal death.  You must be freed from the damning power of sin.  The devil blinds the minds of sinners that believe not on Christ, he keeps them in darkness, he tempts them to delight in works of darkness, and eventually those sinners deceived by Satan will be cast into outer darkness in eternity.  Satan lives and works in lost sinners and leads them captive at his will.  Only the Gospel can turn sinners from Satan's darkness to Christ's marvelous light and deliver you from the wrath to come.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Christ was sent by the Father to do what man could not do for himself.  Christ is qualified to be the Mediator because He is God and man in one person.  Jesus as a man shed God's blood, and He made reconciliation in the same human nature which had sinned against Him, and as God, He can now bring us back to God the Father.  Only Christ can deliver you from the charges, condemnation, and curse of God's law and out of the enslaving power of Satan.  Jesus proved His great love and died especially for you and shed God's blood to pay the ransom price to rescue from sin and Satan, and then He rose victoriously over death.  Submit to Christ now, or you will remain in Satan's kingdom and clutches forever.

Only Christ's blood can cleanse and forgive all your sins; His precious blood can take away the sins of your heart, lips, life, secret and open, past, present, and to come.  But you must first renounce your own self-righteousness and submit to Christ's righteousness, and embrace Him alone as your Savior and Redeemer.  Christ's redemption is precious, plenteous, complete, and eternal.  You simply must trust HIM, what He did for you, and not yourself at all.  The kingdom of God has a door of entrance, it is Christ Jesus Himself.  The way of admission into God’s kingdom is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

You cannot help being of doubtful mind while you remain in a lost and sinful state in the kingdom of darkness.  Your conscience continues to trouble you, your soul is full of uneasiness and unrest.  Look at yourself in the mirror, you are not getting any younger.  You need to get to Jesus as soon as possible.  If you have not believed in Christ alone, you are in great debt to God’s divine justice, and you are hopelessly bankrupt, for you cannot meet one in a million of the claims that are recorded against you in God’s law book.  How can you rest as long as your lost soul is indebted to God?  You are sin’s prisoner, too.

Your mind and soul will never truly rest till you are released from the bondage of sin, and made the Lord's freeman.  How would you like be in a condemned cell on death row, and not know when your execution was to take place?  I am sure that you would pity any poor prisoner, whatever his crime, if you could see him under such circumstances.  You may think that you are living in a wide-open world, and not in a prison-house; yet you are condemned already, you sit in darkness, locked up in sin’s prison cell, shackled to a heavy burden of guilt, and Satan himself is your vicious warden.

God sees you wherever you are, and everywhere you go, you remain in the condemned cell of your guilt; and perhaps, before the sun shall rise again, your eternal execution will have taken place.  If your breath fails, or your pulse stops, down will come the wrath of God upon you, the sword of divine justice will bring utter destruction and damnation to your soul.  How can you remain insensible to these things?  May the Spirit of God awaken you!  May the Holy Ghost make you sense your danger and feel your sinfulness, and then you will not be content to remain a moment longer with a doubtful and undecided mind.  Hearken to the Gospel, my friend.

The Blood of God was shed for you on Calvary’s Cross.  Jesus has risen from the dead and will save you by His power.  That sin of yours can be forgiven, for Jesus died for ungodly sinners just like you.  That filthy heart of yours can be renewed by God’s grace, for Jesus ever liveth to save sinners.  You can be delivered from the wrath to come, for Jesus has ascended up on high to plead for such sinners as you are.  Trust to trust Jesus only, only trust His Blood, Only rely on His righteousness and He give you eternal life freely and immediately.

Faith in Christ takes our sins away forever, and brings an inward life of holiness.  Believe in Jesus alone, trust in His great blood atonement for your sin, apart from His full and free atonement there is no salvation, and no true service to God.  Faith in Christ's blood puts in us into His kingdom. (John 1:12)  After you are born again, be a loyal subject of the kingdom of God.  Become more and more obedient to Christ’s divine rule, fully enjoy Christ's reign - peace, joy, and blessing.

True success is found only in the Scriptures.  The key to success in life is living your life according to the Scriptures.  Life is like a dollar bill, you can spend it any way your want, but you can only spend it once.  You can either invest your life in Christ, or waste it.  Your life can be a great success if it is based upon the Scriptures.  Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.  Live life God's way, not man's way.  Seek God and trust Him with your whole heart.  Live life to the max in Christ.

** The Pursuit:  "But SEEK ye" **

But - this is a contrast, don't live your life like the Gentiles.  The Gentiles are constantly worrying, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, and fretting.  Worrying is a poor business; it never bring good results. Gold is the Gentiles' god.  Seek means to "go after something with great desire."  In Luke 15:8, the woman sought the coin diligently.  Seek God intentionally, diligently, intensely with all your heart and desire.  Make God your number one priority.  An intentional and intense pursuit of God brings joy.  Jesus commands us to seek God.  You should be consistently, urgently, and persistently seeking the Lord and His things.  If you've ever lost your keys or wallet, it startled you, and then you began an intense search till you found it.

This is the thought behind the word 'seek' in scripture.  Seek, keep seeking, and continually seek the kingdom of God.  Seeking the Lord is the heavenly habit.  Charles Goodyear worked 10 years in poverty and ridicule before he produced his first tire that he made millions off of.  Noah Webster worked 36 years on his 1828 dictionary before it was finally published.  William Carey spent seven years in India before he baptized his first convert.  Adam Clark labored 40 years writing his commentary on the scriptures.  You can know God, but it will take an intense and intentional seeking.  Be the servant of God, and fear nothing but sinning and grieving the Lord.  What seek ye? (John 1:38)

How are we to seek?  Seek Christ Jesus at once by prayer, make earnest cries to God by faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Seek Him in the word of the kingdom – God’s Book.  Be watchful that you are not overtaken by self and sin.  Be not led to do anything which would defame or injure the kingdom of God.   With your whole heart seek after God, His truth, and everything that is right.

** The Problem:  "But seek YE" **

You must discipline yourself.  Your greatest problem in knowing God is YOU.  It is your responsibility to trust Christ and then grow in grace.  If you want to know God, you can.  Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you.  But you must deny yourself daily. (See Matt 16:24; Luke 9:23)  The Atheist says, “there is no God, and that you cannot know Him.”  The Deist says, “there is a God, but He cannot be known.”  The average Christian says "there is a God, and yes, you can know Him, but I don't know Him very well."   Make God your number one priority.  See Jeremiah 29:13 - Disciplining yourself and knowing God is worth the effort.  There is nothing greater that you can know in life, than knowing God.  You have to make God a priority, and discipline your mind and body to know God.

** The Priority:  "But seek ye FIRST" **

Priority means to "set before."  Everything else in your life is shaped and influenced by your priorities.  You always have time to do what you want to do.  Make God your #1 priority.  If God is not your number one priority, it is your fault.  The key is not to prioritize what is on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.  We should not dedicate our lives to things that will not last.  God should be first in our plans, schedule, checkbook, thoughts, activities, and home.  Jesus wants the first part of every week, and of every day.  Jesus doesn't want to be second in command; He wants to be King in our lives.

Seek ye first - in the order of time, begin each week and day with God.  Begin your marriage with God.  Starting out in life, getting married, starting a family, opening a new business, building a new church, in everything seek God and His blessing.  In order of preference - ye cannot serve God and mammon.  Seek first in intensity - many give strength to worldly pursuits, and their feebleness to Christ.  All will show up during working hours, but not for the hour of prayer.  We cannot do too much for Him who redeemed us with His own blood.

Seek God first; get your heart right with Him first.  The Highest should come first, and the Highest is God.  The most enduring should come first, and God is eternal.  Your soul is more precious than your body; your body will soon be worm food, but your soul will outlive the stars.  Seek Christ while your mind is clear.  Seek Him first in the day, first in the week, give your all to God.  Begin everything with God; never forget God.  Seek first the fear of the Lord, early in life.  Let your treasure be in heaven, not on earth.  Seek the love of God first, then others.  Seek the altar first, then the tent.  Let all other things go, but seek God first.

Let Christ’s things override everything.  Seek not the greed of gain, honor, or comfort; seek Christ Himself.  If you must care and worry, care only for God.  If you must fret, fret over your sins.  If you’re agitated, agitate over your communion with God.  Serve God:  if you will mind His business, He will mind your business.  The Gentiles trust in their hard work and good luck.  But our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.   God should be able to trust you with money, or without money.  Many men pursue wealth and worldly things and destroy their souls and health.  Remember - Men are half soul and half soil.  The human body is only the wrapping of the soul, like the wrapping of a precious gift.  Care for the gift (your soul) by seeking God, do not worship the useless wrapping of the flesh.

** The Prize:  "the kingdom of God" **

You must first seek the King Himself, seek the King of the kingdom – Christ Jesus the Lord.  Seek His rule and reign, that He will be glorified in your life, all of your strength, mind, will, actions, and energy.  Glorify the King.  See I Cor 10:31.  Do all to the glory of God.  Make God first, honor Him, and magnify Him.  Let Christ be magnified in every part of your life.  We must all be governed by the King.  We should be filled with the Spirit of God, and under His control, and in communion with Him.  A loyal subject desires that his King control his life, your very first desire should be to serve the King.  What wilt thou have me to do?  The kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of new life, righteousness, joy, perfect liberty, faith, and true peace.  Seek His kingdom immediately, take up your citizenship there, become the loyal subject of the great King.  Enjoy Christ’s kingdom and its privileges.  Ask Him to fully rule in your heart and life, and set up His throne of righteousness.  Seek His peace, holiness, rest, joy, and spiritual wealth.

Seek to spread and extend the kingdom of God.  Put on the King’s armor, the weapons of love, kindness, goodness, meekness, longsuffering, and charity.  From your waking thoughts till you fall asleep at night, be earnest in winning other hearts to Christ.  Let all your care go in this direction – to serve God, to live for God, to glorify God.  Seek to bring others under the dominion of Christ.  Tell others about the word of the kingdom - the gospel message.  Fellowship with the children of the kingdom and bear one another’s burdens.  Study and apply the mysteries of the kingdom to your life.

A man lives most and lives best who spreads the Gospel to others.  The reign of King Jesus in our hearts is to be our main object.  Then we will lead a well-ordered, gracious, noble, useful, pure, happy, and honored life.  Saints are not dead people, they are living Christians who do God's business in the workplace, home, streets, and fields.  Purity becomes the subjects of Jesus.  I will serve Jesus, cost what it may.  Christianity is unselfish.  We are against everything that is unrighteous, the knights of the blood-red banner of love fight for everything good, true, and just.  Help sinners to the Savior, then teach them to be temperate and honest, good and gentle.  Be on the side of everything that is pure, right, holy, and heavenly.

** The Purity:  "and His Righteousness" **

And His righteousness; this is the righteousness of God, which is only revealed in the Gospel.  This righteousness alone gives a sinner a right and title to the kingdom of God.  This is not the righteousness of man, but of God; and is no other than the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself; it is called this, because Christ is God, and He wrought it; His righteousness is what God approves of, accepts, and imputes, and which only can justify a sinner in God’s sight.  Heaven is to be sought for first and foremost; and Christ's righteousness is to be sought for, and laid hold on by faith, as the way and means of enjoying heaven; without which, there will be no entering into the glory of God.

We should seek first the righteousness that God has prepared for us through His dear Son.  Seek to be justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ.  Seek God’s righteousness, and forsake your own for it is nothing but filthy rags.  Seek first of all to be made right by God, yield to Him alone.  Seek to be be just, not wealthy; to obey God, not yourself; to be good, not great; to be humble, not first.  The one aim of the life of a Christian should be always to do the right.  It may be expensive, but it is always safe and most profitable.  Keep on the King’s highway; don’t take the devil’s detours and shortcuts.  Seek God's control over us, and God's character within us, we should seek and strive to live a holy life for the glory of our King.

Others should see the King in us.  Seek HIS righteousness, not yours.  God wants to do something through you.  God wants us to display Christ’s righteousness to this lost world.  See Philippians 3:9; Psalm 35:24,28; Psalm 71:15-16,19,24; Psalm 119:40; Romans 3:25-26.  To the pure all things are pure:  every house is a church, every day is a holy day, every meal is blessed, all of our garments are vestments, every Christian is a priest, and the temple of God.  We should be godly everywhere.  Righteousness is the nature of the Christian's heart.  Hate sin horribly, love good heartily. Our lives should be fragrant with truth, and bright with love.  If the world is going to trust our Redeemer, we must live more redeemed every day.  Stand up for Jesus, stand up for truth and right, never fear the consequences.

** The Promise:  "All these things shall be added unto you." **

“These things” are - food, drink, clothes, temporal needs.  Remember – Take care of God's things, and He will take care of your things.  Seek the Lord Jesus in everything.  Trust Christ as your personal Savior now.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  That is the first step into the kingdom.  Make Christ first in your thoughts, desires, schedule, checkbook, and all activities.  Spend quality time with God, and serve God all the day long.  Have contentment with your lot, and your confidence in God will make life peaceful and happy.   It is better to be happy than to be rich; and happiness lies in the heart rather than in the purse. It is not what a man has, but what a man is, that will decide his joy or misery in this life and the next.

Give Christ complete rule over your life – to glorify God and promote righteousness should be your master passion.  Spread the gospel, love the brethren, by all means save some sinners.  Be first a man of God.  Be first a Christian.  The fear of God must be the foundation of all we do.  Do everything in the fear of God, and nothing that is contrary to the mind of Christ.  The idle and dishonest will suffer hunger, but not the God-fearing Christian.  They that serve God shall not have to complain of God deserting them. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, she desired a certain merchant of London to go abroad for her and represent her in the affairs of state.  He pleaded with the Queen that his own business would suffer; whereupon her Majesty replied, "Sir, if you will mind my business, I will mind your business." Rest you assured that God will care for you if you make His service your delight.  This is God’s promise:  "All these things shall be added unto you."

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.