'Alternative
Ulster', is song that hit the punk scene in 1978. Performed by Stiff
Little Fingers and appears on the album Inflammable Material and written
during the Troubles and is a rejection of the tribal and sectarian
labels hung upon the people of Ulster from birth. 'Alternative Ulster',
found it's self at number 11 in the charts in 1978. With all the
troubles in Northern Ireland there was a rising tide of people and
politics looking for an alternative way of being and living. the single
cover was provocative a single soldier with a gun hiding behind a pillar
and child on top of it laughing. Very provocative indeed.
Nothin' for us in Belfast
The Pound's so old it's a pity
OK, there's the trident in Bangor
Then walk back to the city
We ain't got nothin' but they don't really care
They don't even know you know
Just want our money
And we can take it or leave it
What we need
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it and change it it's yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores and their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter you native land
Take a look where you're livin'
You got the Army on your street
And the R-U-C dog of repression
Is barking at your feet
Is this the kind of place you want to live?
Is this where you want to be?
Is this the only life we're gonna have?
What we need is
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it and change it it's yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores and their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter you native land
They say they've got control of you
But that's not true you know
They say they're a part of you
And that's a lie you know
They say you will never be
Free free free
Get an
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
Alternative Ulster
There
was a real sense in which this song was representative of people who
dreamed and hoped for something else in Northern Ireland. An alternative
to what they had gone through in the latest troubles there since the
1960's this was a deep seated hope or desperation and drove people to
anger. Some chose the way out through paramilitary involvement and
others through politics or both. the ballot box and the gun was a way to
reseal that hope, one way among other ways. To others it was music that
people turned to, music spawned groups like U2, The Undertones and
Stiff Little Fingers. SLF were formed in Belfast at the height of the
troubles. The scripture passage this morning also has the hope of a
better world.
Introduction
There
are so many things that we can strive to receive or become during our
lifetime. Some pursue a certain level of education. Others pursue such
things as promotions, higher salaries, a spouse, wealth and prosperity.
Are these worth pursuing? What if we spend our whole life pursuing
something only to find out that they meant nothing really? Such is the
case from the Bible's perspective, especially in the book of
Ecclesiastes. I'm sure you have heard stories of rich people that are
still lonely and depressed. Not that riches make you that way but riches
are not the panacea for such. Wealth, prosperity, prestige, and power
are not worth much at all from a heavenly perspective. What then should
we pursue and what truly is meaningful or ultimately worth pursuit? Is
there any one thing that we can pursue that would truly make a
difference in our life. I believe that the answer to this question is a
hearty yes. We are going to examine a valid answer to the above
questions. We are going to examine the priority of the Kingdom of God in
our lives and what that means from a grand perspective. We know from
glancing at the scripture that Jesus says to seek the Kingdom of God and
His righteousness and we will acquire all these things. However, do you
really understand what this scripture is telling you? What is the
Kingdom of God? What does He mean by "first?" What is righteousness?
What things is Jesus talking about? Let's go deeper into this scripture
to uncover its simple yet very powerful revelation. Notice right away
that this passage of scripture begins with the word "But". This implies a
relationship to previous scriptures that are part of the entire
discussion or teaching. Whenever you read a scripture that begins with a
conjunction (for example the words and, therefore, then, and but) or is
a conjunction in some way (For example the phrase "afterwards he said")
, then you should read further backwards in the scripture so that you
can get a complete picture of what the author was trying to relay to
you. This is the process of acquiring the proper context of the
scripture so that you can obtain the correct meaning of the scripture.
The word "But" implies a conjunction of the current verse and previous scriptures. Our task is to therefore acquire the proper context of the current verse by means of examining Jesus' entire current teaching or discussion. If we do not review the entire discussion then we are prone to develop an understanding of the scripture that was not intended due to lack of sufficient information. You can obtain the proper context be going back to verse nineteen (Matthew 6:19). Here Jesus begins (or seems to begin) a discussion on the importance or priority of godly things as opposed to worldly things in the context of basic life on this earth. It also describes the two basic objects of pursuit, namely things of the world or things pertaining to heaven (God's Kingdom). Please note that the word "heaven" in these verses is not particularly referring to the place Christians go after they die (leave the earth) and spend eternity with God. It is more referring to a realm and not a specific place. This realm is the realm of God's existence, which is spiritual and not physical. Therefore, I could generalize Matthew 6:19 - 6:34 as a discussion or teaching on ultimate human pursuit (worldly versus godly) and the priority in one's life. Human pursuit derives from those things that we consider valuable or of great priority (treasures). If we value more than anything the things on the earth then we will tend to pursue those things above all else. If we consider godly things (heavenly) more priceless then anything else then we will tend to pursue those. This is also consistent with the entire discussion presented in Matthew Chapter six. For example, if your motivation is for worldly recognition then your prayers in public will be geared for notability instead of sincerity. That is, your prayers will be designed to get you noticed instead of accomplishing a desired result according to God's will. Similarly, if you treasure the recognition of people above godly things then your giving to the poor will be a righteous act in itself, but the overall activity is not due to the care you have for the recipient. Rather, your activity of giving is motivated by your desire to be noticed and you use giving as a means to accomplish it. So again, in general, I would say that the context of the subject scripture is that of pursuit, which derives from true inner motivations or desires of the heart.
Seek First
Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God. To truly establish the message or teaching of Jesus Christ, we should really be sure that we are defining terms in the same way that the writer of the particular scripture would have intended. It is sometimes too easy to forget that these scriptures where written roughly two thousand years ago and therefore terms and phrases might not have been understood in the same way that we would understand it. In addition, the translators of these scriptures would have used words that do not have the same meaning or understanding today as they did then. Verse thirty-two for example Matthew 6:32 (NKJV) "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Notice the use of the word seek in this verse. However, the underlying Greek word is actually different than the word used in verse thirty-three. Let's look at the underlying Greek just for reference. The Greek word that was translated into the word seek in verse 32 is epize teo . This word means to search (inquire) for; intensively to demand, to crave. Note also that the context of its usage suggests something worldly that is craved. Examples of this would be riches, prestige, or some other object of infatuation. It could also apply to basic needs that we have, which we crave for. Also, since Jesus states that the Gentiles epize teo (seek) and that the word Gentile basically means without God relative to the Jewish people, then this seeking activity is not heavenly oriented at all but is instead confined to the things that this world has to offer. The word "gentile" also came to be known as referring to someone that was not a Jew. So we might infer that those that are not of God only have worldly things to pursue, which would lead to a life of worry and little hope. The Greek word that was translated into seek in verse 33 is ze teo . This word means to seek (figuratively or literally), specifically to worship God. The word, when compared to another Greek word for seek, implies searching for something that is hidden. This is consistent with Jesus' teachings in His parables as well as the parables themselves. So first Jesus said to seek God in a manner that is not merely for information or for personal gain and enjoyment. Jesus, by usage of the Greek word, refers to a spiritual activity (worship) in seeking for God. The seeking that Jesus is therefore describing is one that is heavenly oriented and not just confined to the world (earth). The word first is translated from the Greek word pro ton and it means firstly (in time, place, order, or importance):-before, at the beginning, chiefly. This word implies importance or priority and not merely first in a series, which would lead to ritualism and therefore true meaningless of the worship of God. So these two words, "seek first", instructs us to make the Kingdom of God a priority in our lives. It heightens the importance and place of worship in our efforts to live godly lives on this earth. So make the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (God's system and rightness) the number one priority in your life. Again, this doesn't mean that you should pray before doing anything else as a rule because that is ritualism and not true worship. It means that the things of God are most important to you and that you are pursuing those godly things.
God's Kingdom
What is the Kingdom of God? The word kingdom means a realm over which someone rules or the rule itself. It could also refer to a particular place of rule. In any case, the Kingdom of God refers to the realm of God over which God rules. This realm is more than a place because Jesus said that God's Kingdom was at hand in his preaching. So God's Kingdom is also a system of operation or a mode. His Kingdom is the realm over which God's Way is the mode of operation. God's Modis Operandi This is why the world is contrary to the ways of God because the world uses a different system. The Kingdom of God is the rule of God where His ways are in operation. I should point out that the New Testament contains two very similar phrases. It contains the phrase "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven." These two phrases mean exactly the same thing. Jesus spoke Aramaic. However, when the disciples wrote down his "sayings" they translated it into Greek. Many times the underlying Greek phrase or word was translated to "Kingdom of God." However, Matthew chose to translate the same Aramaic word into the Greek "Kingdom of heaven." So they are the same word (what Jesus said) but rendered differently in the Greek.
God's Righteousness
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines righteousness as follows.
"The actions and positive results of a sound relationship within a local community or between God and a person or His people. Translators have employed "righteousness" in rendering several biblical words into English: sedaqah, sedeq, in Hebrew; and dikaiosune and euthutes in Greek. "Righteousness" in the original languages denotes far more than in English usage; indeed, biblical righteousness is generally at odds with current English usage. We understand righteousness to mean "uprightness" in the sense of "adherence or conformity to an established norm." In biblical usage righteousness is rooted in covenants and relationships. For biblical authors, righteousness is the fulfillment of the terms of a covenant between God and humanity or between humans in the full range of human relationships."
This is a very important distinction. We tend to base our understanding of righteousness on the concept of following the rules (the ten commandments for example). However, true righteousness is more than that. Let's concentrate on Isaiah 64:6 here. He says that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags! However, I know that my righteousness is through Christ. That's right! The thing is that the two words are different. The word righteousnesses mean acts of righteousness and is not referring to righteousness itself. Righteousnesses merely refers to the things that righteous people do due to their righteousness and unrighteous people do in order to appear righteous or good (or merely to follow the rules). For example, evil people can do something that is considered good but that doesn't make the evil person good. They simply did a good work or deed. So when considering righteousness, remember to relate it to your relationship with God and not with "godly" rules. Rules and regulations will take you away from God but a closer relationship with God will enable you and cause you to tend to do things God's way, according to His Kingdom. So God's righteousness refers to His Way, which is bound to us by relationship and not merely following the rules or adhering to rituals (as in the Old Testament for the most part). This differs from the basic religious (man-made) realm where rules are the key of operation. Religion requires adherence to law and not establishment of relationship with God.
Things Added
Jesus goes on to say that if we seek first God's Kingdom and Way, then all of our needs will be provided. This is taken from the context established by the previous few verses where Jesus discusses the need for clothing, shelter, and food. How is this so? Remember that seeking God's Kingdom refers to worship and the pursuit of God's way (through that worship). It also implies a personal relationship with God through true righteousness. So it would only seem reasonable to believe that God would take care of His own people. If we pursue God then we will understand more of how his Kingdom operates and therefore operate according to His Way. This will definitely mean that our basic needs would be met because God is not out to destroy us. Also, note that we are not pursuing these things in the absolute sense. Yes we need food and shelter for example, but we have the knowledge and confidence that our loving Father will provide these things to His children.
A Glimpse at Faith
This also involves faith, which a detailed discussion of such is beyond the scope of this devotion today. We see that faith in God is more than to know the rules. It too is founded in our relationship with Him through Christ. Our faith in God is founded on the results of obedience to Him. We do what God says, experience the results of such and therefore depend on Him in the future. We then come to know the trustworthiness of God and will do what He says to us in His Word.
A Good Illustration
Consider the following verse of scripture. Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you". Let's focus our attention on the "seek" portion of this scripture. The word "seek" here is the same word that was used in Matthew 6:33. It refers more than just to inquire for knowledge or information. It involves more than just a pursuit to get. It involves relationship based on the context of the Greek word used. It relates to worship of God (as understood by the Jewish people at the time). So seeking is done through worship. Now get this. Worship is the expression of the worthiness or importance of God. It is our response to the perception of the presence of God and how He is worthy of our adoration or worship. To worship God is to recognise the great importance of God to your life and that recognition is expressed in a form of worship. So seeking or the Greek ze teo is more than a intellectual activity to acquire something that is tied to this world. Seeking and therefore seeking God's Kingdom is an act from the heart because you realize the importance or value (if I can say it that way) of God and His Way. You understand the priority of Christ and the Kingdom of God. Nothing else really matters in the overall scope of things because anything tied to this earth are temporal (and therefore ultimately an illusion) and anything tied to heaven (God's realm) is eternal. Where are your treasures? Are you treasures on the earth or are they in heaven? Therefore, what are you seeking? Heavenly things that will last forever or earthly things that will eventually pass away.
Conclusion
What is the most important thing to you? What do you ultimately seek for? The answers to these questions should be God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Above all, we should pursue those things that are of God because only those things are eternal and therefore truly meaningful. You may not feel like it and the things of this world may appear to give you greater satisfaction and enjoyment. Or in the case of the song "Alternative Ulster" you are drawn to a hope that is worth searching for. Pursue God and His Kingdom as the number one priority and all of the things that pertain to life will be added to you. It is meaningless to pursue those things that are tied solely to the earth. So pursue God and you will find Him and the abundant life he offers you. Make the things of God (including God) of great importance to you. How? It starts with a decision and renewal of the way you think Begin to train yourself to go after God instead of things as the ultimate goal of your life. Learn to experience God and he will show himself faithful and of far greater value to you than anything else that this world has to offer. Seek God and His Kingdom first and all of your needs will be met. Remember that seeking God involves relationship and not merely the acquisition of information. Therefore, get to know your heavenly Father as a means of seeking Him and His Way and make that the greatest priority of your life by your decision as opposed to your feelings.
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