What Does It Mean To Seek The Kingdom Of God And His Righteousness?

What Does It Mean To Seek The Kingdom Of God And His Righteousness?

We must first understand what the kingdom of God is and his righteousness in connection to his kingdom, in order to comprehend what it means to seek the kingdom of God & his righteousness. 

(1.) The first thing to know is that the kingdom of God is not a kingdom that can be corrupted, changed or moved; it is thus an eternal kingdom whose reign is in life eternal. Wherever death reigns, truncating life, cannot be said to be the kingdom of God; thus scripture clearly shows that flesh & blood(the mortal body) which is subject to death, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither will corruption inherit incorruption/incorruptibility which is a mark/character of God's kingdom. 

Hebrews 12:28

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 

1 Corinthians 15:50

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

(2.) Essentially, the kingdom of God is not of this world, it is not of this physical, temporal, transient and material world.

Joh 18:36 

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world(cosmos): if my kingdom were of this world(cosmos), then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Thus, the kingdom of God does not constitute in the material/perishable like meat, drink & costly array. When people then talk about kingdom prosperity and they're referring to material things, they are grossly ignorant and know not what they're talking about.

Romans 14:17 

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 

The kingdom of God in essence, is where the character and virtues of God like righteousness, peace and joy reigns supremely & eternally, without any insurgence of evil/sin & truncation of life(death).

2 Peter 3:13-14 says "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."

This is what it means to seek the kingdom of God, seeking for that final eternal state, where every disobedience and intransigence to the rule of God is put under, and God is all in all(all that is in expression in all things and in all regions of existence, whether in his eternal love relationship or eternal judgment). 

1 Corinthians 15:24-28.

God's kingdom cannot be established in this present earth and heavens, that are kept in store and reserved unto fire(2 Peter 3:7). With the sting of death, corruption and decay upon everything in this present world, it is destined to pass away and give way to a new heavens and earth where righteousness, which is a core character of God's kingdom, will dwell; and because God's righteousness endures/remains forever, the new heavens and earth will remain/abide forever, with the kingdom of God which cannot be moved/changed established in it.

Psalm 102:25-26 

Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.

Hebrews 1:8, 10-12

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

The sceptre, staff of office/rod of the authority of God's kingdom is righteousness, and it is the mark/character of that kingdom which remains/abides forever. Psalm 97:2 says righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne, while Proverbs 16:12 says that the throne is established by righteousness. 

Subsistence & survival in this material/temporal world & life should be secondary; the primary pursuit should be the coming of the kingdom of God, the coming of that which abides, the pursuit of the eternal(John 6:27).

In Matthew 6:9-11 Jesus taught his disciples to pray thus: "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be your name. your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread."

Then later in verses 31-33, he said to them "therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The prayer for God's kingdom to come is of greater priority & comes before praying for daily bread(what to eat, what to drink). Sadly, the perversion that obtains today in what is called "church"/the assembly of God's people, is not even the case of putting the cart before the horse that should drive it, but cutting off/taking away the horse completely and focusing men's attention on the cart. There is thus no spiritual progress/advancement in the path/way of life. The people are stuck in the cart as they are made to only seek daily bread, to meet their needs with the meat that perishes, to succeed and prosper in this material world. The pilgrim spirit is lost and the pilgrimage has ended for them as they settle down to build and turn the wilderness of this fleeting & evil world into a prosperous 'holy' city of 'everlasting' habitations.

Amidst this perversion and subversion of the faith of many, they yet preach & often speak of seeking the kingdom of God first; and in this, the subtlety & cruelty of the religious world is manifest & rife, as it reduces seeking the kingdom of God to merely being engaged & engrossed with the religious activities they design/program to keep men in their religious circles & cages. By so doing, they deceive many with lies, assuring them that they are seeking the kingdom of God first by being engaged in their religious programs & activities; but seeking the kingdom of God & his righteousness is seeking the eternal, seeking the eternal glory to come, seeking the immortality, purity & incorruptibility of God; groaning & eagerly awaiting/looking for the adoption which is the redemption of our body, longing for the conformity to the image of God's Son at his appearing. 

Hebrews 13:14

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. 

Romans 2:6-7 "Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life".

Romans 8:23, 28-29

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

1 John 3:2-3

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

*Some might say but the kingdom has come and we're already in the kingdom. 

Now let's consider in what sense the kingdom was portrayed in scriptures as come to men and in what sense we are said to be in the kingdom. 

Many do not scripturally understand what Jesus meant when he said to the Jews that the kingdom of God has come upon them, neither do they understand the difference between the literal coming kingdom of God and the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven which are playing out now in the field of discipleship/christendom. 

In Luke 11:20 Jesus said "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you."

This was the kingdom having come in the person of the messiah(the king) to Israel, and the demonstration of the influence and power of the kingdom was enough proof of that.

With the Word made flesh(tabernacled in human flesh) and dwelling amongst them, the righteousness & incorruptibility of God, which is an essential character of his kingdom, came to the Jews in the person of the Lord Jesus; sadly they did not receive him but rejected their messiah/king, delivering him up to be crucified. The kingdom was thus taken away from them in that the messiah/king was cut off having nothing, and their house was left desolate unto them. Daniel 9:26; Matthew 23:37-39.

After his resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus thus: 

"Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:6-7.

The restoration of the kingdom of God to Israel will be at a later time when the literal kingdom of God and messianic age comes.

Now what's the difference between the kingdom that came in the person of the messiah to Israel and the literal coming kingdom?

The literal coming kingdom is not that which comes and goes away, it is that which God will establish forever in Jerusalem; it is that which has no end but will remain forever even beyond the millenial.

Isaiah 9:7 says "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever."

On the other hand, the kingdom which came in principle, in the person of Messiah is that which could be taken away from Israel in the messiah going away. Instead of setting up the kingdom in Isreal and sitting on the throne of David, he went away/ascended into heaven and sat on the heavenly throne by the right hand of God. Thus was the kingdom which came to Israel in the person of the messiah, taken away from them and given to another nation(gentiles) to bring the fruits thereof. 

Matthew 21:43 "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

It is in the mystery of the body of Christ that the gentiles by faith are delivered from darkness and translated into the kindgom of God's dear Son, according to Colossians 1:12-13 & Ephesians 2:11-19. However, this is not a literal entry into the literal kingdom but an entry into the kindgom by faith, through the reception of the gospel/word of the kingdom. It is coming into the field of discipleship, to be discipled unto the literal kingdom. 

The apostle Paul could thus tell those who have been translated into the kindgom of God, about the requirements of holiness in conduct to guarantee entry/inheritance of the literal kingdom - Ephesians 5:3-5.