Seek First the Kingdom - Part 2: What You Seek

This morning we we press on with verse 33 here at the end of Matthew chapter 6 and we've begun since last week this turn now to verse 33 and the whole emphasis of being holy. And as I mentioned we began last week with what it is we are to seek and we considered again this central motif of the kingdom of God not only significant for Matthew but just for the whole storyline the whole revelation and history of Scripture.

But then within that this turn with verse 33 that being holy also means that we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And of course holding the kingdom of God and his righteousness together not dividing those things nor dividing the gospel from the kingdom as we said.

And so we want to hold all things think these things together remembering in the larger context of verses 25 to 32 as well as where we'll be after. I think two weeks out with verse 34 is this larger focus again of not needing to worry because our Father knows the things that we need and we're not called to fend for ourselves but we are called to seek first his kingdom and trust that as we do so and as we work and labor and plan and and save and all the other things that are coming out of that order nevertheless it will be his hand that provides all that we need we can truly trust his provision.

It's meant to free us and enable us to seek his kingdom first. So the big banner we said we need our father's care for our king's mission. And again even as we look at verse 33 this morning as well as next week will end the chapter by returning to you can trust God again.

Jesus won't leave us just with verse 33 he circles back to this matter of not worrying. So we could almost say it's don't worry be holy don't worry all right. A little a little sandwich. Well Matthew 633 what are we to seek.

We're to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. I emphasized last week the significance of righteousness this ethical dimension of our faith. What sets religion really apart in the ancient world that we've been learning about on Sunday evenings that it didn't have a place at least in the Greco-Roman sense didn't have as much of a place in religion proper for ethics but for Christianity.

Our religion our faith is comprehensive to all of life. There's an ethical dimension to being a Christian. And this is a significance of the righteousness that we seek. Matthew 520 said that righteousness need to it needs to exceed the righteousness that is born externally.

The righteousness that loves to trump its achievements on the corners that loves the greetings in the marketplaces in the best seats in the synagogue with ever righteousness that's better better than being diligent to tithe on mint leaves and cumin with to have an exceeding righteousness over against the scribes and the Pharisees which are clearly shown to be a rather hollow whitewashed kind of righteousness.

And Jesus says if you don't have the real McCoy you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so in chapter 6 he distinguished a righteousness that's done before the eyes of men versus the righteousness that God desires.

A righteousness that he grants to his people by his own spirit. A righteousness that is animated by them by his very grace through faith as they keep in step with the Spirit. This is a kingdom righteousness and it bears out toward a certain end.

This is the kind of righteousness that will inherit the kingdom of God. So Jesus on the one hand confirms and shows forth the need for this kingdom oriented righteousness. This kingdom wrought righteousness and against it he condemns a pharisaical righteousness in square and scare quotes a sort of self-wrought self-produced selfish form of righteousness.

That's the great contrast that we saw up through the beginning of chapter 6. We remember holding chapter 5 in chapter 6 together means the righteous deeds the kingdom. Righteousness that glorifies the Father looks like salt and light in this world.

The righteousness that were called to exhibit the righteousness that will actually inherit the kingdom is a righteousness that looks like salt and light. It looks like loving your enemies. It looks like blessing those who curse you.

It looks like giving not just your tunic but your cloak. It looks like going the extra mile. It looks like praying for those who spitefully use you blessing those who persecute you. And then we ended chapter 5 with.

You will be perfect. You will be mature. You will be complete in this way. Because that's what your father in heaven is like. And if you want to enter into that kingdom you must recognize your calling.

You have been called to these very things. We looked at first Peter to briefly toward the end last week. A chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation his own special people. That's the calling.

Toward what end. To proclaim the praises of him when he called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. And why. What's that. What's the missional dimension within that so that the Gentiles in other words those on the outside those around you may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.

So we said calling right. The election the calling. And then the ethics the righteousness the good works that are evident. And then what's the end. It's its mission. But the Gentiles will glorify God.

That sounds a lot like Matthew 5. You're the light of the world. A city on a hill can't be hidden. You don't put a lot a lamp under a basket. You put it on a lampstand. It gives light to all. Let your light shine in such a way that they can see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.

Exactly the same thing. And you find this pattern again and again and again throughout scripture. This is of course the very mission that we we looked at last week as far as Israel's calling we saw it with Abram in Genesis 18.

This is why I've called Abram. This is why I've elected him. This is why I've chosen him and given him my name given him my will so that he'll walk in all the things that I give to him all of my statutes and decrees so that I can fulfill all that I've promised Abram.

So we saw the calling. We see the ethics to walk in this way that's ordered by God's will. To what end. To fulfill the promises that he would become a father of many nations that his offspring would outnumber the stars of the sky and the sand grains of the seabed.

And we also remember that this vocation of of Israel transcended Abram. It was actually given to Israel proper as God gave them his laws. He the elect people of God meant to shine a light to the nations that they would become a blessing to the nations.

And as a people they would bring people into the worship of God and so overcome the curse as God brought about all that he had promised. Of course this promise finds its yes and amen in Christ the Messiah.

The point that we made is simply this. And we're pressing now in a practical way this morning as Christopher Wright said there is no biblical mission without biblical ethics. There is no mission for Abram if Abram does not walk in the righteousness of his God.

There is no mission for Israel if Israel does not walk in the light that God had called her to walk in. And there's no sense that we can be the chosen generation the kingdom of priests in that first Peter 2 sense if we don't have good works by which Gentiles come to glorify God.

There's no sense in which we can separate ethics from mission. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount doesn't let us separate good works from glorifying your father in heaven. And so we said it thinking in this way understanding this larger vocation this larger kingdom orientation means I don't ask what kind of mission does God have for my life.

What kind of calling might be out there for me yet to discover it rather flips the emphasis in the other direction. What kind of me does God want for his calling. What kind of me does he need for his mission.

It's his work his kingdom his calling. And so it puts all the emphasis then on on how we are walking in sanctification on the very things that we've been taught in Matthew 5 as well as Matthew 6. What kind of people are we.

What kind of salt and light do we have. What's our character. What do we exhibit. How does this actually play a part in God's kingdom. How does this actually correspond to seeking the kingdom first. And so that's what we're looking at now.

Last week was what are we seeking his kingdom his righteousness this morning. How do you seek the kingdom of God. How do you and I mean you individually. Next week we'll ask the same thing how do you seek the kingdom of God.

But we'll do that in a corporate sense which is how do we seek the kingdom of God as a church as a corporate people. So this morning is more you thinking of you as an individual believer and all of your various responsibilities and roles.

How do you seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first the next week. How do we do that together as one body the through the three stool legs of the kingdom of God as I said last week our election ethics and mission these things all correspond.

This is a pattern you see throughout Scripture. Doesn't matter whether you zoom in to Genesis 18 or get a 10 ,000 foot view of Israel's vocation. This is the pattern. And that pattern has not changed as we'll see in a moment.

Let me just give you another synonym for each of those words. So we have election ethics mission another way to look at that calling righteousness seeking the kingdom. Election is calling ethics is righteousness.

Mission is seeking the kingdom bringing the kingdom about. So all of these things cohere together. We begin with calling. When when Scripture speaks of calling it often speaks in the sense of what we've been called to or how to walk worthy of that calling.

Think of Peter when he writes he who called you as holy so you also be holy in your conduct. He's he's tying together election or calling and ethics righteousness. He called you and he's holy. And so you have a holy calling.

Your calling is a holy calling because he said be holy for I am holy. He reminds believers that they're called to this holiness. He does it in two nine. You've been called out of darkness into his marvelous light.

So as John would say in 1st John if we say we have fellowship with him in the light but walk in darkness. What does that reveal. What does that show. We have not known him. We do not have fellowship with him nor with one another.

We must walk in the light as he is in the light. That's simply another way of saying the one who called us is holy. He called us out of our darkness into his light. Or Jesus saying you are the light of the world you are the salt of the earth.

You need to walk in these ways. Election ethics mission calling righteousness seeking the kingdom. Second Peter he says God has called us by his own glory and excellence. And so we're to make our calling an election.

Sure. What. What is involved in making your calling an election. Sure righteousness. It's inspecting the rails so to speak it's walking around the vessel and kicking the wood making sure it's seaworthy.

Make your calling an election. Sure. It's simply what James 2 was asking you to do. Actually take a step back. Look in the mirror. Don't forget what you saw. Does your profession of faith line up with your ethics with your character with a display case of salt and light.

And so Paul can say in Ephesians 4. I beseech you brethren to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. What. What. What does walking worthy involve ethics righteousness. Walk in such a manner have such a behavior.

Conduct yourself in such a way that you show yourself to have this holy calling upon you in your life. You see all of this comes together. We have been called and the calling drives our conduct. Where ethics or God's righteousness intersects with our own flesh with the world around us there arises the opportunity for mission.

That is a central thesis that I want to put before you this morning. Let me say it again. Where ethics God's righteousness intersects with our own flesh or the world around us there arises the opportunity for salt and light.

It's very important we grasp this. As I said our calling corresponds to ethics or righteousness which conducts itself toward mission or seeking the kingdom. And what seeking the kingdom looks like is the intersection between God's righteousness and your flesh in a dark world around you.

At that intersection is where the opportunity to be salt and light arises. In other words mission will develop. At that intersection where you're calling in God's righteousness goes against your flesh in the world around you.

That's that's the issue. That's the thing we must grasp now. This thesis is essentially found in almost every ethical exhortation in Scripture. Let me just gallop quickly through Titus just to show you.

We won't always have the words or the labels like calling or righteousness or mission. But we'll have all the synonyms that fit that bill. Election might simply be a description of what God has done in electing us.

He's given us grace. Ethics or righteousness might just mean the way that we are to walk or not to walk. It might just be saying the the very good works that God has given us to walk in that's it's all ethical language.

And then mission is the so that it's the end of that God would be glorified that others would be drawn in that that God's name would not be blasphemed that others would be reached. You'll find these three revolving things in almost every ethical exhortation.

So here's Titus to see if you pick up on it. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust we should live soberly righteously godly in this present age looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself his own special people.

Zealous for good works. Speak these things. Exhorts rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you Titus 311. Sorry Titus 3 1 and following. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities. To obey to be ready for every good work.

To speak evil of no one. To be peaceable gentle showing all humility to all men. Remember that we ourselves were once foolish disobedient serving various lusts and pleasures living in malice envy hateful hate hating one another.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared toward men not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration the renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior and having been justified by his grace that we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a faithful saying. And these things I want you to affirm constantly that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Look at 314 as he comes to the close and let our people also learn to maintain good works to meet urgent needs that they may not be unfruitful.

Did you pick up those dynamics just in that little gallop across Titus 2 and 3. The calling the gospel call the election that makes us his own special people is contained in phrases and sentences like the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared and it's taught us something.

Or we're looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior who gave himself for us his own people his own possession because of his election because of his calling. Remember that we ourselves were once disobedient deceived.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared he saved us. This is all language of calling and election and in so many elaborations. But notice also the ethics that he might redeem us from every lawless deed.

That we would be zealous for good works. That we would be ready for every good work. That we would speak no evil but be peaceable and gentle. That we were once disobedient and deceived and serving lusts and pleasures living in malice.

But now that God has saved us what has he done. He's renewed us with the washing of a generation in the Holy Spirit which he's given us abundantly. He's justified us justified us by his grace. And then again notice this ethical pattern.

Those who believe in God must be careful to maintain good works. Do you see that's all toward mission. Why should they be subject to rulers and authorities to obey. Why be zealous for good work. Why careful to maintain every good work.

Because that calling that redemption that election intersecting with God's righteousness the the ethics of that calling mean there's a mission. Now you must live in this way. That is the pattern behind every exhortation to so so this in my mind is what it looks like practically to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

I want to do that in three points this morning again this is for individuals. You could take this and apply it in the specifics of your season of your circumstance of your role and responsibility. Maybe as a husband and father maybe as a son maybe as a widow or a grandmother or a wife or a young single one seeking such things or a child whatever that role or responsibility might be.

I would say here are three things that seeking the kingdom ought to look like for us. The first is this if you want to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness seek your influence. That's the first thing seek your influence.

I don't mean be become an influencer in that social media sense God forbid. I think it's very annoying like no one wants to go to a restaurant when you have a bunch of lights surrounding some table and a bunch of you know on-the-spot commentary.

So so I'm not saying become a social media influencer but I'm saying seek your influence. And part of that seeking means you need to weigh out the influence you have and then wield it. Weighing it out means you'll recognize you have both a propensity for good or bad influence.

And if you're careful to examine you'll find that indeed you have both those effects. But you need to weigh it so that you can understand the rightful influence you do have the influence you ought to have and then wield yourself wield your salt and light in that way.

So if you want to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness seek your influence. Well what is influence. A dictionary definition would be to affect or alter the conduct thought or character of another.

I like this language of affecting or altering not just the the reaction but even the thought even the conduct even the character of the one that you are influencing. What does salt do. It affects and it alters.

What does light do. It affects and it alters. A dark room is altered by light. A recipe is affected by salt. You need to weigh and wield the influence you have. If you would seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness part of that is recognizing God has so sown us in as as human beings in all of the communal ways that we operate.

Being an image bearer of God means you are helplessly social. God exists eternally in his triunity. So God himself exists within perfect community and therefore as image bearers. As Paul says in Romans 14 7 none of us lives to himself like truly.

No one's able just to live to himself. You all came from someone you're all related to and moving past and dependent on others. No man truly lives to himself. In a day of social media influencers we need to acknowledge that we all for better or worse are always engaged in affecting or altering the thought conduct and behavior or character of another.

We're always doing that. If you're a parent at home you see this all the time. You don't even realize some of the sayings or some of the mannerisms you have until you see it in your children. You're like I say that I sound like that I do that you didn't even pick up on the influence.

It was so subtle and easy to miss. But you have that constant influence. It's hard to subtract the influence you do have. It takes quite a bit of thought to exercise and discern. What is the weight of my influence.

How can I how I ought to wield it. It takes some time some prayerful discernment usually some help from others that know you well to help you understand and discern these things about you. But we all from the least to the greatest of us we all bear a certain influence.

The question is what is that influence. What is the weight of it. How is it being wielded. Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness means you know the weight your example. You know the the weight your conduct.

You know the weight your character has. And you seek ways to wield it profitably. You seek ways to use it to inch the kingdom forward in the sphere of influence that God has given you which is any relationship any responsibility you have in front of you.

This is going to connect to the second point in an important way. God of course speaks of this influence becoming a sort of pattern. Paul weighs his influence. And how does he wield it. He wields it in a pattern.

And so he'll say to the church at Thessalonica as a father does his own children. I've charged and exhorted and comfort to every one of you that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

I hope I hope the familiarity bells are ringing. What does that sound like. It sounds like calling the God who calls you. It sounds like mission that you would walk worthy. And that's ethics. And Paul says I did this to you.

I wielded my influence upon you like a father does to his children. I know the weight it has. I know how to wield it. And now I would remind you like a father. This is what I've done toward this end. I've wielded my influence for you to walk worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Or in 1st Corinthians he says for this reason I've sent chapter 4. I've sent Timothy to you who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord who will remind you of my ways in Christ as I teach everywhere in church.

In other words I have taught a certain way. Timothy has become my son in learning and imitating that and he'll go now and teach you. There's an influence that Paul expects his life to have. Timothy has saturated that and now he sends Timothy and says Timothy way and wield your influence for the kingdom of God.

At corn we've all had examples and influences that have shaped us. How many of us have have come to the Lord. And a large part of our walk in the Lord is actually straining out in overcoming so many of those negative sinful influences that shaped our life outside of Christ.

In other words we we come to Christ and the burden of our guilt and sin is it rolls off of our back. But what we slog forward on the path of sanctification with is not a burden of guilt and sin. It's just the baggage of having lived in darkness for a long time.

So we weigh that kind of influence in that difficult pathway of sanctification. We understand. Now we have new influences new salt new light that's meant to transform our way of walking. This happened in Paul's life and so he can say confidently imitate me.

You have a pattern. Yeah I came out of darkness into God's light. I know the Savior who forgave me who gave himself for me. And now I've had to overcome all of these things. It took Paul quite some time.

He didn't launch. You know he didn't receive conversion on Monday and launch into apostolic mystery on Friday. We have years in Arabia that we have no idea what was going on in his life. He was working at this calling upon his life understanding the scriptures growing in these paths of sanctification.

We've all had examples examples that have shaped us outside of Christ. We can see the impact that has made. There was a weight that was wielded in our lives. It brought about a certain impact in effect seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness is just acknowledging this and saying if the world of flesh and the devil can have that kind of weight and wield that kind of influence so can salt and light so can the ethics in the mission of God.

That's all we're saying. And of course positively praise God. We have been shaped and encouraged. We have found patterns to imitate. We have been spurred on by the faithfulness of our brothers and sisters that's gonna lean into next week.

How do we seek the kingdom of God corporately. So we have this influence. The question is do we really weigh it. I really know the influence I have. Do I really understand the influence I have. Not the influence I hope to have.

Not the influence I want to have but just the influence that I have. So I actually weigh that rightly. Do I know how to wield it profitably. That's the issue. So I recognize that my pattern the way that seeking God's kingdom in terms of my calling to walk worthy God's righteousness being wrought out by the Spirit in this life of sanctification toward the end of mission toward the end of God's glorification.

That my example in the midst of that my influence might be someone's reason to press on or by the same token it might be someone's reason to pull back. It might be someone's reason to look up to that heavenly hope that Paul speaks about in Titus 2.

Or it might be someone's reason to give up. Do I know the weight of my influence. And as we move on to the second point let me say I think it takes a Christian quite some time to understand the impact of their influence.

Usually you only do it in retrospect. You can see this if you're if you're a parent and you have kids that are a sort of a range of ages. You can see with your oldest ones boy I wish I knew how to wield my influence as a parent better.

I just didn't press the things I I should have pressed. I could have pressed. I wish I'd pressed with my first with my second. And now I've learned I've learned along the way there's a lot of things that I was really anxious about and I just learned.

Those are the wrong things to be anxious about. There's a lot of things that I thought were big that were small. A lot of things I thought were small. There were actually big. You actually don't know how to wield your influence unless you're looking backwards.

So I say for a Christian takes a lot of wisdom and self-examination in retrospect to weigh and wield your influence. But that is part of seeking the kingdom of God first. Secondly. And this is connected vitally connected if you want to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness seek your build-up.

Seek your build-up. I like this word build-up. I don't say edify but I say build up. I can think of building up in some people's minds as sort of just this he's really great substantial layers. You're just gonna keep being build up from strength to strength.

I don't quite mean that. What I mean is something so gradual that it's almost functioning at a subconscious level. And the idea is as the people of God having this calling of God seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness ethics intersecting intersecting with mission.

There's going to be a a hundred opportunities every single day for you to build up your character your attitude your thought life your reactions and your decisions in light of the calling the righteousness of God and the mission.

And that's the real key here is I want you to understand when you weigh you wield your influence. What you're weighing is generally the sum of a hundred decisions you make throughout the week. That's what you're weighing.

Do you want to know what kingdom righteousness looks like. It looks like a hundred decisions you make throughout the week almost unwittingly a hundred reactions a hundred opportunities because of things that are going on within you or around you.

That's what the kingdom of God calls you to. I'm gonna spend some time elaborating this point because I think it's so easily missed and I and I label it build up because I want you to see that this whole idea of seeking the kingdom first is not something you do in one great jump.

You should not conceive of seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness as if you're on the cliff of immaturity the cliff of worldliness. And somehow you've got to just work up the courage to jump across the canyon to the other side of perfection and maturity.

That's an entirely wrong image. I go to the Hubbardston Rec field every now and then. I've seen people mosey around the field. I've seen people walk around the field. I've seen people power walk around the field.

But I've never seen anyone take Olympic long hurdle strides around the field. That's not how you move around. The Christian life is not taking these massive galloping strides toward maturity. In fact people who think the kingdom of God or his righteousness looks like that usually are just stalled and paralyzed.

And they think well in about thirteen and a half years I'm gonna make that big jump and then everything will be right. Yeah not right now. I mean I got to work all this stuff out everything sort of imploding.

But you know what one of these days I'm gonna take that big stride and kind of clear the canvas and get going. And those people will never actually advance into the kingdom of God. They'll never actually walk forward in this path of righteousness.

That's why I'm using this language of build up. It's so gradual it's so consistent. It's so finely orchestrated to your days and your weeks and your seasons that you have to have this mindset just to understand that the intersection of your flesh and the world around you is where seeking the kingdom of God is going to arrive.

It's where salt and light is going to arise. Michael Goheen a missiologist he's just so so helpful in giving I think certain labels and in terms that help us understand some things. Here's a really helpful label and I want to drive this.

Salt is a contrast of element. Light is a contrast of element. These are the things that affect an altar. Michael Goheen says mission is first of all listen to this the life of a contrast people. That's Michael Goheen mission is first of all the life of a contrast people.

Now just in that sentence you see what he's getting. He uses this this term this phrase a contrast people called out of darkness into light. That's a contrast. You are the salt of the earth. That's a contrast.

I have chosen you to be my own special possession. That's a contrast. You're a contrast people if you're a follower of Jesus if you belong to his people you're a contrast people. What is that contrast horizon.

What does it show up in what does Goheen say all of life all of life. You're not a contrast people because of what you do on a Sunday morning. You're not a contrast people because of the description you have on your Facebook bio.

You're not a contrast people because of the the window decal or the bumper sticker. You're a contrast people in all of your life all of your life. That's what being a contrast people looks like. That contrast is a buildup constantly being built up.

Listen to this mission is first of all the life of a contrast people. The radiant demonstration of God's creational design for human life. And the goal of God's redemptive purpose as his people stand against cultural idolatry and for one another in the Lord.

So a contrast people stand against something cultural idolatry and for something one another in the Lord in that mission of the Lord what comprises their life. Everything that God intends human life to be from the blades of the grass to the birds of the air to the clothes on your back and the food on your table.

All of life whether you eat or drink is to be done to the glory of God. So a contrast people has an understanding that the salt and light corresponds to every aspect of God's creational design for humanity.

And where that creational design intersects with the flesh in the darkness of a lost world of a fallen race. Then you're walking in God's redemptive purpose. Here's the whole point. It is the buildup of your life from day to day week to week season to season.

It's the buildup that comprises the life of a contrast person. It's the buildup. It's not the stride. It's not the cliff jump. It's not breaking the sound beer barrier for one year and then coasting for the next eight.

It's the gradual buildup that is the life of a contrast people. It is a buildup of hundreds of seemingly insignificant decisions. It is the buildup of hundreds of almost subconscious efforts. It is what flows out of a daily reaction to many situations and decisions.

That's the buildup that corresponds to seeking the kingdom and his righteousness. First we talked about last week. Our society today emphasizes achievement over character. We said again unsubstantiated statement.

But generally obituaries are tombstones of the past. Unless you were a noble or a noteworthy would contain what kind of person you were. Rather than the things that you achieved with your life. Now we don't really care at all about you the virtues you possess.

We just want to know where you worked for us. That's what your life amounted to. We couldn't be more off the wrong trail in that regard as a society. But there's a way in light of that that even if you recognize that character matters to God this is the the gradual buildup that looks like salt and light.

Even if you recognize that there's still a way that you might think the achievement is still what's big. The character is still relatively small. You know that character matters in a society that says character doesn't matter.

Achievement is achievement is everything. In fact you could be a weasel. You'd be a scoundrel. You could have no one in your life that actually thinks well of you. You could have everyone that actually despises you.