Seeking the Kingdom of God

Q: What does the Bible say about seeking the Kingdom of God?

The Bible teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, assuring us that all our material needs will be provided (Matthew 6:33). Matthew 6:33 emphasizes the importance of prioritizing our relationship with God above material concerns. Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. This means that our primary focus should not be on worry about food, clothing, or shelter, but on pursuing a deeper relationship with our Father in heaven. This call to seek God first is rooted in the understanding that our needs are known to Him, and He will provide for us. By placing our trust in Him, we align ourselves with His will and find the true satisfaction that comes from being part of His Kingdom.

Q: How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

God’s provision is demonstrated through His care for creation, as seen in His feeding of the birds and clothing the flowers (Matthew 6:26-30). The assurance of God’s provision comes from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:26-30, where He reminds us of how God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. If God pays such attention to even the smallest aspects of His creation, how much more will He provide for His children? This understanding removes the need for anxiety about our physical needs. Instead, we are called to trust that our Heavenly Father knows what we need even before we ask Him. Therefore, this promises us that God, who is faithful, will supply our needs 'according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus' (Philippians 4:19).

Q: Why is seeking the righteousness of God important for Christians?

Seeking God's righteousness is essential as it aligns us with His will and ensures His blessings in our lives (Matthew 6:33). Seeking God's righteousness provides believers with a means to live in accordance with His will. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus challenges us not to become preoccupied with earthly concerns but to prioritize God's Kingdom and His righteousness. This righteousness is not based on our works but is a gift from God through Christ. When we seek His righteousness, we position ourselves to receive His favor and blessings. This pursuit of holy living reveals our hearts' true desires and adds depth to our relationship with Him, ensuring that we align ourselves with His purposes and experience the fullness of His grace.

Q: What is the treasure hidden in the field mentioned in the Bible?

The treasure hidden in the field represents the gospel, which brings salvation and eternal life (Matthew 13:44). In Matthew 13:44, Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure hidden in a field. This treasure symbolizes the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ, which holds immense value and significance. When a person discovers this treasure, it should lead to a transformed life where they willingly give up everything else to possess it. The hidden nature suggests that many may overlook its value until their hearts are opened to the truth. This 'treasure' grants believers eternal life and the promise of God’s grace, encouraging us to seek after both the Kingdom and the righteousness of God as our utmost priority.

Matthew chapter 6. I'm going
to begin reading with verse 27 of Matthew 6. And our Lord says in verse 27,
Matthew 6, Which of you by taking thought, or by anxious thought, can add one cubit to his stature. Most writers agree that the translation
here should be one day to your life. Which of you, by taking
anxious, thoughtful care, can add one day to your life, or
one year to your existence? Then why, verse 28, take ye thoughtful
raiment, clothing, Consider the lilies of the field and how they
grow. They toil not, neither do they
spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his
glory was not raised like one of these. Wherefore if God so
clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow
is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? O ye of little faith! Therefore, take no thought, that
is, anxiety, fretting, fear, worry, saying, well, what shall
we eat? What shall we drink? And how
shall we be clothed? After these things do the Gentiles,
the heathen, pagans, For your heavenly Father knoweth that
you have need of all these things. He knows we need food and drink,
shelter and clothing. He knows what we need much better
than we know. But seek ye first and foremost
the kingdom of God, and seek his righteousness. And all these
things will be added unto you, food and clothing and shelter
and drink. Take therefore no thought for
the Mara, for the Mara shall take thought for the things of
itself. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof, or sufficient unto each day is its own trouble. Now, in these verses, our Lord
Jesus Christ condemns our fretting, and our anxiety, and our worry
over material things. Saying, what shall we eat, and
what shall we drink, and how shall we be clothed? He said,
your Father knows you have need of these things. And our anxiety
is needless. God feeds the birds, doesn't
he? God clothes the flowers, doesn't he? Will he neglect his
children? This worry is needless. Some
of us have been around this well a long time, believers, children
of God, sitting in this congregation, and we've never really been in
any kind of need for food and clothing and shelter. Has anybody
here done without? We've done without some things
that maybe we want, but never anything we need. He's provided,
hasn't he? All these years. Why are we worrying? Why are we in trouble? You see,
this anxiety is needless, and it's useless too. Because with
all the worry and anxiety that we produce, we cannot provide. The farmer may watch his crops
suffer for lack of rain, but he can't make it rain by worrying
about it. It's not going to rain one day
sooner because he worries and frets and questions God's problem. It's not only needless, this
worry and anxiety. It's not only useless, it's pagan,
our Lord says. He said this is what the pagans
do. These are the things that Gentiles
are concerned about. They're so concerned about what
we shall eat, what we shall drink, what shall we wear, they have
no concern for the Father. They're just concerned for these
material things. And then in verse 33, he gives
us, he counsels us in that which is worth being concerned about. He wouldn't have you concerned
about what you shall eat, what you shall drink, what you shall
wear, but He would have you concerned about your relationship with
Him and your part in the kingdom of God. You seek the kingdom of God.
You set your affection on things above. Our Lord counsels us to
seek that which is worth seeking and be concerned about that which
is worth giving thought unto. Seek ye first and foremost the
kingdom of God and his righteousness. For blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and cause it to approach unto thee." That's the blessed
man. It's not the man who has abundant
food and abundant drink and abundant property and abundant clothing.
It's the man whom God chooses. and causes to approach unto him,
that he may dwell in his kingdom, and be satisfied, be satisfied
with the goodness of his house. Blessed is he whose transgressions
are forgiven. Blessed is he whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man unto whom
the Lord will not impute iniquity. And blessed is the man in whose
spirit there is no guile. That's the blessed man. Our concern
for this world and for the things of this world,
our concern is condemned. Take no anxious, fearful thought
saying, what are we going to eat? What are we going to drink?
What are we going to wear? Where are we going to live? Who's
going to take care of us in our old age? What are we going to
do? Don't do that. Our concern for these things
is condemned. It's needless, it's useless,
it's pagan. Your heavenly Father knows you
have needed these things. And bless your heart, old Abraham
gave us the key word. He said, the Lord will provide.
Isn't that what he said? The Lord will provide. The Lord
will see to it. My God shall supply all your
needs, all of them, all your needs, according to His riches
and glory through Christ Jesus. I love the old hymns that I read
frequently, and I found this one by John Newton, 1775. Listen
to it. Though troubles assail and dangers
affright, Though friends should all fail and foes all unite,
Yet one thing secures us whatever betide, His promise assures us
the Lord will provide. The birds without barn or storehouse
are fed, From them let us learn to trust him for our bread. His sayings, what is needed,
shall never be denied, so long as it's written, the Lord will
provide. His call we obey like Abram of
old. We know not the way, but faith
makes us bold. For those of us strangers, we
have a sure guide. And we know through all the dangers
the Lord will provide. No strength of our own nor goodness
we claim. Our trust is all resting in Jesus'
name. In this, our strong tower for
safety, we hide. The Lord is my refuge and the
Lord will provide. And when life is almost over,
and death is in view, the word of his grace will see me safe
through. Not fearing or doubting, with
Christ on my side, I hope to die shouting, the Lord will provide." He will provide. So this anxiety
and concern and worry for the things of this world is useless. Needless, pagan, condemned. And our concern for his kingdom
is encouraged. Seek ye. Seek ye. Our concern
for his righteousness is imperative. Here we have, look at verse 33
again. We have a command. A command. You seek the kingdom of God first. First. Before all things. Before health, before wealth,
before fame, before applause, before comforts, seek Him. He said, you'll seek me and find
me when you search for me with all your heart. It's not a sideline. It's not a hobby. It's not a
part-time employment. It's with all your heart. Seek
ye first. That's what that word is saying,
first. Seek ye first, and then the promise, we have that command,
seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness in
Christ, and then all these things. What things? Well, I know spiritual
things, but that's not what we're talking about here. We ask a
question, what shall we eat? He'll provide. What shall we
drink? He'll provide. What are we going
to wear? He'll provide. Isn't that what
that says? Don't you take this awful, faithless
anxiety and thought and worry about these material things.
You set your affection on things above. You seek the kingdom of
God. And if you do, first, these things
will be added, all of them. That's a promise. And all these
things shall be added unto you. The most important thing is my
relationship with him. These are added things. This
is gingerbread. Let's see if we can find some
help on this kingdom of God. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God. Seek ye first. I know that this
is more than just a nominal interest in doctrine and theology and
religion. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God. I know it's more than just a
nominal interest in religious matters. And I know it's a great
deal more than just mental agreement with a system of doctrine. It's
more than that. Seek ye. Be concerned about. Give diligence. Strive to enter
in. That's what we're talking about. Take your anxiety and efforts
off the things of this world. One man wrote one time, I read
it just recently, O Cromwell, Cromwell. If I had given half of the effort
to seeking God that I gave to serving my country, I would die
with a softer pillar. Just half there, just half of
it. Just half of it. And I know it's
more than just a sideline, a mental agreement. It's more than just
reforming your life. Everybody wants us to reform,
and that's good. We should, and we will, by God's
grace. It's a great deal more than just
seeking a refuge for death. It's the kingdom of God. It's
the kingdom of God. What is this kingdom of God?
Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Matthew 13, let's go over
there and see what our Lord says about the kingdom of God. Matthew
13. Kingdom of God and the kingdom
of heaven, one and the same, one and the same. All right, Matthew 13, verse
44. Now, the kingdom of heaven that
we're exhorted to seek, again, the kingdom of heaven, Matthew
13, verse 44, is like unto a treasure hid in a field, that which, when a man hath found,
he hideth, and for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that
he hath, and buyeth the field. That's the kingdom of God. Brother
man, what is this treasure hid in the field? Now listen. This
treasure hid in the field is the gospel, the glad tidings,
the good news. It's called a treasure because
what a treasure that enables God to be just and justify me. What a treasure. That's the greatest
treasure. That knowledge, that understanding
that God can be God and justify me. What a treasure that lifts
the beggar from the dunghill. The dunghill of sin and darkness
and raises him to the throne of God, the kingdom of light.
What a treasure. What a treasure is this that
gives sight to the blind, life to the dead, sets the prisoner
free forever. Oh my goodness, what a treasure.
What a treasure that makes us sons of God, heirs of God in
glory and His goodness in Christ. That's the treasure. The kingdom
of heaven is like a treasure here in the field. That's the
treasure. The angels came down on the Judean
hillside that morning, that night and said, I bring you good news,
glad tidings. under you is born a Savior. That's
the treasure. Well, it's hid in a field. What's
the field? Well, the field is several things.
This gospel, this treasure, is hid in the promises of God. The
word hid here is not used in the sense that God's hiding it
from people. It's there, and because people
don't see it, then it's hid. Because they look in the wrong
places. It's hidden till I find it. I
can look in the, it's like the fellow one time that was, one
night was down on his knees out on the corner of two streets
where the street light was and he was looking in the grass and
a friend said, what are you looking for? He said, I lost my car keys.
Well, he said, I'll help you find them. Is this where you
lost them? He said, no, I lost them over yonder, but there's
more light here. We're looking in the wrong place.
Until you look in the right place, it's hid. And this treasure,
this gospel is hid in the promises of God. He said the seed of woman
will bruise the serpent's heel. It's right there. This world
doesn't know what that's talking about. This world, most of them
don't even, never heard that before, but that's where it is.
The Passover lamb, it's hid in the Passover lamb. The serpent
on the pole, it's hid right there. That's where that treasure is.
That's the field that promises of God. I tell you, the field
also is the types of the Old Testament. The cities of refuge. The cities of refuge is the gospel. The rock that Moses smote, the
gospel's in the smiting of that rock. The good news is right
there. Abraham saw these things. Moses
saw these things. He saw the field. and the treasure,
the tabernacle and the priesthood. Most people have the idea that
that was just the way they worshipped God. My friends, that's the way
they approached God, the tabernacle and the priest and the sacrifices.
And it's done away with. Why do away with it? It's such
an impressive service because Christ, our High Priest, has
fulfilled it. That's why you do away with it.
It was a picture of the gospel, now we have the gospel in the
person. We don't need the picture. That's the field. The preaching
of the gospel, what we're doing this morning. Did you know something?
Life, God, heaven, glory, is here in
this very thing that I'm dealing with right here. Some of you hear it. Some of
you know it. There may be some who do not.
And to them it's here. It says, when a man hath found
it, look at it, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid
in a field. This gospel is hidden in these
promises and pictures and types and hidden in the tabernacle
of priesthood. But when a man finds it, how does he suddenly
find it? His eyes are opened to see where
it is. His ears are opened and touched
by God to hear of it. He's regenerated in heart and
given life. And these words that used to
be nothing but words on paper are now words of a person. Back yonder years ago, people
used to at all the funerals, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. And then one day, the Lord is my shepherd. What a difference. The Lord is
my shepherd and because He's my shepherd I shall not walk.
Suddenly one day you saw this treasure hidden in the field.
You walked around that field a thousand times when you was
a boy. Never saw it. Never saw it. Isn't that right? That's right. Yeah, that's right.
Some of you all your lives have had this book right here. laying
in your home, and one day you found it. One day you found it. Never been
the same. Whom do men say that I, the Son
of Man, am? He said to his disciples. Well,
they say you're John the Baptist. Some say you're a liar. Some
say you're one of the prophets. Some say you're pretty unusual.
Whom do you say that I am? Thou art the Son of God. Thou
art the Christ. Blessed are your eyes, they see. Blessed are your ears, they hear.
That's when he found it. And then what did he do? He hideth it. He hideth it. And with joy, he goes, joy of
that, he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. He's convinced of it. His eyes
are open, his ears are open, he sees this treasure in this
field. What do you mean he hides it?
He holds it close. Puts it in his heart. Knows it's
there. Knows it's real. Knows God gave
it to him. And he knows the value of it. And he hides it in his secret,
innermost being. And he goes about the part with
everything that is necessary to own that field. All that would
stand in the way of him having that gospel and having that treasure. These things that have occupied
his thoughts, these things that he has given himself to, he goes
to dispose of them that he might have the field. Apostle Paul in Philippians 3
said, If any man thinks he has way up to glory, I am over. I
was circumcised the eighth day of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew
of Hebrews, a Pharisee concerning the law blameless. But what things
that were gained to me, what things that were gained to me,
I counted loss. I had to drop them. My righteousness,
I had to get rid of it. My pride? Had to get rid of it.
My position? Had to get rid of it. My bragging? Had to get rid of it. These things
that were important to me, my heritage and ancestry and works
and deeds and righteousness, I counted loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Christ. I got to have that field and
that treasure and that gospel. And I can't have that gospel
and my gospel. I can't have that gospel in my
way, in my will, in my thoughts, because my thoughts are not His
thoughts and my ways are not His ways. I'm not talking about
getting rid of your house and your family and your car and
your savings and all these things. That's not what we're talking
about. We're talking about those things that stand between you and Him. The glory is His, not ours. The
righteousness is His, not mine. Salvation is of the Lord, not
the Lord and I. You see, get rid of it. What
things were gained, I counted lost. Yes, He said I count all
things but lost, but dumb. And I may win Christ to be found
in Him. Brother Mahan, there's something
here that bothers me. It says the kingdom of heaven
is like a treasure hidden in the field. I understand that.
This treasure is the gospel, the good news, the grace of God.
It's hidden in the field. I can see that. That it's hidden
in the promises of God that have to be open to me. I can walk
around that field all day and not see it till he opens. I found
it. It's hidden in the promises and
the patterns and the types. It's hidden in the gospel preached.
And I have to be awakened, enlightened. God has to give me eyes and ears
and a heart. And I realize this, that a man
can't have Christ in the world. You can't serve two masters. Can't do it. I understand that.
But why do I have to buy the whole field? Why not just the
treasure? You can't have the treasure without
the feel. You can't have your idea of Christ,
you've got to have what this says about Christ. You can't have your interpretation
of the gospel and have what this says. You've got to have the
whole thing, the feel. The treasure and the feel are
inseparable. Christ and his word are inseparable. Somebody says,
give me Jesus, don't preach doctrine. It's the doctrine of Jesus. But
I don't want to go into all these old types and pictures and promises
and prophecies and all the Old Testament. That which reveals Christ is
His Word. He died for our sins according
to the Scriptures. He rose again according to the
Scriptures. That's what's wrong with today's
preaching. It's whoop-de-doo. It's carnal,
it's all of this entertainment, and there's no teaching of the
Word of God. You can't have the treasure without
the feel. I promise you that. Lord, I want
the Word, all of it. I want your mercies of a covenant,
God, before the foundations of the world. I want the promises
that were given to the God spake to our fathers by the prophets
before there was any Word written. I want the written word, I want
the pictures, the patterns, the type, I want the incarnation,
I want Christ in the field. Christ without the field is another
Jesus. That's so. If they come to you and bring
not the word of God, and speak not according to the law and
the prophets, it's because there's no light in them. I found it. I found that gospel. Where did you find it? Found
it right here in this field. That's where I found it. And
that's where it's going to stay. And if I want it, that gospel,
I'll take the field and I'll have the gospel. See what I'm
saying? Very, very, very, very important. Well, let me give you one other
thing before I let you go. Verse 45, two other things. It's not fair to say one and
give you two, is it? Like the little boy sitting down
there with his mom, and the preacher kept looking at his watch, and
he said, I know what these different things in here mean. What does
it mean when he holds his arm up and looks at his watch? His
mother said, that doesn't mean a thing, son. Just ignore it. Verse 45, again
Christ said, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchant man
seeking goodly pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold our little head and bought it. See, the
merchant man here is the seeker we've been talking about, who
found the field and the treasure. His mind's been aroused to the
true way of life, to the true gospel, to the true God, and
he finds the pearl That pearl is Christ. The field is the word
of God, the treasure is the gospel, and the one great pearl in all
of this treasure, the one significant, valuable, priceless pearl is
Christ himself. That which makes the treasure
so priceless is the pearl. Solomon said in Song of Solomon,
his mouth is sweet, Most sweet, he is altogether lovely, altogether. In him dwelleth all fullness.
He's the one great pearl of great price. To the architect, he's
the chief cornerstone. To the baker, he's the bread
of life. To the banker, he's the unsearchable
riches. To the botanist, he's the rose
of Sharon, the lily of the valley. To the builder, he's the sure
foundation. To the bride, he's the bridegroom. To the captive, he's the emancipator. To the patient, he's the great
physician. To the farmer, he's the seed,
the sower, the lord of the harvest. To the lawyer, he's the righteous
judge. To the student, he's the wisdom
of God. To the preacher, he's the word
of life. To the thirsty, he's the water. To the hungry, he's
the bread. To the weary, he's the rest.
To the kingdom, He's the king of kings, the one pearl. And that man sees it and knows
it, and whatever must go, must go. Whatever must go, must go. Turn
from your idols to the living God. One other verse now, I mean
one now, verse 47. Again, the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a net that's cast into the sea. and gathered of
every kind. Which when it was full, they
drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into the
vessels, and threw 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, the tares from among the wheat, and cast them
into the furnace of fire, and there will be gnashing of teeth."
You know, preachers sometimes receive criticism because neither
we nor our churches are perfect. Somebody says, well, we ought
to draw up some rules here and some regulations and constitutions,
and we ought to investigate people's, not only their doctrine, but
their lives and their conduct and everything they do. and put
everybody out except those that are true, sincere, followers
after godliness, according to our thinking. Our Lord condemned
that. He said, now, a farmer sowed
good seed, and during the night an enemy went in and sowed bad
seed, and they grew up the tares and the wheat. And he said, I'll
go pull the tares up. He said, don't you do that. He
said, you'll pull up some wheat. You can't tell the difference.
Don't you start pulling people up and saying this and saying
that. You don't know and I don't either.
And this kingdom of God is like a net cast into the sea. I preach
and everybody in the world is in it. I'm preaching to a lot
of people. No telling how many on that television just an hour
ago. That program goes 120 miles radius. Three million people live in
that radius. Go tell them how many people
heard that program. Go tell them. And this morning preachers are
preaching. And that net will pull in, you see, the preaching
and the church and the whatever we have, it'll pull in all kinds. And then these people that threw
that net and some good fish and some bad fish and they got them
all in after a while they started separating. And that's why it'll
be the kingdom of heaven in preaching the gospel. The Lord will have
to do the separating. It's not your business or mine. Actually, if I start trying to
do that, I'm one of the bad boys that'll get thrown out, because
that's not the Spirit of Christ. Back when our Lord was walking
on this earth in the flesh, some followed Him for the miracles,
didn't they? Some founded him for the loaves and fishes, didn't
they? Some founded him because they thought he'd erect a kingdom,
didn't they? There's a fellow called Judas
that was right in the middle of his inner circle. He didn't throw any of them out,
did he? He didn't run any of them off. The day will declare
it. The day will declare it. That's
what it's all about. Well, all kinds are gathered,
but the Lord will gather his beloved, his elect, his jewels. That's what that's talking about. Oh me, seek ye first the
kingdom of God. Lord, make me a seeker, a true
seeker. I'm talking about me. Lord, lead
me to seek thee, and seeking thee to find thee, and finding
thee to love thee, and loving thee, to worship Thee. Because I tell you, if I worship
Him here from my heart, I'll be among those who worship Him
there. That's I promise you. Those who believe Him here and
worship Him here and give Him the glory here will be among
those in the Kingdom of Heaven. That's right, in sincerity. All right, let's sing a closing
hymn

Seeking the Kingdom of God

What does the Bible say about seeking the Kingdom of God?

How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

Why is seeking the righteousness of God important for Christians?

What is the treasure hidden in the field mentioned in the Bible?

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Seeking the Kingdom of God

What does the Bible say about seeking the Kingdom of God?

How do we know that God will provide for our needs?

Why is seeking the righteousness of God important for Christians?

What is the treasure hidden in the field mentioned in the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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