The Foundation of Everything

The Foundation of Everything Focus: Jesus is the Christ, the foundation upon whom the reign of heaven will be built. Function: As Christians, we confess Jesus as the Christ, wielding the keys of His kingdom against the gates of hell. Have you noticed how spiritual the election is? When you listen to the radio or watch the news or read articles on the internet, pay special attention to how spiritual and how eternal people make politics out to be. There's talk of hope and despair, promises and transformations, morality and justice and retribution. We're all waiting for that judgement day in November, when that final reckoning takes place, when we'll find out who the anointed one is, the chosen one who will lead us in the promised land of our forefathers. On that day he will govern all things, he will shape the life in the world to come. He will be hated by many, but he will bring deliverance for his followers. For others, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Remember, we're talking about politics! But Christians operate in a different way. We don't see presidential candidates as messiahs, christs, prophets, or anointed ones. We don't see our civil liberties as defining who we are. And we don't consider the doctrines of America, or any man-made nation, to be the foundation of everything. Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" Who is the anointed one, the chosen one, who will change the world and usher in a new age to come? His disciples answer, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." We could maybe add the names Donald Trump and Joe Biden to that list today! Jesus says to His disciples: "But who do you say that I am?" "Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.'" Repeat after me: "Jesus is Lord." The words you just said cannot be said and believed without divine intervention. Uttering those words is a supernatural act. It means God has given you those words to say, and without Him, you could not say those words. Being President is not a supernatural office. But being a Christian is. Writing the Constitution of the United States is not a supernatural act. But confessing that Jesus is Lord is. The confession that Jesus is Lord is the supernatural foundation of everything. By it you confess that Jesus is the Lord who made heaven and earth. By it you confess that Jesus is the Lord who was sent by His Father to be crucified and risen from the dead. By it you confess that you are forgiven, and that you have been given a new identity by the Holy Spirit. By it you confess that one day Jesus will return to judge all things and to reign forever in His Kingdom on earth. The confession that Jesus is Lord is the foundation of everything. Jesus says to Simon Peter: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The key of the kingdom is the supernatural authority to grant access to the reign of heaven. The reign of heaven is the active rule of King Jesus in this world. Jesus is the Lord who gives us authority to grant access to His Kingdom by proclaiming Him as the Christ and forgiving others of their sins. The keys of the Kingdom is the authority Jesus handed over to us to make others citizens in His Kingdom. Jesus is recreating the world from the inside out. Jesus entered into this world where Hell invaded and conquered. Earth is behind enemy lines. For the host of Heaven, this world is enemy territory. And Heaven's plan for the liberation of Earth is for their champion, the Prince of Peace Himself, to infiltrate Hell's stronghold and turn its own sinners into saints who fight against it. Jesus died and rose in this hellish landscape of His creation to claim us for His Kingdom. And King Jesus's new people, called the church, fight against the powers of darkness in a revolution for the sake of this world. The church is the new world in its infancy, growing within the old, cursed world. We are citizens of Christ's Kingdom, we are the new world, and when our King returns, the church and the earth will be one in the same. And so Christ Jesus deploys Christians into this world to do battle against the gates of Hell. The church is not on the defensive. No, the church of Christ is on the offensive, waging war for holy ground, territory in the world created by Christ. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, it's not against Red or Blue, Republicans or Democrats. Our battle is against the hordes of Hell. The source of sin and despair and the stronghold of death. And Hell is on the defensive. Its dark angels are in full retreat. The church has a battering ram called the forgiveness of sins, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Christians are the Navy Seals of heaven who operate on covert missions to deliver forgiveness from sins with life-giving precision. Christians are ninjas of the pearly gates, highly-disciplined in the Christian-arts and sacred doctrines for battle against followers of satanic arts and cultish crafts. Christians are knights of the altar-table, who are made strong by the Body and Blood of Christ to make known the heroic deeds of their King. Jesus has given you the authority to proclaim His name to the world. He has commissioned you to deliver to sinners the news of Good Friday and Easter. He has given to you the power to declare to others that their sins are forgiven in His name. You have been given top-level clearance to access the words and promises of Christ in your relationships, in your families, in your workplaces. You have been given the charge to bring hope in the places only the light of Christ can shine. And through your words, Heaven claims territory from Hell. And when Jesus commissioned the apostles to hold the keys of the kingdom, He also established for you the office of pastors. The pastor's job is to give you forgiveness when no one else will and to be heralds of the reign of Jesus in your life. Pastors are servants to the people of God, so that as His people bring Christ to the world, pastors bring Christ to His people. And through pastors and the people of the church, Christ Jesus reigns in our world. Come November, you might vote Red. You might vote Blue. But make no mistake, when you confess Jesus as Lord, your primary political allegiance is to King Jesus. There is no doubt that the Kingdom of Jesus is a political kingdom, and Jesus demands your unwavering and highest allegiance. His is a Kingdom from outside of this world, but nevertheless for this world. Jesus comes to rule the world that He created, and when He returns every President, Prime Minister, and King will kneel before Him. Jesus's Kingdom transcends American politics, His laws demand more adherence than anything passed by congress, and the freedom we have in His Kingdom is worth dying for far more than anything a man-made constitution gives us. Jesus is the Christ, the foundation upon whom the reign of heaven is built. As Christians, we confess Jesus to be the Christ and we wield the keys of His kingdom against the gates of hell. In His name, and for His Kingdom, Amen.