Sunday 6th July 2014

Kingdom Service

We become citizens of God to serve the kingdom of God. Even though we have the hope of
heaven, our heavenly destination is not the sole purpose of entering His Kingdom. Before our
season of heaven or resting with the Lord we need to go through the season of service. However,
we cannot enter the season of service in Gods kingdom before rst becoming citizens of that
Kingdom.

2 Cor 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.

Every citizen has obligations to a kingdom just as the kingdom has obligations towards its citizens.
For example, a citizen might be obliged to pay tax, whilst the government protects the citizen in
certain situations.
Note that there is also a Kingdom of the Devil. However, the laws and cultures that exist in the
Kingdom of God are different to those that exist in the Kingdom of the Devil. Whilst a culture of
rightness exists in Gods Kingdom, there is a culture of wickedness in the Devils kingdom.
God recruited us into his kingdom through his Son, so we can serve in that kingdom.

Mat 20:1-15
This parable describes a landowner who hired labourers early in the morning and promised them a
wage. He did the same a different times throughout the day so that he had 5 groups of servants
who all started at different times of the day. Note that in verse 2 he agreed with the labourers who
started rst that he would pay them a penny for their work. To all the groups of servants that were
hired subsequently, he promised to give whatever is right (see v4 and v7)
When it came to paying the labourers, he paid everyone, regardless of whether they had worked
an hour or a full day, a penny. However, the labourers that started last, they grumbled. However,
the landowner responded to those grumbling with two points:
1 - Did we not agree your wage at the start?
2 - Can I not do whatever I want with my money?
Ultimately, he had not cheated anyone out of their entitlement and he is at liberty to be generous
towards whomever he wishes to be. Him being generous towards the labourers who had started
late in the day did stop them from receiving their full wage.

So what do we learn from this parable?

The principle of Lordship.

once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord, it is his responsibility to provide for us. Wether we start
work at 6am in the morning or whether we only start at the eleventh hour, he will ensure that we
are sorted. What is the implication of that for us? We need to stop worrying.

The principle of faithfulness

What did all the servants have in common? They were all hired to serve in the vineyard, even
though they were all called at different times. All the master required of them was faithfulness. As
long as they demonstrated that faithfulness by going into the vineyard to work like he asked them
they were going to get paid.
There are two dimensions of faithfulness.
I. we need to be faithful to the King
II. we need to be faithful to the Kingdom
in other words, we need to both work for and walk with the King.

But seek ye rst 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. Sufcient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Mat 6:33-34
God has saved us so he can take over the concerns in our life. That means that we literally need
not worry about anything.