(Mat 6:33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Jesus came preaching the kingdom saying, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The King was present and He was calling upon all to repent and prepare for God’s coming kingdom. John preceded Him preaching repentance and preparing the way for His coming to Israel. Many went out to John and were baptized of him and seeking to know what to do – “And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?” John proceeded to give them various instructions.
Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount in which He taught many kingdom principles and exhorted His hearers to seek God’s kingdom first and foremost. In this sermon, Jesus gave possible distractions to seeking God’s kingdom and urged a continual pursuit of the kingdom.
A first priority. Seeking God’s kingdom first means also seeking His righteous. Paul said that the Jews tried to establish their own righteousness – “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
He said they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and were seeking righteousness without Christ. They were trying to get right with God by their own powers and activities. No man or woman can get right with God by living right or doing right things. The righteousness of God is perfection and only Christ lived the perfect life. Then while He was on the cross the Father laid upon Him all the sin of the world and of all men and so He became sin for us so that we might be made righteous – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
The hardest concept for good people is to realize they are sinners and sinful and accept the fact they need a Savior. The Pharisees strained at this and many were lost because of it. Seeking God’s righteousness is seeking Christ but also God’s will for life and living as outlined for us in the word of God.
Yielding to God’s righteousness. We become servants of those things we obey. We obey that which we have yielded ourselves to – “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Our members are our bodies and the respective parts of the body – i.e. hands, feet, eyes, mind, emotions, desires, etc. The heart is the key to obeying God’s will for us and unless we have believed on Jesus from the heart and have been made new creatures, then all our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. Jesus said we cannot serve two masters, our members can either become instruments (weapons) of ungodliness or of righteousness – “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” -- and we are either walking after the Spirit or after the flesh.
Pursuing Godliness. Even though we have been made new creatures in Christ, yet we live in fallen bodies and as Jesus explained the pursuits of life can often get us sidetracked and off the way God wants for us. This means that pursuing Godliness is a conscious and determined course of life – “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Our eyes must be fixed upon the things and ways of God and doggedly follow after Him. The yielding of our bodies and minds are necessary if we would apprehend God’s righteousness and live a life pleasing to Him. Paul tells us to seek the invisible (2 Cor 4:18) and trusting God to supply the necessary provisions for life.