Loyalty to the Kingdom

Matthew 6:33; 7:12, 16-29

GOLDEN TEXT: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33

AGAIN it is well to emphasize that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, a part of which is assigned as a basis of this lesson, was intended primarily to instruct and guide the ambassadors of Christ while in preparation to be joint-heirs with Him in His Kingdom. Christ’s Kingdom was not established at the beginning of the Gospel age, hence believers have not been subjects of that Kingdom. It was the calling and preparation of those who are to reign with Christ which began at the first advent, and the Master’s instructions were given to govern these in the serving of their apprenticeship as future co-workers with Him in dispensing Kingdom blessings of life and joy to all mankind.

Loyalty to these instructions is a prerequisite to obtaining a place with Jesus in the rulership of the Kingdom. Each one of the rules is important in itself, and the spirit reflected by all of them points out the difference between God’s viewpoint and ways, and those of Satan, the great adversary of God. It is the difference between love and selfishness; between sacrifice and selfish grasping, or acquisitiveness; between trusting in God and trusting in ourselves.

To seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is a challenge to our faith in God, and to our love for the righteous requirements of His law. Foods clothing, homes, and other material necessities are to be considered but secondary by the Christian. The Heavenly Father knows we have need of these, and has promised to supply them; hence, if we fully trust Him and love the things of the Spirit more than those of the flesh we will delight to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

The rules of Christian living are designed to instill in us the spirit of sacrifice which is a reflection of divine love. To the extent that we seek first the Kingdom of God, we will not be concentrating our energies on the accumulation, of material things, but will be content with what God provides of the necessities of life. This means that we may not have as much food; or as nice clothes, or as fine homes as the worldly; but we will have learned to appreciate the way of sacrifice, and to put our trust in God.

The Golden Rule of doing unto others as we would like them to do unto us is the application of justice. This is a rule to which all mankind, as subjects of the Kingdom, will need to adhere in order to gain life under the Kingdom laws. It is certainly fitting that those who are being trained to administer the laws of the Kingdom should themselves be wholeheartedly in harmony with those laws.

Indeed, if we hope to reign with Christ we must learn to go beyond justice in dealing with our fellow men and with our brethren. This simply means that we must learn to be like God and delight in His spirit of unselfishness. Had God not gone beyond justice in planning for the blessing of mankind, there would be no hope of life for any of us.

The same is true of Jesus. Justice did not demand that He die in order to redeem the fallen race, but love caused Him to rejoice in the privilege. We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, rejoicing also in the opportunity that is ours of laying down our lives for the brethren and for the world.

“By their fruits ye shall know them” is a well known Scriptural expression, but one which is often misapplied. Works which are ostensibly good are not always fruits by which we can properly appraise the position of others in the sight of God, for Jesus explains that He would condemn some who had done “wonderful works.” Many, even, who call upon Him in prayer, saying “Lord, Lord,” will not pass the test of having borne good fruit.

“He that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven,” said Jesus, is the one who bears good fruit and is entitled to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. Those who do God’s will are sure to bear the peaceable fruits of righteousness. They will love their neighbors as themselves. They will sacrifice earthly interests in order to lay up treasures in heaven. They will seek first and always the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that they can safely leave their material needs to the wisdom and generosity of their Heavenly Father.

“Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them,” Jesus said, “I will liken him to a man who built his house upon a rock.” Hearing the truth alone will not suffice. It is necessary to be doers of the Word also. Thus knowledge and the application of knowledge are both necessary if we are to be established Christians, who cannot be blown about by every wind of doctrine or have our faith and confidence in God destroyed by trials.

QUESTIONS:

Has the work of this Gospel age been related to the promised Kingdom of God?

What is one of the fundamental lessons God wants every Christian to learn?

Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” To what kind of fruits does He refer?

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