Our dual citizenship

Matthew 17:24 – 27

Introduction: Imagine

If you would...

an expatriate

living and working

in a foreign country.

When I lived in Kenya

I was

An expatriate...

who is...

A person who lives

Or works

Outside of their native country.

But

You would

That…

as an expatriate…

You

may learn

the local language,

And we did

And people

For Are expatriates

May follow

the local laws

And we certainly did

and

As an expatriate

You

May even enjoy

the culture,

And we did

but We never

truly blend in

as a native.

Because

Our heart

and permanent residence

remain tied

to My homeland.

So that

When conflict

or confusion

arises,

My fundamental allegiance

is to My home country.

Because here…

Is where my citizenship is.

But

With that in mind

I want us

To read our text

For tonight

It is in

the Gospel of Matthew

Chapter 17

The Bible says

In Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

Let’s

Go to the Lord

In a word of prayer

(Pray)

I. The context

Declaration

Now then

Let’s read

Our text again

For this evening

It is very brief

Only 4 versus.

Matthew’s gospel

Records these words

( Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

Now

When I read these words

I think to myself…

The Lord’s disciples…

Were men…

Who had…

Dual citizenship.

They were both

Citizens

Of the Roman Empire

Or even the nation of Israel.

But

They were also citizens

Of the kingdom of heaven.

They were citizens

Under the Roman Emperor

And citizens

Under God

Under…

the Heavenly Father.

In fact

Notice

Here in this text

The word Master

Used by those

Who collected taxes

Who collected

Tribute money.

They referred

To the disciples Leader…

The Lord Jesus Christ…

As their Master.

Now…

The

Word Master

In verse 24

Refers

To Christ’s role

As both Teacher

And respected

Religious authority.

He was

Their supreme leader.

So

The truth is.

These disciples

Though they were subjects

Under the Roman Empire…

Yet

At the same time too

They were subjects

Of the kingdom of heaven

They

Had

Dual citizenship.

But

Be that as it may…

Some time ago

We began…

Entitled

Important statements

In the Bible

And

Just before

I went on vacation...

We completed

The entire Old Testament.

We went from Genesis

Through the book of Malachi…

Identifying

Important statements

That Teach us

A Bible truth.

But

This evening…

We begin

In the New Testament

And…

With the book of Matthew.

Now

Matthew

is the most Jewish-centric

of the four gospels.

And

As you read this Gospel

You realize

That Matthew himself

Who wrote this book

regularly

invoked the writings

of the Old Testament prophets…

in an effort

to

illustrate

Jesus’s identity …

as Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

For example

The book of Psalms

is often cited by Matthew

to show the Messiah's

Kingly authority,

His betrayal,

and eventual triumph

(e.g., Psalm 2, Psalm 110, and Psalm 118).

Like wise

Matthew

Specifically Cited Micah 5:2,

which famously prophesied

that

the Messiah

would be born in Bethlehem

Where the wise men said

Regarding the Messiah

That He would be born

Matthew 2:5–6 “ In Beth-lehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Beth-lehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”

And

At the same time too...

Zechariah

Points to the Messiah's triumphal entry

into Jerusalem

on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9,

As recorded in Matthew 21:4–5 “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”

And I could go on.

But

The point is

The

Gospel of Matthew

Frequently

Sites the Old Testament.

But

Be that

As it may

The apostle Matthew,

a Jew himself...

As

He wrote this book...

he offered

a decidedly Jewish perspective

on the ministry of Jesus.

As a matter of fact

He included

more than

50 direct citations—

and even more

indirect allusions

from the Old Testament.

Which

exceeds

any of the other gospels

and indicates

that Matthew

had the Jewish population

in mind

when he sat down

to write.

And

Matthew’s extensive connections

between Jesus

and the Old Testament

provide us

With ample prophetic evidence

for Jesus’s ministry.

but it also give contemporary readers

In this day and time

a

glimpse

into how

first-century readers

approached the Old Testament

with

a Christ-centered

mind-set.

Discussion

But

With all that said…

And as we think about…

Important statements…

In this book…

That teach us

Important truths.

Let me say that

There are many…

That we could look at…

This evening.

For

Example.

We could look

At Matthew 5

And verse 16

Where

As the Lord Jesus Christ

Was preaching His sermon

On the Mount…

Said

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Oh

What important truth

There is

In that statement.

We ought to so

Live our lives

That people

Might be pointed

To our Heavenly Father

And His glory.

We

Could look

At verse verse 44

Where the Lord said

Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

What an important truth

We find there.

We could also turn

to Chapter 6

And

Read

One of the most important truths

Found in the Bible

(Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

We could turn

To the seventh chapter

And read the first verse

Which says

(Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

And

If believers

Good just take that lesson to heart...

It would make the church

A Much easier place

To manage.

And…

What about

Matthew 9:36–38

Which says about Jesus

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

And

If Christians

Could only practice that one

We might see

More people

Becoming engaged

In spreading the gospel.

But the truth is

We could spend weeks

In the Gospel of Matthew

Learning

Truth

After truth

After truth.

But

As I prepared

For tonight

The Holy Spirit

Brought my attention

To our text

For

This evening.

Let’s read it…

Once again.

The Bible says

In Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

Now

By way of context

the event …

Of this text…

Take place …

As we just read…

in the town of Capernaum …

shortly after Jesus

explicitly

predicts His impending death …

and resurrection …

to his disciples.

In fact

Keep your place here

In verse 24

And read

Beginning in verse 22

It says Matthew 17:22–23 “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.” ).

And

What Jesus predicted

sets

a somber,

yet

instructional tone

for His teachings ...

as He prepares them

for the future.

But

To help us

Understand

The context

Of what is taking place here.

We need to understand

That in Jewish history…

There was a temple tax

Which was

Collected annually.

And

It was

compulsory !

It was

To be a half-shekel tax

or two-drachma.

Now

one drachma

was roughly equivalent

to one day's wage ..

for a skilled laborer ....

in the first century.

so

a two-drachm coin

would roughly translate

to about

two days

of an average worker's labor.

But

This temple tax

Was collected

from Jewish males

20 years

and older

to fund the maintenance

of the Jewish Temple

in Jerusalem.

And

This tax

Was rooted

in

Exodus 30:13–16 “This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls.”

And

Because Capernaum

Functioned

as a home base

for...

Jesus' ministry

in Galilee,

it was the natural place

for these collectors

to approach Peter.

And with all that...

in mind...

Let’s read

The text again

It

Tells us

In verse 24

(Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

So

When these temple tax collectors

Approached Peter

About Whether or not

Jesus

Had paid This tax ...

And

When Peter

Said

Yes of course He has..

And then....

When Peter went...

to where Jesus was...

The Lord

asks Peter

if earthly kings

collect tolls

from

their own children

or from strangers.

so

When Peter answers

"from strangers,"

Jesus points out

that the Sons…

That is…

the Sons of the King

are

inherently free

from the obligation.

And

What Jesus

Was getting at

Was that

because He

Was the Son of God,

Jesus has no obligation

to

pay a tax ……

meant

to support His own Father's house.

and

At the same time too

His disciples

shared this spiritual freedom

As the Lord’s followers.

see

They

Had dual citizenship.

They were citizens

Of Abraham’s family…

But more importantly…

They were citizens

Of God’s family.

So technically speaking…

Neither they

Nor

The Lord Jesus Christ

Had any spiritual obligation

To pay this temple tax.

Because see

Citizenship…

Has privileges…

Doesn’t it?

Deliberation

Something which

I’ve seen

Illustrated

In a marked way.

In fact

Many years ago

When I served

In Kenya

As a missionary

There

Were occasions

Where I had to go

To the capital city

Of Nairobi

To go to the embassy…

The American Embassy.

And

At the American Embassy

When

You were a citizen

Of the United States

You found that

Citizenship

Had great privileges.

There were no hindrances

To American citizens

In the embassy.

We

Had great freedom

In the embassy.

It was American soil.

And we were entitled…

To all of the benefits

And the freedoms

Of American citizenship.

Whereas

the

Kenyans

Were not.

But see

Citizenship

Has its privileges.

So Jesus pointed out

That the children

of the King...

Were

Under no obligation

To pay this tax.

But then

Our Savior

Made

Such an important statement

One

That we ought’

to take notice of

He

Said

Matthew 17:27 “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

In other words

The Christian

lives

a life

of dual citizenship.

and

our allegiance

is due only

to God,

but we must also shine

as lights

in

this dark world

by living according

to its rules

when possible.

Whether in the workplace

In matters of money

and even taxes.....

so as to not cause ....

offense.

II. The concepts

Declaration

And

With that context

In mind....

I want us to consider

The concepts

Of our dual citizenship.

And

Let me say again

That

As

Believers…

We have dual citizenship.

We were born

As citizens

Of the United States of America.

But

When we received Christ

As our personal savior…

we

Our born-again

And Became citizens

Of the kingdom of God.

Therefore

Our Ultimate allegiance

Is to God.

Notwithstanding

Lest...

We

Should offend those

In the world...

We ought to do

our best

To live

As good citizens

Of humanity

And

Of this country.

And

Let me say

First of all

We ought to be

Good citizens

When it comes

To paying our taxes.

That’s true.

In fact

The Bible says

With regards

To the disciples

In Mark 12:14–17 “And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it. And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s. And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.”

so

Jesus made it clear

That the disciples…

Needed to pay their tax.

And

So should we.

As American citizens.

Now

By the way

I personally think

Taxes are too high

They certainly are!

Because…

When

You Add up

All of the taxes

We are required to pay…

Sales tax…

Property tax…

Real estate tax…

State…

And federal tax…

That’s

Being overtaxed

In my opinion.

But be that as it may…

Lest we offend them

We OUGHT TO pay that tax…

That’s true.

But see…

American citizens

have

several fundamental obligations,

which are legally required

to maintain

a functioning society

and uphold the Constitution.

And paying our taxes

Is one of those obligations.

There is

a Second obligation

That we have

As American citizens.

And that is

Obeying the laws.

American Citizens

are required

to respect

and

abide

by all federal,

state,

and local laws.

Somebody said

Well Pastor…

Doesn’t the Bible say

We ought to obey God

Rather than men?

Well…

Yes it does.

But let me also say…

That…

The only time

We are permitted

To set aside

Man’s laws…

Is when they directly

Contradict

Or countermand

God’s Laws.

Because

The Scripture

Teachers us that!!

In fact

Turn if you would

The book of 1 Peter

And chapter 2

The Bible says

In 1 Peter 2:13–17 “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

So

Let’s talk about this.

Peter

Writing under inspiration

Of the Holy Spirit…

Said…

Submit yourself

To every ordinance of man…

For the Lord’s sake.

That’s pretty clear!

We

Have a spiritual obligation

To obey

The laws of the land.

That

If there are traffic laws....

We ought to obey them.

If

There are city ordinances

We

Ought to comply.

If

There are state and federal laws…

We ought…

Do they what they say.

And the only time

We can ever

Set those laws

aside...

Is

When they stand

Contradictory

To the Laws of our God...

And of His Word.

That's it!!

In other words

When it comes

To our citizenship

in

This country

We have an obligation

To be obedient

To the laws

Placed over us.

And Peter went on to say

That

It is the will of God.

So

It isn’t God’s will

When we live

Lawlessly.

By the way

Christians

Ought to be

The very best

law-abiding citizens.

So

As not to offend others.

Discussion

But

When it comes

To our earthly citizenship…

Our citizenship…

As American citizens…

Not only

Should we pay our taxes…

And obey the laws…

Of the land.

But

At the same time too

We ought to be good neighbors.

In fact

Notice verse 17

Here in 1 Peter 2

He wrote

1 Peter 2:17 “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

Now…

The

Word honor

Used here

Means simply

To show deep respect for

To place one

In the highest regard.

And to show proper value

To all men.

That is

Everyone…

Around us.

We ought to be

Respectful

Towards people.

People in our neighborhoods

People

In our community

People

On the highway

And every other place.…

We encounter them.

We ought to be respectful

Of them.

We ought to hold them

In the highest regard.

We ought to show deference

To others.

Sadly

Sometimes

We aren’t respectful

To others around us.

But Peter said

We have an obligation

As citizens

In this world

To honor all men.

Notice also

Peter said

Love the brotherhood

And I'm going

to talk more about that

In just a few minutes here.

But Peter said

Love the brotherhood

And fear God.

And

I’ll get

To that

In a minute too.

But then

Peter said

That as citizens

Of our country…

We as believers

ought to honor the king.

Now

That is astonishing

Considering

The king

Peter was referencing.

He was talking about Nero.

And…

Most Roman sources …

offer

overwhelmingly

negative assessments

of Nero's personality

and reign.

As a matter of fact

Most contemporary sources

describe him

as tyrannical,

self-indulgent,

and debauched

Individual.

The

historian Tacitus

claims the Roman people

thought him …

to be compulsive

and corrupt.

Suetonius tells

that many Romans believed

the Great Fire of Rome

was instigated by Nero .

but

it was that man…

that emperor…

that king…

that Peter

said to honor.

Honor the king

he said.

show

Respect

For the king.

You might feel

That he is Compulsive

And corrupt.

But respect

The king.

Hold him

In the last regard.

Ascribe

The greatest of value…

Respect the king…

Nero…

Peter was saying

And

Unfortunately

Christians

Sometimes

Have a hard time with that

Because let’s be honest

Sometimes our leaders…

Sometimes…

Our presidents

Aren’t

Like we hoped

Or would want them

To be.

In fact

Several years ago

We had a president

In this country

Whose policies

Were terrible.

They were

Un-American

Unchristian

Immoral

Incorrect .

And that President

Endeavored

To ram his policies

Down our throats.

So

I did not like him

As a man

But I wasn’t biblically obligated

To honor him

As my president.

And therefore

I did not

Speak ill of him

I

Did not

Berate him.

Instead

I prayed for him.

And I certainly

Did not want to see him

Come to harm.

But

I have heard

Christians

Today

Completely dishonor

The president.

And that’s wrong

Now

They may not agree

With his policies

But

They are duty-bound

Biblically obligated

To show honor

To him.

That’s what the Bible said

And that’s what it means

To be an American citizen.

See…

To be a good citizen

As

An American citizen

We ought

To pay our taxes

We ought

To obey the laws

Of the land

We ought

To respect our neighbors…

And all those around us.

And

We ought

To honor our king…

Or our president…

Or Our governor.

Whether

We like her policies

or not.

And

It doesn’t mean

We have to agree

With what she…

Or our leaders do…

Because we might not.

But we have an obligation

To honor them.

And

At the same time too...

We have an obligation

To pray for them.

In fact

The apostle Paul said

1 Timothy 2:1–2 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

So

Let me ask you

When is the last time

You Prayed

For your governor?

For your president?

For those

In authority over you?

And

Do you honor them?

We ought to!!

Determination

and

That is the point

Jesus was making

Back in our text

In Matthew 17

Turn back there again

And let’s read it

The Bible says

In Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

He

Was saying...

You are...

A citizen...

Of the kingdom of God

And

Of this world.

And therefore

So as not to offend

Those

In the world.

Pay Our tax.

And the Bible says

Render honor

To our leaders.

Obey the laws

That are over you.

Respect the populace

So that

You don’t offend others.

Which

Reminds me

Of the proverbial bumper sticker

A fellow

had a bumper sticker

On his car

That said

I love Jesus

Or

Follow me

to so and so Baptist Church.

But

That same fellow

Drives like a maniac

He excessively speeds

He cut people off

He Shaped his fist

At his fellow travelers.

But how offensive

That is!

So Christians…

We ought to live our lives

In such a way

That we never

Offend someone

With how we live our lives.

Now

Do you know

What the word offend means

There

In that verse?

It means

To cause someone

To stumble.

To cause someone

To fall into sin

Or to be led astray.

And

The

Point

Jesus was making

Is that

Those temple tax collectors

Were no doubt

Steeped

In Judaism

They didn’t believe

In the Lord Jesus Christ.

So

They needed

To be saved.

And that is why

Jesus said

He and his followers

Should pay the tax

So that they don’t become

A stumbling block

Or

A hindrance

In them

Coming to Christ.

That Is so important.

but

As citizens

Of this world

In the day

In which we live

We ought

to Pay our taxes

Obey the laws

Respect other people

Respect our leaders…

So that

we don't....

cause

lost people

To turn away

From the Gospel of Christ

That is so important.

III. The conclusion

Declaration

But

As I said earlier…

In our text

We realize

That the disciples

Were not only

Citizens of this earth.

But they were citizens

Of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus

Was their Master…

And God

Was there King.

And as such…

They had an obligation

To love the brotherhood

And honor the King.

Listen again

To what Peter said

In 1 Peter 2:17 “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”

So

Let’s talk about

Our biblical obligation

As citizens of heaven.

And first of all

As

Citizens

We ought to honor

the King…

King Jesus.

As believers

Our first allegiance

Is to the King…

the King of heaven!

the

Lord our God

the Omnipotent One

the Sovereign One.

But the question is

How do we Honor…

the King?

Well

The ultimate demonstration

of

Honor

Where our God

His concerned..

is by aligning your will

with His.

It is the most important thing

We can do.

In fact

I’m reminded

Of what the prophet Samuel

Told King Saul

In the book

Of 1 Samuel 15

He said

1 Samuel 15:22 “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams.”

That verse

teaches

that

obedience

is better

than sacrifice.

And

Not only that

But we should likewise

Live lives

That are pure

Before the Lord.

In fact

Paul wrote

In 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Discussion

Additionally

As good citizens

Of the King of heaven

We ought to likewise

Keep in communication

With the King.

We ought to pray

Regularly

We

Should daily

Be in the Word…

So that we not only

Talk to God…

But so that He

Can talk to us.

And

At the same time too.

We ought to hold

As important

That

Which is important to Him!

But somebody said

Well Pastor…

What exactly

It is important to God?

Well

Let me give you

A quick list.

The church…

Is important to God.

In fact

The Bible says

in Acts 20

That

as

Paul was addressing

The elders of the church

Of Ephesus

But he said

in Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

I would say

That the church

Must be vitally important

To the Lord.

I mean…

If

He was willing

To purchase it

With His own blood

I mean

If He was willing

To die for

It's because it is important

To our Lord.

And if it is important to Him....

The church then

Ought to be important to us.

And

Not only that

But souls

Were important to the Lord.

In fact

Right here

In Matthew’s gospel

The Bible says

(Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”

Therefore

Because souls

Are important to Jesus

They ought to be

Important to us to.

And ultimately

God’s glory

Is the most important thing

to Him.

So

it ought to be important

To us as well

As good citizens

The kingdom of God.

Determination

So

In conclusion

Let me ask you

About your citizenship.

As a citizen

Of this world

Do you endeavor to live

So as not to offend

Those who are lost?

And

As a citizen

Of the kingdom of God

Do you live your life

So as

to love the brotherhood

And honor your Lord

So that you don’t

Offend God?

Well

You might need

To come to the altar

To rededicate yourself

As a Believer

With dual citizenship…

Both your citizenship

In this world

And your citizenship

In heaven.

And

If nothing else

Maybe you would come

And pray for others.

I truly wish you would.Mom

Conclusion: Let’s close in prayer