SERVICE: THE HEART OF THE KINGDOM

Matthew chapter 6













Today we are walking in: Service: The Heart Of The Kingdom










Today we look to the word- AMBASSADOR- H6735- tsiyr- ambassador, hinge, messenger, pain, pang, sorrow











The Torah testifies……..




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The Prophets proclaim……..




Obadiah 1:1




The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador H6735 is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle.










The Writings witness………………




Proverbs 13:17




A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador H6735 is health.










“A stingy man with much wealth is a danger to a world of poor men.”





“SERVICE: THE HEART OF KINGDOM CULTURE




From the beginning, Yah’s original purpose and plan was to rule the earth from Heaven through His family of humankind. He created man for this very reason. Man’s original purpose was to dominate the earth through Kingdom influence. Yah’s strategy for accomplishing this was to establish a colony of Heaven on earth. His intention was to influence the earth from Heaven so that the earth would begin to take on the culture of Heaven. In this manner, the influence of the invisible heavenly Kingdom would permeate, fill, and cover the visible physical earthly realm.




A kingdom, as we have already seen, is the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his will, his intent and his purpose, manifesting that impact through the development of a culture that is manifested in its citizens. In other words, every kingdom manifests itself in the lifestyle and culture of its people. This means that every citizen of a kingdom is supposed to take on the nature of the king. That is why, for example, they speak British English in the Bahamas. They call it the “King’s English” because their lifestyle and culture reflect the influence of the British crown.




Yah’s intent for us as Kingdom citizens is that we take on the culture of Heaven so that in whatever we do or say it will be evident that we belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why we don’t use foul language or lie or cheat or practice deceit or give way to jealousy or hatred. Those things are not part of Heaven’s culture and therefore are foreign to us. As Kingdom citizens we are from Yah’s country and both our language and our lifestyle should reflect that.




Remember, the Kingdom of Yah is not a religion. It is an actual country with its own government, laws, culture, and citizenry. And unlike earthly kingdoms of men, the Kingdom of Heaven is an eternal Kingdom. The Old Testament prophet Daniel said of Yah, “How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation” (Dan. 4:3). Even the oldest nations on earth have been organized states for less than 2,000 years. That may be a long time from man’s perspective but it is merely a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. An eternal Kingdom needs to be taken seriously. The Kingdom of Heaven will still be around after every kingdom of man has fallen to dust.




Yah’s Kingdom will endure from generation to generation. This means that there is a place in the Kingdom not only for us but also for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all other generations of our descendents until the end of time. If the Kingdom dies with us as far as our family is concerned, then we will have failed our King. Yah is always looking for more citizens for His Kingdom, and if we fail in our generation, who will introduce future generations to the Kingdom?




The Kingdom of Heaven is our inheritance. Again, from the words of Daniel, “The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” (Dan. 7:18). Saints is another word for Kingdom citizens. We are destined to possess the Kingdom that Yahusha Hamachiach came to earth to announce and establish.




As I have mentioned before, Hamachiach did not bring a religion but a Kingdom, a royal government. Christianity is a religion, which is why it doesn’t work. You can practice a religion but you can’t practice citizenship. This is why some folks are good on Sunday and a mess on Monday. They’re practicing religion. But you can’t practice citizenship. Being a Kingdom citizen is a 24-hour-a-day reality, which is just what Yah wants. He doesn’t want members, but citizens. He wants people on earth who are citizens of a country from another place. That is why as Kingdom citizens we are in the world but not of the world.




In bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, Hamachiach was restoring what man lost in the Garden of Eden. Yet somewhere along the way we missed the point and substituted a religion for the Kingdom. Yahusha said, “Blessed are the poor in Ruach, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 5:3). “Poor in Ruach” means spiritually bankrupt, spiritually destitute and in great spiritual need. Yahusha said that the Kingdom of Heaven is reserved for those who recognize their spiritual poverty. If you are spiritually empty, no religion, including institutionalized, man-centered Christianity, can fill your emptiness. You will never be satisfied until you receive the Kingdom.




This is why Yahusha was so insistent that we seek first the Kingdom and righteousness of Yah and trust Him to provide all the things that we need for daily life. The enemy likes nothing more than to distract us into pursuing things because it keeps our attention away from the Kingdom and our Kingdom destiny.




THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HAS A DISTINCTIVE CULTURE




Yahusha always talked about the Kingdom. It was His only message. One time He said, “The kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matt. 13:33). This parable is a statement about Kingdom influence. One thing about yeast, once you add it to your dough you cannot remove it. It’s there for good. And although it works slowly at first, eventually the yeast permeates the entire batch of dough.




In the same way, now that the Kingdom of Heaven is on earth, it will never depart. And like yeast, the Kingdom is growing and will continue to grow until it thoroughly covers and saturates the earth. Although human governments come and go, the government of Yah will last forever. His Kingdom is eternal.




The presence of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth divides all the people on earth into two groups: those who are Kingdom citizens and those who are not. This is a critical distinction. Our purpose as Kingdom citizens is to work with the King to increase the size of the first group and decrease the size of the second group. We have a calling and a responsibility to influence earthly culture with the culture of Heaven. For this very reason, the King has given us Kingdom authority—the keys of the Kingdom—so that we can fulfill our calling as ministers of reconciliation.




Every country has a culture. Culture is the manifestation of the nature of the government in the lifestyle, customs, and morals of the people. In other words, every country has unique qualities of character, customs, traditions, and social mores that distinguish it from other countries. In practical terms this means that when you enter the Kingdom of Heaven through the new birth in Hamachiach, you become a Kingdom citizen and the culture of the Kingdom should begin to manifest in your life, your speech, and your behavior.




When you return to work, your boss and your co-workers should notice such a difference in your manner and behavior that it will prompt them to ask you what has changed about you. That is when you can say, “Yes, something is different. I have changed countries and am now a citizen of a different government. I am in this world but not of it. My citizenship is from another place.”




Kingdom culture is distinctly different from the cultures of any earthly country. The Kingdom operates under different principles and laws than those of the world and thus produces a distinctive culture that stands out in the world. One of the clearest distinctives of Kingdom culture is that it is a culture characterized by service. The cultures of the world manifest an every-man-for-himself approach to life and success. Kingdom culture, however, measures success by service and self-giving. Kingdom culture is a culture of servanthood.




A CULTURE OF SERVANTHOOD




Yahusha modeled consistently in word and deed the character quality of servanthood. He also taught it as a fundamental principle of Kingdom life. One of His most explicit teachings on the subject came in response to a request he received from the mother of James and John, two of His closest disciples.




Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Yahusha with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.




“What is it you want?” he asked.




She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”




“You don’t know what you are asking,” Yahusha said to them.” Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”




“We can,” they answered.




Yahusha said to them, “You will indeed drink from My cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for Me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My Father” (Matthew 20:20-23).




This woman was like all loving mothers; she wanted the best for her boys. She wanted them to be great men, men of authority in the Kingdom that Yahusha was establishing. She hoped to persuade Yahusha to promote her sons to positions of greatness and power. Her problem lay in the fact that she approached the matter from the attitude and value system of the world. She did not yet understand the dynamics of the Kingdom. She did not understand that the values, standards, principles, and priorities of the Kingdom were very different from those in the world.




Yahusha’ response was less than she (and her sons) had hoped. He said that the positions on either side of Him in the Kingdom were not His to give. Those choices were for His Father to make.




Understandably, Yahusha’ other disciples were upset over all of this, which gave Yahusha the opportunity to teach them all about greatness from the Kingdom perspective.




When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Yahusha called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:24-28).




Yahusha said that in the Kingdom, you don’t find greatness by seeking titles or position. Greatness in the Kingdom does not come by advancing over your co-workers and then lording your elevation over them. In the Kingdom, you serve your way to greatness. You don’t connive your way to greatness. The mother of James and John sought greatness for her sons by association instead of dedication. She hoped to exploit her sons’ “inner track” to Yahusha for their advantage. After all, that is how the world operates. You get ahead according to who you know.




But Yahusha nipped that idea in the bud. He said, “In My Kingdom you don’t achieve greatness by who you associate with but rather by how well you serve others.” His own life was the perfect example. Yahusha, even though He was the Son of Yah, came to serve, not to be served. What was appropriate for Him is certainly appropriate for us. The road to greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven leads through the valley of humble service.




Yahusha said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” In this context, the word first means the first one people always call on. In other words, the one who is the most important, the one who is most valuable, the one who everyone calls first is the one with the reputation for working the hardest.




If people are always calling on you or turning to you, that’s a good sign. However, if you are the one they always avoid, perhaps it is time for you to reexamine your attitude, habits, and work ethic. No one ever becomes great by avoiding the hard jobs and the tough decisions. And if you do not have the Ruach of service and hard work, it will not be only people avoiding you. Prosperity will avoid you as well.




Being a servant does not mean that you become subservient. It means that you find what you have and you give it to the world. You serve your gift to the world. That’s what makes you great in the Kingdom of Heaven.