Citizens of the Kingdom

Introduction

If we are to have “strong churches” then we need members who understand what they’ve gotten themselves into.

One of the big problems with weak churches is they are full of mere attendees. Spectators. People looking for some sort of fix so that they can go on about the REAL business of life.

When people became a part of the church in the first century, it turned their whole lives upside down.

I want to talk about that radical shift in thinking that we all need to have as part of the church.

King of Kings

The word Christ means Messiah which means Anointed (Matt. 16:16).

This was a confession that Jesus was the rightful heir to the throne (Matt. 22:42).

And He ascended to that throne through the cross and resurrection (Matt. 27:42).

Not only this, but the title Son of God was one claimed by the Caesars (Rom. 1:4).

His kingship is the climax of the gospel (Acts 2:36; Phil. 2:9-10).

Preaching Jesus is about preaching His kingdom (Matt. 4:17; Lk. 4:43; Mk. 1:14-15).

Understanding this relationship is critical to faith (Matt. 8:5-13).

Sworn Allegiance

The word “faith” is too often confined to the notion of mere belief (Rom. 3:1-3).

It is not less than belief but it is certainly more than that.

How come the word “faith” and the word “faithful” carry such different meanings for us?

Becoming a Christian means we have changed our allegiance (Mk. 1:15).

Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King A Proposed Surgery

N. T. Wright offers a different example that helps us reconsider the first-century meaning of “believe” gospel language. Wright notes that the Jewish general Josephus, in his autobiographical recounting of the events of the Jewish-Roman war in AD 66, reports an incident where he urged a rebel leader to “repent and believe in me,” using language nearly identical to what we find in the Gospel of Mark with respect to Jesus’s proclamation, “The kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the good news” (1:15). Our own cultural experiences might lead us to think that “repent” means to turn away from private sins such as adultery, greed, and exploitation. Meanwhile, in Christian circles “believe” is so often linked to Jesus and the forgiveness of sins that it may be hard to weigh what it means in this example featuring Josephus. But Wright’s point is that Josephus was not trying to convince this rebel to turn away from private sins or to “believe” that God can forgive, rather Josephus wanted this man to join him in supporting the Jewish cause—that is, as I would put it, to show allegiance. So, what “repent and believe in me” means for Josephus in this context is “turn away from your present course of action and become loyal to me.”

Every identity but this one is disposable (Phil. 3:4-8; Acts 22:28; 1 Cor. 9:19-22).

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

Everything we have is available for His use or for His rejection.

This is a transformative concept (Rom. 12:1-2; cf. Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor. 16:13; 1 Tim. 5:8; Rom. 14:23; 2 Tim. 4:7).

Conclusion

What about you?

Are you here because you need some religion in your life? Or have you come to swear allegiance to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords renouncing loyalty to all other calls on your heart?