King's People While a King is to be honored and praised, and while His thoughts and ways are to receive deference and adherence, the great purpose for a king, the reason he lives, is to care, protect, and provide for his subjects. Seeking his kingdom, then, will include joining him in caring, protecting, and providing for his people. In seeking the service of the kingdom’s subjects, the kingdom is revealed and entered into. Any position in the kingdom will be contingent on a commitment to and demonstration of serving its people. Anything done for the children of God’s eternal kingdom is being done for Him. If there was ever an excellent king, the King of kings rises far above him. As our King, then, He is all about providing for all our needs according to the wealth of His riches in glory. In the passionate seeking of His kingdom above anything else will be searching out ways to provide for and minister to the people He came to save and populate His realm. Instead of being offended by and isolated from them, we draw near to Him when also draw near to His people in our hearts and service. There can be no fulfilling of His command to love without displaying that same unoffendable love for each other. This aspect of seeking His kingdom first will directly activate the provision for our own needs, as it will be through His people that our blessings are provided. Loving them is ensuring the way He’s made for our blessing’s maintenance and preservation. Notes Seek first the Kingdom Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Seek – Desiring/requiring that fuels search to find in order to worship/serve. Kingdom: King Thoughts/Ways People Realm Greatest – a child Matthew 18:1-6 (NKJV) 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Child: innocent, believing, forgiving, not perfect/but growing Can’t seek to know and love the King and not His children 1 John 4:20 (NLT) 20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? Receiving a child = receiving the Father Mark 9:35-37 (NKJV) 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me." Great – the one who most serves Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV) 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Seeking the people = seeking the King Matthew 25:33-46 (NKJV) 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 "Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” To seek the King and Kingdom – seek place in His body. Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Overview: The purpose of Jesus’ coming was to establish a new kingdom with Him as the King. He indicated that seeking – searching to know and worship/serve - this kingdom first would enable provision for all we need. Seeking the King and His ways will lead to a search to love and serve His people. Kingdom people are not identified by gifting or spirituality but by their childlike heart and their dedication to serve. What is done for His people is done for the King and will be rewarded. What is withheld from His people is withheld from the King and will be punished. We’ve been given a place in His body for the purpose of seeking to know and serve the King and His Kingdom. Prayer: “Father, I thank You for seeking me out to join You in Your kingdom as Your very own child. Grow in me the passion that is Yours for each one that blood was shed to redeem so I may seek to know and serve You through them.” Declarations: I am no longer held in an earthly kingdom but have entered into an eternal one as a child of the King. I no longer am anxious or worried about things in this life, but my desires and requirements are for the Kingdom of God. In seeking to know, love, and serve my brothers and sisters, I seek the vision of the King’s kingdom. I have been given a place in the Kingdom of God that requires my search for its effect of blessing on each member I touch. In caring for His people, I am sowing into His way of meeting my needs in return.