Positioning places us under proper authority in the Kingdom. This concept is so important that even Jesus had to get into position before He began His public ministry. One day Jesus came to the Jordan River, where the prophet John the Baptist was baptizing people for repentance (renouncing and turning away) of sin. Jesus stepped into the water to be baptized.
But John tried to deter Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to ful ll all righteousness.” Then John consented (Matthew 3:14-15).
As the Son of God, Jesus was without sin and did not need to be baptized for repentance of sin. And John clearly recognized Jesus as being greater than he. Why then did Jesus say, “Let it be so now” in order “to ful ll all righteousness”? In essence, He was saying to John, “This is not a matter of greatness, but a matter of positioning. According to the law of the Lord, you are the one with authority on earth right now. I have to get under you. It’s not a matter of what you think or who I am, but a matter of my positioning. I have to be in alignment with My Father, and you, John, are the alignment. I have to get under you in order for Me to be under Myself.”
If Jesus Christ, who was God in the esh, had to submit to the authority He established, who are we to think that we don’t? Our protection is submission to Kingdom authority, positioning ourselves in alignment to the Word and will of the King.
Jesus’ decision to position Himself by being baptized by John was obviously the right decision, as is borne out by what happened next:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment Heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from Heaven said, “This is My Son, whom, I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Remember, righteousness is pleasing to God, and righteousness means positioning ourselves under His authority.
Righteous positioning, which is based on obedience, is so important that it is the standard of measure in the Kingdom of God. So important, in fact, as to prompt Jesus to issue this warning:
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19-20).
Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven is measured by the standard of obedience to the King’s commands, which are the law. Those who obey are called great while those who disobey are called least. In the eyes of the people of Jesus’ day (as well as in their own eyes), the Pharisees and teachers of the law were “great” because they were committed to exact observance of the Jewish law. Strictly speaking, no one was more obedient to the letter of the law than the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
The problem, however, was that these leaders approached the law and righteousness from a religious mind-set. They were seeking righteousness according to their own merit. They thought that strict obedience to the law in every minute detail would earn them favor with God. In truth, however, they were never aligned with God’s law. They were never in tune with His heart and mind. They were out of position because they sought righteousness through religion.
Religion will never line us up with God. Jesus did not bring a religion when He came. He brought the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven had come to earth. We don’t become righteous by lining up with religion. We become righteous by positioning ourselves according to the laws and principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. It doesn’t matter how many rituals we perform, how many worship services we attend or how often we go to prayer meeting; without deliberate and conscious aligning of ourselves with Kingdom authority, all the rest means nothing. Except our righteousness exceeds that of religion and man-made tradition, we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Religion doesn’t work. We see it in the lives of believers all the time. Believers who are trapped in the “religion” of institutionalized Christianity, with all of its man-made trappings and having “a form of godliness but denying its
power” (2 Tim. 3:5), do not position themselves according
to the principles of the Kingdom. Consequently, they do not enjoy the fruits and bene ts of Kingdom life. This is why so many believers are broke, destitute, and struggling, and living with the same fears, worries, and sicknesses as the rest of the world.
It is time for all of us who are believers to get real with God and do what He says. He has promised that if we will obey His laws and pursue righteous positioning with Him, He will add everything else to us.