Let's take our Bibles and turn
back to Matthew 6. I'd like to deal with the last
two verses of chapter 6, verses 33 and 34. Four times from verses
25 to 31. Four times. Our Lord warned his hearers against
the peril and the bondage of worry. And it is a bondage, isn't
it? I mean, you ever notice how you
wake up in the middle of the night? It's always worse. It's always worse. Verse 25, He said, Therefore
I say unto you, take no thought for your life, or worry. Verse 27, Which of you by taking
thought can add one cupid into his stature? Verse 28, Why take
ye thought for raiment? Verse 31, Therefore take no thought,
saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal
shall we be clothed? Brother Henry Mahan wrote these
five things down one time, and I think that it's been such a
blessing to me. I'd like to read them to you.
He said, we have entirely too many fears for a people to whom
the Lord has said, Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee. Yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." He
said, secondly, we have far too many doubts and fears concerning
God's mercy, love, and grace for a people to whom the Lord
has said, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. I give unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish." Oh, I'm so thankful that when
I see the failings of myself that the Lord has said, I'm not
going to cast you out. Number three, he said we spend
entirely too much time grumbling and complaining. about our trials
and our troubles for a people to whom the Lord has said, in
this world, in the world, you shall have tribulation, but be
of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Number four, he said
we have entirely too much attachment to this world and to its present
life for a people who are looking for a city. who's builder and
maker is God. One of these days, we're going
to see with perfect sight what right now we can but, and oh
what a great blessing that but is, believe it by faith. Number five, we have far too
much anxiety, care and fear Far too much concern for earthly
material things for a people to whom the Lord has said, your
Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.
He knows that. Our Lord said to those that He
preached to, we just started with this a while ago, take no
thought for your life. What you shall eat, what you
shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. But
look at verse 33. But seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you. Seek ye first. I looked it up. It says first in time, first
in place, first in order, and first in importance. Seek ye
first. First priority. This is my first duty. That's what I entitled that,
this message right here. My first duty. Seek ye first
before anything else. This is number one right here.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness And
everything else is going to be taken care of. What a promise. We worship God. And we seek that which He has
revealed. His kingdom. His righteousness. I got to thinking about that.
Seek ye first. The kingdom of God. That kingdom, and I tried to
just read some scriptures and find out what does the Word of
God have to say about the kingdom of God? What does God have to
say about His kingdom? Well, I know according to Matthew
13 and 11, it's a kingdom whose mysteries must be revealed. The disciples, remember when
they asked Him, Lord, why do you speak in parables? They're
always preaching in parables. And He said, because it's given
unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. But unto
them it's not given. Notice that. Unto you, but unto
them, no. Unto you, yes. Unto them, no.
What mysteries? Well, consider something about
the incarnation of Christ. God made flesh. What about divine election? That God Almighty chose the people
and everything we know about it, and believe about it, and
love about it. We think, what a mystery! That
God Almighty And His blessed Son gave Him a people, and He
stood for them eternally as the surety. I always hesitate to
say time. How do you talk in eternity?
How do you speak? From that eternal thought, purpose,
will, action, the Lord never looked to the sheep. to answer. He never looked to the sheep.
He trusted in His Son. Trusted Him. What a mystery. Redemption. Redemption. Here was the Lord Jesus Christ
made sin. Christ made sin. God Almighty dealt with him in
absolute justice. The one who was the apple of
his eye, his own son, the one in whom he was well pleased.
But for his love for his people that he all everlastingly loved,
justification freely by his grace, justified before the foundation
of the world. Justified, declared, no charge
before they were ever born. He said, I knew you before I
formed you in the belly, Jeremiah. I knew you. Mysteries. I know that about the kingdom
of God. It's a mystery. I know this about the kingdom
of God. It's the Father's good pleasure to give it to His people. That's what Luke 12.32 says. Please your Father, give you
the kingdom. I know this according to John 18.36. It's not of this
world. I know that. Not understood by
this world. It's not of this world. It has
nothing to do with this world. The only thing it has to do with
this world is that God's people is in it. And He's going to get
them. James 2.5 reveals that the kingdom
of God is an inheritance. It is an inheritance. Hearken, my beloved brethren,
hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that
love Him? Well, knowing something from
the Scriptures concerning the kingdom of God, Let's just look
at a couple more verses of Scripture concerning what the Lord has
said, and through His teaching, what God has taught concerning
the kingdom of God. I know for a fact, according
to His teaching, and you can turn over to Matthew 13, it is
a kingdom that is sought out by the Lord. I know that. I know that. Now,
listen to what he has to say. He was teaching, and here again,
it's Matthew 13, starting in verse 44. Alright? Listen to what the Lord has to
say. Matthew 13, verse 44. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto treasure hid in a field the which when a man
hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth
all that he hath, and buyeth that field." I know according
to the Lord's word that the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God
is like a treasure Treasure. Now, if I be not mistaken, this
treasure right here, speaking of the kingdom, is the elect
of God. The people of God. Isaiah 62.12
says, They shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of
the Lord. Thou shalt call them sought out. Sought out. A city not forsaken. This treasure, now just look
at the wording here and see if the Lord gives us some light
on this. The kingdom of heaven likened to a treasure hid in
a field. Hid in this world. A treasure. A treasure to who? A treasure
to the Lord. A treasure in His sight. Isaiah
43 verse 4 says, Since thou was precious in my sight. Was Christ before His people
called out of darkness? Was He a treasure to them? No. We were children of wrath against
Him. Just like everybody else. There
was no love. There was no seeking. No man
seeks after God. But here's what this says, the
Lord says, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a treasure that's
hid in a field. The Lord said, I'll finish that
scripture, I'll start to read Isaiah 43, verse 4, Since thou
wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable in his esteem,
and I have loved thee, therefore will I give men for thee, and
people for thy life. The treasure that this kingdom
is made up of. is a treasure hid in a field
scattered throughout this world. And every nation and kindred
and tribe and tongue, the field of this world of people, they're
just sojourners. They're everywhere. But God knows
where they are. And they're hidden. A kingdom
of heaven like a treasure hid in a field. Hidden from the world's
eyes. And I'll be honest with you,
before they're converted, hidden from their own eyes. They don't
even know it. Just dead, dead, spiritually dead sinners. But this treasure hid in the
field, the rich, when a man hath found, what man? Oh, the man. The man, the Lord Jesus Christ. How long has he found them? Oh,
He's always found them. He's always known them. They're
the gift of His Father. He's always found them. They
were His, as His bride in Himself. And in time, He came for her,
to redeem her, to die for her. When this man hath found, he
hideth. What do you mean he hideth? I
mean he came into this world, he made himself of no reputation,
made in the likeness of men, but one that this world saw no
beauty in, hidden, hidden from the eyes of the people of this
world, the sinners that cannot look upon him and see any beauty
in him, despised and rejected of men. And when this man hath
found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all
he hath, and buyeth that field." Now something has been bought. Something has been sold. Somebody
has become poor. He sold all he had for joy. He did this. What joy? Well,
for the joy that was set before Him. The joy of the redemption
and salvation of His people. He endured the cross, despising
the shame. Sat down on the right hand of
the throne of God. The joy of His people being with
Him eternally. For joy, He goeth and selleth
all He hath. Sacrificed everything for the
redemption of His own. I read this Scripture a few minutes
ago when I was in the study going over these notes, and I noticed
something here in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Let me read this to
you. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
He was rich, yet for your sakes, not for good people, but for
wretched sinners, He who loved us while we were
dead in trespasses and sins. For your sakes, He became poor. Now you know, I read that. He
became poor that you through His poverty might be rich. I
read that word poor and I thought, I'm going to look that word up. Poor. A pauper. A pauper. A beggar. A beggar. In fact,
one of the words in the definition is cringing. Just a cringing
one. He who is rich, indescribably
rich. How do you describe the richness
of the Lord Jesus? God Himself. He became a pauper. A beggar. That ye through His
beggary, through his poverty, might be rich. Rich in faith. Heirs of God. Joint heirs with
Christ. This man, the kingdom of heaven,
likened to a treasure hidden in a field. It's going to have to be bought.
That's what the Scripture says. He buys that. Something's going
to have to be bought. Somebody's doing something in
redemption. He's buying a field. bought the
whole field. He who made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form of a servant was made in the likeness
of men being found in fashion or in habit as a man. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And that
one who had a treasure hidden in this field, in this world,
when he found it eternally, In time for joy. He goeth and made himself no
reputation. Selleth all he hath and bought
that field. He bought it. That field. I thought you said that's the
world. He sure did. He sure did. He bought the whole
world. I didn't say he redeemed them all. He didn't redeem them
all. But he bought This whole world. He purchased the right to rule this world and to get
His treasure out of it. He owns everything. He bought it. He bought it by
the shedding of His own blood. Listen to this. I'll prove this
to you. Romans 14.9 says, to this end, To this end, to this end, Christ
both died and rose and revived that He might be Lord both of
the dead and the living. He's got the right, Chuck. He's got the right to do with
every man as he sees fit. You know why? He bought it. He
bought the field. He owns the field. All souls
are mine. The soul that sinneth will die. The Scripture says, let me just
read this to you, John 17, our Lord's high priestly prayer.
John 17, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
I'm going to tell you something. What's the kingdom of God like?
The kingdom of God is like a treasure. A treasure of God's choosing.
A treasure of God's purpose and God's will. God's grace and God's
mercy hidden in a field. When he found it, found it in
grace, found it in mercy, found it in compassion, hid himself. Made himself of no reputation,
came into this world and lived and died under the absolute law
of God. Satisfied justice. And he bought that field and
takes his treasure out of it. Why? Because he's got the right
to. Back in Matthew 13. Verse 45 and 46, he gave another
example. He says again, the kingdom of
heaven is likened to a merchant man seeking goodly pearls who,
when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold
all that he had and bought it. Now, the first one was concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ buying something. paying for it with
his own blood. He bought it. He purchased it. Paid in full. Now here's something. He says the kingdom of heaven
is like a merchant man seeking goodly pearls. Pearls and plural things. Like
unto a tradesman. Businessman. That's what it is.
A merchant man. A businessman. You know, I make
my own way. I work hard. I've got some savvy
about this. I know what I'm doing. It's like
a merchant man that's going about and going to buy him some wealthy
things. Seeking. You know the only problem
with a man that seeks? I'm going to read this to you,
Proverbs 17. Proverbs 17, verse 11. The Scripture says, about a man
that is an unregenerate, seeking anything. Listen to what Proverbs
17.11 says. An evil man, an unbeliever, seeketh
only rebellion. That's all he seeks. Evil man
seeketh only rebellion. Therefore, a cruel messenger
shall be sent against him. A man without Christ seeks only
rebellion. But here this kingdom is a kingdom
of subjects that is made willing in the day of God's power. Back
in Matthew 13, verse 45. The kingdom of heaven, like unto
a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found
one pearl of great price, And he, like that prodigal son, came
to himself, Pat, in regenerating grace. He found one pearl, the
only pearl worth having, the one pearl of great price. He went and sold all that he
had. Like old Saul of Tarsus who became
Paul the Apostle, he said, all of these things that were gained
to me, I was born the right day, the right parents, the right
tribe. I was this, that, and the other. And all of those things. are dung to me. Dung. Refuge. That I might know Him,
be found in Him. This man, when he found one pearl
of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it. How? He bought it without price. Without money. He bought it by
faith. Buy of me. That's what the Lord
says. Come unto Me. Buy of me with no money, no price. You don't have it, but I'll give
you that which alone you can purchase from Me by faith. By
faith. One pearl of great price. He gave up everything else. And then lastly, this kingdom
back in Matthew 13. Verse 47-49, again, the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea and
gathered up every kind. Which when it was full, they
drew to shore, set down, gathered the good unto vessels, cast the
bad away. So shall it be at the end of
the world. The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from
among the just, or those that God has justified. This kingdom
is a kingdom that's gathered by the Lord God Himself, called
out through the preaching of the gospel. That net that's thrown,
that net's the truth. It gathers them all in. There's some chairs among the
weak. The Lord says they're always
there. But in the day of God's judgment,
God's going to separate them. Remember the workers there? He
asked the master, he said, didn't you sow good seed? And look,
there's some tares out there. You want us to go up there and
pull the tares out? He said, no. You let them grow together. He
said, what will happen is you'll go out there and pull up what
you think is a tare. He said, you're probably pulling
up sheep. You leave them alone. In the final day, I'll gather
them all. I'll separate them. I know mine.
I know mine. I'm known of mine. Those that
trust their own works, their own will, their own self-righteousness
are going to be cast out. Remember, all souls are the Lord's. But to you that believe, that
you who possess no confidence in your own flesh, in yourself,
who can but be saved by the mercy of God, you who must be saved
by God or perish, to you, He's precious. He's the one pearl
of great price. He's precious. There's not another
like Him. No one else like Him. Seek ye
first. Back in Matthew 6. Seek ye first. Verse 33. The kingdom of God
and His righteousness, not your own, is. All these things shall
be added unto you. Take, verse 34, no thought for
tomorrow. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow shall take thought for
the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof. The trials of today, there's
enough trials for today. Don't start worrying about tomorrow's
trials. Tomorrow's never going to get
here. There is no tomorrow. It's always going to be today.
It's always going to be right now. Today is the day of salvation. Seek Him. Alive.