Citizens of the Kingdom (Worship Service)
Notes
Transcript
Holy God, open our hearts to hear the message you have for us this morning. Grant to us ears to hear, hearts to feel, minds to think, and spirits to respond as you speak. In Jesus Name, AMEN .
As we begin this morning, we are coming off a tumultuous election week. A week that has driven the media into overdrive, interrupting regular broadcasting to tell us that votes were still coming in,
... that votes were still being counted,
...and since votes were still coming in they could not yet project a winner.
That’s all they really said for 3 days, until yesterday when a general consensus seemed to form that former Vice President Joe Biden will be our next President and Senator Kamala Harris will be our next Vice President, the first woman to hold that office.
These results of course still need to be confirmed as the vote tallies still need to be certified, and the electoral college still needs to vote December 14th. If anything this whole process is a reminder to us all why we should have paid more attention in our history and civics classes in high school.
Some people are exuberant feeling that a Biden/Harris administration will radically change our country bringing much needed healing to our country that has become so divided. Others are frustrated and perhaps even fearful that this same administration will change our country into a socialist state. And The truth is that none of us know what it will mean, because the future has not been written yet. We do not know what challenges lie ahead for our country that is still in the midst of a pandemic no one on earth knew was coming.
Over the past couple of decades I have seen such anger and hatred spewed towards leaders in our government: Towards our presidents, towards the leaders in our house of representatives and senate, and towards our governor. To me, it seems in the last decade this anger and hatred seem to have been in overdrive.
This has led me to three important questions in my own life that I want to share with you this morning:
To whom do you give power over your life?
To whom do you give power over your life?
In the past 10 years I have observed that many feel the president of the United States has enormous power over our lives. Descriptions of the person in office as ultimate authority, dictator and worse by those who disagree. But who really has power over your life?
The second question is:
Where do you put your trust?
Where do you put your trust?
Some put their trust in the government. There are millions of Christians around the world that would say that the government is the last place they want to put their trust. So, where do I put it?
Lastly,
Who do you believe is in control?
Who do you believe is in control?
Now all of these questions can easily bring about the Sunday School answer of “God” or “Jesus”.
So let’s do a little bit of self examination. Do our actions and conversations reflect our answer that God is the one who truly has power over our lives, that we trust in, and whom we believe is in control?
Now before anyone thinks that I’m saying it doesn’t matter who we elect to office and that we just shouldn’t care, I want to state that is not what I’m saying at all. As citizens of the United States we are given the privilege to weigh in on our government and to make our voice heard, and we should do so at every opportunity.
And still our government is not the ultimate source of our conflict:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
There is an entire spiritual realm out that we as Presbyterians don’t talk about a whole lot. Its there. The Bible is clear. So as we are in the midst of this truly cosmic battle, we have to remember our citizenry is not of this world.
Remember your calling
Remember your calling
We are blessed to be in the United States of America. I really believe that, with all of her troubles, with all of the difficulties our nation has, it is still a great nation. But this is not where our ultimate citizenship is. As christians, we have been called to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, to think with an eternal perspective.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to hold to his commandments, he did not say, “Make sure your government feeds the hungry, gives drink to the thirsty, welcomes the stranger, clothes the naked, visits the sick and imprisoned.” His command was for his followers to do that. See Matthew 25.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah tells us:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
We are to walk with God in a humble way.
As citizens of the Kingdom, one of the things that we are called to do is to pray for those in leadership. I want to share with you 5 scriptures that remind us to do exactly that:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We don’t have a king, but we do have presidents and many who are in high positions in our government. We are called to pray for them, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
In that way, not only do we pray for our current president and his administration, but also for the administration that is in the midst of forming.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Let’s remember who is really in control, God has not left the throne. In the reformed tradition perhaps the most essential tenet of our faith is the sovereignty of God. God remains in control. There is nothing that happens, not one thing, without his knowledge.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Drama gets ratings. Depending on the media you listen to, you will notice they have a particular view point. Often ideas are given dramatic urgency and impact where neither exist. Be an intelligent viewer of media. Remember their job is to make it dramatic and that often means trying to get you anxious about it. Turn off the television, and turn to God in prayer.
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
You can pray that our leaders hearts might be turned. I think this is helpful especially when we’re praying about issues important to us.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Once again, remember it is God who is on the throne.
Finally, I just want to close with these verses:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
He continues in verse 12...
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Let’s take a moment and thank God for our nation, and to pray for our country, for our leaders, and for the transition that has begun.
Sovereign God, we are humbled to be reminded that no matter who we think is in control YOU are truly in control. Forgive us for the times when we forget that.
Lord, in these few moments we want to life up the leadership of our country as you have called us to do.
We lift up to you OUR president, Donald Trump. We pray for You to grant him wisdom and discernment in leadership of our country. Give him courage Lord, and give him a sense of peace in this time of transition during the next couple of months. We pray for the transitional period and for his family. May they feel your presence and guidance Lord, during this time. Protect them Lord and keep them safe.
And Lord, we also lift up to you the apparent President Elect, Joe Biden. So much to be done in the next 70 or so days, we ask for you to give him wisdom and discernment beyond his own understanding. Help him choose the right people as advisers for his cabinet posts to help him lead. Surround him with wise counsel, and in the midst of the chaos that will be the next couple of months, give him a sense of peace and may he feel your presence Lord. We pray for his family as well. Protect them, and keep them safe.
Lord we also pray for our country, so fractured by the hyperbole that is our electoral process here. We confess we give in to the drama and divisiveness. Give us new insight into ourselves and our country. Lord we ask that our country might be more united for good. We pray especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ, that we together might lead the way in bringing our country back together. That we might demonstrate hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Lord, help us put on love binding everything together in harmony. And may the peace of Christ rule in our hearts as we are called in one body. We pray this in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to you our God and our Father. AMEN.