This morning we're turning in our Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew's Gospel chapter six. We're continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount. We're going to read one of the verses today that is probably better known than many in Scripture, verse thirty-three and verse thirty-four. A few years ago our young people sang as a chorus. verse thirty three but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof now we want to dwell on verse thirty three today but our Lord says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness And all these things shall be added unto you. Now let's pray together. Our Father, in the name of thy dear Son, we bow before you. And we thank you for the full provision of divine grace. Thou hast blessed us abundantly. Thou hast made known unto us the person of thy Son. We thank you that he's the one who reigns, and he reigns in majesty. The Lord is enthroned in the heavens. The Lord reigneth. We ask you in a special way this morning for the needs that are before us. We have mentioned Mrs. Cooper. We think of our brother George Petty. And you know his needs. We think of the granddaughter, Pam's daughter, who seems to be having some difficulties. And we just ask you to graciously understand. We thank you that When we come into your presence, we have to acknowledge that your way is perfect. We also acknowledge that we don't always understand your way, but we know that thou art gracious and art able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask our things. There are others on our hearts. You think of our brother Jim Alexander in Raleigh. You think of Miss Sutton in her own meeting. We think of the other Miss Sutton, Mr. Sutton's sister-in-law who's exceedingly ill. We think of Roy's father-in-law. We think of Jenny Smith and others. What a delight to pray one for another and to know that in this group there are those who seek first the kingdom of God in his righteousness. And therefore we can expect these. to graciously hear us in behalf of one another. So with grateful hearts, we just ask you now to use this time profitably that we may see what this text really says, and we'll thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, which begins in verse twenty-five, and goes to the end of the chapter our Lord is dealing with something in the lives of these people that is very noticeable many times in all of us it is that subject known as anxiety you see and it's in the verses that are before us that we read verses thirty three and thirty four that we come to the conclusion of the matter And our Lord is dealing with anxiety, being anxious over things that would rob us of the joy of resting in him. So when he comes to the conclusion, our Lord simply says, But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. It is the heathen who set their hearts upon material necessities and comforts. Our Lord says in this portion, don't be like the heathen. You see, let a nobler, a more essential, and infinitely more satisfying object engage your attention and engage your energy. Don't be like the heathen. Now, if God is given the proper place in our lives and in our hearts, we'll never be losers. in this world. Yes, only by giving God his proper place in our hearts and lives will we as his people be able to form a true estimate of things of time and sense. Things are fleeting. Oh, we sing it in hymns and we say it in our poetry, but it's very true. Now, where there is this blessed realization that God is for us? When I learn this lesson, God is always for me. God is never against me. Do I really believe that? I have a dear friend in Raleigh. His name is Jim Alexander. Our friend Neil knows Jim Alexander well. Godly man. A man who has a gift of health this past year. He buried his mother. A little while after that, he buried his wife. And his wife looked forward to the birth of their first grandchild. That daughter was born not this past week, but the week before. The daughter lived two days and the Lord took the baby home. Give how to go to another funeral. I don't know the answers, friends. I don't have the answers. I don't profess to have them. But I know that God loves Jim Alexander as much as he loves his son. And I know that God is always for us. He is never against us. And he's speaking to us in text here. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Where is, where this is a blessed realization that God is for us. When I learn that he is all-sufficient, a spirit of rest and contentment floods the soul. We are contented and restful in God's presence. Now, where faith is an exercise, and there is a conscious communion with God. Anxiety cannot cast us down. And anxiety over things often occupies the people of God. Now we have to define the terms that are in this great verse. A lot of people sing this verse, and if you were to ask, well, what are the things that God is talking about in the verse? They couldn't tell you. Well, there are the things that we discussed in three previous Lord's days together as we studied the Sermon on the Mount, that we're not to be anxious about. But now let us define our terms. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Notice the first term that we must define, the kingdom of God. What is it? You remember our Lord said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. In our text here, in the sixth chapter of Matthew, the kingdom of God is a state in this life whereby believers enjoy through Christ the favor of God. And we also have a title to everlasting glory and joy. That is the kingdom of God. And God rules in his kingdom. And he rules in the hearts of his people. As a king rules in his kingdom. Our God is king. We sing occasionally. Rejoice the Lord, he's king. Our Lord and king adore. Rejoice, give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice. Rejoice again, I say rejoice, the kingdom of God. But now, since we see that the king rules in the heart of those who have entered his kingdom, as a king rules in a kingdom, now we come to the word His righteousness. We are not only commanded to seek first, that means priority, the kingdom of God, but we are to seek His righteousness And then we have the words, And all these things shall be added unto you. In our text, the words, His righteousness, they stand by way of explaining what the kingdom of God is. For you see, the kingdom of God stands in righteousness. Everything that God does is righteous and holy and just. Romans fourteen, verse seventeen says, For the kingdom of God is not meet and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In other words, he says, for the kingdom of God is not material possession. It is not meat and drink. The things that we're anxious about in the context of our text in Matthew chapter six, the kingdom of God is not that, but the kingdom of God is something. It is righteousness. It is peace. It is joy in the Holy Spirit. Now, by the term the righteousness of God, and it's a term that is used constantly in Scripture, to understand this term righteousness, and I'm going to spend the rest of the morning on this term righteousness. To understand it, we must understand two things, imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness. Now, when we examine the verses concerning the kingdom of God, and except the person is born of God. He cannot enter the kingdom. He cannot see the kingdom. And since the kingdom of God is meat and is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and since we're commanded in our text to seek it, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things that people are anxious about, and don't attain or obtain, you and I, can have it. All these things shall be added unto you. And it's found in that one word, contentment. Now first of all, let's deal with imputed righteousness. To understand the doctrine of imputed righteousness is to have what the hymn said, written by Fanny Crosby. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Now it's very obvious that we need a righteousness that is provided by God Himself. And this is what justification by faith is all about. And this is what justification by faith gives to the believer. And this is what the Apostle Paul wanted, according to Philippians chapter three. I want you to turn to this passage so that we can understand it well. Philippians chapter three. Philippians chapter three, and we'll begin at verse seven. Now let me say something about the first six verses. The first six verses of Philippians chapter three, Paul tells about how righteous he was before God imputed his righteousness to him. He talks about his righteous act and ways as a Pharisee. But when you come to verse seven, we go to Wall Street. We go to the marketplace. We go to the place of profit and loss, and I want you to notice the contrast. He says, But what things were gained to me? Those I counted loss for Christ. In other words, in this passage, the things that most people want, Paul had, Saul of Tarsus had as a religious Pharisee. But now he sees things in a new light. since being brought into the kingdom of God. And he says, what things were gained to me, the things that people are anxious about, that they labor to get. I count them all lost for Christ. Next he says, yea doubtless, and I count all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but refuse or done that I may win Christ. Notice verse nine, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now, when Paul talks about that, that he might have the righteousness which is of God by faith, He is talking about imputed righteousness. You see, as a Pharisee, he had a righteousness of his own. But Paul wanted a righteousness that is supplied by God. Now, this subject of imputed righteousness is that which gives you and me a righteous, acceptable standing in the very presence of God. And that's what we're talking about. You see, it is justification by faith that means imputed righteousness. When I believe on Jesus Christ, the very righteousness of Christ, which he earned by his perfect obedience to the law of God, is imputed to my count. That's what we mean when we say, my hope is built on nothing less. than Jesus' blood and righteousness? I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but holy lean on Jesus' name. Or Ludwig Zinzendorff, I don't remember the first name, Ludwig Zinzendorff great hymn, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness. My beauty are my glorious dress. In flaming worlds, with these arrayed with joy shall I lift up my head. For bold shall I stand in that great day, for who ought to my charge can lay, fully absolved through Christ I am, from sins eternal, curse, and blame. All friends, imputed righteousness, this is what Paul wanted. You see, God sees our heart. God looks on the inside. And God's standard is absolute. God will never lower his standard to receive a proud Pharisee. And God will never lower his standard to receive a proud preacher. And God will never lower his standard to receive a proud president. God's standard is absolute. It is the same for all men, no matter what their station in life is. God is never impressed with a position of men. We might be, but God isn't. God's standard is absolute. It is the same for everybody. Now imputed righteousness is what Paul would have, that I may be found in him. He's not having my righteousness, but having his. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And that righteousness is an imputed righteousness. Now, imputed righteousness is defined for us in the Word of God. I want you to turn to Second Corinthians, chapter five, and verse twenty-one. Second Corinthians five, verse twenty-one. One of those great verses of Scripture. And this twenty-first verse says, 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. Now notice, there is double imputation in Second Corinthians five, verse twenty-one. There's double imputation. At the cross on Calvary Hill, God imputed our sins to Christ. That's imputation. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us. And our sins were imputed to Christ at Calvary. He became what he was not by imputation. God imputed our sins to Christ. But then, when I come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the very righteousness of God is imputed to Christ. to me. Oh, the hymn writer put it so well. In the beloved, I went to the tree. There in his person by faith I can see. Infinite wrath rolling over his head. Infinite grace, for he died in my stead. You see, my sins were imputed to Christ. But that day that I was saved, Christ's righteousness was imputed to me. You see, before I can ever stand in the presence of God and say, Our Father, large in heaven, I must have a righteous standing before God to be able to call in my Father. And the only way I can have it is through the righteousness of Christ being imputed to me. Seek ye first. That's priority, friends. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. and all these things shall be added unto you. I must be positively holy. Now when I believe on Jesus Christ, his work for me, he imputes his righteousness to my account. And this morning we know to have trusted Christ, stand in the presence of God, absolutely righteous, because we stand in the righteousness of another that's what Paul wanted Philippians three verse nine not having my own all we can boast of our this and our that but it's nothing in the presence of God God isn't impressed at all but I need his his righteousness his righteousness alone so the Romans eight verse one says there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Imputed righteousness. May I ask you a question? Do you have it? Oh, do you have that? Seek ye first. Here's the only way anyone will ever stand before God. He has to have the righteousness of Christ. Now you can belong to every church in the city. And if you don't have that, you have nothing. And you can come here every Sunday. to all the meetings. And if you don't have the righteousness of Christ, you have nothing. Seek ye first. The kingdom of God is his righteousness. And his righteousness is, first of all, an imputed righteousness. It is imputed to the account of those who believe on Jesus Christ. It's ours by faith. That's why Romans chapter four, verse twenty-five, says he was delivered for our offenses but was raised again because of our justification and the next verse chapter five and verse one of Romans says therefore being justified by faith being declared righteous by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ speak first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Remember the second time he had our brother John Wiesinger with us, the final night, and he told that great story of this man from the Indian Town Gap Gospel Center in Pennsylvania, where John would go and have meetings, and he preached the gospel there. And years later, John was in Lancaster, at Lancaster Bible College at a And here this fellow came up, he now had a beard, and he said to John, do you remember me? And John said, I'm sorry, I don't. Well, he said, it's been a number of years. He said, but I was a serviceman at Indian Town Gap when I came in the meeting. And he said, that night you took a black hymn book, and you illustrated imputed righteousness. From Isaiah fifty-three, verse six. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him, on the Messiah, in the person of Christ, the iniquity of us all. And that night you said you made the hymn book represent sin. And all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him. That's Christ. This hand is Christ, this hand is me. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Our sins imputed to Christ. And then Christ, when we believe impute righteousness to us, said that night I saw what Christ had done for me. And he said that night I was saved. That night. He saw what Christ had done for him. Imputed righteousness. seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness but then there is imparted righteousness imparted righteousness now imparted righteousness is the result of the new birth it is the result of the new birth I not only have righteousness imputed to me legally before God but I also have it imparted in me as a seed. That's what he's called the new nature. Birth determines nature. And you see that seed grows and develops. That's what we have in Philippians chapter two, verses twelve and thirteen, where it says, Work up your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who worketh in you. God worketh in you. God has planted his seed within us. He works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It is God who worketh in you. You see, this is imparted righteousness. That very righteousness which has been imputed to us, has also been imparted to us as seed, and the seed develops. That's why our Lord said, My sheep, Hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. You see, a righteous work has been done within. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. We don't have this by our own activity. We have it by divine grace. God has provided it in Christ. We simply receive it by faith. And where we have imputed righteousness, we also have imparted righteousness. That's why those who are truly the Lord follow in righteousness. Now, I'd like to draw this to a conclusion real quickly. But I'd like to say a number of things. When this righteousness is imputed to our account, and when this righteousness is within a person as seed, and they both take place at once when we're saved, when we're bought and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior, what does this do for me now? What are the results of that in this life right now? You see, our Lord is talking about anxiety in our text. Seek ye first, that's priority. The kingdom of God and his righteousness. And all these things will be added unto you. What does it do for me today? November nineteenth, nineteen eighty-nine. What will it do for me today? Well, first of all, it gives us a sense of confidence because it provides assurance it gives me the realization that I have a perfect standing before God not because I say it but because God says it God tells me in his word I have a perfect standing before God and that gives me confidence and it gives me assurance and I can sing the third stanza of Fanny Crosby's hymn, Breath Assurance, always at rest. I am my Savior, am happy and blessed. I have a confidence I am his and he is mine. Do you have it? Do you have that assurance? But then it does something else. It deals with me in the area of my feelings. I can't trust my feelings. I have to have something that's objective, not subjective. You see, some days I don't feel safe. Some days I feel rotten. How about you? If you don't, you're different. I'll tell you that. But what about the days you don't feel so hot? And you don't feel good. And you're unhappy. What about those days? I can't trust my feelings, but what can I trust? I can trust the work of Christ and the word of Christ. And in this area of feeling, I'm not saved because I feel good. I'm saved because of the work of Christ and His righteousness has been imputed to my account. And the seed has been imparted in me. And whether I feel good or whether I feel bad, I'm saved. That's what it says for me today. But there's a third thing in experiences. You see, I may have some bad experiences and I may have some good experiences. But in the area of experience, I have learned something. Colossians chapter two, verse nine tells me that because Christ's righteousness has been imputed to me, I am complete in Christ. And you can't add anything to completeness, can you? I'm not complete in my feelings. I'm not complete in any area except Christ. It's all in Christ. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. But more than that, in the area of discouragement. Are you ever discouraged? Often. Often we get discouraged. You see, your own activity is bound to let you down. But you see, when I look away at what our blessed Lord did for me, you see, it may be a time of discouragement. Things may not be going well, but I know that all is well with heaven, and I am eternally linked to the Lord of the Lord. Who shall lay anything for the charge of God your life? It is God who has declared him righteous. But more than that, in the area of spiritual depression, all the come times like you have in the forty-second psalm. The psalmist cries out, why art thou cast on all my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? We come to the word of God and I find that here I have that which stays with heart. A knowledge of his righteousness imputed to me and imparted within me. But then, in dealing with the accuser, Satan, in dealing with him to have the imputed righteousness of Christ, he may whisper, you're not the Lord. Look at the evil thoughts you had, even when you were praying. Ever get evil thoughts when you pray? I do. I find that my mind can wonder when I pray. You may not have thought I'd say that, but it's a truth. The enemy knows how to attack, friend. But I can deal with the accuser. God says, Philip, I have all of you. I've imputed your sin to Christ. And I've imputed Christ's righteousness to you. And I've put his righteousness as the seed within you. your mind. How about it? Is he yours? That's what our text is talking about. He keeps first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things, these little trivial things. What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? What are we going to wear? Where is next month's pay coming from? All these things will be added onto this. Is this reality for you? Let's sing one stanza, three hundred ninety-four. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. You see, the kingdom of God is coming. And you and I have the assurance of it's coming now, if we're in Christ. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. Seek ye first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This is reality, friends. And if it isn't reality with you, all make it by simply believing in God. Receiving Him as Lord and Savior. Let's stand and sing one stanza to the first. Blessed are you, Jesus is mine Oh, what a forbearance the glory bemoaned, there of salvation, churches are gone, for how his spirit is not in his throne. This is my glory, this is my love, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my glory, this is my love, praising my angels all the day long. Our Father and I, my holy presence, we thank you for that included righteousness of thy day's mind. We never put on it, but he did. We never put up payment by our own activities, but he freely did it, or by grace that he saved. And now we just commend this company today. It's necessary for your blessings. Upon that one that has truly believed in thee, may each one go to their separate home with a knowledge of impugned righteousness and imparted righteousness, and the joy of being in the kingdom. The kingdom where righteousness rules to prove. But if there are any that have not believed in thee, accompanied them with divine restlessness, may they know neither joy nor peace, until they sweetly rest in Christ. And after these we will give the honor and the glory and the praise through Jesus' house of the Lord. Amen.